“That experience was a literal dream come true!”
The journey to the big time can be full of uncertainty and hardships. The world of sports entertainment is no different than any other live performance industry, you can put in the miles and countless hours of work in an effort just to get a chance to prove yourself. You’ve heard the numerous stories of those that, for whatever reason, had to take a long, hard road to reach their destiny. In the early-80s, Mick Foley slept in his car as snow encased the vehicle after hundreds of miles on the road each weekend from Cortland, New York for the chance to pursue his dream of training to be a professional wrestler at Dominic DeNucci’s school in Freedom, Pennsylvania, a borough located in Beaver country on the western side of the state. Foley famously recounted the tale of emerging from his snow-covered car like a hibernating bear early Saturday mornings in his first autobiography, New York Times #1 best-seller, “Have A Nice Day.” But, Mick had no idea that when he ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in his backseat that it would one day payoff with a legacy that spanned decades.
The hustle and the struggle to get that majority opportunity can be seen throughout different generations, as it’s often simply the nature of the beast.
Before The Young Bucks became wildly popular on social media and then a part of the core group for the launch of what became the second national promotion in the United States, they once had their debit card declined when they tried to buy a chicken sandwich for less than $3 at the airport. When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the entire world and thus canceled independent shows, Eddie Kingston had to sell his boots to pay his mortgage before a fiery challenge to then-EVP, Cody Rhodes eventually landed the native of Yonkers a contract.
You never know when that opportunity will land in front of you, but regardless of when, the key is to be prepared to make the most of it. For the examples cited so far, it took years, but for a young man based in Pittsburgh, with only a few months of experience under his belt, he was presented with the chance of a lifetime.
Sometimes, it’s about being at the right place at the right time.
This past September, Austin Cairns, a Sports Communication major at Point Park University in the city, found himself in the gorilla position, the spot right behind the curtain that was named for the legendary Gorilla Monsoon, who would often be there to run WWF television tapings in Allentown during that era. Just a few feet away sat Tony Khan, one of the most powerful pro wrestling promoters in the world. Austin, clad in his trademark suit and tie, felt that this scenario was surreal, it was a dream come true. Within moments, he heard the booming voice of ring announcer, Justin Roberts introduce him to the thousands of fans in attendance at The Peterson Events Center, the same venue that hosts Pitt Panther basketball games, for a taping of All Elite Wrestling’s Dynamite broadcast.
In the modern era when content is king, and we’ve seen how uncovered footage is usually popular online, even the untelevised matches at the taping are recorded for potential later use. Austin made his way down the aisle, the same aisle that many of the biggest stars in the business would walk down later that night, to put on his headset to provide commentary for the dark match of the evening, Hook scheduled to compete against a local grappler.
At just 21, Austin Cairns was able to showcase part of his “resume” for one of the national professional wrestling groups in the United States. His professionalism and preparedness impressed the right people, which allowed him to provide All Elite Wrestling with an impromptu “audition” of his work.
“AEW was a crazy experience. Through some connections I have at Point Park, I was able to get backstage at AEW Dynamite in Pittsburgh and essentially have an inside look on how things were run. I got to view the production truck, catering, the locker room, and even Tony’s office/ Once the EVPs found out I do commentary and have a dream of going mainstream, they offered me a chance to call a dark match before the show. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I agree. After that experience, I got to watch the event, then meet Tony Khan and Bryan Danielson,” Austin explained.
As uncommon as his big moment was at such a young age, his discovery of the sport was very typical, he found clips on Youtube when he was a child and began to follow the genre. His introduction to the business at the end of last year was even more ordinary. He wanted to take the steps to parlay his fandom of the industry into a career move, especially when he was already pursuing higher education within sports media. Austin contacted the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the most well-known and longest-running leagues in the Pittsburgh area. Founded by radio personality, Bubba The Bulldog in 2001 and then promoted successfully for several years by the godfather of the Pittsburgh independent scene, Norm Connors, the group has been under the direction of Justin Plummer for more than a decade, continuing to bring major names to the region for its established fan base.
Austin’s start in the business was far less glamorous than the bright lights at the Peterson Events Center prior to when Dynamite went on the air. He helped with production, ran cables, assisted with the set up or tear down for each live event, and worked as a cameraman just to be there when an opportunity arose, and when it did, the door was opened for him to join the IWC commentary team.
