Sawyer Came, Sawyer Saw, Sawyer Wrecked and now Sawyer Leaves

From Stephen Platinum:  Sawyer Wreck is my favorite wrestler.  I’m a grown man, and reading myself make such a simple and direct declarative...

From Stephen Platinum: 

Sawyer Wreck is my favorite wrestler. 

I’m a grown man, and reading myself make such a simple and direct declarative statement is a bit jarring. It’s not dissimilar to seeing a grown up talk about a “best friend” to me. In this age of the wrestling fan who seems to hate wrestling, the male wrestlers who seem to often resent female wrestlers, and the world in general where things seem to be as cynical as they’ve ever been, Sawyer Wreck is the great unifier. I’ve never been to a wrestling show where a fan ever said anything about her less than, “I love her.” Male wrestlers, including ones that have openly declared that they think intergender wrestling is stupid, have clamored to work with her and praised her afterwards. And everything I see in regards to Sawyer Wreck wrestling her last match on November 16th for GCW have been nothing but positive. She’ll be missed of course, but people sharing the greatest pictures of her, with her, and all the outright happiness that she’s getting out under her terms - no jokes about a Terry Funk-esque retirement that won’t stick, no making it about themselves. People are happy for Sawyer Wreck all the while knowing she cannot and will not
be replaced. 

I have four moments to share about Sawyer Wreck. 

Moment one. The best show I’ve seen in Florida in person was No Peace Underground’s “Fear the Gay Agenda” show, and she was there. I had a friend of mine there who been down since the 6th grade. We saw a WWF show in Hawaii with Nikolai Volkoff vs. George “The Animal” Steele as the main when we were in High School. He hadn’t watched wrestling in decades, and certainly never saw anything like this. No Peace Underground was special. Those shows with no ring and the crowd literally a few feet away from the action, constantly showered in glass and gore. As you can imagine, there were any number of fascinating and unique figures there. But when Sawyer Wreck came to the stage as part of a gauntlet match, my friend Ray simply went, “Whoa.” 

Was it because she is a delight to look at? In part. Is it her statuesque height and form? Maybe. I think it was because she has IT. A star blending in the sound of wild static in human form. He said to me in spite of it being near impossible to hear the ring announcer, “That’s Sawyer Wreck, right? I can tell by how you described her.” And how would I describe her now? The Rhea Ripley phenomenon says a lot about the power of being different, and that it's sexy to be powerful. But Rhea Ripley to me is pop punk. Sawyer Wreck is real punk rock. Neither needing your approval or understanding. A song that is less about precision and craft than a force of nature mixed with an eternal sound of a distorted electric guitar. She is unabashedly proud to be a woman, but one on her own terms. 

Moment two. Mayhem on Mills, my favorite show. Sawyer is the champion, taking on Sepentico who is returning in a Roman triumph from a long, sustained run at AEW. As was told to me by both Serpentico and Sawyer later, she wasn’t supposed to bleed. But an errant chair clonks off of Sawyer’s head, and there’s blood. I don’t recall why Sawyer wasn’t supposed to bleed, a big match coming up or some other reason, but Serpentico was horrified. Sawyer seemed delighted. The hardcore always finds her, and she bathes in her own blood. 

Deathmatch wrestling really made its mark with me during COVID. I wrote a piece entitled “Deathmatch Wrestling is the Pro Wrestling Left to Us” in praise of Deathmatch. I witnessed the best of ICW on more than one occasion live in Florida. But they never had Sawyer Wreck and were worse off for it. But everything Sawyer did at No Peace Underground was great. And her GCW debut was against Brandon Kirk, and it’s been nothing but phenomenal appearance after phenomenal appearance for them. ICW missed out, clearly, but fans of Deathmatch didn’t. I never heard a bad word about Sawyer Wreck from all the wrestlers I interacted with, and many of them could find a way to complain about found money on the floor. “What, just a $20 bill?” People loved Sawyer Wreck. Wrestlers, fans. Sawyer Wreck also always seemed to have a healthy love of self and of women in general. I don’t know any wrestler that took so many photos with young women, and the vibe wasn’t sexual but always a genuine love. Her people found her and she loved them for it. I will always think of Sawyer Wreck behind the building getting cuts tended to at No Peace Underground, smiling through the blood. 

Moment three. Sawyer Wreck versus Mickie Knuckles at No Peace Underground. Mickie Knuckles is the gatekeeper. To what? Everything. And she was testing Sawyer Wreck. But Sawyer didn’t react like someone trying to pass a test. She was just applying pressure over time, seemingly getting stronger with every light tube to the head, every bleeding cut, every stiff strike. If Mickie Knuckles (someone else I have written an article about as well) didn’t have full respect for Sawyer before the match, she certainly did afterwards. 

Respect. Respect for wrestling, respect for Deathmatch. She took as good as she gave. She promoted women constantly. She is unique. The furious love child of Luna Vachon and Bruiser Brody. The best smile in the game. Make no mistake, Sawyer Wreck may have never wrestled for the E or Tony Khan, but that made her no less of a success. She got to work in Japan, she got to wrestle who she wanted to wrestle, and did it her own way. And now she leaves the same, no bad memories of a diminished performer. Someone who is leaving with dignity, reputation and body intact in spite of car-crashing herself for years. She will reign as the wrestler I most wanted to see, and got to see. 

The final moment. Mayhem on Mills is my favorite wrestling show. I know I already said that. Before they arrived at their current venue, they often did outdoor shows. And those shows always…I mean ALWAYS got rained on and upon. Always. And the show where Sawyer Wreck won their title was no different. But I stood in the rain to see. One of only a few who stuck it out. But I had a feeling. And when she thundered down her smaller male opponent with a chokeslam that caused a massive splash in the ring - figuratively and literally - she was the Mayhem on Mills champion. And I felt joy. My joy matched the joy she was clearly feeling. A transcendent moment, even for just a few of us. 

Sawyer Wreck will be missed. But that’s not the feeling I have as a type. All I feel is good fortune at having seen her in many great moments. I rarely buy gear from wrestlers, except perhaps out of slight obligation and as a show of support. But my Sawyer Wreck beanie is always in my car, eager to be worn when the weather turns cold by Florida standards. I’ll wear it tomorrow and think of her as she sings her swan song at GCW, and I hope the present I sent for her finds her well. 

 It seems inadequate to say simply, “Thank you” to Sawyer Wreck, although I mean it. So I’ll say this - you were more than a unicorn in the wrestling business, you were Cthulhu. Awe inspiring, a little frightening, compelling to the last. And unforgettable and in that way, immortal. 

Enjoy your retirement. Something tells me your life won’t become less interesting. But pro wrestling for me without you in it will be.