How WWE star Cody Rhodes saved the day for one Ontario wrestling fan

Imagine winning a title to spot your favourite performer successful action only to find retired 24 hours later that nan spot had been taken away.

That is almost what happened to Guelph resident Mike Ashkewe past week but thankfully his communicative vanished pinch a happy ending.

Ashweke, who uses a wheelchair to get around, precocious won a Toys R Us title for a free summons to be nan WWE’s Money successful nan Bank show, which took spot astatine Scotiabank Arena successful Toronto complete nan weekend.

“One of nan first things I said to Toys R Us erstwhile I won nan contest, I said, ‘All right, look, earlier this goes immoderate further, you request to cognize I request accessible seating,’” Ashweke explained during an quality connected CJOY power successful Guelph connected Tuesday morning. “And they’re like, ‘Yep, don’t interest astir it.’”

So he began to make plans to be nan show including booking his transportation.

But wrong a day, nan retailer emailed Ashweke to fto him cognize that nan accessibility seating for nan show had sold retired and to connection him nan rate worth of nan tickets. That prompted him to create a station connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, to definitive his disappointment.

“So erstwhile I took nan societal media, I was hoping nan best-case script was conscionable to get somebody’s attraction and they alteration nan policies going forward,” Ashweke explained. So astatine slightest this won’t hap to personification else. Because I do accessibility defense present successful Guelph, some provincially and federally, I was like, okay, possibly if I tin make immoderate waves, alteration will happen.”

The station went viral, garnering a 1000 likes and spurring nan WWE into action. Within a day, a newsman was speaking pinch Ashweke and handed him his phone.

“Mike, it’s for you.”

“But who knows that I’m here?” he said and soon discovered WWE prima Cody Rhodes connected nan line. “It was very, very shocking. It was very weird to see. And I’ve ne'er seen what genuine astonishment looks for illustration connected my face. That’s what I’m imagining Christmas greeting astir apt looked for illustration erstwhile I was younger. Yeah, it was incredible.”

The wrestling prima fto him cognize that he had a spot for nan arena and that his recreation needs would beryllium taken attraction of. But nan WWE did not extremity there. When he arrived astatine nan arena they had a small astonishment waiting for him.

“They gave maine thing really, really constricted edition,” he explained. “They gave maine this small Money successful nan Bank suitcase pinch this replica title loop wrong of it.”

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In addition, he had brought a replica artifact of Rhodes on pinch him arsenic well. He asked a typical of WWE if it could beryllium signed.

“I was like, ‘If it’s not excessively overmuch trouble, I don’t want to fuss anybody, particularly considering we’re truthful adjacent to show time’,” he explained. The rep said, ‘Just clasp connected 5 minutes.’ Then he went backmost and brought maine backmost Cody Rhodes autographed.”

While Ashkewe says nan WWE rolled retired nan reddish carpet for him, nan item of nan nighttime came erstwhile he met fans of his own.

“When I sewage to nan arena, nan astir memorable acquisition I had, too nan wrestling itself, is location was a trio of older ladies successful their wheelchairs going into Scotiabank, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re that young man from nan news’,” he said. “They chatted pinch maine for a fewer minutes, and 1 of nan older ladies had shook my manus and said, convey you for speaking out.”

He said dozens of different group approached him astatine nan arena and said they were happy that things worked retired for him successful nan end.