Ring of Honor Show Homecoming for Dearborn's Terry Gerin

Terry Gerin has spent much of his career traveling the world in the professional wrestling circuit, however the 37-year-old says it all pales in comparison to performing for a hometown crowd.

Gerin, a Dearborn native, will return to the city he loves on Saturday, July 13, to perform for the Ring of Honor wrestling match at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center on Saturday.

Better known by his ring name Rhino, the 275-pound Gerin will face off against some of Ring of Honor's top talent, including World TV Champion Matt Tavene.

"I'm looking forward to coming back to Dearborn," Gerin said. "The last time we were here was in January, and I was dealing with some health issues. I'm looking to redeem myself on Saturday."

Gerin has been wrestling most of his life, beginning in the early 1990s, after leaving Annapolis High School in Dearborn Heights to train in the Detroit independent circuit under the ring name Terry Richards.

"I always loved wrestling," Gerin said of his decision to drop out of high school prior to graduating. "I thought, 'why not give this a shot?' It's better to try something and fail, than to never know what your true potential is."

Gerin is a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, with stints in the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and National Wrestling Alliance. He is also a three-time World Wrestling Federation (WWF) champion, and a two-time ECW World Television Champion.

Gerin said he loves entertaining and meeting fans, however his passion is being a role model and teaching young aspiring professional wrestlers how to reach their dream.

"It's important to me to pass on knowledge to some of these younger guys of what to do and what not to do in terms of drugs and alcohol," he said. "You can get caught up in the excitement of touring and performing, but you have to take care of your body and your family first."

When he's not wrestling, Gerin can be found visiting with fans or training in local gyms in Michigan.

"A wrestler's body is his tool. Whether you are wrestling for five years or 20 years, you have to stay in shape," he said. "A lot of people think that you show up to a venue, wrestle for 30 minutes and leave. There's a lot of training and traveling that can wear you down if you don't prepare mentally and physically before a match."

And while he admits that some of professional wrestling involves theatrics, for the most part, its a sport that requires a lot of discipline.

"You have to be an athlete. You have to be well-tuned in cardiovascular exercise. It's very tough," he said. "After a match I'm sore, and my body's beat up. It's a rough business, and you have to be dedicated."

That's one message he tries to impart on his young fans, the other is on the importance of education.

"Looking back on my decisions, I wish I would've stayed in school," he said. "Knowledge is powerful, and in today's world with the Internet, you have information at your fingertips."

While he encourages aspiring wrestlers to follow their dreams, Gerin said those dreams should be in a professional gym with proper training.

"I've known kids who have hurt themselves trying to emulate professional wrestlers on TV," he said. "Parents need to let their kids know 'Don't try this stuff.'"

Saturday's show will also feature other notable wrestlers from Michigan, including Kevin Steen versus World TV Champion Matt Taven with Hamtramck’s Truth Martini; and World Tag-Team Champion Kyle O’Reilly versus Detroit native TaDarius Thomas.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available for purchase at the door for $20. A special pre-show Q&A with Ring of Honor Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness will take place at 6:30 p.m. prior to bell-time and is free for anyone attending the main show. In addition, a special after-party will take place at Bailey’s Pub and Grille and is free for Ring of Honor wrestling fans.

For more information, or to purchase advance tickets, visit www.rohwrestling.com.