Mike Bennett has opened up on what it was like to wrestle in front of 14 people. The pandemic has thrown up some interesting scenarios, and this is no exception.
Mike Bennett: ‘Whether There’s 14 People Or 40,000 People There, I Get To Do What I Love.’
In an interview on The Angle Podcast, Mike stated how he loved the whole experience. He said: “It was awesome. And I’m not sugarcoating it. It was cool. Like, this whole tour has been awesome.” This would seem contrary to what other wrestlers have been saying. Bill Goldberg, for his part, has been very vocal about how the absence or lack of fans has plagued motivation levels in the sport. And this is coming from someone who has never had the best of relationships with the crowds.
The above has also not been helped by the confusion surrounding other sports. Tennis, for instance, has seen crowds enter into stadiums, and that is a sport where the outcome of a crowd can also determine the result. For Mike, though, the love of the sport is enough to carry him through.
He added: “And whether there’s 14 people or 40,000 people there, I get to do what I love. That’s just what it was; you show up, and you do your job, and you leave. This is what I’ve been hired to do.” In fact, the smaller crowds have appealed to Mike, given the close connection to the fans. It is sometimes easy to get lost in the fame of it all, but with a small crowd, a wrestler can stay humble.
He continued “I’d rather wrestling in front of 14 dedicated fans than 40,000 fans. I’d rather 14 die-hard, dedicated, die-hard fans — because those are the people who care about you, and those are the people that matter.”
And he signed off the interview by promising to stick to those words. That is what has given Mike a cult status amongst the fans. He may not be the biggest name in the sport, but he does have heart: “If 14 people show up in a snowstorm in blizzard conditions in Oklahoma City? Then I’m going to show up too because those are my fans.”
It is very rare that you see wrestlers who can see past the glitz and glamour, but in Mike there is one that the fans can continue to root for. Let us know what you think in the comment section down below. Please also remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Gamestingr for great videos, news, and gameplay!