An amazing story from Matt "Brother Runt" Hyson

[Travis]

[Quote=Matt Hyson]Last night I wrestled in Plymouth, MA for Top-Rope Promotions. It’s a small independent based out of New Bedford, MA which is close to my home in RI. Since I’ve been back on the indies they’ve adopted me into their family (Top-Rope is formerly Yankee Wrestling which has been around for over 27 years) and I work with them as often as I can. What I witnessed last night would have made national news, but since we’re just a local indy I doubt it made a blip on the news radar. However, I’m in such admiration of two men I feel obligated to let the wrestling world know what transpired. The night was going great. The Plymouth Memorial Hall is a beautiful building and all the workers were jazzed about the venue. The matches flowed well and the audience was having a blast. The card was set up for six consecutive matches, an intermission while a steel cage was assembled, and we closed the show with the cage match. I was watching the legendary “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka wrestle the last match before intermission when one of the boys ran by saying Tony had collapsed. Tony Phillips Stevens is one of our referees (and a damn fine one I’d like to add) and had worked the previous match. Apparently he banged his head during the match but finished and seemed all right. I ran down the hallway to the locker room and saw Tony on his back gasping for breath. Two wrestlers were on their knees beside him trying to keep Tony calm and help him get a breath. Someone called 911. The Widow-maker (Eric is his first name) and Johnny Angel have been wrestling on the New England indy scene for years. Neither men have made a lot of money or have aspirations of becoming the next Hulk Hogan. Yet their lack of national stardom has never killed their love of wrestling. They are both family men with children, they both work “straight” jobs and they both love wrestling for wrestling. These were the two men beside Tony and what I saw next was the most heroic act I’ve witnessed. As Tony lay on the floor his breaths came less and less frequently. Suddenly his head fell back and his eyes rolled in his head. I’ve only seen death at open casket funerals after the body has been worked on. When his eyes rolled I felt a cold flash and was sure Tony was dying, if not dead. Eric is a former Marine who was taught CPR in his service. I’m not sure where Johnny learned but he obviously knew what to do. When it was apparent that we were now in a life or death situation, these men stepped up to the plate. In shifts they performed CPR, alternating between pumping the chest and mouth-to-mouth. They did this with a calm, controlled confidence. They worked like a surgical team for at least ten minutes, back and forth, forcing the blood to move through his heart and oxygen in his lungs. The rest of us cleared out our bags to make way for the EMT’s and did our best to stay clear and quiet. We all prayed. Those minutes seemed like a lifetime. Johnny and Eric never stopped, never panicked and most of all, never stopped believing that Tony would live. Finally (no offense to the team) the ambulance got there. At this point we all cleared out as they closed the doors. Waiting and praying in silence was all we could do. After about twenty minutes the door opened and Tony grunted out. The EMT reported Tony was breathing on his own and conscience. A giant gust of relief came out of all of us. I looked over and Johnny and Eric collapsed in an emotional release of joy, terror and exhaustion. As both men broke down in tears I learned what true courage and bravery is all about. During all the chaos and panic they put aside anything that would mentally distract them from saving Tony’s life. It was truly awe inspiring. I think of what we would have done were they not there. Would I or anyone else in the locker room have the fortitude to save Tony’s life? People tend to overestimate their capabilities without experiencing true duress. Let’s face it we all look at ourselves as heroes. I now know I’m not even close. Johnny and Eric are the real deal. I spoke with one of the firemen while he broke down the equipment after Tony was gone. He told me Tony was technically dead and they had to use those shock things on his chest to get his heart moving. Without Johnny and Eric performing CPR Tony would have died. I received word this morning that Tony was moved from the emergency room to a Boston hospital. I’m not a doctor but what was reported to me was Tony had a valve in his heart stop. Since they discovered the problem he can be treated and should come out ok. I’ll try to learn more as the day goes on. Now that the crisis has passed, I felt obligated to share this story with the wrestling world. Johnny Angel and the Widow-maker are real heroes and should be commended. It’s an honor to know these men and a privilege to work with them and I hope the wrestling world recognizes these two real superstars. ---Brother Runt[/Quote] Credit - PWInsider.com