I'm Leaving With Some Grace in Act Five
A couple of weeks ago I had what will most likely be my last wrestling match. It was kind of a depressing moment when I realized that I simply don't have "it" anymore. When I wrestled in the past I was never Trace, I was always Calypso. I didn't hear outside sounds (even a speeding ambulance with its sirens on), wasn't distracted, and never really had to think about it. In this match, however, I was having conversations with onlookers, had to think about every move, and never once felt like I did when I was Calypso. Part of the reason I loved wrestling was the ability to truly escape and be somebody else. It's hard to explain, but Calypso is like me turned up to 11.
It wasn't all awful though. I still, for whatever sadistic reason, enjoyed the soreness that I experienced the next day. And there is a sort of finality to the entire situation. Ever since my last wrestling injury, in which I was unceremoniously dropped during a routine bodyslam that nearly saw my neck become broken, I had always wondered if I still had the same passion. As it turns out, I do not. A lot of it has to do with simply not having the time needed to dedicate myself. Between my job, school, Brittany, my social life, and writing for 411Mania, I don't have the time needed to book the shows, get everyone together, keep the ring in good condition, edit the videos, promote the shows, and keep up with the site. Perhaps I could squeeze all of that in, but then I'd have no personal time and burn out on everything quickly.
Since I started watching wrestling I've wanted to wrestle. It started out wrestling with stuffed animals, then pillows, then Joe, and finally UWA. I've had the chance to have some really fun and great matches, and in 2007 I got to live out a dream that few people have. And even though it nearly killed my love for it, I still have some great memories. There was a time in my life where I could yell at old women, wear a Puerto Rico do-rag, adorn myself with plastic belts, have a manager with a golden shovel and a manager of his own, and beat up my best friends and get away with it. I've had three runs in the local circuit and six years of UWA, along with the two years where I wrestled in WWX and EWA with various randoms. I have a video collection that covers most of my matches from 2002 to a couple of weeks ago, and even though this chapter of my life is over, I'll never forget it. So thanks to everyone who was there for the ride and I hope it was at least half as fun for you as it was for me.
It wasn't all awful though. I still, for whatever sadistic reason, enjoyed the soreness that I experienced the next day. And there is a sort of finality to the entire situation. Ever since my last wrestling injury, in which I was unceremoniously dropped during a routine bodyslam that nearly saw my neck become broken, I had always wondered if I still had the same passion. As it turns out, I do not. A lot of it has to do with simply not having the time needed to dedicate myself. Between my job, school, Brittany, my social life, and writing for 411Mania, I don't have the time needed to book the shows, get everyone together, keep the ring in good condition, edit the videos, promote the shows, and keep up with the site. Perhaps I could squeeze all of that in, but then I'd have no personal time and burn out on everything quickly.
Since I started watching wrestling I've wanted to wrestle. It started out wrestling with stuffed animals, then pillows, then Joe, and finally UWA. I've had the chance to have some really fun and great matches, and in 2007 I got to live out a dream that few people have. And even though it nearly killed my love for it, I still have some great memories. There was a time in my life where I could yell at old women, wear a Puerto Rico do-rag, adorn myself with plastic belts, have a manager with a golden shovel and a manager of his own, and beat up my best friends and get away with it. I've had three runs in the local circuit and six years of UWA, along with the two years where I wrestled in WWX and EWA with various randoms. I have a video collection that covers most of my matches from 2002 to a couple of weeks ago, and even though this chapter of my life is over, I'll never forget it. So thanks to everyone who was there for the ride and I hope it was at least half as fun for you as it was for me.