This touching tribute video is proof that WWE wrestlers are big-hearted teddy bears
(YouTube)
I buy everything the WWE wrestlers are selling — they're husky, mean, people-chucking machines who fancy Lycra.
But, it turns out there's more than meets the ill-fitting leotards. These wrestling stars are a bunch of adorable softies who are willing to bend over backward for a young, cancer-stricken super fan.
In 2012, Connor "The Crusher" Michalek, a 7-year-old cancer patient from Pennsylvania, met his favorite pro wrestler, Daniel Bryan, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The diminutive, straight-talking fan made quite the impression on Bryan and the WWE crew.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Connor was special for a million reasons," Bryan says in the video as he wipes away tears. "His smile, he was so quick-witted, he was nice to everybody, but sometimes brutally honest."
This past March, Connor's dad got the tragic news that his son didn't have long to live. To make Connor's last days memorable, the WWE gave the father and son front-row tickets to WrestleMania 30 in Washington D.C. From that vantage point, Connor witnessed his hero, Daniel Bryan, win the heavyweight championship. Afterwards, Bryan crawled out of the ring, gave Connor a bear hug, and said he couldn't have won without him. "I truly believe that the whole experience extended Connor's time with me," Connor's father Steve Michalek says in the video.
Connor succumbed to his battle with pediatric brain cancer on April 25. Watch the WWE's touching tribute to one inspiring mega fan below. --Lauren Hansen
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published