Pro Wrestling Fusion

You have to respect Shannon Rose.

He successfully balances Pro Wrestling Fusion and Eclectic Media Productions, a growing national public relations company based in Tampa, with numerous other ventures.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s the road that has gotten Rose to where he is today — including living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome — that makes you want to listen to his story.

And, as a ring announcer for PWF, it’s a story worth listening to.

Here’s my Q&A with Rose:

Q: “You’ve been involved in professional wrestling since the age of 12 (you’re now 34), starting out with a public access cable show out of Tampa for seven years and working for Championship Wrestling from Florida. Talk a little bit about that.”

A: “I got started differently than others probably did. I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome at age 2. I lost my voice for one year. At age 12, my arms became paralyzed — my left arm and then my right arm. I went up to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and they said they didn’t know what was going on. I have a little of everything that goes with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I still get today, from doctors — you have a torn muscle, or you’ve pulled a nerve. “At age 12, I went to school at home, doing school over the phone. My friends were the wrestlers. I became friends with them. I was granted a wish at age 12 to meet Hulk Hogan. From there, I met Dusty Rhodes and Gordon Solie.”

Q: “Exactly how did Rhodes and Solie give you your start as a ring announcer?”

A: “Rhodes gave me my start. I started a public access cable show at age 12. The first match I had was Mike Awesome vs. Luis Astea. I had both arms in a sling, and they asked me if I wanted to ring-announce. I started ring announcing at age 14. “Gordon was one of those people who helped you. He gave me guidance. When I opened his book, ‘The Solie Chronicles,’ and saw my name was mentioned, that meant a lot to me. Gordon wanted to meet me because he knew I was a huge fan. He stretched out his hand and hugged me. “They (both) cared for the fans. Gordon helped me. I don’t know where I’d be without him. … I took a negative and turned it into positive.” (Rose also credits manager and friend Ron Niemi with his career success.)

Q: “Non-WWE and TNA Wrestling wrestling promotions can be tough work, yet very rewarding. Your thoughts?”

A: “I worked for ECW. I’ve worked for IPW Hardcore Wrestling, and FIP here in Florida. And Pro Wrestling Fusion. These wrestlers have to be able to travel out to the different shows and understand they are paying their dues. These fans see these superstars as superstars. They aren’t just learning their craft. “At the age of 16, traveling in a car with a couple of wrestlers and getting home at 5 a.m., my mom didn’t freak out. I still have to travel long distances in the middle of the night, not because I have to, but because I want to. Some of my best friends are in wrestling, so many people that I trust. “These guys are honing their craft more in these smaller promotions. They can work on their gimmicks, and maybe work in front of the crowd. It’s not going down a step. They can work on what they have. It takes going somewhere else to work on things. Take Eddie Guerrero. He left WWE and worked on his demons and changed his attitude and character and went on to become a world champion.”

Q: “You’ve been announcing for 22 years. What’s it mean to be ‘The Voice of Florida Wrestling.”

A: “I was tagged that by the family of Gordon Solie. When I’m told that, Solie was and still is ‘The Voice of Florida Wrestling.’ Fans come up to me and say you did a great job. Just to be able to perform 100 percent, I love what I do. When I stepped out in Pro Wrestling Fusion, like recently in Temple Terrace, I felt goose pimples — to get the feeling that the fans are so into the event, to watch these wrestlers start from what is their training ground. I’ve seen Rob Van Dam’s first match, Dustin Rhodes’ first match and some of MVP’s first matches.”

Q: “Any good stories from your NWA, ECW, IPW Hardcore Wrestling days?”

A: “I used to host a public access show at age 15. One of the superstars back then, Rocky Johnson, came up to me and said he wanted me to have his son, Dwayne (who later became ‘The Rock’), on the show. He (Dwayne) didn’t want to get into wrestling at the time. I told Rocky Johnson, sure we’ll have him on. I had him on for a few minutes. And he (Dwayne) became ‘The Rock.’ To say that I had ‘The Rock’ in one of his first live interviews is an accomplishment.”

