In the beginning......

I thought the best way to start this blog was right at the very beginning and explain how I was given the opportunity to live out a dream and become a professional wrestler. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I, a fan of wrestling since I was probably 5 or 6 years old and watching Dick the Bruiser, Cowboy Bob Ellis, Prince Pullens, Baron Von Rasche, Wilbur Snyder, Pepper Gomez and other great stars, would get a chance of a lifetime. I can honestly say many dream of doing things, but I actually got to live one of mine.

July, 1998, a wrestling promoter by the name of Don Basher came to a meeting of the Son's of the American Legion, of which I was the Commander at that time. He told our group he was wanting to bring a wrestling show to town and was looking for a group to sponsor the event and split the profits. Being all guys and many wrestling fans, the son's decided they would use the event as a fundraiser. The show was to occur in the next few months and we as a group secured the building and set the date. The son's were excited and felt we could sell some tickets for the event.

Before leaving, Basher said that in order to create more interest, he wanted someone from the son's to volunteer to participate in the main event. Some how, eyes turned to me as the biggest one of the group and it was known I was a wrestling fan. I agreed figuring it would be nothing to do it and the others in the match would do all the real wrestling. Basher later called me and gave me the address of their training facility in Indianapolis. He said if I was going to be in the main event, I needed some wrestling training. At that point, I realized this 375 pound tub of goo may have bitten off a little more than he expected.

Charles and Kellis Allen were able to secure the use of the high school gym for the show and a date was set in December, 1998. That gave me some time to figure out what I was doing in the ring.

My training started in August in Indianapolis twice a week in the basement of a church on the eastside of Indianapolis. The training ring was a ring once owned by the legendary Dick the Bruiser. My trainers were several of the wrestlers that worked for Basher in Wild Championship Wrestling Outlaws (WCWO) and me, just a green horn about to get his butt kicked.