The career of Tyler Klein

The world of entertainment is filled with characters from every dimension, universe, and background. It might be Batman, Don Corleone, or Steve Austin, but each of those dynamic personalities connected with the viewing audience. Many times, those within show business express that one of the thrills of the performance is the ability to pause any real-life hurdles and embrace the stage.

One such entertainer from the professional wrestling world is Tyler Klein, an independent grappler that brings a lot of unapologetic flare to the squared circle to compliment his solid set of in-ring technical skills. Known as "The Trophy Boy," Klein, as his name implies, considers himself the sports' upmost fashion designer, stitching together gear for his stablemates while also devising a plan to waffle someone with his book of newest designs.

As an openly gay athlete, Tyler uses the squared circle as a way to express himself while proving any naysayers wrong with any perceived stereotypes. When the bell rings, he always aims to showcase his natural athletic ability and the knack he has for rope opera.

"I think what had inspired me the most is I didn't really excel in other sports. I was never the most driven when it came to soccer or baseball or any of the other sports I played. Due to the fact I was in the closet untill I was about 24, I had always wanted to do something that would let the inner me out. Conventional sports didn't really allow me to do that when i was growing up," Klein explained.

The industry that was built on Gorgeous George strutting to the ring with pins in his bleached blond hair and inhaling "imported Florida air" before the opening bell provided Tyler with a platform to create his own colorful display of sports. While swinging for the fences or going for a slam dunk didn't resonate with him, he always enjoyed the dramatics of professional wresting throughout his youth, as he saw the larger-than-life personas beamed through his television screen. He didn't realize how well he would take to the canvas when he began to practice maneuvers with friends that had already began their formal training, just a few weeks shy of his 30th birthday.

"I started wrestling very late. I wish honestly I had started sooner. It would of been great to start but back then i was always worried that me being gay would have some sort of impact on being allowed to train and I would have to hide it. When I kind of grew out of that fear and had a few friends who were wrestlers, I would go to their school's open ring with them and learn a bit. One night, the head trainer was there and I was just messing around, and he stopped me to ask where I had trained before. I told him I was not professionally trained, I picked it up from friends I had done open rings with and he told me to come to the regular training session," Klein commented.

While the ring ropes can provide an escape from some of the discontent of the world, Tyler was faced with the harsh reality of  the closed-mindedness that can plague both inside an outside of professional wrestling. A native of Massachusetts, the same place where he broke into the industry, Tyler comes from a very religious background and wasn't embraced at home.

"It was hard actually. We all want believe everyone gets a fairy tale story on coming out with all the love and acceptance, that's not always the case. I came out when i was a senior in college after being closeted since I was probably a fresh man. My family is very conservative and religious to a bit of an extreme scale, but it wasn't something that clicked with me. In reality, I came out when i was 23, but my family didn't find out until I was at least 28. When I came out, it wasn't pretty, it was the 'what will people thing of us if you are gay' and it was four years before my family and I even spoke. We still don't have a great relationship," Tyler explained.

Despite it's reputation as a more progressive area of the country, the New England region wasn't too kind to Tyler either. With his debut within about a year of his formal training because of he quickly he picked up the techniques, Klein was faced with varying levels of discrimination. It wasn't uncommon for his rainbow gear to generate homophobic slurs hurled at him from the crowd. He also had scheduled matches cancelled when a promoter found out that his wrestling persona was reference to his real-life sexuality.

Finally, Tyler looked for a fresh start, not only in his wrestling career, but also in his life, opting to relocate to Pittsburgh, where he met one of his best friends, fellow grappler, Calvin Couture, a talented athlete that considers himself a fashion model when he's not pummeling opponents. The designer and fashion guru made for a natural tag team, competing around the tri-state area as "The Runway." Their glitz and glamour reaches beyond the tag team division as the two are a part of Golden Chic International, a group led by BC Steele, widely considered the best manager in the area, at Ryse Wrestling, one of the fastest rising organizations in the Pittsburgh independent scene.

"I'm very excited to see what the future holds for Tyler Klein. He has the foundation and tools to be something very special. I'm thankful and excited to be a part of that," BC said.

The move to the steel city allowed Tyler to realize a sense of reassurance and self-awareness, as the wrestling community embraced him, not only for the skills he brings to the table in the ring, but the positivity he brings behind-the-scenes as well. The awareness he continues to raise about equality and acceptance have also earned him praise from his peers.

"I have learned to be more outgoing and expressive. Ive gained a lot of confidence in my self and just kind of of been able to really grow as a person. Its nice to be confident in my normal life so it has made me think of being more vocal for things I want to bring a positive change to wrestling and promote LGBTQ awareness. I want to break the stereotype of a gay wrestler. Too many times people think that we have to wrestle girls or act effeminate and that's not who I am. I want to be known for my ability to entertain," Tyler remarked.

"I've always been a person that felt like a background character, and part of why I got into wrestling was to change that. As a bisexual woman, I've had trouble connecting with my peers since I could "pass" as a straight woman. With the wrestling community opening up and flourishing at the hands of so many openly LGBT wrestlers, its really given me hope and made me a lot less scared to be proud of who I am. I feel like there's room for me to flourish alongside of everyone else with my pride flag in hand," said Tatiana Rose, a young performer that began her journey into the industry less than two years ago.

So, similar to the way that Michael K. Williams' epic portrayal of Omar Little on HBO's street saga, The Wire quite literally blasted away perceived stereotypes of a gay character, Tyler Klein body slams the notion that a performer should limited themselves based on an audience's misinformed notions. Perhaps, the most striking aspect to Tyler Klein's story is that he found himself through professional wrestler and inspired his peers to do the same through their own performances in the industry.

WWE vs. COVID-19

Yesterday, headlines hit social media that multiple people, including in-ring talent, tested positive for the corona virus at the WWE Performance Center, where the company has filmed television for the past few months because of the restrictions for live crowds for sports. Located in Orlando, where cases have spiked as the state of Florida became one of the epicenters in the country for new cases, the WWE facility shut down production for a day last week after a developmental talent tested positive for the virus. Surprisingly, despite the fact that it's a publicly traded billion dollar company, the WWE hadn't previously tested for the virus prior to its tapings, opting instead for temperature checks, a measure that can't identify asymptomatic individuals.

When the pandemic began to shut down the world with cases reported around the globe a few months ago, Tampa, the city that was set to host Wrestlemania 36 for a stadium show, became the subject of criticism because of the potential hazardous nature of the event with fans that travel from several different countries to attend the show. Eventually, after travel restrictions would've prevented fans from outside of the United States from getting the chance to attend, and even Disney World was closed for similar precautions, the Wrestlemania stadium event was cancelled. Still, even a global pandemic wouldn't deny Vince McMahon the chance to present his signature event, as the baron of sports entertainment moved the broadcast to the previously mentioned Performance Center, where a two-night event was held without an audience.

