Jon Trosky
Encyclopedia
Jon Trosky is an American teacher
, actor
, stuntman
and professional wrestler, known by his ring name Supreme Lee Great, who competed in North American independent promotions including the Heartland Wrestling Association
, Jersey All Pro Wrestling
, the National Wrestling Alliance
, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, and World Xtreme Wrestling
. One of the 200 finalists selected for the first season of WWE Tough Enough, Trosky made several appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment
. He was also formerly employed an information technology
consultant for NU-Wrestling
with which he toured Italy and Australia between 2005 and 2007.
Trosky has also established a successful career as a stunt performer and coordinator. In 2007, he and Smooth Tommy Suede trained Nicolas Cage
, and later Mickey Rourke
, for the lead role in Darren Aronofsky
's film The Wrestler. This led to further work in Tell Tale
, starring Josh Lucas
and Brian Cox, and in the independent film
Big Fan
as the stunt double
for Patton Oswalt
. He has since worked as a stunt rigger on the television series Life on Mars
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
, and as a utility stunt performer in feature films Remember Me
, 13
, The Switch and Rabbit Hole
. Trosky also was the stuntman in the Coke Zero Super Bowl XLIII
Commercial that was a spoof of the 1979 Mean Joe Greene
Coca-Cola
commercial. The 2009 commmercial featured Troy Polamalu
tackling Trosky who was doubling for Robert Alan Beuth.
show at the local Catholic Youth Center in Scranton. Learning amateur wrestling in elementary school, he eventually had a successful career in high school winning district championships in folk style
and placements in state tournaments for Greco-Roman
freestyle wrestling
. He also took second place at the Keystone State Games. Trosky was offered athletic scholarship
s to Wilkes University
and King's College among others. After deciding to attend Wilkes, his scholarship with withdrawn a week before the semester as he had been competing professionally in violation of NCAA regulations. He eventually attended Bloomsburg University graduating with a degree in mass communications in 2003 and later received a master's degree
in interactive instructional technology
.
He and a friend, Garrett Orban, began competing in "backyard wrestling
" as teenagers with Trosky using the name "The Comet Warrior". Trosky, along with Orban and Brian Dorshefski, also set up rings for Extreme Championship Wrestling
and other local promotions, in part to Orban's friendship with local wrestling promoter Dan Kowal. Kowal, founder of GLOW
, Women Extreme Wrestling and The Wrestling Zone, later expressed interest in booking him and his friends after seeing one of their tapes in November 1998. They were originally supposed to appear in Kowal's WWWA promotion in February 1999, however several show cancellations pushed back his debut for several months. On May 22, 1999, Trosky had his first professional wrestling match against Garrett Dominance (Garrett Orban) in Malvern, Pennsylvania
.
A few months later, he and another friend, Brian Dorshefski, traveled to Tennessee
and Kentucky
where he began his initial training with Mike Promo where he learned ring psychology and southern style wrestling. After two weeks, he returned to Pennsylvania and eventually started training at the Wild Samoan Pro Wrestling Training Center in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
. As well as Afa
and Sal Bellomo, other wrestlers involved in his training included Samula Anoa'i
and former graduates Jake Molsonn and Tommy Suede. He graduated four months later, two months less than the standard six month program, although he continued to train at the center throughout his early career and, in October 2000, he became an assistant instructor at the school. He also trained at the East Coast Pro Wrestling school and in the Tennessee-Kentucky area.
promotion twice winning the WXW Cruiserweight Championship as well as the WXW Tag Team titles with Tommy Suede. In February 2001, Trosky was made head trainer of the school under Anoa'i himself. On February 24, Trosky was also awarded the WXW Hardcore Championship after defeating the then champion Nicky Ice in a tag team match. Although defending the title for almost a month, he was forced to give back the belt when WXW Commissioner Lotto Money ruled that the title change was voided because, although Trosky had pinned Nicky Ice, the legal man in the ring was Lucifer Grimm. He officially surrendered the title at a WXW show in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
on March 9, 2001. While in the promotion, he also appeared on its Yokozuna Memorial Show
which starred wrestlers from ECW and the WWF as well as its first international tour appearing at US Army military base
s in Japan
, Korea
, Guam
, Okinawa and Hawaii
. While on the independent circuit, Trosky defeated former WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund
.
and was one of the 200 selected but failed to make the final cut. Trosky has since criticized MTV
's creative control to resemble a reality television
styled show similar to Real World
or Road Rules
rather than a more realistic training program. Through Rikishi, he later trained with Bill Demott
and Dean Malenko
prior to a television taping of Smackdown.
