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Beyond The Ring : "Fighting To The Top"


Wrestling today is so mainstream and it's getting bigger and bigger. More companies are starting their own wrestling show, more companies are expanding, and even more events are taking place. We see bright new stars showcase their talents, as well as the veterans we all love and possibly hate. And no matter what show your watching or who's in it, they are putting a performance of a lifetime.

But, everyone starts at the bottom, right? We see people she blood, sweat, and tears to get where they are. And sometimes, once they get where they are, they might fall back to the bottom. What happens to them? And what about the ones that are still at the bottom after being in this business?

Wrestling is a huge competition, and just trying to get establish is even a bigger competition. We hear from a few wrestlers that has been in the game for a while, and seems to be getting nowhere. Some were signed to big companies but get left behind. Let's take a look at some of these wrestlers trial and tribulations as they share their opinions and stories of the struggle to make it big in wrestling. This, is "Beyond The Ring".

Shaul Santana (@SheDaRealest) : My life in the wrestling industry has been...unpredictable to say the least. It’s been a mixture of incredible highs, incredible lows, and many plateaus. I’m still relatively new to wrestling, having only done so for just about three years. And I feel as though I became popular relatively quickly — perhaps it wasn’t always for the best reason or strictly my wrestling — but Shaul Santana became a name that many people knew. I feel like I’ve grown so much from when I was first starting out though. I grew from just being this...”ratchet” and flamboyant caricature of who I am, to a more well-respected and creative individual. I went from just showing promise, to being able to deliver and just needing the opportunity.

But, this is an incredibly difficult industry, it’s very much about who and what you know. And as an outsider, coming from boxing, the majority of the big names were foreign and alien to me. So, in order to become more noticed, I needed to brand myself. That’s when I began calling myself the “Kween”. It’s a rather unconventional way to spell “Queen” but it got people’s attention whether they liked it or not. And that’s where things got a little better. I got connected to people such as Kidd Gucci, who is a good friend of mine, Jessica Angel, Aniyah Vadoll, and of course the woman who introduced me to wrestling, my cousin Kimura who used to wrestle for BGB. They all helped shape and form me for the pressures and expectations of the industry and I’ll forever be grateful for that.

Signing to companies was difficult because everything always sounded so great on paper, but things tended to fall through. I was in RTG before that went on hiatus. I filmed commercials and cut promos that never even got to air. Then there was WRP which was probably one of the happiest months to a year of my career. I was still fairly new, but I was in the same company as wonderful talents such as Vixen, Jessica Angel, and Aaron Bomber. And I was pinned to be Queen’s champion. And...as you know, WRP merged with CTO creating a second brand to Corruption and that was Voltage. And while the majority of talent moved from WRP to Voltage or Corruption, I was moved down to Fortune. Which, Fortune was a developmental competition prior to being its own brand in Cherish. So in a roundabout way, I was competing to be in a company that so many of my coworkers from WRP simply got contracts to. It was difficult because there were so many different directions Fortune was going in at any given time, so I never knew exactly what would occur, but I knew I needed to work hard regardless. And then, I had a match at Double or Nothing, a CTO pay-per-view, and it received a fairly positive reaction. So at this point, I’m gaining momentum, I’m becoming more well known and people are seeing that I can deliver both on the mic and in the ring. I design my own gear and do my makeup and everything as far as my look is concerned because I have a particular vision for the Kween brand. And at this time, I was really planting the foundation for who the Kween is and what she should look like. It simply looked like things were going up from there. Then came the heel turn.

Redemption was a HUGE PPV, one of the biggest to date. And I was given the amazing opportunity to cut a heel turn promo. It was a pipebomb of sorts, and again, it generated a rather positive reaction. People were commending me on my promo skills. It was then, that the Evil Kween was born. I feel as though during this time, my life took both a political and personal hit. I was going through a very public break up with Aniyah. And I was being compared to people left and right, which wasn’t new to me in my career. But what was new was being called a carbon-copy and things of that nature. That hurt because it questioned my creative intelligence and artistic credibility. I would never copy anyone. But the media has a way of twisting things. That was a very difficult time. Then Fortune came around and I faced Tiffany Aero. The Evil Kween vs the Aerodynamic Diva. And regardless of whatever was going on in the media, I went out there and did what I do best and that was perform and entertain. To this day, that is one of my favorite if not my favorite match that I have been in. Our promos, our wrestling, our storytelling and everything was just magnificent and I am so incredibly thankful for having that opportunity to face a growing legend in Tiffany Aero.

However, that’s when the momentum stopped. I was no longer being booked. I wasn’t even cutting promos, and that used to be the sort of thing that if I wasn’t wrestling, I just knew I’d be doing some promo work. It was one of my strong suits. Kendrick actually told me that. And soon after I was released from my CTO contract along with several others.

I was never mad, I was more so disappointed than anything. I felt like I had so much more to give to the company. But I was and still am, so incredibly thankful for the opportunity I was given. It’s still so surreal to me that I was ever even a part of CTO. That’s the top of the top. That’s the promotion that everyone wants to get to, and I made it.

