Local wrestler ready to rumble Print E-mail
Written by Jeff Walls   
Friday, November 30, 2007

Who wants some? Anthony Hamlin of Trenton shows off some of the bravado that he hopes will serve him well in the wrestling ring on Friday.—JEFF WALLS PHOTO
Who wants some? Anthony Hamlin of Trenton shows off some of the bravado that he hopes will serve him well in the wrestling ring on Friday.—JEFF WALLS PHOTO

TRENTON — Let’s get ready to rummmmmble! Down East style.

Anthony Hamlin debuts as a professional wrestler at the Trenton Elementary School on Friday.—JEFF WALLS PHOTO
Anthony Hamlin debuts as a professional wrestler at the Trenton Elementary School on Friday.—JEFF WALLS PHOTO
Making his debut tomorrow as a professional wrestler at just 14 years old, topping out at 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing in at 137 pounds, is the king of Trenton professional wrestling, Anthony Hamlin.

His is one of six wrestling matches coming to the Trenton Elementary School Friday, Nov. 30, courtesy of New Wrestling Horizons/American Wrestling Association (NWH/AWA) and the Trenton Elementary School.

The grapple-fest is a fund-raiser to help the Trenton Elementary school erect a greenhouse that has been donated to the school.

When Hamlin steps into the ring tomorrow, it will be the culmination of a bet he made – and lost – three years ago.

“I used to hate it because I thought it was all fake. My friends forced me watch it because I lost a bet,” Hamlin said. “I started watching it and fell in love with it. Then my friends and I started messing around with wrestling in my front yard and I liked that too.”

The hook was set and Hamlin ran with it.

“We started off on the trampoline and we didn’t like the way it looked on camera with people bouncing around and stuff. Then we got a bunch of mattresses and put them in the basement and used those until we made enough money to get an actual ring.”

Opportunity came knocking, or body slamming, in the form of wrestler Cameron Mathews who saw a Web site Hamlin put together. Mathews’ boss, Sonny Roselli, promotes the NWH/AWA.

“Cameron came down and saw one of the shows I was putting on and he asked me if I wanted to train with him. Then he told Sonny about me and Sonny asked me if I wanted to join the NWH/AWAA team.”

He did.

“We have a few things that we will work out ahead of time, but most of it is on the fly.”

— Anthony Hamlin

Training for professional wrestling is rigorous. “I do a lot of cardio work to keep my endurance up. When I have my ring up I work a lot on the falls and the moves. They pretty much just beat the heck out of me,” Hamlin lamented. “It stinks but everybody has to go through it.”

Inevitably, when talking about professional wrestling, the question of whether it’s real comes up. Asked if his debut is choreographed, Hamlin said, “Professional wrestling on TV is a lot different than what we do. They choreograph a lot of their moves. We have a few things that we will work out ahead of time, but most of it is on the fly.”

Anyone who follows pro wrestling has favorite wrestlers, and Hamlin is no exception. “I like The Rock and Shawn Michaels. I used to idolize Hulk Hogan but then I got into the business and he lost his appeal. I really respect Vince McMahon for what he has done with the business.”

And Hamlin shows an incredible passion for the business. “My ultimate goal is to make it to the WWE level. If I don’t get there as a wrestler I want to be in the organization somewhere. I love the business and I want to make it in this business.”

Apprehensively looking forward to his first bout, Hamlin said, “I will be wrestling in a tag team match with Cameron Mathews as my partner against Mark Moment and Donny Dangerous. I’m not nervous about the wrestling part, but the people.”

Being a pro wrestler usually means you get to come up with an amusing moniker like The Clamdigger or The Upper Crustacean with his special move, the Claw. Hamlin’s promoter thinks that might be a bit premature. “Usually in your first match you don’t have a name, at least until you do something dumb,” said Mr. Roselli, the event promoter, snickering.

So for now, Anthony Hamlin is just Anthony Hamlin.

He attends Bucksport High School but spent his junior high years at Trenton Elementary School. “So this is kind of a homecoming for me,” he said. “Everybody at the school knows me and I am looking forward to going back.”

The night will consist of matches with wrestlers coming from all over the country. The Honkeytonk Man, the bad boy of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fame, will arrive from Arizona to hit the mat; the Elvis emulator was the longest running international champion in WWE history.

In true Down East fashion, wrestlers from Jonesboro and Jonesport will compete in a “Lobster Buoy on a Pole” match. There will be a pole mounted in a neutral corner and the first wrestler to free the buoy from the pole gets to use it as a bludgeoning device.

The doors open at 7 p.m. and the event starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $7 in advance and can be purchased at the Carroll’s Market in Trenton and Pat’s Pizza in Ellsworth; they’re $10 at the door. Children 5 and younger get in free.