As a commentator on the Pittsburgh independent scene, I’ve seen numerous aspiring hopefuls jump into the pro wrestling business, sometimes because they happened to discover that there was a wrestling school within thirty minutes of their house. Some of these trainees mean well and give their best effort, but aren’t cut out for the industry. Usually, that means that they can find a role outside of the ring, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Every show needs a head of the ring crew, a head of security, and someone to assist with the clerical duties. There are also other dreamers that have their heads so far in the clouds that they are completely clueless to the fact that they have no business in the business. These yo-yos are as coordinated as Frankenstein on rollerskates, and the closest that they get to sports entertainment stardom is career mode in the latest 2K video game.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are young athletes that have a natural poise for the squared circle, and as a result, they show a level of skill well beyond their experience level.
On such example is Ohio native, Colt Johnson, who broke into the industry just two years ago when he was barely out of high school. Upon meeting this humble youngster before the Ryse Wrestling event, which was held in Monroeville, Pennsylvania in April, I immediately put the verbal boots to him when I scolded him for being young and hopeful, considering that he has been alive only slightly longer than the 18 years that I’ve been in the wrestling business. Usually, I borrow the same line that Pittsburgh legend, Super Hentai used when I met him behind-the-scenes at a local show years ago. He asked, “how long have you been in the business, kid?” Before I could answer, he answered for me, proclaiming, “the answer is not long enough!” before he playfully assured me that he was just joking around.
“I started really getting into wrestling in 2016, specifically the 2016 Smackdown shows always stuck out to me. Guys like Ziggler and Ambrose were my guys back in that era, and in hindsight, it’s pretty funny on account of the fact they are both Ohio guys, which is where I’m from,” Colt commented.
By 2023, the same year that marked 15 years in the business for me, working primarily on the Pittsburgh circuit, Colt was just getting ready to graduate high school in the Buckeye state. The milestone of graduation also opened up a door for him that shaped his current path, when the MEGA group not only put on an event for Colt’s graduation party, but he underwent pro wrestling training to be able to entertain the guests that attended.
“We talked it over with MEGA, and not only would they do it, but they also offered to train me for eight weeks for me to be able to wrestle at my graduation party. I had my first match in my own backyard at my party and after that I just kept going as I fell in love with it. I knew had I not stuck with it, I would’ve regretted it forever,” he explained.
Aside from giving him a hard time just for fun, giving my condolences to his riding partner that night in April for the thought of being confirmed to a car with the twenty-year-old for almost three hours, I took down some notes, which emphasized how prepared he truly was for a stint in sports entertainment.
“I played a little football and basketball, but I played baseball for 13 years. I was relatively good at it, but my heart was never in it. After I got the opportunity to wrestle, something my heart was very much in, I started taking things like diet and lifting more seriously because I wanted to look as much like a pro wrestler as I possibly could and I still hold myself to that to this day,” he remarked.
It didn’t take long for Colt to get noticed, as he already secured a sponsorship with the Bucked Up supplement line.
In a true example of the switch that flips when the red light comes on in show business, the quiet kid that chuckled at my verbal jabs backstage, burst through the curtain that night in Monroeville for his match in full “Southern Sinner,” his pro moniker, mode. What stood out about the young man was that he was in character from the time he hit the curtain, he carried himself like he knew who he was and what he was trying to accomplish. He didn’t look like he was overthinking what he should do to play the role of a pro wrestling heel. Instead, he simply became that villainous persona for the segment that he spent in front of the paying audience.
“The kid gets it,” said Patrick Hayes, longtime veteran of the tri-state arena, when he discussed his match against Colt Johnson at a community center in Ohio from a few months ago.
“When I first started, I wanted to be a moves guys for lack of a better term. After I got further and further into my training I learned pretty quickly that being a moves guy hurts, and in terms of moves ,everybody can do everything for the most part now. So, I try to work smarter, I try my best to come up with moves that I can say are my moves that no one else really does. Also, I found my footing on promos about a year into my career, and now I have the confidence to make people cheer or boo me without having to do any moves at all. I personally believe that is a skill that all pro wrestlers should have,” Johnson said.
As I called the Colt Johnson vs. Avalanche Adams match for the Ryse showcase that spring night, I noticed those same intangibles. Colt Johnson walked, talked, and moved like a sinner. His in-ring maneuvers were crisp and smooth. Part of the independent wrestling genre is the chance for the young lions to get the valuable experience of working in front of a live crowd. So, by nature not everything is going to be perfect, and it doesn’t need to be since watching the evolution of these athletes is one of the most compelling parts of the local level of the industry. However, Colt Johnson checked all the boxes for what promoters look for when they try to find a young guy with potential that they can count on as a solid addition to their roster.
Of course, the devious performer stole the victory, but impressed the right people in the process, as he became a regular at Ryse events over the past few months.
Aside from the fundamentals, which Colt polishes on a regular basis, as he continues to log time in at MEGA’s training center, the next generation grappler also keeps pace with the current climate of sports entertainment, knowing the importance of social media in the modern age. When I started, DVDs were still the media standard, but Colt Johnson juggles a few different media platforms as he sees the value in standing out from the pack in the crowded independent landscape.
“Any pro wrestler in the current era should be making an attempt to have some semblance of a social media following. I was doing a few different ideas and I eventually found my niche that worked for me. I am currently at just over 30K followers across all my platforms. My best month, I had 6.5 million views just on Facebook alone, and that was really all the motivation I needed to keep going. Since the tail end of last year, I have posted three videos every day. Keeping that content fresh is always something I’m trying to do with the style of content I make that built-in general outline helps for what the videos will look and sound like. Generally, what I do is whenever I am at the gym, I will try and come up with three new topics for the day in between sets,” he said.
With that type of forethought already within just two years of his start in the sport, Colt already looks ahead to the big picture of the industry.
“I have one major goal with pro wrestling, being be able to make a full-time living. Everyone wants to be able to do what they love for a living and that, for me, is professional wrestling, Right now ,I’m chasing the dream of being able to become a pro wrestler full time, but I am very open to any and all opportunities for a living of anything in the pro wrestling business,” Colt concluded.
So, how long has Colt Johnson been in the business?
The answer actually is not long enough because the talented youngster has the skills to contributed a lot more to the industry in the future.
For more information about Colt, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/colt.johnson.615777
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
