Wrestling School The Begining The Evolution of Ray Mejia

(Final Saturday of 2008) - Well, today was the first of my training. What training you ask? I am currently enrolled in Santino Brothers Wrestling Academy. Yes, I'm actually training to become a professional wrestler. I'm chasing my dream....

It had to be the longest week ever as I prepared and waited for today to come. I couldn't even sleep last night. That excited/nervous feeling completely overwhelmed me. I was finally going to find out if I really had what it takes to be a wrestler.

8:30 am. Woody and I arrive. We stretch and prepare for a mile run. I didn't do too bad, 7:43. We then proceeded to mats, the rest of the class went to the ring. Our instrutor for the morning, a former XPW Televeision Champion, Kaos, gave us our morning warm-up.

Push ups. Squats. Lunges. Crunches. Then push ups again. My body wasn't quite ready for that, but hey who cares, right? We then had to demostrate our grappling skills, which meant we had to shoot wrestle with no striking against someone in the class. I would later find out that we would grappling with the entire class of about 10-15 people.

I finish my first match, I stand up casually and walk over to the stand of the building where I proceed to vomit. No food, just water. It was horrible, I never work myself that hard very often. Everyone got a good laugh at the rookie throwing up on the side.

When I gained my composure back, I went back and had to do another match. I wrestled probably around 9 or 10 matches, against bigger, stronger, faster, and more experienced opponents. I got lucky with 2 wins. I pretty much got my ass kick.
None worse then by Mongol, one of the instructors. He look very eager to take the rookies for a test drive. Woody goes first and gets destroyed. I wouldn't be as lucky, he took his time with me. Like I said I got my ass kicked.

So after all the grappling we had to finish with some curcuits. That meant rotating to four different stations and doing different excercises four one minute. After everything we have endured, Woody and I had to get into the ring and have one final shoot match. I was exhausted, there was no one I could defend myself. We lock up......

I was exhausted, I had cotton-mouth, my muscles ached and I was standing in a middle of a wrestling ring standing across from Woody who was equally tired. The rest of the class surrounded the ring and began pounding the mat furiously. The instructors stood on the apron and shouted for us to grapple.
We lock up...

Now, Woody has a the height, weight and strength advantage on me, needless to say this wasn't going to be easy. We lock up, we roll, he goes for a rear naked choke, I roll out, I get a cramp in my left hamstring. he puts me in the guard. Everyone is shouting, everything is happening so fast. I go for a choke, Woody blocks, I get a cramp in my right hamstring. Stay calm, stay in control. Think. Think.

Heel hook. It beat him before it can probably beat him again. I have locked in, it's hurting him, he's screaming, but he's not tapping. I can't squeeze and I can't pull, I have nothing left. But wait, it gets better. Woody locks me in an ankle lock as well.

I roll us on to our stomach, luckily I was in his guard so when we rolled I was on top of his back. I wrenched back and got the submission victory. I crawled out the ring and thought I was going to vomit again. Thankfully, I didn't....

.....There is an endless supply of pain. I'm talking "can't even get up out of bed the next day" pain.

One day in particular, I was placed in the corner and chopped 11 times. 11 TIMES!!!! My chest was bleeding, and the following week I had a giant hicky on my chest. Chicks dig scars, right?

I was given the chance to film our very first show on Jan. 17th. The show was in Newhall and we had one hell of a show. We sold out the house and really entertained the crowd. I never wanted to get into the ring more than that day. It only motivated me even more to someday perform for fans.

I've also been able to combine two loves. Wresltling and film editing. I film the shows and then I make the highlight videos. I've couldn't ask for a better deal. Thank the heavens for dropping this in my lap.

I'm very eager for whats in store.... I can tell honestly right now, I'm hating life right now. My legs, neck, and face are all sore. I can't even sit down or stand up.

Its worth it, and I know it's going to get better. Make sure to check back and find out how I'm doing. Until next time.

Ray on Myspace!

Check out Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy:
http://www.evolucha.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/Evolucha

I must start with this confession, there was a time long ago when i thought pro wrestling was a joke.

