This month's column may embarrass some people. It's something I've been thinking of writing about for a few months now, and when the idea for this piece first came to mind, I didn't think it would be a good idea. I even got in touch with one of the wrestlers involved, and when he gave me the all clear, saying that he thought that this would make a good story, I knew I just had to write this piece.
In May 2002, the World Association of Wrestling held one of their twice yearly shows at the Waveney Sports & Leisure Centre in Lowestoft. The show was headlined by a massive eight-man tag that would further the feud between local hero Steve Quintain & "The Terminator" Sandy Scott.
Regular tag-team partners "Flying" Phil Powers and Paul Tyrell wrestled against each other in a match I thought was one of the best of 2002. In my opinion Powers and Tyrell are two of the most underrated wrestlers in the country right now, and this match was a perfect showcase for their talents.
Powers played the heel to perfection, as Tyrell, the beloved baby-face, refused to say die as Powers literally threw everything he had at him. Hold was countered by hold, move countered by move. As the old saying goes, it was a knockdown, drag-out affair, a delight to watch, a joy to behold.
But while I was gripped by the action in the ring, my attention was also on two people sitting in the front row, not far from my ringside position. One of these people was a rather large lady. The great sage that is Dave Spikey would term her a "dobber", while the gentleman sitting beside her, obviously her husband, had one of those awful comb-over hairstyles which did nothing to hide the fact that he was going bald.
For the first few minutes of the match, as Tyrell and Powers began their match, Powers seemed to delight in insulting the crowd. As I was virtually deafened by their cheers and jeers, as is always the case whenever I go to Lowestoft, this one particular woman seemed shout a bit louder than all those around her. This proved to be a big mistake on her part.
It was as if she had a bulls eye in the middle of her forehead. Just as comedian singles out the hecklers in the front row, Powers' attention turned to this woman. As Powers leaned onto the top rope, the woman continued to spew her venom in Powers' direction. The Flying One had no choice but to reply, shouting at her in a very loud voice; "Shut up you fat cow!"
This was all it took. I had never seen anyone sit down so quickly. It was as if the blood had been drained from her body, her face went that white. And within seconds, her mood changed from one of vitriolic anger to one of tearful sorrow.
Keeping one eye on the match, I watched as the husband stood up, leaned over the metal barrier, and as all around him hurled "you suck" chants at Powers, this gentleman took it one step further. With his left hand on the barrier, the man formed a fist, shook it at Powers, and began to scream in a broad Irish accent; "F*** you you f***ing w***er!"
The thing is, this man didn't do it once. He did it for the remainder of the match. Whenever Powers came over to his side of the ring, or whenever the action spilled out to the ringside area, the volume level of this man's voice went up a few notches. This man wasn't just angry at Powers, he was as mad as hell, and he wasn't going to take it anymore.
As the evening progressed I paid no further attention to this couple. The action in the ring, particularly in that tag-team match, meant at times I was more concerned with my own safety as all eight men began brawling around the ring.
The show was a great success. The Lowestoft shows usually are. As we began the clear-up operation, and as many of the fans sought the autographs of their heroes, one young lad came up to me with a look of unhappiness on his face. The boy was in fact the son of the woman Powers had insulted, and he told me that his mother had been quite upset by Powers' comments towards her. I promised the lad that I would put forward his concern to those in question.
So a few minutes later I caught up with Paul and Phil as they were taking down the ring. I told them what the boy had said. At the time I didn't think it was a good thing as far as customer relations were concerned, but after hearing what they had to say, I looked at it in a different light. Having told Phil that the woman had been upset because she had been called a "fat cow", Phil replied by stating that he was merely telling the truth. She was a large lady. Phil just wasn't very politically correct that night.
I said at the beginning of this piece that I had emailed those wrestlers concerned because I was worried that this story would offend a few people. In fact, the only person I had emailed was Paul Tyrell. Paul is probably one of the nicest guys you could meet in any walk of life. I find it really easy to talk and have a laugh with him. He's one of the first people I seek out at shows whenever he's booked, he's that nice a bloke. I put forward my concerns to Paul. He soon put my mind at ease by saying that he thought it was a great story, and it's one that should be told.
In the few weeks since I emailed Paul, I've thought about this story a great deal, before finally sitting in my chair and banging it out on my laptop. I began to think about how, in a way, wrestling is just like real life.
This woman had spent a few minutes hurling a stream of abuse at Powers, just because he was playing a villain that night. Like an actor in the theatre, Powers was merely playing a part. Yet when the tables were turned, and Powers hurled just one insult in her direction, she couldn't take it.
It made me realise that even in the age of the Internet, some wrestling fans still do believe. They still think that the guys playing the villains really are villains away from the ring. In fact, during my time in the business, I've found that the biggest b*****ds in the ring are quite often the nicest guys outside.
So when you're at a live wrestling show, and sitting in the front row, and the bad guys in the ring begin hurl abuse at you, just remember, they're only doing their job. Don't take it personally. In fact, throw a few insults back. Don't be a smart mark, be a fan!
No comments:
Post a Comment