But with being released from CTO, I was able to reinvent myself. Focus on who Shaul was inside of the ring in the indies. I bettered my craft. And I also went on different business ventures. I became more than just a wrestler, but also a public figure and personality. Wrestling really taught me that you don’t necessarily need lemons to make lemonade, and that I have control of my destiny and my career. So I’m really optimistic for the future and this won’t be the last time you see Shaul Santana in a wrestling ring.

Lexie Marchél (@LexieLution) : Getting into a company is extremely difficult considering i’ve been trying to get inside of TKS for the longest. *laughs* So yeah, I know from experience. Mainly because, I think TKS holds themselves to a higher standard. They deserves and hires only the best. And I know that i’m not that, just yet to be honest with myself. I know that I kinda don’t deserve to be in TKS as of now, due to my lack of activity and engagement inside of wrestling. And also, not being inside of events and other leagues, trying to make a name for myself. Plus, there are other divas that deserve to be inside of TKS such as; Gin Cruise, Vixen and even Kelcey Taelor! But, that doesn’t mean i’m not going to stop trying. As of now, i’m going to continue to do what i’m doing to get my name out there, until I get my big opportunity!

Zander Devari (@ZanderDevari) : For me, getting into a company is can be really difficult! Especially since, the character that I try to portray is commonly rejected due to him being “gay” or a “pansy”, instead of him actually be labeled as the correct term; metrosexual or androgynous. I’ve been lied to so many times and pushed to the side instead of just actually given an honest answer. it’s always either an excuse or a “we’ll get back to you on that”. But when they don’t get back to me, it’s like, then what?

But also, I was previously released from CTO due to me getting into a minor altercation with one the owners. It was a petty reasoning but hey, things happen. Really sucks because i’m really capable of so many things but, i’ve never been able to showcase that I am. It’s honestly irritating to me seeing how people can kiss ass to get further. Further than the people who actually have talent and can contribute so much. Also, not to mention how double standard people are. People could say one thing and mean another behind closed doors, especially the fake complementive people who’re being so supportive to your face but secretly trashing everything about your character.

I honestly do personally think that I am undeniably one of the most diligent and supportive people when it comes to wrestling! I promise that. And this was just a piece of my mind in regards to companies around here.

Talia Marie (@TaliaMarie) : Honestly, I feel like it’s hard to get into certain type of companies because, there’s a bunch of personalities placed into one business and with the women, even though they are supposed to be “different”, A LOT of them are very similar. We have a lot of faces and heels who have personalities that are familiar and I believe that the owners don’t want those to clash. I also think the other reason why it is hard to get signed is, people not being ready or polished for that type of stepping stool. But, I’ve been given a chance to show off what I am about many times, such as TKS Inception and I made a ton of appearances on CTO. I just wish that I could get a chance to actually be on a roster and actually be considered talent because, I’ve been working my butt off and whenever I pop up on the television screens, social media goes through the roof and so does my supporters and haters. I believe that it is only right that they listen to the people and answer their requests.

Ace Falcon (@AceFalconCAW) : Well, Jessica (@BKNBombshell) and I are happy where we are now: three companies, main event spots, invitations to special events, and stuff like that.

Everyone's fight to the top is different. Some try to bully, others, back stab. We decided to be patient, pray, and build on our reputation on striving to do a quality job every time. Be a better wrestler than our last match. Look better this year than last year. The opportunities will (and have) come.

When it comes to failures and not meeting goals, things happen for a reason. Usually when things don't work out well for us, something better is around the corner. People lack the patience to succeed and want microwave success. The reward is much more enjoyable when it's done right.

Alisha Jenay (@Only10_I_See) : Being a professional wrestler is not all that it’s cracked up to be. It takes years of training to become decent in the ring and even if you do that, you might not make it big time. I’ve started training in February of 2014. I was signed to CTO later that year but, I was unfortunately released due to medical concerns and creative differences. I’ve been recently signed back by CTO but let's not say I haven’t had my fair share of failures. I’ve been signed to multiple leagues and nothing has ever amounted from them. Being in the indies is tough because, you’re not signed to anything which means you aren’t guaranteed to get paid. All of us have bills to pay and it’s tough to do that when you have no money. I’ve seen people come in and become big stars while I sat back watching and waiting for the call. I’ve seen so many people become big stars by just being mediocre and I wonder why should I put in so much effort when others can get away with the bare minimum.

I understand life isn’t fair but when you ask people who have made it big, they all say you just have to work hard and get your name out there. And I find that to be complete bullshit! Some of those very same people are at the top because of who they know, not because of talent. I love wrestling and it’s been a huge dream of mine to make it big one day. And I won’t stop until I see my name headlining PPVs. I won’t stop until my name is in the history books. I won’t stop until I’m looked at as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

If you want us to give your favorite wrestler an interview or would like one yourself, messages on our official Twitter account (@CAWTMZ). And, if you have some "tea" you would like to spill, let us know, it might even get posted from us.


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