October 5, 2004

The Virginia Tech wrestling coaching staff will hit the road this week, not for recruiting, but to compete in the first season of a professional wrestling league. The trio of head coach Tom Brands, along with assistants Wes Hand and Doug Schwab will be in Los Angeles for the taping of the inaugural season of Real Pro Wrestling, the newest professional league for the world's oldest sport.

The season, which will showcase 15 episodes of team and individual competition, will feature the nation's elite wrestlers. In all, 56 wrestlers will compete Oct. 8-9 in a Los Angeles movie studio to create 15 one-hour shows that will begin airing weekly Feb. 13, 2005 on the PAX TV network. At least seven 2004 U.S. Olympians, including freestyler Joe Williams, Dennis Hall and Jim Gruenwald, will compete for $250,000-$300,000 in prize money.

Real Pro Wrestling provides wrestlers an opportunity to compete beyond collegiate and Olympic competition in a professional atmosphere. Wrestling is historically known as one of the most popular sports of the 20^th century, but professional wrestling will make its professional TV debut next year. Real Pro Wrestling showcases the talents of the elite athletes combining Freestyle and Greco-Roman rules and techniques.

Founded in 2002, Real Pro Wrestling is based in Ashland City, Tenn., and is the creation of two former Northwestern collegiate wrestling teammates, Toby Willis and Matt Case, and former Olympic hopeful Kenny Johnson.

The league consists of eight teams from around the country made up of seven different weight classes ranging from 55 kg/125 lbs. to 120 kg/250 lbs. Regional teams will include the New York Outrage, California Claw, Chicago Groove, Iowa Stalkers, Oklahoma Slam, Minnesota Freeze, Pennsylvania Hammer and the Texas Shooters. Team line-ups and coaches will be announced at a later date.

Hand and Schwab will compete for the Iowa team, which will be coached by Brands. All three are Iowa natives and wrestled at the University of Iowa. Schwab was the 1999 NCAA Champion at 141 pounds, while Hand was the 2001 NCAA runner-up at the heavyweight spot.

"This could be the start of something big," Hand said. "If it gets big, it could be huge for the sport. This is great for wrestling because it shows the commitment to the sport on the next level and it's big for Virginia Tech wrestling to show that we have a staff committed and dedicated to the sport and to excellence in the sport."

Real Pro Wrestling is touted as a "gimmick-free, script-free Olympic style-wrestling league" and will be taped in front of a live studio audience next week at the Los Angeles Center Studios.

Matches will take place atop a specially designed elevated circular wrestling mat in a 360-degree Roman colisseum-inspired arena. A total of eight cameras will capture the action on the mat to present the live audience and television fans alike the greatest viewing experience. Live heart-pounding music will increase the already intense atmosphere surrounding the event.

The one-hour weekly episodes will be comprised of two complete matches of up to 10 minutes each in length and highlights from other matches. Special segments concerning the history of the sport, little known facts and explanations of the rules will also punctuate the time between matches, as well as the biographical vignettes.

Competitors will compete in single-elimination, eight-man brackets to determine the champions in seven weight classes. Money earned is determined by both individual and team results.