Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2023/01/10/elix-skipper-explains-exit-from-wrestling-heart-was-not-in-it-anymore-after-his-son-passed-away/
Elix Skipper states that he stayed away from the sport because he did not want to get drawn back in.
In 2009, Elix Skipper had his last match in the sport of pro wrestling. That year, one of Elix’s sons, LeMarcus Skipper, was killed.
In the years since, Elix rarely made appearances in the wrestling space. K & S WrestleFest brought him in for a virtual signing and a chat user asked Elix why he had been away for so long.
He opened up about his son’s passing and stated that his heart was not in wrestling after the loss. Skipper added that he stayed away from doing interviews and things alike because he knew he’d end up back in the mix. It was his wife who encouraged him to get back involved.
All right, you’re getting right down to the heart of it (Elix responded to chat user who asked him the question). So let me be honest with you, I had an older son who was shot and killed and once he was killed, I came back to wrestling but my heart wasn’t in it anymore and the scary part is I love wrestling. But, family comes first and when he was shot and killed, I was just scared I was gonna be on the road again and something else was gonna happen so, I made a choice between wrestling I love and the family I love and obviously, my family won. I try not to do no interviews or anything because if you keep doing the little things, next thing you know, you’re back on TV or you’re back doing something so, I just wanna spend time with my family but now it’s so many years later and we were just talking about this, my wife was saying, ‘Hey, get out there. Go do some more stuff.’ She’s the one who even pushed me because when I got the text to do it (virtual signing), I was like, ‘No. I’m not gonna do it.’ She was just like, ‘Go, go’ so, you know what? I’m here and I’m glad I came because it’s been a very long time.
Skipper does not keep up with the current product. He explained that the reason he does not watch what’s happening in wrestling now is because it’ll make him want to get back in the ring.
Not at all (I don’t watch the current wrestling product). If I watch it, I’ll wanna do it. I can’t. I’d wanna be back in a ring… I can’t. If I do, it’ll make me wanna do it again.
A moment from Skipper’s career that is consistently brought up is his cage walk from TNA Turning Point 2004. On the call for that was Mike Tenay and the late Don West.
Elix was not aware of Don’s passing and was informed about it on the spot. He said he’ll pray for Don’s family and credited Don for adding his voice to that moment in 2004.
Oh, I didn’t know that (Don West passed away). Lord. Wow, I didn’t know that. Man. He was so, ‘You got to be kidding me!’ (Elix recalled Don’s commentary for the cage walk spot) Is that what he said? That is Don. Oh man, to his family, I’ll pray for them. I’ll pray for them. I believe that’s what he said, ‘You got to be kidding me…’ Sometimes making the little things more than what they were and then the bigger things even bigger because you need that person in the corner for you because you’re not there.
Mike Tenay spoke about the life of Don West and to read transcripts from that interview, check out POST Wrestling’s coverage of it.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit K & S WrestleFest with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.