By Heidi Pederson
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Wrestler Teague Moore had been in the spotlight plenty of times as an amateur.
Moore, 29, was an NCAA champion for Oklahoma State, a U.S. champion many times over, and had won a world University title.
But even those triumphs couldn’t prepare him for the feeling he experienced in the fall, when he walked out for his first match as a professional.
Moore isn’t competing in the “pro wrestling “followed by millions, in which the action and the outcome are pre-determined and the stars are more actors than athletes.
Moore is a competitor in RealPro Wrestling, a made-for-TV concept that presents real amateur wrestling in a WWE-type arena, complete with spotlights and pounding music. The first show — part of a nine-week series — debuts at 3 p.m. Sunday on KPXD/Channel 68 and airs again Wednesday on Fox Sports Southwest.
Moore competes for the Oklahoma Slam, one of eight teams competing for $250,000 in prize money. The show’s first season was taped in Los Angeles in the fall, and Moore easily recalls hearing his name announced as he stood on a raised platform before he ran down into the ring for his first match.
“Walking out there, with all the lights and cameras, was a very cool feeling, “he said. “I knew it was going to be something big.”
RPW founders Toby Willis and Matt Case — former wrestlers for Northwestern — spent years developing the concept, and their effort shows. The pair has maximized the audience appeal.
The wrestling is a blend of freestyle and greco-roman, with rules designed to produce constant action. The ring is surrounded by a pit, and wrestlers can earn points by throwing opponent into it. The greater a wrestler’s margin of victory, the more points that wrestler earns for his team.
TV audiences get to know the athletes through features that are a part of each episode. The wrestlers’ uniforms are tight thigh-length shorts that show off their chiseled bodies.
“Sex sells, so, if wearing just shorts with our chests exposed makes it that much more appealing to women, then I say ‘Go for it,’ ” said Jared Frayer, an Oklahoma Slam team member.
Texas fans have a team of their own — the Shooters, coached by Olympic champion and Amarillo native Brandon Slay and fellow Olympic champion Kenny Monday, who lives in Dallas. Plano native Muhammed Lawal, who competed for Oklahoma State, is on the Slam.
In addition to the world and Olympic medalists competing on RPW teams, the sport’s biggest names have signed on in other ways. Rulon Gardner, who became a household name when he won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics, is a commentator, and coaching legend Dan Gable serves as a consultant.
“We’re promoting to the basic fundamental, “Gardner said. “It is in-your-face and sometimes violent, because these guys are real competitors; they’re shooting for the Olympic Games.”
Willis, who has funded RPW with his own millions, said plans are in the works to film the show live at arenas around the country. He said RPW already has contracts in place with European networks, and that Asia may soon be able to see the show as well. Europe already has its own pro leagues for amateur wrestlers.
“Our plan is to eventually combine our league with the other leagues. We’ve got a growth path where we’re flexible on time and options, “Willis said. “We’re not quite as far out on a limb as people think we are.”
Wrestling Gear
