Roderick Strong talk went me down a bit of a wiki rabbit hole and I got to thinking about Larry Sweeney. Over a decade since he died (what a discovery opening the school that day lol) and I wonder how much of a butterfly effect he could've had for the indy/wrestling scene from the past decade. Sure he wasn't winning any ***** match (though you pretty much only saw it thru Chikara since he managed elsewhere) but MANNNNNNNNN he felt so good when he did. Was it the lack of talent on the mic that made him seem bigger than he was or was he just that good that he shined over everyone else?

Am I overrating him? Or was it a Rock promo situation that he good with a persona but not necessarily a good promo? He just seemed larger than life in that 07-10 era of wrestling. Clearly his height (like Adam Cole) would've held him back, but did you ever see him on WWE's radar? I know they never got behind managers and being 5'9 and not being exciting in the ring and not having a greek god like body meant he had a limited window. Could he have taken Corey's spot as a swarmy color guy who "kind of" had a wrestling career before it happened.

Does anyone other than c or maybe ed remember him? Feels like he's mostly forgotten as we've moved on. Is he a "talent stolen from" us story in a dark side of the ring episode? Maybe him and Cappotelli? I gotta really look into watching all the seasons of that. I saw Benoit and one other so barely touched the surface of wrestling docs. Really need to watch plane ride from hell. Shit forgetting Sweeney in his own thread lulz.

Anyway do you remember this guy?

I met Larry at an ROH event 2 years before he died. Such a cool guy. Sweeny had everything but height on his side. Then when I started investing in Chikara, he became 1 of my favorite wrestlers ever. 12 LARGE, FOREVER!

Pretty sure Sweeney is up for a Darkside episode this season. He got fucked over so hard for being bipolar. Glad at least he got his CHIKARA return before he passed.

Sweeney def was a bright star and at one point the true standout in CHIKARA.

Didn't see much of Sweeney. He started making a name for himself right around the time I drifted away from indie wrestling. Liked what I saw though. Seemed like he would have been a Baker Guy with that schtick which was half tribute to/half parody of my beloved 80s wrestling.

I didn’t realize who Larry Sweeney was until after he was dead. He passed away and everyone was upset and I was like “oh I recognize that guy…kinda…”

I can’t say why I never paid attention to him while he was alive. He was definitely someone I would have enjoyed. Probably just the timing. After CM Punk left ROH I drifted away from indie wrestling for a solid 7-8 years, only really paying attention to WWE and NJPW and the odd future NXT star to come out of that era. So that’s probably why.

I’m sad I missed the boat on him.

One of the greatest moments in CHIKARA history.

If Larry was taller he would have been an indie darling. There's no doubt in my mind.

He was an indie darling for those who got to see him. If he was not bipolar he would have been a star. Which makes his story a fucking tragedy. He legit was mentally ill and promoters and wrestlers used it against it until he killed himself.

He was why I stopped watching RoH entirely. After they fucked him when he had the breakdown, I peaced out.