Journalist takes to the ring
Contributed by: Anthony Welch/YourHub.com on 3/1/2006
Editor’s note: Community journalist Anthony Welch is training at the Altitude Pro Wrestling Academy in Aurora in his free time. He’ll take part in Fusion Pro Wrestling’s April event. Anthony will write a weekly story detailing his experience. Beginning next week, Anthony will profile a few wrestlers each week and get insight to what they love about the sport and what they do when they’re not getting body slammed.
I fell flat on my face during my first day of professional wrestling training – my face, my back, my bottom – you name it.
I was extremely nervous heading into my first training session Feb. 25. I was reminded of the feeling of butterflies in my stomach that used to torment me before middle school football games.
Fusion Pro Wrestling head honcho Victoria Pena didn’t help matters as I walked into the training facility. “Ready to get your butt kicked?” she asked.
I was finally living my childhood dream of just stepping into a wrestling ring. I felt elated, elated by still nervous.
Following stretching, we did a series of rolls through the ring. Nothing too complicated. But then came grabbing onto the top rope and jumping over it and back over – twice.
I have to admit, it looked a little scary, especially for an out-of-shape journalist. Don’t get me wrong, I do play basketball on occasion and I do lift weights, but I wasn’t too sure I was up for this. My love for Taco Bell was going to come back to haunt me.
I was successful on my first up-and-over, but then on my second attempt I caught my foot on the ropes coming back over and – bam! I took a spill to the mat.
“Well, you just took your first real bump,” trainer Jeff Michaelis said.
The sound of hitting the ring is probably scarier than the actual fall itself. The ring pretty much consists of plywood covered with a 2-inch thick padded mat. The landing is cushioned, but you still feel somewhat of a thud.
I then went through a series of “bump” drills with the other wrestlers. Bumps are the different ways of taking a fall in the ring. For this drill, thankfully, a huge padded mat was thrown into the ring. We proceeded to take turns kicking out our legs and falling on our backs, bottoms and face down. None of this seemed too difficult, but then came the hip toss fall.
When you watch pro wrestling, often times you’ll see a guy get hip tossed,
and he flips in the air on his back. The guy getting tossed is actually “tossing” himself,
so to speak. He’s throwing himself up and over in the air to make it
look like he’s being flipped.
I was hesitant to try this one, but trainers Billy Roberts and Michaelis spotted
me to make sure “I’d get over.” Crap. What if I “didn’t
get over?” What would happen?
Fortunately, I did make it over and landed flat on my back. On my next try,
the two insisted that I did it all on my own. I have to admit, falling on my
back never felt so good.
Jeff and Billy are great instructors. They’re both easy to work with and eased by nerves quite a bit. Having wrestled for seven years, they’re both very knowledgeable as well. They’re both quick to commend wrestlers for a job well done and quick to let guys know when they’re doing something wrong or how they could do something better.
Next, we went over the tie-up. Usually at the start of a match, you’ll see the two grapplers lock arms together in what’s known as a tie-up. It looks like an intense battle for position, but the secret of that hold is making it look more intense than it really is.
With an arm on the back of your opponent’s neck and the other on his arm, the key is to just keep your arms totally relaxed. The idea is for the wrestlers to “lead” one another around the ring. Footwork is key here. I hate to make this comparison, but it’s a lot like the tango. Wrestlers must work together to maneuver around the ring and make it look like a battle for positioning. I soon found out, I’d make a bad dance partner.
I had trouble relaxing. I was too tense, according to Roberts. Being too tense leads to fatigue. So, that was my dilemma. How do you fake intensity?
The same principle was key as I learned the headlock. No, a guy’s head isn’t really being wrenched when you see him in a headlock. The guy using the hold has his arms completely relaxed. It’s all part of the illusion.
The “sell,” as the guys call it, is huge in wrestling. It’s getting the audience to believe that you’re truly getting your butt kicked. And that entails making sure you cover all your bases, according to Jeff.
He’s always thinking of every angle. The idea is to look like you’re truly fighting the other guy, so there’s no room for mistakes. When a guy isn’t holding his arms close enough to his opponent in a headlock, Jeff is quick to tell the guy, “Why wouldn’t I just be able to break out of the hold then?”
