GOODRICH, Mich. (WXYZ) — From fighting inside the ring to making a difference outside... a local wrestling group says they are achieving many goals through their organization.
Pure Pro Wrestling is based out of a Goodrich, Michigan barn.
"Whose barn is this?" I asked.
"This is mine, this is the family farm that I grew up on," said Joe Byrd.
The founder and head coach, Joe Byrd, started the company 15 years ago as a side hustle, primarily to help raise funds for charities.
"Around recession time in 07, I had lost my job, and I was sitting around and collecting unemployment checks and I thought to myself, I really don't want to go back into the sales world. So, what if I took a shot at this wrestling company and I started investing all my unemployment checks into wrestling shows and I never looked back," Joe said.
What started with 6 wrestlers... is now 50 strong.
"How is business?" I asked.
"We are the largest professional wrestling company in the state of Michigan. We are the only one that tours and offers family-friendly pro wrestling," Joe said.
The company supports many charities including Xceptional Heroes, and Toys 4 Tots among others. But there is more goodness to this place than meets the eye.
"Ain’t no time like father time," said Father Time, a wrestler at Pure Pro Wrestling.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"If I tell you that I will have to kill you. I’m younger than 80, older than 70," said Father Time.
Father Time joined the company 4 years ago. A passion from his twenties that kept fading away.
"Things kept happening. I’ve had 3 strokes, two bouts with cancer. I can see nothing but light in my left eye. And I can barely see you with my right eye," said Father Time.
"What motivated you to say, you know what? I’m not going to let this stop me," asked Faraz.
"Anybody with a disability, we have an edge on anybody we call normal. Because when they get up they just do. But when we get up, we have to fight. And that’s what Father Time does.. He gets up in the morning, and he is looking for something to overcome." said Father Time.
Penny P, the Knockout Nerd, is another unstoppable force in the ring.
"And John Cena has been your inspiration?" I asked.
"Yes, his thing of never giving up, that phrase itself kept me going," Penny said.
The 22-year-old is a sexual assault survivor.
"It started really young; I was probably 5 or 6. And I have talked about this since the court case. That court case ended in August of last year. When all that was going on, I was here. I was training, using wrestling as a therapy," Penny said.
"Words can’t describe your bravery and how courageous you are. It also shows me no matter how strong a person is from the outside, you just don’t know what they are going through inside," I said.
No, not a lot of people know I’m a SA survivor and i got this really pretty tattoo," Penny said
But more than that, she has finally found her family here.
"Do you secretly wish at some point you can say you can't see me?" I asked.
"Oh Absolutely, but that's John Cena’s trademark and I'm not going to steal it from him," Penny said.
"Going into this, did you ever think you would end up changing lives?" I asked.
"I think when you go out and do something like performance art, which is what pro wrestling is, it's so therapeutic in nature," Joe said.
To learn more about Pure Pro Wrestling and their upcoming events, as well as to join their wrestling program, head to www.pureprowrestling.net
