Doug Schwab fits the bill
BY TIM HAYES
Bristol Herald Courier
Every fledgling sports league needs a face. An ambassador whose exploits are impressive and can help take the league to the next level.
For Real Pro Wrestling, Doug Schwab could easily fit that bill.
The Virginia Tech assistant wrestling coach has emerged as one of the organization’s stars and will be in the finals of the 145-pound weight class when RPW airs its final first-season episode today at 4 p.m. (PAX TV).
Filmed in October in Los Angeles, the eight-team league has a roster that includes former NCAA and Olympic stars. Mixing aspects from both Freestyle and Greco-Roman techniques, RPW has already earned some rave reviews.
“I think it’s a great opportunity and a great event, “Schwab said in a telephone interview last week. “They kind of started from scratch and they are still learning from the feedback. They are just trying to bring wrestling to the main stream and get it recognized.
“As with any fringe sports that aren’t big money sports, it’s important to get it out to the public.”
While feedback has been positive, Real Pro Wrestling still has a long ways to go. Will it become a popular league like the Arena Football League or Major League Soccer? Or will it go the way of the XFL or the WUSA?
At least RPW is off to a good start. Along with its TV deal with PAX, replays of shows are broadcast constantly on the various Fox Sports Networks. Rules have been applied to make the matches more high-scoring and exciting.
And while established stars like Olympic champion Cael Sanderson and recently retired heavyweight Rulon Gardner are not competing for RPW, several wrestlers have emerged as fan favorites.
Schwab is among them.
A 1999 NCAA champion at Iowa, the ultra-intense Schwab “who wrestles for the Iowa Stalkers in RPW – will face Eric Larkin of the Texas Shooters in the finals.
He advanced to the finals with a dramatic overtime win over Chris Bono, in what has been RPW’s most exciting match to date.
“It was a good tournament, “Schwab said. “In our weight class, a lot of us have wrestled each other so many times, it’s really who comes more prepared. Nobody can really outdistance themselves.”
Schwab is a typical Iowa wrestler. With intensity, flawless technique and non-stop aggressiveness he sometimes just wears down his opponents. Just ask Virginia Tech wrestler Tyde Prater, a former star at Grundy High School.
“He’s tough as nails, “Prater said of Schwab. “I’ve worked out with him and he beats me up in the (wrestling) room.”
He was able to wear down Bono, a former star at Iowa State, who has built an intense rivalry with Schwab over the years.
“We’ve wrestled a lot, “Schwab said. “I felt like maybe I didn’t commit to my offensive attacks enough in my match with him. It was just two guys battling and neither one of us wanted to give an inch.”
Real Pro Wrestling has a Virginia Tech feel. The Iowa Stalkers roster also features Tech assistant coaches Lee Fullhart (184-pounds) and Wes Hand (264-pounds), who both advanced to the semifinals of their respective weight classes. Iowa is coached by Hokies’ head wrestling coach Tom Brands. The Stalkers lead the team standings heading into the final episode.
“Having those guys was just like being at home, “Schwab said. “It was normal for us. Obviously the people you have around helps. It was just a great event and hopefully they have some more in the future and it goes over well enough that they start bringing it around the country.”
While RPW will wrap up its first season today it’s uncertain what the future holds. As for now, Schwab continues his role as ambassador for the sport.
“You have to bring those people from the fringe in to succeed, “Schwab said. “You have to get people involved that haven’t wrestled. Everybody’s shot hoops or swung a bat, but not everybody’s wrestled. That’s why people have a little harder time understanding it and embracing it. We have to bring that to them.”
And Real Pro Wrestling is doing just that.
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