acting – mywarriorwritings.com

Blast from the Past 🩷

You will see another selfie below. Honestly, it was not intentional but had to be used today because the pic of me fits more than a pic of Warrior. 2 months in a row~ I would not have guessed. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is a *BRAND NEW* story I’m sharing with you readers today as nobody in all these years has heard it, NOBODY. It’s worth sharing because well, you will know soon enough. It came to my thinking so I decided to make it a post today. I hope you enjoy so get comfy because this match might be longer than our usual time together. Load the spaceship with that rocket fuel warriors because we are blasting off. 🚀

I’m going to “introduce” you to a few friends from my past. Some names were changed to protect their identity and their story is edited for content. It’s like a movie which states: “ based on actual events” or “ inspired by a true story.” You get the idea. Now with that being out of the way, here it is.…*** Amanda was a woman I knew back in the early ‘90s who had an almost 13 year-old daughter, Michelle. She was a single mother trying to make ends meet. After getting pregnant in high school by her boyfriend Dave, they did remain together~~~ for a bit. Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the military and was killed during training. So horrible, isn’t it? Michelle had no memories of her Dad and her grandparents lost their only child. 😓

Over the years, Amanda got help in raising her little girl from both sets of parents while she attended college and held down a job. She was lucky to be so supported. She did date a few guys but nobody that important worth introducing to Michelle. It was the 2 of them mostly and they became inseparable. Years passed and Amanda wanted to think of something extra special for Michelle’s 13th birthday. It was well known how her daughter loved performing in school plays, drama, and all that so she needed it to involve her love of acting in a way. Michelle loved TV, the movies, theater, and all stuff similar but in particular one guy on a favorite show of hers. I for one knew not to tease her because of my past in that area! 🤭

Amanda had seen how this actor would be performing locally near their town very soon ( as he did many things) so that was the perfect b-day gift. No reality shows or podcasts then people! She got tickets and surprised Michelle by going backstage to meet her hero, Nick. Her daughter’s emotions were ecstatic! Michelle‘s photos of him on her walls had turned into reality as she and her mom made their way after the performance to Nick’s dressing room. Amanda was so happy her daughter could experience this once in a lifetime milestone. She hadn’t truly followed Michelle’s interests the same but respected her girl for honoring them. They both meet Nick and he can’t take his eyes off Amanda despite the birthday girl’s dream coming true. Can you guess where this is going? 💘

I know it sounds cliché but I was happy too when Nick and Amanda started dating. Despite his busy work schedule, he found time to spend with both girls. Michelle imagined her “crush” becoming her stepdad. Only natural, right? After a whirlwind romance~~~it DID happen as several months later, they were married and then a year later Nick adopted Michelle. Parents questioned the validity but Nick proved to them all his true love for Amanda and Michelle. I gotta say this too~~~the song they used for their wedding dance was one of my favorites mentioned on here years ago! I have it on my playlist. They even had fireworks outside at their reception, so cool!🎆🎇

Their romance lasted and then after a few more years, Nick’s schedule became more part-time all while Amanda was pregnant with twins. They had a beautiful life together and I kept in touch with them all. Fast-forward about 10 years or so, with Michelle now engaged and about to graduate college. Time surely flew by, that is for sure. Her Dad danced the Father/ Daughter dance 🥹 at Michelle’s reception when afterwards, it was her time to be with a man of her new dreams. Amanda and the twins danced on the side as Nick beamed happily at this girl, now almost young woman he got to help finish raising. A year later, Amanda and Nick became grandparents and Michelle’s siblings were now an aunt and uncle.

I will stop there because this can get quite lengthy with their lives if I don’t. I know you are thinking: “ what in the world, this has nothing to do with Warrior!” Here’s where I will make the connection, finally right? Whether or not you are a fan of pro wrestling, TV, the movies, or anything~~~don’t you get hooked into a storyline of sorts? Of course you do. How can you not? All that has a way of bringing our emotions to the surface and identifying with the characters. For me, yep this is absolutely true of all that I watch or even read in books. With Warrior~~~ it was no different. As a teen I watched, followed, and got “roped” in with all the content and then later on, once again watching him resurface. The story of Amanda, Michelle, and Nick is the same. Did you feel involved with me sharing their lives? I bet in some way you did just like knowing details about others over the years. I remembered all those specifics to share with you like they never left my memory, similar to Warrior’s return coming back, never forgotten.

If you ARE still with me, as I hope you are, here’s the end dear reader. The match is over~ ding, ding, ding. 🛎️ To preface, I do hope to not offend or belittle you in any fashion but just to prove my creative point. Are you curious about what happened to Amanda, Michelle, and Nick? WELL…, they were *CREATED* by me and my imagination when in my early 20s. Yep, MOSTLY all made up (not everything though…) which has remained with me still 30+ years later. So sorry, but did I get you? I wasn’t trying to trick but again~to share and prove how one can get into a storyline with fascinating characters. To think I didn’t even know I was a writer then~~~ nope, too oblivious. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I still think I could’ve been a soap opera writer or romance novelist. Hallmark channel? Maybe in a past life? 🤔I hope you didn’t get too attached to my “story” but it was my favorite of all the ones I invented during my younger days of relaying ideas out of my head. For the most part, my work is non-fiction (naturally) but sometimes I actually do come up with a cast and go with it. It’s sort of like imagining a WWE Superstar and rebranding as time goes on. I think of those 3 Superstars sometimes and laugh at my humble beginnings. Never would I have thought they’d impact me as much, just like someone else I know too did and still does… 💙

P.S. Try creating your own cast of characters for a story, if only in your mind. No need to share, but who knows where it will take you? We all deserve a happy ending because realistically~~~ not everyone will get one.

