Wadsworth's Derek Foore Will Get A Shot At WWE Glory
Posted: Apr 12th 2011 By: CMBurnham
Derek Foore thought it was a joke. He listened to the voicemail, shook his head and then laughed at the shenanigans.
Surely one of his college buddies was putting him on and it really wasn?t Jerry Brisco of World Wrestling Entertainment calling him to inquire about possibly joining the organization.
Then a text message and e-mail from Brisco came.
Yes, that Jerry Brisco. The one who discovered Hulk Hogan in the late 1970s and the one enshrined in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Hall of Fame.
?I was speechless,? said Foore, a 2007 Wadsworth graduate and NAIA national champion at Notre Dame College. ?I was like, ?OK, who is messing with me?? When he left a voicemail, texted me and then e-mailed me, I said, ?OK, this is legit.?
?After I came back down to earth, I was trying to figure out what I could say. I was nervous. I was writing notes down, trying to think of what I was going to do when I called him. Then I was like, ?I?m just going to wing it.? When I called him, all the butterflies went away.?
As it turns out, Brisco was in attendance in early March to see Foore ? Medina County?s winningest prep wrestler ? finish second at nationals.
While Foore didn?t come home from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with the medal he was looking for ? he won a national title as a junior ? he gained the interest of the biggest recruiter from the largest professional wrestling organization in the world.
Pleased with how Foore carried himself after a tough 2-1 loss in the finals at 197 pounds, Brisco did the legwork and went through the proper channels to obtain the phone number of the Notre Dame Falcon.
?He told me what he liked about me and my character,? Foore said of Brisco, who stays in contact with him at least two times a week. ?He liked the way I handled myself, win or lose. He said character will carry me a long way.
?Honestly, I was just excited to talk to him. It doesn?t happen to a lot of people, and to be noticed in Iowa, it was like, ?Wow, is this real???
What came next was even more unreal. While most would-be WWE stars pay their dues ? as well as exorbitant amounts of money on acting classes and wrestling camps ? Foore is different.
He?ll travel to Tampa Bay, Fla., the site of the WWE?s training facility, on the company?s dime. Foore will be there for two weeks, all expenses paid. He?ll learn the ins and outs, get a physical and go through some skits. He?ll stand up to vigorous workouts to see if he has what it takes, all while being recorded.
There will be lifting, wrestling and promos as well, and at the end of the camp the WWE will tell him what he did well, what he needs to work on and see if there?s a future for him.
Foore said being ?fished out by the company? already puts him in good standing. The fact the organization is willing to wait until the middle of May so he can finish the school year ? Foore is a junior academically, but is out of athletic eligibility ? is a positive as well.
?It?s great because I didn?t even try pursuing it,? Foore said. ?There are people who take so much time and spend so much money trying, for them to call me out of nowhere and tell me to come to Florida, it was like, ?Really??
?Of course I?m going to jump on the opportunity. When I get down to Tampa, though, it?s business, straight business. I?m going there to get a contract. I?ll do whatever it takes to sign on the dotted line.?
Until then, Foore intends to continue his vigorous workout schedule while trying his hand at yoga and tumbling.
As for his future, he?s ready to take the steps necessary to enter the squared circle.
?I?m willing to learn,? he said. ?In order to walk, you have to crawl. I think the chances are really good, but I won?t count my eggs before they hatch. I?ll take nothing for granted. I?ll expect the worse, but I?ll be confident I can work toward what I want.
?They?re not allowing me to ride my bike with training wheels. I?ll take my bumps and bruises along the way. I never thought it would happen. Words can?t describe what I?m thinking.?
