Category: Tribute Of Sorts

Val Kilmer – best known for his roles in Top Gun, Tombstone, Batman Forever, Heat, The Saint, and more – had passed away from pneumonia this past Tuesday. That he passed away on April 1st gave me pause and had me wondering if this was a cruel April Fool’s joke, but that proved to not be the case. Kilmer had been struggling with some ailments – notably throat cancer – so while he shall be missed, his suffering has come to an end.

Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

Godspeed, Val.

Twenty five years.

On January 29th, 2023, news broke that Marcus Sparacio had passed away due to medical complications, a little over a couple weeks after his 40th birthday.

Sparacio is perhaps best known in the Youtube circles for his series of angry review videos under the moniker of Armake21; one of the first such reviewers to gain a following after the explosion of the Angry Video Game Nerd and the whole angry reviewing cycle. Over the years, he has adopted many other online handles; NicotineAlien, BoxedEntertainment21, TheWaste0Time, and Marc0. He made videos that had him playing games and sometimes even discuss certain topics, but every once in a while, he’d bring back the Armake21 gimmick for a special occasion.

Out of all the angry reviewer types to come out of the woodworks, the one that I gravitated towards the most was Armake21. And for what it’s worth, he was one of the best in the genre because his performances in those videos were such that it blurred the lines between reality and fiction. Whereas most angry reviewers would show mock anger in a completely unbelievable manner that made it obvious that this was just a show, Armake’s anger felt believable, genuine, and sometimes unhinged to the degree where you had to question whether this was an act or was he really that angry? That’s what made his videos so good. Because the idea of angry reviewing is getting pissed off at the most trivial things; that’s where the humor lies. Seeing some guy rage over the fact that he fell off the Deadly Tower time and time again and getting more angry with each passing moment was fucking hilarious.

What added to the persona was when he would talk about more topical things. His rant on copy protection methods fucking over the consumer who buys legitimate copies of games is one that I urge everyone to watch, as it touches on a subject matter that is as relevant today as it was back then, if not more so now. The Decline Of Gaming is another one. Most people remember the absolute railing that he gave to Chris “Irate Gamer” Bores. Those are great rants. Hell, I even enjoyed the one video where he showed people how he made reviews. He only made one, but I actually enjoyed it, if only to see that process in action.

Marcus fell off the radar a few times and when he came back a few years ago and he did videos that were just him playing games… those were some good videos. It was just a guy playing games and having fun. It was a stark contrast from the guy who once wrecked a copy of Bomberman Act Zero. And in a way, it was a nice bit of storytelling in hindsight; the angry young man who raged to the heavens found peace and emerged from the darkness an enlightened man.

I never knew the man, never spoken to him. All I know of him are through his videos and his occasional comments on various Youtube videos. And yet his loss feels like I’ve lost a friend that I hadn’t seen in years. It probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but when you watch someone for as long as I have – whether it was his newer stuff or whether it was revisiting the classic material hosted on the ArmakeArchive Youtube channel – well worth checking out to revisit some classic Armake videos – you feel as though that person has been a part of your life in some indirect fashion.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Marcus’ family and friends.

Thanks for the memories, Marc0.

Godspeed.

Ten days after celebrating his forty-first birthday, news broke that Jonathan Huber – also known as Mr. Brodie Lee in AEW and Luke Harper in WWE – passed away due to a non-COVID related lung issue.

Brodie Lee made a name for himself in the independents, having had runs in promotions such as Ring Of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling. He’d eventually get signed by WWE, rechristened Luke Harper, and was made part of the Wyatt Family group with Bray Wyatt and Rowan. A run in WWE had net him an Intercontinental title reign as well as a couple stints as Tag-Team champions, but it was his stint in All Elite Wrestling where he began to show his true potential, debuting as the Exalted One of the Dark Order and giving what had been a struggling stable new life.

It was in AEW where Brodie was able to show the world that not only did he make an intimidating big man, because he was a hell of a promo. Whether it’d be intense threats or comedic foils on BTE, there was no doubt that Brodie shined as a personality and made the most of his opportunities, whether it’d be in a World title match against Jon Moxley or during a short run as TNT champion, which culminated in the brutal but incredible Dog Collar match with Cody Rhodes; a match that would turn out to be his final match before his untimely passing.

The news of Brodie’s death devastated me. Even now, a week after the news broke, I’m still trying to come to terms with what has been a shock. It’s a dreadful feeling; a feeling that I haven’t had for a wrestler’s death since Eddie Guerrero over fifteen years ago. Part of it is that in AEW, Brodie Lee became one of my favorite personalities. Not just in terms of his wrestling persona, but through his interviews, whether he was talking about his experiences in the business, talking about his family and his children for whom he had the utmost love for, or even for his admittedly sad admiration for the ailing Toronto Maple Leafs, who offered their own condolences via Twitter when the news broke.

But Brodie’s death affected me in a different way… because he was only a couple years older than I am when he died… and it’s a scary feeling to have when someone at that age, someone who was just on the cusp of reaching his full potential in a business that he was passionate about, someone who was a family man as much as he was a wrestler, passes. It only goes to show how precious life is and is a painful reminder that tomorrow is never guaranteed.

While a part of me will miss Brodie and lament what could have been, another part will appreciate the time that I got to see him in action, whether it was as an Exalted One or a Bludgeon Brother. Whether he was a silent brute or a psychotic cult leader who threw papers at his inept followers, Brodie Lee had what it took to be a star and ran with it until the end… and from what I’ve heard, Jonathan Huber was every bit the kind soul and family man that people made him out to be. And he will be sorely missed.

Godspeed, Brodie. Thanks for the memories.

I thought long and hard about how to properly convey the words in regards to what kind of impact the late great Howard Finkel left on my life… and I end up drawing a blank. It’s almost embarrassing that it took me two weeks since his passing to come up with a worthy tribute… but ultimately, nothing I can do could be considered as such.

Because there are no words that could do the man justice.

Howard Finkel is the first thing that comes to mind when I think pro wrestling ring announcers. For over two decades, he was the voice of Wrestlemania. Appropriate when you consider that he was the one who coined the name. His distinct vocal inflections and way of making things seem grandeur and important brought a level of class and distinct to a sport that was often lacking in such things… and did a far better job of it than anyone that came before or since.

Howard Finkel was also the smartest man in WWE, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the business that became the inspiration for a short-lived contest called Out-think The Fink, where fans would try to stump the Fink. And when he needed to be, he played a perfect lackey or foil to the delight of the audience.

It is safe to say that there will never be another Howard Finkel. He was truly one of a kind and he shall be forever missed.

Thanks for the memories, Howard.

Robert Axelrod passed away this past weekend.

Best known for his vocal talents as the villainous Lord Zedd in several seasons worth of Power Rangers, Mr. Axelrod has voiced numerous characters over the course of his career, from Digimon to Robotech and other anime dubs of note. He had also been a guitarist in the 1970s.

Words cannot properly the profound sense of loss that is being felt and I can only offer my thoughts and condolences to his family and friends on this trying time.

Godspeed, Mr. Axelrod. And thanks for the memories.