P.P.S. Again, so sorry loyal readers for that “letdown” if you felt that way. Here’s my advice though. Read a book and you might find your own escape with an Amanda, Michelle, or Nick. NO….., they were not taken from a book.. Oh, and I rarely came up with a whirlwind romance. That’s not for me, but we need to step outside that comfort zone or familiar wrestling arena.

*** AND~~~ believe it or not, Amanda and Nick *WERE* based on two real people as I just embellished their journey together. See, not entirely fabricated! 💞

Are You Oscar Worthy? 🫵🏻💛

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know we already had Oscar season a few months ago but when an idea comes, I just go with it so here it is! Us regular folks will probably never win an Oscar or Academy award but like I have said about many of my “performances,” they are worthy indeed. OK, I mentioned getting an Emmy for acting but close enough. I’ll stick to TV and not the movies for a change! That pic of Ultimate Warrior below was quite the performance when he played mind games with Goldust. He donned the wig and took his bodyguard’s fedora. Earlier on, Warrior sat in Marlena’s Director chair and took a puff on her cigar while even burning Goldust’s hand. Quite the in-ring theatrics without a match. I loved it despite no actual “lock-up.” . Was it Oscar worthy? Your choice but it showed a funny side that we as fans didn’t always see.

Many of you who know my stories can recall some that well, could’ve been Oscar worthy but if not~~~ I hope they made you laugh, cry, or any other emotion you deem appropriate. I’m gonna share a new one today that got brought back to my memory of last summer. I don’t deserve an award obviously but it’s right up there with my expression of “WWKD” or otherwise noted as What Would Kathy Do? I actually had a friend tell me that once. It was something totally unrelated but I’m using it today, ha ha. If you are parent, did you ever have those times when you tell your kids to *** NOT*** do something and then you yourself do it? This was one of those times.

It can be something many of you do but not me which is why it fits into some of my Oscar worthy stories. Last summer, I wanted to listen to a good friend of Warrior’s ~ Peter Pallis tell some of HIS stories to an interviewer and it was on YouTube. Peter is the founder of the band ANAKA who I’ve referenced years ago and he and I have chatted a few times as well. He recently left a post on Warrior’s passing of 10 years so I remembered this last summer. He is a part of the U.W. Facebook group and both of us were also in another group on there several years back. That other group was a little “kooky” which Peter had said of a word Warrior used. Neither of us belong to those “kooks” anymore but we shared some laughs over that time. Anyways, he gave this lengthy interview but me~~~ I wanted to go swimming when it still felt warm enough outside. What to do? Sure, I could’ve listened to it later but typical me, I had and wanted to do it then so how could I do both? 🏊‍♀️

I propped my phone up on our pool platform in the shade so it wouldn’t get overheated~~ I’m always thinking. This would work as nobody was around and no splashing either. The volume only goes so loud ya know as I had to stay close by. If I wanted to swim more, I paused it. With me there alone, I could be super careful as lo and behold~~~ my phone came with me in the water while I walked around. One little slip, and that would be the end of my phone! That did not happen as I listened to the whole interview and went swimming. Never would I trust or want my kids to do this. If they want pics, I’ll take them on the platform but not while in the pool, it’s too dangerous. I do silly stuff though and it somehow works. 🤷🏻‍♀️😜

Here are a few other “performances” so you can choose a winner. Just little recaps as they all have been written. To start, I called into Dana’s podcast back in 2018 titled “Total Warriors!” and shouted down to my husband that I was live on the air! It was quite funny. I had the hosts laughing just by my silliness. 😂I’m sure Warrior was laughing too… Next, I stole or ~ ahem~ “rescued” some U.W. items from both preschools I had taught at. I’m still in awe to this day… Not that those events happened but more so about the connection of now . It is surreal…. How about when I drove to a nearby town to photograph the “Helwig Whistle Stop” sign by a busy road? I know it’s missing an L but that’s not the point here! I can’t do that today because there is now a fence… Another risky performance by me all for a photo. A physical one was walking the dog and then tripping sending keys flying. I actually fell 3 times and found myself saying: “my knee’s gone…” just like Hulk Hogan during WMVI. I hurt for days and couldn’t do some yoga poses.

