27

Mike Bennett, a heel to most but a hero to me, turns 27 today. Even the way Bennett plays heel shows sensitivity and class. Recently I saw a video of a Ring of Honor match in which members of the crowd chanted "C-M-Punk! C-M-Punk!" as he and girlfriend Maria Kanellis made their entrance. Punk, a WWE superstar, was Maria's boyfriend once in real life when she was a WWE Diva. Bennett bellowed back, "Punk is the best in the world! I am the best!" Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it struck me that, in so doing, Bennett was simultaneously playing off the fans' heat, praising his predecessor with Maria like a gentleman, and perhaps even trying to blunt any discomfort Maria might be feeling, hearing her ex's name chanted. Anyway, Mike has been somebody I've been following since his days five years ago with Top Rope Promotions, and my esteem for him, as a wrestler and as a man, has grown steadily over the years. I am so looking forward to seeing him in Richmond live on Saturday!