Connor "The Crusher" Michalek | |
|---|---|
 Michalek in 2012 | |
| Born | 2005 (2005) |
| Died | (aged 8) |
| Cause of death | Medulloblastoma |
| Other names |
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| Parents |
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Connor "The Crusher" Michalek (2005 – April 25, 2014) was an AmericanWWE fan who received considerable media attention after asocial media campaign for him to meetDaniel Bryan, his favorite professional wrestler. He later met Bryan and other WWE performers a number of times. Michalek, who had cancer of the spine and brain since he was three years old, died aged eight on April 25, 2014. WWE executivesTriple H andStephanie McMahon subsequently named the Connor's Cure charity in his honor, and he posthumously received the inauguralWarrior Award at the2015 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
Connor Michalek was born in 2005,[1] the son of Brittany Caligiuri and Steve Michalek.[2] He had a younger brother named Jackson, and lived with his family inHampton Township, Pennsylvania.[3] A fan ofWWE, he was also known by his wrestling-inspired nicknames "Stone Crusher"[4] and "The Crusher".[5] He developedmedulloblastoma in September 2009, when he was three years old. After his diagnosis, he underwent several surgeries and many rounds ofchemotherapy. At one point, he developedPHACE syndrome and had to relearn how to speak and walk, but the cancer remained stable until May 2011. He subsequently began aclinical trial of chemotherapy and treatments but doctors gave him close to a zero percent chance of surviving due to surgery not being an option and having exceeded his lifetime amount of radiation to the brain and spine.[6]
In October 2012, a video featuring Michalek asking to meet his hero, WWE professional wrestlerDaniel Bryan, was posted toYouTube and received attention from media outlets. A social media campaign ensued, with hundreds of people joining aFacebook group titled "Help Connor meet Daniel Bryan". Within 48 hours, WWE chairman and CEOVince McMahon stated that Michalek would meet Bryan.[6] Michalek met Bryan on December 18, 2012, and again on October 7, 2013, when WWE held events inPittsburgh.[7][8] While attending the2014 Royal Rumble, Michalek and his family became acquainted with WWE ring announcerJustin Roberts, who maintained a friendship with Michalek and introduced him to other WWE personalities.[9] Upon learning that Michalek had little time to live, WWE invited him to attend theWrestleMania XXX festivities.[10] Before theirRaw event in the week prior to WrestleMania, they had Michalek perform a ring entrance with Bryan and playfully score apinfall victory overTriple H while WWE performers cheered him on.[11] During WrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014, Michalek was in the front row to see Bryan win theWWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. Bryan embraced Michalek immediately following his victory.[5]
On April 25, 2014, Michalek died aged eight.[9]
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Following Michalek's death, WWE released a video in his memory, which wentviral, featuring him interacting with numerous WWE personnel during WrestleMania XXX weekend.[11]
On March 9, 2015, WWE announced that Michalek would be honored with the inauguralWarrior Award at the2015 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. According to WWE, the Warrior Award is given to individuals who have "exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit ofThe Ultimate Warrior".[12] Daniel Bryan and Dana Warrior presented the award on March 28,[13] and his father and brother accepted it on his behalf.[14]
| Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) tweeted: |
philanthropy is the future ofmarketing, it's the waybrands r going 2 win" -@biz Stone co-founder@twitter #WWEBPS
Justin Roberts, who was instrumental in getting Michalek to meet his favorite wrestlers, wrote an article questioning whether his Hall of Fame induction by WWE was "driven by sincerity and not strategy".[16] He also wrote in detail about WWE's relationship with Michalek, including his own involvement as the initial point-contact with Michalek's family. Roberts, who had left WWE several months prior, was driven to write the article after reading atweet byStephanie McMahon made on the same day as Michalek's posthumous receiving of the Warrior Award, which as analyzed byPWInsider "raises questions about the company's reasoning for their community outreach" despite Roberts's love of "the company [having] inducted Michalek into their Hall of Fame".[15][14][17]
Michalek's father responded to Roberts by tweeting that "regardless of what said, [Roberts] loved Connor and we love him. That's what counts. I will never [forget] all he did for Connor, and now me." A second tweet displayed pictures of Roberts together with Michalek, with the caption that "this is what counts, [let's] please remember. Actions that bring smiles, like these [Roberts] gave."[9][18] WWE responded to Roberts in a statement, stating that it was "offensive to suggest that WWE and its executives had anything butaltruistic intentions in honoring Connor and his legacy with The Warrior Award".[15] WWE also highlighted in their statement their other partnerships for social causes, including Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon's Connor's Cure fund for pediatric cancer research and US$1.5 million in funds raised forSusan G. Komen for the Cure.[15] David Bixenspan ofWrestling Observer Newsletter wrote that WWE's statement "really doesn't address much of what Roberts said, for whatever it's worth".[19]
In June 2014, Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon founded Connor's Cure in Michalek's memory, a non-profit charitable organization for pediatric cancer research, which they have personally funded throughChildren's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation.[20][21] In their response to Roberts's criticisms in April 2015, WWE stated Connor's Cure "already raised more than $200,000".[15] The organization reportedly had raised more than $630,000 by September 2015,[22] and nearly $1 million by March 2016, having helped more than 100 families.[23]
In March 2016, WWE partnered withThe V Foundation, a foundation for cancer research created by late sports broadcasterJim Valvano.[23]