Live entertainment is a tough business, regardless of what form it takes. Professional wrestling might be even more physically demanding than the grueling tour schedule of musicians, or the exhausting film schedule of the movies. One of the reasons being that sports entertainment, especially for those that are working their way up in the business, is so multi-faceted and there are so many different bases to cover that it becomes a constant juggling act to maintain the upward trajectory in an effort to obtain the rare status of pro wrestling fame.
It goes without saying that young lions making their way in the sport have to hammer down a workout regiment that suites them best, they have to polish their skills in the training center, the have to make sure to market themselves in the modern age of social media, and they have to stay focused to have the best live event matches that they can to present the best overall performance that they can. There’s also the travel of hours in a car to get as much as exposure as possible to get their name out there in the minds of promoters. All of that is not to mention the spinning plates routine of working a regular job and trying to have some type of personal life outside of the ring ropes.
One of the harshest aspects of trying to make it big in pro wrestling is that a performer can be doing all of the previously mentioned things right and be on the right path to make it to the next level, and it can all change instantly. Their life, both inside and outside of the squared circle can change course abruptly, testing if the dream of sports entertainment is worth it, and if they are truly willing to sacrifice for it.
Unfortunately, Jason Hendrix, a youngster that broke into the business just a few years ago and had already made waves, turning the heads of some of the sport’s most accomplished pros, had his promising career path derailed in a matter of moments last year.
Hendrix, who made his pro wrestling debut in 2022 under the Ryse Wrestling banner, a blue collar league based in the blue collar area of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, spent the first year and a half of his career as a young grappler in the business taking strides to make a name for himself. Not long after his first pro match, he graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with minors in Marketing, Advertising and Communications. He had a fresh diploma and a new pair of wrestling boots that he took with him, as he zigzagged around different states of any given weekend. Eventually, he caught the eye of the then-NWA World Heavyweight champion, Ethan Carter III, who invited Hendrix to train him with at the NWA star’s training center.
“Jason Hendrix was riding the lightning. He was training at the Stronghold to be better in the ring, going to the gym twice a day, really hitting the diet, and absolutely making a huge presence on the Ryse shows,” said Dean Radford, one of the head organizers of Ryse Wrestling.
Hendrix thought enough of the opportunity to relocate from his home in Wildwood, New Jersey, where he originally became enthralled with the sport after attending a WWE house show in 2011, to Cleveland to train with the NWA Exodus crew on a full-time basis. Within six months of that decision, Hendrix was on his way up, competing for Ohio Valley Wrestling, Exodus, groups in New York, and places like Boston.
“EC3 is a complete psychopath, I love it. We worked like absolute dogs there, and just about everybody in that school was a complete fitness machine as a result. With so many polished working wrestlers there, it was kind of like grad school for wrestling in many ways,” Hendrix commented.
As quickly as he was ascending the ladder, he experienced an abrupt halt, shattering his progress as a talented performer and his leg in the process.
During a routine training drill, Hendrix landing wrong, breaking his tibia and fibula, an injury that was serve enough to require immediate surgery. In a show of solidarity, his entire training class went with him to the hospital where X-rays confirmed the nature of the devastating injury. With Hendrix in a wheel chair, his pro wrestling comrades posed for a picture with him to show their support.
“We were practicing at the Control Your Narrative school in Cleveland. Essentially, I tried to reverse a move with a backflip, and rotated in a manner where all my weight came down on my right leg causing a loud snapping noise. The hospital folks peeled me off the mat on a stretcher,” he commented.
It was going to take a metal rod through his knee, a plate in his ankle, and a collection of screws to not only fix his leg, but to keep his pro wrestling dream together.
After three different procedures successful repaired the damage, Hendrix was in a cast, placed on various different medications, and it became a tough task for him to even use crutches during the first few days of his recovery. He needed assistance with the most routine and mundane tasks. He needed help getting to the bathroom, getting in the shower, and getting dressed. Using one crutch to steady himself, he leaned against the sink to brush his teeth and comb his hair on his own. This was the far less glamours side of the sports entertainment business.
“The injury really took my life and flipped it on its head. I went from being in 2-4 states a week, on shows wrestling to my big road trip being to get to the bathroom or maybe the fridge. Needless to say, my ego took quite a hit,” Hendrix recalled.
