The dynamics of pro wrestling are changing, and that is good news for Kyle Roberts.
The LaCrosse, Wis., native has been training and performing with Troy-based World League Wrestling since early 2013. WLW will have a fundraising show Nov. 12 in Green Ridge and the high-flying Roberts will be featured on the card.
For decades, pro wrestling was populated by ever-expanding characters. Promoters, especially the WWE’s Vince McMahon, pushed larger and larger athletes into the spotlight and rewarded them with championship runs and prime TV time. But today, smaller, more athletic performers have captured the fans’ attention and are getting opportunities to show off their athleticism.
“In the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, there was the ‘bigger guy’ mentality,” said Leland Race, three-time WLW heavyweight champion and the promotion’s lead trainer. “Now there is a trend … for guys smaller in stature who are able to go out there and entertain the crowd and give them what they want. That makes the fans want to come back to our next live event, wherever it may be.”
Roberts, at 5-9 and about 175 pounds, falls into the trend that has seen performers such as current WWE champion A.J. Styles and Ring of Honor tag team title holders the Young Bucks become international superstars.
“The great thing about professional wrestling right now is that it is going through an evolution,” Roberts said. “If you were to think five or 10 years ago somebody the likes of A.J. Styles would be the top guy in the WWE, I think anybody would tell you that you’re crazy. But now, it is just a normal thing. A.J. Styles is one of the best wrestlers in the world and not one time is it brought up that he is not 6 feet tall.”
Roberts believes wrestling fans now are more focused on the quality of the action than the size of the competitors.
“I think wrestling fans are sick of seeing the same thing,” he said. “They want to see something different every single match. The awesome part is we can give that to them. You can see girls in a match, and you can see guys who are almost 7 feet tall and some of us smaller guys … doing some cool moves in the ring and flying off the top rope. They really get to see a little bit of everything. It has evolved to that.”
Roberts started his wrestling career training in his native Wisconsin but it soon became apparent he needed to make a change. When the company he was working with had a Saturday show, he could get in a little work before the card but Roberts wanted to be “all in.”
“I decided I needed to move somewhere, out of state if need be, to find a respectable school that I know is going to continue my training, continue it in the right way and help me along the way,” he said. “There are a lot of schools out there where you can go and train for six months or a year … then you are kind of on your own trying to find places to work and companies to wrestle for. The nice thing about World League Wrestling is not only do we have the school in Troy, Mo., we also have shows every month, sometimes two and three times a month.”
Roberts trained with Harley Race, Leland Race and Simon Gotch, who now is one half of the tag team The Vaudvillians on WWE’s “Smackdown” program. Roberts finds inspiration in Gotch’s rise to his profession’s biggest stage. Leland Race has seen a lot of positives in Roberts’ performance.
“He’s been a heck of a guy in a very positive manner,” Race said. “He has always had his priorities inside of wrestling and outside wrestling. … He is teetering on that line where things are really going to start looking up for him. It’s going to lead to something really great for him.”
World League Wrestling and its school were created by Harley Race, one of the top names in pro wrestling through the 1970s and ‘80s. His stature is what brought Roberts to WLW.
“People ask all the time, ‘Who were you trained by?’” Roberts said. “Everybody in the wrestling business knows his name.”
WLW has performed in Green Ridge twice over the past two years, and Roberts is looking forward to coming back.
“Green Ridge has always been a great crowd, they have given me a great reception,” he said. “The more people there, the better. We’re their entertainment for the night, and we’ll try to give them the absolute best show possible.”
Leland Race also embraces the opportunity to wrestle in front of a live crowd and encourages local fans to come out to see a rising star.
“People like (Roberts) are few and far between; they are really hard to find. Come Nov. 12, people are going to get to see what athletes like Kyle Roberts are capable of doing,” Race said.
IF YOU GO
What: World League Wrestling fundraising show
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 12
Where: Green Ridge High School
Tickets: $10 and $15. Purchase at Casey’s General Store in Green Ridge or harleyrace.com/event2.html
Details: Proceeds support the Green Ridge High FCCLA chapter. Performers scheduled to appear include Kyle Roberts, Leland Race, Lucy Mendez, Justin D’Air and Superstar Steve