As with nearly everything in the age of social media, somehow a medical situation was subject to a political spin by the orange villain and the return of sports has been touted for months during press conferences that are about as coherent as a Sid Vicious promo. I could write several paragraphs with the intensity of a New Jack run-in during his heyday in ECW about how selfish it is for certain people to attempt to claim the pandemic is over simply because they are tired of the restrictions, but I digress. We're all tired of the restrictions and regardless of how serious someone views the virus or not is a matter of opinion. Either way, new cases are still being reported so the fact is the pandemic is still a problem, especially for professional wrestling or any other sports league that wants to attempt to return to their usual schedule.

While Vince, even at 74, will probably prevent the virus with supplements from his stash of Icopro bars from  1993, the reality is that an outbreak among the WWE roster would be absolutely catastrophic, both from a PR and stock price perspective. Keep in mind, the talent ultimately fuels the WWE machine, and without it, fans will be subjected to Mojo vs. Murphy on the main event segment of Raw. As of this writing, Renee Young, Kayla Braxton, and Adam Pierce were confirmed to test positive for the virus, but The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reports that there could be as many as two dozen people that worked in the Performance Center with the virus. Add this to the fact that players from the NBA,MLB, and NFL have also tested positive in the early stages of an attempt to return to sports and it's clear that the virus is still going to be a major hurdle for any organization.

I know this isn't what any fan wants to hear, but considering the possible domino effect of how contagious the virus is, it's time for pro wrestling to tap out to Covid and shut down until the virus is eliminated from the population. The concept of a contact sport such as pro wrestling was a roll of the dice to begin with, but it's officially toppled sports entertainment. The quality of the shows have been hit or miss because of the lack of an actual crowd so is running mediocre television really worth the risk of a further spread of the virus? Obviously, the performers' safety is a concern, but you must also consider those that they would be in contract with that might be more vulnerable to the more dangerous aspects of the virus. Quite simply, professional wrestling isn't important enough to further risk anyone's health in the middle of a global pandemic.

Again, what would fans really be missing if the sport took a hiatus? Raw has been unwatchable recently, and AEW has it's moments, but there are even flat points for the show that usually focuses on the in-ring action. The WWE has literally hundreds of thousands of hours of classic footage they could run in place of the usual TV schedule, which would give fans some decent nostalgic programming. AEW doesn't have nearly that amount of footage in the vault, but they have months of AEW Dark footage that hasn't been seen on TV yet.

The bottom line is, how can either company truly say that it's still a responsible decision to continue to produce television when there's now proof that the virus has infected members of the roster? Sure, the argument could be made previously that the shows were run on a closed set to isolate the staff from the possible infection from the public, but the test results show that the "wrestling bubble" wasn't enough to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

Listen, I'm completely frustrated and totally exhausted from the hassle and stress of the past few months of the constant pandemic restrictions, but at some point, the safety of the athletes from all sports should take priority. With as much as fans respect and admire names like Jim Ross and Ric Flair, is a weekly TV broadcast really worth either of them or any other staff member risking their health? Again, it's not as though the current environment of no fans allows for compelling television so aside from continuing to run shows just to say that they did, what's the upside of WWE or AEW continuing to produce live TV during the pandemic? This might sound cliche and it's a harsh reality, but the scripted world of professional wrestling just isn't worth the real-life risk associated with the corona virus in the country.

The WWE brand

The WWE brand is the draw for the global, publicly-traded company.

There are positives and negatives to that ideology, but make no mistake about it, the brand is the selling point for the organization. The concept of WWE sports entertainment as a whole is a bigger factor than Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, or any other individual performer on the roster. As I've said before, the upside to that is the organization has an intrinsic value to the initials that can used to ensure there's a core group of fans that will follow the product regardless of the quality of specific angles or shows. Furthermore, brand identity is one of the keys for the valuable sponsorships the organization secures, as well as a something management can tout for stockholders. From a corporate standpoint, this also makes sure that the talent doesn't have too much leverage or power over the organization. If someone wants to leave the promotion, the writing team can shift a few pieces of the puzzle and everything remains status quo. Keep in mind, during the 90s, one of the biggest problems of most of that decade was trying to keep the talent happy. The kliq calls a meeting at a random house show in 1995 and threatens to go on strike, Shawn doesn't want to put Bret over so Bret refuses to put Shawn over, and Jeff Jarrett wants paid in cash before he will drop the IC title.

Promoters have grappled with talent over almost every aspect of the business, but the current WWE model more or less presents most of the roster as interchangeable parts so most don't have enough power in the company to force the office to change plans. Could you imagine anyone currently on the WWE roster trying to go on strike like the Kliq threatened in 1995? Sure, Pac did it, but was forced to stay on the sidelines for almost a year, which is something the majority of wrestlers wouldn't do. They couldn't force Pac to show up to put over Enzo in clumsy matches, but they tried to keep away from the spotlight long enough to minimize any name value he would have after he left. So, from a company perspective, the brand as the selling point limits the impact on the promotion if a performer leaves or if an injury puts them on the shelf for an extended period of time. This approach isn't totally negative because that brand recognition creates a safety net of sorts that a certain fan base will always follow the product. If a wrestler gets injured, it's not a catastrophic scenario for the organization because the writing team just shuffles the deck and plugs in someone else in that spot. The brand first approach minimizes any risk of pushing a talent if they don't get over or damage if an injury puts them on the shelf. For a comparison, when Stone Cold had neck surgery in late-1999 that put him on the shelf for a year, the organization had to boost other wrestlers to cover for the lack of star power on the show, and thus had to make new stars to maintain its lead against WCW.

The negative side of the brand as the top selling point is that it allows for a certain level of mediocrity or complacency within the company because very few performers are actually presented too far ahead of the rest of the roster. Granted, Mojo isn't going to main event Wrestlemania so you can say that Seth Rollins is a bigger star than him, but does Seth truly move the needle? The example I used in the past was, when Seth was booked against Brock Lesnar at WM 35, would it really have made a difference in the number of tickets sold or WWE Network subscriptions if it was Finn Balor vs. Lesnar instead?

