Travis Giles
I have some strange hobbies. One of those hobbies often takes me to cemeteries all across the country (I told you it was strange!). Thankfully, there are times when a couple of my hobbies cross paths and double team my brain. Case in point, visiting the graves of some of my favorite professional wrestlers. I wrote an entire book – Grave Encounters – featuring over fifty of my favorite graves from across pop culture and the memories that person brought to my life. I’m happy to tag team with Ring the Damn Bell to bring you an excerpt from my book featuring one of the eight entries from the book revolving around a pro wrestler. Let’s take a look at what the Big Boss Man meant to my life while I paid my respects at his final resting place.
The following is an excerpt from Grave Encounters: A Collection of Stones and the Memories They Bury.
Big Boss Man
May 2, 1963 – September 22, 2004
Dallas Memory Gardens
Dallas, Georgia
I saw the Big Boss Man once. I mean, I saw him in the wild. He was the Big Boss Man to me – he was a prison guard from Cobb County Georgia. I had seen him wrestle Hulk Hogan, the Undertaker, Mankind, some of the biggest names in the business. I had a toy of this guy as a kid. And then I saw him with his family.
He wasn’t the Big Boss Man that day. That day, he was Ray and he was taking his family to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I was twenty-one years old and he still felt larger than life, but all of a sudden, he also felt like this regular dude. The kids with him were young and happy. He was also happy – smiling and making those kids laugh. He seemed like a cool dad.
He saw me looking, but I didn’t want to bother him. He smiled and waved and went back to his kids. That felt pretty cool. Years later, I visited his grave. I was a dad myself now. I even had my son, Charlie, with me. I usually give someone a moment when I visit their grave, but I felt like the Big Boss Man – Ray – deserved more than just a moment. He earned real reflection. He was a human being.
I never forgot the two seconds that Ray gave me, just to make me feel noticed that day in Houston. He was a TV star and I was just a young punk. I know, all he did was wave and smile, but sometimes that’s all it takes.
Step out of the ring – smile and wave at someone today. No matter if you’re the biggest, baddest prison guard or just some kid who is experiencing the world for the first time – smile and wave at somebody. You just might make their day.
The Big Boss Man sure made my day.
If you’d like to check out more from Grave Encounters – covering more from the world of pro wrestling and pop culture, check out the book on Amazon!
