Next generation of pro wrestlers can learn to perform a bodyslam at new SLO County school

Ever watch a pro wrestling match and say, "I could do that?" Now's your chance to put your money — and body — where your mouth is.

San Luis Obispo County-based Cen-Cal Professional Wrestling is opening a school to train the next generation of in-ring talent.

Promoter Dominic Balsamo said the planned opening in early June has long been in the works.

"We've wanted to do it since the inception of the company four years ago," he said in an interview Tuesday.

After navigating challenges such as finding a training space (and trainers), "just in the last couple of months, everything fell into place," Balsamo said. The school will operate out of a modified garage in Nipomo until they can grow to bigger digs.

The school's mission has to do with the oft-heard adage: "Don't try this at home."

There's a reason for that. "Backyard wrestling," the term used for untrained wrestlers emulating the moves they see on the television screen, is extremely dangerous. Those chokes, slams and dives are risky even for professionals; for amateurs, they're a ticket to the emergency room.

"The professional wrestling business doesn't perpetuate itself in a safe way," he said.

Balsamo said his school will allow Cen-Cal Pro Wrestling "to take the reins and (train wrestlers) the right way."

But you have to learn to walk before you learn to running bulldog. More specifically, you have to learn how to fall.

In the industry, it's referred to as "taking a bump." Novices are taught how to safely fall, the basics of mat wrestling, "how to safely take moves," Balsamo said.

"All of those fundamental things are what you need to learn first because safety is paramount in professional wrestling," he said.

It isn't easy. Balsamo said people tend to decide really quick after taking that first bump whether they have any interest in taking another.

"We call the first bump the 'come to Jesus' moment," he said.

Then there's "paying your dues."

Trainees don't just wrestle; they're expected to show up early on the day of a show to set up the ring, then stay late to take it down. Balsamo said this is the way every pro wrestler comes up in the business; it sorts out the mildly interested from the seriously dedicated.

Once the initial class has learned those basics, they'll move on to the wrestling moves that keep the fans on the edge of their seats — the powerbombs and Frankensteiners, shining wizards and Dragon suplexes that sell tickets and look good on highlight reels.

This will also be the point where trainees will learn about match psychology (a term used for telling stories in the ring), and they will begin creating their characters.

For those who aren't quite up to wrestling, Balsamo said the school offers other ways to perform in the ring. Trainees can learn to become referees, announcers or even managers.

Helping trainees along the way are longtime Central Coast wrestlers Sunami and Kadin Anthony.

"They are both 16-year veterans in the business," Balsamo said. "Pretty much every local wrestler on the Central Coast was trained by Sunami at some point."

Balsamo said other wrestlers will likely drop in to train or hold seminars from time to time, as well.

Lest you think the squared circle is the province of men alone, Cen-Cal Pro Wrestling is also actively seeking women to train.

"The Pumpkin Queen" Sage Sin has been a star attraction for the company for the past four years, and Balsamo said he's heard a lot of interest in having more women compete in the ring.

He said that demand is driven in part by shows like Netflix's "GLOW" — centered around 1980s-era women's wrestling — and by global professional wrestling powerhouse WWE's recent decision to treat women's wrestling more like a serious competition and less like an eye-candy side show.

"They're not just models who happen to take bumps and grab each other by the hair any more," Balsamo said.

At Cen-Cal Pro Wrestling, the women can expect to mix it up with the men inside the ring. After all, Balsamo said, "Our mindset is, it's a show."

New students pay $25 per training session, or $20 a session if they pre-purchase 10 or more sessions in advance.

Want to know more? You can contact Balsamo at 805-996-0192 or by email at cencalpro@gmail.com.

This story was originally published May 23, 2018 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Next generation of pro wrestlers can learn to perform a bodyslam at new SLO County school."