Oh, it’s true
From besting Justin Wong to become the 2009 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Evo champion to famously slamming an arcade stick during an NLBC stream, those who have followed the competitive fighting game community scene over the last two decades know that few competitors are as memorable as Mr. Sanford Kelly.
Like the professional wrestlers he’s long been a fan of, Sanford’s pairing of competitive skill and hot takes on the mic make him one of the most entertaining players to watch. Sanford just celebrated his 42nd birthday on Monday, and one of the awesome gifts his wife nabbed for him was a Cameo shout out from one of the greatest wrestlers of all time: Kurt Angle.
Not only was Kurt Angle one of the toughest and most technical in-ring performers during his days in WWE, ECW, and TNA, he also famously won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics after having sustained a broken neck in the preliminary Trials.
Angle was also an unbelievably good bad guy. He ran more as a heel than as a baby face, and got audiences to unanimously chant “YOU SUCK” during his entrance theme. Even when Angle would make the occasional baby face turn, audiences would still yell “YOU SUCK” as an unconventional form of endearment.
As such, to have Kurt Angle utter those famous words in one’s direction has, in and of itself, become a special honor for wrestling fans from over the last twenty years. On Monday, Sanford was bestowed this honor by one of his absolute favorites:
My Beautiful wife surprised me with this for my birthday yesterday. I didn’t know what to expect leading to the biggest shock of a present I’ve ever received. I’m 42 now and I couldn’t be happier in life with a soulmate this thoughtful.
Thank you! @RealKurtAngle pic.twitter.com/5l4b5BAmw3
— EMP Sanford Kelly (@SanfordKelly) September 30, 2024
We here at EventHubs would like to wish Sanford a very happy birthday, and congratulate him on a wonderfully storied competitive fighting game career thus far. To many more birthdays and exciting matches.