These back-story pieces are great. This one, in particular, was extremely well written. Hats off to the author, Chris Cuellar. Super job. Would be cool if we got to see more about wrestlers' backgrounds in general. As in life in general, fans' perceptions of wrestlers are often completely inaccurate, and fans often develop animosity toward a persona rather than the actual person. I'm sure there have been plenty of opposing wrestlers who have incurred the ire of Iowa fans in the past but were largely misunderstood.
One example that comes to mind right away is Kyven Gadsen. Of course, his dad, Willie, was a tremendous guy and beloved by everyone. However, Kyven put on a display in Carver a few years ago after pinning Kris Klapprodt, our undersized back-up who gave it all he had and wrestled him tough but got caught in a cradle (and is an outstanding young man in his own right). He lost his cool, plain and simple, was disrespectful to Kris, and taunted the Iowa crowd. Not his best moment. However, I've had a chance to get to know one of his primary professors from ISU, and he can't say enough about what an outstanding, kind, thoughtful, and considerate young man he is.
Granted, part of the fun of being a fan is having your favorites and rooting for certain guys to win, etc. That's all in good fun. Still, if we knew more about the kids off the mat, I'm sure we'd all have a healthier understanding of what they've been through and what they're all about. I have no doubt that increased understanding would largely quell the hate.