“During that time, I would ride in the car and pick the brain of Joe Dombrowski, who I consider to be a mentor,” Cairns commented.
“Austin is an incredibly bright and passionate young man, whose instincts and professionalism should help him go far. It will be a long and arduous journey, and time will tell where that journey takes him, as it does for us all, but I feel his chances are above average to find some real traction in multiple sports,” added Dombrowski, who has spent more than two decades behind the mic and is the current lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Wrestling.
His drive to get an opportunity wasn’t limited to one specific organization, within recent months, he also joined the broadcast team of 880 Wrestling, an upstart league originally based out of New Kensington before it relocated to the south side of the city. With the name a nod to the postal code of where it was launched, 880 is a DYI organization that thrived based on its open door policy for anyone that wants to test themselves in the pursuit of the sport. Known for its inclusive and accepting brand, talent from every background has found a home on their Thursday Night Fight cards, weekly matches that are live streamed on the indywrestling.us platforms. Similar to his introduction to IWC, Cairns repeated the process at 880, helping out with anything that was needed until he had a chance at the desk, which he cites as one of the most valuable learning experiences of his young career.
“The constant reps at 880, their weekly Thursday Night Fights,which has been a great way for me to practice and learn on the fly. I also call other sports so I have been learning how to balance out the differences,” Austin remarked.
“Austin looks at any event as any opportunity to advance himself in sports broadcasting. He keeps himself vigilant and prepared. He stays hungry and keeps me on my toes. Literally, we both stand up and do commentary together for multiple hours a week,” Toddy Tondera, the longtime voice of the 880 project.
When he doesn’t have a headset for pro wrestling broadcasts on a weekly basis, Austin still has a microphone in his hand. It’s not uncommon for him to be on the call for college basketball games around the region or on the air on WPPJ Radio 670 AM, the Point Park station, every Monday from at 4-5 PM that afternoon for The Austin Cairns Show. When he’s not on the air live, he presses the record button for not one, but two podcasts for multiple tapings each week, which have become staples of the local media circuit.
“I host a weekly podcast called 2 Jagoffs!, its a podcast that has two episodes a week and streams on almost every platform! We do a weekly episode every Thursday and an interview with a wrestler, broadcaster, and others every Sunday. We also just recently did a live charity podcast at Point Park University where we raised over $300,000 dollars for students/ I also co-host a podcast called Steel City Commuters with my friend, Nicholas Brown,” Austin explained.
As taught in his classes at Point Park, these ventures have provided Austin with professional growth and development to open more doors down the road for his career, but they have also given him personal friendships that are a reflection of wholesome comradery, an ironic contrast to the in-ring mayhem that sports entertainment is based on.
“KC Warr approached, me asking if I would like the opportunity to travel to Cleveland and call an entire 880 show at the Great Lakes Brewery. KC is someone else that I consider to be a mentor and friend in this business so I will be forever grateful for it. My favorite from IWC was this past month at Winner Takes All where I got to call a bit where WWE Hall of Famer, Ted DiBiase came out and put Marcus DeAngelo to sleep,” Cairns said.
“From the very first conversation I had with Austin, I could genuinely sense how passionate he is about professional wrestling. In that initial talk, Austin shared the clear goals he’d already set for himself, and it was obvious he was well on his way to achieving them. His drive and determination stood out immediately. I respected the way he carried himself, and he left an incredible first impression. I saw a lot of similarities to myself when I was getting started in professional concert and theatre production. Austin will impress you, and then he’ll continue to raise the bar. Personally, professionally, and on the mic, he truly embodies his title of 880’s Most Elite. He lives by our philosophy of steel sharpening steel and is an invaluable asset to any production team,” said KC Warr, one of 880’s premiere grapplers.
The world of broadcasting, especially in the continuously evolving media landscape is arguably more unpredictable than the pro wrestling business, but when Austin had the chance, he was professional and prepared to make the most of his opportunities.
“Part of it was being in the right place at the right time,” he said of his whirlwind adventure in the pro wrestling business so far.
One thing is for sure, dreams can come true, just ask Austin Cairns.
For more information about Austin, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/austin.cairns.2025
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
