Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jan 17, 2016 18:27:56 GMT -6
www.salina.com/life/childhood-friends-turn-backyard-dreams-into-wrestling-entertainment-business/article_1383d406-9e7f-5f18-afa0-4889e9461240.html
Childhood friends turn backyard dreams into wrestling entertainment business
By GARY DEMUTH Salina Journal Updated 12 hrs ago
Chris Crazy didn’t mean to break the Natester’s nose, but when you slam a wrestling championship belt into someone’s face, these things can happen.
While most entertainment wrestling events are carefully choreographed, sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. Natester neglected to put his hand over his face quickly enough to absorb the belt’s blow. The result was a broken nose that swelled up so badly he couldn’t breathe out of it.
A couple of EMTs stationed by the side of the ring sprang to action. They tied the now-prone Natester to a stretcher board and carted him out of the ring while trying to fend off Chris Crazy, who began kicking the stretcher and its groaning occupant.
Natester was loaded into an ambulance outside the Salina Bicentennial Center, where the Aug. 16 wrestling “Gold Rush” event was taking place. After driving a short distance, the ambulance stopped and Natester climbed out. He got into Chris Crazy’s car and the two childhood friends drove home.
“The EMTs decided to play along with us, but we didn’t tell any of the other performers,” said Natester, a stage name for Salina resident Nathan McClanahan. “We pride ourselves on taking care of each other and not getting hurt, but things happen.”
McClanahan said if he had to do it all over again he would. And he would be honored to have his nose broken again by his best friend, Chris Crazy, aka, Chris Porter.
Great graduation present
Professional wrestling has been a passion for McClanahan, 27, and Porter, 26, since they were children cheering for wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and using a trampoline as a wrestling ring for costumed wrestling matches in Porter’s backyard.
”We watched WWF and WCW wrestling religiously,” Porter said. “We’d go in the backyard and imitate our favorite wrestlers. We’d have toy belts we’d wrestle for.”
In 2001, the barely-teenage boys formed xWe Entertainment to promote their backyard shows, which began attracting neighborhood kids, friends, family members and “everyone we could attract in a five-block radius,” Porter said.
When McClanahan graduated from Salina Central High School in 2006, his graduation present was a rectangular trampoline purchased from Sam’s Club.
“I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread,” he said.
Events at the BiCenter
After graduation, McClanahan moved to Colby to attend Colby Community College but eventually moved back to Salina and began working at Country Inn and Suites, 2760 S. Ninth, where he now is general manager. Porter, who graduated from Salina Central High School in 2007, is customer service manager at Office Max, 2620 Planet.
Even though they now work day jobs, the men never relinquished their wrestling dreams or xWe Entertainment. In 2014, they purchased a professional, 18-by-18-foot wrestling ring and worked out an arrangement with the Bicentennial Center to stage bimonthly entertainment wrestling events, paying a rental fee based on the number of tickets sold.
“We got to know the managers at the Bicentennial Center through my hotel, and they were receptive to what we wanted to do,” McClanahan said.
McClanahan and Porter have staged several wrestling events at the Bicentennial Center since April, attracting crowds of up to 400. Beginning in February, they plan to stage smaller-scale events at the Salina Ambassador Hotel, 1616 W. Crawford, in addition to the Bicentennial Center events.
Several xWe Entertainment events have been shown on Community Access Television or are on YouTube.
“We’ve come a long way since our backyard days,” McClanahan said. “We were kids, had a dream, pursued it and decided to take it to the next level.”
Not making money
McClanahan said neither he nor Porter make money from the wrestling events or T-shirts, posters and other merchandise they sell online and at events. All profits go back into the business, either to maintain the ring, buy costumes or training equipment, or pay venue rental costs.
The 12 wrestlers performing at events all are volunteers, and most are local residents. They do it for the love of the sport, McClanahan said.
“We want to continue raising the bar and growing our roster, helping other wrestlers out there live out their dream,” he said.
A number of wrestlers recently gathered for a workout and training session at a warehouse space at 812 N. 10th, preparing for xWEe’s Entertainment’s next event, “Road to Glory,” set for Jan. 31 at the Bicentennial Center.