To wrap up my session, I learned to put a guy in a headlock, get “shot into” the ropes, spring off and land a shoulder tackle. I was excited. I used to pretend to run off the ropes as a kid and always wondered what it was really like.
So there I went, sent “flying” toward the ropes. I sprung off and planted the stout Michaelis flat on his back with a massive shoulder block. Well, that’s how it looked anyway. Michaelis and I actually bumped chest-to-chest and he took the fall (utilizing the bumps we went over earlier) to simulate taking a hit.
The whole thing did feel a little empowering. I’m starting to see why these guys risk injury every week to do this. You’re like a gladiator from Roman times, putting your body on the line to entertain the people.
Only, with the right training and discipline, guys don’t have to get hurt. Guys like Jeff and Billy are making sure their wrestlers are extremely careful, precise and safe in performing the various moves.
As I took of my knee pads and headed back to Colorado Springs, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and was thrilled as Jeff talked of how I’ll be worked into their April show. This is it, I’m on my way to becoming a professional wrestlers – at least for a moment.
A few days later – still excited, but extremely sore and stiff everywhere.
I’ll be posting occasional blogs as well about my experience, or daily
soreness. Visit http://denver.yourhub.com/~RockersRamblings.
For more on Fusion Pro Wrestling, visit www.fusionprowrestling.com. For more
on the Altitude Pro Wrestling Academy, visit http://www.altitudeprowrestling.com/.
MILE HIGH SPORTS MAGAZINE
Click here to read the article from Mile High Sports Magazine
Just getting settled in and recovering from the Trip to North Carolina. When I do these camps, that is my focus, and the outside world is a blank. Missed the Undertaker/Angle match which everyone seems to be raving about. Doesn’t surprise me that two pros like Kurt and “Taker” can pull this match off.
Was so sorry to hear of the passing of Johnny Grunge. Did not know him well, but he seemed to be a very happy go lucky type of person. It is so sad that the biggest team in ECW history, “Public Enemy” are both gone in the prime of their lives.
Our training camp in North Carolina was fun, and productive. Not only did I get the chance to spend some time with old friends Ricky Steamboat, Terry Taylor, and Tracy Smothers, along with Dr. Tom; we had some talented youngsters on hand also.
In a surprise visit, TNA’s Chase Stevens who was wrestling on the NGW shows laced up the boots, and worked out with us. I’ve known Chase for about three years, and my respect level went up for this guy since he could have easily taken the stance that he was a big TV star, and didn’t need the extra ring time. But instead he worked just as hard as the athletes with less then a year under their belts.
Two wrestling school trainers showed up to add to their resumes, and pick up what they could to take back to their respective gyms. Russ Simpson, the beginning class trainer from OVW joined us for the camp along with APWA co-owner and head trainer Jeff Michaelis from Denver. You have heard me mention here that you must be careful of giving your money to young athletes claiming to be trainers. The reason is that they can only teach you what they themselves have learned, and experienced. I will tell you in a heartbeat that I would send an inexperienced person to either one of these guys. I have worked with both multiple times in our camps and they have traveled great distances to improve their talent, and teaching skills. It is too bad there aren’t more like them.
Some of the campers that jumped out at me were Thomas Penmenship, Handsome Johnny, and Jon Thornhill from up in New England. Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah, yes that is his name with a Bob Marley accent from the same area has only been training 8 months and has had three matches. All of us were impressed with his natural timing and instincts for the business. What out for this guy. Among the ladies in attendance I had my first time to work with Crystal Carmichael from the Windy City. Not only is she a “looker”, but can handle herself well between the ropes. Venus and Serina from OVW also made the trip and they give one hundred percent to show us they belonged. Both would love to receive a contact offer, and that may well be in their future. The surprise of the camp was eighteen year old Dixie Doyle who is training with Michaelis in Denver, and has been involved less then one year. At 5’ 6” and one hundred thirty pounds she has size, but impressed all of our trainers with her solid in ring skills. She was shooting pretty Steamboat style arm drags for Ricky before he left the building on Friday evening. To a man, every one of the trainers said this little lady had “future” written all over her.