Supplemental Information
Latest News
Jim Ross: I Was Proud Of Tony Khan For Wearing The Neckbrace During The NFL Draft
The Elite takeover of AEW storyline continued this week after they attacked Tony Khan on ... Read More
The Scoop
NEWS Footage revealing Carlito as Dragon Lee’s mystery attacker was shown on the April 26th episode of “WWE Friday Night SmackDown”. There had been... Read More
“Make yourself undeniable” – Bodyslam.net speaks with Walker Stewart of NJPW
In the realm of professional wrestling, I wear two hats – one as a wordsmith for Bodys... Read More
- AEW’s Ricky Starks recalls sneak-eating king cakes, washing cars for money ahead of champions’ homecoming show
- Mickie James on Her Next Chapter In Impact Wrestling & ‘Bound for Glory’
- Ric Flair Interview Recap
- AEW ‘Grand Slam’: Sammy Guevara on His Journey from Working at Taco Bell to Facing Chris Jericho
Upcoming Events
- NAW · May 10 6:30pm · Salina
- WAH · May 11 6:00pm · Tulsa
- UWO · May 11 6:00pm · Tuttle
- NAW · May 11 6:30pm · Watts (Chewey)
- MHCW · May 17 7:00pm · Seminole
- UWE · May 18 6:00pm · Tahlequah
- EPW · May 18 6:00pm · Midwest City
- WAH · May 25 6:00pm · Tulsa
- CPW · May 31 7:30pm · Sand Springs
- WFC · Jun 1 7:00pm · Tulsa
- WFC · Jun 2 6:00pm · Tulsa
- CPW · May 31 7:30pm · Sand Springs
- EPW · May 18 6:00pm · Midwest City
- MHCW · May 17 7:00pm · Seminole
- NAW · May 10 6:30pm · Salina
- NAW · May 11 6:30pm · Watts (Chewey)
- UWE · May 18 6:00pm · Tahlequah
- UWO · May 11 6:00pm · Tuttle
- WAH · May 11 6:00pm · Tulsa
- WAH · May 25 6:00pm · Tulsa
- WFC · Jun 1 7:00pm · Tulsa
- WFC · Jun 2 6:00pm · Tulsa
- Mick Foley, Scott Steiner, Leva Bates, Lex Luger, Matt Hardy, Milo Beasley, and Ron Simmons · May 24 2:00pm · Oklahoma City Convention Center · Oklahoma City
- Mick Foley, Scott Steiner, Leva Bates, Lex Luger, Matt Hardy, Milo Beasley, and Ron Simmons · May 25 10:00pm · Oklahoma City Convention Center · Oklahoma City
- Mick Foley, Scott Steiner, Leva Bates, Lex Luger, Matt Hardy, Milo Beasley, and Ron Simmons · May 26 10:00pm · Oklahoma City Convention Center · Oklahoma City
- Jimmy Hart and Matt Riddle · Aug 10 10:00am · Cox Business Convention Center · Tulsa
- Jimmy Hart and Matt Riddle · Aug 11 11:00am · Cox Business Convention Center · Tulsa
- Jake Hager and Jimmy Hart · Oct 5 10:00am · A. J. Horton Event Center · McAlester
- Jake Hager and Jimmy Hart · Oct 6 10:00am · A. J, Horton Event Center · McAlester
Card Results
- EDW · May 5th 2024 · Tulsa
- UWO · May 4th 2024 · Oklahoma City
- BPW · May 4th 2024 · Sapulpa
- WFC · May 4th 2024 · Broken Arrow
- ASP · May 4th 2024 · Noble
- UWO · May 3rd 2024 · Guthrie
- UWE · May 3rd 2024 · Tahlequah
- UWO · Apr 29th 2024 · Guthrie
- UWE · Apr 27th 2024 · Tahlequah
- BPW · Apr 27th 2024 · Tulsa
- 3CW
- 3DW
- 412PE
- AACW
- ACW
- AdCW
- AEW
- AmWF
- ASP
- AWA
- AWE
- AWF
- AWFUL
- BB
- BBOW
- BCW
- BLOW
- BMLL
- BPPW
- BPW
- BSWF
- BTW
- BYEW
- CAPW
- CCW
- ComPro
- CPW
- CWE
- CWF
- CXW
- DEMW
- DI2IW
- ECW
- EDW
- EmpCW
- EMWF
- EPW
- FCW
- FIW
- FTE
- GPCW
- GWF
- GWF2016
- HPB
- ICW
- IMPACT
- IPW
- IWR
- IWW
- IZW
- JCW
- KCW
- LA
- LDU
- LLQ
- LLR
- MajCW
- MAW
- MCW
- MERC
- MMWF
- MPW
- MSPW
- MStW
- MSW
- MSWA
- MVSC
- MWA
- MWF
- MWW
- NAW
- NCW
- NCWO
- NEW
- NMS
- NWA
- NWA-FTA
- NWA-OK
- NWA-TXO
- NWA-U
- NWA-West
- NXT
- NXW
- OCCW
- OCW
- OECW
- OKX
- OPW
- OWA
- OWF
- OWP
- PWR
- PWTV
- PZWA
- RDW
- ROH
- SCW
- SCWF
- SECW
- SLPW
- SoCW
- SPW
- SRPW
- SWCW
- TAP
- TAZW
- TCBW
- TCW
- TexPro
- TIW
- TNA
- TOPW
- TPW
- TSW
- TxPW
- UCW
- USWA
- UWE
- UWF
- UWF06
- UWO
- W4CW
- WAH
- WCCW
- WCP
- WCR
- WCW
- WCW92
- WFA
- WFC
- WIA
- WLW
- WWE
- WWEmp
- WWF
- WWG
- WWW
- XMW