Inspiration: "Ryan" Wins a Belt

Pro wrestler Mike Bennett is my model for "Ryan". He had the biggest win of his career a couple of weeks ago. He and his tag partner Matt Taven won the IWGP heavyweight tag belts over in Japan. They're part of The Kingdom, a heel faction in ROH that also includes the awesome Adam Cole.

Mike Bennett aka The Cave's "Ryan"

This win is a big deal and he's been celebrating on social media.

I'm sharing this because somehow I feel like the accomplishments of the model is in some way relevant to this blog because I used him as the character. Is that weird? Probably. Still, I'm happy for the guy. Video of the match is available at the Wrestling Network. Scroll down to NJPW Invasion Attack 2015. They make their entrance at 21:45 of Part 2. Below are some pics of Mike pre- and post-match.

Mike before the match

Firing up the crowd

Of course, this was almost a non-issue. When I was casting, I originally picked James Guardino as Ryan. However, I felt like he just wasn't imposing enough. I felt bad for changing my mind, but he did end up as Mako instead. I'm pretty happy with my decision, even though I feared it made me a pain in the ass.

As a replacement, I ended up choosing Mike Bennett, somewhat randomly, but I feel good that he was a great choice as Ryan. He's handsome, but not "model" handsome, which suits the character. He seems like a nice guy in social media. Bennett is well-built and believable as an imposing guy, even though he's nowhere near 6'4" in real life.

Anyway, I've strayed way off-topic. Back to the big win and some pics of the aftermath.

Here's the challenge ...

And here are some action pics.

And some celebration pics ...

A Ribera jacket means you've arrived

If you're wondering who Ryan even is then you haven't visited my other blog The Cave! Check him out in action in The Cave 2, 3, 8 and 9!

Alex