Feeling the smackdown

By Jason Houle

Posted on May 13, 2002, at 12:00 a.m.

First appeared Sept. 27, 2001

You’re a third-year student. You have a wife and a kid, and you have a hectic routine that leaves you running around most of the day like a chicken with its head cut off. Now throw in a 15-hour-a-week investment on the road to becoming a professional wrestler. Seem like too much to handle? Too much to swallow?

Enter Thomas Mallory, a 23-year-old computer science major at the University of Maine. A full-time student this semester, Mallory is also currently training at Rampage Professional Wrestling, a pro wrestling federation-owned and operated school in Bangor.

Mallory projects himself as a balanced person. He knows what he wants, even if it intrudes on his more-than-full schedule.

“My wife works full-time, [and we] have a child,” Mallory said. “I get up in the morning, go to school, get out at noon or 3, go home and take care of the kid, and at night, go to practice.”

Previously located in the Bangor Athletic Club, the RPW’s new Hammond Street headquarters consist of an office, a hallway and an old garage that has been converted to accommodate a practice ring. Two hours into practice last Tuesday night, Mallory sparred with RPW wrestler Mourning Star, a.k.a Marcus Hall. Throughout the night Mallory practiced bumps, which involved throwing himself backwards on to the wrestling mat. The mat absorbs some shock, but an incorrect bump on the carpet and plywood deck can become a sonic boom that will knock the wind out of your lungs and the straightness out of your step.

“After you take your first bump, you have to have the desire and love the sport,” said Gary Jewell, part-owner of RPW, alluding to the physical punishment of the entertainment sport.

“Even though we’re not out to kill each other, there is still physical contact,” Jewell said in reference to a leg drop 6-foot-tall Mallory took earlier in the night.

“Comes with the territory,” Mallory said with a smile.

Later in the evening, Mallory took a more serious tone in describing the sport’s level of commitment.

“[You have to] physically be willing to put [your] body on the line,” Mallory said. “Be willing to sacrifice yourself. Accidents happen. Mentally, [it] takes even more.”

For Mallory, wrestling isn’t just something to do in his spare time – it’s a passion.

“I always wanted to be a wrestler, it has been my goal in life since I’ve been 16 or 17,” Mallory said. “Everyone who gets in the ring has a dream, but you have to you think of reality,” Mallory said, referring to the possibility of falling back on his degree.

Mallory got the chance to pursue his dream of wrestling after he got out of the military. He returned to Maine from North Dakota and discovered from a friend that a wrestling school was opening up in the area. Mallory signed up after finding out that the training fit within his limited budget.

Mallory’s three-hour practice consisted of conditioning drills filled with bumps, bounces off ropes and body slams. From there, Mallory started a one-on-one with Mourning Star. The two exchanged punches before Mourning Star unleashed the Death Valley Driver on Mallory. The DVD, a form of body slam, involved Mourning Star hoisting Mallory on to his shoulder and dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

“You have to be dedicated,” Mallory said in his car after practice as he unlaced his boots. “Most [people] can’t handle it.”

Mallory’s training is nearly complete, and his first show will be “Revolution 2001″ in Oakfield on Oct. 12 where he will reveal his wrestling personality as Sugar Daddy Scott Logan. Mallory will portray what is known in the wrestling industry as a heel, or despicable evil-doer.

Following the show in Oakfield the RPW has another in Bangor scheduled for Oct. 27. The federation hopes to book a show right here on campus, but attempts have proved futile thus far.

“We would need to pay up the butt for all kinds of stuff,” Mallory said after a pile driver.

“I’d love to do Orono but right now it’s been a real pain,” added Ken Banks, part-owner and founder of RPW.

For information on Rampage Professional Wrestling visit www.rampagepro.com.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 13th, 2002, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.