The things we do, right? With me though, I wasn’t looking for an award like quite possibly “real” actors do. It’s just me being authentic and laughing at myself which we need reminders of always. What are some of your OWN Oscar worthy performances in your life? Yes, most of mine were laughable but many are not that exact emotion. When I found out more in this journey, it could be quite challenging holding it all together at times. The book I wrote helped, this blog helps, and every other practice I use to get centered helps. It’s a beautiful ride and one I will be forever on until I reach “parts unknown.” It’s the **REAL** moments that matter most and not always just info we receive from others. Trust those instincts, they are rarely wrong. 🥹🫶🏻

Maybe you don’t want and need that Oscar or Emmy but just knowing you were being yourself is all that counts. Laugh, cry, get mad sometimes, feel proud, and whatever else comes. Those feelings deserve validation, despite not possibly giving an anticipated acceptance speech. Own those life lessons because we need to learn them here now. I know without a doubt, Warrior has a front row seat to my performances because he has helped orchestrate MANY of them in his own way. Even the best actors never win an Oscar. Goldust may have looked like one, but isn’t the real deal. We are all performers just going through life the best we can. Make it all WORTHY… 👏🏻🤭🙂‍↕️

P.S. I recant just a little from last week as I got somewhat too caught up. The WWE DOES and will continue to thrive. I am grateful they have as much Ultimate Warrior merch that they do. 💙

*** I also had some big numbers as of late on my posts so thank you as always! 🥰😳👊🏻

P.P.S. Here’s another little extra add-on. My husband and daughter sometimes compete with the daily Wordle. Are you familiar with this? I think I’ve mentioned it before with the word ETHOS as you need to guess a random 5 letter word. I was on the couch, listening to them go through the letters and all I heard was NGO. You fans might know where I’m going with this. I kept thinking in my head all along it’s DINGO, I just know it. My daughter was saying lingo, bingo, etc. Finally, without me saying anything out loud~ my husband said DINGO! She did not know what that was and he said it is a wild Australian dog. I just laughed to myself thinking how I had no idea he knew what that was… ***

Too bad that story wasn’t a few weeks ago when I mentioned the Dingo Warrior! All the funnies🤣😉- all the time…

A+ for Acting 👏🏻💯

I’ve mentioned many aspects in Warrior’s life that mirror mine such as writing, ( of course!) speaking, and reading so now we have acting. We all are actors everyday really just playing our roles in life where very few get to know the real us. You don’t need to be famous to be a performer. Awards are given to those that excel at the highest level of acting and even teachers give out those A+’s for well deserved work. I never did much acting or performing in school but one story does come to mind.

I was in 8th grade and as part of the new junior high program, 7th and 8th graders could chose a “special” class. I chose Drama. It really wasn’t my thing but the teacher in charge was a favorite of mine. I did rule out other choices but hey– we always need to stretch our comfort zones! My 1st role was as Mrs. Bucket who is Charlie’s Mom in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” That is one of my favorite childhood movies although Johnny Depp’s version isn’t bad. Who doesn’t love the Oompa Loompa’s?

I only had a few lines and forgot one… The boy who was Charlie covered for me in front of the whole school so thanks is given to that young man! Well, that was about it for me although other similar opportunities ensued.

During my junior and senior years of high school choir, we had to dance along with sing. NOT what I signed up for at all! The audience loved our performances and within a few years, they had a show choir. I earned that A+ for acting but the singing of course is more me. One of the Holiday concerts was performing “Hallelujah Chorus.” If you are familiar with this entire song, there are lots of parts– LOTS. We received a standing ovation which was truly heart warming. Another A+. BTW– that was my senior year, another favorite of course in April 1990! 💙

Many years later as a preschool teacher, I loved using puppets to perform for the kids. This too became another one of my favorite activities and little ones love puppet antics. Some of the more introverted ones talk to a puppet more than anyone else. I loved the idea of hiding behind a wall or mat as kids didn’t even notice a missing teacher. Such great fun and that A+ for acting came very easy to me. Sure, kids are entertained but puppet performing necessarily isn’t for everyone.

This takes me to you warriors. Have you ever earned an A+ for acting? I gotta say– those WWE performers definitely deserve high letters for all the acting they do. It can be anyone you watch whether on T.V., the movies, the stage, or entertainment of various kinds. Can you give any performer of your choice an A+ for their acting? I bet you can if they are convincing enough and affect you. You know my choice of always is the Ultimate Warrior. Sometimes, it can even be you that convinces someone else.

Once the performance or event is over, the paint peels off, the gear put away, or the mask taken down, have they or you earned that A+ for acting? Guess that depends on the feelings. Remember, it’s always about those emotions we all tend to ignore or hide behind.

Just make sure your A+ is given for the right reasons. This means you CARE or you wouldn’t be watching, listening, or performing at all. I certainly didn’t deserve an A+ for my Mrs. Bucket performance but my heart earned it for trying. I always wished teachers gave those A+’s for effort in school but just like with some performers, we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. Warrior would earn those A+’s from me for all the effort he put into his character. Naysayers– yes. Effort– always. Some will never know the effort behind those A+’s but you will deep down.

Maybe we don’t need those marks in order to fully be us. You can decide that for yourself. Just do the best or go with your interests and you’ll have some performances in life beyond your imagination. Some good and some bad but that’s how we need it to be. Look back on all your experiences and then make some new ones. Perhaps you’ll get that A+ but if not, remember we are all actors performing on this life stage everyday… 👍🎬🎟