Layton's Forsaken Remarks

August 16, 2006

August 5, 2006, is an important date in the history of MEWL. That was the evening the Alliance Armory was home to Forsaken, eight exciting matches in which two titles changed hand. It was an evening of all-out action and outstanding wrestling. In other words, it was business as usual for MEWL.

With one exception. History was made that night. And I missed it.

Those of you who were at the show probably didn't even notice, but it was my first absence from an MEWL event, and it just figures that the first MEWL show I'd miss was the first one Shane Sensation would make it to.

You see Shane is one of my all time favorite wrestlers, and that's really saying something considering he's kind of... well... let's just say he and I don't hang around in the same social circles. He's a high-flying, tattooed-covered adrenaline junkie, and I've got NPR set on my radio dial. We're just nothing alike.

And yet from the first time I saw him, at the Canton Memorial Civic Center, I was a fan. He and Chris Kole were taking on a much bigger tag team and Shane ended up going through two tables to the concrete floor, much to the delight of the crowd on hand. It's the kind of thing Shane is more than willing to do - put his body on the line so that other, less talented wrestlers can look good and the fans get a great show.

And as I watched him that night bleed buckets and get folding chairs wrapped around his head all for the edification of a couple thousand strangers, I was completely and totally unimpressed.

OK, maybe I wasn't completely unimpressed, but it just isn't the style of wrestling I like. I'd much rather watch Lones Oaks hit a well-executed T-bone Suplex any day than see a guy go through tables. What can I say? I told you Shane and I were different people!

So what did I like so much about Shane that evening? It was his smile, his charisma, his personality, the way he completely engaged the audience. They booed him and Kole, but deep down they wanted to cheer.

To put it simply, Shane Sensation has "it," that elusive cool factor that separates all the good ones from the great ones.

Some time after that I met Shane at a comic book shop and we struck up a conversation. At first I didn't even realize who I was talking to, because Shane can be such an ass inside the ring and so quiet and polite outside of it. Once I recognized him, I can honestly say I marked out a little bit.

It was only a few months later that I found myself making my professional announcing debut, standing in a ring and introducing Shane himself. At that show, and every show after, he delighted in harassing and humiliating me for the entertainment of the audience. I guess he is a little like most of the guys that way.

Still, when Shane was paired with me on commentary a few weeks after I had lost my announcing cherry, he was almost as great a partner as Nick Andrews - now there's a guy I miss! - taking his time to guide me through the show, feeding me lines, and generally helping me to become a better announcer. From that point on he picked on me a little less. Just a little.

When MEWL was born out of the ashes of that "other" company, I crossed my fingers tightly hoping Shane and Kole would come along for the ride as we built Northeast Ohio's biggest and best wrestling company. Time and time again I'd hear from my front office sources that all the details were nearly finalized, only to learn that at the last second something kept the deal from going through. Finally Kole joined the MEWL family, but Shane was nowhere to be seen.

Until August 5, that is. Now Shane is where he has always belonged: beside Chris Kole and in MEWL. Northeast Ohio's best wrestling promotion now has Northeast Ohio's best tag team on its roster.

I'm making a public prediction here: Shane and Kole will be holding the MEWL Tag Team Titles by the end of 2006.

How can I be so sure? Because individually Kole and Shane are both great wrestlers, but together they are simply... sensational.