07/07/2025
š STORY TIME š
I started out as a pro wrestling announcer back in 2018 and by 2019 I was really trying to get things going for myself either as a ring announcer, a broadcast commentator, or both.
You may not know this, but as far as training/coaching or any kind of schooling, books, or materials go for those roles in wrestling: there arenāt any. Truly. Some schools say they offer training for those, but my experience after nearly a decade now is that itās just not a thing. But I digress.
In 2019, I booked a spot on a seminar/tryout being held in Brooklyn, NY that was open to wrestlers, announcers, and commentators, and the guest coaches who would be there to help and give the seminar were Candice Leray, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa.
I booked another seminar/tryout in Las Vegas earlier that year with another well known TV wrestling company , which wound up being almost a complete waste of time. They were happy to take my money, but they didnāt give any seminar, any notes, or anything of obvious value that was promised.
But I had higher hopes for the Evolve seminar because it seemed more organized: and it was. I was one of maybe 3 announcers who showed up, and I was the ONLY person who wanted to tryout and get notes for both roles (announcer/commentator). I picked up a tryout match to do play by play for which wound up being the literal first match of the day. There was no crowd aside from the people there to tryout and evaluate, so everything I said or did was on very full display.
I called the match, and I think I did a fairly decent job. I felt good about itā¦ but what I did not know and was shocked to learn was that while I was calling the match, Ciampa had slid up a chair directly behind me and listened carefully to everything I did. As soon as I finished, he slid his chair up next to me and proceeded to give me some praise and some great notes. I wasnāt expecting it, especially from him, and I remember being so grateful for that. He had no obligation to do so, and in all the years I did it: I have found that almost no one ever gives announcers or commentators on the indies any constructive notes or feedback whatsoever. They only get spoken to if they do a terrible jobā¦. And even then, sometimes that doesnāt happen. His willingness to coach and help was an anomaly.
I have held onto that gratitude for him over the years, but we didnāt stay in contact or anything. He was a WWE superstar and I was a fledgling announcer, so why would we?
A few months ago his wife, Jessie, reached out to me blindly to tell me how much she and her family loved The Savannah Bananas, and I proceeded to tell her the story above. I said I was very grateful for Tommaso back then, and that it would be my honor to be able to have them as guests at a game in the future. She told me they were originally from the Boston area, and so I invited them to join us at Fenway Park.
What I didnāt expect was that Tommaso actually remembered me from that fateful day in the fall of 2019, and we reconnected easily. He told me he was so happy to see that I had made it, and was kind enough to say: āOf course I remember you... You were the only one who was any good!ā
It was fantastic getting to have them out this past weekend and to give Tommasso, Jessie, and their daughter Willow some never-forget moments where they could be fans of what I get to do, much like I have been a fan of what he has gotten to do over the years. They have publicly expressed their gratitude which I appreciate, but Iām the one who is still grateful for what he did for me at an early point in my career when I had no help or guidance from anyone. His notes and encouragement were major factors in me continuing to proceed with a journey that at many times seemed futile, and it was my absolute honor to be able to pay that back to him and his family this weekend. š
