Triumph & Tragedy or vica versa are always apart of life. In the movie "Any Given Sunday" Al Pacino gives a speech about life being "a game of inches". Now I'm not a "football person" but this speech, this dialogue is one of my favorites because it may be a football metaphor but its universal feeling. The margin between triumph & tragedy is measured in inches. Even beyond that is how these two words have a complete opposite meaning when they are reversed to Tragedy & Triumph.
Wrestling not unlike a sport, or an entertainment or life for that matter has had its share of both triumph and tragedy. One that first jumps to my mind is The Von Erich Family. An entire family of successful wrestlers. With father, Fritz, leading the way World Class soared to heights we all dream of and at the forefront of World Class were Fritz's sons. That's the triumph but tragedy saw all The Von Erich boys with the exception of David pass away. Some with drugs, some with suicide but all with tragedy.
As I've mentioned several times, I grew up watching mostly the NWA. I remember a wrestler that every women wanted and every man wanted to be. He was cool and was setting the wrestling world on fire. He was Magnum TA! He was a guy that was being groomed to be a World Champion. But atlas it wasn't to be, a tragic car wreck cut Magnum down in his prime, ending his career and leaving him with paralyzed left arm. We saw Magnum in an announcers role and I've seen pictures of him at independent shows in his area but I always think to myself what would have happened with Magnum TA the World Heavyweight Champion?
Unfortunately Triumph then Tragedy is more memorable sometimes. I could write an entire book about guys like Jake Roberts, Owen Hart, Chris Beniot, Dynamite Kid and several others that have ended tragically. What about tragedy then triumph? What about Zach Gowen? Childhood cancer that left him with only one leg and he goes on to work for WWE and even in the top program with Vince McMahon himself. What about Charlie Haas? Charlie lost his brother, Russ while both were working in WWE's developmental territory as a tag team. Charlie could have easily given up or quit but he stuck with it and became a tag champion with Shelton Benjamin as a tribute to his brother.
Every life has triumph. Every life has tragedy. No matter in which order they occur those are guarantees in life. I guess it really boils down to what defines you. Its it your tragedies or is it you triumphs?
----Greg Anthony is a regular on the local area circuit. He won RRO Booker of the Year 2008 and is listed in the top 5 of the RRO Top 10 2008. Greg currently can be seen tagging with legend Bobby Eaton and Brian Thompson as “Midnight Gold”.