I don’t mean to keep blowing the horn of Altitude Pro Wrestling Academy, or its head honcho Jeff Michealis. However in this day and age on the independent scene it is exciting to see someone run their indie promotion/school like a business and professionally. Along with Jeff, and Dixie two more of the APWA gang made the trip Billy B. and Paul Diamond. All were dedicated, disciplined, and all presented the attending promoters and trainers with 8x10 color prints in wrestling gear with their resumes printed on the back (every indie worker should have these). All were solid in their wrestling fundamentals, and showed respect for the business in which they seek a career. For the trainers and promoters who had never seen them before they left a good impression, while opening doors for future bookings. Promoting a professional image of your promotion and school should be as important as trying to sell tickets to your shows.
We were lucky to have the “Highspots” gym as our training center for two of the three days. It was my first visit to the company’s offices and warehouse. Man! If you are into collecting then a trip through this place will make you think you have died and gone to heaven. Mike the owner made us welcome, and has a nice gym which is both heated and air conditioned with two rings set up at all times, and separate showers and rest rooms for the men and women. That along with the mild winters in Charlotte makes it a good place to lean you craft. I had the chance to work with Highspots students separately on the night before our camp began, and they all pushed the envelope for me, and I look forward to returning and spending more time with them.
The plan, if they can get the bugs worked out will be to do these camps in Charlotte four times per year, which would put us back there in May, August, and November. I think all the campers had a good time, as did we trainers, and hopefully the campers left with a better outlook on forwarding their careers.
Here is an observation about fans accepting the bar being lowered in terms of in ring performance. I read several reviews of Raw for Monday 2/21/06 on a few different sites, and for the most part the reviewers didn’t seem to mind that the only match on that show that was average or above was the 3-way with Show, Van Dam, and Triple H. This was a style clash, but they handled it very well, and made the match count. I personally was disappointed with the quality of the matches otherwise.
Sad about Ashley breaking her leg. Just watching it on the tube, it appeared
she got the leg under her as she hit the floor, and then her weight came down
on top of it. It was a tough bump to take even for a veteran as they put her
in a headstand position to start with before dropping her, which make it hard
for her to get turned and try to land properly. In a business that is dangerous
for experienced people, these things are going to happen if athletes are pushed
out of the nest before they are ready.
Train hard and master your craft…and don’t get hurt.
Till next time,
Les
Les along with Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, and Tom Prichard make up Elite Pro Wrestling Training. For more information on the company go to www.epwt.com . To book an EPWT seminar, camp or one of the trainers contact Les at les@epwt.com.
Below are some dates where the EPWT trainers will be appearing.
Harley will be appearing at these World League Wrestling events. 2/24 St. Joseph, MO. 2/25 El Dorado Springs, MO. 3/3 Fulton, MO. 3/4 Eldon, MO. 3/11 Bowling Green, MO. 4/8 Boonville, MO. The 2006 Noah camp dates have been initially set for Sept. 19th thru 23rd in Eldon. Experienced or beginning wrestlers can sign up for that camp now.
Join Les and co-host Doc Young every Thursday night 8 to 10: PM EST with their special guests on the internet talk show “Wrestling Weekly” at www.wrestlingweekly.com.
Les will be doing a Q & A session for the roster of Percy Pringle’s Gulf South Wrestling at their gym Thursday 3/2. Contact Percy on their web site for details.
Les goes to Chicago for a 2-day training camp and a Saturday night show sponsored
by PCW, Pro Championship Wrestling March 11 & 12. Contact Paul Myers
on the PCW site for further details
YOURHUB.COM
WWE star scouts Denver's pro wrestlers
Contributed by: Anthony Welch/YourHub.com on 2/5/2006
World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Al Snow has some simple advice for anyone interested in a career in pro wrestling.
“Don’t do it,” he said. “Don’t do it if you
think you’re going to make a ton of money. Don’t do it if you think
you’re going to become a superstar. Don’t do it if it’s not
something you’re extremely passionate about.”
Snow’s mile-long list of injuries may be reason to avoid trying to make
a career in the sport. He’s suffered everything from broken bones and
displaced ribs and suffers from a neurological disorder on the right side of
his body.
Snow was in Denver on Feb. 4 to offer advice and train with Fusion Pro Wrestling, a Colorado independent wrestling promotion. Snow also made an appearance at the promotion’s Brawl at the Hall event at the VFW Hall on South Platte River Drive in Englewood.
