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Post by Dave D-Flipz on Dec 11, 2023 22:48:44 GMT -5
To everyone here at XHF Network, I come to you tonight with some very sad and somber news.
The admins were made aware this morning of some news regarding one of our network handlers. One of the fed heads (I'll leave it anon for now, they can say if they want) alerted us to a message they received from the brother of Mike, the handler of Vodka Fizz and Tommy Strychnine. According to Mike's brother, Mike sadly passed away this weekend. A check in on his facebook page shows a cousin lamenting seeming to confirm this. This is incredibly sad news as Mike has been an active member of our network family for a while now, running Tommy Strychnine in our first true network fed success AWF and then helping staff Fireside and now running Tommy over in Tapout. We global admins want to send our love and condolences to Mike's family and friends. Mike's brother said he'd reach out to us with info on memorial services and possibly a digital component so anyone who wants to pay respects can. Until such time as we get that word and pass it on, we ask you respect the privacy of the family. I will leave this post open for people to post as they wish. We ask that anyone who needs to take time to process this, do so. Grieve, pay your respects, take time to process. The holiday season is already a rough time for many people and losing a loved one is never easy at any time. Please do what you need to in order to cope and maintain your own mental health. I will post here again with info on the memorial services once we hear back.
Mike will be missed. He was a vibrant and creative personality and I personally always enjoyed his work. Watching him bring the character Vodka Fizz up to competing for the X*Crown from being the resident "dumpster fire" was a site to behold. Both his characters brought entertainment to us and he also wrote a bunch for Fireside and his own pop up show. Mike was a talented writer and a good guy and it saddens me to hear this news. As I said, feel free to post wellwishes and comments below. Rest in peace, Mike.
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Kira Izumi
J-ROK Staff
XHF's Resident Weeb
Posts: 5,918
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Post by Kira Izumi on Dec 12, 2023 0:15:50 GMT -5
I'm not sure how to start this as I continue to erase and rewrite this, but here goes nothing I guess.
Many thoughts and memories are rolling through my head right now. Mike or Tommy as I came to know him was here just days ago. Please don't take any time for granted. Tell someone you love them, go see them, make memories with them while you still can. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. I'm so sorry to his family, to his close friends and to anyone else grieving right now. He was a great writer and his characters were always fun and incredible. Thank you Mike for everything.
We had fought each other with many different characters over many different promotions over many years. But you always pushed me to do better when we rped against one another. Our feud with wildcat and Tommy will always be my favorite.
Rest easy brother.
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ulvendagoth
.::XHF Competitor::.
Poena doesn’t beat opponents, he breaks them... You don’t beat Poena, you survive him.
Posts: 152
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Post by ulvendagoth on Dec 12, 2023 1:03:29 GMT -5
Rest in peace, buddy.
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Post by IMMORTALS on Dec 12, 2023 3:14:57 GMT -5
Very sad news, Tommy was a character I was very fond of, and I grew to learn the man behind the curtain was equally as full of life. Mike definitely brought a lot to the boards, if only a small share of his life, and for that we can all be thankful we got to experience it.
RIP Mike/ Vodka/ Tommy, may you live forever in your dreams.
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Post by Cross Recoba on Dec 12, 2023 3:16:46 GMT -5
Mike/Tommy was almost the perfect member of a fed, he never grumbled about a loss and was always ready with a suggestion or a tweak to his character and produced some fun and great writing. If you want to see what might have been one of his best pieces then it's here.
He was part of the original Tap Out Six who got behind the idea at the start and for that I'll be ever thankful, the news is extremely sad and unexpected, he'll be missed greatly by myself and, I imagine, others. When the new series of Peacemaker comes out I'll be thinking of him when his theme (and the show's) plays.
As DT said, he was an asset to the Network given his work not just in the AWF and Tap Out but also in helping Caff run FIRESIDE and also the Big Fight Fight Night which was a blast to read.
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Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Dec 12, 2023 6:23:24 GMT -5
DT said it better than I did- but Fizz left an impact here. He was always respectful and kept coming with new ideas and interesting promos.
He also was one of the few people who probably could work with Caff long term- and that's not a joke, it's an accomplishment. I'm glad that we were able to have him for the time that we did and for as long as we did. I can only hope that his family can hold on to the good in this kind of a tragic situation and heal accordingly.
