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Patrick Berry: The saint of spandex
When Patrick Berry made a baby blue gay pride-themed wrestling costume with rainbow tassels for a 400-pound man, he didn't bat an eye.
"In a business where everyone is larger than life, weird is the normal." Berry says. "Everything is kind of out there."
Berry, a Lawrence resident, makes custom wrestling gear. He has several clients in the WWE, or World Wrestling Entertainment, which is a major professional wrestling venue.
A good wrestling costume "has to fit, has to stay put and has to last." Berry says. His wrestling gear costs $50 and up and is custom fit to a person's measurements.
The bad economy has hit Berry's business hard.
"When everybody's falling on hard times, something you don't absolutely need has to wait." Berry says. "That new set of trunks—you might have to put it off."
Thankfully, Berry says, he has several clients for whom wrestling is their livelihood and order from him regularly.
Berry says he got interested in wrestling because his brother watched it on television. He started going to live wrestling shows, and he says the experience enchanted him.
"Once you're there live and it's so close you can touch it and you can feel your chair shake when the guys hit, you're hooked," Berry says.
Berry's website is www.maineventringwear.com
A primer on wrestling styles
There are four major variations of wrestling, each with their own distinctive style.
Mark Sterling, a wrestler of eight years, gave me a run-down of each.
The most popular around these parts is, not surprisingly, American style. This style has the most "entertainment value," in that the wrestlers each have a "storyline." This means that wrestlers have a history and become stars such as Hulk Hogan or The Rock. Fans follow their favorite wrestlers through each match. American style features flamboyant moves that define hyperbole, so American style is not as believable.
Choreography and superhero costumes dominate the Mexican style of professional wrestling. Masked wrestlers do high-flying moves and fight with a fast pace. Think Jack Black in Nacho Libre. Sterling says Mexican style has the least believability because of its showy flair.
Japanese style is the most hard-hitting style. Sterling says. This style has no storyline; it's simply two athletes competing, which makes it the most believable.
Similar to Japanese style is European style, which has little to no choreography. European style features three-minute rounds and is similar to a boxing match. Sterling says. This style is also the most stringent in rules; if you do something wrong, you can get disqualified from the match.
Because professional wrestling has declined in popularity. Sterling says, most wrestling shows feature matches with each style to draw the most fan.
Sterling says he wrestles with a hybrid of American and European styles, although he can do "a little bit of everything."
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competent actors.
Part of this acting ability is being able to make the impossible look plausible.Wyatt has a signature move called a lightning spiral, in which he flips his opponent backwards to make him land on his head.
"The crowd doesn't know that because they don't know what's supposed to happen." Sterling says. "They just watch what's happening in front of them. They only know you mess up if you acknowledge it."
Keeping the illusion up as a whole, Barber says, is not easy. To hold a wrestling event, you have to get a permit from the Kansas Athletic Commission and have an emergency medical technician on duty for the duration of the event, Barber says. Then you need to rent your venue, pay your wrestlers, get sponsors and promote. Barber says he's been affected by the poor economy because he can't find as many sponsors for his events. Barber says he only does charity events, and recently raised money for a boy who needs a heart transplant.
As a wrestler, don't expect to make much, or any, money—unless you are in the big leagues. All the wrestlers I talked to had full-time jobs; wrestling was their full-time hobby.
Cook says he had been backup talent for a WWE, or World Wrestling Entertainment, match. The WWE is the dream for most wrestlers. Cook says, because that is where someone can wrestle profitably.
Mike Sydal, who's been wrestling for a year and a half, says he wrestled for free for his first event and many thereafter. His first wrestling paycheck was $10, and now he makes about $40. Although Sydal has a full-time job, he says wrestling remains his passion.
Sydal's brother, Matt Sydal, is a wrestler
for WWE and wrestles under the name Evan Bourne. Mike says he was inspired to wrestle by his brother.
"I'd knew I would regret it if I just watched him." Sydal says.
I think about why people would want to watch professional wrestling knowing that it's fake. Barber says the outcome of the match is predetermined by the promoters, so watching the match is a moot point. However,the drama comes from making the fake look as real as possible, which means wrestling is quite close to real.Wrestlers are actors in a ring who have to take falls, insults and wake up the next morning and do it again.
"The only thing fake is the finish," says Mark Sterling, a wrestler for eight years.
Go to Kansan.com/jayplay to see an audio slideshow of a wrestling practice.
Dynamo Pro's next match will be Saturday at the National Guard Armory in Ottawa.
Members of Dynamo Pro Wrestling from top left, clockwise: Mark Sterling; Larry Barber, owner of the gym; Mike Sydal; Jeremy Wyatt; Tyler Cook, 2008 graduate; and the two newest members of the company, Andrew Gindlesberger and Ariel Melin. The gym, which has been open since January 2009, provides a place to practice for the group. Most of the shows are done for charities, with a portion of the proceeds supporting local communities.
Top: Tyler Cook, 2008 graduate, crushes Jeremy Wyatt into the ropes as reaffere Lylar Barber watches closely during a wrestling match last month at Dynamo Pro Wrestling. "Now that I get to do it, it's everything I thought it would be," says Cook, who has wanted to be a wrestler all his life.
Right: Mike Sydal screams and grimaces in pain during a wrestling match against Mark Sterling, as Larry Barber looks on. Barber, who owns Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Ottawa, also serves as the referee during practice sessions.
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March 26,2009