Pro wrestling is hot again and Las Vegas is in the thick of it. Rising upstart All Elite Wrestling (AEW) held its annual Double Or Nothing event over the weekend at the MGM Grand and industry giant World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is bringing Wrestlemania to Allegiant Stadium next year. Meanwhile, local promotion Future Stars of Wrestling is producing up-and-coming talent with regular shows and a training academy that includes Juniors Division classes for ages 5-17. Owner Joe DeFalco shares the details.
Tell me about the Junior Division. Is this an alternative to gymnastics or karate classes for kids?
"We found a niche offering a class for kids to do a lot of the stuff the adult trainees do, but in a more laid back, fun-filled environment. Instead of playing a wrestling video game on the couch, your kid is now running the ropes because John Cena did it. And getting kids to exercise is probably one of the most difficult things to do.
"We run the class every Saturday at 12 noon. We've expanded so the more advanced kids are putting together matches and creating characters. We actually had an all-kids wrestling show that was probably one of our best-drawing events. It's almost like going to a play.”
Parents are going to be most concerned about safety. How do you handle that?
"The thing with Leon Hater, our main trainer, is the parents love him. He understands what the kids need, not what they want. And the kids love him too, but he keeps everything in check. We have a giant crash pad because kids are kids, they want to drop elbows like the "Macho Man" (Randy Savage) off the top rope. So we make it as safe as possible. We're generally not having somebody drop elbows on top of another kid."
The popularity of pro wrestling seems to run in cycles and is currently on an upswing. Are you noticing an increase in interest?
"The popularity of the women's division in the WWE has really taken off. It's made us see there are a lot more young girls who are interested in doing this. It used to be that the sister would come with the brother, she'd watch and not really care. Now, there are times when the brother doesn't have any interest and the sister's the one who continues to wrestle."
Call Future Stars of Wrestling (702-742-8770) to learn more about the Juniors Division and other classes. The kids class begins at $25 per session with package discounts available.
