Growing up in the early 2000's, I was a faithful viewer of Monday Night Raw and Thursday Night Smackdown.
I remember being in the living room observing my father playing what looked like a wrestling game. There was this big guy with a red mask, a guy about half his size, and another guy in white and black stripes on the screen. Maybe some time later, I saw the same masked big guy from the video game being unmasked — except in real life.
The roar of the crowd was authentic and the announcers screeched in horror as this 7 foot tall giant was basically being humiliated.
And although I was only a child, I was just as intrigued as everyone else.
My interest in wrestling grew quickly. My family went to pay-per-view shows, I journaled every episode of the main rosters, collected DVDs, action figures, my sister would gift me with wrestling magazines. When I was about 9, I even created my own title belt out of folders. I was basically obsessed.
Wrestling was one of my inspirations for working out at such a young age. I started exercising unofficially at 8 years, but I had a gym membership by the time I was 14. I played sports on and off, but I more into music and individual workouts compared to team sports.
In college, I was known for my rapping and producing abilities.
At least, initially.
By the time junior year came, peers took notice of my gym work ethic. I spent every Tuesday and Thursday in the gym after class. It was also during this time that some of my classmates and myself launched a college subscription fitness magazine for our entrepreneurship class.
The venture didn’t make us a ton of money, but having a consistent gym routine and fitness business felt like heaven.
So when the school year ended, I decided to switch up my social circle and hobbies.
I saw a video of John Cena before he signed with the WWE, speaking of his lack of knowledge about wrestling aside from watching it. It was interesting to hear considering he was the face of the company for 10+ years later down the line. And it was all the inspiration I needed to hear.
The very next day: I was in wrestling training.
Uncertain of what was to come, but I was there.
It was completely out of my comfort zone. I knew the experience was going to be more than about wrestling. It was going to be about team work, discipline, and respect.
Heck, they made me do 300 squats and other exercises on my first day.
But as the weeks went on, the workouts got more intense, but so did my respect for the business.
There was even a point where I actually thought I gave myself a concussion from botching the “bumps.” Bumps are what we call when a wrestler drops to the mat, oftentimes hard, after being hit. There’s no way to fake it, but there is a way to absorb the pain.
The things you do as a wrestler can feel unnatural — especially taking bumps.
But overall, I was happy to be there.
Here’s a recap of my experience 👇🏽
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