Why Wrestling Is Cool: How Action Andretti Surprised “The Ocho”

It is obvious that we live in a world where everyone thinks they know everything that is going to happen in wrestling. Whether you want to blame the internet, the dirt sheets, or the fact that we have all been watching wrestling for our entire lives, it is very difficult to surprise wrestling fans these days. That doesn’t take away from our love of the business or the men and women who entertain us week in and week out, but it does make you miss the days when you were a kid and had no idea who was going to win at any given moment because you didn’t have the knowledge you have now. Once in a while, however, something happens in wrestling and it takes you back to those days. We witnessed one such moment on AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming this week with Action Andretti.

Where does everyone’s mind usually go when a big-name star comes to the ring after a big loss at a pay-per-view to find someone already in the ring who didn’t get his name across the bottom or even get his entrance televised?  We have all been trained to think, “Well, this local talent is going to get crushed, but at least he is getting some TV time.”  That is where my mind, and it seems everyone else’s mind went when Chris Jericho came out to the ring and a guy named Action Andretti was already there.

Action Andretti Reminded Us Why Wrestling is Cool

Following his incredible victory over #TheOcho @IAmJericho on #AEWDynamite, an ecstatic @ActionAndretti catches up with @ReneePaquette! pic.twitter.com/jYmhDIGQcB

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 15, 2022

Now, I may have had a different reaction than most because when I saw Andretti standing in the ring. I didn’t see a nobody jobber who would get crushed in 60 seconds. I saw a guy who I have come to know during his independent run, both as a wrestler and a friend. He has been making a name for himself all around the North East wrestling scene and has been proving exactly why he is “The Sight to See”. Action Andretti has wrestled for many companies, most notably CZW, and GCW. He is also the current MCW Heavyweight Champion.

Sure, I may have seen all the signs and thought to myself, “It is really great to see him getting some TV time on a major episode of Dynamite, but I don’t think he is going to come out and beat Chris Jericho on his first night.” I was still thrilled to see him on my screen and couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride for my friend getting a major chance to show the world what I and my family were already well aware of. As the match went on, and the crowd got more and more behind him, I started having the “what if” thoughts seep into my mind. By the end of the match, everyone in my house was jumping off their seats and screaming because this young man truly deserves this win and everything that is bound to come in his future. And let’s be honest, do we really think Chris Jericho is going to lose to some nobody on national TV if he didn’t see something in him?

This is a prime example of how sometimes, even with all of the things that we have been trained to think when it comes to wrestling, they still find a way to surprise us. I look forward to everyone else getting the chance to know Action Andretti as we have. It won’t take long for people to come around and realize he isn’t just some jobber who had the “upset of the decade”, but he is a rising star and you will be seeing a lot more of him.