by Clay Cooper

From being an astronaut to being the president, every kid has a dream. Growing up, every year for my birthday, I would wish  to be the best baseball player to ever live. But was that really what I wanted to do, the same thing over and over again? Hit the ball, catch the ball, pitch the ball? Growing up, that dream slowly began to fade as a new one was beginning. I’m the kind of guy who likes to entertain people and make them laugh or impress them in some way. In other words, I enjoy wowing people. That’s why when I graduate high school I am going straight into the professional wrestling business.
Wrestling has been a part of my life since I was seven years old. I have seen so much professional wrestling, it’s sad. For most people, when they think of professional wrestling, they think of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) or even for you old heads WCW (World Championship Wrestling). WWE is entertaining once in a blue moon nowadays, and that is typically what the average wrestling fan watches. But what they should be watching is ROH (Ring of Honor) or an indie wrestling promotion named PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerrilla). PWG is what officially made up my mind about what I wanted to do with my life.
I plan on getting trained by Iowa’s own WWE superstar Seth Rollins and indie wrestler Marek Brave at “The Black and The Brave Wrestling Academy” in Moline, Ill., just outside of Davenport. It is said to be the best wrestling school available in the United States. It is a three-month program, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it to where I want to be.
My biggest inspiration would have to be Rollins. He proved to me that anything is possible if your heart is really into it. I’ve seen many wrestlers who just didn’t have the heart for the business, and I have seen a lot of wrestlers who do. The ones who have the heart are the most successful, and I can promise to the world that I have the heart and I will make it.
A lot of people say wrestling is fake. Well, duh, it is. That doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. I guarantee your favorite show is fake. But you like it because it’s entertaining. That’s the same reason I like wrestling. It’s entertaining.
There are people out there who know they are awful at wrestling and do it because their friends own a company and want to make a little extra cash. Those are the people who don’t deserve to be anywhere near a wrestling ring. People like me who are determined and are dying to get in the ring just to show what they can do deserve the opportunities. I will make it, believe that.