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Submitted by Xan on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 2:48 PM EST
 To whom it may concern, "Different day, different town. Set it up to tear it down. Lord, I ain't been home in almost fifty days. Houston, Baton Rouge, poor girl's got to pay her dues and this beat-up bus is always driving away. Oh, I love what I do, but I wonder what I do it all for." Why do you hate me? I go out there and bust my ass in front of you. I entertain you, and some of you would even say I put on a great show; or I once did. So why do you hate me now? Is it because I'm not the new thing in town? Is it because time has passed me by? I have a job doing what I love to do, and doing what you love to watch people do, and yet...you wish I wasn't doing it. You want more. You want everyone to be a superstar. We all can't be. Not everyone can put on a show the way Hulk Hogan does. Not everyone can rock the mic the way The Rock can. Not everyone can wrestle the way Chris Benoit does. Not everyone can be stagnant and get the sudden fan attention Batista and Christian have received. Still, we try our best, me and my fellows do, to be true to ourselves and true to you. So, why do you hate me? Why do you hate [i]us[/i]? It seems like all you wrestling fans want everyone to be a superstar. Well, let me all tell you something, not everyone can be a star. Sure, we all try. We all try to grab that brass ring and pull ourselves up to the top with it. And, sometimes it happens. Sometimes people with less talent in their hands than would fit in a thimble make it to the top of the mountain. Please see Sergeant Slaughter and Jeff Jarrett for strong examples. But, often our hands get slippery and that ring just keeps rising, and we just can't hold on. But, that's no reason to like us any less. In fact, as much as you may hate to admit it, we make the wrestling experience more enjoyable for you. It's because of guys like me, just as much as it is guys like Steve Austin and Triple H that are the reason you watch the business. "When I sing they sing along. I forget where I am, but I know where I belong. The reason why I'm standin' here: It's not the miles, it's not the pay, it's not the show, it's not the fame that makes this home; it's the song." You've all heard it. I know you have. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here reading this letter. You'd be out at an opera or a ball game. Maybe playing catch with your boy in the backyard or out for dinner with your significant other. But you're not. Something draws you in, even when you pull away. It's not the casual fans that would jump on the internet to read a column about professional wrestling. They just don't care enough, and this letter doesn't concern them in any case. Those guys--the ones you call marks--are the ones that are my favorites to see in the arena. They haven't developed the caustic cynicism you have. Casual fans are probably more likely to enjoy my work and cheer for me, anyway; or at the very least, they see right through me just like they do the referee. But you're different, aren't you? Oh, look how quick you are to react when someone insinuates that you're special. Your face just lit up at being thought to be in a select group. Well, let me tell you something, buddy. You're not [i]my[/i] select group. You uppity bunch of motherfuckers that think you know who should be fired and who should be shown on television make me sick. You can't even admit what's right in front of you, because it's more fun to play the "who should be pushed, who shouldn't be" and the "make Heat and Velocity" matter game. Don't you spuds get it? Those shows already matter. They matter to me and my family like crazy, brother. Those are the shows that give me the small chance I get to connect with you and they are what allows me to put a food on my family table and a roof over our heads. "My birthday was in Alabama, Father's Day was in Montana, and on Mother's Day I was nowhere near the phone. Every hotel bed feels the same as the last one where I stayed and it's vending machines and falling asleep alone. Yeah, I love what I do, but I wonder what I do it all for." Without good, there could be no evil. Without cold, there could be no warmth. Without "Law & Order" "LAX", and "Everybody Loves Raymond" you'd never be able to appreciate how good "24," "Lost," "The Shield", and "Boston Legal" are. Contrast is what life is all about, so without us, you'd never be able to appreciate how well Steve Austin can work a crowd, how great Triple H is at telling a story in the ring(although some of you still don't get it), how resilient guys like Tommy Dreamer and Mick Foley truly are. If everyone was a superstar, nobody would be a superstar. It's that simple. The light needs darkness to display how bright it truly is, and greatness alone is exactly what you accuse us of possessing in great degrees: mediocrity. People seem to despise guys like the A-Train, Chuck Palumbo, Kenzo Suzuki, and Mark Jindrak for one reason or another, which is why they're no longer active wrestlers. You cynical people never gave them much of a chance, and, that's fine, you're all entitled to your opinion. The point I'm trying to make is that if it wasn't for these men, you wouldn't realize how dynamite AJ Styles is in the ring, that Rob Van Dam and Shelton Benjamin are so quick and agile, or how phenomenal the Undertaker truly is. It takes the Scotty 2 Hotty's, the Shannon Moore's, the Shark Boy's