Jeff Rudolf and his daughter, Josie, had originally planned to attend WrestleMania on April 5 in Tampa, Fla., but due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, the event was canceled. Despite this setback, the pair came up with a creative way to pay homage to a hobby that they both shared.
“We had a trip to Wrestlemania in Tampa planned for about eight months and then it was obviously canceled,” said Rudolf. “So, we decided to do something silly in our backyard and it just spiraled from there.”
Inevitably, this spiral led to their own version of WrestleMania — WudolfMania. Together, the dad and daughter duo filmed a hilarious version of the event from home, complete with audience members (stuffed animals) and eccentric costumes and theatrics.
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“Josie, my daughter, had a blast making the video,” said Rudolf. “She was coming up with all sorts of ideas on the fly. It was her idea to have the stuffed animals as the crowd behind us. But, I think she was getting a little too into it. She did accidentally whip me with the jump rope at one point!”
Though people may think that this shared interest is strange, he enjoys having the opportunity to bond with his daughter and expose her to strong, positive females.
“She likes watching wrestling on TV, especially the women wrestlers,” said Rudolf. “She loves their costumes and colorful hair. Some of her favorite wrestlers are Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. People look at you strange when you say you like professional wrestling, but I'm not ashamed. I've been a fan my whole life and it makes me happy that Josie gets into it. I just have to keep reminding her that it's not real!”
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Since the filming of their ode to wrestling, the Rudolfs have found other ways to keep themselves entertained during the quarantine. Just this past week, a video set to a cover of “My Girl Josephine” by Fats Domino followed Josie as she created a truly aristocratic set of cupcakes. Eventually, it seems, the sweets went to her head.
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In another video filmed last week, the pair paid tribute to Dayton, with Josie creating a Dayton-inspired gem with sidewalk chalk and Jeff providing the soundtrack to the moment with a cover of “Dayton, Ohio - 1903” by Randy Newman.
“We've been trying to do at least one video a week to keep ourselves busy and sane,” said Rudolf. “Last week we made this video using "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" by Randy Newman. It kind of sums up how we're feeling right now. We miss getting out of the house, but we're making the best of our time together.”
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