San Jose Civic Auditorium
Hello everyone.
First and foremost, thank you to everyone for the love, support, thoughts and prayers over the past few days. Early last Saturday afternoon, shortly after exchanging messages with my friend Rosh, I received a phone call. It was my daughter, Katy. The message was that Eric, her son, passed away on Friday evening. As quick as possible, I was able to catch a flight down to Southern California and be with everyone.
It's a very empty feeling when death occurs, and it's happened a lot in my life with immediate family members. Healing from it comes slowly but it's important.
This post, though very difficult, is one right way to begin the process. After yesterday's private funeral and a good night's sleep, it was an early Monday morning flight back. The thoughts on the post began on the way to LAX for the trip back to San Francisco.
A little bit about Eric. He was every bit of the daughter that I raised, and even more. He learned to love, worked hard, respect, be respected, and was a positive influence on our lives. Not too long ago, he became a dentist, a much needed profession these days.
A few years ago, along with his brother, Mike, the two became wrestling fans by watching anything that was WWE. They are both Lakers fans, definitely expected. We've had our share of fun over the years regarding the NBA. Also, we've shared the enjoyment of the wrestling world.
Back in November 2019, when my daughter's family visited Northern California, Eric, Mike and I had the opportunity to see a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in San Jose. NJPW was new to them, though for myself, it was something that had been followed for several years.
There was a Meet And Greet prior to the show at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. The two had the opportunity to see and meet Kazuchika Okada. Because of my personality, I wanted them to soak it all in at the event. While being a few feet away, while looking at some wrestling souvenirs, Okada-san was very gracious. He signed autographs, took pics with the two and spoke a little English to them.
That moment meant more to me than any wrestling event that I've been to. The 2023 Dexcon show in the Philippines was probably the only exception. One of Okada's advisors and interpreters came over to me later, and appreciated the behavior and respect my two grandsons shared with one of Japan's greats.
The show itself was a near sellout with a the fans yelling at a fever pitch. The Main Event was Kazuchika Okada and Will Osperay, then of Chaos, taking on a team of Amazing Red from Puerto Rico and Kota Ibushi. There were some other wrestlers there that night that included Minoru Susuki, Kenta, Tetsuya Naito and Jay White.
It was the last wrestling show that my two grandsons and I attended. The family lives in Southern California while this fan lives in the north, around 400 miles away. That didn't mean that the two and I wouldn't talk on the phone or DM. Just a couple of weeks ago, the conversation came up about John Cena and the upcoming Rumble show. We had also talked about AEW briefly and the PLE that was coming up in March in Los Angeles.
In time, there may be another wrestling show that my other grandson, Mike and I might attend. The time needs to be right however for all of us. There are certainly enough wrestling shows in California each year.
In closing, my family, being my daughter, her husband, Mike, and my sister north of San Francisco, mean the world and will always be just that.
Also, there's friends in the running community, Roller Derby and sports world that I follow on social media.
But yet, there's the wrestling community that the blog covers in Southeast Asia and beyond. Most of my immediate family know what is written. It's sharing stories, information, results and more. You could definitely say that the community, with the ties to social media (Facebook, Instagram), is a very close second in being family. Doing this (blog) now for a couple of years has means a lot!
Now back home, I need to get back to the keyboard and continue the process. In the meantime, rest in peace Eric. One day, all of us will be joining you once again.