'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2' Fixes Old Mistake, Properly Honors Trick Creator

When the remastered “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2” is released in September, it will look similar to the original games in the series albeit with an updated look. It will also correct an error to a longstanding trick to better honor the man who invented it.

A “Mute Air” in skateboarding is what it is called when you grab the front of your board with your forward hand while airborne. Kotaku reports that the move was invented by a deaf skater named Chris Weddle in the early 1980s. However, rather than directly honor Weddle for his creation, the trick was given an incorrect name.

Unintentional or not, it mocked Weddle, who is actually deaf but not mute. The 1980s were a different time and casual discrimination like this was generally accepted.

Tony Hawk himself shared this story on his Instagram page and the skateboarding community at large never questioned the name until recently when somebody asked Weddle for his thoughts on the trick.

“[Weddle] has been very gracious in his response but it is obvious that a different name would have honored his legacy, as he is hearing impaired but not lacking speech,” Hawk explained. “I asked him last year as I was diving into trick origins and he said he would have rather named it the ‘deaf’ or ‘Weddle’ grab if given the choice.”

Therefore, when “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2” is released next month, this error will finally be addressed. Kotaku reports that Weddle’s name will be seen rather than the unfortunate label that was attached to it for decades.

With white males long dominating the upper levels of skateboarding (and most hobbies) rarely facing obstacles based on a disability of any sort, mistakes and oversights like these have long been left untouched in society. The good news is that times have changed, and this will finally be corrected.

Not only does “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2” given the chance to update the graphics and gameplay of the title, but it also introduces a more diverse lineup of skaters and the opportunity to fix this error.

“It’s going to be challenging to break the habit of saying the old name, but I think Chris deserves the recognition,” Hawk added. “I told Chris recently and his reply was, ‘I’m so stoked!’”