On June 23, 2001, Trosky was one of 16 light heavyweight wrestlers who competed in Jersey Championship Wrestling's J-Cup Tournament, a version of the Super 8 Tournament, and was eliminated by JCW Light Heavyweight Champion "Superstar" Dave Greco in the opening rounds. Other participants included the 2001 Super 8 Winner Low Ki
, 2000 J-Cup winner Judas Young, EWF Light Heavyweight Champion Mike Quackenbush, UCW Heavyweight Champion Xavier, The SAT (Amazing Red
, Joel & Jose Maximo
), Shark Boy
, "Sure Thing" Ryan Wing, Little Dixie, Queenan Creed, White Lotus, Dylan Cage and Felipe the Pool Boy. Trosky also entered the 2002 J-Cup Tournament losing to American Dragon
in the opening rounds in Lodi, New Jersey
on June 15, 2002.
Trosky appeared in other promotions during the next several years including the Heartland Wrestling Association
, International Wrestling Cartel, Jersey All Pro Wrestling
, the National Wrestling Alliance
and Pro Wrestling Unplugged. In late-2004, Trosky taught a semester at Lackawanna College
as a photoshop instructor. From 2005 to 2006, he worked as an information technology
consultant for NU-Wrestling
and was also an instructor in mass communications at Northampton Community College
the following spring. Trosky toured Italy with Rikishi and other professional wrestlers working with NWE during 2005. Trosky returned to Italy for one more tour that year and then added a tour to Australia in December 2007 with Rikishi, Gangrel
and others for several performances in Perth.
of the "heel
" stable in WXW known as TDSLG. By early-2008, the stable saw signs of breaking up after Trosky failed to defeat his old tag team partner Tommy Suede for the WXW Television Championship on January 5, 2008. Later that night, he and his partner The Dynamic Sensation lost to the debuting Island Kings (Samoan Dragon & Monguey) causing Trosky to argue with his partner slapping him in the face. He also confronted Ivan Radski, another stable member, who lost to AJ Sabotoge.
and then Mickey Rourke
for the lead role in the Darren Aronofsky
film The Wrestler. Along with Tom Farra (aka Smooth Tommy Suede) Trosky trained Cage until Cage withdrew from the film shortly before Thanksgiving 2007. Aronofsky brought Rourke into the film and Trosky and Farra worked with Rourke for about eight weeks to prepare him for the movie which just won to top award in the Venice Film Festival
on September 6, 2008. Trosky stayed with Rourke throughout the filming of the movie and appears as the referee in the final and probably most dramatic scene in the movie. During the making of "The Wrestler" Trosky joined SAG
.
After The Wrestler wrapped in March 2008, Trosky went on to be a stunt double in Tell Tale which stars Josh Lucas
and Brian Cox. That movie was released in early 2009 and is based on the Edgar Allan Poe
story "The Tell-Tale Heart
". He also was a stunt double for Patton Oswalt
in the 2009 indy film
Big Fan
by Robert Siegel
, also the writer of The Wrestler.
in Lodi, New Jersey
. Awarded the Xero World Championship, he defended the title against Julio Dinero at Frontline: Countdown to Xtinction at the Abderdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland
on February 23. In December, he defended the WAW American title in a champion vs. champion match against WAW Heavyweight Champion Genesis at NWA WAW's Full Force at the Aberdeen Proving Ground
. WAW Cruiserweight Champion The Dynamic Sensation, the kayfabe
younger brother of Trosky, was banned from ringside by officials as one of the stipulations for the match.
