When Chris LeRusso started in the pro wrestling business in 2003, he was an 18-year-old kid wearing karate pants, idolizing Rob Van Dam. He learned the ropes under the direction of longtime pro and accomplished trainer, Ken Downs, known in the squared circle as Kato.
Downs gave LeRusso a solid foundation of skills, and the ambitious rookie set out to try to make his way in the sports entertainment world.
More than 22 years after the kid that was barely out of high school when he had his first pro bout, LeRusso will see things come full circle in some regards, as he has assembled a team of coaches for the Pittsburgh Pro Wrestling Camp and Combine, a seven-hour training session on Saturday May 31 at Ryse Wrestling’s Training academy, The Stronghold, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Ryse Wrestling was founded by 25-year pro, Jason Clements, known in the squared circle as Brandon K, in 2016. As a trainer, Clements has trained AEW’s Lee Moriarty and Lady Frost, and NXT’s Thea Hail. Ryse’s live events are held in a converted Sears building at the Uniontown Mall, with the training center a few spaces over in the same complex.
“The concept came while I was reflecting on the ROH tryout camps that took place in the 2010s. I don’t think it can be overstated what an impact those camps had on not only the careers of certain wrestlers, but on independent wrestling as whole. Even people who did not get opportunities with ROH left those camps with an insane amount of knowledge to take back to their schools and home companies. Those camps did so much good and I wanted to do something similar, albeit on a smaller scale,” LeRusso explained.
It’s easy for weekend warriors that wrestled for a few years before they fizzled out or found their next hobby of throwing darts at the local pub to claim that they were just one opportunity way from the big time. Much different from that, LeRusso quite literally put his money where his mouth is, investing in himself by furthering his pro wrestling education with his attendance at many Ring Of Honor training camps. As a result of his efforts, Chris LeRusso worked a series of matches under the Ring Of Honor banner over the span of a few years, including on television during the Sinclair Broadcasting era. In 2017, he impressed ROH officials enough to earn a spot in the Top Prospects tournament. In addition to his work in ROH, LeRusso was a stalwart of the Pittsburgh scene in some form or fashion for more than 15 years. He wrestled for virtually every major promotion, and held a variety of responsibilities behind the scenes during different points.. He spent time as a trainer at the International Wrestling Cartel’s Iron City Wrestling Academy, and worked as the matchmaker for Ryse Wrestling for a few years as well. More recently, he has worked with younger talent at 880, an upstart league that provides a platform for newcomers to test themselves as they pursue an avenue as a pro wrestler. It’s fair to say that Chris LeRusso has made an impression on the region through his efforts in different roles in the industry. Some local yokels that have a cup of coffee in the business won’t even spring for a proper pair of boots, but LeRusso wanted much more than that, he wanted to make the most of his chance to be a professional wrestler and jumped at the opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced figures in the industry, which is something he hopes to provide for others through the Pittsburgh Combine.
“Kevin Kelly has been a coach, mentor, and friend for many years. I saw how much his knowledge and expertise helped me and I wanted the next generation in Pittsburgh to benefit from that,” LeRusso explained.
Kevin Kelly, who worked for the WWF during the peak years of the Attitude era, is one of the coaches that LeRusso recruited for the Pittsburgh camp. Kevin Kelly also announced for ROH for several years, as well as a very successful tenure as the voice of the English broadcasts of New Japan Pro Wrestling events on the company’s New Japan World streaming service. Among the myriad of experience that LeRusso assembled for the training session is Pittsburgh cornerstone, “Big League” John McChesney, and longtime pro of both the national and independent scene, Colin Delaney
“John McChesney is undoubtedly one of the best ever; full stop. His expertise as a performer and promoter also gives him a unique perspective. Colin , who was actually an opponent of mine at ROH, was someone who I learned so much from just being in the ring with, I wanted to make sure others had a chance to learn from him,” Chris commented.
With the combine being held at Ryse Wrestling’s Stronghold Academy, Chris was excited to be able to bring in one of the school’s coaches for his camp, Glenn Spectre, a serious professional with international experience as the first “gaijin” or foreigner to win the DDT tag team titles in Japan. Along with multiple tours of Japan, Spectre is a staple of the independent circuit with several years of experience behind him. On May 31, the participants of the Pittsburgh Combine will get the chance to learn from a seasoned grappler that has shared the ring with many different types of opponents, including Kota Ibushi and the late Brodie Lee.
“Glenn is a fantastic coach here in town and has international experience, and a teaching technique that brings out the best in people. I felt the combination of knowledge was such that it would be almost impossible to come away from this group and not learn something,” LeRusso remarked.
“I’ve trained wrestlers using the seminar format before, but our intention for the Combine is to elevate the seminar to something more that will be one part training, one part evaluation, and one part action plan. Our goal is to improve the career prospects for all the participants,” added Spectre.
The seven-hour training session is designed to give participants a full evaluation of every aspect of their game, and coverage of every facet of professional wrestling. From in-ring fundamentals to promos to working on television, the curriculum in place looks to provide a valuable learning experience for those that choose to invest in themselves to become more well-rounded performers.
“Getting into the business the past couple of years at the announce desk the way I have, you get to see a lot of new performers and of course, a lot of those veterans, too. You can tell when you see the guys that take the time to hone their craft and learn from the ground up, their performances reflect the training that they put into their careers. On any given card, you know who makes their training a priority,” said Declan Finnegan, color commentator for Victory Championship Wrestling, an independent league based in McMechen, West Virginia.
Aside from the Pittsburgh Pro Wrestling Camp and Combine, Chris LeRusso also launched Avalon Training and Entertainment, a service that will offer consulting and coaching to individual performers and pro wrestling companies. The Avalon Training venture is just the latest in the nearly quarter century of experience that LeRusso has in the industry, which he plans to use to guide the next generation at the Pittsburgh Combine.
“I hope that everyone leaves the camp better, smarter, and more confident. The idea is not that this one camp will get you to your goals in pro wrestling, but that this camp can help you find the path to your goals and encourage wrestlers to starting taking steps on that path,” LeRusso concluded.
For more information and to sign up for the combine, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/events/584382081242256/
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
