True heroes of professional wrestling

Gregory Iron with Colt Cabana and CM Punk

Wins and losses are the deciding factors of any sport/game. The trials and tribulations are a part and parcel of the business, and no one really cares about the hardships a professional athlete goes through unless he wins. In a world which only remembers the winners and not the runner ups, it is difficult to imagine anyone achieving fame because of what they’ve endured, instead of getting into the big leagues and becoming a sports icon. Whether it is the Maradonas or Schumachers of the world, the only mantra is to win. And if you end up on the wrong side of the fence – the seconds and thirds, no one would care about what you’ve been through to achieve it. Sports can be unrelenting, and so can be the fans.

When it comes to a ‘scripted sport’, the scene gets worse. Perhaps, the best known ‘scripted sport’ is professional wrestling. Although the professional athletes risk their lives every time they step into the squared circle, the fans cheer only when they hit a high risk spot – Whether it is a breathtaking corkscrew moonsault off the scaffold of a building or a powerbomb through a barbwired table; professional wrestling can prove fatal with one wrong move. Yet the fans only cheer for the “heroes”, those who win most of the times and are made the face of the industry. The Cenas, Triple Hs and the likes are “put over” by the fans, mostly because of the scripted victories. But there are true heroes in professional wrestling as well; those who become an inspiration to even the smallest of fanbases. Professional wrestling has, although very rarely, been the salvaging part for some people.

About a decade ago, there was an athlete who made an impact in the WWE and professional wrestling in general. It wasn’t because of his size or strength, or his intimidating physique and indomitable brutality. He was, in all shape and form, not a “wrestling personality”. The way WWE used him wasn’t exactly the best they could’ve come up with, but the fact that Zach Gowen, a one – legged, lean, your next door neighbor – esque character made it to the biggest promotion in the world would speak volumes about Gowen’s pride and persona. No one would give a 5’10”, 150 pound “kid” any realistic chance of getting into the biggest entertainment organization in the world, which demands high physicality and endurance from all of its performers, but the fact that Gowen, who lost one of his legs as a child was put in the same ring against the likes of Lesnar and Vince, and even his childhood hero, Hulk Hogan made all of his accomplishments that much more unbelievable! Gowen became an inspiration; a true hero in the world of professional wrestling.

Such stories are hard to come by, and harder to ignore. Although there were other handful performers who had shown similar traits, they were unable to realize their dreams, and gave up in between. So when a performer, who knows that all for intents and purposes he won’t make it to the big leagues, continues to crawl towards that finish line that he has been dreaming about, it becomes a success story. There has been one other such athlete, working in the independent scenes, trying to get the attention of the WWE. Although his story is similar to Gowen’s, his road to professional wrestling was not only harder, but was pretty much unrealistic. This is the story of Gregory Iron.

Known as “The Handicapped Hero”, Iron wasn’t meant to become a professional wrestler. In fact, Iron wasn’t meant to do much with his life, as he was born with cerebral palsy, which was a result of premature birth, and he can’t do much with his right hand. At 5’5” and weighing just over 150 pounds, professional wrestling should’ve been Iron’s last option. Instead, he proved everyone wrong and went on to become what he always wanted to be – a professional wrestler. In 2011, after his match, a dazed Iron met the then WWE champion, CM Punk who had this to say about him:

“You’re awesome! You overcome more than I ever have just waking up every morning. The fact that you became a pro wrestler, I’m only assuming it’s because it was something you wanted to do. You didn’t let anybody tell you that you couldn’t do it … I saw something special watching you in this ring.”

Professional wrestling can sometimes do what no other sport can, and that is to provide an inspirational story. There are instances when true heroes are born, and aren’t made. When anyone tells you that you can’t do something, remember that there are people for whom the biggest obstacle should be waking up in the morning, but they go and do something that the rest of the world can’t.