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by Les
Honig
When former UPW great and now WWE-bound Hardkore Kidd was asked to name a young up-and-comer who was sure to make waves in the future, several expected names popped up: L’il Nate and Tony Stradlin; but there was one more not quite so expected: Lionheart.
Indeed, 19 year-old, Brandon “Lionheart” Hill has begun to make a serious impression on those who have been privileged to see him in Mat Wars and larger venue matches; with many commenting, as Kidd has, on his limitless mat energy and dogged determination.
To those, however, who best know Brandon, this is no surprise as he is one guy who readily gives his total being to the passions that motivate his existence. Deeply religious, (he was saved at the age of 12), Hill feels that it is now his life mission to follow a path that has been set for him as a professional wrestler; a calling that first began germinating in his subconscious when he would go over to his cousin’s for the weekend and catch WWE’s Saturday Night Main Event.
“Before long we’d be wrestling all over the house and soon we were making title belts out of cardboard and trying to do all the moves of our favorite stars like Brett Hart’s sharpshooter.”
Largely raised by his mom in the not so affluent Inglewood, California, Brandon recalls her enjoying the impromptu shows he and his cousins would put on in the living room but still thinking “this was a phase he’d outgrow.” Not so, however, when he was to witness the now classic Ironmatch match between Brett Hart and Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 12 and he became more convinced than ever that a future career in the squared circle was the perfect choice for him.
“I realized that Shawn Michaels wanted to be a championship wrestler ever since he was a kid and when he accomplished that during this grueling 60-minute match and broke down and cried at the end I saw myself in the same place someday accomplishing my own dream.”
That confirmed purpose found even more expression when he was enrolled in Harbor City’s Gateway Christian School. There a favorite teacher, Mr. Ebright, who had trained with Ken Shamrock in shootfighting and grappling, would help him develop his early interest in amateur wrestling, having the then 88-pounder come with him into the gym after school and mix it up with an assortment of bigger guys from the janitors to members of the football team to Ebright himself. “He said I never gave up, even when I was being stretched out in the most painful way. I just kept coming on. He was the one who gave me the name ‘Lionheart’.”
Hill’s wrestling successes were to expand even more during his sophomore year, when Gateway School had to close down and he was sent to Torrance High where he became a wrestling team standout as a 121-pounder. Unfortunately, however, money was, as always, tight and so Brandon was sent back closer to home to Locke High where he ultimately was to graduate.
Still with all the expressed interest in wrestling, Brandon’s mom and step-dad were reluctant to have him pursue a career in sports entertainment. Instead they opted for a college career where he could find a more traditional future job path. This was not in the cards, however, as Brandon’s thoughts were already soaring into the squared circle stratosphere; as he dreamed of a star-lit path towards WWE stardom someday.
And when his brother brought home a wrestling magazine that featured a story on UPW and he realized that our fed’s El Segundo school was very close to his home, the deal was sealed and he knew he had to become part of our ever-expanding operation.
Entering on a Saturday beginner’s session in May of last year, the hot talent remembers coming in “full of butterflies” but still managed to cope with the hold-to-hold drills and when allowed to continue in the second advanced class, “as long as I didn’t hold up the other guys”, he recalls a first in-class match with Tommy Wilson and a memorable few minutes with L’il Nate Nickerson.
“I had heard so much on the Net about Nate by this time that it was like wrestling someone you idolized. And I identified with him because he, too, wasn’t a big guy but had found acceptance and popularity with the fans nonetheless. Anyway, I was kind of jittery because I held him in such awe.
“We began and went at it but it wasn’t long before I messed up and ended up kicking him in his nose. He rolled out of the ring and I didn’t know if he was selling or not. So, when he didn’t come back in for 5 minutes, I went out to see if he was okay. I didn’t want to anger him with that mistake but he was very gracious, saying it was fine and instead of getting mad, he offered me advice to just loosen up my moves. Yet, I could still see that his nose was Rudoph the Reindeer red! Today, we still laugh about it and he jokes, ‘Brandon, I really hated you after that!’”
Claiming that Nickerson has become “my brother and my Spanky in the way Spanky is a mentor to Nate,” Brandon now looks back to his year-and-a-half with many fond memories and with the certainty he has grown in many important ways due to the help of many other great UPW teachers and students. He particularly singles out the many famous pros who have come through the training center offering advice and the homegrown talents like Frankie Kazarian, Ryan Sakoda and in particular, our ref extraordinaire Marty Ruvalcava.
“Before I met Marty I just thought a referee waved his hands in the air and counted 1-2-3. Marty has taught me so much about not only the important role of the ref but of ring psychology in general and of how to market yourself as a pro. I consider all the many hours he has spoken to me and the other guys offering his own insights a real blessing.”
One very special part of Brandon’s recent progress has come through the successes he has had with another fabulously talented young lion and close friend, Kevin “Antonio Mestre” Zacaula, in their year-long feud which culminated in the memorable I-Quit match at an early Mat Wars show. It was through these that he further developed his skills in selling moves and developing his now outstanding ring intensity. There were, however, several behind-the-scenes facts that Hill reveals now, events that could have ruined this watershed encounter entirely, had it not been for the professionalism and ever present grit of this rookie sensation.
“People don’t know but I actually went totally deaf in my left ear during most of that match. At the beginning when we both faced off I pushed Kevin and he came back and slapped me hard in the face. He hit me so hard that I became dazed for a moment and then couldn’t hear at all except a little through my right ear. That lasted for most of the match.”
And as if that wasn’t enough, Brandon suffered even more difficulties when Zacaula, “gave me two hard shots in the corner and ended up cracking my ribs.”
The pain only grew as the match drew closer to an end, and when he was put into Mestre’s submission hold at the end and then was sat right upon by his victorious opponent, the pain became excruciating and Brandon actually passed out. His first memories after that are of Nickerson staring into his face as he regained consciousness a few moments later.
Now ready to pursue a solo pro career and aim for the Mat Wars or even the UPW lightweight titles as a crucial first step, Brandon “Lionheart” Hill stands poised to finally achieve the first of many life quests as he enters only the third decade of his young life. With a deep faith that propels him forward, and with a growing realization of his immense and heretofore untapped wrestling talent, we can see only the brightest of futures for our newest immensely gifted Wrestler of the Month!
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