Snow has wrestled for 24 years in the WWE as well as World Championship Wrestling and other promotions. He was the main “drill sergeant” on MTV’s Tough Enough pro wrestling reality show as well. He works for Ohio Valley Wrestling, a feeder camp for the WWE. Snow’s duties include scouting the country for prospective up and coming new talent.
When Snow scouts for new talent, he looks for guys that are a certain size and build, but the biggest thing he looks for is someone with personality and character.
“The major thing is they have to have a charisma about them,” he said. “This is a personality-driven business.”
As far as Denver’s wrestlers, Snow was impressed but said most of them still needed a lot more experience.
“It’ll take a while for them to fill out and gain the necessary experience to get to the next level,” Snow said. “You have to grow up pretty fast in this business. If you don’t, it’ll eat you alive.”
Jeff Michaelis, of Denver, and Billy Roberts, of Englewood, train many of the Fusion wrestlers at the Altitude Pro Wrestling Academy in Aurora. Both were excited about having Snow work with their guys.
“There’s not many guys with his knowledge and experience who are willing to work with guys like us,” Michaelis said.
Roberts agreed that working with Snow was invaluable.
“I won’t profess to know it all,” Roberts said. “He taught us how to get people emotionally involved in matches.”
Snow says he tries to teach younger wrestlers what he was taught when he first jumped into the business at the age of 15. He said there are certain aspects of wrestling that should never change. It’s an entertainment business, and the goal has always been to keep the audience’s full attention.
“I tell guys the wheel is still round. You’re not going to re-invent
the wheel,” he said.
So you want to be a wrestler?
J.D. Harris
Photo byJustin Sagarsee
Right, Billy V. puts "Stunning" Tyler Dunning on his back with a
monster suplex
While it's too late for aspiring wrestlers to train in time to compete in the
Fusion Prowrestling federation's first title match Saturday, joining the growing
league of sports entertainers is almost as easy as tripping over one's own
foot.
"The first thing we teach you is how to fall," said Jeff Michealis, head trainer at the tour's gym located at Sheridan Boulevard and 52nd Avenue. "We bring them in for a one-on-one that lasts about an hour and if it's something the person is interested in doing and they seem to catch on to the sport, we bring them back."
For the uninitiated, local professional wrestling organizations such as Fusion Pro Wrestling offer an outlet for individuals looking to compete while performing.
Training involves athletic ability and disciplined showmanship, in addition to an adherence to the laws of gravity. Interested participants have to be in solid physical condition and have a passion for performing.
" The training takes about six months before they're ready to compete," Michealis said. "Some catch on faster than others, but we don't let perform until we know they are ready.
"We make sure they know how not to hurt each other."
If competitors do get hurt, they usually have to look to their own insurance for coverage as part of the training application involves signing a waiver.
Former high school and college wrestlers generate the most interest in such ground-floor federations as Fusion and if glory and riches are the goal of the performer, they are in the wrong venue.
"There's not a lot of money involved and even the most successful wrestlers find themselves in their car a lot traveling from city, to city," said Matt Stryker, a wrestler from Cincinnati visiting Golden to compete at the Buffalo Rose. "But you meet great people and competing is a lot of fun."
To get on the mat, call 303-981-3563
Local wrestlers find a ring of their own
J.D. Harris
Photos by JUSTIN SAGARSEE
Tony Morales brings Darren "The Young One" Wade down to the canvas
with a back-wrenching body slam. The Buffalo Rose in Golden hosted the Fusion
Pro Wrestling circuit on Dec. 11, and will be the site of the title match Saturday,
Jan. 8.
January 06, 2005
Fusion Pro Wrestling hosts title match at the Buffalo Rose Saturday
While a barroom dance floor might seem like an odd place for a wrestling ring,
the venue at the Buffalo Rose proved an ample location for the Fusion Pro Wrestling
tour stop in December.
As a budding professional federation founded last March by three dedicated members of the now-defunct NWA Rocky Mountain wrestling tour, Fusion Pro Wrestling offers a medium for individuals interested in providing grassroots sports entertainment.
