Always Thank The Ref. I truly believe that referees in professional wrestling don’t get the credit they deserve. They always carry the guilt if something goes wrong, but never enough praise for the right. I feel like this needs to be a positive article, so we are going to look past the poor mistakes some refs have made in my matches. Instead, we are going to look at the times my Ref has “saved” me. Keep in mind I have had some other great ref’s that will always deserve mentioning. I picked these three because they “saved my life”. (Nervous laugh right here)
With our first mention, let’s go back a bit here.
Michael “The Fitz” Fitzpatrick.
I remember being tossed in the middle of this match, and landing horribly on my admittedly already messed up ankle. A pain I haven’t felt before shot up my entire right leg, and I immediately knew my night was done. As I was sitting on the mat, feeling bad for myself, I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to stand up on my own. Thankfully Fitz picked up that something was wrong, and got in my ear about it.
Internally, I was freaking out because it was so painful. Without him, I probably would have started crying then and there in the middle of that PWA ring. Once the match was over, he helped me and made sure I was okay. Without him, that finish would not have happened, and I would have probably been in rougher shape than I ended up with so always thank the ref.
My second mention: Charles Spencer
This man has helped me so much in my time in RCW, and I owe him a lot of praise. The one event that has always stuck out was my “last woman standing” match versus Angelica in Calgary, Alberta. You could probably guess the number of shenanigans that occurred in this match. If you must know…yes, it is on YouTube (Envy versus Angelica. Real Canadian Wrestling)
By the end of the match, I honestly felt like my body was jelly. To make matters worse, when Sydney Steele got involved, the impact/weight of that move had my head ricocheting so hard off the mat I basically knocked myself out. I remember not even hearing the ten count, feeling like my body was actually stuck to the mat. The sound of Toxic, by Britney Spears, played, and the next face I saw was official Charles Spencer. For the record, he wasn’t even our Ref, but I have never been so happy to see someone in my life.
To be honest, I haven’t watched that full match back since it happened. Mostly because of how bad I got my butt kicked, and the pain I was in afterward. He asked if I was okay, and I believe my answer was “just give me a second”. I will be honest, I don’t remember how he kept me calm, but I kept thinking, “Thank goodness Charles is here”.
I remember not knowing what was happening; therefore I wouldn’t let Charles go. The poor man carried me out of that ring and made sure I was living. He even messaged me every day, following that match, to check up on me. To be honest, this wasn’t my first head injury, and it probably won’t be my last. But Mr. Charles Spencer, thank you for holding my hand as I cried in the middle of an RCW ring, fearing that in my confusion, I was an actual pancake now.
Last, but certainly not least.
Benny!!!
Ben the Ref.
Now, this may be pure bias, considering we are friends. But Ben has saved me more than a few times. Ben will be the Ref I will selfishly always claim for my own matches. If I can politic for something, it will be to have that man ref EVERY match I ever have.
Fun fact: Ben was actually the Referee in my first ever match. He taught me how to properly use a referee in matches. (No Spoilers here). I remember there was one match in particular that stood out, where he made sure disaster was avoided. No, for once it wasn’t because I was injured but always thank the ref.
I am going to avoid using names, but it was a match against a girl that was new (yes, even newer than me at that point). I think this was my fifth match ever, and I had to lead this girl through. Except the problem was that she wasn’t listening to me, and she froze. Bless Ben’s soul…he saw my frustration and helped me out. This may have been the moment our friendship blossomed the most.
Something so simple is consistently taken for granted. By everyone. I will sing the praises of Ben for the rest of my life. I remember the first time he ever got a negative crowd reaction. He took it so personally, and I had to remind him “any reaction, is a good reaction”. So naturally, Chris Perish and I take every opportunity to heckle him. Therefore, this article is to remind everyone that the zebra’s have feelings, and you should always say thank you to them.
You never know when you will need saving, always Thank The Ref.
