Rant #2,470: I'm a Believer

As many of you know, my son is into professional wrestling--

I mean REALLY into professional wrestling.

He loves to watch all the shows put on by the WWE, and he also loves the shows put on by the organization that many consider its chief "competitor"--the quotes are used because WWE really has not competitor--Impact Wrestling, which used to be known as Total-Non-Stop-Action Wrestling, or TNA.

I watch all the wrestling shows with him, and while it often dulls my mind--and puts me to sleep in the process--I kind of enjoy it too, because it brings me back to my own youth, my own younger times.

And the joy my son gets from watching the shows, and the bonding that we get watching these shows together, is priceless.

Last night, we were watching Impact Wrestling, which is very much like WWE but on a much, much smaller format and stage.

During one of the matches, our focus was on the wrestlers--which it should be on--but at least my focus turned to the referee.

Referees are an essential ingredient in what goes on in the ring in professional wrestling. Although they are not the focus of the action, and generally stand in the background, they are the ones who begin the action in the ring, they are the ones who decide who the winner is, and perhaps most importantly, they are the ones who must decide, through interaction with the wrestlers, whether an athlete is able to go on in the match and whether a wrestler is hurt or not.

That being said, the referee is as important to the match as the wrestlers are, but people watching the match should really never see the referee unless he is counting down the victory. A good referee is transparent; there but not there, almost invisible to the action, except when necessary.

So we are watching this particular match last night, and I noticed what I thought was a referee on his stomach with his legs hanging out of the ring. Then when the match began, I noticed something that I found truly incredible--

The referee was without legs.

He moved around the ring with ease on his hands and the bottom of his body, and when the count needed to be made, he did what he was there to do, count 1-2-3 and the match was over.

I just found this situation absolutely incredible, and I told my son something like, "This guy proves that you can do just about anything you want to do, if you have the drive and determination to do it."

I think it was a lesson well done and well received.

My son also was very interested, and I told him that I would try to find out more information on this referee after I woke up today, and lo and behold, I did find out some information on Cameron Adamson.

The Canadian referee actually made his in-ring debut during one of Impact Wrestling's show in Canada in July, but last night might have been his first exposure on television.

Adamson was born without legs, but he says he was never treated in any special way--in fact, he said in an interview with Canadian television that his mother used to put the cookie jar on the top shelf of their pantry, and since he liked cookies, he simply found a way to get them.

And he has been "getting" things his entire life. He has a law degree, is a Mason, and works in the Canadian penal system. He uses a wheelchair when necessary, but living out his dream as a professional referee, he does not use one.

Impact Wrestling executives were extremely impressed with his work ethic and determination to live out his dream, and he has been working for them for roughly the past four months.

This is really a great story that should be getting much more coverage that it is getting, which is zero in the American press. I think that what this guy is doing is incredible, and it really shows that when once is focused, just about anything is in their reach.

Whatever you want to say about professional wrestling, it is a global phenomenon, and there is more flexibility in its ranks than in any other "sport"--if that is what you consider it to be"--with the exception of perhaps pro basketball.

Female referees are part of the framework of the NBA, but that is as far as it goes in that league. In pro wrestling, not only do you have female referees, you have referees siuch as Adamson who supposedly have disabilities, and you even have wrestlers who have disabilities, such as missing limbs. In fact, one-legged wrestler Zach Gown is one of the most popular wrestlers on the independent circuit, and has appeared on Impact Wrestling in the past, and he is among a bevy or wrestlers who are missing limbs who are active today.

My son and I became instant fans of Adamson, and we will be looking for him again when we watch Impact Wrestling next week and in the future.