The WWE, Ty Hill as the WWE, and The Wedding Planner Sitcom

I talk about some things consistently in my space here at Arrowhead One. In addition to hearing about my family and all my other sporting interests, I believe two things are clear: I keep myself busy, and I am going to live events of various types quite often. I have covered these in the last few weeks. Wedding season is ramping, the kids’ school years are ending, and I changed my primary day job. That last one happens every few years. I am a bit of a bouncer for various reasons, and I have done a ton of different things. I recently spent four years in the electrical world interacting with high-caliber engineers. I currently work in the industrial water pumping world. Last week I was on site of Disney World’s water parks, seeing how waves and water slides run. Wild behind-the-scenes look.

Another cool thing I recently saw was the inner workings of the Milwaukee water treatment facility. That will be a story in one of these columns soon. The new job has also added an element I have missed, especially in recent years: work travel. Various jobs have sent me all over the US and Canada and given me opportunities to see some wild stuff. I have been in mechanical rooms for high rises, the cockpit of a 777, and more factory floors than I can count. My current travel stats include visiting 46 States and 24 of the current MLB stadiums. I love to travel. Up in the air is one of my favorite movies and relates deeply to the movie’s travel themes. I use the trips as a chance to immerse locally and see interesting things. New things drive me, and last Sunday, I got another one.

A New Live Experience

I have seen a ton of live events across various levels of baseball, hockey, and basketball, many NFL games, and soccer matches in multiple countries. However, last Sunday, I got a new one: WWE professional wrestling. I saw “Hell in a Cell,” a pay-per-view event in Chicago at the All State Arena.

The sport, and yes, it is a sport, is known for its pageantry and spectacle, and it did not disappoint for this event. The stage and video elements were impressive and immersive. Wrestling is not a lifelong thing for me, but it always has some of my eyes. The thing that makes wrestling great is that you can jump in at any time. Stories are consistently recapped and built. Anyone who wants to jump in turns the TV on away from being mostly up to speed.

The true fans are historians, which is much like all other sports. Sharing the stands with them was like sharing an area with a long-time season ticket holder and learning by overhearing. I highly recommend giving it a shot. My night started with learning more about the sport.

What I Learned

WWE has a season schedule and flows like all other sports. The biggest event is Wrestle Mania. It consumes multiple days and only happens in the biggest or marquee venues like SoFi and Cowboy Stadium. This April event serves as the annual event anchor. It’s WWE’s Super Bowl. The #2 event is Royal Rumble. It happens in January and is the driving build-up toward Wrestle Mania. The rest of the year features monthly themed PPV events. Another thing I learned was that Chicagoans are notorious for cheering on the heels or villains. Part of the WWE storyline is building up heroes and giving them antagonists for them to battle. All main events have this dynamic to some degree.

What I Saw in Chicago

The main event was the Hell-in-a-Cell match. A giant cage dropped around the ring, leaving about 3′ of space. This meant guys could be thrown from the ring into the metal cage. The match was also no holds bar, and there were weapons under the ring to up the violence. Our main event was Seth Freakin’ Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Rollins is the heel in this one, and he plays the part incredibly. He presents a maniacal laugh and a caustic personality.

Rhodes is the son of a 70s-era wrestler, Dusty Rhodes. Cody started in WWE, left to build up AEW, which is WWE’s most significant rival organization, and recently returned to WWE. He and Rollins immediately built a major rivalry. Cody’s nickname is the American Nightmare, and he dresses patriotic. Great hero vibes.

Cody Rhodes became a legend last Sunday. I attended the show with my friend, Anthony, a major wrestling fan. He was on social media looking at the pre-match hype as I was parking. The big bombshell was that Rhodes had torn a pectoral muscle. Speculation of it being a story was all over, and speculation that Rhodes would be replaced. By the time we sat down, the official word on Twitter and other places was fully torn tendon.

The Main Event

Rollins entered first with pyrotechnics, loud music, and total fanfare. He removed his robe to reveal his match gear as a black outfit with yellow polka dots. The look was made famous by the late Dusty Rhodes, father of his opponent Cody. A perfect villain move. Cody entered after, right on schedule. He walked into the same spectacle with a slight difference. Cody did not remove his robe until he was in the ring. The camera zoomed in as he removed his left sleeve, followed by his right, which revealed a massive bruise running across his entire right pec and down his bicep. This is precisely what torn muscle and/or tendon look like. All the air was sucked out of the room. The resulting discussion was whether or not this should be happening at all.

The match happened. The pace was slower, build and burn, and I am confident that was a pivot from the performers and WWE. It was a master class in making it work. Rollins extended the villainy by targeting Rhodes’ injured arm, which drew groans from the audience. The most uncomfortable moment occurred when Rollins attacked with a bamboo pole and went to spear Rhodes as he lay on the mat. Another cool moment was when Rhodes grabbed a whip from the weapon stash. Rollins grabbed the end, tied it to his wrist, and the fight became a strap match. (Apparently, that’s a thing) After 24+ grueling minutes of pain, Rhodes popped Rollins in the face with a sledgehammer and pinned him to wild applause.

Aftermath and Other Matches

The night ended on a cool note as Rhodes took the mic from the center of the ring. By that point, the “is he injured” social media gave way to “Vince (McMahon, head of WWE) is horrible for making him wrestle” commentary. Rhodes addressed the crowd with a simple message: it was his choice alone to participate in the match, and he would do it again 10 of 10 times. He told everyone to get home safe and have a good night and went to the back as the lights came up.

