Photos: Did You Know These 23 Pro Wrestlers Have Michigan Roots?

Don't call it fake. We know the outcomes are mostly predetermined. But these are real athletes who train real hard and perform night after night. They make us stand up and cheer in arenas or scream at our TVs in our living rooms.

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My love of backdrops and chair shots began at an early age.

I started watching pro-wrestling when I was a kid and I got to stay with my grandmother who was a diehard fan. Back then it was mid-south wrestling and I lived down south in Mississippi. She loved it. I loved it. She took me to go see it at the light guard armory and then the civic center.

Then I moved to Michigan.

I was about 13. My dad knew grandma and I were "big time" wrestling fans and he thought I might become a wrestler at one point. Truth be told, me too. I remember giving amateur wrestling a try in high school. I quickly learned that it wasn't the same and definitely not for me. But while living in Michigan one of the best things in my "wrestling fan" life happened.

I went to Wrestlemania III at the Pontiac Silverdome.

I have been to several events in the state of Michigan INCLUDING a WCW Halloween Havoc back in1995 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. I think Hulk Hogan almost killed the Giant (later known as the Big Show) when he "accidentally kind of pushed him off the roof of the building".

There have been a lot of great pro-wrestling events in Michigan, but we have a lot of great PROFESSIONAL WRESTLERS from here as well. Some are absolutely legendary. And not just from Detroit but all over. As far north as Skandia and Banat in the U.P. and some folks dating all the way back to 1933 when they made their pro-wrestling debut at 16 years old.

Who are they? Where are they from? Take a look at 23 Professional Wrestlers from right here in Michigan.

Here are some videos of our home state heroes in action in the squared circle. Enjoy.