Dan McDonald
Unlike some Olympic athletes in higher-profile sports, Daniel Cormier didn’t come back from the Games in Athens to cash in.
Wrestling doesn’t lend itself to career opportunities in the sport, and Cormier said that’s why many world-class performers leave the sport at the end of an Olympic cycle.
“The only way to make it financially is to be the number one guy (at each weight class), “Cormier said Tuesday after the first day of his wrestling camp at Red’s Health & Racquet Club. “Even the number two or three guy has to get a regular job. There’s more chances for the top guys through camps, USA Wrestling and other areas.”
Financial gain isn’t Cormier’s motivation, but …
“It has to be an issue, “he said. “You have to be able to make some kind of living.”
One step toward making it financially feasible for some to remain in the sport came last fall, when a group of former collegiate wrestlers formed Real Pro Wrestling. Based out of Ashland City, Tenn., the group brought 54 wrestlers – Cormier included – to a Los Angeles studio for a weekend of competition that was converted into a series of 15 one-hour shows.
The series aired this spring on the PAX Network, and the wrestlers competed for nearly $300,000 in prize money. An important consideration was that eligibility for Olympic competition was not compromised.
“It was a chance to wrestle in something totally different, in front of a live audience and on TV, “Cormier said. “Being on TV was hugely important, and people watched it. When the ratings came back, they were OK. Look at some other sports like bowling and arena football … they started small and waited for their time, and now they’re big things on television.”
The wrestlers were divided into teams with names like the New York Outrage and the California Claw. The shows had music, lighting and physique-friendly singlets, but organizers made sure the line between their group and WWE-style “wrestling “was clear and distinct.
“It was a chance to, if you do well, help make a living, “Cormier said. “Guys with bigger names had a chance to earn some money. We’ve never experienced this before.”
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