• Andreas HaleJan 30, 2025, 07:44 AM ET

NEW YORK — English language arts teacher Victor Taylor Perry fired up the projector and dimmed the lights. The classroom transformed into an arena.

On a frigid December afternoon at KIPP AMP Middle School, 41 boys and 33 girls gathered their lunches and sat on the classroom floor in front of a large projection screen.

“This is awesome!” students shouted at the top of their lungs, voices echoing down the school halls.

“Melo don’t miss!” half of the students called out. In response, the other half retorted “Ri-co-chet!” to drown out the opposing chants.

The Wrestling Club was engrossed by a 2022 WWE NXT pro wrestling match between Carmelo Hayes and Ricochet.

These daily lunchtime gatherings aren’t just about body slams and three-counts. The club has become a burgeoning community at the predominantly Black school in Brooklyn for ELA students interested in professional wrestling to gather, grow and broaden their horizons as they transition from childhood to adolescence. Perry calls pro wrestling his version of a soap opera. He has found ways to connect with his students through this form of athletic theater, an ongoing series of storylines and characters that appeal to the various emotions of the viewer.

When the match concluded with Hayes emerging victorious, the students offered a rousing ovation before Perry raised the lights and grabbed his students’ attention with two loud claps.

The arena turned back into a classroom.

“What was the story of the match?” Perry asked as several overeager hands thrust into the air. That prompt launched the students into a lively discussion about the match’s protagonist, antagonist, inciting action, conflict and what they had just witnessed inside the squared circle: resolution.

“It’s a cheat skill that I have as a teacher,” Perry told ESPN. “You give them something they are interested in and get them hooked so they can learn from it. Being an ELA teacher, I have to teach kids how to look at characters and conflicts. How does one respond to a conflict and what lessons did they learn? What theme can you apply to your life about the wrestler’s response to a conflict? That’s what we teach here at KIPP.”

KIPP — Knowledge Is Power Program — is a network of 278 open-enrollment college-preparatory public charter schools located in low-income communities.

Perry’s students are getting their proverbial medicine of language arts hidden in the pro wrestling applesauce.

Rather than just use the literary work of acclaimed young adult authors such as Suzanne Collins and Sharon M. Draper to build essential skills in problem-solving, analysis and critical thinking, Perry also opts for the in-ring work of Will Ospreay and Bianca Belair to teach students in The Wrestling Club about the art of storytelling.

“On Saturday and Sunday, I spend about two to four hours finding and watching matches because I have to make sure what I’m watching is appropriate and it has a story that I think the kids will understand,” Perry, 31, said about the curriculum for his daily one-hour club meetings.

“I’m spending hours every weekend scouring the internet. It’s not just WWE and AEW, it’s everything from Mexico to the United Kingdom to Australia and Japan. When I come in on Monday, I already know what questions I will ask because I want them to be able to pick up on what the match is trying to teach them rather than just enjoying and cheering. I want them to learn while having fun.”

After a lively discussion, Perry rewarded his students with a surprise. WWE performer Big E, who had visited the class last February, was calling in via FaceTime. The classroom reacted in jubilation as one-third of one of the most popular and decorated teams in WWE history, The New Day, checked in to see how the club members were doing in their studies.

“It has brought me so much joy to watch a room full of Black and brown kids get together regularly to watch and celebrate pro wrestling,” Big E told ESPN. “Getting to see it from afar was one thing, but getting the opportunity to be amongst Mr. Perry’s students moved me in ways I didn’t anticipate. The Wrestling Club has really inspired me.”

The only requirement for joining the club is students must complete their schoolwork assignments and attend tutoring if they are struggling in a particular subject. What started with four kids increased to 10 by March 2022. By the start of the following school year, it was up to 20. TWC is now closing in on 75 members.

While many of the students were fans of pro wrestling before the club came to be, some members became fans because of it.

“One day I was walking down the hall and I heard kids talking in The Wrestling Club and I actually thought they were fighting each other,” said seventh grade student Layla of her first encounter with TWC. Layla, 12, was not a fan of pro wrestling, but the excitement from her peers was too enthusiastic for her to ignore. She decided to sign up, and now she is one of the more outspoken members.

