By Andrew Mason | via Student Voice | Dec. 12, 2016 |
A professional wrestling match is like no other sporting event. Scripted fights with predetermined results, loud costumes, and stunts violent enough to make even the most unruly of fans shriek at the top of their lungs.
One group of wrestlers, those at Millennium Pro Wrestling (MPW), have brought that excitement to the town of Moorpark.
Every Friday night MPW opens its doors to a crowd of wrestling fans eager to see both amateur and professional stars go at it.
Originally started in 2001, MPW General Manager Clint Lopaty and owner Paul Ventimiglia, both wrestlers themselves, decided they wanted to bring more professional wrestling to the Southern California area.
Similar to the highly-respected World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), MPW’s wrestlers fight each match with previously written story lines and predetermined outcomes.
“We build our material for our shows based on how we’ve seen the audience react,” said Lopaty. “Its like a comic book scheme: the bad guy is the villain and the good guy is the hero. We always want to try to push the hero to win somehow, but it doesn’t always work out that way. It goes back to how the crowd reacts.”
Now in their third stint running MPW (the previous two runs were cut short due to both mens’ desires to focus on other careers), Lopaty and Ventimiglia have also created the Millennium Pro Academy, a school in which they train aspiring wrestlers in the sport.
“Our students go through rigorous training, we don’t just put anybody out there [to fight during the shows],” said Lopaty. “Our trainers have been in the business, collectively, 75 to 100 years.”
Once qualified, these students have the opportunity to join MPW’s wrestlers in the ring.
Danny “Divine” Cleary, a 24-year-old Communications major at Moorpark College, has been a MPW wrestler for the past 2 years. As the current MPW World Heavyweight Champion, Cleary has become a fan-favorite who draws a regular crowd.
“During a fight I think about what makes my fans happiest,” said Cleary. “What moves can I do to make them want to come back and see me again. Of course the victory is always number one, I want to get ‘the W.’ But I always want to make sure my fans are enjoying coming out to see Danny ‘Divine’, and they’re getting their money’s worth.”
Among Cleary’s fans is 19-year-old Criminal Justice major at California Lutheran University, Tyler Letson.
“I think [Cleary] is the best wrestler in the program, without a doubt,” said Letson. “I’ve seen him do some moves that I don’t think any other wrestler can do. His famous move, the ‘Divine Intervention’, gets everybody hyped and its just really fun to watch.”
Fri. Dec. 16 will be MPW’s last show of 2016 until they return in early January. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for kids under 10.
For MPW’s location and and showtimes or information on the training academy, visit MPW on Facebook @MillenniumProWrestling or call (805) 630-6888.
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