Blake Chadwick Presently, the entire world is being affected by COVID-19. This impact is not only being felt by the carriers of this virus or the friends and families of those carrying the virus but also just about every industry out there.
Professional wrestling is one of the industries especially affected by the coronavirus. All of the world’s major professional wrestling companies have been forced to change their plans for the present and immediate future, impacting the employment of countless people.
The absence of traditional professional wrestling in front of paying audiences also impacts thousands of performers, many of whom are left with uncertain futures, as a result of the cancelation of this year’s WrestleCon and other mass gatherings in the coming weeks and months.
To learn more about how the coronavirus is impacting wrestling-related talent these days, I had the pleasure of interviewing four interesting, motivated, and inspiring performers, all of whom with Jewish roots:
- Referee Kris Levin (Chikara Pro, Game Changer Wrestling, Major League Wrestling)
- EVOLVE’s “Retrosexual” Anthony Greene
- National Wrestling Alliance’s Royce Isaacs
- Commentator & ring announcer Blake Chadwick (WGN’s “Ring Warriors”, UFC Fight Pass)
Darren Paltrowitz: Who was the first Jewish wrestler you remember learning was Jewish?
Kris Levin: Barry Horowitz. Few publicly carried their Jewish heritage as a point of pride to the lengths he did. Regardless of his card position over the years, just having that representation meant a lot to myself and fellow members of the Tribe.
“Retro” Anthony Greene: The first wrestler I remember learning was Jewish was definitely [Bill] Goldberg.
Royce Isaacs: Goldberg when I was a kid. Colt Cabana was the guy known as “the Jewish wrestler” when I was on the come up.
Blake Chadwick: I think that would undoubtedly be Barry Horowitz.
Darren Paltrowitz: Has there ever been a Judaism-related storyline in wrestling you liked?
Kris Levin: Save for Abe Jacobs billing himself as the Jewish Heavyweight Champion back in the territory era, none immediately spring to mind — save for insensitive stereotypes from days gone by. However, I am reminded of an incident that occurred in the late-nineties at the boundary-breaking, Philadelphia-based promotion, ECW.
Raven, who portrayed a degenerate cult leader — unrelated to his own Jewish heritage — crucified an archnemesis, The Sandman. It would prove to be the most infamous moment of an already-controversial feud. Several in the locker room were offended by the angle’s religious overtones, identifying it as an act of iconoclasm. This included 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle who, Jewish by ethnicity, was there to dip his toe in the waters of professional wrestling; before ultimately going onto a legendary run with WWF/E. The incident nearly diverted him from the industry altogether. But I digress.
In an attempt to relay to the notoriously-irreverent Raven why his act was offensive, someone asked why he didn’t tie The Sandman to a Star Of David. He cheekily quipped, “because it would roll away.”
“Retro” Anthony Greene: I can’t really think of many off the top of my head.
Royce Isaacs: Nothing I can think of but I know there’s been a few shows run in the last few years in Israel, which is pretty cool.
Blake Chadwick: When Horowitz upset Skip at Summerslam ‘95, it felt like a win for the Jewish people. His character was based around his heritage, and that was exploited on television.
Darren Paltrowitz: Who is your favorite Jewish wrestler of the modern day? MJF?
Kris Levin: Whether it’s Anthony Greene, Royce Isaacs, Colt Cabana, David Starr, MJF, Goldberg — the list goes on — I’m just happy to see continued positive representation.
“Retro” Anthony Greene: Of the modern day? I think it has to be MJF based on success alone. Especially how quickly he made it to where he is now.
Royce Isaacs: Well Goldberg just won a world title in Saudi Arabia, so I think that means he’s king for the next 4 years.
Blake Chadwick: Favorite modern day Jewish wrestler is a tie between Royce Isaacs and Anthony Greene.
Darren Paltrowitz: Did you ever attend a wrestling-themed bar or bat mitzvah?
Kris Levin: Unfortunately not, but it sounds like a blast! If I have one now, can I level up from “KidRef” to “AdultRef”? (laughs)
“Retro” Anthony Greene: Sadly not! I wish.
Royce Isaacs: I did not! But that would be sick.
Blake Chadwick: I am retroactively VERY disappointed at no wrestling-themed bar or bat mitzvah. However, at my own, it was less than a week after the Owen Hart tragedy, and everything we did that night was “for Owen.”
Darren Paltrowitz: Finally, Coronavirus pandemic aside, what is coming up for you?
Kris Levin: Until live events are back in the swing of things — which could be anywhere from the upcoming fall to the summer of 2021 — I am focusing on other creative projects, including remote episodes of a comedy series I co-created with Mark Adam Haggerty, IWTV’s Locker Room Detectives, articles for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and my upcoming investigative podcast based upon my syndicated column, Tales From The Mat.
“Retro” Anthony Greene: Not too much! I’m staying healthy and recovering my body during this time. I continue to pitchout content regularly on all of my social media accounts to try and help people forget about what’s going on — even if it’s for 5 minutes.
Royce Isaacs: I know the NWA has plans to keep creating content, so I’m going to be a part of that. Doing podcasts to keep my name out there, home workouts, Netflix, all the good stuff.
Blake Chadwick: Hopefully, a return to a normal schedule and the ability to do what I love on a regular basis!
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