The key thing about what makes WWE such a fantastic product to watch is that it can bring out the most impassioned feelings towards it. Storylines can yank on the heartstrings of the fans and can even occasionally link to our own personal experiences. On top of that, the thrill of seeing these superstars performing death-defying stunts for their fans just for the sole purpose of entertainment shows how much they care, as they themselves are fans of the business.

Emotions can be linked with many different types of entertainment, from the passion of watching your favourite team play in football, to seeing an action packed movie; the key to their success is how they link with you emotionally. If you go and watch a movie, but the stunts are half-assed and the dialogue is boring, you won’t go away leaving in the same way as you would after seeing the hero of the story put everything on the line. WWE taps in to multiple markets because they are a cross brand of sports and entertainment. Every fan who watches from their home or in the arenas around the world has their favourite wrestlers and will follow them fervently unless presented with an acceptable reason not to.

Talking about the ability to relate in order to instil emotions in their fans, let’s rewind back to the late 90s/early 2000s. The biggest superstar on the roster was Stone Cold Steve Austin. The reason why he was the biggest superstar was because people could relate to his story and his never-ending feud against his boss Vince McMahon. Not many people have a particular affinity with their boss; bosses are there to give you orders and make sure you keep in line, which is a feeling not many people would enjoy. So when the fans got to see Stone Cold beating the living tar out of his boss, it drew an emotional reaction as many people in the crowd would have given their left arm to be able to do the exact same thing.

However, fast forward to 2001, at WrestleMania X-Seven, where Stone Cold has now aligned himself with the devilish owner of the WWE. People turned sour on him in a way that the company never foresaw. The fans all went from being right behind their hero, to being left confused and annoyed at how he could become a company man with the flick of a switch. Ultimately, it killed Stone Cold’s popularity with the fans, and while the company tried to right their wrong, some of the fans could never be won back. They were presented an acceptable reason to stop following the man formerly known as The Ringmaster.

On top of that, there is a sad correlation between WWE Superstars and their early passing. Looking back to WrestleMania VI, back in 1990, a whopping 14 wrestlers from that card have passed away, and only one of those wrestlers was over the age of 64; the count even goes up to 15 if you count Miss Elizabeth.

The sacrifices superstars make for their WWE careers are huge. The gruelling travel schedule means that they regularly get less sleep than an average adult would, while taking bumps every night out in the ring means that painkillers are a necessary thing to use, but with that comes addiction. In relation to the cast of the WrestleMania VI card, in the late 80s and early 90s, steroid abuse was a popular trend within the WWE locker room – every wrestler needed to be as big as they could, after all, they were working in the land of the giants.

I will take this time to tell my own personal story of one of the wrestlers who has passed on from that particular card. I was in attendance at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans back in April 2014, and in the Smoothie King Arena the next night for Raw when The Ultimate Warrior delivered this intense speech:

“No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Every man’s heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe their final breath. And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others and makes them bleed deeper and something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized by the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running the man did live forever.

“You, you, you, you, you, you are the legend makers of Ultimate Warrior. In the back I see many potential legends. Some of them with warrior spirits. And you will do the same for them. You will decide if they lived with the passion and intensity. So much so that you will tell your stories and you will make them legends, as well. I am Ultimate Warrior. You are the Ultimate Warrior fans and the spirit of Ultimate Warrior will run forever.”

The next day, I even saw Warrior and his family in the airport as they were heading home to Arizona. I did not stop him for an autograph or a picture as I figured he had a long enough time dealing with fans throughout the week leading up to WrestleMania, but I now wish I had. Upon landing back in London, the news reached us that The Ultimate Warrior had passed away. It was a numbing feeling, knowing that I had just seen him just hours beforehand and would have been one of the last ones to have actually seen him alive.

Even though I had never had a strong connection with that particular era of wrestling as I was much too young, the death of somebody held in such high regard throughout the WWE Universe is always a tough feeling to go through. The memories that these superstars have given us, the fans, shall be cherished forever.

Empathy is hard for some people, but put yourselves in the shoes of those who work for that company. Put yourselves into the shoes of anybody working for WWE in the 2000s when the late, great Eddie Guerrero passed away. If you’re finding it hard imagining what it must have been like for the locker room, watch this video, courtesy of his best friend Chris Benoit.

Everybody in the WWE Universe knows what followed in regards to “The Rabid Wolverine” Chris Benoit. Some say that Eddie’s death was too much for him to handle and you can understand that from this video.

One thing better than an early passing is an early retirement, and the wrestling business sees a lot of early retirements due to the nature of the industry. Lots of injuries as well as trauma to the brain can see a guy in his mid-30s bow out where as guys like Sting, Ric Flair and The Undertaker can still be in the game past turning 50.

One of those who has been forced to take the early retirement option is the leader of the YES! movement, Daniel Bryan. A man who was always considered too small to play in the big leagues and wrestled for smaller companies who gave him the opportunity to follow his dream. Eventually, he was considered just too good to be playing around on the independent circuit and WWE did sign him. However, by that point, Bryan had already taken several knocks to the head and had more concussions that any adult his age should have. The ultimate underdog, Daniel Bryan, managed to spend six of the sixteen years of his career with the biggest professional wrestling promotion in the world, and made it all the way to the top.

By 2013, Daniel Bryan had won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and was by far one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster, inspiring crowds all over the world into chanting YES! However, the following year Bryan suffered a neck injury that kept him out for most of 2014. He returned towards the end of the year and wrestled through WrestleMania season, culminating in an Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 31. Soon after, Bryan was condemned to the sidelines by another injury – this time concussion related, and it would prove to be his last.

Upon his retirement speech on the February 8th edition of Monday Night Raw, there was not a dry eye to be found inside the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. It’s always crushing to see one of your heroes, and not even just a hero, but a fantastic human being, have to give up what they love doing.

To be a WWE Superstar, you have to be like Daniel Bryan. You have to be passionate and you have to have that drive within you to push yourself to the very limit for the sole purpose of entertaining the fans. There are many careers where you can phone in your work, even in entertainment. Numerous footballers have stated that they don’t have a particular love for the game and it is a job to them, which they turn up to due to the massive paycheck at the end of the week.

That’s not an option for a professional wrestler. 99% of all professional wrestlers have gone through a period where their sheer dedication has pushed them through the day – many have spent a large period of their time running on little food, sleeping in less than reputable places and working for $20 a night, if that. The point where a professional wrestler can see the light at the end of the tunnel is a joyful one – it means all their hard work has paid off and they can provide a life for themselves and their families.

Ultimately, whether it’s a great storyline, amazing stunts where wrestlers put their bodies on the line, or whether it’s a sad occasion like retirement or an untimely death, WWE is in your house every week, so there is a constant connection to the business. The fans have an unbridled passion for it and it’s almost unexplainable as to how important it can be in their lives.

So thank you WWE, for bringing out our emotions in such unimaginable ways.