Professional wrestling traces its origin back to the 1920s, but it took until only recently for independent promotions to really start picking up steam. One local company is Frontline Pro. We sat down with the Commissioner of Frontline, Michael Wayne Rutherford, who started watching wrestling in the mid-’90s when WWE saw its most profitable period in history, known as the Attitude Era. He tuned in every Monday to see the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, and his favorite wrestler, Mick Foley.
We asked Michael what drew him to watching wrestling.
Michael told us about the rich history the sport has in Wisconsin, with big names in the industry hailing from the Dairy State. People like Austin Aries who is from Milwaukee, and Ken Anderson who is a Two Rivers native, but also the huge names that have performed in this area.
Michael’s “career” in the ring began by doing exactly what wrestling companies tell you not to do. He tried it at home.
Michael wrestled actively for quite some time, even catching the eye of one young fan.
He told us about his proudest moment in the ring.
He did eventually hang up the boots, and began using his knowledge of the business as the commissioner of Wisconsin Professional Wrestling, before joining forces with another wrestler to form Frontline Pro.
Frontline put on a show last month at the Two Rivers Community House, with the proceeds from the 50/50 raffle going to the Valders Mental Health Task Force. Shanen Daly, whose son Morgan went to Valders, and took his own life two years ago, was on hand, and was asked to draw the winning ticket.
Frontline Pro has many shows scheduled for all around the state, but the next local show will again be at the Community House on April 31st. It has not been decided who the donations will be going to. To check out all of the upcoming events for Frontline Pro, follow them on Facebook.
