It was certainly a wild few weeks in the world of professional wrestling, but before Ryse returns for what should be another action-packed card in September, I'd like to take an opportunity to share something that was very special to me at the event in July. As you might've read in last month's edition of "Ryse at Ringside," the chance to call a Delirious match was an honor for me and saw things go full circle in some ways because the competitor that I saw tear the house down with Matt Sydal at a Norm Connors event in Monroeville in 2005 was now on a card that I got to do commentary for 17 years later.
As I tweeted at the time, Delirious is a true pro and one of the hidden gems of the wrestling business. I hope that the call that I provided lived up to what was a great moment, both for Ryse as a company and for Tony Johnson, who is really only now getting the credit he deserves for his skills as an athlete. If you haven't, make sure you check out the broadcast on indywrestling.us because our friends there do great production work.
However, there was another aspect of the July showcase that had an impact on me.
Some fans might not be aware, but there's a tremendous amount of work that goes into the Ryse events beyond just the two and a half hours of action for their entertainment. There are names and faces that you may not see or know that are critical to the final presentation at bell time. The ring crew is tightening the ropes, the staff is setting up tables, and Chris LeRusso is often darting around the venue to get everything organized. Brandon K is running sound checks, while Kristy is getting paper work signed. As cliche as it might sound, this exhaustive process is ultimately done for the fans. I can say without any doubt that the Ryse crew, regardless of the regime or any specific organizer, has always aimed to give the fans their money's worth.
That's the same reason I take my role as an announcer seriously, because of the respect I have for the performers that risk their bodies for the entertainment of the audience, and for the fans that paid to see the show. I detailed this in another edition of the column a while ago, but for years on the independent circuit, the bar was set very low for commentary. A promoter's brother's mailman would end up on the mic because commentary was deemed "just talking" and the result was often some yokel discussing his favorite record in 1994 instead of the action in the ring.
Thankfully, the improvements in technology that have allowed for the expanded distribution of independent wrestling has rid the commentary booths of some of those knuckleheads. It always meant a lot to me when wrestlers complimented my work because they knew that I put the action in the ring first. The fans that greet me at events are always very nice and their encouragement is always helpful.
I don't mention it too often in this column, other than briefly last year simply because it's not usually relevant to pro wrestling, but I have Spastic Cerebral Palsy, a muscle disorder. As I mentioned before, pro wrestling has helped me deal with my disability in many ways, most of them would be too length to explain here, but the most direct way to describe it is that I've always had pro wrestling in my life, the same way I've always had Cerebral Palsy. My earliest memories are physical therapy when I was very young before I would get home to watch early editions of Monday Night Raw. As tacky as it might be, I tweeted a picture a while ago from Kindergarten in 1994, where "what I want to be when I grow up" was a sloppily drawn picture of little Jim in the trademark blue Hasbro ring. The fact that I had to use a walker to get into the building, didn't make a difference, I assumed I would just show up one day to be WWF champion.
This is why being involved in the wrestling business for the past 14 years continues to be special for me because it's something that I never truly thought was possible, especially as I got older. To have a role in the industry that people compliment me for, despite my disability, is something that I'm very thankful for. The friends I've made and the people I've met has been a wonderful experience, despite some of the antics of this crazy business.
This brings me to the event in July, as I was writing down a few late-minute notes before the music hit for showtime. As many fans know, I walk with a limp because of my disability and don't get me wrong, I'm just happy that I can walk, but at the same time, I'm also very self conscious about walking with a limp. You probably wouldn't believe the amount of times that random strangers have said something to me about the way I walk throughout my life. So, I generally always cringe when I'm going to walk in front of any group of people because I'm always thinking to myself "everyone sees the limp." This is one of the things that I told BC Steele just as the music began to play, "I'm going to feel terrible about how I walk until I get on the mic then it doesn't matter."
As Red Watson, Ty Cross, and I went through the curtain, the audience greeted up with a enthusiastic response. Granted, the audience pays to see the wrestlers, not us, but it was very nice that they gave up a polite reception. I walked along the left side of the ring, mostly because I have a tendency to lean to my left side anyway, and the fans said hello and exchanged high fives as I made my way to the announce desk. As I put the headset on and was ready to call the action for the night of the first-ever Ryse Rumble, something occurred to me, during the somewhat shaky walk to the table, I wasn't concerned about how I walk or who noticed it. It didn't matter because we were all there to watch some excellent pro wrestling from the Ryse roster. It's not often that I have the chance to get my mind off of my disability because every step I take is literally a reminder, but when I'm on the mic and the red light is on, my disability is completely secondary. Cerebral Palsy can't ruin how special pro wrestling is to me, and it didn't matter the night of the Ryse Rumble. Thanks to everyone that makes this sport so great and I'll see you all at the desk next time.
You can follow me on Twitter @jimlamotta
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