Scottish 17 year old male interested in becoming a professional wrestler.

Question
Hello there,

I've been a fan of professional wrestling all my life and it is my "dream" to become a wrestler and eventually make it big in the industry. I'm 17, 5ft 10, 154lb and in pretty good shape. I'm a very strong guy and I think I could handle the physical aspect of wrestling. I do however have both Tourette's Syndrome and Asperger's Syndrome. Would they hinder my progress in any way?

One last question - would you be able to help me find a good wrestling school near to Perth in Scotland?

Thank you.

Answer
Hello Ben,

First, here are the pro wrestling schools in your general area. Look at the websites to confirm current details (as details can and do change) and to get in contact with the pro wrestling school.

Scottish Pro Wrestling Academy (Premier British Wrestling and British Championship Wrestling)
Unit 2, Dixon Place, East Kilbride,
Glasgow, Lanarkshire.
Website: http://www.pbwwrestling.com
Phone: Phone number not available
Email: [email protected]

Note: This school was recommended by another pro wrestling school, saying it has top facilities. WWE's Drew McIntyre trained here, so this is definitely an option to look at.

Area 52 (Scottish Wrestling Alliance#
Unit 1, Mossedge Industrial Estate,
Linwood, Renfrewshire.
Website: http://scottishwrestling.co.uk/wrestling-school/
Phone: 0759-554-3816 #text only, no voice calls)
Email: [email protected]

Note: This school features guest trainers from the UK independent scene, as well as bimonthly weekend camps by Fergal Devitt, a top class wrestler best known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. This is especially an option to look at if you want to train or work in the Japanese style.

SWE Hartland Training Centre
Unit 1 Old Cannery, Welton Road,
Blairgowrie, Perthshire.
Website: http://www.sweonline.co.uk/training.php
Phone: Phone number not available
Email: [email protected]

Note: This school is the closest one, only thirty minutes away- if you were to live in the centre of Perth and had no traffic in your path. Some graduates have gone to considerable success.

World Wide Wrestling League Action Centre #World Wide Wrestling League)
W3L Action Centre, Woodland Industrial Estate,
Cowdenbeath, Fife
Website: http://www.w3lwrestling.com/training/kirkcaldy/
Phone: 0776-177-8173
Email: [email protected]

This school is also about half an hour away.

Okay, onto the other part- well, technically the main part of your question.

I've had to read up on these conditions. Keep in mind that what I say is limited both by the fact that I have no idea exactly how Asperger's Syndrome and Tourette's Syndrome have manifested in you as well as my not being a medical professional and thus only being able to apply my understanding of these conditions with my knowledge of pro wrestling.

I'll start with Tourette's. Provided you do not have the rare kind where exclaim obscenities or socially inappropriate words, you will likely have no problem. If you do have this, then it may limit where you can wrestle, as your language may not always be family friendly.

If your Tourette's has an effect similar to asthma, that is a definite problem which may mean you simply cannot do wrestling safely.

Otherwise, there may be some parts where you need to take certain measures to work around them, but it won't hinder your progress- you simply might have some decisions made already about what personas you can play. if Tourette's in your case means sniffing or blinking, it will have absolutely no impact. If Tourette's for you is only a mild case, then people may not even notice, depending on what it is. If it is say, coughing, or tilting your head to the side, or throat clearing, or facial movements, or echolalia, where you repeat the words of others or palialia where you repeat your own words- work it into your character- you may or may not refer to your having Tourette's, it is your choice. That way, not only will the audience see it as normal, but you will appear to be a better actor and have a deeper character.

If it something where you can work it into your character and otherwise not physically impact you as a wrestler, then it can actually enhance your characterisation- particularly as compared to many other wrestlers, with you, at least in some elements, your 'performance' is authentic and so connect more with the audience. Bad, obviously fake acting isn't as immersive. If it has something to with the vocal side of things, depending on how loud it is it might make things difficult during promos. Since those with Tourette's typically know when they are about to feel the impacts of Tourette's, you could cover it up as best you can- covering your mouth or putting a microphone behind your back as you pause in your speech. It may cause some initial problems as you work out how you can hide it from the audience as naturally as possible, or at least avoid disturbing whoever is talking.

If it is something like coughing, then it may pose a problem unless when you feel it coming you can quickly finish the move and then release it safely. I do not for sure, but certain moves may lead to discomfort or pain if you were to cough during the impact of a move. if this is the case, then getting into the processes to ensure it doesn't disrupt the match might cause some short-term problems but should be eventually resolved. If you are 'fresh' in a match then you can cover it without people noticing. If you are 'fatigued' then depending exactly on what it is, you can cover it up with different movements or it might even work if you let it out and it will seem like a result you the physical nature of the matchup- such as with coughing. Depending on the severity, it might pose difficulties if it leads to you being unable to chain together moves in a match.

If it is a really obvious facial tic or one that recurs often enough that including it in your character would not work, you may either wish to wear a mask which obscures what your face does beneath- which, depending on construction, might even help protect you if your Tourette's acts up during a move. Alternatively, you may simply state that you have Tourette's, this is how it impacts you and that you want to move past it and achieve your dreams. That may or may not work, depending on the nature of your case.

Tim Howard is a goalkeeper for Everton F.C. who has Tourette's and he has stated that it has no negative impacts for him. He is one among other sportspeople and those in many other fields of life, such as public speakers, who have not been negatively impacted by Tourette's. If public speakers can do what they do without having their speeches harmed, then so is it possible that you can handle promos with no problems. Unless your Tourette's is a one of a few kinds of Tourette's, it should have no negative impacts. In fact, compared to other fields, many of the motor tics can be disguised using a mask or through characterisation- which is not possible in other fields. If your Tourette's can be 'managed' in pro wrestling through characterisation and you having trouble with that, I can provide further assistance if you want.

Some of the above may be rather general, but again, that is limited by the breadth of Tourette's and my not being a medical expert.

Now, onto Asperger's Syndrome, which really only has the potential to stop you from being a pro wrestler if you are physically clumsy.

If you display physical clumsiness, that would not be good. You need to be able to execute moves safely to be a professional wrestler. If you are too clumsy, then it would be too dangerous for yourself and for those you work with if you were to be a pro wrestler. If you are physically clumsy, it would depend on exactly how that manifests in you. If it simply means you need more time to be able to do something physical, but can do it just fine eventually, then you may have to train for a while longer, but you could still have a potentially long career. It would have some impact upon your career and or moveset, however. Physical therapy may help you to treat any physical clumsiness.

If you have stereotyped motor behaviours from Asperger's, depending on what they are they could be a problem. It all depends on whether they could interfere with the execution of wrestling moves.  

If there is an impact to your social interaction, you can work on your social skills to improve. With this and speech problems, it can hinder your progress at the beginning, but as social skills improve further- if they haven't already been improved enough- then you will not be hindered. Problems with social skills can make it harder to make connections at first.

If you have any problems with speech- which doesn't seem the case at least in your writing- then that could be worked into a character. Since you are interested in pro wrestling, you should have no problem with staying on topic. If you tend to not speak that emotionally, it will limit what kinds of characters you can play, but you can certainly wrestle and entertain others. Specialised speech therapy in the form of social communication intervention can assist here.

If you have any further questions, as always, feel free to ask.