Invisible Friends

There's an amazing amount of hubris in wrestling. And by hubris I mean ancient Greek, Oedipus Rex level hybris. There are people who believe that the show begins and ends with themselves. For awhile, I thought that people like this were putting on an outward act of arrogance, in an attempt to get other people to believe them. But it wasn't long before I realised that "oh no, they really believe it, don't they?" It's these people whom I want to mind-jack. It's a mentality that's fascinating - in the same way that documentaries about serial killers are.

In abstract, these type of people are, at best, quaint, comic figures; in person, they're an endurance test.

I actually try to avoid talking about this type of person, most of the time. The simple reason is that they crave attention, and have little misgivings if it's positive or negative - the important thing is that they are being discussed.

Why bring it up here, then? Is this the point in my life where I burn the small bridges that I have in British wrestling? No (I will do that in good time). The important thing to point out is that you - yes, you - are not the sole reason that the show was as good as it was.

This weekend gone, I was reminded how much I owe to people that nobody else notices.

I can't remember where I heard it first, but I've heard it repeated quite a few times: "the sign of a good referee, is that you don't notice he's there". This is true of everyone whose job doesn't involve wearing spandex.

There are so many little things to be done, on even the smallest of shows. If these things are done correctly, then nobody will be thanked for a job well done; if something fucks up, then somebody will not hear the end of it. The best example I can think of, is music. Music, for me, is when the match begins and ends. It acts as your introduction and also signals that the referee did, indeed, count three. I hate it when something as simple as music messes up. It makes me want to grab the sound guy, shake him about, and shout "YOU HAD ONE JOB! ONE JOB!"

I've yet to assault any music men, but I've also yet to thank any of them, too. I'm not even sure how they'd react if I did approached them and said "thank you for playing my music correctly". If anything, they'd probably assume I was making fun. So let this be my unspoken nod to everyone who continues to do their job correctly, and type the pleasure, the privilege is mine.