That's not meant as a jab toward Seth or Finn, but the point is, with the revolving door of champions and the way the majority of the roster is presented to the audience with mostly 50/50 booking of the product, Seth and Finn, despite their talent,  are more or less at the same level in terms of star power, which is the problem with the vast majority of the roster. The structure of the promotion is designed to get the brand over, not individual stars so there's a ceiling on how much the brand itself is going to get over, especially when you consider the causal fans, The general public aren't necessarily wrestling fans, but there were nearly 10 million viewers every week for wrestling during the boom period of the 90s because there were stars that made them want to watch the product. The stars were the draw, not the initials, which was proved by the weekly shift of the ratings war.

As mentioned the brand as the top selling point, which is designed to bring in more stockholders, allows for a core fan base, but the problem is, when the quality of the overall product declines, it erodes that fan base. There's a reason that ratings have steadily declined over the past few years and there has been a noticeable slump recently because the lack of live crowds. When the corporate agenda dictates the same narrative on a regular basis, even the more diehard fans become discontent with the product. How many years was Reigns pushed as the top guy that didn't get over? How many repetitive Lesnar matches were used in the exact same angle during the past several years? The WWE is reaching into the same playbook and often the programming doesn't actually make much progress on TV.

The bottom line is, how many competitors on the WWE roster are legitimate money-drawing stars?

Don't get me wrong, the in-ring talent is there and the argument could be made that as far as bell-to-bell quality, this might be the most stacked WWE roster in history, but that hasn't translated to star power because of how those athletes are presented to the audience. The current WWE champion, Drew McIntyre is a perfect example of it. As talented as Drew is, before the office randomly decided to give him a push with the Royal Rumble win, he was involved in mediocre angles with Shane McMahon as a heel. His push was more or less because management had to pick someone to win the Rumble, not because the fans were rallying for him prior to the Royal Rumble. To be fair, the quick switch to baby face with no explanation really didn't give the audience much of a chance to get behind him since the push was put into overdrive because it was close to the Rumble when they decided to start the push. More importantly, from literally the first segment after he won the championship, the company didn't portray him as a fighting champion. The segment with Big Show where Drew said there was nothing Big Show could do to make him defend the title because he just defeated Brock for the belt immediately takes away his credibility as a fighting champion. The baby face should never hesitate to defend the championship. Could you picture Stone Cold or a baby face Bret Hart trying to avoid a title defense in a promo? The same narrative was used this past week on Raw when Drew hesitated about the tag match with R-Truth because the title was on the line. How does this put McIntyre over strong as the WWE champion? A baby face trying to avoid or talk their way out of a title defense is completely illogical because it's a heel tactic. Again, what baby face champion in the past would hesitate to defend the championship? In my opinion, key mistakes like this for several performers during the past few years are the reason why the company hasn't made any new stars for the industry.

What's the status of Evolve?

Despite the lack of audiences and any buzz for this weekend's Backlash pay-per-view, the pro wrestling world had its share of noteworthy rumors in the past few days, specifically the status of Evolve, the independent group under the direction of former ECW front office worker and ROH booker, Gabe Sapolsky. The organization is a part of the World Wrestling Network, an umbrella of organizations, including the now-defunct Dragon Gate USA project and Shine, one of the most well-known women's groups on the independent scene. According to The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, the corona virus pandemic, including the cancellation of all the outside events centered around this year's Wrestlemania, financially damaged the group that was established in 2010. The rumor mill suggest that the league could be sold to the WWE, which had a working agreement with Evolve within the past few years.

There are a few different angles to look at this story, and unfortunately, the further consolidation of the industry probably isn't a good thing in this scenario. Supposedly, Gabe signed a deal with WWE as a consultant a few years ago, but as far as I know, this hasn't been officially confirmed or acknowledged. Hopefully, he will have work with NXT or in some fashion in the industry because he has a track record, and it's always disappointing when someone is put out of a job, especially under these circumstances. Gabe, who developed much of his reputation from his six years as head booker of Ring Of Honor, a time that is usually considered its peak years, has definitely discovered and given the chance for talent to showcase themselves during his time in the industry. Granted, Sapolsky has his critics, but the same could be said for almost every booker in history so that's nothing new. Some might say that his rise to prominence through ROH was at a time when he had generational talent at his disposal, which is true, but at the same time, he believed in the concept and that belief paid off for the organization.

I always thought his dismissal from ROH in 2008 was somewhat unfair because it was at a time when many of the stars that took the organization to its previously mentioned peak were signed for more money by bigger companies. When the group was still independently owned, ROH simply couldn't afford to compete with the money that WWE and TNA could offer so when someone got a contract, they departed ROH. The economic crunch of that particular era didn't help either because it was that much more difficult to sell DVDs, which was one of the group's main revenue streams at the time. Plus, it's difficult to make new stars or maintain a buzz after the roster was depleted. It took time for ROH to establish it's next group of top-tier talent. Ultimately, the economics of ROH weren't feasible, prompting Cary Silkin to sell the company to Sinclair Broadcasting in 2011. The point being, it's doubtful Gabe or anyone else was suddenly going to be able to boost ROH in 2008 because of the previously mentioned factors that led to the slump.

When Evolve launched in 2010, many thought it might be the next ROH in some ways because of its association with Sapolsky, and while it had some success, it just didn't catch lightning in a bottle again. Some of the early shows had sparse attendance and overall, the group didn't necessarily make major waves until the WWE working agreement was announced, putting a renewed spotlight on it. That being said, Evolve always had a solid product, it was just difficult for it to get noticed from the pack so to speak because of the influx of the industry over the past decade. The WWE deal was undoubtedly helpful because pre-show autograph signings with NXT stars and occasional matches with wrestlers that were under WWE contract helped boost the Evolve crowds.

Make no mistake about it, Evolve had quality shows, but it's also a matter of it being a niche product by definition. The niche that follows that particular style of wrestling has a realistic "wrestling budget" and with not only, the expansion of New Japan in recent years, but also the addition of All Elite Wrestling to the pro wrestling landscape, there's more competition for the diehard wrestling fan dollar. Ironically, in some ways, Evolve  suffered from the same problem of both ECW and the original ROH. It's too small to be a multi-million dollar promotion, but it's too big to be considered some local indy show. It's big enough to get talent noticed, but too small to afford to keep them under contract.

As much as WWE copyrights, trademarks, and tries to control every aspect that they can of the industry, even they know the value of the smaller groups for talent to be discovered. The major problem for Evolve is that without live events, they have very limited resources to generate revenue because ultimately, the company is fueled by live event content. Without the live shows, they don't have tickets or event streams to market to their audience. On the flip side, WWE's TV deal is what allowed them to continue to be profitable, even without a live audience. Assuming Evolve sells to WWE, which makes sense because they've already worked with them, including the Network special last year, and because WWE can offered the best price for it, it will probably be the finish of the organization. As much as WWE knows wrestlers need a place to hone their craft,it doesn't really make sense for them to fund Evolve to stay open when they already have the Performance Center and the NXT brand that is designed for the same purpose. If anything, the tape library, which features content from many wrestlers under WWE contract, is probably the most valuable asset of WWN.

