Comedian Ron Funches was one of the guest interviews on Matt Koon‘s latest episode of Total Engagement. The comic goes into detail about his wrestling fandom, the attraction that comics have towards professional wrestling and talks if he ever leaned towards hiding his wrestling fandom.
Ron Funches on how long he’s been a wrestling fan:
“I’ve been a wrestling fan for 30 years now. I’m 36 years old, I got into wrestling when I was about five years old. It was an escape for me because I was raised mostly by my mom, my aunt, my sister there. My aunt had daughter so it’s just really a lot women and estrogen which is fine, but it usually meant that I was watching what they wanted to watch and I was crimping hair and massages. And I had an uncle and he would take me to the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago and that’s where I fell in love with wrestling was watching Hulk Hogan and Earthquake and Ultimate Warrior and just the Legion of Doom or the Road Warriors there.”
On why comedians and wrestling have this special connection:
“Well I think in general when it comes to comics, we’re the kind of people where (A) we’re nerdy. We’re the kind of people who like to look behind the veil of things, you know? And pro wrestling provides all of that.
It’s really funny sometimes, you know? It’s hilarious. So that’s what I think draws comedians to it, is that we kind of understand it. We live a similar life where we fall in love with something that sometimes other people don’t see the value in or don’t see as a worthwhile pursuit, but it means the world to us, you know? You talk to Bret Hart and his championships mean the world to him, you know? Just like what I do means the world to me and I understand that.”
On if he was ever super secretive about his wrestling fandom:
“No, that’s just not really who I ever been as a person. Like I’m usually just open about whatever I love. There was a time where I wasn’t as open with it, and there was a time where wrestling doesn’t make you a fan. There’s parts where in particularly racist or sexist or homophobic or making fun of the disabled people in characters like Eugene and there’s part where it does make you a little embarrassed so I think is natural, but I always just love the sport of it. That’s the one thing I always tell people, is that I don’t love WWE, I love pro wrestling. I love all of it. I love Japanese stuff, I love AEW right now.”
(Transcription credit should go to @DominicDeAngelo of WrestleZone)
More from this interview as well as Matt’s chat with AEW Casino Battle Royale participant, Dustin Thomas, all available to listen on Total Engagement. Full audio below:
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