|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
UPW Partners |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
Student of the Month, March 2004 Pete Zwissler |
|
|
|
by Les Honig Recent visitors to
the monthly Mat Wars have no doubt seen the emergence of a new tag
tandem with a truly unique approach. Created by Pete Zwissler who
portrays "Peter Goodman" along with tag partner Kevin
Martenson who calls himself "Johnny Goodtime", this
auspicious debut has already attracted positive comments among
show-goers; particularly for the wit and great on-mike skills that
Zwissler has already demonstrated. Not a big surprise
though, for this blue-chip trainee, now celebrating his one year
anniversary as a Raw Center student, has always possessed a naturally
outgoing personality. Born and raised in L.A’s Rancho Cucamonga, the
24 year-old recalls a childhood full of positive experiences including
participation in a number of sports from T-ball to Little League.
Scoring in the top 5% of his high school graduating class, his teen
years saw him active on various varsity teams, particularly swimming
and water polo. In addition, he along with several buddies spent a lot
of their free time involved with a unique and valuable hobby: being
part of living history civil war re-enactments. And as with so many
of his fellow Ultimate U trainees, pro wrestling always held a special
place in this talented kid’s heart; though he did not really plan at
first to become a squared circle talent himself. “I think I started
following WWE back in the late 80s when I was about 9 or 10,” he
remembers now. “For me
it was the Saturday morning shows where you’d see the main
superstars going against the jobbers.
I remember my parents coming in and telling me, ‘You don’t
want to watch this. These are not good role models for you.’
Well, the fact that it was something I wasn’t supposed to
watch made me want to tune in even more.” Recalling that he
and close friends would stage wrestling matches in their living rooms,
Pete points to the bigger wrestlers as those who attracted him most.
“At first I was a big Demolition fan, and also dug The
Rockers, and later when I grew up I looked up to people like Crush and
HHH.” Being active on his high school newspaper, he points to with
nostalgia the Tuesday mornings when he and his journalism teacher,
himself a big wrestling fan, would discuss the Monday Night Wars.
“Sometimes in class when we finished our articles we started
joking around, cutting promos against each other; talking trash and
just having fun.” Continuing his
education at a community college where he majored in film and
broadcasting; and taking a year off to work in his dad’s
construction business, it wasn’t till the age of 22 that Zwissler
received his degree; but already the bug to become a mat talent had
bitten him. Researching local
schools via the Net, he settled on UPW as a major possibility and was
delighted when he checked out a Saturday Tom Howard class, finding the
instruction solid and very well organized. With a full-time job
at The Auto Zone, however, he still kept the dream in mild limbo, but
soon he found himself contacting Ultimate U and before long he moved
from casual onlooker to active participant. “That first class
was really an eye-opening one because I realized that I wasn’t in
the best shape yet to compete. I came in there at 215 but in the year
that has now passed, I have put myself on an active workout program
and now I am down to 172 and am stronger at this weight than I ever
was when I was heavier.” Fortunate to arrive
at his first training session at the moment that an Australian TV crew
was filming a news show feature, he immediately was put through the
motions as Howard brought him into the ring to “learn how to take a
bump and it was pretty much just jump right into it. My first practice
then was involved with me learning how to do the universal spot and
after we had finished the TV crew pulled me aside and gave me a quick
on-camera interview. It was quite an experience for that first day.” Now firmly
entrenched and definitely coming into his own as one of the brightest
new talents to make El Segundo mat waves, Pete points to a recent
training meeting with promoter Rick Bassman as his turning point for
making a now total career commitment. “Up till then I
was balancing my work with training and I mainly came Tuesdays and
Thursdays. Well Rick told
us how much he wanted everyone to focus on just how seriously they
wanted to take a career here; explaining that the more you attend the
more benefits you’re gonna see out of all your effort. For
me that really hit home. I
took a hard look at myself and said, ‘There are plenty of other guys
here busting their butts just as much or more than me and they’re
not coming up with excuses.’ So now I’ve pushed it to the point
where I attend almost every Saturday too.” Pointing to Tom
Howard as an exceptional teacher who has taught him the importance of
ring psychology and the successful monitoring of how your in-ring
actions affect fan reactions, he also mentions the Ballards, who have
been his main instructors, as also particularly great teachers, and
guys he can have fun with while expanding his wrestling repertoire. Noting that “all
three of us have the best chemistry since we are all big Simpson
fans” he adds with a chuckle that, “Often we’ll be wrestling and
one of us will shout out a promo from that show. That always helps cut
the tension and injects some humor into the night.” More than
anything, however, he says their value as instructors goes far beyond
their ability to just make learning enjoyable. “As wrestlers with
so much experience behind them, The Ballards have really helped me out
with the selling aspect of their moves as well as keeping the focus on
the crowd when you’re working your opponent. Wrestling is not just
about spots and the match. It’s about finishing one spot and getting
the audience’s reaction whether they cheer you or boo you but more
than anything getting and keeping them actively involved.” Pete also
points to fellow classmates Tony Stradlin, L’il Nate and Shane
Roberts as particular inspirations because of their fantastic
attitudes, exceptional abilities and uncanny understanding of the
grappling game. Admitting he has now
become a student of the sport, analyzing TV matches in a whole new way
as well as hanging the “8 Steps To Building A Match”, (a guide for
how to construct a successful ring encounter by telling a story), on
the wall next to his bed, Pete is now branching out via the
development of his new tag team. “I realized that
UPW is in need of some new tag teams so when Shannon Ballard wanted us
to develop our own gimmicks for future ring use, I decided that I
wanted to form a team and that the concept of the Good Guys would
really work. It’s been
fun coming up with a heel character in a different way than most
people do. When you sell
yourself as a nice guy but then oversell it to a major degree people
are gonna start hating you pretty soon instead.” Partnering up with
fellow trainee and friend Kevin Martenson, the team debuted at a
recent April Mat Wars, successfully amusing while infuriating
onlookers at the same time. Sober as to the
competition he will face to gain a niche in WWE someday, Pete Zwissler
feels it is more realistic to set long-term goals for himself,
pointing to the nearly two decades that one of his favorite current
wrestlers, Chris Benoit, has had to toil in the minor leagues before
making it to an ultimate Titan championship.
Therefore he hopes to set interim smaller goals for himself to
accomplish and hopes someday it will all come together and bear fruit
in a major way. “I remember when
they were advertising Wrestlemania 20 last year; I think I was just
starting out in UPW. I
told my friend at the time, ‘It may take some time but just you
wait. When Wrestlemania
30 rolls around, I will be there!’ |
|
Previous Ultimate University Students of the Month: February 2004 - Kevin Martenson January 2004 - Jason Sanfilippo December 2003 - Dmitry Masarky September 2003 - Tony Stradlin February 2003 - Nate Nickerson |
