Coach Alex Riley details the first year of the River City Wrestling Academy, a new option for Midwest wrestling.
With the thumps of bodies on steel and foam echoing from the frigid storage locker, the scene at the Whispering Pines Campground RV Park came together like an act from "Goodfellas."
As the metal sheet door rose up from the storage unit, the thumps continued to land in rhythm as Nick Wagner and Brad Dewey flung themselves into weathered wrestling ropes. The two almost touch the walls of the unit when the ropes stretch to their limits.
The River City Wrestling Academy launched its first year with humble beginnings backed by a fundamental commitment: turning small-market aspirants into professional wrestlers.
The academy was born out of River City Championship Wrestling's 10th year of local wrestling shows. Organizers Alex Riley and Derek Martine started the academy using the league's influence and resources.
People are also reading... 2 local businesses have new names, owners; 3rd moves - Steve Cahalan Early Sunday morning shooting under investigation on La Crosse's North Side Black Horse Bar and Grill expects to rebuild after devastating overnight fire Homicide charge filed in fatal Sunday morning shooting on La Crosse's North Side Woman says hit-and-run driver offered $200 not to call police Numerous schools in western Wis., southeast Minn. closed Tuesday La Crosse opens emergency day center as temperatures plunge Trempealeau Co. bucks projected population stagnation in western Wisconsin Onalaska teen faces multiple charges after attempted armed robbery 5 La Crosse area high school girls stars of the week: Jan. 16 edition Women on the brink of homelessness left alone to face abusers, investigation shows La Crosse man charged with murder; $1 million bond imposed for shooting Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch to headline Rock Fest Trump offered a bountiful batch of campaign promises that come due on Day 1 Onalaska home damaged by fire, no injuries reported
Classes started in September from the RV park unit the wrestling circuit had used for storage. After finding a secondhand ring the team could beat on more than their show ring, Riley and Martine found six dedicated wrestlers for the first class.
Local Midwest option
Before this academy, the choices for honing one's grappling skills were limited to mid-sized and large cities. The only other academies available to most Midwest folks are based in the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, Chicago or Davenport, Iowa.
The cost to attend those bruise even deeper, with courses ranging from $3,500 to higher.
"It's not realistic that they're doing their 9-5 within La Crosse County and then making a three-hour drive to a facility, training for three hours coming back and continuing with their 9-5," said coach Riley. "There is sacrifice when it comes to professional wrestling. It's just that that's an extreme level of sacrifice."
As a smaller operation, the academy starts with an upfront cost of $1,000 for 15 weeks of training. Upon graduation, students sign a contract with River City Championship Wrestling to keep them local for their debut year.
Riley said the post-grad contract is to protect rookie wrestlers from entering toxic contracts from others who might exploit a new face.
The academy and its price point has already attracted prospective wrestlers from far away.
Michael Huffman is a retired professional magician, manager of four Subway sandwich shops along the upper Mississippi River now raising a family with four kids in Ellsworth.
While Ellsworth is closer to the Twin Cities than La Crosse, Huffman believed the lower upfront entry cost was a wiser investment than other more prominent schools. Huffman had a hip replaced in high school and is now in his early 40s, so his investment had to be worth the short time he has left to wrestle.
"I'm starting with a bunch of holes already punched in my bump card. So, I'm looking to utilize my personality and my microphone skills," Huffman said.
Wrestling was always a part of his life. It fell to the wayside when he started his career in magic but lay dormant, waiting for the moment to reappear. Working in customer service for most of his life, Huffman was already looking for an outlet.
"I have people coming in and throwing sandwiches at me, and I have to smile at them and tell them I'm so sorry. It is an escape, you know, in a safe way," Huffman flared. "I had no idea what kind of wrestler I was going to be when I stepped into that ring until the very first camp. We locked up and I unleashed the biggest growl and roar and scream in this guy's face, and the coach was like, 'Oh, OK, so you're that guy.' "
"That guy" was always within Huffman but refined into a full character through his work with Riley. It was clear early on that Huffman would adopt a heel persona. Huffman and Riley distanced Huffman's character from goofier heel archetypes.
It had to be a serious fight whenever Huffman got involved, otherwise the line between show and physicality became too blurred.
This character work is more than entertainment, Riley explained. Overcoming anxieties is a heavy lift for babyface wrestlers. However, after 15 weeks of camp, Riley and Martine had the green wrestlers ready for action.
River City's babyfaces
When Taylor Dobbs whisked the black curtains away, he exploded out from the entrance stage and ran across the length of the academy's show stage while hooting and hollering.