The bottom line is, there's really nothing good that can come from the sell with the exception of expanded distribution of footage that many fans can eventually watch on the WWE streaming platform. If the entire WWN entity is bought then it will be one less place for wrestlers to get work and exposure. Plus, if Shine folds, it's also less of a chance for female athletes to make a name for themselves. It can't be understated how important platforms like Evolve are for the overall benefit of the industry because the discovery of talent is key to success. Keep in mind, Drew McIntyre used Evolve as one of the stages to completely reinvent himself after he was originally released from WWE. McIntyre went from being released after a comedy gimmick to eventually winning the title at the main event of Wrestlemania because of the opportunity he had outside of the WWE to find his character, which is a prime example of how important the independent scene is to the entire industry.

What's next for Paul Heyman?

I just cracked open an AMP energy drink when I jumped online to listen to some old Howard Stern clips before I planned to continue working on the "Ryse At Ringside" series that I'm writing for the Ryse Wrestling Patreon page since the group is on standby for live events during the pandemic. I've really enjoyed reflecting on my commentary ventures with the organization while I'm writing the content it. None of this is directly relevant to when I saw Paul Heyman trending on Twitter, except for the fact that I knew immediately that my planned writing session would have to wait because either Heyman had possibly flipped a chair and stormed out of the company or he was simply shifted out of his role as lead writer of Monday Night Raw. Thankfully, it was the latter and presumably we will still see the leader of extreme on our TV screens again soon because he still cuts the best promo in the company and arguably the entire business.

I see this as a major story because it's less of an indication of the standing of Heyman, who certainly had his ups and downs in the promotion over the years, and more of a revealing aspect of the structure of the publicly traded company. The big shake-up was less than a year ago when it was announced in July of 2019 that Heyman, the longtime booker of ECW and former writer of Smackdown in the early-2000s, would takeover as the lead writer for Raw, the brand where he cut money promos for the past several years alongside Brock Lesnar. At the same time, Eric Bischoff, the former WCW Vice President and the only one to ever put Vince McMahon on the ropes, was hired to head the creative team on Smackdown, a show that was scheduled to move to the Fox Network in a matter of months as a part of WWE's massive new TV deals. There was speculation at the time that Bischoff, who touted himself more as a TV executive than a wrestling guy, was hired for his role as a way to work with the suits at Fox.

Whatever the reason, Bischoff's tenure last roughly three months, as he was abruptly fired in October of last year, just weeks after the previously mentioned Fox debut. Some speculated that Bischoff was simply the fall guy for when the Smackdown ratings took a noticeable dip in the weeks after the debut. Other online chatter claimed that Bischoff was rather disconnected from the production of the show and difficult to find when the show was scheduled to air. All things considered, the former WCW kingpin probably didn't get a fair shot in the role on the Smackdown writing team, and it was definitely convenient that he was there to get the axe so that WWE brass could tout changes in an attempt to improve numbers on the conference call with it's stockholders. Again, to be fair, Bischoff, if he had a plan of action for the blue brand, didn't really get a chance to put it in motion with just three months to try to implement that strategy. The fact that WWE publicly announced his dismissal, the same way they had previously touted the hiring, gives the impression that it was more to serve the shareholders than anything else.

While Bischoff's hiring was to pay lip service to Fox executive the same way his firing was lip service to stockholders, Heyman's departure from the writing team is different in what it means for the product as well as what is says about the company. Make no mistake about it, Eric Bischoff had tremendous success during the Monday Night wars, but it was within a relatively short time. In truth, Bischoff didn't have an extended track record for success, which isn't a jab at him, but rather to point out, he was less a wrestling booker and more of a TV executive, which has more of a focus on the branding on a product than the weekly angles. However, Paul Heyman has the extensive experience of booking a company and the track record to prove that he can create stars.

Don't get me wrong, Raw hasn't been stellar the past few months, but it's difficult to judge it because the lack of any audience for most of that time created a completely sterile environment. On the flip side, there were a few bright spots with the presentation of Andrade, Garza, and others. The problem is, considering that Vince McMahon still has final approval on anything before it makes air, it's difficult to tell how much of Heyman's concept makes it to TV. Raw ratings have continued to decline during the pandemic and it could be a matter of the lack of a live crowd just takes most of the energy away from the viewing experience. That being said, since Heyman had less than a year in the role as head writer, it appears that he will take the fall for the sluggish numbers in the past few months.

The problem here is two-fold because the changes within the creative team indicate a lack of any long term plan, and ultimately rebuilding the audience is a process as the characters and angles on the show are built to give them a reason to tune into the show. The sudden changes to either alter the perception of the product or draw a quick boost in the numbers for a week or two are proof that management is searching for an answer to the ratings decline. The scattered booking leads to a fragmented product that doesn't connect with the audience. The second half of the equation is that as mentioned Vince McMahon still decides what makes it on-screen so essentially, the "change in direction" still isn't necessarily a new philosophy. Make no mistake about it, Vince is an entertainment baron and the best wrestling promoter in the history of the industry, the fact that his company is worth roughly a billion dollars proves that. At the same time, just because he made a lot of the right calls in the past doesn't automatically mean that he will make the right calls now.

Does that mean that the next boom period will arrive if Vince suddenly decides to retire to an island stocked with Icopro bars? Absolutely not, if anything, for all it's rightful criticism, the WWE brand is the foundation of the professional wrestling industry in the United States, and Vince's incredible work ethic is what kept the foundation steady. The point being, clearly the current ideology of sports entertainment doesn't connect with the fans and until there's a shift in philosophy from either Vince or someone he allows the chance to completely book the shows then the product will probably remain stagnant.

As repetitive as it is,  I have to say it again, the lack of competition is ultimately what led to a level of mediocrity and complacency within the company.

When Stone Cold got over as the top guy, the WWF has to run with him because they had to use whatever worked to compete against WCW. When there's not truly competition for viewers, the corporate agenda, not the fan demand is what dictates the direction of the product. If CM Punk could've walked out of the WWE and onto Nitro in 2011, would the company have done almost everything they could to minimize his star power at that point? Would the fans have to completely reject the entire product for Daniel Bryan to get a chance, if WCW could've theoretically been an option? Between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, how many other stars didn't get a chance to truly get over as much as they could with the audience? Obviously, Brock is a draw, but there was opportunity cost when Lesnar and Reigns were the primary focus of the company.

