BY MIKEY MIGO
I didn’t think I’d be talking about professional wrestling again so soon after Wrestlemania. Monday, April 11th was just one of those days. The early portion of the day consisted of the disbelief of the passing of “Sweet n Sour” Larry Sweeney. I never met the man, but I know many people who have. The stories I heard about the dude were hilarious and charming. He was a character to say the least and I really wish I’d have gotten to see him live. The promos I’ve watched online over the years and the old DVDs were awesome and all, but I can clearly tell they didn’t do him justice. The dude just turned 29 this past February. He battled depression and other personal issues. Ultimately, these issues would be what did him in. It’s a horrible situation that I’m sure many people couldn’t even comprehend. I’ve lived through what his loved ones are going through as sadly I’ve felt the effects of simular situations. If anyone takes anything from this then I think it’s best for people to know that no matter what others WILL be effected by one person’s painful actions and decisions. 29. That’s way too young for anyone to go.
That set the tone for a pretty somber day. I took in Tough Enough and it was decent enough. I used to watch the VH1 Reality shows before they gave New York and losers their own spots and I still watch Hell’s Kitchen. Reality shows are all the same in format, but the general “local” and “theme” is what sets them all apart. This one is about wrestling so of course I’m going to have some interest. The wrestler on it named “Ryan” or “Skidmarks” and I have a few mutual friends and have met and hung out on a few occasions. One of my best friends in the world is also a wrestler. He met Ryan at a party and got him to come to a local fed’s practice and got him in the ring for the first time. History aside, I can’t help but cheer the dude on. He is hands down one of the nicest and most down to earth people I’ve met in wrestling. Hell, I even designed a T-Shirt for him at one point but I don’t think it ever got printed up. Point is, he almost got eliminated tonight. He’s going to do well in wrestling if he chooses, but he’s also a pretty damn good guitar player. He IS too nice for his own good, but I don’t think anyone should sleep on the guy just yet. I know the show is taped in advanced, but it’s cool to know he’ll have another chance next week.
That was the highlight of my wrestling related day. RAW was on the weird side. I really hoped to see Morrison get the duke, but I’ll take R-Truth in a main event just the same. It just sucks that they can’t just make it one on one with Truth taking on Miz. Surely, we can bet on the fact that Truth will be taking the pin from Miz so Cena doesn’t lose any heat. Sadly, I have this huge fear of WWE REALLY REALLY REALLY going out of their way to keep Cena looking strong for the next year leading up to his Mania 28 match with Rock.
What overshadows this is the huge announcement coming from the current Smackdown champion. After being the business for going on two decades, Adam Copeland, “Edge” announced his retirement. He’s a future Hall of Famer for sure. I’m sure for the next however long you’re going to find people come out of the woodwork to claim they were HUGE fans forever and that he was their favorite wrestler. Its wrestling and the fans are as bandwagon as they come so this is expected. I don’t want to be that guy who says “I’ve ALWAYS been a fan”, but in all honesty I have ALWAYS been a fan. For the past few years I’ve had it set in my mind that the main event of Wrestlemania 30 should be Edge vs. Orton. For some reason that just made tons of sense to me. They both are kind of cut from the same cloth. Both are way better heels and are pretty consistent. At a time I’d of had both of them and Jericho as the top heels in wrestling. I felt that their era would be coming to nearly a close at Wrestlemania 30 and at this point both would probably have been the two top remaining veterans left. Sadly, this isn’t going to happen. Edge came out this past Monday and announced that due to the severity of his neck injuries he had to retire. I’m THRILLED he’s getting out while he’s still as healthy as he is, but the long time Edgehead in me is going to miss him. When Edge was on his A-game, nothing could stop him. He did so much in helping get guys like Cena, Orton, Batista, and Rey even more over than they were. He added so much to the history of WWE that it’s crazy to really think about. From his tag team stuff with Christian in the brood and then as the goofballs. I loved their tag team matches and every single Edge and Christian vs. Hardy vs. Dudley match that came through I was on their side. On his own he didn’t really find his stride until going heel. From there, he was the coolest and most obnoxious heel in a very long time. He could do great matches like he would on Smackdown during the “Smackdown Seven” era in the early 00’s. He could kill himself in hardcore with Foley like he did at Mania. He could carry a story like he did back and forth with Cena for what felt like forever. Edge was always one of those guys that you know you could stick someone with in a feud in order to get them over as a Main Eventer. He wasn’t as flashy as a Shawn Michaels, as technical as a Bret Hart, a cartoon superhero like a Cena or Hogan. He’s Edge. There really won’t be another really like him. His personality and skills were made for the wrestling business. I feel like I’m talking about him like he passed away as well. It’s just that this came so abruptly. I know Edge did some minor acting roles before so maybe that’ll be the route he goes. He definitely has the charisma and intensity for it. I’m just happy he has the opportunity to be able to experience other things in life rather than being a broken down old man in a wheel chair looking at replica belts all day.
If anything the moral of the story is that whether it’s a chance at a stepping stone, a chance to move on, or a chance to wake up another day you should find what you love and keep it with you. Professional wrestling isn’t as serious of a thing for most people, but for some it’s a passion, an art form, and a family that is fulfilling as anything you’ll find.
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