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Wrestling With Superstitions
When professional wrestlers enter the ring, they bring with them an aura of invincibility, strength and power. It seems like they take every hit the opponent can muster and still keep on coming. With all of this physical resilience, who would have thought that they would be such a superstitious bunch? It seems that the word is out. Many pro wrestlers have their share of rituals they partake in to both eliminate the pre-match jitters, and help them to focus for the high adrenaline stunts they are known for.
While It may sound a bit unusual when you consider these rituals, keep in mind that almost all athletes and performance based professionals have their own superstitions. From baseball players, to car salesman, even card players are legendary for their peculiar behavior and superstitions. Rituals get them into the right mindset to perform to the best of their abilities.
John Cena’s Many Superstitions
If the rumors are to be believed, Cena may be the most superstitious wrestler in history. Apparently John Cena has been known to do many strange and somewhat impressive things before a big performance, such as eating several boxes of Tic-Tacs. Apparently Cena is very conscious of his breath, which is at least courteous to the other wrestlers.
Aside from that, he has also been known to do some eccentric things like drink out of someone else’s water bottle, for unknown reasons, ranting to himself, and a die hard dedication to knocking on wood. While knocking on wood is not unusual or unheard of, his dedication to doing it before every match is both impressive and somewhat alarming. Well, given that he is one of the biggest wrestling superstars of all time, he certainly can get away with his strange behavior.
Headstrong Goldberg
Sometimes wrestlers can give off the impression of being scary, borderline crazy meatheads. Goldberg completely encourages that stereotype with his own pre-match ritual. To get pumped up for the show he would go through the locker room headbutting lockers, doors, or whatever else he deemed suitable. Not only would this get his adrenaline going, but it also had the effect of making him look even more terrifying, as he would look smashed up and red in the face before he even started fighting anyone. On several occasions, he even appeared to be bleeding from his forehead, much to the confusion of fans. While you can call this a ritual, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a symptom of insanity!
Rob Van Dam Shows His Flexibility
This is a prime example of typical athlete rituals that just become extensive over years of reinforcing them. Many athletes stretch before a game, as it is a healthy and wise thing to do. What’s more unusual is the extent that he takes it. RVD has been known to have extended sessions stretching out before a match. There are multiple pictures of him using two folding chairs to go into a full split. He attributes his health and longevity across his long career to his extensive stretching, making this one of the more sensible pre-match rituals on this list.
Booker T Takes it to Both Extremes
Booker T has made his career being a loud, brash, and aggressive wrestling personality. He embodies high energy entertainment and is known for his no holds barred monologues before his matches. With this reputation, it’s hard to imagine him sitting down and meditating before a match, but that is precisely where you will find him before showtime. Apparently he really wants to focus his mind and prepare mentally for the task ahead. How does he flip the switch and turn on the energy before his walkout? Well apparently the key to that is downing a few cans of redbull to kick it up a notch. This duality is just another unique aspect to this legendary wrestler.