Grown men with regular jobs who also like to don wrestling tights and masks assume stage personalities in wrestling matches featuring almost as much acting as athleticism.
"We started our own federation for the guys because they didn't have anywhere else to wrestle," said promoter Victoria Pena, who along with Jeremy Quintana and August Kai modeled Fusion Pro Wrestling after the myriad minor-league training and promoting facilities across the country. "All of our wrestlers work full time and they do this because they love being in the ring and they love wrestling. We wanted to be able to give them somewhere where they could have fun doing that."
While the local stable of wrestlers working out at the Fusion gym located
at Sheridan and West 52nd Avenue might not yet challenge other events such
as local Tough Man contests for popularity, that scenario could change.
"Stunning" Tyler Dunning sends Billy V to the ropes to set him up for
a clothesline.
As part of the popularity of professional wrestling highlighted on pay-per-view
by such mega-stars as Vince McMahon, federations such as Fusion Pro Wrestling
open their gym doors to anyone with a desire to learn and the ability to fall.
"It's a scaled down Vince McMahon show and we make sure everybody knows how to do everything and nobody gets hurt," head trainer Jeff Michaelis said.
While there were no reported injuries at the first Buffalo Rose event, there was plenty of action.
Trying to qualify for the tournament that will crown the first Fusion Pro Wrestling champion Saturday at the Buffalo Rose, wrestlers with performing monikers such as Epic, Kid Crimson and Sin-Rey excited a crowd reaching triple digits. Under the kleg lights in front of the stage where a classic-rock cover band played moments before, the competitors employed wrestling moves and tactics familiar to most mat fans, with pile drivers and full-Nelsons thrilling those assembled. Just as important, the story lines and plots that generate grudge matches and revenge meetings gave fans someone to root for and against.
" There are faces (good guys) and heels (bad guys) at every event and it's kind of like a male soap opera," Michaelis said. "This is sports entertainment and they establish a story line for the fans."
The themes proved effective as evidenced by the cheers and catcalls filling the honky-tonk as wrestlers worked the crowd as much as each other.
"One of the biggest attractions for the wrestler is being able to perform in front of a crowd," said Matt Stryker, one of the most successful wrestlers on the Fusion tour. "Not only do we get to compete, it's fun to be a part of the story."
The stories in the Fusion federation seldom conclude with big payoffs for the part time wrestling entertainers as the competitors are independent contractors who pay their own way. While some of the better-known competitors such as Stryker earn enough money to compete full time, the common weekend wrestlers make little more than gas money.
"I still travel every weekend and find myself on the road a lot," Stryker said. "But this is more about passion than the payoff."
The tourney for the title starts at 8 p.m. at the Buffalo Rose and the show is all ages.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fusion Pro Wrestling championship
Where: Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Ave., in Golden
When: 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 8
Cost: $10
Information: 303-279-5190
Bone Crushing
Fusion Pro Wrestling breaks all the rules
SAT, 6/26
Head honcho Elliot Loren inaugurated Fusion Pro Wrestling last month when he stepped into a ring set up in an Aurora rec center and proclaimed the league to be unlike any other. There were no weight classes or restrictions, he explained, just old-school wrestler-on-wrestler throw-downs, with all styles welcome, from lucha libre to shoot-fighting. Local pro and ex-CU Buff Chan "MVP" Moody promptly crashed the ring and insisted that previous prowess alone warranted crowning him Fusion flag-bearer on the spot, recalls Fusion spokeswoman Victoria Peña. Appalled by such audacity, a wrestler called Corpse stormed into the ring and power-slammed the loose-lipped offender. Then Moody broke Corpse's arm.
The violent display caused an outcry among children and parents who had been comped tickets as part of Fusion's deal with the Aurora venue; the grapplers were quickly and permanently shown the door.
Despite its rough beginning, the show will go on, tonight at 7 p.m. at the Sheridan Recreation Center, 3325 West Oxford Avenue, with no free-ticket holders to interfere. Promoters promise that these bouts, which build to a conclusive title match later in the summer, will satisfy even the most desensitized of fans. Tickets, $8 in advance, $10 at the door, are available at 303-564-8307 or www.fusionprowrestling.com.
Pack a tourniquet. -- Adam Cayton-Holland
westword.com | originally published: June 24, 2004