LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — After 17 years of training aspiring wrestlers, Future Stars of Wrestling is gaining recognition as WrestleMania returns to Las Vegas for the second consecutive year.
The local wrestling school, run by Joe DeFalco since its inception, has coached wrestlers under the guidance of Gregory “G-Sharp” Minor and other trainers. Students endure years of slams and hard hits while pursuing their dream of entering the professional wrestling ranks.
“You go, and you watch WWE or WrestleMania, and you see, I don’t know, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, and you never think about like, ‘Oh, they have to come from somewhere.’ They had to go to a wrestling school,” Minor said.
WrestleMania brings spotlight to local scene
DeFalco said his operation didn’t always receive proper recognition before WrestleMania’s return to Las Vegas last year.
“If you call somebody up and they weren’t fans of wrestling, they would gravitate toward the UFC because that’s real,” DeFalco said.
Last year’s WrestleMania drew over 65,000 people for two nights and featured events throughout the week, creating a noticeable difference in local wrestling interest.
“They put in over 65,000 people for two nights, but they had events going on all week long and then all of a sudden there was a difference,” DeFalco said.
Dozens of events planned
This year, DeFalco expects 50 to 60 wrestling events during WrestleMania week, with Future Stars of Wrestling hosting about 15 of them.
“There’s a lot of great talent, but a lot of times that great talent doesn’t get seen because they’re not in the right spot,” DeFalco said.
Minor emphasized the opportunity for fans to see future stars before they reach major promotions.
“It’s awesome to have WWE, it’s awesome to have WrestleMania, but we also have the stars of tomorrow. Literally, we’ve seen them here before,” Minor said. “You can come to an FSW show once a month, twice a month, and you can see those big stars before they become big.”
DeFalco compared his school’s training to WWE’s developmental program and said wrestlers participate for the experience rather than financial gain.
“We feel that our school is as close to the developmental WWE program with the names of the people that we have in there,” DeFalco said. “Nobody’s here because there’s that big payday. You know, they’re making a little bit of money, but it’s the fun of doing it.”
DeFalco also highlighted the WWE’s ID program, which helps develop young wrestlers.
Wrestlemania 42 takes over Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19.
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