Pro wrestlers are exploring an unlikely new career path: 'Insane and ridiculous'

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Game streaming has seen a lot of cross-pollination in the past few years, particularly with mainstream celebrities like Logic. But there’s one industry that trains its members with a skill set that seems ideal for streaming: pro wrestling.

In this episode of The Power Up, Narz explored the growing intersection between the ring and the gaming PC.

Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez is one of the most prominent esports commentators in the business. He’s also an avid wrestling fan and one of the newly announced members of G4, the early 2000s cable show dedicated to video games which is making its big return this summer.

Pro wrestler Xavier Woods also announced that he will be joining G4. Goldenboy saw the signing as a natural fit.

“Video games are insane and ridiculous and it’s awesome and fun,” Goldenboy told The Power Up. “And professional wrestling is literally the same thing. So how can we try and marry that together? And I try to implement that in my commentary style.”

For Goldenboy, watching hours of pro wrestling since he was a boy has been instrumental for his own career. He paid careful attention as wrestlers deftly delivered their promos and how commentators would describe the action.

“I’ve learned from folks like Jim Ross and Michael Cole, who were really inspirational for me growing up,” he said. “And Tazz, right? Just the way that they interacted with one another. It was genuinely just a fantastic thing to watch.”

And for pro wrestler Cresta “Diamond Bacc” Starr, streaming and gaming have become a way to become well-rounded talents.

Like many young athletes and entertainers, Starr has been a gamer since childhood. But how did she get into the pro wrestling business?

“So I have two brothers and growing up in that household is very male-centric things,” Starr told The Power Up. “So whether it was video games or wrestling, it was just always something to watch with my brothers. Very family camaraderie.”

Starr lost interest in wrestling after the Attitude Era, back when the WWE (then called the WWF) hosted some of its most legendary talents including The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Chyna and more. However, her passion for wrestling was revitalized when she noticed the uptick in female wrestlers.

“At the time, Becky Lynch was at the height of her fame,” Starr said. “Ronda Rousey was there. So to see women actually get into it, mix it up, I thought was amazing.”

Today, Starr maintains a big presence in TikTok and a Twitch account alongside her wrestling. With more wrestlers making strides in the gaming world, the future looks bright for this new wave of content creators.

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If you liked this story, check out The Power Up episode on the intersection between basketball and video games.

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