I met a man by the name of Scott Charms when I was a young punk kid who used to sit up late at night dreaming of being in a ring in front of an audience and getting booed. I had dreams of making it big and being the Heavyweight Champion in my home town wrestling in the main event in the only arena that in my eyes that mattered Corpus Christi’s Center Theatre. He would dress in the most absurd and loud clothing, always wearing an evil sneer and carrying whatever foreign object he could find. He was animated and brash. He was loud and was volatile and I WANTED TO BE HIM. He was the guy you laughed at and you hated so much that you often spilled your drink as you jumped out of your seat to yell at him or the referee for not seeing what he did. I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say this was what made me follow him like a puppy looking for treats. I owe a lot of awe to my time watching Scott battle his nemeses Prince Fontenot the Galvan Family and any other good guy that happened to be his opposition. Remember I was a punk kid and I was thirteen but Scott was always cool with me. I will forever thank those men who allowed me a chance to be a fan and a friend. I remember Scott most vividly as the UGLIEST woman I ever met when he dressed in drag in the audience and offered then GCWA Heavyweight Champion Price Fontenot a birthday cake from across the guard rails. On this night in the Center Theatre, I was nervous and acting as a part of the security detail for the event, I watched as my favorite good guy was offered a cake by a fan. I remember smiling in the back of my mind thinking of how it would feel to have a fan give me a birthday cake at a show. In a split second I saw a flash before my eyes; no it wasn’t the future (where I still haven’t received a birthday cake while on my way to the ring) it was the flash of an instant Polaroid Camera. “Oh, no” I thought, “I screwed up someone just blinded the Champ!” with that thought of fear in my head the old woman jumped the rail and crashed that camera on Prince’s head attacking him. It took me a few seconds to snap to it and try to get this old woman off the Champ. When I grabbed her I heard Scott’s voice for the first time. “Get off me kid, I’m in the show,” he said this without missing a beat as the villains swarmed the Champ and then the heroes saved the day. I watched in awe as Scott exposed himself for the evil villainous heat magnet he was. It was then that I knew what I wanted out of my time in the ring. There was cake and a woman’s shawl on the concrete and I was glued to the creator of the chaos. I remember meeting Scott later that night as the show ended. I apologized for interrupting him during the show and was met with the complete opposite of what I expected. As I type this I have found a photo and the neck of a guitar that Scott hit Prince with during a match some months later. Scott carved “SEC” into the fret board for me when I asked for his autograph. Every time I was fortunate enough to see Scott after that I would pick his brain about everything from his choice in ring attire usually a velvet pimp style hat, loud boots, spandex looking pajama style pants and what every villain in wrestling needs; you guessed it the feathered boa. I learned that the man I knew as Scott was actually Trent Bess, a professional wrestler on the independent circuit who was full of life and was actually a great big kid at heart. I didn’t socialize with the talent much when I was a 13 year old kid, but when I would see them at events I always felt like I was a part of “the boys” Trent and Prince always treated me with respect, and like I was more than just a fan. When I was “wise” I knew that I wanted to be a heel, and depending on who you talk to I was very good at it. I owe a lot of that to Trent. Yes, it’s true that the Galvan Family allowed me to get my first taste of the business and training. I will forever be in their debt for that. It is also true that the Green Family allowed me to get my start and learn on the job. I am forever in their debt as well. But it was when I was a 15 year old kid in Victoria, Texas pissing the crowds off with my actions as a villainous referee and getting ready to make my mark as “Ravishing” Rolando; I looked back at the time I spent watching Trent his mannerisms his style (while I didn’t mimic, copy or steal from him) and his actions in and out of the ring with the crowd. No I was not Scott Charms 2.0 I did follow in his footsteps as a young talent though. As most people in the business will tell you, friendships are few and far between in professional wrestling. I left my teens and enlisted in the Army leaving Wrestling in 2004 for the first time not knowing if I would ever really come back. Upon my return to the business I continued to build my knowledge and on a few occasions I crossed paths with Trent but being so busy we never talked for long. Why would I spend this much time talking about a man who I only knew on a business level? The answer is quite simple. Trent made an everlasting impression on me. His influence has been in every aspect of any promo I’ve ever done. His actions taunting the audience rubbed off on me. Where he was quirky I was violent, where he was animated I was animated and where he drew your attention with bright vibrant colors, I made it a point to be remembered for what bright colors I could find. I asked Trent once why he dressed that way. “Because they’ll be talking about it tomorrow,” he replied. Well Trent I’ve been talking about it and sharing stories of you for over 15 years now. Most recently at the last Ring of Faith event held in San Antonio. I am very sorry to hear of your passing and my deepest condolences go out to your family and friends. Good bye Trent and Godspeed. Thank you for your contribution to my life and to independent professional wrestling; but most of all thank you for the memories.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:01:20 +0000