fan – Page 2 – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

XXXIV: The Hulk Hogan Question My Grandfather Frequently Asked

Usually, I would watch WWE alone, and I’m cool with it. Yes, I eventually found a few friends who watch WWE or pro wrestling in general (casual or a die-hard fan like me), but I also accepted a long time ago that pro wrestling is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Whenever I do watch pro wrestling with other people, it’s even better. One of my bonding moments with my Father would be watching clips of WWE (old or new) on YouTube. Sometimes, my Younger Brother (the Kane to my Undertaker) would watch with me, too. Recently, when I was watching the recent edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, my Younger Brother was surprised to see Goldberg in action. (I told him it was his retirement match, and he was battling Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.)

But whenever I watch WWE with my lolo (Tagalog for “grandfather”), Lolo Ice, it’s a different situation—primarily because he doesn’t know it’s scripted, predetermined. If I did bring up the scripted fact to him, he would forget it, and he would still cheer for the faces (heroes) and jeer for the heels (villains)… and I love him for that. I can just enjoy watching the matches and moments with my lolo without analyzing them. This is why I called him my wrestling buddy.

And of all the times Lolo Ice and I watched any wrestling match or moment, he would always bring up one question about an important figure in pro wrestling, and I would always answer the same way.

XXIII: Becoming More Forgetful

Lately, I have been more forgetful, and I hate it.

Let me list all the things I (almost) forgot this week.

Song of the Moment LXXVIII: Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose”

One of my happiest childhood memories is watching Batman Forever in theaters with my family. It is the first Batman movie I have seen in cinemas, and I thank the film, a VHS tape of Batman Returns, and Batman: The Animated Series on television for igniting my passion for anything Batman. And when I watched it several more times as an adult, well… yes, it is campy overall, but I would pick it over the other Joel Schumacher-era Batman film Batman & Robin primarily because of Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne and Batman—serious, conflicted but not too dark which blends well with movie’s vibe.

That is why it’s heartbreaking to learn that Val Kilmer died of pneumonia last April 1. Another Batman is gone. Damn. To soothe the pain, I’m listening to Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose”, the second single from the Batman Forever movie soundtrack.

The music video of Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose”.

Rest in peace, Val Kilmer and Joel Schumacher. Thank you for the memories.

Published on April 4, 2025 at 11:59pm. Edits were made on April 5, 2025 at 12:00am.