“I remember the entire ride up to the show, i was so nervous and so excited at the same time. Could feel my heart beating out of my chest. As i got to the venue, i was told im opening the show and cutting a promo to start. As if i wasn’t nervous enough already, i remember just going numb with anxiety. I got through it pretty fine and sighed the biggest breath of relief afterwards knowing i was officially a pro wrestler.”
There are certainly a plethora of cliches surrounding the professional wrestling business, often added for dramatic effect, which makes sense since part of the allure of sports entertainment, along with the spectacle and athleticism, is to sell the drama. Maybe not every dive from the two of the steel cage is twenty feet, and maybe not every pay-per-view or live card has “the biggest match in the history of the sport.”
Still, sometimes there are specific cliches that become cliches because they are true.
One such notion is the “it factor,” something you can’t quantify or measure, but you simply know it when you see it, a nod to the subjective art form of the squared circle.
Just a few weeks ago as I sat at the broadcast desk for the Renegade Wrestling Alliance, a blue collar league based out of the equally blue collar town of West Newton, Pennsylvania for the action that night alongside lead play-by-play commentator, Mike “Doc” Daugherty, I saw a grappler emerge from the entrance way with an elaborate Aztec-type headpiece, flashy ring gear, and the NWA Midwest heavyweight championship.
This guy looked, walked, and presented himself as a star, he had the “it factor.” He was new to the dedicated RWA audience and the online viewers of the indywrestling.us live stream, but they knew he was somebody. It didn’t take long for the Midwest champion to show that he wasn’t just an elaborate appearance, as he could go bell-to-bell with a series of quick maneuvers, measured skill, and impressive agility. Post-match, when the live stream went to a short break for intermission, Doc took off his headset and remarked, “that guy is good.” I replied with, “yeah, he definitely looks like somebody, he moves like a star.”
That flashy athlete was “El Jaguar” Dante Casanova, and it’s ironic that the youngster that confidently won over a new crowd in western Pennsylvania was once the nervous rookie that almost puked on his shoes prior to his first official match in Pavo, Georgia just over four years ago.
“Dante Casanova is probably one of the best talents of today. He’s young, but I believe he will be on the biggest stages soon,” said Doc Daugherty via phone.
Something that was noticed immediately when Doc and I were calling the action in the humid West Newton gym that April evening was that Casanova showed skills well beyond his experience level. With just four years in the industry, he already looked like a polished pro that had several years on in-ring work on his resume.
“I am thankful and grateful to have had Dante Casanova appear in RWA, such an incredible talent. He is the present and future of our business. I am also extrmely grateful to the NWA. The core of RWA is based on the tough as nails image that the NWA had and still has. It will be an honor to have not only Dante return, but also continue to bring in top notch talent from the NWA. Today is a good day for pro wrestling,” said Derek Widziszewski, promoter of the Renegade Wrestling Alliance since its inception in 2009.
The reason being that Dante had an extremely solid foundation to his professional wrestling education when he decided to attend the Flatbacks Academy, the training center run by former WWE star, Tyler Breeze, and current NXT star, Shawn Spears. Dante cited the eight-week course stressed the fundamentals and in-ring psychology are crucial to a successful career in the sport. Furthermore, he also noted that his decision to pursue professional wrestling gave his life a much-needed direction in his life when he felt stagnant.
“They really made sure that you were proficient in the basics before you moved on in the curriculum. A big lesson that i remember being taught by the trainers was that your reputation is everything in this business. Word of mouth travels faster than anything, and your reputation can make or break you before ever setting foot in a ring,” Casanova explained.
It didn’t take long for Dante to build a reputation and for promoters to take notice. Within just the past few years, he has become a regular at Florida airports and he will occasionally see the same staff checking him in for his next flight, as he zigzags around the country to wrestle for different crowds for different companies almost every weekend. Despite being based in the sunshine state, Dante spent most of the winter working cards in the chilly northeast or blustery midwest of the country.
“Currently, I am the busiest I’ve ever been in my wrestling career. Every week, I am on a plane, traveling to different states and sometimes even countries. Truthfully, I spend more time at the airport and planes than I do my own home. I’ve come to realize that my best friend is the emergency row on a flight. I’m so tall and long legged that i don’t necessarily fit in a regular row,” Dante said.
“Getting to know Dante at RWA was for me, an immediate connection. Like myself, he is a veteran of the US military. Six years he spent as a United States Marine in the Reserves, and I can not thank him enough for his service to our country. I enjoyed conversation with Dante, as I learned how committed he is to the wrestling business. He travels the country every week sacrificing time at home to chase his dream of making it to the next level. He is dedicated to fitness and honing his craft. He wants to wrestle all over the world and learning as many wrestling styles as humanly possible,” added Johnny Norris, one of the most popular grapplers on the RWA roster.
As much as traveling adds to his schedule, Dante sees it as a natural part of making a name for himself in the industry and adjusts to it as he continues to make a name for himself on a wider basis, emphasizing how important time management is to keep himself in top form for the best in-ring performances possible.
“My preparation hasn’t changed all too much with the traveling, I’m just more conscious of my time. I don’t get a lot of free time so i make sure to prep accordingly and make every second count. Whether that’s for my training, or meal prep or traveling to and from, I make sure my calculate my time accordingly,” Casanova commented.
Dante expressed his appreciation for the opportunities that professional wrestling has provided him, and as a first generation American, the 26-year-old athlete acknowledged not only his gratitude for his father’s sacrifices, but also how his heritage is to him.
“Being a first generation Mexican-American has been such a blessing for me because of the opportunities that have been bestowed upon me. However, it is no lost on me where I come from and my roots. I’m very proud of my heritage and lineage. My father immigrated here when he was around 15 years old. He came here with nothing but the clothes on his back and a drive to provide a better life for himself and future family,” Dante said.
“El Jaguar has a very unique presentation that comes from his Mexican heritage. I believe a lot of Dante’s strong work ethic, drive and determination can be inherited from his Father who came to America from Mexico and today is successful in his own right. Not too long from now I believe we will all be watching Dante on television in weekly fashion,” remarked Norris.
Those sacrifices of the previous generation didn’t go unnoticed, and paid off when Dante reached a new peak in his career earlier this year, winning the NWA Midwest championship, a title based out of Cleveland, Ohio under the NWA Exodus banner, an organization anchored by former NWA World heavyweight champion, Ethan Carter III, a veteran that Dante considers a mentor in the industry.
“While the lineage of the NWA Midwest Championship is short, and there’s only been two champions, I carry and defend the title with pride. EC3 saw the drive and determination in me, and would always tell me, ‘Your time is coming.’ I took every bit of advice and coaching that EC3 gave me to heart and adapted my character. So far, eight title defenses, eight different states, and a few different countries in the near future. He was right, my time did come, my time now,” Casanova concluded.
For more information about Dante, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/dante.casanova.731
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
