From the Blog of One Fan...

[Johnny Reb]

Southern Culture on the Skids
A Blog by Rebel4Life

Mood: Wired
Listening to: Hello, I’m Johnny Cash: The Best of Johnny Cash

A Confession

Let me start from the top, before I address the topic at hand. I’m actually on a laptop from my hotel room right now. I’ve been meeting with a sales rep the last few days, but that’s mostly irrelevant. This rep has been wining and dining me, trying to win me over. Tonight, he got us tickets to WCF’s Slam.

Now, I have devoted a few previous entries to wrestling. Those of you who have followed along up until now know my opinion on the subject. But I have a confession to make…

I have become – and it almost shames me to say this – a Johnny Reb fan.

Ok, granted, he is an absolute disgrace to Southern sensibilities all the way around: the worst example of the worst parts of Southern high society. And for the longest time, I hated him for that. Hell, I loved hating him.

But in retrospect, I think a lot of that was in GWC’s handling of Johnny Reb. He was never allowed to shine, relegated to inconsequential matches. Don’t even get me started on that whole Machine thing. Sure, it was entertaining. It was also kind of cliché.

Now, with the untimely demise of GWC due to – well, things best not mentioned in polite company – Johnny Reb seems to have found his niche. I mean, before, if he was given a chance at a title shot, he’d screw it up somehow. I think, this time, he might actually go all the way. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Reb is always going to have his detractors, no matter what side of the fence he’s standing on. And this is why I have converted to Reb-Fandom. This guy doesn’t let it bother him. He’ll get all hot under the collar, he’ll have his say, and then he accepts the shit that flies his way as par for the course.

What makes it even better, is that nobody seems to get it. People assume he’s somehow mentally deficient, and probably a raging racist, simply because he speaks with a Southern accent. And really, can’t we all identify with that, just a little? It doesn’t matter what a Southerner says, or how well he or she phrases it. People hear that accent – whether it’s Georgian, Virginian, Texan, whatever – and they completely tune out.

And that is why I’m going to Slam tonight: To watch Johnny Reb pull another win out of his ass and emerge the number one contender.

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Comments:

S0uth3rnS0uL says:
Ok… Who are you, and what have you done with the real Rebel4Life? Seriously… Johnny Reb? It doesn’t matter who he wrestles for. He’s generic. Sorry, Rebel, I think you’re wrong on this one.

Rebel4Life says:
Well, I reckon we’ll just see, won’t we? I mean, if you’re saying his moveset’s a little stale, I’ll give you that. But the guy’s got a real personality. He makes you react at a gut-instinct level. That takes talent.

RebFan23 says:
Thank God, you have seen the light! I don’t really agree with your views on the GWC/Machine thing, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I do agree the Johnny Reb is definitely where he belongs. Someone over at WCF knows what they’re doing….

Rebel4Life says:
Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition, brother! Amen! And all like that….

Last comment was at 14:41:17 on 5/11/09.