It is a remarkably interesting time that we are all currently living in. I think everyone has feelings of anxiety or fear about what each new day will bring. I know that I have had these feelings and its difficult to figure out how to find the answers to so many uncertainties the world is facing right now.

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With so many of us alone with our thoughts more than we have ever been, it is difficult for any of us to piece together the next steps. For me personally, I believe it begins with acceptance. The acceptance that the world is changing. The acceptance that the world needs to change, and the acceptance that the new ‘normal’ is not one we will be accustomed to — however, it is one that will make things better in the future.

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My job as an entertainer in the Professional Wrestling industry is one that has brought me the most happiness that I have experienced in my life. I have had the honor of meeting and befriending people from all over the world. I have learned lessons from these people, helped these people, laughed and cried with these people and in turn I have hopefully impacted their lives for the better. I have been given opportunities to travel and meet these people and without wrestling, I would not have the life experiences that have shaped the person I am.

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It has been my escape from the realities going on around me for a long time and let’s face it, we all need a break from things sometimes. We all have an outlet that gets us through our day. On the other side of the coin, I have had the privilege of being able to entertain people for almost 14 years and be a part of helping people to forget about their dark times for even a small moment. I have seen people come together to enjoy a wrestling show and experience the joy and comradery that being a ‘wrestling fan’ brings people. I have seen in someone many times the overwhelming happiness when the babyface finally overcomes all the obstacles and becomes a champion because isn’t that the story we are all hoping for? When good triumphs over evil?

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I can only speak to my own experiences, but as a kid, watching wrestling gave me hope. It gave me something to dream about and helped me work through some of the difficulties that life decided to test me with. Right now, we don’t have that. None of us have an escape from reality or our own direct creative outlets to bury our head in to distract us from all the ugly going on in the world right now. But I feel that it is the necessity of the time. We all need a collective pause to take off our blinders and see exactly what we have allowed to happen as a result of our tunnel vision. I am guilty of becoming too involved in my own art form or life issues that sometimes I forget the big picture. Covid-19 shut the world down like a record scratch shuts down a house party, but it also afforded us a moment to see, hear, and be heard.

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Anyone that knows me knows I’m not always a ‘silver linings’ type of person, and I was feeling sorry for myself for a while that I didn’t have wrestling shows to express myself or utilize the creative platform that comes with being in the ring. I have come to the realization that this is a positive thing. There are no distractions for anyone. No sandbox for anyone to stick their head in and pretend that people are not hurting, and we need that right now. We need to see what we have been ignoring for too long. That we need to do better.

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There are so many people speaking out on social media and communicating real knowledge that can empower and affect real change and that I think is the silver lining to all of this. What else are you doing right now? Really. Can’t we all take this universal break to reflect on what we need to address to do better and be better for each other? We will come out of this eventually. You will be able to get a hair cut, go to bars or the gym, go on Bumble dates. But what we look like on the other side of this is entirely up to us. And if this record scratch on the house party of the world is not enough to make everyone look around, I’m not sure what is.

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Movies will come out again eventually. Concerts will happen again eventually. Wrestling shows will be booked again eventually. But when they do, wouldn’t it be something if we go to these events as a way to collectively be joyous together as a whole instead of using these things as an escape from reality?

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Wouldn’t it be something if we didn’t have a reason to want to forget about life for a while and just experience life for the beautiful adventure it is supposed to be?

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When we all go back to the normal that is waiting for us on the other side of this I am beyond excited to be able to go out and entertain a crowd through the art of Professional Wrestling, but I hope that it is not to provide a distraction but to elevate an already existing happiness in people. Because at the end of the day we as entertainers are here to provide excitement for the masses. I would rather do that when we can all enjoy these things from a place of peace and equality.

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I don’t know when I will be standing behind a curtain waiting for my music to hit again, but my hope for that day is one where we can celebrate and say we made it through. Together.

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