He moved back home to Wildwood because the amount of care and physical therapy he was going to need to recover was simply too much for him to do on his own.
At just 24, Jason Hendrix was going to have to decide if being a professional wrestler was worth it, and if he was willing to sacrifice for it?
As he entered 2025, Jason Hendrix was on the road to recovery, allowed to do small exercise and adding more to his physical therapy routine as he slowly progressed in his quest to regain mobility in his once-shattered leg.
“PT was definitely challenging for me. It felt like all the work I had put in, especially with the intense level of training I was just participating in was flushed away. I have had serious injuries before, but never anything on this level that required a surgery. It was one of those moments where I had to remind myself that progress isn’t linear, and truly successful people are defined by how they bounce off of their dips,” he said.
The silver lining of such a massive setback was that through the peaks and valleys of recovery, Hendrix found a reassurance in not only his passion for the industry, but also of his talent as a performer. Still, one of the toughest battles for him through the agonizing healing process were the mental hurdles and self doubt that can surface in the quiet moments, the times that the echos of the live audience were replaced with tedious stretching exercises to improve his mobility in his leg.
“I had second thoughts on my return until about a week before I actually did it. For a few months, I really felt my fire go out. For the first time since I started wrestling, I didn’t love it anymore. I had given everything to this business and I was watching as the wheels kept turning without me. As much as that affected me, I was fortunate to work with some great trainers in Shawn Donovan and Leon St. Giovanni at Create-A-Pro New Jersey that helped ease me back into things, showing me that I could still do this,” Hendrix explained.
Medically cleared in March earlier this year, Jason Hendrix took no chances, taking his time to slowly rebuilt his conditioning up to a level that was suitable for the impactful nature of professional wrestling. He already experienced that a few years worth of progress can be stopped in an instant, it’s the nature of the beast so he saw the value in patience before he stepped into a ring again.
Finally, nearly a full year after his leg was left literally in a few different pieces on the canvas of the training center in Cleveland, Jason Hendrix was ready for his return to Ryse Wrestling, the place where his career started, just a few weeks ago. Wrestling in New Jersey the night before in his first match back from injury, Hendrix still wasn’t prepared for the emotions running through his mind as he stood behind the curtain during the final segment of The Ryse Rumble, one of the signature events on the organization’s calendar. Just when the villainous David Lawless, who had just won the Ryse Grand championship through nefarious efforts in the rumble, and his new stable were putting the boots to a few of the fan favorites, Jason Hendrix made his surprise return to make the save.
The crowd erupted as Hendrix, sporting brand new gear, walked through the curtain, The thunderous ovation that echoed around the venue was a stark contrast to the quiet moments that he spent with him leg in a cast several months earlier, pondering if the sacrifice for sports entertainment was worth it.
“Returning to Ryse was special, I’ve been so blessed to do some pretty cool stuff in wrestling. I’ve worked with people I grew up watching and been on TV in front of thousands of people, but I’ve never had a moment so emotional in the ring like that. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I almost cried,” Hendrix said.
“Hendrix spent many months rehabbing and building strength on his road to recover and finally returned at the Ryse Rumble. He is the example of knock me down and I’ll get right back up stronger and faster. He has the heart of a young lion and once again, he is just scratching the surface. Except now, he has a chip on his shoulder to prove he’s ready to solidify his name in the professional wrestling business and I’m excited to watch it,” added Dean Radford.
So, yes, Jason Hendrix was willing to make the sacrifices to continue his path in professional wrestling. In many respects, his journey is a reflection of the business itself. There are moments of despair and moments of triumph. Hendrix has cried tears of pain and tears of joy throughout his young career in the sport. True to his craft, he cites a laser focus toward the future with a series of goals set for himself.
“I’m going to continue to pursue this with everything in me, but this time around, I’m holding myself accountable to smell the roses along the way a little more. My goal in wrestling is to do this at a level where I can reach people, and make them feel the beautiful range of emotions wrestling has taught me over the years to the best of my ability,” he concluded.
For more information about Jason Hendrix, you can go to www.facebook.com/jason.hendrix.252734
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
