Life Can Be Like A Movie, If You Play Your Cards Right: Part 1
By Lee Morrow
LIFE CAN BE LIKE A MOVIE, IF YOU PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT: PART 1
“You know who’s next in line, yeah?”
“Who?”
“You”
“Yeah right”
Have you experienced a moment where you thought to yourself:
“Can this be real? Is my life a movie?”
I have been incredibly fortunate to be part of the Rock and Roll Wrestling Australia family for the past few years. Through some of my most struggling times in the professional wrestling landscape, the crew of supportive people have always been there to pick me up. So when the very moment the date was announced for “Rock and Roll Wrestling Presents: Rage in a Cage”, my eyes welled up with tears.
Alongside my journey climbing the rankings to gain an opportunity at championship gold in the company, I was also on another journey. A personal journey, to become a better man with an appreciation for life that I thought I was incapable of. Accepting that life can be beautiful if you look for it. Embracing the people that surround you, the experiences life brings, the gratitude for the smallest things we take for granted at times. And in wrestling for me, life cannot be more beautiful than it all falling on one date: July 20th.
As previously touched on the last time I wrote an article for PWDownunder, the toughest moment in my life came when my father passed away after an 8 year battle with cancer when I was 13 years old. I would have never fell in love with professional wrestling without him.
July 20th was his birthday. If you told that 13 year old boy that nearly 20 years later, he would be fighting for an Australian championship for a company he adores on his dads birthday INSIDE A STEEL CAGE? He would’ve said “yeah, maybe in the movies”.
But a little side story first. The day before one of the biggest nights in the companies history, Rock and Roll held their school holiday Dream Camp. A 2 hour experience where kids could live out their dream by stepping in a ring, and getting their first taste of the fundamentals. Once the practical side of the camp was done, the boys and girls were given an opportunity to have their own walkout entrance with whatever or whoevers entrance music they requested. We had a mini Grayson Waller, a mini Jimmy Uso, even a mini Ultimate Warrior! Little did I know that soon after, I would be graced with one of the greatest moments that I will ever have in life.
In what I thought was a “rib” from the boys, the signature theme song of “The Australian Hero” (and the unofficial national Anthem of this great country, in my opinion of course), “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” by The Angels played over the speakers, and I waited for this supposed “prank” to unfold. But this was no prank.
I met Kalani at a previous show earlier in the year. She was this beautiful little girl, who was dressed as Elsa from the movie Frozen (her, not me if that wasn’t obvious). Although I am one of the very few on the planet that has not seen said movie, I understood the importance these movies held for a lot of children (I was working at Toys R Us when the first movie came out. Yes I’m old). So when I commented on how cool her outfit was in a very short interaction, I didn’t realise the impact that this moment would have.
As that sweet sweet song of The Angels played and to my surprise, Kalani mustered up all her might to march to that ring like the superstar that she is, and I did my best to make it as special as possible, for us both.
As someone who doesn’t believe everything at face value and finds it at times hard to believe that I could potentially could be anyone’s favourite, I had a chance to speak to Kalani’s mother, Brooklynn (her herself being an absolute warrior).
It is not my story to tell, but Kalani has had to fight since the day she was born, and is a true testament to the human will that she is still gracing us with her presence to this day. And it was that small moment at that show where I complimented her dress, that I made a fan for life. I sobbed like a baby for a solid 20 minutes after the Dream Camp was over. But never tears of sadness, but tears of gratitude that life had fallen into place to allow me to enjoy this moment. Tears of how beautiful life can be, and how truly great my life is.
And so with tears freshly wiped, onto the cage match we go…….
TO BE CONTINUED
