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If I had to make a list of everyone in the world that deserved something bad to happen to them, Doug Gentry would have been at the very bottom of the list, even under myself. His passing last Friday, if nothing else, is proof to everyone that knew him, even slightly that life is far too short and often unfair.
I first met Gentry in 1994 during the early days of ECW. I had known Rob Feinstein and Eric Gargiulo for awhile, often buying videos via the mail from what would later become RF Video. I can still remember buying my first FMW tape from Gargiulo at a "Weekend of Champions" event promoted by John Arezzi and talking for a long time about metal band Faith No More. For years, I would often refer to Gargiulo, who later went on to become the voice of Combat Zone Wrestling as "Faith No More dude."
I've been wracking my brain for the last 24 hours, but for the life of me, I cant even remember or pinpoint when I first met Gentry. The closest I can recall is that it was absolutely at an ECW Arena show because well, he was always there. Even during periods where Feinstein fell out with the company, Gentry was always there. He was that well liked that even when his closest friend was persona non grata, he still had free reign to come and go as he pleased with the company.
Gentry was a rare soul, not just in professional wrestling but in life in that you'd be hard pressed to ever say anything bad about him. He was always a mellow guy. No matter who you were or how many times you had met him or even if you hadn't, Gentry was friendly and willing to talk wrestling. He was one of those people that you gravitated towards when you arrived at shows, even if just to say hello, because he was good people. He loved to talk wrestling and life. He was often the brunt of the jokes of his friends but it never got him upset. He laughed it off and gave it right back.
Gentry was someone who got to live a life doing something he truly loved. Everyone should be so lucky in their own lives. Unlike many others around professional wrestling, Gentry never felt bigger than the next person, never acted condescending towards anyone and always come off like a good hearted soul. I can remember sitting and BSing in many a bar with him when ECW was on the road. He was the epitome of the type of guy that everyone liked and wanted to get a drink for - because he would be the first person to remember that it was his turn to buy it back in the next city. I'm sure if he could read this now, he'd wonder why everyone was making such a big deal over him; he was that humble.
Behind the scenes, Gentry was a man of many hats. During the time periods where RF Video's service wasn't so hot, chances are it was Gentry who was fixing your problems. He manned the RF Video booths at every show I can think of, unless he was filming ECW's Fancams instead of Gabe Sapolsky. When ECW closed, Gentry was often involved with getting promotions that RF Video worked with to improve, getting their talents to do promos to add to the video releases. It seemed like he was everywhere at once.
I can remember the night he was filming some crazy CZW main event in Smyrna, Delaware where a light tube smashed his face and hand up at ringside - despite being cut up, he just kept filming. I remember walking around backstage after the show. CZW's medical personnel were cleaning glass out of cuts and wiping down wounds for the CZW wrestlers that were in the main event. At the end of this line of bloody behemoths waiting for their turn to be looked at was Gentry, tiny in comparison, but busted open nonetheless with dried blood on his face, waiting his turn.
Like everyone else involved in the launch of the then-fledgling promotion, Ring of Honor was Gentry's baby. I can still remember the first ROH event in Philly where he ran around with a handheld camera over his shoulder, trying to document everything and get every promo done in time because they *had* to start on time in order to get off on the right foot with the fans. Gentry handled a lot of the editing of the earlier ROH shows and provided commentary under the name Ray Murrow.
Even during the fallout between Ring of Honor and RF Video in 2004, I can't remember Gentry having a cross word to say about anyone. I know the entire situation broke his heart but even then, he never badmouthed anyone.
The lone time I ever saw Gentry get angry was when he got physically involved with someone who threatened Feinstein at a Jersey All Pro Wrestling event. Even then, it wasn't because Gentry was like that; it was because he was loyal to the nth degree to those he cared about in his circle.
There's been a lot written about Rob Feinstein in the past several years, but one thing that I'll never forget is that in the end Gentry stood by the person who was his best friend. He remained loyal to his dying breath. Whether you personally agreed or understood Gentry's decisions or not, you can't help but respect someone with loyalty that pure. If everyone in their life has just one friend with the amount of deep loyalty that Gentry had for those he cared about, the world would be a far, far better place.
Professional wrestling is a really strange and fickle business, often populated by those who only care about what you can do for them at this very moment. Gentry was a unique person in wrestling - he was the exact opposite. My deepest condolences to his family and his friends, especially Rob Feinstein and Eric Gargiulo, who despite their ups and downs over many, many years always had Gentry as the buffer to offset their differences.
I can only hope that everyone who met Gentry through the years remembers him for the good person he was and tries to take a piece of his qualities and apply them to their own lives, myself included. We'd all be much better people in the long run.
Of course, Doug Gentry would be too humble to agree with me.
That's just how he was.
God bless you Doug, and your family.
Mike Johnson
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