Craig Margelony and Randy Jerr, the owners of Real Warrior Entertainment in South Windsor, have one message for people about professional wrestling.
“Pro wrestling is real, 100 percent,” Margelony, 31, said.
No, the two aren’t trying to pass off pro wrestling as a competitive sport per se, but they do insist - rightfully so - that it’s a highly athletic endeavor that requires a tremendous amount of strength, agility and training.
“The story lines, just like any form of entertainment is scripted,” Margelony said.
And for those who aspire to grapple in the ring with the likes of Ryback and John Cena, the RWE’s School of Hard Knocks, located at 1257 John Fitch Blvd., is the place to start.
“If you don’t think it’s real, I implore you to come and try out at the School of Hard Knocks,” Margelony said.
According to Margelony, the School of Hard Knocks is a place for would-be pros to learn not just how to fall and perform wrestling moves, but also how to act in the ring, such as playing to the crowd not unlike Fandango, the World Wrestling Entertainment’s newest sensation.
“We’re training up and coming men and women who want be wrestlers, ring announcers and valets and commentators,” Margelony. “Ultimately they’re going to be trained in the business by ring veterans. They will have the opportunity to showcase their talent in our shows.”
Margelony and Jerr, for their parts, have fairly extensive backgrounds in professional wrestling. Margelony, 31, worked for the NWA in Florida for a while before moving back to the area and Jerr, 25, has wrestled professionally for the last seven years.
Jerr has the battle scars to prove it.
“I have bone chips in my elbow, I have a bad back, two bad knees, a bad neck, I have a metal plate in my shoulder all from wrestling,” Jerr said.
While that may not sound appealing to some, for others it’s music to their ears. Hence the school, which currently has modest trappings - a wrestling ring situated in two garage bays - but the two owners have big plans.
Though the school sounds like a bit of a novelty (Jerr said that he’s aware of just one other school in the state), it’s also important to note that professional wrestling has a huge presence in Connecticut.
Indeed, World Wrestling Entertainment - the most popular and lucrative pro wrestling operation in the country - is headquartered in Stamford.
Margelony said that he chose South Windsor because he grew up in town before moving away and it seemed like the perfect location to start the fledgling school.
The School of Hard Knocks has eight students, according to Margelony and is looking to build its base. Classes start in two weeks, with a full-scale exhibition slated to take place on June 28.
The hope is that some of the school’s alumni eventually catch the eye of the bigger promoters like the WWE.
As far as the town is concerned, John Fitch Boulevard is turning out to be quite an entertainment hub. Along the South Windsor stretch of Route 5 is Nomads Adventure Quest, Revolutions Bowling and Lounge, the wrestling academy and, hopefully, the crown jewel in Connecticut Studios.
And the town has done nothing but embrace the fledgling wrestling academy.
The planning and zoning committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to provide a special exception permit to the operation because the area is zoned industrial.
“We have been embraced by everybody and we are grateful for the reception we have received,” said Margelony, noting that P&Z Chairman Patrick Kennedy quipped that on one end of John Fitch Boulevard there will be Connecticut Studios and on the other will be Piper's Pit.
For more information on Real Warrior Entertainment and the wrestling school, visit here.
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