Kris Travis Passes Away

[BringThePain834]

A British wrestler who defied the odds by returning to the ring after being diagnosed with cancer has tragically passed away.

Kris Travis, from Sheffield, has died aged 32 after a difficult battle with the disease, and tributes have been pouring out from his friends and contemporaries in the industry.

The grappler was a staple on the UK wrestling scene, appearing over the years for the likes of Southside, Preston City Wrestling and PROGRESS, earning the plaudits of fans and fellow professionals.

Last year, Travis confirmed his retirement following his cancer battle, after an incredible in-ring comeback despite having surgery to remove a stomach tumour and undergoing 18 weeks of chemotherapy.

Announcing his retirement one month after the return match, he said: "I'm going to put this out there right now..... I won't ever be wrestling ever again. Gutted yes. But I have to accept this. Lots of love. X"

Sad, sad news, and at such a young age too for that kind of cancer. I found him to be a very talented wrestler and was amazed that despite being told he would never be able to wrestle again, he continued to wrestle and was thought to have beaten his cancer when he made his return to the ring and was thought by many to be the future of British wrestling.

RIP.

 

[Uncle Sam]

This news has brought me to tears on a few occasions today. I didn't post about it on here because I imagined I'd be met with whatever the internet equivalent of blank stares are, which I'll admit is still a risk.

When Kris was first diagnosed with cancer, he was in the finals of TNA's British Bootcamp. If that hadn't happened, if this hadn't happened, I'd wager he'd have a much brighter future than just TNA.

I've occupied the same room as Kris Travis twice. First, shortly after he'd - temporarily, as it turns out - beaten cancer and received a standing ovation from the PROGRESS crowd, and then retreated into said crowd to have a few pints bought for him. Second, what I today learned was his final wrestling match against Marty Scurll, during his all too brief return, during which I was a bit too drunk and a bit too emotional and kept yelling, "Fucking come on, Trav!" every time he was getting beaten down.

There's a resurgence happening in British wrestling; one that'll be more and more apparent once the stars it's making reach American shores. Had he lived, I'm sure Kris Travis would have been in the same sentences as Grado, Jimmy Havoc, Zack Sabre, Jr. and even Finn Balor, who he wrestled on a number of occasions. Not only was he accomplished at the athletic aspect of wrestling, he had a wonderful personality, and, even more rarely, had a great understanding of comedy.

There was one thing that man wanted to do and it was to wrestle. Even having half his stomach ripped out and living in constant pain couldn't stop him. I think part of his spirit was crushed the day he was forced to retire. And now this.

Rest in peace, Trav. You'll be truly missed.