AFAM Steve started his wrestling career getting paid with two hotdogs
AFAMania is running wild in the Philippines
WRESTLING IN THE United States could be a dream come true for a lot of aspirants and hopefuls especially when looking at the broader picture of reaching the major spectacles of the big companies like the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
But before one could reach that stage, one needs to test the waters and make their name first in the indie scene, something that American wrestler AFAM Steve has been doing for decades.
It may seem like the indie scene could be the perfect way for aspirants to make their mark especially since there are a lot of wrestling academies now in the United States.
And while this could be a sign that there is a solid pro wrestling foundation in the United States, one should never be blinded by the bright lights of performing in front of a crowd.
"A lot of the promoters, they pay you two hotdogs and a handshake," revealed Steve in an exclusive with SPIN.ph. "You've spent hundreds of dollars in gas. This was during the time when the gas prices were going crazy in America."
Steve was 34 years of age during that period, married to his 2nd wife, with a step daughter. Initially they would travel around the US to see Steve wrestle, but the toll was simply too much for them.
"At first they came to the shows but all that long travel took a toll on them. They didn't want to travel three hours each way," he looked back.
This doesn't only apply in the indie scene as this also has been a struggle that even wrestlers in the WWE have faced. Stone Cold Steve Austin revealed in one episode of WWE Tough Enough that he was never the father figure that his daughters looked up to since he was constantly travelling in his entire career.
But that wasn't the only problem Steve had to endure in his career.
"I felt like in some promotions, I wasn't getting the same chance. It's funny because in every weekend, I work for a different promoter. Actually in some weekends, I work with two different promoters, a show on Friday and Saturday. In some of them, I'm the champion, I'm the top guy, in the others, I haven't won a match in five years," he said.
"So there's a lot of politics, good old boy networking as we call it."
Yet despite these lingering concerns, Steve still went on all because of his love for the scene.
The American Dream
Ever since he was a 10-year-old kid, Steve has always fallen in love with professional wrestling. He wanted to be a wrestler but given the limited resources back then, he didn't know where to begin.
"I have loved wrestling since I was 10-years-old, and I'm 57 now, and I've always dreamt of being a wrestler but this was before Facebook or AOL and nobody knew how to be a wrestler back in those days."
Time went by and Steve's life experienced a shift. As he grew older and entered the workplace, he became a highschool teacher.
But deep inside his dream remained.
"When I was at my 30s, I saw a commercial about a school in America, CZW, and I started training there. I had my first match on my 34th birthday and I won."
Steve may have started late in his career especially when comparing him to the current generation of wrestlers who have benefitted from the scene's growth. Nowadays there are a plethora of wrestling schools in the US.
But for Steve, the only thing that mattered was embracing his inner child.
"It's really a dream come true, I never expected to reach that level. I thought if I had one match and lost, I would be done. That would be enough for me. But the longer I did it, the more goals I got, I got to wrestle a lot of famous wrestlers."
"I won 10 championships over the years, things kept blossoming."
Six concussions
It may seem like his career is further going uphill, however the realities of wrestling would soon take a toll on Steve.
Throughout his career, Steve has been teaching, doing retail work, while entertaining the community inside the ring, but his body would slowly crumble.
A match he had in Pennsylvania would show a glimpse of the pain he had to endure.
"I had a broken wrist, a broken ankle, staples, and stitches from a match that I wasn't even in," started Steve.
"Two big elephant men were fighting unsanctioned and we were supposed to separate them, and one of them hit me at the back of my head with his elbow."
The elbow that targetted him was unintentional, however it caused him to bleed, but that wasn't the only complication that took place.
"We were in Pennsylvania, where it is illegal to bleed in a wrestling match. When some of the wrestlers saw me, they rushed me backstage because they knew the law. We didn't want the promoter to lose his license, it was an accidental contact."
As he went on with his career, Steve began developing other unwanted conditions. The constant banging of his body has led to him suffering from...not one, but a plethora of concussions.
"I have six diagnosed concussions, sometimes I forget, but we just went through it as if no one knew."
While saying this, Steve highlighted the term 'diagnosed' meaning that there could be more.
With his body reaching its breaking point, Steve wondered how long will he continue the course?
"I did a match where I drove by myself for three hours and I got a concussion and torn miniscus and I had to drive myself home for USD20.00."
"And I said why am I doing this?"
Thus Steve decided to forego his wrestling career and make that shift towards competitive fishing. As years went by, he realized that he needed to leave the United States.
Moving to China
"After teaching for 30 years in America, I could see the writing on the wall. They wanted to phase out the veteran teachers because we got paid too much, so they're looking for ways to fire us," reflected Steve.
Since Steve was aware of the situation, he already knew his next course of action. Instead of getting fired, he opted to retire on April, got his pension, and flew to China, where he began a new life as a teacher.
China was a breath of fresh air for Steve as he was openly welcomed in one of the cities he lived.
"The city I moved in was a very small city. The only person who spoke English was my principal. I lived in four cities in China and that was my favorite city because of the people, and none of them understood a word I was saying," recalled Steve.
"People gave me ice cream, they gave me coffee, they gave me beer."
And while he enjoyed the peaceful life in China, his love for wrestling soon haunted him. A promoter he once worked with was aware of his venture into China.
