PURSUING CHILDHOOD DREAM
Along the way, Ureta has developed his stage persona, wrestling under the name El Asesino — which translates loosely to The Assassin.
He’s spent years developing and crafting a character originally conceived in a moment of necessity. Ureta was in Alberta, set to take part in a battle royal, which sees multiple wrestlers start in the ring together and gradually get eliminated after being hurled over the top rope. The last wrestler in the ring is declared the winner.
The promoter told Ureta he needed a mask and a name. The reason for the mask? He was also refereeing the matches that night.
“We’re Spanish. My mother’s a very Spanish lady, so she was like, ‘What about El Asesino?’ And I was like, ‘OK, that works for me.’”
Although he has taken turns as a “babyface” — wrestling lingo for the good guy — Ureta always gravitated to being the villain — or a “heel” in wrestling parlance. While the boos from his first match stung, he now revels in having an audience turn against him, especially since it’s for his skills, rather than a lack thereof.
“I just love professional wrestling. I am in love with professional wrestling. It’s very difficult,” he said. “It’s not as easy as people might seem to think that it is. It’s very physical. (As) hard as this is to explain, it uses a lot of brain power. You have to think on the spot. You have to think very quickly.”
Along with giving him an outlet to share both his skills and his passion for wrestling, Ureta’s school is also meant to feed new talent into his Prairie Pro Wrestling promotion, making him one of the few trainers that can also get his pupils booked once they’re ready. But before his students ever hop over a turnbuckle in front of the fans, they can expect a slow, steady grind to learn how to perform not only the high-risk moves but also the most basic.
It’s a years-long process, not a weekend seminar, as Ureta often has to explain to callers from around the province who expect to come for a few days of training and then hit the ring.
The lengthy learning curve is necessary to teach safety and proper technique. Even with all the training in the world, though, anyone who takes up wrestling should expect to get injured along the way. Match outcomes are set in advance but there’s nothing fake about getting hit with a steel chair, running the ropes or slamming onto mat.
“A lot of people think that the steel chairs are fake and I really wish they were,” Ureta said, who has “scars and broken bones and medical reports” that show just how physical the job is.
Students are encouraged to study film of historical matches and immerse themselves in the industry. Ureta also advises a solid gym regimen, good diet and moderate lifestyle outside the ring, all of which can go a long way to extending a wrestling career.
The physical side takes the most work out of the gate, but character work is also part of the training at his school. Usually, Ureta said, it doesn’t take long to figure out whether someone is suited to being a heel or a babyface. From there, it’s all about taking someone’s existing personality and amplifying what’s already there
“It’s all taking a piece of someone’s real (life), part of their real personality, and just turning it up to 11 or 12.”
STUDENT SATISFACTION
Joe Muller is among Ureta’s earliest recruits. He grew up watching pro wrestling on TV, but his fandom had tapered off by the time a friend convinced him to go to a local show three or four years ago.
“I said, ‘Well, do they have a bar?’ He said, ‘Yeah, they serve beer.’”
The event brought Muller right back to his early childhood memories of watching wrestling greats like the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan, except this time, the action was happening right in front of him.
Attending the show inspired Muller to get in contact with the promoter and offer his services as a ring announcer. A month or two later, he found himself standing in a ring introducing wrestlers to the crowd.
“I put on my suit, and did my best Michael Buffer/howard Finkel impression,” he said with a chuckle.
While ring announcing led Muller to reconnect with pro wrestling, the decision to take up training came about a year ago after he learned Ureta, a high school friend, was opening a school.
“Every one of my friends and family thought I was an absolute idiot for doing something so dangerous and silly at 34 years old,” Muller said with a laugh.
His family may have been proven at least partly right when Muller had to sheepishly explain that he fractured a rib learning to do side-suplexes. But he resumed training as soon as he could and even though he’s yet to take on his first match, he’s enjoying every minute.
Ironically, while the chain of events that led him to want to learn to wrestle all started with a promise of beer, wrestling is now helping Muller live alcohol-free since January. Learning to take and deliver punishment in the ring gives him a booze-free space to hang out with a group of friends, be part of a team effort and accomplish goals day by day.
“It fills my time, it makes me want to eat better, it makes me want to work out. It makes me want to stay sober and it occupies that time. It’s ticking so many positive boxes in my life.”
FACING GIANTS
Emilia Sterner, 37, started watching wrestling in her teens, but it was the birth of her daughter, now nine, that helped make her an even bigger fan.
“I had wrestling on all the time, she would not quiet down for anything but wrestling. She loved it,” Sterner said.
Along with the quiet time, having so many of her first child’s earliest moments happen with wrestling on in the background made it a part of some of Sterner’s most cherished memories.
“It became this special thing that I had with her. It was like, wrestling, me, and my daughter — and we kind of have that together.”
Sterner’s decision to go from being a fan to training to active participant was fuelled in part by the arrival of her second child, a son, now four years old. She’d been struggling for a few years to lose the weight she’d gained while pregnant, when she learned about Ureta’s school.
“I actually was like, ‘Oh shoot, I kind of want to do that, I should probably start getting my butt into gear.’”
She started hitting the gym and eating better before beginning training in June. Being the school’s only woman adds an extra challenge to learning many of the moves.
“I’m up against guys who feel, to me, like giants,” she said.
“It can be a little difficult, but there are ways to make that work. It’s not impossible to be a girl against all these bigger guys.”
Learning to wrestle has helped her gain confidence and do things she never thought she’d be able to.
“I wanted to go into gymnastics when I was a kid and my mom said, ‘No, you’re going to break your neck and die.’ So ever since then, I’ve always had this fear if I do certain flips I’ll break my neck and die.”
She’s since learned how to do a forward flip from a handstand.
“Now, I’m doing it and it’s just crazy, it always blows my mind that I’m capable of just actually doing it.”
Sterner has had to deal with her share of injuries, including a concussion that has forced her to take a pause from training. Even so, she still attends classes and has no doubt she’ll make a full comeback once she’s cleared by her doctor.
“Once you’re doing it, it’s way different than when you’re just watching it,” she said. “It’s honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.”
Ureta still wants to keep wrestling for a few more years, but seeing his students progress has been a different source of joy.
“It’s very satisfying, actually. It’s more satisfying than I thought it would be when I first opened the school,” he said.
“It makes me feel good knowing I can teach someone how to do something that I love so much.”
It makes me want to stay sober and it occupies that time. It’s ticking so many positive boxes in my life.