Mike Mena was recently talking to a group of about 60 kids at a clinic in Ohio when it finally hit him.
He wasn’t known for his international wrestling success, where he is currently a U.S. National Freestyle team member at 55 kilos. He also wasn’t known as an assistant coach at Indiana, where he played a role in helping IU 125-pounder Joe Dubuque win a national title in March. He wasn’t known for playing a key part of three NCAA championship teams while becoming a four-time All-American at the University of Iowa. And the Sterling Heights native wasn’t known as the only four-time undefeated state champion in the history of Illinois prep wrestling, where he finished his career with a 157-0-1 record
Instead he was known as a member of the Iowa Stalkers, one of eight Real Pro Wrestling teams in the newly formed professional league. At the age of 31 and after spending a lifetime giving his blood, sweat and tears to a sport he loves, Mena was recognized as something he never dreamed: a pro athlete.
“It was amazing,” Mena said. “Kids brought in copies of episodes to autograph, I signed posters, and gave away a lot of RPW paraphernalia. That’s when it hit me that, hey, this is a pretty big thing.”
Big for the sport of wrestling, big for guys like Mena who, unlike most pro athletes, must work a full-time job in addition to find time to train in order to stay among the elite competitors in the sport. In addition to the rigors of coaching at a major Division I wrestling school, Mena and his wife Kayle are busy raising their three daughters “Elisia (12), Makaley (5) and Gracie (2).
When LeBron James graduated from high school he received a $100 million shoe deal from Nike. When high school phenom Dwight Howard was drafted by the Orlando Magic, he received a $4.18 million three-year guaranteed contract. All of this was before even playing a game.
But Mena “like the majority of RPW wrestlers, is another example of someone who competes for the love and passion of the sport “not for financial rewards he could reap. Mena is in his fifth season as an assistant coach for the Indiana wrestling program. He came to Indiana after spending three years training with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, coached by Dan Gable. He trained in international freestyle wrestling and operated his own youth wrestling school full-time, where he coached several state and national champions. He has been a success as a wrestler and a coach. He just doesn’t have the million-dollar salary to show for it.
“This sport teaches important values,” says Mena, who advanced to the RPW 121 pound semifinals before losing to Sammie Henson. “It teaches you the importance of a strong work ethic, discipline and sacrifice. If you can live your life that way from the characteristics taught through wrestling, you are going to succeed as a person, and that’s important.”
Mena’s life is hectic from the moment he wakes up to help get his daughters and family ready for the day. There are also many long hours put in with the Indiana wrestling program. Travel can be extensive also “before heading to the clinic in Ohio, Mena was recruiting in New Jersey the day before that. When he gets home it’s back to tending to his family. If you want to get in touch with him, late at night might be best, because there is never a dull moment.
But Mena isn’t complaining.
“I love every second of what I do,” he said. “My family is important to me and an integral part of my life and who I am, and my job at Indiana is important.”
Although Mena did get a celebrity-like welcoming at that clinic in Ohio, it’s not what he is looking for.
“I’d love if it guys in this sport can make a great living off of just competing,” he said. “But we’ve never had that opportunity. Maybe now with Real Pro that opportunity can grow into something that can financially support those who are competing.”
But the money – or lack of it – in the sport, won’t change Mena, or other wrestlers, he said.
“We all have the same goals and same desires whether we are making a lot of money or not,” he said. “That won’t change.”
But at least for a little while, Mena did get to experience the life of a pro athlete. For him signing autographs was exciting.
“It was great to see how excited these kids got,” he said. “More importantly, they know about Real Pro Wrestling, and it’s catching on. Hopefully that will present more opportunities for others down the road to be in a similar position.”
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