"I didn't have any plans on it. A promoter in the US told me, 'Did you know they do wrestling in China?' He gave me the name of the MKW promoter and he took a chance on a guy who is in his 50s, who hasn't wrestled for 10 years."
Wrestling in China
Finally Teacher Steve has come back...to wrestling, and while this could be the Royal Rumble surprise return in his career, Steve discovered how different his experience was in China.
He hasn't wrestled for years and by the time he went to the east, he was already at his 50s.
Age was already catching up to him as his body couldn't handle the intensity required to be in the ring.
"When I was in China, some of the younger wrestlers, on their late teens or early 20s are calling these spots where I have to do flips on the top rope and run at full speed."
"I'm like, 'No, no, no. I'm 53 years old, I'm not going to do that.' The object of the match is for both of us to look good as we can possibily can and if I can't keep up with you then we both look bad."
But age wasn't the only barrier that he had to contend with as Steve also has to contend with the lapses in communication.
"The language was a big difficulty as well. Most of my opponents were Chinese and spoke very limited English. I'll never forget I have this one guy who said, 'Look up."
"What do you mean? Then later I found out that he meant to say, 'Lock up."
Yet despite these mishaps, Steve managed to produce a very good storyline with one of his rivals, Wang Tao, where the former lived up to his character as the evil teacher.
Eventually the two of them had a fun classroom match, where both were required to use school related objects as weapons.
It may seem like Steve will remain in China, but as soon as he fell in love with a Filipina OFW, and the emergence of the pandemic, his life changed.
Moving to the Philippines
"I met a Filipina worker, an OFW in China and I was not enjoying the teaching in China. I loved every other part about China, but the school system, I didn't really enjoy because I was in a teaching union in America for 30 years," explained Steve.
"I spoke my mind and they didn't like that. So in each school I was only there for a year. Then when the lockdown came due to the pandemic, three months, no pay, and I said I have to get out of here."
Steve was determined to go to the Philippines, but by the time he made his decision, the pandemic reached its peak. His wife would constantly tell him how great the Philippines is.
He had to no choice but to hide in Cambodia, waiting for the restrictions to ease. His prayers were answered on February 1, 2022 and Steve immediately flew to the country on the 11th.
Now in the Philippines, Steve made another drastic shift. No longer was he teaching students, as he is now a fitness instructor across numerous platforms.
And just like in China, the wrestling in his veins remained. The World Underground Wrestling (WUW) Philippines opened their arms to him, and he was surprised with his experience.
Wrestling in the Philippines
"In China, the locker room is very young, they don't know protocol and etiquette. The other American and British wrestlers in China were like, 'That's the way it is in Asia," highlighted Steve.
"When I came here (Philippines), I reached out to promoters and tell them that I can teach them how to behave, the superstitions, the policies, and they were like, 'We know what we're doing here."
Steve didn't initially believe in them, but he was proven wrong.
"But when I got to WUW, I was proved completely wrong, they treated me with respect. My opponent was like, 'You're the vet, we do what you want."
His match against Ken Cifer was proof that the Philippines had a respectable wrestling culture. He was exhausted and his concussion has taken its effect, but Cifer managed to make Steve look good.
"I couldn't have done it without him. I was completely blown up, exhausted, I couldn't breath within the first 60 seconds of the match. He carried me through it, kept me on track," Steve recounted.
His arrival in the Philippines also saw the emergence of his new persona, AFAM Steve, a perfect gimmick for him given his background. In his eyes, everyone is his 'bestie.'
Uplifting the dream
It seems Steve has never stopped with his inner 10-year-old self, as despite his current limitations, he still prefers to light up the show.
Looking back, he discovered the strength he garnered to keep on going.
"I know this may sound cliche but it's the fans. I've always garnered a lot of support from the fans. When it comes to my abilities I would give myself a C-, but as far as my ability to connect with the fans, I'd give myself an A+. And I think that's paid off for me over the years."
Steve revealed that he has wrestled with some of the biggest names who have graced the WWE scene, from Nikolai Volkoff, King Kong Bundy, Jimmy Snuka, Billy Gunn, Goldust, Luke Gallows, and Tito Santana.
He may not have reached their heights, but that didn't really matter for Steve. Being able to connect with them and learn more about their lives made him more passionate about the industry.
He realized that these heroes in the ring, while treated like gods or celebrities, are also human beings.
"Jimmy Snuka was intimidating to me because he was my childhood hero, the other ones like Tito Santana, after he left WWE, he became a fulltime physical education teacher."
"So instead of discussing wrestling, he asked me about pensions and retirement, so that broke the ice a little bit," revealed Steve.
"Billy Gunn I picked him up at the airport in Philadelphia and drove him two hours and all we talked about is bull driving."
Perhaps he could learn more about the lives of our Filipino wrestlers, especially since most of them had broken an arm and a leg to be where they are right now.
And maybe we could see AFAMania running wild now that he has welcomed his new home. Steve just recently took a tour around the Philippines, enjoying Jollibee Chicken Joy, travelling to Baguio, and interacting with the locals.
His connection with the Philippines could motivate him to push his limits, which he once displayed back in China.
"There was one point, when the boss was like, 'Oh my god Steve, I booked you in every show. You're the only one.' I'm like I'm 55 years old and I did twelve matches in three days."
"I'm not one to complain when it comes to wrestling. I'd complain everywhere else in life, not wrestling."
Steve also wrote an autobiography about his career, which can be purchased on Amazon.com.
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