Second acts & Comebacks

"The guys who quit wrestling and never come back were disappointed in wrestling. The guys like you who quit then came back....... were disappointed in themselves."

Troy Peterson said that to me a few months ago as we were discussing a talented wrestler who walked away from the ring in his twenties after doing well and never came back. It got us talking about all the guys we've seen over the years who've come and gone.

Troy Peterson with Mil Macaras

Some come back. Many don't. 

Its one thing to hang it up at an age when you can't do it anymore. Or you move on to other interest in life.

But that first guy Troy describes, the one disappointed in wrestling, that was me at one time also so I can relate.

A guy or gal starts training. You sacrifice a lot of money for a young person to attend camp. You set up rings, you work battle royals, you finish camp and move on to that big elusive moment where you have your first match. That moment you've dreamed of for a long time.

Photo by Judy Bries

Once that euphoria wears off and you receive your small payday you wait for all the other plans to come into place.

When the plans and goals you had for your career don't seem to be moving very fast you often look around for people to blame.

You certainly don't look in the mirror.

You look at promotors who aren't booking you. You wonder why so and so always gets booked but your not. You complain that the guy who trained you didn't do enough to help further your career.

I did all those things myself. Every one of them. And they were all bullshit excuses coming from a guy who was disappointed in wrestling when he should have been disappointed in himself and his efforts. 

I've seen plenty of guys be that second guy also. You come back for a second round. Maybe a third or fourth round.

"All That" Matt Murphy in 2011 returned to the ring for a period of time before INJURIES sidelined him. He was far more mature and a better worker then his talented rookie years.

Matt Murphy with Ricky Steamboat. Two wrestlers who enjoyed great second acts.

I see guys come back Wiser. More humble. More aware. Aware of the privilege of any booking. Any promotor or company that allows you the chance to practice your art.

Your craft.

You realize with some years Rome wasn't built in a day and all great things take time. Shane Hollister and I chatted a bit last year and he really impressed me when he mentioned patience being a requirement for success in wrestling. He's known that for a long time.

I didn't. 

You realize you don't know everything and you ask a few more questions. Shane and Matty sTARR offered me some feedback on my baby face comeback in the ring when THEY first saw me wrestle AS LATIN THUNDER. I listened and my comeback is now much tighter and explosive.

Photo by Miranda Cantrell

In the second act it dawns on you the gym isn't just a time for when your motivated about your career. Its your job.

In the second comeback you wish you had those wasted years back but you forgive your young self and get to work. 

Momentum is your friend so you don't dare let off the gas on this slow moving train you just got rolling. In the second round you know better. If you let off the gas you won't notice much at first. Then that train begins to coast. Then it slows down until it eventually stops and you realize you have to expend all this energy just to get it rolling again. 

Thats why momentum is your friend and you keep your effort consistent and moving forward.

Second acts and comebacks are something we all love to see. The truth is I think they are more common than that rare brilliant wise beyond their years wunderkind who gets it right in the first act. 

I always envied authors, lawyers and businesspeople. I thought it would be great to be in a profession that you could really start to hit your stride in when your 40 or 50. Thats the natural evolution for most crafts.

Well wrestlers and all athletes have it a bit different. You have to figure out the secrets of the universe in your twenties while your body is still young. Most of us can't do that. I'm not impressed when I meet a 40 year old who has their shit together. If you haven't done that at that stage in life your screwed. 

When I meet a young talent though who's practicing all these principles of success in their twenties i'm impressed. And I know life will reward them even if it takes time.

For the rest of us who went through the natural evolution of thinking you knew everything in your twenties, beginning to be humble in your thirties and then getting to work don't feel bAd.

Thats what second acts and comebacks are for.

LATIN THUNDER

JUAN FOURNEAU