If the fall of 2008, Trosky started teaching at Lehigh Carbon Community College
, DeSales University
and Penn State Berks
while taking offers for various stunt and acting work in New York City in between teaching classes. In recent years, he has been a stunt rigger on the television series Life on Mars
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
, and a utility stunt performer in Remember Me
, 13
, The Switch and Rabbit Hole
. At the end of 2010, completed work as a stunt coordinater for the short film On Edge starring Michael Maronna.
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
and professional wrestler, known by his ring name Supreme Lee Great, who competed in North American independent promotions including the Heartland Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
, Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
, the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, and World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
. One of the 200 finalists selected for the first season of WWE Tough Enough, Trosky made several appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. He was also formerly employed an information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
consultant for NU-Wrestling
Nu-Wrestling Evolution
Nu-Wrestling Evolution is an Italian professional wrestling promotion, owned by MAGNUMGROUP srl. The promotion's slogan is "Nu-Wrestling Evolution/NWE the place to be!"-History:...
with which he toured Italy and Australia between 2005 and 2007.
Trosky has also established a successful career as a stunt performer and coordinator. In 2007, he and Smooth Tommy Suede trained Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
, and later Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
, for the lead role in Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
's film The Wrestler. This led to further work in Tell Tale
Tell-Tale (film)
Tell-Tale is a 2009 thriller film inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe short story The Tell-Tale Heart. It is directed by Michael Cuesta and stars Josh Lucas, Lena Headey, and Brian Cox and is produced by Tony Scott and Ridley Scott.-Plot:...
, starring Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
and Brian Cox, and in the independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Big Fan
Big Fan
Big Fan is a 2009 independent drama film written and directed by Robert D. Siegel, and starring Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport, and Scott Ferrall. The story revolves around the bleak yet amiable life of the self-described "world’s biggest New York Giants fan",...
as the stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
for Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
. He has since worked as a stunt rigger on the television series Life on Mars
Life on Mars (U.S. TV series)
Life on Mars was a science fiction crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the BAFTA-winning original UK series of the same name produced by the BBC...
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
, and as a utility stunt performer in feature films Remember Me
Remember Me (2010 film)
Remember Me is a 2010 American romantic coming of age drama film directed by Allen Coulter, and screenplay by Will Fetters. It stars Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, and Pierce Brosnan.-Plot:...
, 13
13 (film)
13 is an English-language remake of the 2005 French film 13 Tzameti. The film is directed and written by Géla Babluani, who directed and wrote the original film. A trailer was released in August 2010.-Plot:...
, The Switch and Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole (film)
Rabbit Hole is a 2010 drama film starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, and Dianne Wiest, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell; the screenplay is an adaptation by David Lindsay-Abaire of his 2005 play of the same name. Kidman produced the project via her company, Blossom Films. The film premiered...
. Trosky also was the stuntman in the Coke Zero Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
Commercial that was a spoof of the 1979 Mean Joe Greene
Joe Greene (American football)
Charles Edward Greene, known as “Mean Joe” Greene, is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he was the one of most dominant defensive players in the National Football League...
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
commercial. The 2009 commmercial featured Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated...
tackling Trosky who was doubling for Robert Alan Beuth.
Early life and career
Trosky became interested in professional wrestling at an early age when he and his brother were taken to see a World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
show at the local Catholic Youth Center in Scranton. Learning amateur wrestling in elementary school, he eventually had a successful career in high school winning district championships in folk style
Folk wrestling
A folk wrestling style is a traditional wrestling discipline which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have developed their own sort of grappling style unique from other styles practiced...
and placements in state tournaments for Greco-Roman
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
. He also took second place at the Keystone State Games. Trosky was offered athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
s to Wilkes University
Wilkes University
Wilkes University is a private, non-denominational American university located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students...
and King's College among others. After deciding to attend Wilkes, his scholarship with withdrawn a week before the semester as he had been competing professionally in violation of NCAA regulations. He eventually attended Bloomsburg University graduating with a degree in mass communications in 2003 and later received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in interactive instructional technology
Instructional technology
In education, instructional technology is "the theory and practice ofdesign, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning," according to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology Definitions and Terminology Committee...
.
