NOTE:Toddy identifies with they/he pronouns, and opted to use he for this article.
“In earnest, I always saw myself as a microphone type, not an in-ring competitor. I strive to be the kinetic wallpaper to a pro wrestling match.”
Toddy Tondera, a play-by-play announcer based in Pittsburgh, has eyed being that “kinetic wallpaper” of professional wrestling for the past few decades, as he had a microphone glued to his hand as far back as his elementary school years.
Through the crackling sound of cassette tapes, the youngster would interview “Yokozuna,” or his grandfather, who was happy to play the part of the massive sumo wrestler for the broadcast, as Toddy recorded wrestling audio as early as 1994.
“A lot of the matches I created were set in the early 90s WWF era. I would do commentary, ring announcing, and sometimes sing or make up the theme songs to sing,” Tondera explained.
The theatrics, the spectacle, and the drama of sports entertainment drew him in, becoming a tent pole of his youth. Before pay-per-views were available for a subscription price of under $10, a family friend of the Tondera family would drop the latest offering in their mailbox each month. As soon as Toddy returned home from school that afternoon, he’d grab the VHS tape, often with several different scribes of what was actually on the tape at the time, depending on what event occurred that month, and ran to a VCR to make sure he could watch the show before that night’s Monday Night Raw episode.
Pro wrestling is inherently based on the ability to create the previously mentioned spectacle and drama, and the blank “canvas” that the sport offered was ultimately one of the ways that Toddy got involved with the genre as he spread his media wings as he grew older.
“I did podcasting from roughly 2016-2023. It was all DIY based. I did three different podcasts and the one that I found most success with THRIFTY. Each episode, I would take guests on a thrifting mission to a goodwill outlet and then afterwards record an episode based on our findings. As the years would pass it became a more factual game show. In 2019, THRIFTY won best podcast in Pittsburgh through the City Paper,” Toddy said.
With notoriety for his skills behind the mic, it was an ironic twist that when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered so much of the world, it actually opened a door for him to the squared circle.
“I found this path by following the adjacent comedy and wrestling scenes in New York, then correlated into the backyard Poly Cult Shows during the pandemic. Then after matriculated into 880 Wrestling in Pittsburgh as my home base.” he commented.
The 880, a nod to the region’s area code, project was originally founded in New Kensington, PA not long after the restrictions of the pandemic were lifted. Started by independent stalwarts, Ganon Jones Jr. and MV Young, both grapplers wanted to bring the sport to their hometown. The foundation of the venture was a training school, bringing with it an open door policy for anyone that wanted to test themselves in their journey as aspiring pro wrestlers. Along with the lessons of the mat, 880 Wrestling formed a tag team with the Sorgatron Media group, a longtime production company that has filmed and produced wrestling content in the Pittsburgh area and beyond for more than a decade. Names like Gianni Micheal Emricko, Reese Hayes, and others have emerged as bright stars of the academy. Now anchored on Pittsburgh’s south side, Thursday Night Fights streams live cards every week and there are also featured cards on a Friday each month.
Toddy Tondera has been the signature voice of 880 Wrestling since its inception, providing a soundtrack of energy and excitement to compliment the in-ring action.
“I got involved at 880 Wrestling originally because I was close with the T2T Brooklyn folks. When it was said Pittsburgh was going to be getting a school much like the Brooklyn school, it was clear that 880 Wrestling would be the next endeavor and first wrestling promotion I called home. Most all scenes I’ve been a part of were of the DIY mentally,” Toddy remarked.
“Toddy sets the tone for 880 Wrestling and is tremendous at inviting the chat room into the party in the live chat room,” added Mike Sorg, the premier video producer in the Pittsburgh area.
Aside from its unique approach and diverse roster of talent, 880 Wrestling has been a platform to spotlight many LGBTQ+ performers, and it was a welcoming space for Toddy as someone that explored and embraced his identity over the years.
“From a very young age, I could feel myself not really identifying with any heteronormative standard. Even today, I hear about ‘guys nights’ and ‘girls out’ and what goes on during them and cannot relate to either. I came out on television on The Chris Gethard Show in front of an audience of friends, so that my birth family would see it and realize that my chosen family was a supportive group and they are far more of us than what a close-minded person would think. The TCGS Community was something I was a part of for many years and a lot of the reason why I am what I am today. I wouldn’t have known the greater bigger world outside of Pittsburgh without that community and what doors that opened for me,” Toddy explained.
While media has always been a form of personal expression for him in some type of fashion, Tondera made several professional strides as well, cementing himself as a fixture of the steel city wrestling city, mostly known for pure energy and enthusiasm that doesn’t wain over the course of a live broadcast. If a line-up has a dozen bouts or mote, Toddy brings the same level of excitement to the main event that was head at the opening bell.
In an often crowded media landscape, Toddy Tondera stands out as a unique talent with a specialized set of skills.
“Toddy dedicates their time and energy every week to give the fans of 880, online and in-person, a voice in the presentation of TNF. Constantly trying to find new people to bring in or even ideas to be workshop also while being a unique, but constant presence for 880’s commentary team,” added Zeke Mercer, another talented grappler of the 880 league.
Walking to the beat of his own drum, when he’s not in front of a microphone every Thursday, Toddy hunts for vintage clothing in thrift shops, collects random or obscure VHS tapes as a nod back to those early pay-per-view days, and looks to add to his aquarium of diverse fish.
Still, through all of his interests and accomplishments outside of the announce booth, Toddy looks to use the trademark DIY approach to go as far as possible within the realm of the squared circle.
“My goal is to thrive in those DIY communities and fit in them wherever I’m needed. There are wrestlers that I have yet to call a match for and hope to one day get those opportunities. It’s one thing to be inside of wrestling and working in wrestling, it’s a whole other thing to be good inside of wrestling and good working in wrestling. My goal is to be good at what I do, daily,” Tondera concluded.
For more information about Toddy, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/toddytondera
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
