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by
Les Honig
It’s been a crazy two years of near breakthrough opportunities; gained local plaudits, tag success and solo striving; but through it all Dmitry Masarsky, known to UPW fans as Off Da Hook’s Shawn Riddick, has persevered; hanging in there in classic style, and now back where it all began, at Ultimate U., seems on the verge of finally putting all the pieces for together for career success.
Dmitry, now 20, and an immigrant at the age of five; brought here to San Diego by his Russian parents hoping to find greater opportunities on American shores, recalls spending a quiet childhood, doing well in his studies and excelling at soccer; then in high school in football as a defensive lineman and as a talented amateur boxer. It was, however, when he decided to live out a lifelong dream to become a pro wrestler, that all of those other athletic ambitions were quickly shelved to make way for a new total sports entertainment commitment.
“I had been a fan since around age 6,” Masarsky recalls, “and in those days I remember believing it totally. I was in awe of those humongous athletes who demonstrated their physicality and made it look so real. I loved the storylines; all the gimmicks they used then for their characters.”
Continuing to follow this sport as he competed through school in others, it was upon high school graduation that he decided it was time to really make an effort to enter this field himself. At first he investigated his main idol, Shawn Michael’s Texas training center, but decided it would be more practical to attend a local facility, and it was through sheer luck that in mid-2001, that he discovered UPW.
Having attended a WWE fan fare at the Anaheim Pond, he came upon an Ultimate Pro Wrestling booth manned by some of the fed’s superstars like John “Prototype” Cena and promoter Rick Bassman. Encouraged, he attended one of his first training sessions with his dad and brother at Huntington Beach’s Gold’s Gym, but soon found himself questioning his potential.
“I was a little guy then; I hadn’t really started bodybuilding much yet; and here I saw these bohemoth wrestlers like Marshall Knox, John Heydenreich and Nathan Jones going at it. I got really intimidated; yet my heart was pounding. I was already hooked. I just wanted to jump out of my seat and become part of the action right then and there despite any risks.”
Returning shortly thereafter to actually train, he began to gain immediate confidence as his then-teachers Chris Daniels and Tom Howard put him through the paces and could see some potential in the green recruit.
“Tom was gone for a while so Chris was teaching and he was really good and still remains one of my favorite instructors. His method was very effective. In those days I didn’t even know what a back-bump was. But he would make me keep doing it over and over till I got it 100% right. Well, that really helped. It hurt a lot to do so you didn’t want to get it wrong and have to repeat it. You wanted to get it right the first time. His kind of method encouraged you and inspired you to get better.”
Attending three times a week, he not only was trained by Daniels but also by Spanky and Matrix, both of whom he recalls as extremely positive forces in his learning process. Still the one teacher who he feels has been there through it all with him is Howard, who he has nothing but the highest praise for.
“I became very close with him. He helped me out as much with personal problems as with wrestling. He took the time to hear my concerns and gave me really helpful advice. I love his classes. He is totally serious about wrestling but also makes it fun. He is just a great person. Most everything I know comes from Tom.”
Still, the opportunity for actual mat success came early for Dmitry, as he was teamed up shortly after starting with fellow trainee Sergio Rangel for a light show.
“I remember we were facing Pure Talent and Catastrophe and our moves really jelled during the match.”
The biggest surprise was to come, however, shortly after that encounter when Sergio came up to him and asked if he was interested in forming a training tag team. Very flattered by being given this offer by someone who had been around quite a bit longer than him, he readily accepted and Off Da Hook was formed; a tandem that delighted light show audiences consistently and soon branched out to major venue performances as well.
“We became buddies as well, making the trip regularly together from San Diego to Gold’s and then
R1 Center. We’d use the time to plan our moves; discuss outfits that we could wear; and even our hairstyles. It all seemed really positive.”
Feeling that they might soon be given a major UPW push, and set to battle Native Blood on an upcoming Galaxy show, Dmitry was unhappily to reach a low point in his career as Rangel began to indicate that he was losing interest in training to be a pro. Deciding at that crucial moment to drop out, Sergio dealt a serious blow to Masarsky’s own aspirations; forcing him to reevaluate his whole developing wrestling career. “He had such immense talent and such a good head for the business; it really was a shame,” the abandoned partner comments now.
Removing himself from Ultimate U and the UPW arenas for a while; Dmitry decided finally to try out the indy scene and to his surprise, was finding quick acceptance, even being named Rookie of the Year by a leading local website. Still, however, he longed to return more actively to our own outstanding federation.
“I realized that if I wanted to make it anywhere in this business and make a real career out of it and not have it remain a hobby; I needed to concentrate on the one place that could help me achieve just that.”
Returning to UPW on a limited basis at first, this hungry young lion is now once again eager to devour all competition and make it big-time either as a solo talent or as a tag member. (He also reports that his former partner may also return soon; as “he knows he made a major mistake by leaving.”)
Planning on a move closer to L.A.; Dmitry also hopes to continue the learning process through more continuous time at UU where he is “constantly inspired by the progress made each time I come back by the hardcore students like Tony Stradlin, L’il Nate, James Lukash and the others.” He also wishes to prove to Rick Bassman that “all the faith he has placed in me was not a mistake.” (Rick has, himself, acknowledged the up- and-comer’s considerable personal improvement as he works hard to improve his already fine physical conditioning and also shows a significant mastery in promo class, which he now attends regularly.)
Most of all, though, he seeks finally to convert a somewhat up-and-down career beginning into a steady upward spiral to stardom. For that noble goal and for his persistence despite severe personal challenges, we name Dmitry Masarsky as our December Student of the Month.
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