He and a friend, Garrett Orban, began competing in "backyard wrestling
Backyard wrestling
Backyard wrestling , and also referred to as yarding or backyarding is a controversial underground recreation based on the usually untrained practice of professional-style wrestling in a typically low budget environment between predominantly 12 to 30 year old males. Some practitioners have attended...
" as teenagers with Trosky using the name "The Comet Warrior". Trosky, along with Orban and Brian Dorshefski, also set up rings for Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
and other local promotions, in part to Orban's friendship with local wrestling promoter Dan Kowal. Kowal, founder of GLOW
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, also known as GLOW or G.L.O.W., was a professional wrestling promotion for women, begun in 1986 and continued in various forms after it left television. Colorful characters, beautiful women, and over-the-top comedy sketches were integral to the series' success...
, Women Extreme Wrestling and The Wrestling Zone, later expressed interest in booking him and his friends after seeing one of their tapes in November 1998. They were originally supposed to appear in Kowal's WWWA promotion in February 1999, however several show cancellations pushed back his debut for several months. On May 22, 1999, Trosky had his first professional wrestling match against Garrett Dominance (Garrett Orban) in Malvern, Pennsylvania
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census. The main road through the borough is King Street, although the borough is also bordered by Paoli Pike on the south, and is near US 30 on the north. The primary cross street is Warren...
.
A few months later, he and another friend, Brian Dorshefski, traveled to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
where he began his initial training with Mike Promo where he learned ring psychology and southern style wrestling. After two weeks, he returned to Pennsylvania and eventually started training at the Wild Samoan Pro Wrestling Training Center in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6% from the 2000 census count .-Greater Hazleton:...
. As well as Afa
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
and Sal Bellomo, other wrestlers involved in his training included Samula Anoa'i
Samula Anoa'i
Samula Anoa'i is a professional wrestler best known as one half of The Headshrinkers/Samoan Swat Team under the name Samu. His father is Afa Anoa'i who trained Samula for his professional wrestling debut....
and former graduates Jake Molsonn and Tommy Suede. He graduated four months later, two months less than the standard six month program, although he continued to train at the center throughout his early career and, in October 2000, he became an assistant instructor at the school. He also trained at the East Coast Pro Wrestling school and in the Tennessee-Kentucky area.
World Xtreme Wrestling
During this time, he made his debut for Afa Anoa'i's World Xtreme WrestlingWorld Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
promotion twice winning the WXW Cruiserweight Championship as well as the WXW Tag Team titles with Tommy Suede. In February 2001, Trosky was made head trainer of the school under Anoa'i himself. On February 24, Trosky was also awarded the WXW Hardcore Championship after defeating the then champion Nicky Ice in a tag team match. Although defending the title for almost a month, he was forced to give back the belt when WXW Commissioner Lotto Money ruled that the title change was voided because, although Trosky had pinned Nicky Ice, the legal man in the ring was Lucifer Grimm. He officially surrendered the title at a WXW show in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6% from the 2000 census count .-Greater Hazleton:...
on March 9, 2001. While in the promotion, he also appeared on its Yokozuna Memorial Show
Yokozuna Memorial Show
The Yokozuna Benefit Memorial Show was a professional wrestling event produced by World Xtreme Wrestling promotion which took place on November 29, 2001, at the Lehigh Valley Sports Zone in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
which starred wrestlers from ECW and the WWF as well as its first international tour appearing at US Army military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
s in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Okinawa and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. While on the independent circuit, Trosky defeated former WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund
Bob Backlund
Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund is an American professional wrestler with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he went on to become a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion...
.
WWE Tough Enough and the independent circuit
Trosky also tried out for the first season of Tough EnoughWWE Tough Enough
WWE Tough Enough is a professional wrestling reality television program produced by WWE wherein participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE. There were two winners per season for the first three seasons, all of which aired on MTV...
and was one of the 200 selected but failed to make the final cut. Trosky has since criticized MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's creative control to resemble a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
styled show similar to Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
or Road Rules
Road Rules
Road Rules was an MTV reality show that debuted on July 19, 1995. The series, which was MTV's second reality show after The Real World followed six strangers between the ages of 18 and 24 after stripping them of their money and putting them on an RV traveling from location to location only guided...
rather than a more realistic training program. Through Rikishi, he later trained with Bill Demott
Bill DeMott
William Charles "Bill" DeMott II is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment as Hugh Morrus and Bill DeMott respectively and as Crash The Terminator in Extreme Championship Wrestling and Japan...
and Dean Malenko
Dean Malenko
Dean Simon is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling , New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling...
prior to a television taping of Smackdown.