Although Perry’s approach to teaching ELA might seem unorthodox, the infusion of professional wrestling into his teachings has yielded significant results for his students, who he says have demonstrated sizable improvements in behavior, writing and public speaking.

“Our kids are learning so many different skills in The Wrestling Club,” KIPP AMP principal Omari Wiltshire told ESPN. “They have become better writers, better performers, better orators and so many different things that they can expand on from this.

“Mr. Perry teaches the kids of The Wrestling Club how to take ownership, be leaders and become self-advocates. The kids who were not as vocal at the beginning of middle school are now ready for high school and to take on the world.”

THE FIRST PRO wrestler to seek out TWC was current AEW wrestler Mercedes Moné, who at the time was with the WWE and known as Sasha Banks. After a video of TWC watching her Hell in a Cell match with storyline rival Bayley went viral, Moné surprised the students with an in-person appearance on May 6, 2022.

“It was so special,” Moné told ESPN about visiting the club. “I remember being in awe of the reception. To see their faces light up was amazing. Wrestling is so different from everything else in the world, and I think to connect with children, especially young Black women, and to know I am one of the people that inspire them is the best feeling in the world.”

What Moné said surprised her the most about TWC is how pro wrestling was used as a tool for education, something she would have never considered. “The psychology of wrestling can teach not only young people, but people around the world, how to be themselves and how to be larger than life,” she said. “I definitely think wrestling is a good place to learn how to do public speaking and find your voice, find a character inside you, find your superhero to be part of this universe. I wish there was a wrestling club when I was 10 years old.”

When Moné was that age, she watched hours and hours of wrestling at home — alone. “I wish I had peers growing up to do that with,” she said. “What Mr. Perry has created is incredible.”

Since Moné’s visit, WWE performers Big E, Titus O’Neal and Cedric Alexander as well as AEW performers Swerve Strickland, Keith Lee, Willow Nightingale and former tag team champions Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen, known as Private Party, have visited the club.

“It hits different for us, not only because they look like us and they love wrestling but because the school is literally up the block from where I used to live,” Kassidy told ESPN of his emotional visit with the students. “It was something we went out of our way to experience and I thought I could overcome the emotions that I felt coming home. I’m used to performing in front of thousands of fans but this was different. They needed to feel our energy and let them see that this is living proof that anything is possible.”

Both Kassidy and Quen were born and raised in Brooklyn and grew up with dreams of being pro wrestlers when their friends wanted to play other sports. To come back home as champions to a room of students that were a reflection of their younger selves was, as Quen explained, “like bringing Olympic gold home to your family and everyone is proudly waiting for you.”

TWC has proved to be just as therapeutic for wrestlers who visit as it is for the students. Quen, in particular, says he remembers feeling like a social outcast because of his love for professional wrestling.

“I remember when I was in third grade I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and I was too ashamed to say I wanted to be a wrestler and I ended up saying that I wanted to be a doctor instead,” Quen said. “I remember slamming my pencil on the table after I said that. But now I am happy that change is happening and that liking or even wanting to become a wrestler isn’t looked at as weird anymore.”

No wrestler has had more of an impact on the middle schoolers than current Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, son of professional wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes credits his sister, Teil, for bringing TWC to his attention in 2022.

Teil, who helms the Dusty Rhodes Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to “support youth athletics in disadvantaged and underserved communities,” sent TWC snacks for the students to enjoy during their sessions. Along with the snacks, Teil provided a video message from her brother. In return, the students sent Cody a custom hoodie and were stunned when they saw the wrestler wearing their hoodie in a video taken backstage after Rhodes lost to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 in 2023.

“The kids were disappointed that Cody lost at WrestleMania but to see him wear that, our hoodie, gave them hope,” Perry said of the moment. “Like wow, in his lowest moment of his career, he’s thinking about TWC.”

Rhodes’ decision to wear the hoodie at that moment wasn’t by accident. “Nothing felt more apt to wear on my long walk backstage after losing because that club is filled with optimism,” he told ESPN. “On what would be one of my worst moments as a pro wrestler, it was really nice to put something on that was bathed in positivity.”