According to the WWE's statement, Bruce Prichard, who worked for the company for years before he left in 2008 and returned in recent years, is the new lead writer for both Raw and Smackdown. Prichard, who started in Houston under Paul Boesch, has worked nearly his entire life in the wrestling business, with much of that time spent as one of McMahon's top advisors. Essentially, Bruce is a Vince McMahon protege with much of the same philosophy as his boss. This isn't meant as a negative towards him because he might be able to bring something fresh to the product, but I don't think he's going to attempt to book anything that is too far outside of the usual Vince McMahon playbook, which is exactly the reason the product is stale so it's doubtful that he's the answer to the decline in ratings.

Ryse At Ringside 2

As my roller bag with my suit, energy drinks, and trusty comb bumped along the uneven pavement of the parking lot, I saw Ryse Wrestling on the marquee of the venue. I had been there before as a part of the Stomp Out Cancer events and really enjoyed the set up, but this was a different scenario. I sent clips of those Stomp shows to Ryse management to give them a recent sample of my work before they gave me the green light to take the booking at the desk for that night's card. Nobody had told me, but I considered this show on a muggy night in July as purely a tryout to see if I could accomplish the goal for Ryse's presentation. I certainly didn't assume it would automatically be a new regular gig. I knew the promotion had made a reputation for itself in its first year of quality events with quality talent, and I felt I had something to prove that I was capable of contributing at that level.

Again, as with most things, timing got me the opportunity to be there, and this wasn't just another showcase at The Stronghold, it was a pivotal chapter for not only the organization, but for a specific athlete in the main event, or in Ryse lingo, the feature presentation. When I saw Lee Moriarty debut in the sport less than three years earlier, as cliche as it sounds, you could already tell from his first match that he was going to be a star in the industry. In his initial offering in the sport, he looked like he had already been wrestling for a few years and the natural talent was obvious for the youngster known as "The Apex of Combat" in the squared circle. So, it wasn't much of a surprise when he was crowned the first Ryse Grand Champion some eight months earlier. On the flip side, Matt Conard was an eight-year pro in 2018 that had all the tools to be a top performer for an organization, but a combination of oversight, red tape, and just not being at the right place at the right time saw that particular spot elude him throughout his career. Ironically, it was Moriarty vs. Conard in the finals of the tournament that decided the inaugural champion. Eight months later, Conard had his chance to elevate himself to a new level and make a definitive statement that he was, indeed, a top caliber champion.

I felt I need to be at the top of my game to properly tell the audience that story and to give this anticipated Pittsburgh bout the proper call it deserved. But, while Lee and Conard were trading arm bars in the ring, who would I trade calls with at the desk? As mentioned before, their original play-by-play guy had finished up, and the energetic "Rev" Ron Hunt had outside commitments so as we entered the venue that night, I actually didn't know who I would be working with for the broadcast. On the way to the building, after BC Steele delivered an ear-jarring rendition of a Lady Gaga song, he mentioned that Paul Atlas, a grizzled thirty-year veteran of the sport, might be the color analyst.
Atlas, who broke in under the guidance of Dominic Denuce, started grappling at a time when the territory system that helped young wrestlers get noticed in the previous era had evaporated. As a result, he spent the majority of the early-90s traveling several hours just to get a chance to perform in a ring because local groups still weren't a regular concept at the time. A weekend in Pittsburgh was considered almost a luxury, as to continue to hone his craft, he found himself in New Jersey the week after that and perhaps Michigan the following weekend. He had to log the miles just to stay active as a wrestler, regardless of if those bookings were fruitful or not. Eventually, he settled in as a Western Pennsylvania mainstay, working for basically every established group in the area and had virtually every role possible at one time or another. Ironically, the only aspect of the industry that Paul didn't have extensive experience with was commentary, as he had only done a few guest spots years earlier to talk about an upcoming opponent that might be in the ring.

During his three decades as a pro, Paul had a few former Mrs. Atlases and an artificial knee to thank pro wrestling for. I actually met Paul the year I started in the business in 2008. At the time, I was the photographer that did my best to hustle around the ring for action shots and generally tried to stay out of everyone's way, saying hello to be polite, but didn't want to step on any toes. I really enjoyed Paul Atlas and Brian Anthony's run as "The Wrong Crowd" at the time because it was such a cool moniker for two guys that spoke their mind in a business that was known for some talking out of both sides of their neck. During this particular time frame, Paul and Brian were very eloquently pointing out the hypocrisy of the board of directors of the National Wrestling Alliance of that era. Before Billy Corgan rescued the initials from obscurity and gave the brand credibility for the first time in years, the leadership of the NWA  was passed around more than a bucket of popcorn at a teeny bopper sleepover during a Disney movie. Names like Bob Trobich and Bruce Tharpe took over the NWA in name only in an attempt to leech off of the legacy of the legitimate National Wrestling Alliance under the Jim Crockett banner. Those guys had no interest in promoting the NWA, but rather use it as a platform to attempt to get themselves known as something in the wrestling industry. It was a total ego trip for those on the board of directors, and Paul called them out on that, including when he mailed back the NWA North American tag belts in a dilapidated box to prove a point.

During all of this, Paul seemed a little gruff when I would see him rummaging through his bag to find wrist tape so I always kept our interactions short with the standard polite hand shake and left him get back to preparations for that night's match. It might've been injuries, frustrating with the business that caused those injuries, or a combination of factors, but Atlas didn't exactly light up a room in his waning years of in-ring competition. I once told Quinn Magnum that he was featured in one of the magazines I had from years earlier, but he had longer hair in the photo so I initially didn't recognize it was him until I reorganized my collection earlier that same week. Quinn thought this discover was neat because he didn't know he made it into the magazine in 2001. Atlas, who had walked up to Quinn during the course of this exchanged responded with a monotone, "Well, we needed to know that."

In the decade since that warm response, I had seen Paul sporadically at shows, as he was in and out of the Pittsburgh scene, depending on the deteriorating condition of his knee and a badly broken wrist that required plates to repair. Quite simply, I had no idea what to expect that July night at the Stronghold when the red light went on. I knew Paul could cut a great promo, but that was a different skill set that selling a show on commentary. I specifically remember tying my dress shoes that night wondering how this was going to go and if it would be enough to land an invitation back to the Stronghold.