There was a total of 7 matches, but two stood out. The first match of the evening was a 3-way fight between the women’s champ and two challengers. Battles were fierce and high-flying, and Bianca Belaire retained her title. WWE ladies can bring it. Mustafa Ali, who is from Chicago, was the primer just before the main event. Naturally, the expectation was an Ali win. It was a fun fight, but Theory, his opponent and noted Hell, claimed victory. I thought it was perfect given the Chicago rooting history.

The CHIEFS WWE Event

It was fitting to attend a WWE event at this moment. I say that because we have a brewing WWE-style saga in KC with former CHIEFS player Tyreek Hill. There is no point in drudging up exact comments/quotes, but the gist of the situation is conflicting reports regarding Hill’s time in KC. The backdrop is a podcast Hill is currently launching. Our scene is set in Tyreek’s podcast trailer, where he insinuates KC tried to freeze him from the offense by only targeting him 159 times last season. This led to a tense press conference where the always diplomatic Andy Reid snapped at a reporter, calling him a shock jock when asked a question about the pod. The video is an uncomfortable watch seeing a hurt Reid defending his offense. Hill responded, saying context was to blame in the name of promoting his new content.

CHIEFS fans and media type everywhere are assigning hero and heel roles in this subjective situation and selecting rooting interests. My take on the drama: this is another step in a mostly amicable divorce. The split is a garden variety grown apart split. More contentious versions include events like infidelity and the aggression understandably ratchets up. This is not aggressively, brutally contentious, but it remains full of hurtful elements. I cannot find blame on either party. Hill wanted DeVante Adams type money, and the CHIEFS couldn’t afford it. The terms were on the table, and they couldn’t agree. It was over almost faster than the initial build-up. At least that is what we saw. The conflict most likely brewed throughout the season, but no one knew amid the happy faces in public.

Where We Are and Where We Go

The divorce is still fresh. Most, if not all, of the shock, has worn off. The kids have, for the most part, accepted the new reality. However, there will continue to be moments like this. The estranged former spouses will question the value and commitment they received and gave. Most of it will be internalized, but inevitably some will see the light of day. Things will get uncomfortable, but they will all blow over. They will blow over because the split was based in conflicting interests and feelings, not hate. Hate has the potential never to blow over. That is not what happened between the CHIEFS and Hill. There is still love and respect, but it is in transition. Both parties are now living single and working on themselves. The interactions focus on getting the kids through high school and into adulthood.

At some point, the interactions will change to less obligatory exchanges. This means less juggling school schedules and more interaction at significant moments. Think high school and college graduations and the inevitable wedding. When the wedding day comes, it will be cool to have both parents at the same table with their new spouses affectionately supporting their kids. It will be a cool moment.

The CHIEFS Hill version of this is when Tyreek joins the ring of honor. That will happen, and it will be awesome. All this current crap will have blown over, and it will be all about the old times. I believe Hill has his best statistical days behind him but will make a ton of money. The CHIEFS have plenty more winning to do, but it will be less exciting. We are all adults and will move on, but it’s impossible to avoid the what if.

Quick Wedding Story

I use the kid’s wedding example because of my familiarity. My almost 20 years as a DJ holds a ton of stories. Divorced parents are common, and it almost always goes exactly how I described it in the last section. The day comes with intentions of civility and ends with a healthy dose of nostalgia and respectful affection. Some of the sweetest moments come in speeches where a bride’s father will acknowledge his ex and their co-parenting journey. Planning sheets are where couples populate the relevant information for their day and are an important part of my diligence. Prior to all weddings, I use them to have my final logistical conversations. There is a section for parent info and sensitive information, such as those where divorced parents are disclosed. Most of the time it is matter-of-fact info and a request not to force interaction.

Sometimes I see different things like bad blood or getting along well. My favorite gets along well was back in Kansas. The bride’s parents were long divorced and remarried. I was assured they got along and things would be smooth. Fast forward to the day, and the appearance was much more friendly. The parents and their spouses sat together at dinner and interacted like old friends. It was cool to see the total lack of drama. The only thing that struck me as odd and over the top occurred when the father of the bride’s speech happened.

An Old, PG Anecdote

I haven’t seen this in a while, but it came up frequently in the early 2000s. The setup starts when discussing the groom. A comment is made about his bustling social life before settling down with the bride. This includes calling out the numerous copies of keys to his place floating around. Now that the groom is settled, the keys need to be returned. At that time, a line forms in front of the head table of ladies from the crowd dropping pre-planted keys in a small bucket. The joke can end there or have a final twist. Most of the time, the final twist, is a “last call,” and a guy or significantly older lady comes up with the last one. The last note I will mention is this was typically part of the best man speech.

At this wedding, the father of the bride pulled this act. It got its laughs. His final move was to count the keys, point out one was missing, and demand its return. A moment of quasi tense silence was broken when the bride’s mom stood up, dropped the final key in the bucket, and high-fived her ex-husband. Stories like that make me shake my head and love my job. I cannot picture myself out of the wedding industry.

Parting Predictions

The NBA and NHL seasons are winding down and close to crowning champs. Golden State’s resurgence in game 2 fortifies my belief that they get another title this year. My Colorado Avs look rock solid after punching the ticket to the finals with a sweep of Edmonton. This has every look of being their year to finally close the deal with this core. They will face either a hot Rangers team or a beat-up Rangers/Lightning team. Avs can handle either. Here are my predictions:

1. Warriors in 6
2. Avs in 5

Josh Kingsley – ArrowheadOne