I want to tell a small story, so, forgive the length. This was more than 15 years ago at this point. I wasn't even an Administrator here. I was just another editor trying to get the articles the best they could be. I ran into an overzealous editor.
Part of his overzealousness was that he had done interviews about a wrestling promotion for an unpublished book, and wanted to insert them into Wikipedia articles. The other part was that he wanted credit for what he put into Wikipedia. (as in "Compiled by Person X")
When he got told "No, this is not how the rules work here", he.. well... got overzealous. Using open proxies, he created over ONE THOUSAND sockpuppet accounts to try to vandalize and cause trouble because he felt he had been unfairly treated.
Learning about Wikipedia's Dispute Resolution procedures and how to try to get consensus on how articles should read during this gave me something. It became the impetus for me to be a Wikipedia administrator, and later, a member of Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee (elected twice, for a total of three years).
I hadn't really thought about him until recently, where someone mentioned this person, and I found out that he had passed away in 2021. He had really grown up in the meantime, and even got a role as a professional wrestling referee in some independent feds.
We were on opposite sides of a dispute, but it still saddened me to learn of his passing, and I'm glad he was able to work in an industry he had quite obviously idolized. So, rest in peace, JB. Glad you were able to fulfill your dream.
