This past Friday I had the pleasure of being in attendance at Revolution Pro Wrestling’s Uprising event & with that came the opportunity to meet RoH World Champion Cody, The Villain – Marty Scurll & tag team phenomenons the Young Bucks.
Now, I’ve met a lot of high profile figures over the past few years – wrestlers, singers, TV actors & Hollywood movie stars. So it may come as a surprise to you when I tell you that being in the queue to meet the Bullet Club on Friday was the most nervous I’ve EVER felt in one of these situations.
Some history – Cody is someone who I have loved & who’s career I have followed closely & supported passionately since his debut. I have wanted to meet him for a DECADE & wasn’t sure I’d ever get the chance. Friends had met him before & had said he was lovely but that didn’t stop me from being terrified to meet the man who I’ve admired & literally been in love with, (no exaggeration), for 10 years!
Add to that the fact I was also in the presence of Matt & Nick Jackson, the greatest tag team on the planet & Marty Scurll, my favourite British wrestler, and you begin to get a sense of where my nerves were coming from.
Anyway, back to the moment in hand. We were given an A4 picture pre-signed by all 4 stars which meant I was thrown right in the deep end by going up & getting my group picture with them.
Well, the second I got up to them all the nerves went away. Each man said hello & extended their hand for a handshake with a smile on their faces, asking me how I was – essentially greeting me like an old friend. Cody pointed out the American Nightmare t-shirt I was wearing as Nick Jackson exclaimed, “cool shirt man – it’s the real thing too!” & preceded to tell me how he’d seen someone with a bootleg one earlier to which I replied, “How rude!”, which made him and Cody chuckle.
After the photo & with a friendly slap on the back from Nick, Cody called me over to the table to get my solo autograph from him.
He asked me what my name was & began personalising my autograph without me even having to ask him. I also then got an autograph for a friend which he also personalised. Whilst he was doing this I managed to blurt out what few words I could about how I’d been a fan since Legacy, how I’d wanted to meet him for 10 years & how grateful I was that he’d made the trip over. The whole time he kept thanking me for my words.
I then asked him for a picture of just the two of us which he happily lent over the table & put his arm around me for. I thanked him again and shook his hand to which he thanked me for coming & for wearing his t-shirt!…That is how genuinely nice & humble Cody is. Never have I ever had anyone thank me for wearing one of their shirts! That meant a lot to me.
With that, I was on my way, shaking like a leaf but grateful that I’d had such a wonderful experience with all 4 of the men in that room.
Before the main show started, some of the wrestlers were available to meet to buy an autograph or a t-shirt from or even just to say a quick hello. Because my time with Marty Scurll had been brief in the Bullet Club M&G, I saw him & decided to go and meet him individually & I am so glad I did!! Known as ‘The Villain’, the man behind the persona is anything but that. Kind, humble & charming, Marty was a wonderful meet. I told him how this was only my second British show I’d attended & I was so happy he was there as I adore watching him on television. He thanked me very much for my words & signed a picture for me, shook my hand & posed for a photo. It was only after I’d walked away & five minutes had passed that I realised during my awe-struck encounter, I’d forgotten to ask for my photo to be personalised. I rushed back to his table. “Hi, it’s me again! Sorry, I completely forgot to ask for this to be personalised. I should have asked at the time. Sorry.” Marty personalised the photo with no issues & said “No need to apologise, it’s absolutely fine”. I thanked him again & went to meet some other wrestlers, (details on those encounters to follow in another blog).
The show itself wrapped up its first half with Cody defending the RoH title against Jay Lethal. This match had some great storytelling within it & I was thoroughly invested in seeing Cody fighting to keep his title. Towards the end of the match there was a spot that had me convinced Cody was going to lose, as Marty accidentally hit him over the head with his umbrella. When he kicked out I physically screamed, jumped out of my seat and smacked the railing, (yes, my hand is still sore now). It was one of those rare moments where wrestling makes you BELIEVE. Great stuff! The crowd were super invested too. The atmosphere was crazy. Of course Cody picked up the win & you could not take the smile off of my face.
I had brought a WWE promo photo with me of Cody that I had not yet got signed. I decided I was going to head down to see if he would come out during the interval to meet people. Sure enough he did so I took my chance to meet my favourite again for the second time in one day. When I got up to him, I mentioned how I’d met him earlier but had decided I now wanted the WWE promo signed too. He was more than happy to sign & again personalise the promo. Again he thanked me for wearing the shirt, again he shook my hand, again he took a picture with me – although this time he beckoned me to come around his side of the table which allowed for a photo that I absolutely love. I told him for a second he really had me scared he was going to lose to which he looked at me, smiled & simply said, “Never!”.
Back to the show & the main event saw The Young Bucks & Marty teaming up in a 6-man tag against amazing British talent CCK & rising RoH star Flip Gordon. This match was hilarious & full of incredible spots, many of which included a microphone!! I’m saying no more than that as this match needs to be seen to be believed & I urge you to check out Rev Pros in-demand service to view this truly awesome match.
After the final bell rang, Cody returned to the ring & all 4 men continued to entertain the crowd which included Marty’s fabulous rendition of Britney Spears’ ‘Baby One More Time’ & also saw Cody & Marty quite literally ‘kiss and make-up’. It was a wonderful end to a fantastic night of entertainment.
As we left the building I found myself feeling quite emotional. Finally I’d met Cody. He was everything I wanted & more. People say don’t meet your favourites as you’ll be disappointed – clearly they have never met Cody as I left Friday night loving him more than ever & I did not think that possible.
But above all that, I was emotional because I finally realised why I love The Bullet Club so much. These 4 men are not only fantastic performers and amazing human beings. They represent everything I want wrestling to be. Wrestling has always served as my escapist fun, even back when I was bullied through school for how I looked or for being the resident ‘gay one’. Those days were a real struggle to me & wrestling got me through. The joy & entertainment the Bullet Club bring to the ring takes me back to those days & reminds me how wrestling helped me get through it all and helps me realise how they are helping me get through stuff today. If I feel down, I watch Cody, Marty or the Young Bucks & that makes me happy.
Not only that though, but as the resident ‘gay one’, as I used to be known, you do not understand how damn proud I felt when my favs, Cody & Marty, stood in the middle of that ring & kissed. No, I am not talking about cheap thrills. I’m talking about a moment that was done not to poke fun, or to cause a reaction, or mock people like me, but more to show support & to prove to kids watching at home that you can be whoever the hell you want to be and there’s nothing wrong with that.
So, thank you Cody. Thank you Marty. Thank you Nick Jackson. Thank you Matt Jackson. I love, appreciate & support you all. You were all wonderful to meet & I truly hope it won’t be long before our paths cross again.
Simon Michael Davies.
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