Voodoo King Maliki
Wrestler Nick Digerolamo is a former Brooklyn, N.Y., resident who dons a hawk-shaped metal mask and beady, glowing contact lenses to wrestle under the name “Voodoo King Maliki.” After moving to Salina four years ago, Digerolamo said he was introduced to McClanahan and Porter through their backyard wrestling events.
“I walked by, saw what they were doing and signed up,” he said.
Digerolamo said he portrays a “voodoo-like character” whose wrestling specialty is taking high-flying leaps off the top rope or turnbuckle onto a wrestler below.
“It takes a lot of balance and aim, because if you miss you’ll get hurt,” he said.
Salinan Jesse Huff was one of the original backyard wrestlers, wrestling under the name “Too Short.” He said he’s the “goofy guy” in the ring who’s not supposed to be there and often is on the receiving end of an angry wrestler’s headlock or body slam.
“We always sat around dreaming of events like this,” he said. “We didn’t expect all this, but if you fight for your dream, you can make it one day.”
Get to be the good guy
Rayshawn Johnson, another former Brooklyn resident, wrestles under the name “Rayder.” Johnson, who lived in Junction City before moving to Salina, is a former mixed martial arts athlete who thought he’d try wrestling.
“I play a good guy, an athletic monster who pretty much throws all these guys around,” he said.
Johnson said the crowd reaction to the four shows he’s been involved in has been so intense it actually has scared him.
“The first time I went to the top ropes to jump, the crowd screamed so much I almost lost my balance,” he said. “And the noise gets bigger every show.”
Mom’s not really hurt
The only female wrestler in training is Louisiana native Stacey Lavaue, who goes by the stage name Serena. Lavaue said she wanted to become a wrestler to show other females “You don’t have to be the cookie cutter model of a girl.”
“I wanted to show other females that we can do everything guys can do, and do it a little bit prettier,” she said. “You can’t hold back, you can’t be meek, because fans won’t believe it.”
Speaking of belief, Lavaue said she had to explain to her two young daughters that mommy was performing and really wasn’t getting hurt in the ring.
“They said, ‘Mom, you’re going to get hurt, and then you won’t be able to make us breakfast,’” Lavaue said.
Childhood friends turn backyard dreams into wrestling entertainment business
By GARY DEMUTH Salina Journal Updated 12 hrs ago
Chris Crazy didn’t mean to break the Natester’s nose, but when you slam a wrestling championship belt into someone’s face, these things can happen.
While most entertainment wrestling events are carefully choreographed, sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. Natester neglected to put his hand over his face quickly enough to absorb the belt’s blow. The result was a broken nose that swelled up so badly he couldn’t breathe out of it.
A couple of EMTs stationed by the side of the ring sprang to action. They tied the now-prone Natester to a stretcher board and carted him out of the ring while trying to fend off Chris Crazy, who began kicking the stretcher and its groaning occupant.
Natester was loaded into an ambulance outside the Salina Bicentennial Center, where the Aug. 16 wrestling “Gold Rush” event was taking place. After driving a short distance, the ambulance stopped and Natester climbed out. He got into Chris Crazy’s car and the two childhood friends drove home.
“The EMTs decided to play along with us, but we didn’t tell any of the other performers,” said Natester, a stage name for Salina resident Nathan McClanahan. “We pride ourselves on taking care of each other and not getting hurt, but things happen.”
McClanahan said if he had to do it all over again he would. And he would be honored to have his nose broken again by his best friend, Chris Crazy, aka, Chris Porter.
Great graduation present
Professional wrestling has been a passion for McClanahan, 27, and Porter, 26, since they were children cheering for wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and using a trampoline as a wrestling ring for costumed wrestling matches in Porter’s backyard.
”We watched WWF and WCW wrestling religiously,” Porter said. “We’d go in the backyard and imitate our favorite wrestlers. We’d have toy belts we’d wrestle for.”
In 2001, the barely-teenage boys formed xWe Entertainment to promote their backyard shows, which began attracting neighborhood kids, friends, family members and “everyone we could attract in a five-block radius,” Porter said.