On June 23, 2001, Trosky was one of 16 light heavyweight wrestlers who competed in Jersey Championship Wrestling's J-Cup Tournament, a version of the Super 8 Tournament, and was eliminated by JCW Light Heavyweight Champion "Superstar" Dave Greco in the opening rounds. Other participants included the 2001 Super 8 Winner Low Ki
Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under his ring names Low Ki, Senshi in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and Kaval in World Wrestling Entertainment. He is a former one-time PWG World Champion and a former ROH Champion...
, 2000 J-Cup winner Judas Young, EWF Light Heavyweight Champion Mike Quackenbush, UCW Heavyweight Champion Xavier, The SAT (Amazing Red
Amazing Red
Jonathan Figueroa is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time X Division Champion, while also working on the American independent circuit...
, Joel & Jose Maximo
Julio Ramirez
Julio Cesar Ramírez is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. He played 5 seasons, starting in 1999 with the Florida Marlins, then moving on to the Chicago White Sox, Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants.-External links:...
), Shark Boy
Shark Boy
Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:...
, "Sure Thing" Ryan Wing, Little Dixie, Queenan Creed, White Lotus, Dylan Cage and Felipe the Pool Boy. Trosky also entered the 2002 J-Cup Tournament losing to American Dragon
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
in the opening rounds in Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...
on June 15, 2002.
Trosky appeared in other promotions during the next several years including the Heartland Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
, International Wrestling Cartel, Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
, the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
and Pro Wrestling Unplugged. In late-2004, Trosky taught a semester at Lackawanna College
Lackawanna College
Lackawanna College is a college in Scranton, Pennsylvania with satellite centers in the towns of Hazleton, Hawley, Towanda, and New Milford....
as a photoshop instructor. From 2005 to 2006, he worked as an information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
consultant for NU-Wrestling
Nu-Wrestling Evolution
Nu-Wrestling Evolution is an Italian professional wrestling promotion, owned by MAGNUMGROUP srl. The promotion's slogan is "Nu-Wrestling Evolution/NWE the place to be!"-History:...
and was also an instructor in mass communications at Northampton Community College
Northampton Community College
Northampton Community College is a community college in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, USA, just outside the city of Bethlehem. The college, founded in 1967, also has a second campus in Pocono Township in neighboring Monroe County...
the following spring. Trosky toured Italy with Rikishi and other professional wrestlers working with NWE during 2005. Trosky returned to Italy for one more tour that year and then added a tour to Australia in December 2007 with Rikishi, Gangrel
David Heath (wrestler)
David William Heath is an American professional wrestler and pornographic film director. He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Gangrel.-Beginning:...
and others for several performances in Perth.
Return to WXW
In 2007, Trosky emerged as the self-appointed "coach"Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
of the "heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
" stable in WXW known as TDSLG. By early-2008, the stable saw signs of breaking up after Trosky failed to defeat his old tag team partner Tommy Suede for the WXW Television Championship on January 5, 2008. Later that night, he and his partner The Dynamic Sensation lost to the debuting Island Kings (Samoan Dragon & Monguey) causing Trosky to argue with his partner slapping him in the face. He also confronted Ivan Radski, another stable member, who lost to AJ Sabotoge.
Involvement in "The Wrestler"
In the fall of 2007, Trosky was chosen by Afa The Wild Samoan to train Nicolas CageNicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and then Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
for the lead role in the Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
film The Wrestler. Along with Tom Farra (aka Smooth Tommy Suede) Trosky trained Cage until Cage withdrew from the film shortly before Thanksgiving 2007. Aronofsky brought Rourke into the film and Trosky and Farra worked with Rourke for about eight weeks to prepare him for the movie which just won to top award in the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
on September 6, 2008. Trosky stayed with Rourke throughout the filming of the movie and appears as the referee in the final and probably most dramatic scene in the movie. During the making of "The Wrestler" Trosky joined SAG
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
.
