A Powerful Experience "Among the Living"

From the second we walked into the VFW Hall in Lockport, we felt the emotional impact.  The Samuel J. Thompson Memorial event was not your average wrestling event.  By the same token, Sam was not your average man.

A few weeks ago, I wrote which included a short introduction to Sam, his love of wrestling and the tournament held in his honor by Resistance Pro Wrestling, the company he truly loved.  The response it got overwhelmed me, but that was nothing compared to the raw emotions at the actual event.

After entering, we greeted the various members of the R Pro family as we made our rounds.  The mood was different from most R Pro shows, as it was clear that the only goal was to make this great for Sam.  The Sam paper masks, the auction, the wrestlers donating their time and all else came together for Sam.

I was brought to tears as I met Sam’s parents for the first time.  Their heartfelt thanks for the aforementioned story was evident in their eyes before they even spoke.  It was a pleasure and an honor to meet them and to reconnect with daughter Katie and son Zach, ring announcer for R Pro.

As for the show, “The Inspiration” Brady Pierce won the eight man tournament to gain an R Pro contract.  Lock Up, lead by Warden Myers, retained their tag team titles.  Mr. 450 won a triple threat match.  Thunderkitty beat Nikki St. John in a 2-3 falls arm-wrestling match.  Ruff Crossing, John Skyler and Da Cobra defeated Chris Hall, Ashton Vuitton and Eric St. Vaughn in a tag match preceded by the rapping debut of ESV much to the delight of the crowd.

That amount of action would bring any crowd to its feet, but the biggest applause probably came at intermission, when R Pro owners Jacques and Gabe Baron brought their families and the Thompson family into the ring.  Once again, emotions exploded as Sam’s life and legacy were remembered.

Any chance of keeping a dry eye was completely lost when Jacques called Ethan Hunt into the ring.  The courageous youngster discussed his battle with Juvenile Diabetes.  Ethan is more than just a neighbor to Jacques; he is part of the extended Baron family, just like everyone associated with R Pro is.  Just like Sam was and will always be.

After the event, I talked to Zach about what the night meant to him and his family (see accompanying video).  Zach is one of the funniest and most conversational people I know, but even he was almost at a loss for words at the magnitude of the evening.

"Among the Living" was a benefit for the Samuel J. Thompson Memorial Foundation, but everyone in attendance benefited from the experience.  I have covered a lot of events, but rarely have I experienced such powerful emotions (love, friendship, positivity…).  Then again, rarely have I encountered anyone like Sam or anything like R Pro.

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