As things are crazy here in the United States on November 4th, 2020, I needed to find something that made me smile. Something that reminded me that good things do happen to good people. That the American Dream of honest, hard work paying off isn’t completely dead. And, because I am who I am, it should also involve gaming… and professional wrestling.
I have said this before, and I’ll say it again: I love professional wrestling. And if you love stories of good vs evil, dynastic warfare fought over generations, blood feuds, friendship, romance, betrayal, and live, death-defying stunt work performed in your literal face… you are already a fan of professional wrestling.
With that in mind, let me tell you about Brandon Cutler.
Recently, a popular meme has popped up showing one wrestler throwing another onto a pile of polyhedron dice. The guy doing the throwing? That’s Brandon. And this is his story.
Brandon is not just a pro wrestler—he’s also a gamer. He wears a dragon mask to the ring. His finishing move is called “the TPK.” He plays D&D with other pro wrestlers on his Youtube channel. Also, he’s a sweet guy. He’s one of the Good People. But to tell his story, I have to take a slight detour. Don’t worry, it’ll only be for two paragraphs.
For decades, professional wrestling has been dominated by one company: the WWE. But just last year, a new company called “All Elite Wrestling” popped up and has been kicking ass. They provide a real alternative to McMahon brand of wrestling and they’re giving wrestlers that the WWE would never look at a real chance at making a living doing something they love.
Now, I have to simplify how AEW came about so I don’t bore non-wrestling fans with the details, but suffice to say, a huge part of it was a tag team called “The Young Bucks.” They’ve won a huge audience by exploiting social media, especially their Youtube channel “Being the Elite.” It’s funny, surreal, serious, violent, and everything else I love about pro wrestling. One of the behind the scenes fellows on that show is the subject of this little essay, Brandon Cutler.
Brandon helped with the production of the channel. (His wife also makes ring gear—really damn gorgeous ring gear.) After years of helping make Being the Elite a Monday morning tradition for wrestling fans on Youtube, money came in for a wrestling promotion using the Young Bucks and their other Elite friends. And that’s when the Bucks got the opportunity to pay Brandon back for his tireless work.
Did the Bucks make it part of the show? You bet they did. And even watching it now, more than a year later, I still get choked up.
Speaking of a year later…
It’s been a year, and Brandon has been not only creating content for Being the Elite and AEW Dynamite, he’s also been wrestling. Unfortunately, he’s been losing.
In fact, for a year, Brandon had not won a single match in AEW. Not one.
… but that was his story.
Everybody loves Brandon. Hell, I’ll say it. I love Brandon. And I cheer for him whenever he comes out. He’s part of my tribe. He’s a gamer. And even if he loses, he works damn hard in every match he’s in, putting on a strong performance. Brandon doesn’t lose because he’s a bad wrestler—he loses because things go against him. Also, he’s fun to watch, and that means a lot to wrestling fans like me. Win or lose, did you entertain me? If yes, you’re a winner in my book.
But in the reality of the show, Brandon is a loser. And you know what that does to me as a wrestling fan?
I want to see him win.
Now, the WWE has tried this “underdog” story for a bunch of different wrestlers, but they never pull it off. (My opinion: it’s because Vince McMahon doesn’t understand the whole concept of underdog. He only understands WINNERS ARE WINNERS AND LOSERS ARE LOSERS, PAL!) AEW pulled it off by never making Brandon look weak.
Eventually, he made a tag team with the other guy in the promotion who also had a record with no checks in the W column, Peter Avalon, “the Librarian.” (Yeah, it’s a dumb gimmick, that’s part of the story!)
But the two continued their losing streaks, even as a tag team with the Librarian slowly turning into a villain while Brandon maintained his honor and dignity by refusing to cheat. (He’s a paladin. A dragon paladin.) Finally, they broke the team and faced off against each other. One of them had to win, and that meant, one of them would finally get a check in the W column.
Who won? Well, that would be giving away the end of a story, and as a storyteller, I’m afraid I just can’t do that. You’ll have to see for yourself.
And that, my friends, is something awesome. The story of someone who earned their success with hard work, friendship, and delivering the goods. And, for bonus points, he’s a gamer.
And so, on the morning of November 4th, 2020, I turn to Brandon Cutler to remind me that the good things in the world are not dead. Heroes do win. And for that, sir, I thank you.
No work. All shoot.
* * *
If you want to see the recap of the whole story, you can watch this:
If you want to see Brandon’s match with Peter Avalon, you can do so here:
John Wick is the creator and Line Editor for Chaosium’s 7th Sea RPG. He was the original story editor on the Legend of the Five Rings CCG and RPG and has won numerous awards for game design.