After The Wrestler wrapped in March 2008, Trosky went on to be a stunt double in Tell Tale which stars Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
and Brian Cox. That movie was released in early 2009 and is based on the Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
story "The Tell-Tale Heart
The Tell-Tale Heart
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe first published in 1843. It follows an unnamed narrator who insists on his sanity after murdering an old man with a "vulture eye". The murder is carefully calculated, and the murderer hides the body by dismembering it and hiding it under the...
". He also was a stunt double for Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
in the 2009 indy film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Big Fan
Big Fan
Big Fan is a 2009 independent drama film written and directed by Robert D. Siegel, and starring Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport, and Scott Ferrall. The story revolves around the bleak yet amiable life of the self-described "world’s biggest New York Giants fan",...
by Robert Siegel
Robert D. Siegel
Robert D. Siegel is an American screenwriter for The Onion Movie and The Wrestler, as well as the writer and director of Big Fan.The Wrestler won the Golden Lion at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and has earned several Best Picture nominations....
, also the writer of The Wrestler.
Recent years
On February 2, 2008, Trosky challenged Judas Young for the NWA Pro Television Championship at the Knights of ColumbusKnights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
in Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...
. Awarded the Xero World Championship, he defended the title against Julio Dinero at Frontline: Countdown to Xtinction at the Abderdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland
Aberdeen, Maryland
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,842 people, 5,475 households, and 3,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.2 people per square mile . There were 5,894 housing units at an average density of 922.4 per square mile...
on February 23. In December, he defended the WAW American title in a champion vs. champion match against WAW Heavyweight Champion Genesis at NWA WAW's Full Force at the Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. WAW Cruiserweight Champion The Dynamic Sensation, the kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
younger brother of Trosky, was banned from ringside by officials as one of the stipulations for the match.
If the fall of 2008, Trosky started teaching at Lehigh Carbon Community College
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Lehigh Carbon Community College is a two-year community college located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. The school serves as the primary granter of associate degrees in the Allentown area....
, DeSales University
DeSales University
DeSales University is a private Catholic university for men and women, located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before 2001, it was known as Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales.- History :...
and Penn State Berks
Penn State Berks
Penn State Berks is a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University located in Spring Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.-History:First known as Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute, Penn State Berks became part of the Penn State system in 1958. The Berks campus has experienced many changes...
while taking offers for various stunt and acting work in New York City in between teaching classes. In recent years, he has been a stunt rigger on the television series Life on Mars
Life on Mars (U.S. TV series)
Life on Mars was a science fiction crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the BAFTA-winning original UK series of the same name produced by the BBC...
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
, and a utility stunt performer in Remember Me
Remember Me (2010 film)
Remember Me is a 2010 American romantic coming of age drama film directed by Allen Coulter, and screenplay by Will Fetters. It stars Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, and Pierce Brosnan.-Plot:...
, 13
13 (film)
13 is an English-language remake of the 2005 French film 13 Tzameti. The film is directed and written by Géla Babluani, who directed and wrote the original film. A trailer was released in August 2010.-Plot:...
, The Switch and Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole (film)
Rabbit Hole is a 2010 drama film starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, and Dianne Wiest, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell; the screenplay is an adaptation by David Lindsay-Abaire of his 2005 play of the same name. Kidman produced the project via her company, Blossom Films. The film premiered...
. At the end of 2010, completed work as a stunt coordinater for the short film On Edge starring Michael Maronna.
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA World Alliance of Wrestling
- NWA WAW American Championship (1 time)
- World Xtreme WrestlingWorld Xtreme WrestlingWorld Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
- WXW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
- WXW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Tommy Suede and TDS (The Dynamic Sensation)
- Xero Championship Entertainment
- Xero World Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him # 481 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2008.
- PWI ranked him # 408 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2005.
- PWI ranked him # 436 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2004.
- PWI ranked him # 463 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2003.
- PWI ranked him # 498 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2001.