Surprisingly, Paul must've mellowed with age and at 87 seemed enthusiastic about the opportunity to take a seat at the desk. As the action for that broadcast began, we had a natural chemistry on commentary, which I would guess is because I presented him as the vast resource of knowledge that he is, and he trusted me the to set the stage for him to explain those in-ring details that only a seasoned veteran can provide. I'm only guessing here, but I think without the pressure of in-ring competition while trying to work around the injuries he piled up or the stress that goes into a venture such as promoting, the commentary gig allowed Paul a way to contribute his knowledge to a product that was trending upward without the physical or mental stress he endured in his previous roles in the industry. I found us to be similar to a Joe Buck and Troy Aikman dynamic, I set the stage for the stories of our athletes and Paul expanded upon it with insight from an in-ring perspective. Despite Paul training to wrestle around the time I was born, I think we have a similar mindset for the presentation of the industry, and my studies of the history of the sport allow us to have a similar process to sell the sport on the mic. Between the two of us, we covered all the bases, and most importantly, we put a spotlight on the talent that they deserved.

Lee and Conard had a terrific match, a back and fourth contest that saw the drama of the narrative unfold through a series of counters and near falls. The final bell saw Conard narrowing defeat Moriarty to claim the championship to prove to himself and the rest of the Pittsburgh scene that he was definitely a top-tier talent for Ryse Wrestling.

For me, I was really happy with the experience and it was a major confidence boost to feel like I had performed up to the level of a match like the feature presentation. A few days later, a text from Brandon K told me I had done a good job and I was offered the full-time spot at Ryse's new play-by-play commentator. Aside for the pandemic that shut down most of the planet, two years after that Grand Championship title switch, Paul Atlas and I are still calling events, and I'm very thankful to call him a friend. I'm sure I will have another write-ups about the LaMotta/Atlas adventures on the mic during this series, but I want to conclude this with a recollection of Paul's thoughts on that Ryse debut for us during an interview with Sorg last year. Atlas was very complimentary of my work, saying, "working with Jim is great. He knows the history, he knows the wrestling, and he knows the business." His kind works meant a lot to me, not only to get the stamp of approval from a thirty-year pro that was a respected veteran, but because Paul didn't BS anybody so I knew his comments were genuine. It's been nearly two years since I started with Ryse and I can honestly say it's been the most rewarding time of my commentary career, which I will detail in more articles in this series.

-Jim LaMotta

The Revival debuts for AEW

Okay, before the All Elite fans throw virtual rocks at me on social media or Jim Cornette threatens to boil me in oil, hear me out on this.

With The Revival's recent debut for All Elite Wrestling and their even more recent appearance on Jim Cornette's podcast, the circumstances that would see the Louisville Slugger return to ringside went from being merely hypothetical to theoretically possible. The racket-wielding manager went as far as to playfully joke about what it would take to get him in the corner of FTR in an AEW ring. Granted, I've written before that the former leader of Smokey Mountain Wrestling went too far with certain comments at specific times, but I also mentioned that he's one of the brightest minds of the industry. As I've said several times in the past, I'm more disappointed than anything that someone that could or should be a valuable resource to the professional wrestling industry made himself more or less unemployable to every major company of the modern era.

That being said, I doubt the leader of the Midnight Express loses any sleep over it because he made good money in his heyday, and his podcast has a cult following that allows him to make good money through merchandise on his website, as he often talks about the painstaking process of packing hundreds of orders to have to wheel off to this local post office.

Personally, I find his routine rather tiresome at this point because if there's a Youtube clip about AEW, you already know that his comments will be negative, and I think in some ways, despite his commitment to review their shows, he goes into it with a confirmation bias. Obviously, professional wrestling is subjective, but regardless of if an AEW match is almost unanimously praised, Cornette finds a negative spin on it. To be fair, some of that could be him playing to his base because those that invest in the Cornette business with his stellar offerings on historical aspects of the sport expect that to be his reaction. On the flip side, when it comes to the history of the industry, his insight is brilliant. Also, he actually does make some valid points about All Elite Wrestling, but tends to muddy his own argument when he goes to such extremes.

While I completely believe that Cornette legitimate doesn't like any of The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega etc. type of matches, I sincerely doubt he actually wants to see them boiled in oil or any other of the colorful comments of torture he uses on his podcast. Make no mistake about it, the former kingpin of OVW has his critics and he has earned them with some of his more outlandish claims on the state of modern professional wrestling, but that's what could make this work more than anything.

For those that say it's impossible for All Elite Wrestling and Jim Cornette to do business together, the cliche of never say never in the wrestling business still applies because there are modern examples to prove it. Bret Hart left under the most hostile circumstances possible and he eventually returned to WWE. Jeff Jarrett held up Vince for more cash to drop the IC title in 1999 and was fired on live TV a few years later, but is currently employed there as a producer. Sable, Brock Lesnar, Ultimate Warrior etc. all left on negative terms and eventually made their way back. The reason they did it is really the only reason to be in business and that's because it can draw money. Yes, I understand that we're talking about AEW, and I've used several examples from Vince McMahon, but like it or not, he's the most successful wrestling promoter in the history of the sport. A major reason for that is because one way or another, Vince can put personal difference aside to generate the cash. I'm just speculating here, but with as many lessons as WCW and TNA provided about what not to do, maybe they can pick up a few from Vince on some of the successful strategies.

Can you imagine the heat and the buzz if Jim Cornette showed up to whack The Young Bucks with the racket, assisting the Revival to get the victory? At a time when professional wrestling is so over-exposed and everyone believes they know where the line of reality and entertainment is, it would certainly be an easy sell if Cornette got on the mic to express his disdain for The Bucks. It would be one of the few angles of the past decade that had any legitimate heat behind it. In some respects, the pairing of Cornette with FTR is too good to pass up, especially because of the visceral reaction a live AEW crowd would give the legendary manager.

I'm sure diehard fans on both sides of this debate already stopped reading this article a few paragraphs ago, but if you're still following along, the concept of Cornette in enemy territory isn't exactly breaking new ground. One of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport was when Cornette showed up in the ECW Arena because fans knew he was legitimately sour on the product and that aspect of reality added to the shock value. If he can take $750 and a trip to Morton's steakhouse from Paul Heyman to do a run-in at a dingy bingo hall, the chance to work with a team he expressed interest in managing in the past to make a few appearances for a billionaire is a decent option.

Granted, he might have a concern of sacrificing his credibility with his fan base, especially because he makes a decent living without having to leave his house, but basically all he has to do to tell that audience that he's only expressing his real-life thoughts on the product while getting the chance to work with FTR. He's not a sellout, he's simply moving his message to a bigger platform. If this somehow happens, it's a win-win for everyone involved because Cornette gets another payday from TV and more buzz for his online projects, and it undoubtedly puts a spotlight on AEW as well as FTR. This is a chance for All Elite to do something the WWE hasn't been able to do in recent years, regardless of the dozens of writers on the creative team, give the audience an angle that they can be emotionally invested toward and aren't sure how much of it is actually entertainment.

