[Russ]

This reminds me of an incident a few years back where I was removed as the ring announcer from a pro wrestling promotion I’d worked for for a while.

I know pro wrestling is a performance. So do you. It isn’t fake as the moves/bumps are real and can cause injury so I’d called it “predetermined”.

Without breaking kayfabe (Google it) too much, most moves require cooperation from both wrestlers but if they’re good and professional enough you are unlikely to immediately spot it.

This promotion I worked for also held wrestling training classes and one time they were proud to tell the world how they had a teenage trainee with cerebral palsy whose “dream was to be a professional wrestler” and they would help him realise his “dream”.

I was absolutely sick at hearing this.

I’m not against disadvantaged people given help to realise their dreams in general, in fact I think it’s a great thing.

The very basis of pro wrestling is it’s meant to portray a legitimate physical fight and that the guys (or women) taking part are legitimately intimidating and would likely kick your behind if you got on the wrong side of them in the street.

Any deviation from this basis makes it harder to suspend your disbelief in wrestling and makes even more of a mockery of it. I don’t know the cerebral palsy kid but with the best will in the world, he was not going to look reasonably intimidating in a “fight”.

Anyway the promotion (which also has a number of transgender wrestlers on its general roster, good on them for that) made a big thing about training this kid, I commented on the FB post saying it would make the wrestling business even harder to take seriously (I’m a Jim Cornette guy, for those who catch my drift) and within a few minutes the post was removed, an hour later the promoter called me to say he was no longer going to use me as a ring announcer or referee.

I’m not saying physically disabled people should automatically have doors closed to them. But limitations must always be respected.

I don’t know Rosie Jones but if she’s a crap comedian or her limitations affect her ability to communicate humour then I’m not going to enjoy her work.