From Fan To Pro

Send us Fan MailHe quits a wedding reception early to catch a wrestling show, walks down an armory stairwell, and accidentally runs into the person who opens the door to his entire career. That’s the moment I keep coming back to as I tell the real origin story of how I went from a diehard fan in Oak Hill, West Virginia to training and working for Smoky Mountain Wrestling. I rewind to the 1980s when professional wrestling on TV was appointment viewing and the territories felt endless, from Mid-Atlantic to WTBS to WWF and AWA. Then the path gets personal: meeting Tim Horner, signing a deal, and getting my first taste of “the boys” at the 1993 Legends of Wrestling convention in Philadelphia. I share what it meant to be treated with kindness by Kerry Von Erich, the weird sting of an Ultimate Warrior autograph gone wrong, and how a master like Terry Funk could work a kid with one quiet line. From there it’s the grind: moving to Tennessee on June 2, 1993, learning what “make a town” really means, and training the hard way with conditioning, bumps, and fundamentals before flash. That foundation leads to a moment that still doesn’t feel real: December 6, 1993, a borrowed yellow mask, a new name, and my first match on Smoky Mountain TV as The Hornet against the Rock and Roll Express, followed by a $50 check that felt like winning the lottery. I also explain why I’ve kept detailed wrestling journals for 32 years and how the next chapter starts with 1994 as we go match by match through the ride. If you enjoy wrestling history, wrestling territories, old-school training, and honest locker room memories, subscribe, share this with a fellow fan, and leave a review so more people can find the show.