Editor’s note: This is the first story in “Obsessed,” an occasional series which focuses on members of our LHS community who take being a fan to the next level. If you know someone who might fit this category, tell us about them.

It’s Oct. 26, 2009 and Blake Rodriguez is flipping through TV channels in his room where he ends up on the USA network. Wrestler Kofi Kingston does his signature move “boom drop” to Randy Orton.

“And at the moment I was like ‘okay, this is something that interests me;’ then fast forward to January, it was the Royal Rumble,” Blake Rodriguez, now a senior, said. “I was hooked.”

The World Wrestling Entertainment is a form of entertainment to watch and see live. It has story lines, a villain and a hero just like any other show on television.

“The story lines interest me,” Rodriguez said. “Like they go in there and fight, but also have story lines to go along with it. And like I said it’s entertainment, and of course the divas are hot.”

Blake said he spends about 30 to 40 hours a week watching Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, and other WWE TV events. That is almost as many hours someone would work at a full-time job. On his twitter accounts, about 90 percent of his tweets reference the WWE.

For Rodriguez it is more than just wrestling. It is an outlet for him. He spends much of his time being involved and a part of the WWE Universe.

“I started watching because I found it entertaining,” Rodriguez said. “When Edge had come back, I had no idea who this guy was, but I knew that his return sparked something in me, and I knew that this would be something I would watch for the rest of my life.”

As much as Blake loves the WWE, he still thinks that there are some downsides to it. For example, he feels that the divas (female wrestlers) should get more ring time and matches.

“Well I support the WWE Divas just as much as the WWE Superstars,” Rodriguez said. “And the worst part is that the divas are always put second to the male talent. It’s understandable. However, the divas should be featured just as much as the guys. 2014 has been a great year for the divas division.”

On the contrary, Rodriguez’s favorite aspect of the WWE is that the content is always fresh and new.

“There are always fresh story lines,” Rodriguez said. “New people debut and people always return. There is never a day in the WWE that there isn’t something fresh to see or experience.”

Blake has also been to two live WWE events, a “Monday Night Raw” and a WWE pay-per-view called “Hell in a Cell.”

“The live events are amazing,” Rodriguez said. “There is so much energy in the crowd, and everyone is up cheering for their favorites and booing their non-favorites. It’s a great time. I was thinking that without the commentary it wouldn’t be as impactful, but the crowd is your commentary when you go live. So it was awesome.”

Rodriguez’s friends said that his fandom doesn’t cause strain in his relationships.

“I’m okay with his obsession, because only if you are close to him then you will know about it, because he kind of keeps it to himself,” senior Araceli Castillo said. “I have watched the program and know about it and I can understand why he likes it, and idolizes some of the wrestlers.”

Another friend said she is glad to see his passion.

“I don’t think it affects our friendship in any way because we rarely talk about it, but when we do, it’s awesome seeing him get so excited about something he loves,”  Yajayra Sarinana said.

No matter if his peers of family members don’t exactly like his addiction with the WWE, Rodriguez has accepted the fact that he  will always be a fan.

“Everyone has their sport that they like and mine is the WWE. I may not know football, basketball, soccer, etc. as much as others, but anything WWE-related I’m all game. WWE, then, now, forever,” Rodriguez said.