EDITOR’S NOTE: Brian Gorie is a long-time referee based out of the Detroit area. Besides a score of local shows, he’s also worked for major companies such as Ring of Honor, EVOLVE, SHIMMER and Game Changer Wrestling. On Saturday, June 17, 2023, he was inducted into the Detroit-based XICW Hall of Fame. We’re privileged to be able to share his induction speech here.
BRIAN GORIE’S XICW HALL OF FAME INDUCTION SPEECH
Hi, my name is Brian Gorie and I f****ing love this sh**.
I have loved pro wrestling ever since I turned on the TV and saw The Blue Blazer do a dropkick off the top rope… ever since The Undertaker locked The Ultimate Warrior inside of a casket… and ever since I watched “The Macho Man” Randy Savage ask Ms. Elizabeth, “Will You Marry Me?”
There is absolutely nothing like professional wrestling.
In 1992, I begged my father to take me to The Palace Of Auburn Hills to watch the WWF and he agreed. The whole time, my Dad and my Uncle made fun of how fake WWF was and vowed to never take me again.
Fast forward to 1994. I loved ECW and I found out Sabu vs. Terry Funk was happening 15 mins away from my house. I asked my Grandpa to take me and that night is the moment I fell in love with independent wrestling.
I didn’t know how but I definitely knew somehow some way I had to be a part of this.
Thankfully, my Grandpa actually liked wrestling and for years he would drive me to all the local shows.
Eventually, I was able to weasel my way into the locker room and the rest is history.
Since then, I’ve been a camera man, ring announcer, promoter, booker, manager, wrestler and most known as a referee for the last 26 years. All thanks to my Grandpa and people like Mike Kelly, Dan Curtis, Dave St. Onge, Joe Bruce, Gary Waronchak, Scott EZ, JD Marshall, A.T. Huck and “Sweet Daddy” Malcolm Monroe allowing a young lost kid into the brotherhood of pro wrestling. Allowing him to find somewhere where he belonged.
In retrospect, I’ve got to live out all my childhood dreams.
Working weekly television and pay per view thru Ring Of Honor Wrestling.
The fact that my Grandpa could flip on Channel 20 each week and watch me on TV meant just as much if not more as doing it.
I was able to referee countless times inside the legendary ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I got to share a ring with Sabu, the wrestler I grew up idolizing. I even had the opportunity to work inside the Joe Louis Arena as an extra for WWE, where my mom and I would venture to cheer on Darren McCarty and The Detroit Red Wings, who would go on to bring home countless Stanley Cups for this amazing city.
Whether it was Manhattan or Denver or The Hot Rock Sports Bar & Music Cafe … whether it was in front of 30 people or 3,000 … whether it was in a tour bus or five of us cramped inside of a 1990 Honda Accord, I got to have the time of my life traveling this country with my friends.
June 10th, 1995. That was the very first time I attended a wrestling event right here at the Lincoln Park Community Center. The main event was Malcolm Monroe Sr. vs. “Hacksaw” Butch Reed. That summer, I watched Edge and Christian begin their Hall Of Fame careers.
To be standing here almost 30 years later receiving this honor, 13 year old Brian Gorie who loved pro wrestling more than anything else in this world would be extremely proud of 40-year-old Brian Gorie and everything he accomplished.
Oh. As much of a big deal as this Hall of Fame induction is, I think there is something slightly more important that I need to point out.
It only took 26 years but I finally got my mother to attend a pro wrestling show. So, it’d be awesome if we could give her a round of applause.
Thank you so much for everything you do. You’re incredible and I truly appreciate you being here tonight.
Now ladies and gentlemen…tonight, I wanna tell you what XICW means to me.
Brian Gorie’s induction plaque.
XICW is Family. XICW is Home. XICW is Love.
It’s both where I found my best friend DBA and my fiancée, Shannon.
I may have grown up an only child but in the year 2000, God blessed me with a brother named Malcolm. Malcolm, my man. We have had some wild times. I’d tell some stories but my Mom’s here. PG. Kids show! Thank you so much for always being there thru the good and the bad.
It was Malcolm who was by my side in the hospital when I was losing my Dad and my Grandfather. Malcolm will always be a part of my family and I’m very thankful to be a part of yours.
Malcolm, III, Caden, Mama, Shawn, Nicole, Dominique…All of y’all! I love you guys!
Malcolm, thank you for always believing in my vision of what I thought pro wrestling should be.
I truly believe that we produced the best wrestling events in Michigan wrestling history.
Thank you for providing a place that myself and my peers could excel, set a standard and call home.
XICW is Family. XICW is Home. XICW is Love.
XICW is where I found the love of my life. The future Mrs. Shannon Gorie. Shannon was a photographer in XICW. An incredibly talented photographer who put her time, heart and soul into shooting pro wrestling and turning it into beautiful art. I knew Shannon for years and one day, I built up the courage to ask her out.
And of course she said yes, right?
No. Absolutely not. She turned me down over and over and over until she finally gave me a chance.
I’m proud to report next month we will have celebrated six wonderful years together.
Shannon, I love you. Thank you for loving me and thank you for putting up with my sh**.
Sandy, Shannon’s mom. You’re the best. Thank you also for being here tonight.
Before I get out of here, I need to shout out all my friends who mean the absolute world to me. You’ve truly made this journey one of a kind.
Malcolm, Jimmy Jacobs, Jay “Eddie Venom” Adams, Zach Gowen, Truth Martini and Jaimy Coxxx.
Thank you to Gavin Quinn and Orlando Christopher for their help in the 2016 XICW Motor City Rumble Royale. I once spent seven full days writing and booking a Rumble. My absolute favorite XICW memory was, before the rumble, watching 30 wrestlers in a locker room come together to do their best to create something special for you.
I want to give thanks to my two favorite XICW characters I helped mold: Roughhouse R.O.B. and Drunk The Clown.
Need to show love for Burno and Ric Viv, Greg Schimizzi, Mr. Meaner, Gavin Starr, Keith Creme, Dave Prazak and SHIMMER, Shaun Hotline, Gutter, Mike Zee, Johnnie Delicious, Alex Shelley, N8, The Scarbonis, Rhino, Josh Raymond, Skull, Jeff King, Petey, TD, Isaiah, Jackson Stone, Levi, Toby, Yus, Movado, Rich, Jeff Brooks, Mark Gjoka, Mike McMahon and dozens and dozens more.
Young wrestlers — tomorrow is not guaranteed. Don’t get lost in the chase. Enjoy every moment.
To everyone here tonight, thank you for being here as we celebrate the beauty of professional wrestling.
Finally, I wanna dedicate this award to my Grandpa, my #1 fan. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.
Thank you very much.
TOP PHOTO: Brian Gorie and Malcolm Monroe II.
RELATED LINKS
- Sep. 29, 2020: Brian Gorie on Russell Redmon
- Guest Column story archive