Meeting Sammy












Cheeseburger vs Sammy Guevara, Showdown at Old Town, 16 November 2018, Winston-Salem (FLJ Lucha Libre)

Showdown at Old Town  was a fundraiser for the elementary school whose gym was the show's venue. I shot some video of the events, but only in spurts, when inspired to do so, so the matches recorded on my YouTube channel are fragments. The show was G-rated because there were tons of kids, having the best three hours of their lives. Still, the matches were vigorous and often intense. The first half was probably the best first half of a live show I have seen, featuring local hero Cam Carter playing heel against Ian Maxwell and a standout performance by the Ugly Ducklings against the team of Marcus Kross  and Griff Garrison.

Ring of Honor's Cheeseburger and Sammy Guevara were the biggest names on the card, so they were the main event. During intermission, I visited the merch tables, buying a Sammy Guevara T-shirt and having my picture taken with Sammy himself.  He was polite and attentive, as most pro wrestlers I've met have been. I told him I knew his work mostly from YouTube*.  He replied, "Wait till you see me tonight!"

He was right. His battle against Cheeseburger was everything I could have hoped for. He was mainly responsible for carrying the match's storyline. His sells were what made Cheeseburger's moves as fantastic as they were. The contest was highly acrobatic with some stiff bumps, grappling, and punches thrown in for fans like me. Until seeing him live, I had not realized what a fantastic performer he is, playing to the crowd, imbuing every turn in the match with meaning and a sense of its importance. He was a consummate professional and crowd-pleaser. The match was tough but ultimately friendly, with the contestants showing their mutual respect at the beginning and the end.











Visit FLJ Lucha Libre's Facebook page here.
GIFs made via Giphy.

*I nearly added "... and Movimus," but thought better of it, not knowing how sore a subject it might be for him some six years later. I had heard he wasn't happy with some of the amorous attention the videos drew. Besides, I'm still not sure I pronounce Movimus  correctly. Moe-wee-moose? But speaking of Movimus, it's the company's sixth birthday! Happy Birthday, Movimus, and to my fellow Americans, Happy Thanksgiving Day.

Comments

  1. Super love sammy! I remembered reading somewhere (maybe in this blog?) that he allegedly has slight homophobic tendencies. Hope it is all untrue. Were you able to talk to griff garrison?

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    1. No, Griff and Marcus weren't at the merch tables. I did talk to the Ugly Ducklings, though, great guys, fantastic performers. As I recall, a fan complained to Movimus that Sammy was homophobic while Sammy, who was a teenager at the time, complained the fan had made inappropriate remarks via email. I think the decision for Sammy and Movimus to split was mutual. Sammy was the perfect gentleman with me, but then I don't typically announce my sexual orientation on first meeting and didn't grab his ass (though nothing would have made me happier). As I see it, even if Sammy were homophobic at age 18 or 19, that doesn't necessarily mean he still is at age 25 (it so happens my own opinion on the subject changed radically between 19 and 25).

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    2. well said. i watch his vlogs and i think he's a nice and warm person, just based from those videos. Thanks for sharing your stories with meeting wrestlers.

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  2. What name did he wrestle under with Movimus?

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    Replies
    1. https://ringsideatskullisland.blogspot.com/search/label/Jeff%20Jordan

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  3. I remembered this post after reading the issues surrounding sammy now.

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