Thank you Fizz, we'll miss you.
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Post by Kris on Dec 12, 2023 7:22:03 GMT -5
...rest easy, Mike.
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Kasper Van Zant
.::XHF Competitor::.
I cannot control you into wanting me
Posts: 74
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Post by Kasper Van Zant on Dec 12, 2023 8:50:44 GMT -5
Hate I didn't get to work with him, I'm ready to 2023 to be over honestly. Rest Easy Mike
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michael
.::XHF Competitor::.
Posts: 103
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Post by michael on Dec 12, 2023 13:55:03 GMT -5
I didn,t knew him but it is always sad. I have worked with paula for years I was sad when she passed. believe on monday we talked and 24 hours later she died. I have cryed my eyes out when tim died in a accident when car hit his motor bike. So do know how people here feel.
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Post by anthonycaffrey on Dec 13, 2023 14:52:42 GMT -5
If I don't write something about this I'm going to regret not doing so, so hi.
This news hits in a strange way, finding out the creative partner who got me through the pandemic died. I haven't talked to Mike in over a year and now I'm just sitting here kicking myself for not even saying hi recently. The guy was creative, driven, and just genuinely a good dude in a way that was so easy to get along with (which is saying something for me and my personality lmao).
I think there's something to be said about everyone having their own story. If you go back and read through his works you can pick up a story that from what I understood was not too far off the actual man. He wanted more and to work towards it, and that engine drove him creatively. I don't think we ever had a disagreement that wasn't easily solved because he knew that the greater goals were worth pursuing.
And he was a nice dude, to boot. There were definitely times I vented to the guy or had an outburst and he'd just take it in and give the comfort and clarity needed to continue to keep going. And when it became clear that there'd been enough, there wasn't a protest of any sort, just more work (though if I recall he missed posting relating to one of the title matches towards that time, and now I'm wondering if this was due to undisclosed symptoms) and an understanding of the task at hand.
I don't really like this post because I don't think I'm doing him justice -- I am appreciative of what he did for me and for all of you -- I think his first FIRESIDE match is the one at a Halloween amusement park or some sort that he wrote and he kept going and entertaining. I'm going to go have a read of that at some point but it just wildly sucks to think that someone I had my last conversation with, leaned on, trusted, is just gone.
Just like that.
Fuck.
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Post by Spike Kane on Dec 14, 2023 6:50:25 GMT -5
This has been tough to deal with.
Mike was a great writer with a love for creating insanity and entertaining promos and matches, but I think behind the writer there was a very cool, calm, and collected individual.I have several stories of conversations we've had, particularly during our time in FIRESIDE. Mike always listened, and he always had a level headed response.
During some of my toughest times here on the network, Mike was someone I could lean on and people like that are incredibly hard to find, especially in the efed world which is so often driven by egos and imagined slights.
He's a big loss to any roster, that's for certain. It's a big loss for the XHF overall because of the person he was. I wish his family nothing but the best, and I hope they can make it through okay.
To anyone who considered him a friend, I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest in peace Mike, you will be missed.
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Post by Curtis D. Kanyon on Dec 15, 2023 22:25:42 GMT -5
Damn. I only crossed paths with him in Fireside, but Mike's stuff was always entertaining as hell. This sucks. Sending love and hugs to all my efed brothers and sisters in this terrible time. Rest in power Mike.
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Post by ForeverKuroi on Jan 21, 2024 1:24:20 GMT -5
Uhhhh, oh boy. OK, I just read this for the first time. As the head of AWF, I should say something, although I recognize I can never be able to fully capture the true essence of Mike, or Tommy, as I've affectionately called him.
Mike has been a fun player to be around and work with. I've never gotten to know him personally, but from what I do know of him personally, he was a pleasure to work with. He was easy to book, easy to work with and always had a positive attitude. He always told a fun story and was one of my favorite US Champs. His character played a larger than life rockstar and since we often play characters who are reminiscent of our personalities in some way, I like to think of him in that similar way. I both consider myself jealous that I didn't get to know him more yet lucky to have been able to know him at all, and have had the fortune to had worked with him.
Life's a precious thing and we should remember that none of us know how much time we have in this world. Be kind to yourself and others. I wish nothing but peace and healing to Mike's family. He was a good dude. The XHF Network and the world's a bit less without him.
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