But Cody wanted to do more. He hasn’t had a chance to visit KIPP AMP yet, but in 2024, he helped bring the students to WrestleMania, the WWE’s biggest event of the year, by providing hotel rooms and tickets in Philadelphia. It would be the first time some of the students had left Brooklyn.

“I always ask myself if there is something I can do with this modicum of fame that the industry has gotten me that would be good for others. And helping send The Wrestling Club to their first WrestleMania was just a complete no-brainer,” Rhodes said. “How cool would it be if one of those kids became a referee, a commentator or, gosh, a wrestler in the main event of WrestleMania because of that moment?”

ENTERING ITS FOURTH year, TWC has come a long way from its humble beginnings to the viral sensation it has become, complete with over 16,000 followers on Instagram, merchandise and pro wrestlers eager to visit the students.

The Wrestling Club started in early 2021 as the shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic were nearing their end. Perry had rekindled his childhood love of pro wrestling during the lockdown, and it occurred to him that his students might be able to learn from the storylines — and even relate to them.

Perry came to recognize that the pro wrestling of today was different from the product he knew as a kid. He stopped watching in 2010 because of the industry’s lack of representation, specifically women and Black wrestlers.

“That was the time that it kind of died off a little bit for me,” Wiltshire said. Like Perry, his interest in pro wrestling had waned, in part because he did not see himself in the product. “Kids in minority communities didn’t have folks they identified with as much in wrestling anymore.”

But by the late 2010s, the industry began to see a shift. Women’s wrestling had a drastic increase in popularity, and there was an influx of Black talent. All Elite Wrestling emerged in 2019, offering the first true competitor to WWE in two decades. Competition drove innovation and forced WWE to broaden its offerings to build an audience.

The emergence of women and Black talent such as The New Day, with Kofi Kingston being the first African-born wrestler to win the WWE Championship in 2019, brought Black fans back to pro wrestling.

“To see representation in pro wrestling, which was such a hot topic in the world of sports, but especially in wrestling, really brought me back in as a fan,” Perry said.

With classes taking place on Zoom, Perry needed to find a way to hold the interest of his students. During class breaks, he started mentioning what was happening in pro wrestling matches he had watched and, to his surprise, found that his students were eager to engage in spirited conversations with him on storylines and results.

“The Wrestling Club was not planned,” Perry said. “Every now and then during class, I’d sprinkle in something about [WWE performers] Bianca Belair or Roman Reigns, and the kids would pick up on it. But it wasn’t much of anything.”

The idea became fully formed in November 2021 when Perry and a student won tickets to Monday Night Raw at the UBS Arena in nearby Elmont and a meet-and-greet with Belair. The following day, the student boasted to his peers about the experience and Perry was flooded with inquiries by his class as to why he hadn’t taken them to the event.

“I asked the kids if they would like to watch some wrestling matches with me during lunch and recess,” Perry recalled.

Representation has been a key part of the group’s growth as the students can see wrestlers that look like them on television, making the idea of pro wrestling a reality in their world. Black fans have long been the unsung backbone of professional wrestling’s popularity.

A December 2023 study by Wrestlenomics showed that Black people — an estimated 14% of the national population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022 — accounted for roughly one-quarter of WWE’s audiences for weekly TV shows Raw, Smackdown and NXT, even though only 12% of the roster featured Black talent at the time.

“Seeing someone in wrestling that they look up to who looks like them has really emboldened the students,” said eighth grade level dean and math teacher Mariah Isamah. Isamah has only been at KIPP AMP for six months, but in her 12 years as an educator, she has never seen anything like The Wrestling Club and how it has impacted students.

“I love that the students can actually see themselves with what it is they may want to do and that there’s a path for them to do it,” she said.

FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD Jonah is one of the longest-tenured members of TWC. The eighth grader, in his third and final year with TWC (students graduate when they enter high school), has demonstrated significant improvement as a student. He’s the club’s Total Victory champion and carries a replica world title belt with the initials “TWC” in the center.

“The Total Victory champion serves as an incentive and reward for student engagement in my English class,” Perry said. “Any student can earn the title by actively participating in discussions, completing assignments or practicing skills such as analyzing point of view or identifying conflict. It is our highest honor.”

Before Jonah joined TWC, Perry said he viewed him as a student with behavior issues and difficulty focusing on his studies. Now, Jonah is one of Perry’s top students with an extraordinarily bright future ahead of him.