A long-time fan and spectator of area wrestling, Dobbs knew the regulars expected a certain level of energy to start the show. He also had to show up against Devlin Kain, River City's iconic Viking-clad wrestler.
"I like trying to get the people to rally behind you and, you know, trying to just have them feel the energy you're feeling," Dobbs said. "You got to really be able to dig down deep and show that you got nothing but heart."
Dobbs had a significant transformation from the wrestler he thought he would be. He originally billed himself as a high flyer but changed to a technical wrestler as the academy went on. It worked for his hero babyface persona, as the good guy typically owns the middle of the ring.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts
The transformation comes directly from academy practices. Organizers Riley and Martine coach the moves and the mind at the same time. Without proper coaching, someone stepping into the ring would put on a boring show at best or end up in the hospital at worst.
The skills needed to pull off and sell intense moves require a high bar of confidence. Dobbs and the others' final test was to complete one full match against a seasoned wrestler.
"The standard is pretty low. Just, can you wrestle a match? Because we can develop those skills with you," Riley said. "The second that you stop learning is the time it's time to hang it up."
Student Brad Schwendner is one who tasked himself with learning the mental game above all else. In the second to last academy class, coaches had students cutting promotions in the ring.
"I'm standing there, and I get going. About 20 seconds in, my hands start shaking like crazy," Schwendner said. "It's kind of just putting your art into the ether and just wondering if people are going to gravitate to it or not."
Schwendner added that getting out of his head has been his best growth area. He said at the beginning, he would look totally lost when transitioning from one move to the next.
A much different Schwendner took the ring for the final test. For the first half of the match, it seemed like some of the nerves had hit Schwendner. At the halfway mark, his opponent Alvin Gray flew his knee across Schwendner's temple in a blitz with one loud smack.
Schwendner's body fell to the mat hard. The noises alone garnered a share of grimaces from the eyeful judges sitting around the ring. Schwendner had sold it like a pro.
Receiving his marks later, the coaches and judges commended Schwendner for most of his technical skills. The biggest critique was of his persona. Schwendner is a tall, lanky guy but was curled over for much of his match. The judges wanted to see him use his body to his advantage.
In the future, Schwendner plans to homage iconic WWE wrestler Sting and use face paint features that he hopes will fade some of his anxieties.
"The long-term plan is just to make my kid proud. But, I would like to stay in RCCW for as long as they're willing to have me," Schwendner said.
Owning the program
For a while, coach Riley wasn't sure the academy was necessary. It was common knowledge that the schools in the big cities had earned their reputations for developing quality wrestlers.
Ten years in, officials with River City Championship Wrestling had been asked many times when they would start a program.
"After talking with a few of my fellow peers who also run academies and schools, they felt that I should really just own it," Riley said. "That way, we can stay clear with our message. We're not arguing amongst five or six different trainers. It's just Derek and myself that have final say when it comes to how things are being run."
Besides some advice from industry peers, the duo started the academy from scratch. It started in September with the mission of accessibility and affordability in mind.
Getting the academy off the ground was a testament to Riley's experience.
"It's one thing to have somebody ask for your opinion where you can offer that opinion because somebody prompted you for that. It's another thing to give that feedback directly, give that opportunity to teach," Riley said.
So, the graduation matches Jan. 17 were not just a test for the academy students. They were also a culmination of Riley and Martine's work in sculpting local stars.
Graduation
When the toiling of ropes and skins finally ceased Friday night, there was good news all around. All the tired, nervous faces turned to cautious smiles one by one as Riley and Martine graduated each student.
With year-long contracts ahead, the next test began right after the first. As the new grads navigate the wrestling world, they will have key decisions to make.
"If you want to really make something out of yourself, you have to be working all the time. It is a job," Riley said. "There's a lot of opportunities to develop yourself and also to get yourself out there and let people know, 'Hey, I'm trying to make a name for myself.' "
The opportunities are aplenty. While academies are few, the amount of wrestling leagues continues to stack up. Leagues like River City Championship Wrestling collaborate with other smaller leagues for sanctioned matches so wrestlers can spread their influence.
Academy students will start to phase into matches around Wisconsin and bordering states. Sparta, Caledonia, Eau Claire, Madison and more are always looking for the next new name.
All it takes is a car of prospective wrestlers to carpool together for talent to conquer new markets.
River City organizers are already looking to the second year of the academy, with new plans and a refined program on the way.
Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Caden Perry
News Reporter
Author twitter Author email Follow Caden Perry Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today