#who so graciously and generously bought my ticket without asking for a penny

[meyhew]

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[zazzyzoo]

Some thoughts about my first Ring of Honor experience

Last night I attended my first ROH event. I can honestly say that buying that ticket was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I'd been to only two wrestling shows before (both WWE). This ROH show eclipsed both in terms of match quality and overall atmosphere.

I could effuse about every detail of the night, but I'll try to restrain myself for the sake of brevity and to avoid dropping spoilers for future ROH television episodes. Instead, I'd like to gush about the wrestlers themselves -- my impressions of them as people and professionals. I thought I was a fan before, but now I truly adore each member of the ROH roster because of how extraordinarily generous and caring they are toward their audience.

I have met a few celebrities before, including a few rock stars and a couple WWE wrestlers. They were all quite cordial and left me with positive impressions of their character. But none were as genuinely friendly, warm, and caring toward their faithful as the stars of ROH were. I have never witnessed or personally experienced any celebrity going as far as these wrestlers did to make the night special for every individual in the audience. They don't make boatloads of money, and they certainly could charge much more than they do for autograph signings. Yet they go so far beyond the realm of reasonable expectations of giving, just because they love the fans and love their work. So many personal, special moments, given away for free! And they're all so happy to do it! Genuinely happy to make the night special for complete strangers!

I met Hangman Page during the pre-show signings. The moment I said hello, he stood up, smiled, and gave me a hug without me even having to ask. Not a half-hug, or quick little courtesy hug, but a big ol' bear hug that lasted a few solid seconds. Right away he asked for my name, and not just so he could quickly scribble out the inscription on the 8x10. He actually wanted to have a little conversation with me. Me! Some random girl he's never seen before! He would rather slow down, look me in the eye, and converse with me than rush me along to get through his long, long line of autograph-hungry fans. This man has one of the most mentally and physically exhausting jobs in the world, yet he cares enough about the people who watch him wrestle to take a genuine interest in them. I was blown away, yet so at ease, because he treated me like I was his new friend. He pointed out my Hangman T-shirt and was truly pleased when I told him it was my first wrestling shirt.

"I've been a wrestling fan for 13 years, but I never bought a T-shirt," I said, "because I'm a skinflint!" That particular term made him laugh.

"No way!" he replied, still smiling broadly. It was all very light chit-chat of this nature, but Hangman didn't give off the vibes of a well-oiled machine spitting out go-to conversational cliches. He interacted with me as a relaxed, outgoing person who enjoyed talking to me. Later on in the evening, he high-fived me on his way out of the ring. He didn't need to do that on top of everything else, but he did. Hangman is an A+ human being.

My evening was peppered with several complimentary moments to remember. The Kingdom razzed the crowd at the merch table, comically insulting anyone who didn't buy their T-shirt. Matt Taven is razor-sharp and unfalteringly in-character. I used to be rather lukewarm about him, but I was so impressed and entertained by his pre-event performance out there that I'm 100% pro-Taven now. What a total boss he is, completely on top of his craft.

I got high-fives from Tenille Dashwood, Will Ferrara, and the Young Bucks as they left the ring from their matches. In itself, this doesn't sound extraordinary, but being there, I could see that they were actively, systematically trying to give high-fives to everyone within reach, careful not to skip over anyone. They were tired, hurting, and sweaty, but they still wanted to make sure no one got left out. Matt Jackson in particular went the extra mile for me; he turned my intended high-five into a hand squeeze, which he held for a moment as he winked and grinned at me.

These are my personal experiences of the ROH stars' graciousness. I could rattle off a dozen more that I witnessed over the course of the evening, but this post is getting awfully long as it is. I just wanted to pay tribute to the seemingly boundless energy these wrestlers have for pleasing the people. Perhaps to the seasoned live-show attendee, my observations aren't surprising. But as a first-timer, I was thrilled by it all. Worth every last penny, and such a treat from beginning to end. ROH wrestlers are first-class people, and I thank each and every one of them for giving me one of the best times of my life.