If you ever took a rana off the top rope you owe him royalties . . .
Posted on 2006.11.02 at 07:48Current Mood:
content
I just read about the death of Huracan Ramirez, legendary masked wrestler. He was an ambassador for his sport and his culture, and an honest-to-motherfucking-goodness Hero. Huracan was one of the most famous and beloved characters in lucha libre, and Daniel Garcia was its undisputed heart and soul. I never had the honor of meeting him, although I did hear some road stories in Corpus Christi not meant to be repeated outside of a locker room that made me respect the man even more.
If you're a pro-wrestler (regardless of cultural differences. Lucha libre, puroresu, sports entertainment. Whatever the fuck) you process the death of another worker differently than you do anyone else. The fan in me is sad, but the wrestler isn't. It may seem morbid and hard to suss for many of you, but Huracan's death was a good one. It's something to aspire to. American wrestlers don't die good deaths. They OD in hotel rooms, they get stabbed and bleed to death thousands of miles from home, they kick with black scarring over 50% of their hearts and everyone tries to pretend 'roids weren't involved. They do all of this long, long before their time. For the newbies they go before anyone cares, for the veterans it happens at the end of their inevitable career downslides when everyone's stopped caring. A memorial show in Stubbsville, Ohio and a few hardcore fans who truly mourn you. That's all you get. If you're lucky.
Huracan was 80 years old. You know, I can't even think of an American wrestler that's died who made it to 80. He got to know his kids and his grandkids. He actually got to see his own legacy stitched on the masks of a new generation of luchadors and stamped on the faces of hordes of fans. He got to live and wrestle in a culture that values and honors its legends instead of casting them aside. If there's such a thing as a gold watch for wrestlers, Huracan's was 24 carat, man. So, yes, that part of me is happy for him. I would've wished more time for him, as much as he and the people who loved him wanted, but humans aren't built that way. Workers certainly aren't built that way.
In life he had a lot of lessons to teach. In death he's left a much more important one for all the boys in the back. Most of them won't learn it, but I give mad props to Huracan for providing it all the same.
If you're a pro-wrestler (regardless of cultural differences. Lucha libre, puroresu, sports entertainment. Whatever the fuck) you process the death of another worker differently than you do anyone else. The fan in me is sad, but the wrestler isn't. It may seem morbid and hard to suss for many of you, but Huracan's death was a good one. It's something to aspire to. American wrestlers don't die good deaths. They OD in hotel rooms, they get stabbed and bleed to death thousands of miles from home, they kick with black scarring over 50% of their hearts and everyone tries to pretend 'roids weren't involved. They do all of this long, long before their time. For the newbies they go before anyone cares, for the veterans it happens at the end of their inevitable career downslides when everyone's stopped caring. A memorial show in Stubbsville, Ohio and a few hardcore fans who truly mourn you. That's all you get. If you're lucky.
Huracan was 80 years old. You know, I can't even think of an American wrestler that's died who made it to 80. He got to know his kids and his grandkids. He actually got to see his own legacy stitched on the masks of a new generation of luchadors and stamped on the faces of hordes of fans. He got to live and wrestle in a culture that values and honors its legends instead of casting them aside. If there's such a thing as a gold watch for wrestlers, Huracan's was 24 carat, man. So, yes, that part of me is happy for him. I would've wished more time for him, as much as he and the people who loved him wanted, but humans aren't built that way. Workers certainly aren't built that way.
In life he had a lot of lessons to teach. In death he's left a much more important one for all the boys in the back. Most of them won't learn it, but I give mad props to Huracan for providing it all the same.