All that being said, I understand that all of this is moot because there's probably a better chance that Sunny will find a way to avoid jail again before Cornette inks a contract with Tony Khan. But, wouldn't it be an incredible angle? To clarify, while I don't agree with some of the things Cornette has said and wrote an article about it in the past, he was very polite during an e mail correspondence about The Big Bossman about two years ago. I also had a chance to meet The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody among others at an ROH show in Pittsburgh in October of 2017 and they were all very polite. All Elite Wrestling isn't perfect, but I enjoy a lot of the product and I really hope they can be successful because we've already seen the impact the organization had on the industry. Plus, FTR is such a talented team, and despite Cornette's criticism, The Bucks are a great team too. Sure, it won't happen, but wouldn't it be a great angle for the company.

Jon Jones vs. Dana White

Up until recently, the Ultimate Fighting Championship made headlines for the concept of "Fight Island," a location that would allow the company to skate the various restrictions of the pandemic to get fighters from different countries in the same place at the same time to schedule possible bouts. While the almost outlandish promotional tactic would always grab a headline, it garnered major attention during a time frame when many sports are still paused because of the shut down. Just as Fight Island began to slip from the news, a feud involving the Light Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones is the top story of the MMA world. However, this dispute isn't with a fellow fighter for the title, but rather with UFC kingpin, Dana White for a better payday.

The grudge stems for negotiations to attempt to bring the 205 LBS titleholder to the heavyweight division with rumors of a potential contest against Francis Ngannou. As with most things in the modern era, the argument spilled over onto social media, where the two exchanged digital jabs about what supposedly did or didn't happen during the discussion. The point of contention between the two is based on what White says was demands of "Deontay Wilder money" for Jones to take a fight in the higher weight class. That would put the number to get Jon Jones to heavyweight at around $30 million for a fight. According to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, "Bones" Jones usually makes about $5 mill per fight. The Light Heavyweight champion took to Twitter to vehemently deny that he made such demands and continues to insist that financial terms weren't discussed. White responded with claims that he has text messages from Jones that prove his request for a Wilder level pay check. Jones rebutted, saying that those messages don't exist and even gave White permission to release the message publicly if he has them. White deflected the notion and has yet to show the messages to the public. The argument escalated with "Bones" Jones claiming that he will relinquish the 205 LBS and requested to be released from his UFC contract on Twitter.

There's a lot to unpack here, but let's make no mistake about it, this scenario really isn't anything new and has been a revolving door for decades. The promoter will always try to tighten the purse strings as much as possible to maximize his own profits while the athletes or performers will always try to leverage the best possible payoff. It's the nature of the beast with contract negotiations. Where things get complicated here are the layers of this story and the potential ripple effect afterwards.

Does it make sense for Jon Jones to demand better money to move up to heavyweight? Sure, but to attempt to get paid exponentially more cash to do it doesn't make business sense for the UFC. Keep in mind, the organization makes a lot of revenue from the ESPN deal that saw them move their pay-per-views exclusively to the ESPN+ streaming service and the network advertises cards regularly because they have a vested interest in the success of those shows. In short, despite being one of their most well-known stars, the UFC isn't going to crumble without "Bones" Jones because they've already secured the hefty ESPN money. At the same time, UFC brass need stars that are going to move the needle to look good for the network that is paying them and in theory, Jones can do that.

Where Jones loses most of his leverage is that while he threatens to vacate the belt, he has made many mistakes in the past that have cost him the championship twice already. Considering that "Bones" Jones has a laundry list of legal problems and a history of failed PED tests, it's very difficult for anyone to see him as a sympathetic figure here, even if his rival is a corporation.

In truth, Jon Jones needs the UFC more than the UFC needs him. Keep in mind, he's making $5 million per fight, where else is he going to get that type of cash? In theory, Bellator could attempt to exceed that number because they are owned by Viacom, but it's doubtful that Bellator events generate enough revenue to cover that type of contract. Viacom is a massive television conglomerate because they don't usually lose money on deals so it's doubtful they would risk going in the red just to ink Jones to a contract. The bottom line is, the UFC pays Jones the best money he's going to make in MMA and if he willingly vacates the championship he would lose the majority of any negotiating power he might have to attempt to get more money.

So, no, I don't think Jon Jones will actually leave the UFC because it's still the best money he can get in the sport.

Jones claims he could jump to boxing, but if he's going to do that then he would need to sign to fight a legitimate opponent to garner the biggest money. If he does that and gets dominated in the ring, his drawing power in boxing will be next to zero. Although, in some ways, the UFC is reaping what they sowed with "Bones" Jones throughout his career. The company made excuses for him during PED allegations, they moved UFC 232 to Los Angeles so he would be licensed to fight after a drug test was flagged in Nevada, and they continued to promote him after his countless legal disputes.

During the majority of his run in the company, Jon Jones has always been given a pass and still be able to get what he wants from the organization.

With all that said, it wouldn't be that surprising that "Bones" Jones might think he's worth Deontay Wilder cash. Don't get me wrong, Jones is popular, partially because of all the controversy that surrounds him, but he's not popular enough to demand a $30 million payday. Keep in mind, the debacles outside of the octagon soured many fans on him, and the argument could be made that much of the reason he's still relevant is because of the Light Heavyweight championship. He dismissed notions on Twitter that he should sign for a rematch with Dominick Reyes, who he beat via a razor-close decision that some thought the challenger might've won. That victory was after an even closer split decision against Thiago Santos the previous year. In years prior, Jones bragged about being able to win without extensive training so perhaps his party lifestyle has begun to catch up with him? Perhaps, the dominate champion isn't quite as ahead of the current competition than he was in the past. Either way, I think it's fair to say that Jones doesn't want to risk a rematch with Reyes because of how close the original bout was and Jones hasn't looked as sharp in recent bouts.

Make no mistake about it, Dana White isn't going to just release Jon Jones from his contract since the company will have more leverage the longer that Jones doesn't want to negotiate a return to the octagon. The longer that Jones' deal is essentially frozen, the less relevant he is within the MMA landscape and thus lowering his market value as a free agent. That being said, this squabble won't garner public support for either side because it's basically a multi-millionaire arguing with a billion dollar company for more money. All things considered, much of this dispute is moot because eventually Jones will sign to fight again because there's money to be made for everyone involved. That being said, it's interesting that Jones threatens to vacate the championship that his own unwise decisions caused him to be stripped of twice in his career.

