Pro wrestler brings fellow body slammers to town

Hightstown man promotes local event.

By: Matt Chiappardi
   EAST WINDSOR — When Eric Cooper decided to become a professional wrestler, his mother, Barbara Gaddis, wasn’t happy.
   "It’s not easy watching my son get banged around," she said.
   But she and her husband, Bob, knew the inevitable path their son was going to take, when he began his obsession with large men pretending to beat each other to a pulp around the age of 7.
   "He had everything — tapes, figures, you name it," said Mr. Cooper’s stepfather. "That’s all he was into."
   Now, the borough resident and 2001 Hightstown High School graduate has shifted his focus from watching pro wrestling on television to entering the ring himself. The 24-year-old has been performing for nearly six years, sometimes in an organization based in Garfield called the Bodyslam Wrestling Organization, and sometimes traveling throughout the southern United States. He even had a cameo role on television with World Wrestling Entertainment, playing a security guard on its television show "Monday Night Raw," he said.
   All that experience landed him his first gig as a promoter with the BWO, and for the first show he put together, he decided to make it a return to his hometown.
   On Aug. 17, the BWO held a charity event for Alex’s Lemonade Stand to fight childhood cancer at the American Legion Hall on Route 130.
   Along with other performers such as Vinnie the Fixer, The Sneaky Silver Bullets, "Dirty" Don Montoya, Chris Kastle and Roxie Cotton — Eric "The Modern Day Enforcer" Cooper headlined a three-hour show complete with all the headlocks, clotheslines and trash talking anyone would see while tuning in a WWE event on television.
   "We do a lot of dangerous things, but the common goal is to entertain the fans," said Mr. Cooper.
   That crowd on the stormy Friday night was modest, only about 30 people. But that’s normally how it goes on the independent wrestling circuit, he said.
   "I’ve done shows for three people," he said. "You have to be your best every time you go out there."
   While the pro wrestling world in the United States is dominated by the WWE, where the big-money performers play to arena-size crowds across the country, there is an underground movement that predates the big companies. Those shows take place in bingo halls, school gymnasiums or the back rooms of bars. Whether the show is cartoonish and kid-oriented or bloody and violent depends on the audience.
   "In North Jersey, we’ll do the crazy stuff, you know bleeding and steel cages, because it’s an older crowd" said Mr. Cooper.
   "Tonight, there’s going to be kids in the audience, so we’ll stay away from that."
   Like most independent shows, there’s usually a well-known wrestler on the card to attract attention. Last week’s local event was no different, with The Patriot on the bill.
   The Patriot is a masked wrestler who dresses like the comic book character Captain America, and wrestlers to defend all that is good about his country.
   Wrestling fans may remember him from a few short television stints in the WWE and the now-defunct Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling company. Since that part of his career is over, the 21-year mat veteran contracts himself out to whatever independent organization is hiring.
   "I like being a big fish in a small pond," said The Patriot, the lone wrestler to be paid for last week’s event. "It’s always good to do a show with the newbies."
   Those "newbies" don’t have the same type of top-flight experience as The Patriot. In fact, their body shapes and sizes, unlike The Patriot’s, bore little resemblance to the chiseled physiques normally seen on televised wrestling.
   What they do share is an almost religious passion for the business. Even The Patriot drove to the American Legion Hall in his mask, and didn’t take it off all night, even after he drove away when the show was over.
   Yet that passion for something which is choreographed to an extent can lead to some very real injuries. The ring surface is simply plywood with only an inch-and-a-half of padding on top. It’s difficult to find performers who haven’t had at least one major injury in their careers.
   In the six years he’s been wrestling, Mr. Cooper has broken all of his fingers, cut open the top of his head three times — one of those injuries requiring 17 staples — and collapsed his lung, he said.
   "Wrestling is very dangerous if it’s not done correctly," he said.
   But that entire time, he never thought twice about getting back into the ring.
   "I always saw myself doing this," he said.
   His friends, some of whom were in the audience that night, agreed wholeheartedly.
   "I’ve known Eric since we played Little League together when we were 13," said Hightstown resident Bobby Boyce.
   "It’s not every day your friend is a wrestler. He likes it, and he’s great at taking a beating."
   In addition to his friends, roaming the crowd was a scout for an organization in Egg Harbor City called Force One Wrestling.
   To John Solag, Mr. Cooper had one of the most important qualities he’s looking for in a wrestler — selflessness.
   "You see Eric here," said Mr. Solag during Mr. Cooper’s main event tag-team match, "he’s letting his partner get noticed."
   "You can’t be in this for yourself," he added.
   In the end, Mr. Cooper got the win by pinfall. But it seemed like the real victors were in the crowd.
   The audience that began as a silent block, turned frenzied by the time the show was over.
   Seven-year-old Alex, who came to the show with his uncle from Hightstown, loved and appreciated all the efforts of the performers.
   "It was great," he said, "but they didn’t use enough weapons and stuff."
   Perhaps Mr. Cooper will take that into consideration when BWO returns to the hall two months from now.