Personifying America

I have met a lot of interesting people in Arizona. Having a professional life and social life that seemingly stretch from one extreme to the next, it was inevitable. In my professional life, I work with numerous people who embody success. In my social life, I know numerous people who are living out their dreams on their own terms.

Then, there is me in between the two. I might not have been as successful or as accomplished as I would have been if I worked harder sooner. I might not be living out a dream as I never really started out with one. And yet, I feel both as though I have been successful and I live my life as I chose.

All too often, I find myself lamenting Americans for turning themselves into victims of our society, failing to realize how much freedom they have -- such as the freedom to chose to see themselves as victims. It feels as though they minimize the work of others, overvalue their own effort, and conclude that there are too many obstacles in their way for them.

Thankfully, there are others who get it. They understand their freedoms of choice, and they view setbacks as their own failure, so they choose to try again, harder. They prioritize goals over desires, and they keep going until they reach their next achievement. Satisfied with their accomplishments but not satiated in their effort, that achievement is followed by the next goal, and they continue moving onward.

Tonight, a popular biker bar in Scottsdale was celebrating its 14th anniversary. I was interested in attending because they have booked gigs for my friend Jeordie, but also, tonight's gig featured Hollywood Yates, a guy who I know from the ring instead of the stage.

Not noticing his 6-9:30 timeslot, I cut it closer than I even had realized until later.

I have said before that Navajo Warrior had taught me the most about the wrestling business and that Lil' Nate had taught me the most about the wrestling itself, but Hollywood Yates may have taught me more about my role in wresting than anyone else. My first interactions with him were cordial. I have always preferred to view wrestlers as "larger than life," and Hollywood supported that point of view. We kept our conversations short, maybe even to a simple exchange of praise and gratitude where I would pay him a brief compliment and he would acknowledge my support.

As my role in Impact Zone Wrestling grew, I found my conversations with Hollywood were getting longer. One day in Prescott Valley, he had an extensive conversation about his career. It would have happened without my realizing it, except I noticed he had brief exchanges of praise and gratitude with others while he kept our conversation going. At first, I was not sure how our conversation became a priority. Initially, I mistook it for flattery, and I thought maybe I was just an enjoyable listener for someone like Hollywood Yates.

As I drove home, thinking about our conversation and what he had said, I realized the truth behind what had happened and why I was so important. I had started writing the promotional material for IZW, both the show recaps to explain what had happened, as well as the event hype to excite people for the next show. I realized that the guy with the pen tells the story. The words I chose to hype events or recap matches could shape emotions for the readers, and Hollywood needed me to understand who he was in order to convey his story further to our fans.

Backstage with Hollywood at IZW.

Empowered by my new sense of value to the organization, I considered that role more heavily and I realized that my role backstage would not circumvent me from being able to still be a fan of the shows, but rather my remaining a fan at heart could even improve the shows. I tried to find moments of time to think about the events and recall my feelings about them when I recapped the shows. I had bought a video camera and I had been using it to record the matches, but then I started providing color commentary through the footage so I could include my emotions of the matches, instead of just the steps of a match, in the recaps.

Tonight, it was only the second or third time that I have been able to see Hollywood Yates perform as a musician. I showed up much later than planned, and I had weighed both my options to come out to the show or to head straight home after dinner with another friend. I was tired enough to turn home, but it had been so long since I had seen Hollywood that it made the final decision for me.

The bar was cramped, a small venue with a big event, As always in such a situation (being a life-long fan of Great White), I accessed the fire violations of the wooden beams overhead with countless bras flung across them. It was a precarious situation as long as there was nothing to spark a potentially deadly blaze (all paranoia aside, the building may have had an internal sprinkler system that I overlooked).

Hollywood Yates introduced his buddy to come take the stage for a song, which gave me an opportunity to let him know I was there in support. We had a brief exchange, reminiscent of our earliest exchanges of praise and gratitude.

After his short break from the stage, he went back up to close the show with a couple more songs. Ever the showman, he talked about all the hats he had worn on stage that night so far, and then segued into talking about all the hats he had worn in his life so far, wrapping up with his invitation to participate on U.S.O. tours, which led into his introduction for the patriotic power-ballad he had in mind. At the end of the song, he draped an American flag across his back, and for a moment, I forgot all that's wrong in the world because that sight was so right. I cannot think of anyone who personifies opportunity or epitomizes "Land of the Free" more than Hollywood Yates!

Hollywood models "Freedom of Choice"

From the rodeos to the wresting ring to national TV as American Gladiator Wolf to that stage tonight, Hollywood Yates has made the most out of the opportunities that he has been given.

Growing up in Small Town, Oklahoma, my mother had made it very clear that my sister and I were not allowed to live our whole lives there. She required us to move away, and if we wanted to come back, then we could -- but she needed us to know life outside of one town first. I may not be the most successful member of my family (and I only have the one sister), but my decision to move to Arizona and capitalize on my freedom however I saw fit has paid off. I do not set out to impress many people, but there was one time (where Hollywood Yates actually played a starring role) where I was especially proud to impress someone. Growing up, our dearest family friends were Bonnie & Lonnie. We were neighbors in Tishomingo, Oklahoma (where I lived for only the first six months of my life, so those memories are non-existent) but we stayed in touch long after we both moved to other towns. Every Super Bowl Sunday, we would visit them in Madill and every Fourth of July, they would visit us. They attended my father's funeral, and I remember grasping how important we were to each other when my mother had an extended conversation with them (like my conversation with Hollywood in Prescott Valley) while keeping other interactions to quick exchanges.

Even long after my sister and I graduated college and moved away, my mother has remained friends with Bonnie & Lonnie. Several years ago, she was visiting them after "American Gladiators" had started on NBC, and it was Lonnie's favorite show. His favorite character was Wolf. He was blown away when my mother said that I knew him. The following week, I sent her the picture that he and I had taken backstage at IZW, and during her next visit, Lonnie still had the printed photo attached to one of his picture frames.

As I turned 40 last month (or maybe it was because my 17-year-old Penny finally got a bad health report), I have reflected a lot on my life and accomplishments. My life over the past 20 years in Arizona has been what I wanted it to be given all the opportunities presented. Almost none of it was what I would have expected upon moving here, but I am grateful for almost all of it!