Professional wrestler and head wrestling coach The Colossal Mike Law had been asked to be a trainer of the next generation of would-be grapplers on a few different occasions.
But the New Jersey resident turned the opportunity down because he felt he had not quite achieved what he had envisioned for himself at those particular times.
“I had been approached to be a trainer on three different occasions,” the 5-foot-6 Law said. “But I didn’t accomplish the things I set out to do, so I didn’t follow through.”
However, Law decided to accept the offer at The Fallout Shelter pro wrestling training school in Brooklyn a few years back, giving him the opportunity to help combat athletes avoid the same errors he made as a green, novice grappler.
Plus, he said, he relished the chance to work alongside top industry talent, including Impact Wrestling’s Masha Slamovich, Jorge Santi, Steve Pena, Prince Ahmed, MLW’s Akira the Death Flyer, referee Steven Dumeng (his brother) and co-owner of the Fallout Shelter and principal owner of Battle Club Pro Joakim Morales.
“I want to help people not make the same mistakes I made coming up,” Law said. “We (trainers/coaches at the Fallout Shelter), teach them the fundamentals, we teach them to be a storyteller. We make sure they’re ready to wrestle.”
As for promoters, Law said that Morales is one-of-a-kind, always putting his talent–some of whom have been overlooked in the industry, for whatever reasons–in the best possible situations to succeed.
“He is one of the most legitimate, best promoters I ever worked with,” Law said in all earnest. “Joakim Morales should be given the credit for giving opportunities to all sorts of people from all different walks of life.”
But Law said the pro wrestling industry is not for everyone. The physical toll on the body, long drives to shows, not making enough money at first, and not achieving success right away are some of the reasons why wrestlers fall by the wayside, the 23-year pro wrestling veteran noted.
“Not everyone is capable of being in the wrestling business,” the Brooklyn-born, Queens-raised 41-one-year-old explained. “There’s a level of sacrifice that not everyone is capable of doing. Not many people are prepared to put in the work to do this long term. I’ve seen more and more people burning out mentally in a shorter time.
“Some people want this life, but they (really) don’t want it,” he added. “This is a lifestyle. A lot of people are being rushed out there. Some people want to be famous overnight. That’s being lazy.”
But there are young pro wrestlers who are showing impressive potential. Law will be involved with two of them in a trio’s tag team match, as Team Fallout (Law, Big Cuzzo and Anthony Gamble) will take on Jobber Tears South on Friday, April 21st at Battle Club Pro’s Ante Up in Brooklyn (185 Ellery St.).
Law said that he is high on both grapplers, singing their praises. Cuzzo, a 6-foot-4 big man from the South Bronx, and Gamble, another tough, immense wrestler, both of whom are on the rise and should go far in the business, according to their tag team partner.
Law mentioned that he would like to book more non-local shows with his trainees, to push them out of their comfort zones and see if the pro wrestling world is something they really desire.
“I definitely want to travel with my students,” he said, “so they get a sense of what it’s like to be on the road.”
Law went on to say that there is a place for everyone in the pro wrestling industry, if they really want it, of course, that not all wrestlers have to be muscle-bound goliaths. And his advice to people looking to make their mark in the squared circle is simple: listen to veteran pros and work ridiculously hard to be a great wrestler.
“The paradigm has switched so much. You don’t have to be jacked out of your mind to get a look. But you should always strive to be great at it (pro wrestling). You should always work your ass off. There are people that take the advice they’re given and make something out of it. That makes me happy.”
For more information on Law, follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @ColossalMikeLaw, and The Fallout Shelter on Twitter @TheFallOut_101. You can also follow Batlle Club Pro on Twitter @BattleClubPro.
To order Law’s tee-shirts, log onto StoreFrontier.com, or direct message him on social media.
— Jerry Del Priore
Photos: The Colossal Mike Law.
Brooklyn Sports World/NY NJ Sports World 