UPW Partners

 Student of the Month, November 2002 

Erica Porter

By Les Honig

For even the most the casual of visitors to Ultimate University’s Raw training center lately it is clear to see that enormous changes are afoot; and one of the results of the now exploding enrollment is the presence of a whole new breed of dynamic and fanatic females shaking up the ring ropes with the best of the big guys.

One of the most talented of this new class of competitor is certainly Erica Porter, who brings a lifetime of athletic achievement to her mat portfolio, and who is already making a major impact in the women’s UPW ranks. Erica, along with lady learning colleagues Melissa Coates, Anni King, Nikki Fuller and others, are already taking this division to new heights, with most of their skills being learned and refined right under the watchful eyes of their world class UU instructors.

At 28 Erica already can boast a good bit of prior experience as a featured talent on “Women of Wrestling’s” TV show, but much of her ability to execute new moves also comes from years as a standout gymnast and dancer. 

“Although these activities took up much of my time and interest,” she explains now, “wrestling was always there as something I would have loved to pursue.” Born in Guatemala City and then relocating early on to the East Coast with her family, she remembers a childhood full of outdoor activities and an early passion for the sport we all love.  “I was a major tomboy so I always had solid relationships with guys when I was a kid and that led into an appreciation for the pro wrestling world. My parents hated it though and my brother and I had to be really sneaky to watch WWF and the other show they didn’t want us to see, ‘Married With Children’”.

Taking up dance and gymnastics as a preteen and pursuing these twin passions all the way through early adulthood with deep intensity “until I got burned out”, a life changing moment came as she graduated the University of Pittsburgh with a dual major in biology and dance, and decided to move out to the West Coast to pursue the latter area as a vocation. It was, however, frustration at not making rapid enough advances in that new career, as well as a happy coincidence when she learned that a college chum named Matt Bloom had been hired as Albert on WWF, that rekindled her dormant earlier desires for a future in the ring.

“Actually I was built more like a wrestler than a dancer,” she recalls with amusement now, “and so I had a hard time getting work out here.  For me, a new career in wrestling gave me that outlet for presenting live entertainment while at the same time using my creativity and athleticism.”

Encouraged by Albert and other friends to seriously look into the sport while also dabbling into acting, she unknowingly responded to an audition for a women’s “superhero show” and was delighted when it turned out to be the actual creation of “WOW..Women of Wrestling”. Utilizing her South American background and ability to fly high, she was a natural for the character of Jungle Grrrl; a part she played with enthusiasm during her run with the show.

Out afterwards with a shoulder injury for a year, she was more eager than ever to get back into the squared circle, and it was a chance encounter while interviewing for the Learning Channel’s documentary on wrestling that she learned of the Raw Center, where the program was being filmed. Shortly thereafter she attended her first UPW training session and was immediately hooked.

Now a student here since June, Erica admits to being “totally impressed with all the Ultimate U instructors” convincing her more than ever that this decision to make sports entertainment her career choice has indeed been a wise one. Evaluating the particular strengths of her trainers, she feels that “The Ballards are great at teaching the mechanics of moves while Tom Howard is fantastic at explaining the psychology of why they are important to the match they’re part of.”  Remembering that “at WOW we did moves without really knowing why we did them”, Porter now is a firm believer in the Howard philosophy that “every match must tell a story.”  She is equally blown away by the talent exhibited by her classmates.

“Some of the guys and gals here show terrific athleticism but are still developing their ring personalities while others I’ve seen are the reverse; possessing really amazing ring presence but still needing some work on their technique, and then there are those few that are the most amazing of all; total packages who seem, even with the little training they’ve had so far, to be mastering both areas beautifully.”