ST. LOUIS – Bumps, bruises and tons of work and dedication. That’s what it takes to become a professional wrestler.
“When you get someone that’s 20 years old and they say, ‘Oh, I remember coming to your shows. You’re why I wanted to become a wrestler,'” said Sadie Blaze.
Think of Blaze as a Mr. Miyagi of sorts. He and his friend Jim Yount founded Dynamo Pro Wrestling more than two decades ago.
Over the years, the organization has turned into one of the premier pro wrestling showcases in the Midwest.
Sadie, a wrestler himself, now mentors wrestlers with all types of experience, each with the hopes of living out a dream.
“To me, it’s everything. This is something I’ve been watching since I was a kid,” said wrestler Jessie Jay.
“I’ve been watching since I was four years old. So, it is my passion,” said wrestler Ricky.
“I’ve been a wrestling fan since I was born. I remember one of my earliest memories is watching Wrestlemania 3,” said wrestler Snitch.
“Where I felt I was not free, I found freedom in wrestling,” said wrestler “Big Daddy” Dion.
Dion, who goes by his nickname “Big Daddy,” recently won a Dynamo Pro’s Championship Belt. His aspirations are even bigger.
“My goal is to be a WWE super star, and I won’t’ stop at nothing to get there,” he said.
“And I don’t have a Plan B, C, or D. I only have a Plan A, and that is pro wrestling.”
To reach those heights, these wrestlers have to earn their stripes in the smaller circuits, but the price of potential success is the damage it can do to their bodies.
“Physically, it’s rough. It’s hard,” said Sadie.
“I know people don’t make it past their first day or two,” said Snitch. “The hardest part for me was the next day. My neck was really sore. My head hurt really bad. Those days after a show are pretty rough.”
Ricky Cruz has been a pro wrestler for over a decade. Early on in his career, Ricky suffered a detached lower abdomen and a detached groin to his right leg. It took him out of the ring for a year.
“You have to learn how to walk again,” said Cruz. “You have to learn how to do everything again. For somebody that did martial arts and wrestling, that was my bread and butter to that point; having to learn everything again is a humbling experience, but it was a goal to get myself out to the ring, and I’ve been doing it nonstop, every weekend.”
Significant injuries are a part of the wrestling lifestyle. However, younger performers Jessie Jay and Karti Marti, also known as the “Crowd-Pleaser,” are undeterred
“We are literally falling as like a career,” said Jessie. “If you are out for a while, somebody is going to take your place. So, yeah, you do get that pressure. Am I going to stay and fight through it, or am I going to take a break and possibly lose my spot on this show?”
“When I feel like I’m not 100 percent there, I have to find that spot in my head to get there,” said Karti. “I kind of just found that if I’m upset, coming to wrestling really does make me happy.”
While training can be quite intense, nevertheless, these wrestlers enjoy honing their craft.
“I remember that every bump that I take, every rope that I run, it is to get there,” said Dion.
“This is life, man. This is what I look forward to every weekend,” said Jessie.
Sadie Blaze hopes to continue to guide wrestlers on their journey
“I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do in wrestling. But knowing that there are new people coming along and the new people want to get a chance to face me in the ring, that really helps me to continue,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
