Tyrus’s new book came through work and being a wrestling fan I chose to look through it. The book is also only 220 pages and there’s a lot of blank pages in between chapters. This is an easy book to read in one night if you really want to read it. I watch way too much wrestling, but Tyrus never was one of my favorites. Nothing against him, he just didn’t click with me. Now he’s famous for being on Fox News which is why he got this book deal. After spending years fighting with people online I honestly now believe our differences are not actually Republican vs Democrat. What is actually dividing us our two things: one, treating politics like sports. It’s your team vs them. No. Politics should have conversation and compromise and reach something in between both sides that yields good things for the people. Also, the real separation is ego vs selflessness. Those only concerned about themselves vs those concerned about other people. Those two sides can have members of both parties. Tyrus in the opening, in the Roman numeral prologue, shows which side he is on: “Maybe changing the view from tribalism to do-what’s-best-for-me-ism.” (p xiv).
Alright, so he is only concerned about himself. What is best for him. This makes sense throughout the book as he tells all the pain he’s been through in life. His father wasn’t in the picture. He is the product of a mixed relationship and experiences racism from an early age from his own family. Foster care, fights, relationships, attempted drug running, football. Oh, there’s wrestling and his work on Fox as well. The problem is, that’s the most interesting part about him and why he is famous yet it is also the briefest part of the book. I’m sure he trained hard to play football, be a bouncer/bodyguard, and wrestle – the wrestling celebrity which led to his chance to be on Fox. However the genetics come into play as well. It’s easy to only be worried about yourself at his size. “Look, athletes are always going to get the long end of the stick. It may not be fair but it’s just the way it is.” Under that logic Tyrus, we could say women, minorities, LGBT, and more will always get the short end of the stick. And it may not be fair but it’s just the way it is. You do you Tyrus. Other people will worry about helping people.
By no means would I expect to agree with every wrestler out there. I enjoy watching hundreds of shows and wrestlers every year but I’m also well aware there are a few that I would greatly disagree with. I’m willing to give some respect no matter who it is because it is a job that I could never do. The mental and physical wear and tear over years cannot be taken lightly. If only the book gave the same level of respect. “I walked in the building and the first guy I saw was Cowboy Bob Ward, one of the greatest workers in our business.” (114).
Yes, Bob Ward. I remember watching him and Piper at WrestleMania. There are multiple misspellings of wrestler names in the small portion of the book that actually talks about wrestling. Coaches and Fox News names are correct. However, he didn’t have a platform as Snoop Dogg’s bodyguard that landed him on a national stage. Nothing about his time in Impact or NWA. Hell, the only mention of any NWA is when he sees Ice Cube.
Ironically, there are things I could agree with. Term limits for Senators is a big one. I also can’t blame him for only being worried about himself. He went through so much in life where he was the only one looking out for him. It makes sense to carry that feeling throughout adult life.
I do think that people are the sum of their parts, but Tyrus ignores much of his parts in this memoir. He doesn’t forget where he came from, but he does gloss over much of the journey. I write this days before he’s going to fight for the NWA title on pay per view and I bet many of his Fox fans would love to see that show. If only he mentioned anything about who he works for in his book. I’m going to stay over here and talk about wrestling with people who like talking about wrestling. If Tyrus doesn’t want to talk about his current job and one of his claims to fame then we won’t talk about him either.