Q: “You’ve done it all in wrestling – being a manager, wrestler, referee, running a wrestling hotline for the St. Petersburg Times, writing a weekly column for the Pro Wrestling Federation in Florida, opening several wrestling Web sites (prowrestlingdaily.com and sgtslaughter.com to name a few), hosting a WWE wrestling segment on MORETV32 and more. What did you enjoy the best, and why?”

A: “I’ve wrestled in a few gimmick matches, and won. I’ve done alot. There’s so many different things. I currently own a PR company and represent celebrities. I don’t know if there’s one thing. I did become friends with Road Warrior Hawk, and I remember having posters of ‘The Legion of Doom’ on my wall as a kid.”

Q: “Do you have any aspirations to one day work for TNA Wrestling or WWE? And/or have you had any discussions with them?”

A: “I have had tryouts and been looked at by everyone in the past but TNA (Wrestling), and if they call, of course, I would be interested. That is everyone’s goal in the wrestling business.”

Q: “Would you still recommend radio interning as a possible way to get into the wrestling business?”

A: “Sure. Many people multi-task nowadays. I was an intern coordinator. I always would make sure the interns would learn something. I had them produce the show, too. A majority, 80 percent of my interns, went on to major jobs in the industry.”

Q: “Your current clients for your PR company include Chris Markowski (’Watchdog on Wall Street’), Matt Riviera, Brian Blair (who is running for Florida State House District 47), Doreen Taylor, Amy Vitale and Matt Riviera (who have been featured in JAWBreaker), The Sheik, Pro Wrestling Fusion, Christopher Gray, Danny Bonaduce, Celebrity Boxing Federation, Scott Cummings (celebrity bodyguard), Antonio Thomas, Tony Varro, Rodney King and some martial artists. That’s quite an impressive list. “Your clients have appeared in Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Daily Variety, The Howard Stern Show, CNN, Fox News, TMZ and The Insider, to name a few. “How do you balance wrestling with your PR company, which has a slogan of ‘Your One Stop to Take You to the Top!’ ”?

A: “I have a great group of clients. That’s what ‘Eclectic’ is all about — it means everything and everyone. We do Web sites, PR. It’s not easy. I’m an actor, I do infomercials. It’s hard. I work 14-hour days. You have to love what you do. You’re not going to make a million dollars.”

Q: “Talk a little bit about your life outside of wrestling (acting, MMA announcing, commercials/movies).”

A: “I’m an assistant casting director in Clearwater. I’ve done various commercials all over the state of Florida. I’m married to Cindy. We have two dogs and two cats. I do the family thing. I also do an entertainment segment on the USA Radio Network. I do movie reviews and entertainment reviews and the talk about the latest in video games.”<

Q: “Explain to our readers your dealings with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which you have described as ‘a disorder of connective tissue involving collagen mutations.’ (Rose was named Ehlers-Danlos Network CARES National Spokesperson, something he’s ‘very proud’ of.) In addition to losing your voice for one year and dealing with paralyzed arms, you have had heart problems and a paralyzed left diaphragm since age 2.”

A: “Think of faulty glue, that holds your muscles together. My blood pressure wasn’t regulating.
“The worst test I’ve ever had with this condition was two years ago, when my intestines flipped over each other. They had to stick a tube down my throat. It was intense. “When I was at the Mayo Clinic, at about 12, they wanted to do an EMG. Part of it is where they shock you and the other part is where they stick pins that touch the nerves and have you move your arm. The pin hurts worse. This was the worst because they had to stick a pin down my spine. “My parents have been everything to me. They are my best friends. My dad started crying. I said, ‘Dad, don’t cry. I’m tough. This is not going to defeat me.’ I didn’t let it kill me.”Thanks for your time, Shannon.

Photo Credits: Top photo and announcing photos (with Shannon Rose pictured on the left in both photos) are courtesy of Shannon Rose.

For more on EDS, visit ehlersdanlosnetwork.org<
For more on Eclectic Media Productions, visit mediaproductions.tv
For more on PWF, visit prowrestlingfusion.com