“The Wrestling Club changed my life,” Jonah told ESPN. “I used to be a rough kid that didn’t listen and wasn’t respectful to others. But when I joined the club, Mr. Perry believed in me. He would take time out to make sure I stayed out of trouble. That changed my life because it made me listen before I spoke and turned me into the young man I am today.”

Jonah is a student with a magnetic personality. His ability to “cut a promo” — the act of delivering a speech to promote a wrestling match — is unparalleled among the students. The championship belt is something Jonah carries with pride, a symbol of how far he has come during his time in TWC.

“Jonah has earned this distinction through his dedication to developing his character, ‘JW,’ and his leadership in guiding peers in creative writing, public speaking and character development,” Perry said. “His consistent commitment to the club, assignments and attendance has made him a true leader.

“TWC has given Jonah a platform for self-expression and leadership, allowing him to tutor peers, chaperone trips and mentor younger students,” Perry continued. “His growth, both as a student and a leader, has been remarkable and his passion for wrestling continues to thrive.”

Jonah is one of the students interested in becoming a professional wrestler. Perry has been steadfast in assisting his pupil with realizing his dream of one day sharing a wrestling ring with his favorite wrestler, TNA’s Nic Nemeth.

“I always talk to Mr. Perry about getting into wrestling schools,” he said. “I’ve talked to my mom and dad about it several times and they’re all very supportive. They just tell me to keep my grades up in school and keep my attitude together.”

Not every member of TWC has aspirations to become a professional wrestler.

When Imani arrived at KIPP AMP two years ago as a sixth grader, she had no interest in pro wrestling. But Perry noticed that she was an avid writer, enamored with the art of storytelling. He suggested she come to a TWC meeting during lunch, and soon she was introduced to her teacher’s version of a soap opera.

“Imani looks at pro wrestling more for the storylines behind it than the actual wrestling inside the ring,” her mother, Kristine, told ESPN. “What builds to these stories is what intrigues her and that has helped her with her creative writing.”

In less than two years, Imani has become a wrestling fan and TWC has changed her life by tapping into her creative side.

“[TWC] helped her improve as a writer,” Kristine continued. “She has become more passionate with her writing, uses more adjectives and is developing as a storyteller. She also realized that you don’t have to be a wrestler. You can work behind the scenes as a writer or a producer. A world of opportunities has opened up to her.”

An unexpected bonus for Kristine was seeing the social blossoming of her daughter, who had had difficulty making friends before joining TWC.

“Beyond building storylines, TWC has helped with her peer development and relationship building,” Kristine said. “Pro wrestling is now about female empowerment, which didn’t exist when I grew up watching wrestling. It’s not just the boys in the wrestling clubs, it’s boys and girls alike, just sitting down together and discussing wrestling, which is cool.”

Perry says he is proud of Imani leaping into the unknown and flourishing in a new environment.

“Imani’s choice to step out of her comfort zone has taught her the power of exploration,” Perry said. “Her growth has also been fueled by seeing other students and wrestlers such as Mercedes [Moné], Bianca [Belair], Naomi, Willow [Nightingale] and Jade [Cargill], who embody confidence and leadership. These role models have inspired Imani to embrace her own potential.”

TWC hasn’t helped only students, it has also had a profound effect on faculty.

Self-described “closeted wrestling fan” Katia Booker has been an educator for over 10 years and teaches eighth grade algebra at KIPP AMP. Booker kept her fandom to herself until TWC offered her a new way to connect with her students.

“Back in 2000, I was a huge wrestling fan but that was something we could not say to our friends,” she told ESPN. “Me and a select few friends would watch it, and it would just be us. That was our secret.”

While on maternity leave during the pandemic, she was made aware of Perry’s interest in creating a wrestling club at the middle school. Booker didn’t hesitate to lend a hand and has been a huge part of the club. She can be spotted chaperoning students to events and is heavily involved in the day to day of TWC.

Booker has even found a connective tissue between pro wrestling and algebra by tying the math to wrestling-related items such as ticket and merchandise sales. She has found that it sparked her students’ interests with something they can relate to and has assisted with problem-solving.

