There were several notable sports retirements this spring. Patrick Roy. John Stockton. David Robinson. And of course you can’t forget Steve Ramsey.

Excuse me? Who? Steve Ramsey?

OK, his real name is Steve Rand.

Give up? He’s a local professional wrestler in the Eastern Wrestling Alliance.

Now might be a good time to stop reading and make sure that yes, this is the sports section, and no, it isn’t April 1.

Welcome back.

For those still in the dark, the Portland-based EWA is one of scores of professional wrestling organizations that toil in obscurity throughout the country. Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment does not own the market on people who enter the ring to earn money. They simply are the most visible. Where do you think many of the WWE stars come from?

Back to Steve Ramsey. He is a wrestler and always will be, just as the future hall-of-famers listed above will always be hockey and basketball players.

For Ramsey, 31, a number of factors persuaded him to walk away from his game now, including recent marriage, career changes and just plain growing older. That’s not to mention the toll on his body. Rand probably is as close to his chiropractor as he is his wife.

Just to keep the record straight, I am not a wrestling fan. I don’t watch it on TV, but I do admit to having taken the kids to the WWE show in Portland recently and a WCW event in New Hampshire several years ago. I did it because I knew the kids would enjoy it.

Hopefully the word “hypocrite” doesn’t come to your mind too strongly, but I don’t really like wrestling. Day in and day out, I deal with four-letter words and middle fingers at school, wondering just where today’s students get the disrespect and brashness to do it. Well, watch just five minutes of WWE on TV and you’ll get at least part of your answer.

What I do respect are guys like Steve. Hope I’m not ruining this for anyone (I’ll leave the issue of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus to others more qualified), but pro wrestling is NOT real. It is a choreographed dance. Think of a ballet on steriods and caffeine-laced diet pills. The moves, plot lines, and winners and losers are all predetermined. That doesn’t mean, however, that it isn’t work.

Ramsey worked to stay in shape to “compete” against guys much younger than himself. He runs. He works out. He can be found in serious softball and football leagues depending on the season.

You have to appreciate anyone that grows up to do what he said we wanted to do when he was a kid. Ramsey always wanted to be a wrestler. He made his own title belts as a kid, and there are some really corny pictures of him in various get-ups at his parent’s house.

Just like any athlete, he dreamed of making it to The Show, and he did make it. He pursued Killer Kowalski and Stu Hart about getting into their famous training grounds. Hart is the patriarch of pro wrestling in Canada and the father of former world champion Bret Hart and his deceased brother Owen.

Ramsey fought on WWF undercards throughout the northeast, training with Westbrook native Scotty 2 Hotty. At one point, the two shared the Massachusetts Tag Team Championship. Scotty recently opened and closed the WWE show in Portland as he prepares to return to the national scene after an injury.

When it does come time to walk away, who wouldn’t want it to be as a winner? We celebrate Ted Williams’ homer in his last at-bat. We wanted Jordan to be the MVP of his last All-Star game, even if it had to be rigged. Our culture says winners are remembered more than losers. We are sad when Stockton goes out quietly, and I’m sure many of ius rejoiced when Robinson won the NBA title before walking off the court for the last time.

How long will you remember Ray Bourque skating around the rink holding the Stanley Cup aloft, tears streaming down his face?

For Rand, it didn’t work out that way. In the scripted world of wrestling, it just couldn’t. He entered the ring in April as the EWA light heavyweight champion and lost the belt in controversial fashion. An argument ensued between Ramsey and the EWA’s Commissioner, and it ended with Ramsey challenging “The Commish” to a retirement match.

The match was a donnybrook, with Ramsey chasing his nemesis all over the auditorium . Weapons included food from the snack bar, the Pepsi machine and a clipboard. In the end, it was The Commish celebrating with Ramsey on his back, eyes closed.

What does that moment feel like? Anger? Anxiety? Regret? Sooner or later, if we live long enough, we all “retire” from something. Hopefully it’s from something we enjoy doing. And what will it feel like to walk away that one last time?

The crowd paid tribute to one of the EWA’s leading men in dramatic fashion: by doing nothing. In a venue where people compete against each other to make the most noise or inflict the bigger insult, there was a stunned silence.

Slowly, Ramsey got to his feet. Then the applause started. The other regulars in the EWA joined him in the ring, and the applause grew. Ramsey climbed the four corners of the ring one last time, and the applause grew even louder. There were even tears from at least a couple of fans. While I can’t personally relate to wrestling, I had no trouble identifying with Ramsey as he soaked it up one last time.

Gone are the Gourd Busters, Amittyville Horrors, and Scorpion Death Locks. No more Chickenwings, either. After 15 years a pro, Ramsey let himself take the three-count into retirement willingly.

Remember this: you don’t have to toil under the bright lights to deserve to be recognized. Many people will walk away from something they love for all kinds of reasons.

Steve Ramsey — er, Rand — is one of those people. No matter what the referee indicated by banging his closed fist on the mat three times, Steve went out a winner.

Peter Mullen is a staff writer. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].