The SmackDown Era: When Wrestling Ruled Our Childhood

It’s the middle of 2005, and right now, nothing is bigger than SmackDown! Everywhere I go, everyone is talking about it. My friends and I spend hours collecting posters of wrestlers, memorizing their moves, and debating who’s the real legend in the ring. But more than just watching, we take things to the next level—by recreating our own wrestling matches.

At an abandoned building near our neighborhood, my brother and I turn the empty space into our personal wrestling ring. The excitement is unreal! We don’t go full force, of course—there’s a mattress below and we make sure to hold back just enough. But from the outside, it looks just like the real thing. We act out our moves, throw in some dramatic stunts, and even mimic the iconic finishing moves of our favorite wrestlers. And me? I once got thrown off a ladder—don’t worry, there was a cushion below—but in that moment, I felt like a real WWE superstar!

Of course, if our parents ever found out, we’d be in serious trouble. They’d probably ban us from watching SmackDown ever again. But that’s just part of the thrill! The secrecy makes it even more exciting, as if we’re part of some underground wrestling league that only we know about.

But wrestling isn’t our only obsession. We also create our own games, like the legendary “sand and ball challenge.” We build tracks out of sand, shaping them into increasingly difficult terrains. The goal? To roll our homemade sandballs through the obstacles without them breaking apart. The stronger and more durable the ball, the better. We’d spend hours fine-tuning our designs, competing against each other to see whose creation could last the longest.

These aren’t just games—they’re our childhood, our world, and our greatest adventures. Maybe one day we’ll look back and laugh at how serious we were about it all. But right now, in 2005, nothing is more important. SmackDown is real. The rivalries are real. The battles are real. And no matter what, we’ll keep playing, keep wrestling, and keep making these moments legendary.