I must start with this confession, there was a time long ago when i thought pro wrestling was a joke. It wasn't till the 8th grade that i finally gave wrestling a fair chance. My 6 closest friends always played all the wrestling video games that were out and that was my first introduction. Next was WWE Sunday Night Heat. At this time in school i was in drama class and wanted to become an actor. Wrestling seemed to wrap up all the drama, acting, stunt work and entertainment into one great package. I was hooked. Then one night before dinner at my friends house i remember watching ECW. Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible fro the world championship. as the match was reaching its climax... it hit me like a steel chare... This is what i want to do with my life... I WANT TO BE A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER!

I was a freshmen in high school and we didn't have a wrestling team but we did have drama class and tv production, so that's what i did. Later I joined the track and field team and spent just as much if not more time in the weight room as I did on the track or the field. After graduating I remained active in track and field as well as cross country by coaching for the high school. In Jr College i conditioned for the decathlete. I never ended up competing in an event do to the fact that my heart just wasn't in it. I considered returning to Hopkido and began sparing with my close friend who was training for MMA.

As 2004 started to come to and end one of my good friends, who also shared the dream of professional wrestling, got a flyer for a small inde show out in Anaheim for a WPW/PCW show.
It wasn't the same as what we had been religiously watching on tv. This was a hole new style, LuchaLibre! After the show we asked around and found the promoter. We told him we wanted to learn and he told us when to show up... so we did. And when we went back i was unexpectedly reunited with an old family friend i hadn't seen in ages, Steve aka Steve Pain. We all trained together 3 days a week. Alan and i helped with the shows on Sundays while Steve did his thing in the ring. I finally got the chance to wrestle a show. I had no real gimmick or story. Just on the card to fill time. My first match was an over the top battle royal. Didn't win it but didn't care. My next match the week after was in a tag match, my first win. But this would all come to a slow fade when my training and road partner and good friend Alan would need to stop wrestling to go in for knee sugery on his ACL.

I began to re think my game plan. I got back into school full time and cut out the wrestling shows. The hard part about that was paying for all the units. So i got a second job to help. I still went to training but things just didn't feel the same without my friend there. Steve and i kept in close contact and he would make me find time for us to hang out together. Every time we talked he would tell me to not let the fire die out. I would remind him that wrestling as still and always would be number one in my life. We went out to the first RevX show to help ring crew and i got the itch. I got the opportunity try to help a start up company. It was called Ocean City Wrestling and i worked with The Young Bucks and Diablo but it didn't last long. From the end of 2005 through 2006 i wrestled for MWF, and there in east LA CLAYBOY was born, even wrestling Christmas night and on Jan 1st. I quit my first job and eventually dropped out of school (not cool). And just as things started to get hot... i was popped with the biggest cut off of my life. I had a hernia and needed sugery.

It was 2007 and I felt low and alone. Alan had moved for school and Steve was traveling fare and wide for wrestling. After my surgery the doc told me no physical activity for almost 6 months do to the area of the hernia and slight risk it could re surface. I thought of starting back up in school again but knew i didn't have the money. So to kill the time i spent too many of my nights under the dirty lights of Hollywood. I found that i had picked up a "Side Job" at a few clubs as i got way to mixed up in the music money and women. Had i lost sight of my education and dreams... before i could see it myself i once again had an unexpected run in with the Under Rated SuperStar himself... my friend Steve Pain.

Steve and i had a lot of caching up to do the only way we knew how, be hitting every club and party scene as hard as we could. Naturally the topic of wrestling came up and Steve told me about this new place to train. It didn't take long but i could see why Steve wasn't all that happy with wrestling at this point. I got the feeling that we really just didn't fit in with the way this dojo like facility was being run. So in 2008 we hit the road to Norwalk to find ourselves in the hands of The Santino Bros! On January 17th i was reborn as the heart breakin ass kickin money make'n jaw droppin PLAYBOY CLAY MOTLEY!

Here in EvoLucha i feel home, i feel better then ever. This year I've proudly done most of my work with EvoLucha, even going toe to toe with my mentor Steve Pain. Together we've done shows with L.L.I.I. in Ocean Side and HPW. With everything that we've seen and experienced in all these companies and feds here, we want the world to know that someone who is born in SoCal wrestling isn't limited to the west coast. Clay Motley wants to take his dream of Professional Wrestling all around the globe, and it starts here. In the long run i'm preparing for the larger big time companies such as Ring Of Honor, TNA and eventually the one and only WWE. I believe in hope, i believe in discipline, i believe in sacrifice and i believe in myself. I AM THE PLAYBOY AND MY MANE IS CLAY MOTLEY! Are you ready for the after party?

