There are wrestlers you watch.
There are wrestlers you cheer for.
And then there are wrestlers who make you stop and think, How the hell did he just do that?
PAC was one of those wrestlers.
He was The Man That Gravity Forgot.
I don’t talk about my love of wrestling like others do; in fact, there are so many people that don’t know that I am a devoted fan. Only a select few know my love for the sport. That every Wednesday and Saturday I watch AEW and sometimes I stay up watching the Pay per views until 5 and 6 in the morning because I am at work and have to wait for my brother and sister-in-law to finish before I can watch it. So, as I am at work, I watch it before I can scroll social media and see something that I don’t want to be spoiled.
I write this because for some this emotion is coming out of left field, and for others, you know how much wrestling means to me. So, when you watch someone as talented as this man for years and he is taken from us all too soon, it comes as a shock. What’s more shocking was that I watched him wrestle Saturday night and less than 24 hours later Pac was gone from this world. And yes I am writing this as I am crying like a child.
Pac was one of those wrestlers that I loved to hate. He played the best villain, and he fit right in with Mox and the Death Riders. Now, I also think that the man could have been a champion if he had been on his own. Pound for pound, he was one of the most high-flying, technical men that I ever watched in the ring. He was a man of speed, precision, athleticism, and a performer like no other.
And, of course, he was The Bastard.
I could go on about his talent, but what gets me more than his ability is that for all I hear he was a human being like no other. He was everyone’s cheerleader. He was the guy who went out of his way to cheer for you.
It was just two/ three weeks ago that we watched the tribute to Butcher where we saw a crying Pac talk about his love of his friend and that they would meet again soon. Now, in this twist of fate, this Wednesday AEW will have a tribute for The Bastard PAC.
I feel like we were leading up to a great storyline with the Death Riders and the Dogs, and I do think that there was going to be a mixup in the group, and I do think that there was something about Pac in that storyline. I hate that we will never know that. I hate that I will always be looking in the tunnel to see all the Death Rider there and I will be looking for the man that will not be there. I hate that I took time away from wrestling and missed his start of NXT. I hate that it seems we are losing so many good people way to young. And I hate that PAC last match was not of his choosing. And that he will not get to retire and live a nice life with his wife and grow old together.
I am grateful that I got to watch it, and it was one of the best matches of that night. I love he did what he loved, and there are so many people that don’t get to experience that. I am grateful that he touched so many lives, and for the better.
Thank you, PAC, for all the memories that I have of you. Your match against OC and the small kicks live rent-free in my head. I think that will always be one of my favorite matches. You could act with the best of them. I think it was that match that showed the true you and your ability to be a true performer.
I could go on about Pac, and there is more that I will say at a later time, but for now, I want to honor the man, the legend, the bastard PAC.
RIP