Back in December, high school basketball player Charles Thompson Jr. decided to buy his best friend, a special needs student named Shanquis, an NXT Championship belt for Christmas. Thompson filmed Shanquis’s reaction to the gift, and the video went viral.
Everybody know I love Shanquis and that he loves the WWE, so it was only right I got him a belt for Christmas ?? pic.twitter.com/jPLlCWOWuZ
— Charles Thompson Jr (@cttjr3) December 22, 2017
Thompson’s good deed didn’t go unnoticed by WWE, and the two were invited as special guests to the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia over the weekend. WWE shared a video of Thompson and Shanquis receiving a special gift of their own backstage at the show. Watch below, but fair warning: you’ll probably cry.
Thompson also documented every moment on Twitter. According to Sports Illustrated’s Dan Gartland, Thompson and Shanquis met 25 WWE Superstars, including John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bayley, Sasha Banks, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Yesterday, my best friend had probably one of the best days of his life. And I am just grateful that I was a part of it. Thank you @WWE @TripleH @StephMcMahon for bringing us and our families out. Seeing my guy live out his dream makes my heart warm every time I think about it pic.twitter.com/PWin6MX3pR
— Charles Thompson Jr (@cttjr3) January 30, 2018
Thank you @WWE #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/LshN3gkIvV
— Charles Thompson Jr (@cttjr3) January 30, 2018
Thank you @WWE #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/eJEYREYY5y
— Charles Thompson Jr (@cttjr3) January 30, 2018
Thank you @WWE #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/CFdKcHwGe4
— Charles Thompson Jr (@cttjr3) January 30, 2018
Thank you @WWE #RoyalRumble @WWECesaro pic.twitter.com/5wc2D89qOy
— Charles Thompson Jr (@cttjr3) January 30, 2018
Thank you @WWE #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/KY8dt0V212
— Charles Thompson Jr (@cttjr3) January 30, 2018
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: WWE is so much more than just wrestling. WWE brings people together in amazing ways, and they never fail to do whatever they can to give back to their fans.
Kudos to Thompson for being such an amazing friend, and kudos to WWE for making Shanquis’s dreams come true.
Do you have any heartwarming stories about WWE? Share them below!