A Night with William Weekly: WrestleMania, Roaches, and Childhood Bonds

When I was a kid, my social interactions were limited to a small group of friends. Calling it a "circle" might be a bit misleading, as most of them had their own separate cliques, and I often found myself navigating these friendships alone. One particularly memorable friend was William Weekly, a boy a few years my junior, whom I met at a summer camp. This day camp was a haven of fun-filled activities and adventures. We spent our summer days basking in the sun at the beach, laughing through thrilling waterslides on Pensacola Beach, gliding effortlessly on roller skates, and enjoying the exhilaration of tubing down the Blackwater River. These shared experiences created a bond between us.

William’s mom worked for the sheriff's office, though I never knew her specific role. She was usually really tired when she got home, so cleaning wasn't high on her agenda. Their house was probably the most chaotic house I'd ever been in. They didn't have a garbage can in the kitchen; instead, there was a pile of garbage with pizza boxes and soda cans, and the sink was always full of dirty dishes. If they offered you something to drink, you had better make sure it was in a can or a sealed bottle.

Despite the mess, William and I bonded over our shared love of wrestling. Though GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) had ended in our area by the time we started hanging out, William's favorite wrestlers were Hollywood and Tina Ferrari. He had fond memories of them, and we often talked about the show. William had a penchant for the movie "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark," and almost every time I visited him, we would watch it, rewind the parts that cracked us up, and then reenact those scenes ourselves. William was a blast to be friends with. He even accompanied me to the fair one year and scared the life out of me on the Skywheel, my favorite ride, by rocking the seat despite the "Don't rock the seat" signage. Though we never fell out, I was terrified.

One night, William asked if I wanted to spend the night so we could rent Nintendo games and play them until we passed out. We went to the video store next to the Piggly Wiggly and rented his favorite, "The Legend of Zelda," which I never got into, and "WrestleMania."

WrestleMania was my absolute favorite Nintendo game. Eventually, my parents bought it for me just to stop me from renting it every time we went to the video store. The game featured six wrestlers: Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow, and The Honky Tonk Man. Each wrestler had a limited number of moves, such as standing punches, kicks, headbutts, and unique running attacks. For example, Randy Savage used elbow smashes, Bam Bam Bigelow had two running attacks, and Ted DiBiase used eye gouges. Only Hulk Hogan could bodyslam the massive André the Giant.

You could play single exhibition matches or tournaments. In the single-player tournament, you’d choose one wrestler and defeat the other five to win the championship. In multiplayer tournaments, up to six players could compete, each facing every other wrestler once. The wrestler with the best record at the end of the tournament would be declared the champion.

William was always Bam Bam Bigelow or Hulk Hogan, while I was Macho Man or Honky Tonk Man. We played the multiplayer tournament matches almost the entire night. If one of us started to fall asleep, the other would make the most of the dozing off and cheat on the game as best we could. We loved playing games together, and often ended up bumping into each other, trying out real wrestling moves we saw in the game. His mom would bring us microwaved popcorn, then sit down to play "Super Mario Brothers" herself while we munched on our snack.

William was straight but very supportive of me being gay. He was a good counterpart to my friend TK, who was my friend with benefits. I only spent the night with William once because of the breakfast incident. His mom brought out cereal, and though I loved Raisin Bran, hers had something extra—roaches. I kid you not, she poured a bowl for me and what looked like raisins were moving. I wrote a song about it and might share it one day, perhaps as a fun tribute to my friend William, who tragically died in a motorcycle accident the year he graduated high school.

Despite never staying over again, we continued to hang out a lot. Every time I thought I had the courage to spend the night again, I ended up calling my dad to pick me up because I was afraid the roaches would get me. I wish I could say my friendship with William had continued throughout high school, but we drifted apart once I started the 9th grade.

I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic trip down memory lane with my friend William Weekly. If you have any similar stories or experiences, please share them in the comments below. Your feedback and shared memories help build our wonderful community of readers. If you feel inclined to support this ongoing effort, your contributions are greatly appreciated. Additionally, if you'd like to show some love and support in other ways, feel free to do so—every little bit helps in continuing this journey of storytelling and connection. Thank you! ❤️