Professional wrestling is more of a spectacle now than it has ever been before, simply because the advancements of modern technology allow events to air live to any point around the globe with an internet connection. There was a time when fans had to drive to certain movie theaters or arena locations on a Sunday afternoon to watch the first Wrestlemania. Now, “the showcase of the immortals” is a two-night event that cities bid to pay a site fee for just for the chance for the publicly-traded TKO corporation to bring the signature event to their location. And, you can watch it on something as over-the-top as the most modern smart TV or something as convenient as your smart phone.
That’s certainly a far stretch from buying a paper ticket to watch Matt Bourne and Ricky Steamboat open the show on a movie screen.
Make no mistake about it, with the globalization of the product through the same technology that makes access to content so easy, sports entertainment has fetched massive money from revenue streams that weren’t even invented at the time Hulk and Mr. T took the ring for the main event in 1985. The Netflix deal for WWE’s flagship Monday night Raw show generated a staggering $5 billion for a 10-year deal. That’s not to mention the TV contract for Smackdown on USA, merchandising that more or less always expands on a regular basis through various licensing opportunities, sponsorships, and of course, the live event tickets that will probably require a mortgage application if you want to attend an event in person.
Make no mistake about it, from a financial perspective, which is the point of the sports entertainment industry on the national scene, the squared circle is big business.
However, not every tale of the grappling arts can truly be defined by dollars and cents.
You’ve heard the cliche that money can’t buy everything, and there’s a strong argument to be made that a stack of Benjamins can’t hold a candle to the value of friends and family.
One such example of that is Terry “The Sniper” Hackett, a 30-year pro that credits the pro wrestling genre as a way to bond with his family and a path that forged friendships that lasted for decades.
The Sniper broke into the business at the long since demolished Eastland Mall, a surprising location that hosted the now-defunct Pro Wrestling Express cards that gained wild popularity in the late-90s in the Pittsburgh region known for its love of pro wrestling that spanned back to the heyday of Sammartino. The Sniper learned the sport alongside of the late, Ron “The Beast” Richards, a powerful brute that left a mark still seen across the steel city circuit today. Occasional guests trainers gave them the opportunity to pick the brains of Hall of Famers, “Luscious” Johnny Valiant and Walter “Killer” Kowalski.
“It was tough at first because I never did anything like this before, like running the ropes and taking bumps. But, in the long run it as all worth it for something you loved to do. I learned a lot and it all soaked in.,” The Sniper said of his earlier memories of stepping into a ring in 1994.
Just eight months later, The Sniper nervously laced his boots for his professional wrestling debut, a bout held at an independent show in Penn Hills Park in July of 1995 with his training partner as the opponent. Sniper didn’t know it at the time, but that first match of his pro career started what became a nearly three decade friendship with the grappler known as The Beast. Despite his imposing look, sporting a goatee, shaved head, and multiple tattoos, Beast was known as a gentleman outside of the ring. After that initial debut, Sniper and Beast worked as a team, aligned with the late manager, Joe Perri as a part of the Gentleman’s Club faction, a staple of the late-90s independent scene of western Pennsylvania.
“Not knowing that teaming with The Beast, we would become best friends outside of the ring for thirty years,” The Sniper remarked.
Nearly two decades to the day after The Beast gave Sniper his first match, The Sniper was a part of Beast’s final contest, a tag bout that slotted them on opposing teams on July 25, 2015. Sadly, Richards passed away suddenly at the age of 48 in 2018.
Aside from gaining a best friend, The Sniper’s three decades as a grappler have yielded him some of the best memories of his life. With more than half a dozen organizations on his resume, The Sniper, often a notorious villain clad in cameo, worked the tri-state as a regular for different organizations at different times over the years, with opportunities to work with some of the most well-known names in the sport.
“I started teaming with Nick Crane and later became tag-team champions in KSWA. I got to wrestle Bushwhacker Luke in a tag match. He was one of my favorite opponents with The Beast, Doink the Clown, and T-Rantula,” he commented.
Over the course of his time in the ring, on the road, and learning from those that he had the chance to work with during that same time span, The Sniper has seen the wrestling business, particularly on the local scene, evolve over the course of time. The sport is quite different today with social media and streaming video than it was when he put on a new pair of boots in 1995.
“It has changed a lot over the years, back then you listened and tried new stuff. Now, there’s too much high flying and egos of wrestlers that think they know it all and they don’t know squat. But, today there are wrestlers that know what they are doing, in the ring, on the mic, and there are no egos. Today, some wrestlers try too hard to put to much into a match and when you lose the fans, you’re done because you may never get them back,” he explained.
Despite being a pro for most of his life, The Sniper still seeks out good professional wrestling, he has a passion for it that just can’t be extinguished and it’s not uncommon to spot him in attendance at local cards or big arena events on a regular basis.
He views his chance to watch solid wrestling as a special event because he shares his excitement for the sport with his teenage son, Jimmy, which Sniper considers one of the highlights of his family.
“The two words that describe it are great and awesome. That’s what it is to be able to share my career with my son is the best to me. Jimmy loves wrestling just as much as I do and he one of my biggest fans. we go to all the independent shows around the PA area. The shows that I am on, Jimmy films and take pictures for me, I have the greatest fan anyone could ask for in my son. It has been awesome to have him at all my matches. We also go to all the WWE events that we can go too, I wouldn’t change a thing about it,” The Sniper said.
Just a few months ago, The Sniper was inducted into the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame with a special ceremony that gave his son the chance to see him honored for his career. KSWA is a group known as a throwback to the golden age of Pittsburgh Studio Wrestling and has run cards in the city for 25 years.
“It was a true honor to be asked and inducted into the KSWA Hall of Fame. It’s to know what I have done for this sport of professional wrestling and to be recognized by all my brothers and sister in the ring, the fans, this great promotion. it was an honor. I have done what I love to do for over three decades,” The Sniper said of the induction.
When asked about attending the matches with his son Jimmy in the future, The Sniper replied with a smile, “here’s to another three decades.”
For more information about The Sniper, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/terry.hackett1
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