More on Clay Motley
"PLAYBOY" CLAY MOTLEY

Clay on Myspace!

Check out Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy:
http://www.evolucha.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/Evolucha

I didn't find pro wrestling...I guess you could say pro wrestling found me.

My earliest memories of wrestling are actually kind of silly. I remember my parents dropping me off
at my grandma's (who was completely deaf) when I was little and she would be watching guys like
the Junkyard Dog and Hulk Hogan and would get exited and shout at the TV. I remember asking one
of my older cousins to do my makeup "like the mean wrester ladies" I had seen on television. I
also remember seeing Captain Lou Albano in Cyndi Lauper's "girls just wanna have fun" video.

Eventually I got older and floated on to other things. I was always kind of a tomboy and most of my friends were boys so I usually played sports and played outside rather than do girly stuff. In high school I watched wrestling on and off, but never ever EVER thought in my wildest dreams I'd be doing it someday.

I moved out to California in 2000 soon after graduating high school, because I felt like bigger things were waiting for me compared to the rural town I'm from. I had always been a bit of an outside thinker and I wasn't exactly content with the idea of settling with the things I saw my friends around me settling for. I wanted to do something bold. I miss my friends and family, but still feel like I made the right decision.

Eventually I landed a job managing a good friend's comic shop. I had always loved comics so this job
suited me quite well. Eventually I started meeting people and through coincidence met some people
who happened to be wrestlers. The rest is history.

I remember going to my first so-cal indy show to watch a friend wrestle. I was impressed with the athletic aspect of it and I also loved the fact that it was so colorful. The wrestlers reminded me of something straight from a comic....a bunch of guys in colorful spandex, fighting it out and occasionally putting aside differences for the greater good, I guess you could say. I wanted to try it..but I was discouraged and felt kind of silly for asking mainly because I am small in size and a woman..and I didn't see any other girls there at the time.

After venturing out to different shows I started to notice that there were indeed some female wrestlers...and most of them were about the same size as I was! Maybe it was something I could do after all.

My friends Johnny and Chris (Joey Dynamite) had a ring set up in their backyard. One night Chris mentioned that he and a few other people trained a little there on the weekends if I ever wanted to come down and give it
a try. So I did.

Wrestling turned out to be a lot harder than it looked! And it damn sure wasn't fake! I got discouraged at first because I was having a hard time with the most basic things and remembering stuff. We lost the ring for a bit and couldn't train for a while...but eventually it got set up again.

One day I showed up to the house and there were a bunch of new faces there, along with some pros I had seen regularly on different shows. I was a little intimidated...but it turned out they were opening a school and looking for people to join. Should I try it again? Could I handle it? I decided to give it another go.

After the first day I was incredibly sore. I don't think I had ever been that sore in my entire life. Push-ups, squats, running, jumping, learning to bump, taking slams, etc. This was hard! And it hurt! I got frustrated easy and it took me longer to learn things...but something was telling me not to give up. I hung in there and did the best I could.

Eventually I became the only female at Santino's for a while. The class was getting more advanced. We were training in the hot summer sun. On top of that, on certain days I also had to deal with my "lady issues".I was finding it hard to be confident because I felt like the odds were against me. Later on I found out some of the guys didn't think I was going to last at first. I went home beat up, sore, and bruised every week. SometimesI went home crying from the physical and mental stress. But something kept pulling me back to the class every week. I was determined to continue what I had started...plus all stress and pain aside, I was having fun!

Over a year later and here I am, still continuing my training and even starting to do shows!...and I feel like I've come such a long way considering I could barely do a lock-up when I first started. I've learned so much. I've found my confidence and I'm starting to feel good about what I do. I'm doing things that I never thought I was capable of. I still have a a lot to learn and I have my limitations, but I'm getting better all the time. Wrestling oddly enough,is also very theraputic for me. It has taught me confidence, self-dicipline, and how to work with others. It has also helped me to deal withmy anxiety problems, which I've had my entire life. I may not be the the biggest, or the strongest, or the fastest, but I just want to be the best that I can be. That's my goal...also, someday maybe I can teach what I've learned to other girls.

-May..the Fabulous Thunderkitten and one half of "The Nobodies" <---LOL! For more on May "MAY of the NOBODIES May AKA ThunderKitty on Myspace "MAY on Myspace Check out Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy: http://www.evolucha.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/Evolucha