thePULSEJenny Pacillo
It’s no secret that we are massive wrestling fans at Pulse Magazine, well most of us are. Our Art Director Kevin La and myself often meet up on Thursday nights at the White Eagle for the Wrestling Open, text each other during Monday Night Raw and we’re always the first to notice when one of us comes in wearing a new wrestling t-shirt. When we found out that Beyond Wrestling co-founder Drew Cordeiro was opening the Beyond Institute of Professional Wrestling in January 2023, it was a BIG deal.
“The wrestling school is going to be Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, and Thursday nights. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are going to focus on in ring mechanics, and Thursdays are going to focus on kind of all the other elements, different things that can be taught and learned to help people that are going to be starting their careers as independent professional wrestlers, be able to network and go to different promotions and get the opportunity to work at different places,” Cordeiro explains. Students will learn from local professional wrestling greats Kenn Doane and Thomas Santell. Both men have years of experience and are looking forward to bringing out the best in everyone.
“The biggest thing is being like a big brother to so many established workers in the area, you know, talking to them about things and wrestling and then being just so proud of them,” Santell says, “when they see what you’re teaching them or what you tell them works and they thank you, it’s just so cool. With Ken and myself’s experience, we’re in perfect alignment. We both started at Killer Kowalski’s in 2001, we came up through the independents together and he got signed a month before I did for OVW.”
Students at the Beyond Institute of Professional wrestling can expect to engage with all aspects of wrestling, from serious technical wrestling and character development to the inner workings of what is normally behind the scenes. “You’re in the ring for five to ten minutes, but then what do you do in the other 23 hours, 50 minutes? It’s socializing, knowing how things work when you’re putting a show together and then seeing professionals go about their match and whatnot and prepare, stretch and all that stuff,” Santell tells me, adding, “It’s good for them to see on show day.”
“The format that we have for wrestling open is tailor made for new wrestlers to be able to graduate into it because they can have shorter matches,” Cordeiro explains, “They can work out their performance. Our fan base is respectful. You know, I think if anything, they’ll have more of a boost from the crowd because people will be like, ‘Oh my God, there’s so many that are homegrown’, like they were born out of Beyond Institute of Wrestling and the Wrestling Open. I think from there when they have the opportunity to get a few matches, you know, being able to compete at the Wrestling Open, I think carries a lot of weight, and then it’ll help them get booked out at different promotions in New England. When they really have enough experience, they can graduate onto the Beyond Wrestling Open super shows, and those get scouted by all of the top promoters in the country.”
While the Beyond Institute of Professional Wrestling is not in the future for Kevin La and me, we are both looking forward to seeing new wrestlers added to our favorites at the Wrestling Open. We are definitely rooting for everyone who is taking that first in their professional wrestling career here in Worcester.
