This past summer has been productive for me. For 4 months, I have been struggling to find work and find something to do while I watch professional wrestling, until one day, I finally found a job that would help me get through and survive Long Island for a bit. I also found a Brazilian JuJitsu gym to train at for the time being very close in distance from me. I’m trying to survive in order to get to where I am and hopefully be happy. Pro Wrestling, of course, is still in my life like a romantic relationship. Its somehow stays with me and help me to focus on the big picture. This summer has some wild times for pro wrestling. I have seen news of All In at Wembley, CM Punk’s firing from AEW, Terry Funk’s passing, and Bray Wyatt’s untimely passing. its been a crazy roller coaster but meeting pro wrestlers and watching professional wrestling always helps my psyche to remind me that Wrestling is awesome and it brings people together to endure horrible shit.
This past August. I have met Rob Van Dam, Black Swan Zoe Dubois, Gangrel, Athena, Sabu, 2 Cold Scorpio, Jay Lethal, Madi Wrenkowski, Christina Marie, Super Crazy and Black Dahlia at WrestleBash II in Fairfield, NJ. It was a fun festival to go to, I got to display my favorite t-shirt I made. It’s an autism awareness shirt with pro wrestling with Nintendo characters on it. It’s so amazing that they can relate to this shirt and point out some detail. Whether they love JuJitsu, know someone with autism or love pro wrestling. I still think it’s fucking amazing on how big of a IMPACT it has on people. I learned it’s not always the performances, stories or whatnot, it’s about how you make a difference to someone’s life and how much impact it has on their life.
I have also attended Impact Wrestling’s 1000th episode special in White Plains, NY. I was facing some adversity prior going there. Thankfully I went there and it went well. I got to meet Awesome Kong, Cheerleader Melissa, Rich Swann, Sami Callihan, KUSHIDA, Jonathan Gresham, Lance Storm and Samuray del Sol. It was so awesome! I remember del Sol commented on my shirt and took time to talk to me for a little bit. I have learned some cool things about him that I wasn’t aware of. He’s a teacher for Special Education which is fucking amazing to me because Autism Awareness is part of the curriculum. it touches dearly to my heart and it made me feel important, told some epic stories about WWE, pro wrestling in general and life. Wrestling is great!!
The next day I met the legend The Natural Dustin Rhodes at Pandora’s Box of Toys and Collectibles in Lafayette, NJ. Formerly known as Goldust, Black Reign. One of the most underrated performers in the entire history of the sport/business. Total confidence in his promos, stunning longevity, almost always extremely watchable/captivating and notable chemistry found with many - we could go on and on about his virtues though. Broke through and beyond nepotism, yes Dusty booked it - but it was up to Dustin to fail or achieve and he overachieved by leaps. He helped make WCW a far greater place in the early/mid 90's; gave his all during PPV's and Clash's. He was a pioneer of the Attitude era with his Goldust character; turning the entire wrestling world upside down and inside out almost instantly, due to his pure commitment to the business and character. Had a knack for turning "eh" into "unforgettable" and getting over no matter what. Dustin had a hard road in front of him because no matter what he was going to be compared to his father. Now to his credit his carved a legacy of his own which is amazing. He was such an amazing person that is fan friendly and went through so much in his career as well as personal life. He's got the crowd behind him, a solid technical moveset, a badass look, and mic skills to boot. Dustin is damn good and it's crazy to think he could actually continue to get better this late in his career, but if anyone can it's Dustin Rhodes!
What is next for me? Well, my goal is to be happy which rare for a guy who is autistic, I need to surround myself with wrestling fans, make friends and find some reliable transportation. I hate relying on people, Ubers, Lyfts to go to places for everyday use. it totally sucks, I just want to be free and be somewhere happy. I am depressed about it. I hate being limited due to medical afflictions and not having friends in the area. My plan is to go see Minoru Suzuki for House of Glory show in Jamaica, Queens, NY and see The Big Event in November for a number a talent. I just keep working away and train BJJ to find my happiness in Long Island but find little success. I just need help. Its hard right now. Being a depressed wrestling fan with autism sucks but I guess I need to keep going. A few things to look forward to AEW, WWE, Impact Wrestling, NJPW, GCW and meeting wrestlers. I have to also need to stay on top of this shit. What could go wrong?
Pro Wrestling is art, a wonderful masterpiece of sport, and a beautiful love story. I have to keep writing my story and finish my story the right way, otherwise rubber chickens will get thrown into the ring.. Autism 3:16 says I just finished my story.. for now. To be continued.