What would you do if you were in an enclosed arena with a 300 pound wrecking ball dressed in spandex rumbling towards you with the obvious intention to separate your soul from your body?
A normal human would likely freeze, flee, or question every single life choice they’ve made to bring them to that moment. And then some.
Yet there are those who see this as completely normal, just another test to their ultimate goal.
Surviving? No. A championship.
These are the people who choose to be professional wrestlers.
It takes a special type of person to endure everything that being successful in wrestling requires. Let’s face it, as popular as it is, not everyone is cut out for actually doing it. Obviously, you need to be strong, athletic, and exceptionally confident. But so are Michael Phelps and Tom Cruise. It takes something different to succeed in the ring. It takes the right mix of body and mind to be a professional wrestler, and the determination to develop the skills to thrive.
You might watch every Wrestlemania event ever held and know the difference between a piledriver and a powerslam. But that doesn’t mean you can do it. It takes training to go from watching to doing - and unlike golf or baseball, wrestling doesn’t offer a driving range or batting cage anywhere to test out your skills on the weekend.
But there is a place to begin your journey into the world of professional wrestling. And it happens to be in our area, in Ridgefield Park. It’s called BriiCombination Wrestling, owned and run by Anthony Cole.
BriiCombination Wrestling is a professional wrestling championship organization, similar to the WWE, AEW, NJPW. They host events here in the NY/NJ area. But it’s not just another wrestling circuit - there’s much more to it than simply a wrestling show. A BriiCombination event is a full-on immersive entertainment experience.
The latest event, held in May, was a Jurassic celebration - full-on dinosaurs everywhere. Think wrestling by Disney. And the whole set was designed by his daughter, a costume and set designer who’s worked on Broadway shows. Walking into a BriiCombination event is like entering into a VR world - a real-life video game.
They stand out because they do things differently - from the very beginning of a wrestler’s career to entertaining people who might not be wrestling fans.
“I’m sure that you’ve heard of The Rock, John Cena, and Jimmy Snuka. Well, before they become the superstars that we know, they have to hone their skills, figure out what it is that will make a wrestler a great wrestler. That’s where I come in,” explains Anthony. “When you come into the wrestling industry, it’s mandatory that you have training - when you’re first beginning your career and throughout your career. We’ll take kids, we’ll train them, work with them on their skills, talk to them about their ‘gimmick’, set up student shows, all to get them ready for the AEW, WWE’s of the world.”
Anthony began BriiCombination Wrestling nine years ago, as an offshoot of his promotional business, working with hip-hop artists, comedians, and other entertainers. When the idea of entering into the world of wrestling came up, it took off quickly. He went from having the idea in January of 2016 to his first wrestling event in March.
“At the beginning, I had to pitch everyone I’d approached on why BriiCombination Wrestling would be the right company to work with. Nine years later, I don’t have to prove anything anymore. Now, when I call, people are thanking me for asking them to appear in our shows.”
This success has led Anthony to begin work on a full wrestling center all housed in one building, including an Urgent Care facility to ensure the health and safety of all the wrestlers who work with BriiCombination. Unfortunately, not all of the wrestlers have their own insurance - something that he is looking to change for those who sign with BriiCombination.
Anthony is committed to upholding an ethical standard for his business, which along with the healthcare, includes fair pay for all of the participants and a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment in any circumstance. And those are problems that are more common than you’d expect in this world.
In wrestling, being a character matters. In Brii Combination, having character matters more.
This is so important to him due to the very essence of the company. It’s named in honor of his daughter Brittani, who planned her very own business with the same name when she was only 15. It was her inspiration that led him to set up an entire corporation that could be hers one day.
It takes a special sort of mindset to step into the ring and be part of the spectacle of professional wrestling. There’s a bravado there like no other. And it takes a special kind of vision to launch an entire enterprise based upon a teenage girl’s dream and make it successful.
But bringing dinosaurs into a wrestling event? That takes courage to a whole new level.
Their next big wrestling event takes place Thursday, July 31st at the Mecca in Ridgefield Park. Expect surprises even bigger than dinosaurs!
@brii_combination_wrestling
BriiCombination holds their wrestling events at the Mecca, 106 Bergen Avenue in Ridgefield Park.
If there were dinosaurs for their Jurassic Celebration event in May, how will they top that next time? Get your "fill" in July!