Little man hoping to shut down JT’s Energy

It’ll be a battle of opposites when Chad Strong and JT Energy clash in the ring on October 6 at Memorial Hall as part of the Road to Bridge City Tour. Not only will it be a battle of varying experience, with one having wrestled for most of his life and the other just getting his career going.

Strong’s career started 16 years ago when he purposely went to show late, claiming he was ‘just another one of the old guys’. From there a couple wrestlers saw him and reached out, then his career took off.

“It was completely unexpected,” Strong said. “I wanted to wrestle for a long time, but I was shocked when I actually started doing it.”

Strong started out as a help referee, then moved to being part of tag teams and finally got his own matches. During his career, Strong has been with multiple different companies and has now landed with Central Empire Wrestling. This will be Strong’s first appearance with CEW, with the opportunity to gain more of a full-time status with the crew.

Strong is originally from Minnesota and he’s also wrestled in the Dakota’s, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and a couple shows over in Portland. Throughout the years he’s faced other little people, women, men and everyone.

“Some people are shocked to see little people wrestle,” Strong said. “I like to intermingle with the crowd afterwards.”

His opponent is JT Energy, who’s relatively new to the wrestling scene in comparison. It’s been two and a half, almost three years since he started his training with Black and Brave Wrestling Academy, located in Illinois. The dream of becoming a wrestler for him began when he was a little kid, and now he’s living his dream.

“Growing up, renting a VHS with Hulk Hogan on it and seeing those larger than life characters, it was the coolest thing in the world,” Energy said. “A couple years ago I took a leap of faith to see what would happen. It’s one of those things that just going into training, knowing what you’re setting yourself up for, is kind of unreal.”

JT is better off known as “Six-Star Booty” in the wrestling world, in large part to his dancing background prior to becoming a wrestler.

“Dancing in front of big crowds was never something I was shy about, entertaining in that aspect. More so giving the audience the entertainment they paid for, that’s the part that’s the most nerve wracking, hoping they remember JT Energy for the good or the bad,” Energy said.

He christened himself the Six-Star Booty after finding out a wrestling match was rated six stars, normally rated up to five stars.

“Movin’ and shakin’ what my momma gave me was something I was always good at,” Energy said. “I thought to myself, there isn’t anyone with a better booty in the business, and thus christened myself with the name for having the best booty in wrestling.”

Energy will have a chance to wrestle a little person for the first time in his career, proving to be an interesting challenge leading up to and during the match.

“I’ve never had a chance to wrestle someone of this gentleman’s stature. I’ve had some tag team matches with women of smaller stature, but it’ll be the first time I have a chance to get my hands on a little guy,” Energy said. “I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I do know he doesn’t have a lot to live up to, maybe he’ll come up short. When he’s standing tall and the Six-Star Booty is in his face, it’ll be a whole new aspect.”

Energy will have his work cut out for him but has time to do some research on finding ways that big guys can beat little guys. While he’s focused on winning the match, he also has a job to do by entertaining the crowd along the way.

“Everybody should know the point of the match is to win, walk out the victor. The point is you want to pin your opponent or make them submit,” Energy said. “I’m also there to entertain with my dance and flamboyance, looking good while winning. Physicality with a bit of flash, that’s kind of a good mixture.”

Having not wrestled a man of smaller stature, it seems that Strong has the early advantage, which he agrees with.

“I believe I pose an advantage because I can sneak around them and get around them easier,” Strong said. “I tend to try and end mix in a stone cold stunner near the end followed by a frog splash off the top rope. The crowd loves to see me fly.”

Both wrestlers are excited to come to Sigourney and show the fans what they can do.

“Smaller towns tend to have an intimate atmosphere, maybe 100 or 200 people. You can interact on a personal level during the match,” Energy said. “I’m really excited for the opportunity to come there and give the audience something they’ll never forget. Prepare yourself, the Six-Star Booty is coming to town.”