Let KO and Sami sell you on WrestleMania

You can’t tell anyone else how to feel about something. I mean, you can... but what I’m saying is it’s not a very effective use of your time.

You can explain how you experience it. Maybe suggest a different way of processing information, thoughts, and emotions. But for a wide variety of reasons, human beings will have a wide variety of responses to the same events.

In our little corner of the pop culture world, the decision by WWE, and AEW, to continue to produce shows during the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated this. Some wrestling fans believe it’s too risky, even with all the safeguards the companies say they’ve implemented. Some are grateful for the effort. Part of our community is interested in critiquing the shows put on in empty arenas. Another part says criticism should be set aside for now. Raw, SmackDown, NXT, Dark, and Dynamite allow many fans to escape the real world for a few hours. Many others see matches taking place in a quiet building and can’t stop thinking about why that’s the case.

We here at Cageside Seats have all discussed how we feel about these shows. You may agree or disagree, and that’s okay. We’re all processing something none of us have ever encountered before in real time. We’re not all gonna feel the same way about it.

All of that is a long-winded set-up for this Twitter video from Kevin Owens. KO says many of the same things folks like Triple H and Seth Rollins have already said about this weekend’s WrestleMania 36. The two night event itself, as well as WWE’s decision to go forward with it and how they’ve promoted it, has been a big subject of debate in our community.

For some reason - probably because I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, and he’s relatively open about his life as a son, husband, father, pet owner, zoo enthusiast, wrestling fan, and friend - I feel differently when Owens says them.

The appearance at the end (and at a safe distance) by KO’s shoot pal and kayfabe sometimes pal/sometimes mortal enemy, Sami Zayn, seals the deal.

The Kevin & Sami Show just put a smile on my face. Here’s hoping WrestleMania does the same for all of us this weekend.