He gave a big ol' speech to College Republicans or Federalists or whomever about how "queering don't make the world work", "the founders had balls so big they dug trenches when they walked" and "philosophy isn't fake, like rocket science. It's real, like concrete." Nobody really cared.
Once his speech was over, Warrior turned around and gave out a snort and he was suddenly The Ultimate Warrior. For the next hour, he completely candidly answered every question about his career and his life, including his steroid abuse (he couldn't get over 300 lbs, and if you wanted to be a serious bodybuilder/wrestler in the 80's, you took steroids to get over your natural limitations. That's just how it was.)
Afterwards, and this is the really fucking cool part, he actually talked to everybody who waited to speak to him. Not to shake your hand, ask your name and take a picture, but spoke to you for a real conversation. I waited probably 45 minutes, and it was clearing out so I went a little longer. We talked about Nietzsche (hey, I was a freshman!)
Yes, his political views were odious, but he really was all about motivating people. Yes, he was supposedly awful to fans in his heyday, but he couldn't have been better in retirement. Things change, people evolve. I'm glad he made peace before he died.
Yesterday, I shat on his promo from Raw because I thought the mask was ridiculous, his delivery was poor, and he just didn't look or feel or seem like Warrior anymore. I hadn't really paid attention to the words. He gave his own eulogy, for the gimmick and for the man. I feel very bad about that post, especially because he really was my hero growing up.
I'm gonna stop now because I'm at work and I'm getting the feels. This is the first time a celebrity ever really upset me, and I finally get what Baby Boomers felt when Mickey Mantle passed away.
No comments:
Post a Comment