Local retiree Gladys Smythe told members of her book club today that, yes, her son still watches professional wrestling, but he will soon grow out of it — as she has unwaveringly insisted for nearly four decades.

As many young boys did in the early 1980s, Rory Smythe, now 45, became enamoured with professional wrestling as it went mainstream amid the rise of Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, and the legendary Outback Jack.

Back then, his mother routinely insisted that his obsession with wrestling was “just a phase” he was going through — as she has steadfastly insisted with every consecutive year and, with desperate optimism, still believes to this day.

“Sure, Rory hasn’t moved out of my basement, and I only see him when he emerges to see if a new replica belt has arrived in the mail, but soon hill give up wrestling and find a nice girl to settle down with,” Gladys said.

“The other day he said he was going to boycott the WWE Network, so he’s probably going to do that any day now.”