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lemonyfresh) wrote2013-04-11 06:36 pm
lemonyfresh) wrote2013-04-11 06:36 pm
Entry tags:
Suicide and Alex Whybrow
This is gonna be a doozy of an entry, that's weirdly going to touch on such subjects as suicide, and pro wrestling. Just wanted to get that warning in there (It is not about any sort of personal suicidal thoughts, just to be extra clear).
And because it seems important to say outside of the cut: 1-800-273-8255. That's the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Make the call if need the help. Please.
Today is the second anniversary of the death of Alex Whybrow, a man I didn't know personally or even truly knew about at all while he was alive. Alex Whybrow was a lot of things. He was a beloved brother. He was a loved son. He was a loved friend to many. He was a pro wrestler known as 'Sweet and Sour Larry Sweeney'. He was a man who suffered from bipolar disorder. He was also a man who hung himself two years ago.
Of all things, my first meaningful knowledge of Larry Sweeney came almost a year after his passing. I was just starting to pay attention to Chikara, a pro wrestling company that specializes in colorful characters, a sense of self-awareness and humor, great athleticism and compelling stories. I'd bought the videos of their 2011 King of Trios tournament, a 3 day event that these guys who were his close friends, his comrades, and brothers-in-arms put on 4 days after he'd died.
That was the first I truly saw of Larry Sweeney. All throughout the event, no matter if they were supposed to be bad guys or good guys, they were wearing purple and pink armbands in his honor. Quack and Jigsaw won their first round match with Larry's big moves. Eddie Kingston dedicated his entire match on the second show to Larry. He might have been gone, but his presence is felt everywhere.
I'll admit, I've never sought out Sweeney's actual matches, or even seen one of his promos that I've heard so much about. The Larry Sweeney I know is in the raw, human emotion that I could see and feel from each of those men and women who were grieving down to their bones, but they also knew that the show had to go on. Alex Whybrow was loved, and he mattered, and that's why it's still a shame that what happened happened.
It's probably easy to dismiss this, as why a wrestler should be more significant than any of the other tragic suicides that happen every day. The answer there is that he isn't. Everyone matters just as much. Every life deserves a chance to live. It's tragic and it hurts and it is a shame each and every time someone ends their own life. You matter. Yes, whoever is reading this. Anyone who reads this. You matter.
Just... some thoughts that got trapped in my head today. Wanted to get that out there into the world, as it were.
And because it seems important to say outside of the cut: 1-800-273-8255. That's the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Make the call if need the help. Please.
Today is the second anniversary of the death of Alex Whybrow, a man I didn't know personally or even truly knew about at all while he was alive. Alex Whybrow was a lot of things. He was a beloved brother. He was a loved son. He was a loved friend to many. He was a pro wrestler known as 'Sweet and Sour Larry Sweeney'. He was a man who suffered from bipolar disorder. He was also a man who hung himself two years ago.
Of all things, my first meaningful knowledge of Larry Sweeney came almost a year after his passing. I was just starting to pay attention to Chikara, a pro wrestling company that specializes in colorful characters, a sense of self-awareness and humor, great athleticism and compelling stories. I'd bought the videos of their 2011 King of Trios tournament, a 3 day event that these guys who were his close friends, his comrades, and brothers-in-arms put on 4 days after he'd died.
That was the first I truly saw of Larry Sweeney. All throughout the event, no matter if they were supposed to be bad guys or good guys, they were wearing purple and pink armbands in his honor. Quack and Jigsaw won their first round match with Larry's big moves. Eddie Kingston dedicated his entire match on the second show to Larry. He might have been gone, but his presence is felt everywhere.
I'll admit, I've never sought out Sweeney's actual matches, or even seen one of his promos that I've heard so much about. The Larry Sweeney I know is in the raw, human emotion that I could see and feel from each of those men and women who were grieving down to their bones, but they also knew that the show had to go on. Alex Whybrow was loved, and he mattered, and that's why it's still a shame that what happened happened.
It's probably easy to dismiss this, as why a wrestler should be more significant than any of the other tragic suicides that happen every day. The answer there is that he isn't. Everyone matters just as much. Every life deserves a chance to live. It's tragic and it hurts and it is a shame each and every time someone ends their own life. You matter. Yes, whoever is reading this. Anyone who reads this. You matter.
Just... some thoughts that got trapped in my head today. Wanted to get that out there into the world, as it were.