Bobby Williams book

The unique world of professional wrestling, like all forms of entertainment, blends many different aspects to entertain the paying audience. With as unique as the genre is, the personalities that populate it can be just as unique. Ominous villains that antagonize the crowd to draw their jeers when the lights are bright and the red light is on, often exchange hugs when greeting their peers just hours earlier before the doors to the venue open. Energetic heroes that demand vengeance in the ring usually inquire for advice on the grappling arts behind the curtain from the antagonist.

James Fawcett, a longtime grappler around the steel city, was a prime example of this. Known inside the ring ropes as Devil Bhudakahn, a vicious heel with dastardly intentions, the man behind the mask designed to reflect his in-ring name, was proof that there was much more than simply what viewers saw on camera. Fawcett, who worked nearly a decade in the squared circle for virtually every established group in the Pittsburgh area, had an influence on the region that is still seen today. When he laced up his boots for the start of his career in 1998, the man that would later became Bhudakahn didn't know that his enthusiasm for the international aspects of the sport would lay the foundation for a style in the area that helped it become one of the mainstays of the east coast independent circuit. Along with Pittsburgh legend, Super Henti, Fawcett brought lucha libre style action to cards around Western Pennsylvania, something that wasn't commonplace at the time. He learned much of that Mexican influence from his trainer, Shirley Doe, a nearly 25-year pro that remains one of the most respected veterans of the Pittsburgh area.

"He was someone who loved wrestling more than just about anyone I ever met and loved to share his knowledge with others," Doe commented.

Similar to how Doe passed on his knowledge to Fawcett, the man underneath the Devil Bhudakahn persona wanted to share his lessons with others to allow them to achieve their personal goals as well. Once such example of this is, Bobby Piskor, known among wrestling circles as Bobby Williams when he wears the stripes or Robert Parker Williams when he wore the boots. Bobby is considered unanimously as the best active official in Pittsburgh, and has an accomplished in-ring career to go along with it. Like many, Piskor grew up idolizing the larger-than-life stars that beamed through his TV screen and at the age of just 15, Fawcett took the youngster under his wing to give him a chance to live a dream. Barely old enough to attend high school, with the encouragement from his family, young Bobby went to the late, "Gentleman" Joe Perri's training center, a no frills academy in the back of a warehouse in Penn Hills, PA to begin to learn the fundamentals of sports entertainment under the guidance of Fawcett.

"I began my training in March of 2001. It was a slow process because I was 15 years old. I worked a lot originally learning the aspects of refereeing. He along with Joe Perri showed me the basics. Eventually, I would learn to bump and run the ropes. Devil was extremely patient with his students. He broke down the psychology of why we do things. Unfortunately, after less than six months the school closed down. I learned a lot of chain wrestling because the ropes in the ring were bad, and also psychology," Bobby explained.

The next few years saw Fawcett work with a myriad of names from the Pittsburgh scene of that era, forming a stable with his trainer Doe, and wrestling a pivotal feud to the start of the career of CJ Sensation. Another group saw him team with Jake Garrett and Glen Spectre. Devil Bhudakahn won championships in both IWC and PWX, two of the longest-running organizations of the region. He also wrestled for and did some booking work for Championship Wrestling Federation, another league from around the same time frame.

Usually clad in a Danzig t-shirt with a comic book in his back pocket, Fawcett arrived at venues with a sense of enthusiasm for that night's event, and that dedication to the sport saw him work in nearly every role possible in the business with his time spent as a wrestler, trainer, and agent. Many suggested that he enjoyed the comradery and the chance to teach others on their own journey as much as he enjoyed each chance he had to step into the squared circle.

"He always told me to have a plan of where I wanted to go.  Don't go out there with everything scripted out, but have an idea of where you want to go. That's a good motto for life as well as wrestling," said BC Steele, widely regarded as the best manager in Pittsburgh and Piskor's real-life best friend that accompanied him to the previously mentioned training school to learn from Fawcett.

In July of 2007,  James Fawcett tragically took his own life just a week after what would be his final match. He was 32.

For Bobby, the reality that he lost his mentor and close friend to suicide was an overwhelming trauma, something he wasn't prepared for and couldn't comprehend. Piskor spent many weekends the previous six years alongside Bhudakahn and considered the time he spent with him a valuable learning experience in life as well as professional wrestling. Without Fawcett to guide him, Bobby began to see his own life spiral, plagued by questions about if there was anything he could've done to prevent his friend's death.

"I dealt with Devil’s passing terribly. I blamed myself because I spent an hour with him right before his passing. I shut a lot of people off in my life and built a lot of walls. I lost passion for life, and wrestling. I dealt with his death in a terrible way. A lot of drinking and pills. I didn’t care if I lived or died. That was until I met my wife. She helped bring me down to realty and face the underlining issues of my mental break down," Bobby said.

Today, a full-length sketch of Devil Bhudakahn is framed in the Piskor home, artwork by Bobby's wife, Natalie, a talented artist that has published various art online. While his image decorates their home, a tattoo of the Bhudakahn mask on Bobby's arm memorizes his friend. Eventually, Bobby began the healing process to truly mourn from the devastating effect that suicide has on those let behind with unanswered questions. Knowing how grateful he was for Fawcett's kindness, his family gifted Bobby his wrestling memorabilia, a collection of various mask and boots that had been seen in many Pittsburgh rings. With a clear mind, Bobby wanted to develop a project to not only go in-depth on the career of Devil Bhudakahn, but the impact of suicide in hopes of helping others left behind deal with the tragedy that can impact people from any aspect of life. That project was the recently released book, Devil Bhudakahn:The Man Behind The Mask available online.

"I really contemplated the idea of the book after Devil’s mom gave me his wrestling bag. When I began writing, I quickly turned this into a passion project. I wanted to educate people as to who Devil was, and how important he is to the Pittsburgh wrestling scene. Also, he had three kids who were small when he passed away. I would hope that they can stumble across this and realize how important their father is to so many people," Bobby commented.

Bobby plans to donate his proceeds from the sale of the book to Suicide Prevention Lifeline, an organization that offers many resources for anyone in crisis. The pages of Piskor's publication detail Bhudakahn's influence to provide a path for lightweight wrestlers on the Pittsburgh scene in the years that followed his career. James Fawcett passed away far too young, but his influence on those inside and outside of the ring certainly left a definitive mark on the sport that he has an immense amount of passion for and dedicated over a decade of his life toward. Many lessons can be taken from the words Piskor penned amount his mentor, but perhaps the most admirable aspect is that the publication will help others, which is one of the things that James Fawcett was most known for in his pro wrestling career.