Fresh off representing the U.S. in the Lucha Libre World Cup, Sam Adonis’ attention returns to Pittsburgh Thursday.
The man who helped start WrestleRex returns for the latest installment of wrestling in the heart of the South Side.
Pro wrestling returns at 7 p.m. Thursday to the Enclave (formerly Rex Theater) at 1602 E. Carson St.
Since the last WrestleRex show, Adonis has reached new heights in the wrestling world. Not only is he one of the top bad guys in Mexico-based Triple A Lucha Libre, he is also becoming a regular on Major League Wrestling, which airs nationally on Tuesdays on REELZ.
“It’s a great problem to have,” Adonis said of his busy schedule. “It’s what you want in this business.”
The Monroeville native is rarely home more than four days in any given week. And with his busy schedule and international notoriety, he has to work hard to keep himself at that level.
“Just being around all this great talent, it makes me want to be better,” Adonis said. “My diet and exercise regimen has been more strict than it’s ever been because you do, you have to rise to the occasion because there’s a lot more people counting on you.”
WrestleRex will be another chance to see local wrestlers at various stages in their climbs to the top.
The main event is a four-way match featuring Adonis, Beastman, Jack Pollock and Matthew Justice.
“Beastman is almost evolving into a little bit of a wrestling legend on the underground. Everywhere you go, he has a following,” Adonis said. “He’s one of those guys that you see once and you never forget him. … He’s kind of taken over WrestleRex. Since day one, he’s been able to engage with people better than anybody. They love him so much down in the South Side.”
Pollock has been on the local scene in Pittsburgh for years.
“He trained at the Lance Storm wrestling academy in Canada,” Adonis said. “Jack is an unsung hero in my eyes. He has ridiculous charisma. The people just grasp on to him.”
Adonis and Justice go back about 15 years.
“He just makes waves all over the place. He kind of has that little bit of an edge to him where, you know, this guy is like, legitimately out of his mind,” Adonis said. “He knows how to bring the heat, he knows how to light up an audience. But you also know when you’re going to see Matthew Justice, you’re going to leave talking about Matthew Justice because he’s going to do something insane.”
The card also features two stars from Women of Wrestling, which airs nationally on the CW. Pittsburgh’s own Ray Lyn will face Holidead, who is a unique character unlike anything else in wrestling.
The excitement and action is there throughout the card, but there is a unique reaction to the tag team that wrestled the very first match in WrestleRex history: The Main Event.
“The Main Event have been the MVPs in my eyes since day one,” Adonis said. “I think there’s only one chance for a first impression and day one, match one The Main Event comes out and they just lit the place up. A lot of times a bad opening match can affect the crowd, can affect the energy, can affect everything about the show.”
This time TME, made up of Duke Davis and Ganon Jones Jr., will team up with Dani Mo.
“Dani has always had an awesome connection with the crowd,” Adonis said. “She is just, you know, energy personified. Putting those three together just seemed like the natural fit. You can’t not cheer for them.”
If you’ve been to WrestleRex before, you know the energy and atmosphere is unlike anything else in professional wrestling. If not, now is the chance to see the brightest stars in our backyard.
“If you’ve never been, expect to be blown away,” Adonis said. “I implore them to check it out, because most of them will be fans for life. They come once, and they’re back at every show.”
Saul works in sports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Reach him at saulbt2009@gmail.com.