By David G. Firestone
Being both a racing fan and a wrestling fan has given me an interesting look at how rivalry and tribalism play out in the course of tragedy. Tragedy can strike at any moment. When it strikes, the way the fans react is really telling. Sadly, both NASCAR and AEW have had tragedies this year. The way the fans reacted is telling.
When Kyle Busch died earlier this year, fans, crew members, drivers, and team owners came together to show support for Kyle and his family. Every race, at lap 8, the fans hold eight fingers in the air as a tribute. That tells you who racing fans are. We come together to support our favorite drivers, but we support the loved ones of a live tragically lost, and that makes me proud to be a racing fan.
Then, there are wrestling fans. There’s a saying that wrestling fans make it very hard to be a wresting fan. September 2026 has been a very difficult to be a wrestling fan. Two wrestlers, Andy Williams “The Butcher” and Benjamin Satterley, who was PAC in AEW and Neville in WWE passed away. Williams was 48, Satterley was 40. The tributes from their fellow wrestlers were touching and heartbreaking. Both were well liked and respected in the locker room and in the ring.
But wrestling fans can’t stop being wrestling fans.
The ugly fan tribalism that manifested on social media was disgusting. Using the tragic deaths of two beloved and respected wrestlers to promote your tribalism is disgusting, and those who did should be ashamed of themselves. Sadly I know that they aren’t. They are proud of themselves. I’m not going to show any of it here, because I’m not giving these assholes a platform.
As much as I enjoy wrestling, this kind of behavior makes it difficult to be a wrestling fan. Between fans showing up to wrestlers houses, stalking, threats of violence, and various other acts of selfishness, I can’t call myself a wrestling fan. I would be aligning myself with them.
To sum it up, after the tragedies of 2026, I’m proud to be a racing fan, I’m ashamed to even call myself a wrestling fan.
