BRANdonBLOG 01: I'm Speechless

Words escape me…

An ironic statement, considering the cavalcade of calligraphic composition I’m about to create! This past weekend has left me breathless - hence, typing. This past year has prompted me to reflect upon my life until now and, more recently, how much of it has been tinged by the spectacle and the grandeur of professional wrestling. Once a closeted fan, now I find myself attending massive events and making friends with people from all over the United States and, indeed, the world who’d been standing outside the doorframe and have welcomed me into the space with gladness and banter in unison.

Words escape me…

They (WWE) ACTUALLY went ahead and not only booked Worlds Collide as a head-to-head with AEW All Out 40 minutes down the road, but they hit the swerve and are gonna post the playback on YouTube on Wednesday?? 555-COME-ON-NOW

BUT it’s okay, because Pierce and Kyle are at the Block Party, and we just saw Brock Lesnar Guy in a cutoff! There also happened to be a dinosaur and a jungle…man?...who pulled up in a personalized bus and started grilling like something out of a 90s cartoon.

I may have had some colorful libations with Jim Beam and UV Blue in them like something out of a 2000s (not another) teen movie. We drank, we cut some promo with fellow content creators (s/o to Heels 4 Lyfe! Follow them everywhere!), we grabbed some fine eats, talked shop, watched college football, and we blared the AAA theme song on the way back to the AEW Block Party where the boys and I shared some brother hugs before parting ways and I made my way to the Allstate Arena. On the drive over, I’d reflected on the fact that I’d dedicated a whole weekend in Chicago to pro wrestling with friends nearly two months after Summerslam weekend in Minneapolis with friends. AND I’m in talks with the boys of the Main Event Wrestling Network on a trip to Arizona for the Royal Rumble weekend with friends.

Words escape me…

$21.50 for a Topo friggin’ Chico?!

I thought as my mouth dried while in intermission past the first half of Worlds Collide.

I’m comparing my views to Kyle and Pierce’s at the NOW Arena as I’m processing the athleticism of Mascarita Sagrada, the aura of Mr. Iguana, and the power and potential of Myka Lockwood. Dragon Lee and Jack Cartwheel had an acrobatic convection that foreshadowed the maelstrom of the cruiserweight fatal 4-way where Mini Vikingo cracked like lightning and got the pin (against my pick) to become Number 1 contender to Rey Fenix’s AAA Cruiserweight title. I certainly don’t want to discount the ladies, but I was promised a 6-woman tag, and Jacy Jayne and Lady Maravilla just could not be bothered. La Hiedra, though…

Words escape me.

Anyways, Roxanne and La Catalina went on to have a pretty good match. I see a lot of potential in a feud between the two of them and a run from Roxanne in AAA, in general. These are two young Latina prodigies coming from two longitudinal points on opposite ends of Mexico City converging in a lucha libre promotion that’s been scouting them both since their teen years. One had only recently ended an 1100+ day reign of dominance, and the other was looking to actualize her potential and end the new Reina de Reina’s reign before it truly began. Though it didn’t end the way I had envisioned, I hope the match gets a sequel soon. Lucha Bros and Perros del Mal RULED. Penta nearly made me deaf, and the Perros are steadily getting comfortable in their new groove. El Grande Americano is finally over in (a part of) America, CM Punk came out to This Fire for the first time in 15 years to a crowd sing-along I can FINALLY get behind, and Rey Mysterio just made everything worse (though he was over as hell). Of course, they came out on top, but the big cherry on top of this sabotage sundae was the Sub-Saharan Silverdome moment consisting of Omos and Oba Femi. I nearly left the arena before I heard HOO and realized the miracle I was about to miss. Seeing two true monsters among men (sorry, Adam) standing across from one another and feeding on the anticipation of a large and raucous crowd…

Words escape me…

I braved a Saturday night drive through Chicago suburbs to make it back to Wisconsin, where my good bud Pierce and I would have our first-time sponsorship as ⅔ of the Ope-Eh 3-Way at Warrior Wrestling’s Brawl at the Beer Hall 3: Royal Stumble on Sunday.

I got to have my family see me in my element, and I give heaps of thanks to Steve Tortorello for being gracious in allowing them into the event and letting them be a part and have a wonderful time. The night was riding high. Pierce and I chatted it up with the guys and gals, met new folks, made new connections, the action in the ring was very sports-entertaining. Then I check my phone and open my Discord notification and…

Words still escape me…

PAC is gone.

What could be said that hasn’t been said better by many others who knew him and looked up to him in the minutes and hours following that horrible news? What could possibly be said? 40 years and still SO much to be done, and this is after SO many memorable career highlights. Dragon Gate and his return in R.E.D., New Japan and Best of Super Juniors, NXT Champion in 2014 and SHOULD HAVE BEEN WWE Champion in 2015, King of the Cruiserweights in 2017, and his incredible career-defining run in AEW which saw him as a B—-----astard among the Death Riders after becoming the inaugural All-Atlantic (now International) Champion and having a legendary best of 7 series with The Elite as part of Death Triangle with Penta and Rey Fenix capped off by Escalada de la Muerte. Lance Archer and Marina Shafir had gone out literally minutes and an hour after the news broke and wrestled their matches - though they did not need to, and nobody would have faulted them for leaving - before addressing the crowd at the Lakefront Brewery and expressing both immense shock and sorrow at the loss of their friend while also serving reminder that we - all of us - have one life to live on this earth, and the decision they made to put on boots and come out to put on the performance that was promised was done in honor and in memory of Ben Satterley. The courage and resolve I witnessed to go out and to perform in spite of such a recent tragedy…

Words escape me…

I think those of us who enjoyed PAC - and even many of those who had yet to have the privilege of following his work - left the venue with a refresher on perspective that day. I walked my mom and stepdad to their car before the last match started and watched them drive out of sight like there was a remote, unfathomable chance I may not see them again. I thought of people I’d not seen in a long time and how I could get back in touch. I considered how many times in my own life I’d been lucky to not have been a speck of dust - as we all have the potential to be - blown away in the gust of wind that is the marriage of ill fortune and ceaseless time. It’s like Kyle said as we were seated in Tangled Roots drinking espresso martinis and fruity tequila gimmicks: you have to take each day as it comes. In truth, no one is promised tomorrow, and how fortunate are we to experience the potential of today?

I can say, without reservation, that my life has been made much richer by the friendships and fraternity that my fandom in pro wrestling and my Can-Am podcast trio has bestowed upon me. I feel immense gratitude to Donny and Pierce, to Kyle and the Main Event Wrestling Network, and to all of you reading this (whoever you are) as I rep THEE blog World order. Thank you all for reminding me of the value of pursuit of passion. Even though the pursuit may not lead you exactly where you dreamt it, you may find the destination and the reality of this fleeting life we all live is brilliant all the same.

Thank you, Ben Satterley/ (Adrian) Neville/ (Jungle) PAC. May you live forever, you brilliant bastard. 🍻