to make the wrestling world go around. There always has to be a lower card, there always has to be a midcard, and then the top guys in the upper card. And, of course, people will always move between those three stages. Not all of us will, but the cream will rise to the top. That doesn't mean those of us that don't are worth any less, though. In fact, we're invaluable to continued enjoyment of the product. Keep in mind the next time you deride Rene Dupree, Sylvan Grenier, or Tatanka that the name wrestlers need these people, and so do you. They need us to make them look great, and you need them to realize how great they are. Otherwise, you're just eating a bunch of Hershey bars and forgetting how sweet that chocolate really tastes. Fuck, I wish I didn't feel this calling so much. I wish I didn't have to rely on you die-hards, because I don't like you. Yeah, I need you, because you watch the shows that pay the ad revenue, you by the tickets, and you pay for the PPV's, but I don't like you because you don't respect me. You don't realize that I work just as hard or harder than all the stars you come to love, and I love the business I'm in and performing in front of you people that don't appreciate me. I want you to know that even though I don't care for you, I want to. I want there to be a mutual admiration between us. That's why I'm writing this letter to try and get you to see our point of view. "But, when I sing they sing along. I forget where I am, but I know where I belong. The reason why I'm standin' here: it's not the miles, it's not the pay, it's not the show, it's not the fame that makes this home; it's the song." But, it doesn't matter what show; not really. It could be a little show in front of 100 people. No matter how small the crowd, I hear the song. And, sometimes the sound is loudest when there are less people there to hear it. You've heard it. You have. I know it. Not with your ears, though. With something inside, be it your heart, your mind, your soul. I don't know exactly where you feel it, but it resonates with you. That's why you keep coming back time after time. We share a connection, you and me. We hear the music. You feel the rhythm and the beat, and you enjoy it, but I do more than that. You sit back, watch, and enjoy. But, I don't. I'm living in the music. I dance to the music. And, if you don't like the way I dance, why should I care? Those who can do, those who can't teach, those who can't teach must just whine and complain. I tell you that I hear the song, I dance to the song, I love what I do and I believe I do it well. Sure, there are people who are better professional wrestlers or sports entertainers than I am, but that doesn't mean they hear the song any clearer or feel pain any more than I do or react to the crowd in a greater way. It just means they are blessed with either more talent or more opportunity than I've been able to receive so far. Don't judge me by the way I dance, admire me because I'm doing something that you'd love to do if you had the talent and the courage. I'm here performing for you, don't disgrace me by saying I'm taking up too much of your time. I live for the song that connects us; can't you at least respect that? "Dolly and Loretta, maybe some Patsy Cline. I'm so lonesome I could cry... but when I sing they sing along. I forget where I am, but I know where I belong. The reason why I'm standing here: it's not the ride, it's not the name, it's not just stayin' in the game. It's not the miles, it's not the pay, it's not the show, it's not the fame that makes this home; it's the song. It's the song." We'd all love to have the ring ability of CM Punk, or the mic ability and charisma of Christian, the power and size of the Big Show, the aerial ability of Rob Van Dam, or the total package that is Samoa Joe. But, we can't. Those that are blessed with these gifts are few and far between, and sometimes those that are never even get truly noticed by those in charge. So, we make do with the skills and talents we possess, and we work hard to compensate for those we don't. And, we've learned to live with our role, because when it comes right down to it, there's no place else we'd rather be. So let us have that. Please. Don't say we should improve or go, don't say we deserved to be cut more than somebody else, don't say we bore you or we suck. Because, we're just doing our job. We could have ignored the call, of course. We could have become doctors, lawyers, teachers, sanitation engineers, and clowns. But we didn't. We heard the song and we are doing everything we can to flow with it and let its rhythm carry our lives. As Xan would say, we're following the path Ka has set before us. So, the next time you watch RAW, Smackdown, Impact, ECW, or your latest Indy DVD, give us some applause. Let a little light into your heart for us. We've helped make the sport of kings--your favorite form of entertainment--richer for our existence. Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll heed these words. Sincerely, A lower-card professional wrestler The quotes above are from Chely Wright's "It's the Song" off of her "Metropolitan Hotel" CD. That will conclude today's voyage on The Northern Star. For feedback, please email me atXanManX@hotmail.com, with the words "Northern Star" or "feedback" in the subject line or click here to leave your thoughts in the LOPForums. The Northern Star will rise again in 7 days. Until then, Long days, pleasant nights
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