Wrestling to make pro debut
By Ron Bracken
Saturday morning smorga-sports … Unlike almost any other sport, folkstyle or freestyle wrestling offered no professional opportunity once a wrestler finished his collegiate career.
There were no professional leagues, no tours, no money-making propositions other than the WWE freak shows. It was either that, or go into coaching where the pay, especially at the scholastic level, works out to less than minimum wage.
That’s going to change with the advent of Real Pro Wrestling, a professional Olympic-style wrestling league which will debut in March.
There will be eight teams in the circuit, which will televise meets weekly on PAX TV and Fox Sports Net. The wrestling will be a combination of Freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Naturally, Pennsylvania will be represented in the league. The Pennsylvania Hammer will compete against the New York Outrage, California Claw, Chicago Groove, Iowa Stalkers, Oklahoma Slam, Minnesota Freeze and Texas Shooters.
Among the names you might recognize who will be competing in the circuit are Jeff Prescott, who won two NCAA titles while wrestling at Penn State, former PIAA champion Teague Moore, ex-Penn State heavyweight Pat Cummins and former Penn State assistant coach Sammie Henson.
The league will launch its eight-week season on March 27. Coverage on PAX will air at 4 p.m. on Sundays while Fox Sports Net will begin its broadcast schedule on March 30 at 3 p.m. and continue for eight consecutive Wednesdays.
The one-hour shows will feature three complete 10-minute matches and highlights from the other four bouts.
Tags: real pro wrestling
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