By Joe Hendry

I’m always telling my students, don’t JUST be a wrestler. Focus on the things that make you unique and combine them with your grappling skills to form the true performer you know you can be.

One of the best things about being a coach is that it really forces you to stop for a second and start taking your own advice. That, mixed in with some of the motivation from the books mentioned in my previous post, I decided to tap back into what brought me to the dance:

Music.

Wrestling is all about making a connection with the audience and since I can’t wrestle right now, what better way to contribute something, right?

I’d been listening to songs whilst walking the dog and couldn’t help my mind wandering about what would make good parody songs to be applied to this situation we’re all going through. Instead of smiling and moving on, I thought, “Why not actually do something about it?”

I started with re-recording Blink-182’s “What’s My Age Again?” instead opting for “Wash My Hands Again,” before adapting OutKast’s “Ms Jackson” into “Ms Baskin,” referencing the infamous Netflix documentary, “Tiger King.”

If Blink 182 sang about Coronavirus.... Full song: https://t.co/UeNI7rabn6 pic.twitter.com/Qp1RQranUh — Joe Hendry (@joehendry) April 13, 2020

I'm Sorry Mr Baskin - Outkast Ms Jackon Tiger King Parody. Full video: https://t.co/pPlEy0UWoW pic.twitter.com/9KEYwkemNt — Joe Hendry (@joehendry) April 15, 2020

It started out being a bit of a hobby without much expectation, but it quickly took on a life of its own. My antics were picked up by media outlets, websites, meme pages and more, racking up over 400,000 hits across various social media platforms in a few days. Achieving these kinds of numbers is extremely rewarding, but more meaningful than the statistics were the comments of support such as “I really needed that laugh today” and “These are getting me through lockdown!” These truly are the biggest compliments because it says to me that as performers we have the ability to give people a bit of a break from whatever troubles they’re going through, and in the end, isn’t that what wrestling is all about?

The truth is, though, the only way I’m able to produce content like this is because, although there is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, one thing I and my colleagues are thankful for is the support we have received from Ring Of Honor. It sounds like I have to say this, but the truth is we can say whatever we want in these blogs and I really think people need to know. Because we’re being fully supported by ROH, we as performers can focus on staying healthy both physically and mentally and also on how best to serve you, our audience, remotely until it’s right for us to get back on the road.

When that time does come, it’s my hope that you as consumers will see how ROH has stood behind its staff and roster and keep that in mind when planning to attend your next wrestling show. When we come back, I know everyone on the roster, the office staff, management, the crew, production and editing staff all have the same goal in mind. That’s putting on the best professional wrestling on the planet.

When this is all over, it’s my hope that you’ll support Ring Of Honor in the way that it’s supported us.

In the meantime, join us on HonorClub and grab yourself the new ROHStrong T-shirt in support of The Salvation Army!