When McClanahan graduated from Salina Central High School in 2006, his graduation present was a rectangular trampoline purchased from Sam’s Club.
“I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread,” he said.
Events at the BiCenter
After graduation, McClanahan moved to Colby to attend Colby Community College but eventually moved back to Salina and began working at Country Inn and Suites, 2760 S. Ninth, where he now is general manager. Porter, who graduated from Salina Central High School in 2007, is customer service manager at Office Max, 2620 Planet.
Even though they now work day jobs, the men never relinquished their wrestling dreams or xWe Entertainment. In 2014, they purchased a professional, 18-by-18-foot wrestling ring and worked out an arrangement with the Bicentennial Center to stage bimonthly entertainment wrestling events, paying a rental fee based on the number of tickets sold.
“We got to know the managers at the Bicentennial Center through my hotel, and they were receptive to what we wanted to do,” McClanahan said.
McClanahan and Porter have staged several wrestling events at the Bicentennial Center since April, attracting crowds of up to 400. Beginning in February, they plan to stage smaller-scale events at the Salina Ambassador Hotel, 1616 W. Crawford, in addition to the Bicentennial Center events.
Several xWe Entertainment events have been shown on Community Access Television or are on YouTube.
“We’ve come a long way since our backyard days,” McClanahan said. “We were kids, had a dream, pursued it and decided to take it to the next level.”
Not making money
McClanahan said neither he nor Porter make money from the wrestling events or T-shirts, posters and other merchandise they sell online and at events. All profits go back into the business, either to maintain the ring, buy costumes or training equipment, or pay venue rental costs.
The 12 wrestlers performing at events all are volunteers, and most are local residents. They do it for the love of the sport, McClanahan said.
“We want to continue raising the bar and growing our roster, helping other wrestlers out there live out their dream,” he said.
A number of wrestlers recently gathered for a workout and training session at a warehouse space at 812 N. 10th, preparing for xWEe’s Entertainment’s next event, “Road to Glory,” set for Jan. 31 at the Bicentennial Center.
Voodoo King Maliki
Wrestler Nick Digerolamo is a former Brooklyn, N.Y., resident who dons a hawk-shaped metal mask and beady, glowing contact lenses to wrestle under the name “Voodoo King Maliki.” After moving to Salina four years ago, Digerolamo said he was introduced to McClanahan and Porter through their backyard wrestling events.
“I walked by, saw what they were doing and signed up,” he said.
Digerolamo said he portrays a “voodoo-like character” whose wrestling specialty is taking high-flying leaps off the top rope or turnbuckle onto a wrestler below.
“It takes a lot of balance and aim, because if you miss you’ll get hurt,” he said.
Salinan Jesse Huff was one of the original backyard wrestlers, wrestling under the name “Too Short.” He said he’s the “goofy guy” in the ring who’s not supposed to be there and often is on the receiving end of an angry wrestler’s headlock or body slam.
“We always sat around dreaming of events like this,” he said. “We didn’t expect all this, but if you fight for your dream, you can make it one day.”
Get to be the good guy
Rayshawn Johnson, another former Brooklyn resident, wrestles under the name “Rayder.” Johnson, who lived in Junction City before moving to Salina, is a former mixed martial arts athlete who thought he’d try wrestling.
“I play a good guy, an athletic monster who pretty much throws all these guys around,” he said.
Johnson said the crowd reaction to the four shows he’s been involved in has been so intense it actually has scared him.
“The first time I went to the top ropes to jump, the crowd screamed so much I almost lost my balance,” he said. “And the noise gets bigger every show.”
Mom’s not really hurt
The only female wrestler in training is Louisiana native Stacey Lavaue, who goes by the stage name Serena. Lavaue said she wanted to become a wrestler to show other females “You don’t have to be the cookie cutter model of a girl.”
“I wanted to show other females that we can do everything guys can do, and do it a little bit prettier,” she said. “You can’t hold back, you can’t be meek, because fans won’t believe it.”
Speaking of belief, Lavaue said she had to explain to her two young daughters that mommy was performing and really wasn’t getting hurt in the ring.
“They said, ‘Mom, you’re going to get hurt, and then you won’t be able to make us breakfast,’” Lavaue said.