Welcome back to new reading warriors! Well, if you’ve been reading previous posts, I thank you enormously. I guess it’s a welcome back for me then too. Let’s see… 🤔How to get caught up? Wrestling fans know WWE’s annual SummerSlam has happened so we’ll start there. I initially wasn’t planning to use an S.S. related pic of U.W. below but thought to considering the soon to be anniversary. That video was an interview Craig DeGeorge did with the NEW champ until they got interrupted by Jimmy Hart a.k.a. (“the Mouth of the South”) and Honky Tonk Man mad about losing their long held title. Hard to believe that was after the first SummerSlam 3️⃣5️⃣ years ago. I wrote about the 30th… It was technically 36 this year. These milestones yet again. AND, 25 years ago tomorrow marks the Warrior’s debut on WCW’s Nitro show. Another moment to remember.
Speaking of stats, Gunther is STILL WWE’s Intercontinental Champion and is very close to breaking HTM’s long standing record of 454 days. Yep, streaks are meant to be broken and with everything they are doing with Roman, it makes sense. I won’t say for sure, but HTM’s numbers held up all those years until broken by the Ultimate Warrior. Now, it’s Gunther’s turn whether some fans agree or not. I was so used to S.S. being that last week of August, it just crept up on me. I won’t get into all the other results as that is not my topic today…
Let’s move on to this different title of sorts while we walk as another. You’ve heard the expression of walking in another’s shoes but to stick with wrestling gear, we can say boots. I have tried this metaphorically of course as it helps to understand others situations. We may not always agree with what was said or done and cast criticisms around, but look to change the narrative. Would you react or respond in the same way if them? It’s all our free will and choices but until in a very specific circumstance, you can’t fully answer. You probably do KNOW yourself well enough as an adult to realize the limits you won’t break, but do we always? Hmmm… I believe you will say it all depends on what one is going through, right?
I’ll stick to the sport of pro wrestling in particular. Yes, we can and should apply this principle of walking in another’s shoes (or boots) to MANY relationships as it does help with perspective. I’m getting better at this and wrestling is a great example to look at here. Lace up those boots and imagine for just a brief moment that YOU are indeed one of those WWE sports entertainers or SuperStars. It does sound exciting being a character, choosing “face” or “villain,” personal gear, theme music, and all that. There are other working parts too. Like Warrior said: “It is serious. It’s a serious thing to go out there and be a character in the WWE.” He’s right. It can be fun but super risky and you have to be passionate about it for sure. Nobody can take that away from Warrior, ever. Even if you didn’t agree with him at times, you have to admit how his passion ignited the fans to support Ultimate Warrior right from the start.
Boots are hard to fill but if any of you could walk in Warrior’s when he did at THAT time, what would you have done differently? It’s easy for me to type out that question or even to say right away what I would’ve changed. Can I really though? Can you? The pressure is always there within a wrestling business or with our own people in life. Think about walking in another’s shoes for just the day. If you were them, you can make changes but new complications might come your way. Your unique personality and intuition determines how you handle what is thrown at you. I would find myself often imagining thinking of that very idea and honestly, I just can’t answer what I would do until in that moment. Sure, I can make guesses but our emotions take over when we still need that level head too. I’m sure you know people personally who have stressful careers and are faced with huge challenging decisions many times. Take off your shoes and grab another’s. I bet it feels really different in them, doesn’t it?
Social situations will be present our entire lives so we need to be ready when handling them all. Someone else’s tiniest decision can affect us when it shouldn’t but being human, and in our own shoes, it does. The big stuff will bother us more but again, we are not them and they are not us. I know I would make other choices but we still need to respect the ones different from us. To FEEL what they felt, to THINK how they thought, and to DO what they did requires much compassion and grace on our part. Those two words I have used on here plenty. I’m finding it easier to accept when I bring those words into another’s point of view not entirely my own. Those boots might not fit but you can try to see how it is being them and what they were facing. Before you judge, ask yourself to picture what it is like to be the person they are or were. Yes, this can be SO extremely difficult and many times, we don’t want to. You will understand them better as I am learning all the time. I agreed with Warrior on many issues but then other times, I thought differently.
To walk as another involves much from us but sometimes is needed on this journey of ours. We all do life in many ways but need the respect of doing it OUR way. That’s all we want so giving it to others counts too. I hope HTM sees himself back then in Gunther’s boots now. I can only imagine the feelings on his I.C belt streak probably ending. To walk as another and leave a legacy behind. It’s what we come to do.
P.S. U.W. (and Warrior) always walked as himself but as a spirit now, he has a higher perspective.., 😇🙏🏻
P.P.S. You can also look to another and REVERSE roles. Imagine them walking in YOUR shoes. Would they be similar or very different? Just think about that… 🫵🏻❓
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