Off the Road

Hi


Something very ironic struck me these past few days. Wrestlemania time has passed and now, the big shit starts happening.


First, the entire US independent circuit was saddened by the loss of Alex Whybrow, better known to indy enthusiasts as "Sweet 'n Sour" Larry Sweeney. Half of the pro wrestling audience didn't know who Alex was and that, my friends, is a crying shame. If there's anyone charismatic enough to build a company around and who was an exceptional manager and wrestler, the name Larry Sweeney was continuously brought up.


It was heart breaking to see all the indy guys on Facebook mourning the loss of a guy who shook the foundations of the indies as an exceptional stick handler. It's only then that we learned that behind the facade of the character, there was a troubled man. I don't think any fan could've deciphered that Alex was bi-polar, suffering from very big mood swings to the point where he committed suicide by hanging. 


Do yourself a favour and watch some of his stuff on Youtube or any other video-sharing community. Be it a match, a move or a goddamn awesome promo. Whatever it is, you'll eventually agree that his passing is a tremendous loss to the wrestling world. 


Therefore, my condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and anyone who knew the man. May he rest in peace.


And then, barely recovered from the news of Larry Sweeney's passing, you get breaking news with the equivalence of getting a kick in the balls with a spiked iron boot. 


Edge retires and that sucks ass. Edge was one of the guys I actually idolised, because he was a goof and his friendship with Christian (who is still my all-time favorite along with William Regal) made for some awesome on-screen chemistry. 


I've been an EdgeHead for most of my life, and the fact that he had to retire came as a blow. You know, he just wrestled the week before and everything seemed fine. It turns out that Adam's body (I will refer to him by his given name from now on) wouldn't be able to hold up much longer. Given that he's been suffering from numbness in his arms and add that up to his neck fusion surgery around 2004, you can see why it was simply enough reason for him to no longer risk his body. I prefer retired Adam over paraplegic or dead Adam, to be honest.


The reactions from colleagues and friends was truly amazing. All of them hogged social networks like Twitter to praise his work and legacy in the business. Except Hulk Hogan, who of course had to divert the attention to himself. No point in elaborating, anyone who has read any entries in this blog knows how I feel about Hogan.


The show of respect that Edge received from his peers, his fans and his family was immensely cool. For anyone who thinks this is a work ... you'd have to admit they'd go great lengths if it was. 



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Now, it's very likely that WWE will allow Christian to take the empty spot, as a gesture to Adam. If you have been reading SmackDown spoilers, you'll find out whether or not that holds truth. 


I'm gonna miss Adam as Edge. He was one of the guys in WWE who has been continuously entertaining. Not to mention the fact that he's one of the guys who, through hard work, managed to break the glass ceiling by winning the WWE title (from John Cena no less!), coming from a position as glorified mid-carder and tag-team specialist. 


I'll find consolation in the fact that Christian is still there to entertain the smark in me and that E&C managed to reunite, albeit briefly, before Edge waved goodbye. Wrestlemania 29 in Toronto and Edge as headline HOF inductee please.


Okay, I'm done with the goodbyes.


Tough Enough was awesome again, though I'm a little bummed they eliminated Matt Cross/MDogg20/Matt Cappicioni. He didn't impress the trainers enough, but should've gotten a better chance. You can't expect someone who has been working on his character for 9 years to throw his personality around in the blink of an eye. Regardless, I would like to point out that Tough Enough really is made by the presence of Bill DeMott. 


I was a fan of Hugh Morrus/General Hugh G. Rection but this really puts him over with me. 


Alrighty, I'm done. 


~D.