“Once they saw that I liked wrestling and was part of TWC,” Booker said, “our relationships started changing inside the classroom because now we have a common interest.”

THE BLACK SUV pulled up to KIPP AMP just as recess was beginning.

WWE performers Drew McIntyre and Sheamus were making a surprise appearance at The Wrestling Club. They were met by faculty and quickly sneaked into the principal’s office as the unwitting TWC students were rushing through the halls for their end-of-the-week group meeting.

As the wrestlers were brought to the club’s room, a few teachers were starstruck as the larger-than-life men passed.

“I’m not sure what to expect,” Sheamus said as they got closer and the sounds of kids chanting while watching a Roman Reigns match grew louder.

“They are chanting for Roman,” McIntyre said. “He takes six months off and now he’s a good guy?”

Although McIntyre portrays a bad guy on television, he understands the fine line he has to tread with the students. While some will be pleased with his presence, others, like Layla, will want nothing to do with the Scottish wrestler.

Layla’s favorite wrestler is former WWE champion Seth Rollins and the wrestler she dislikes the most is the man who defeated Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XL in April, McIntyre.

“I feel like if you win something and then you get to challenge somebody for their championship, you don’t have to be mean to them all of a sudden,” Layla said of the storyline conflict involving Rollins and McIntyre. “He didn’t even do anything to him and then [McIntyre] just started being mean. And then [Rollins] is sad because he lost his title, which I find is not very nice.”

The day before, blissfully unaware of the special guests visiting the class, Layla proudly spouted about the 6-foot-5 wrestler: “If I ever met Drew McIntyre, I’d tell him, ‘I don’t like you.’ I don’t like him at all.”

As McIntyre was brought to the club’s room, a teacher told him about Layla’s distaste for him. McIntyre responded by saying he planned on winning her over before he left.

Sheamus pulled the double doors open and the wrestlers burst into the room. The room filled with jubilation … except for Layla. She was not having any of it and was wearing a combination of confusion, surprise and disgust all over her face.

After the initial shock of the surprise wore off, Sheamus and McIntyre engaged in a Q&A with the students, answering everything from what their dream match would be to what they did before they became pro wrestlers. Sheamus’ time as an IT technician paled compared to McIntyre earning a master’s degree in criminology from Glasgow Caledonian University.

Jonah presented Sheamus and McIntyre with TWC sweaters and both immediately put them on, to the adoration of the club. In return, the wrestlers gifted the class with WWE beanies to shield them from the brisk conditions outside. Then McIntyre turned to Layla.

“I heard you were talking trash about me,” he said to her.

The 12-year-old held her ground, responding with not a smile in sight, “I don’t like you.”

After some playful banter, the two finally shook hands and buried the hatchet on their feud. It was a heartwarming moment when real life and fiction came together. Although they reside in different worlds, Layla and McIntyre do share a love of professional wrestling.

“This is why we do what we do,” Sheamus said later as he relaxed in the school’s library, reflecting on the experience. “That was real. They are really passionate and that’s so refreshing for us to see. This experience made all of the bumps and bruises we take on a daily basis worth it. It reminds us that this isn’t a job.”

TWC celebrated its third anniversary in November and experienced its first graduating class last year. The club’s rapid growth has left Perry thinking about an even bigger future.

“I want The Wrestling Club to be in other schools,” he said. “I had a college kid in Long Island start one with his friends and teachers at other KIPP schools in California say that they want to start a wrestling club and they’re asking me how to start one.”

Perry recognizes the far-reaching impact of TWC on students. “I want them to go into the world,” he said, “and inspire others to follow the things that they believe in.”

As the students excitedly returned to their respective classes and the wrestlers exited the school, Perry retreated to the library to prepare for his next ELA class. On his way there, teachers and students delivered high-fives for another moment that his students would never forget. Professional wrestlers visiting his class might have become more common for TWC, but the novelty never wears off.

“I think [my students meeting their favorite wrestlers] really makes the world smaller,” Perry said. “I know as a kid it can seem overwhelming that the world is so big and that you’ll never be able to be in the same spaces as those that you look up to. But I think by bringing wrestlers to our classroom so that they can exist in the same world for a few minutes makes it a lot smaller. It allows them to really dream big.

“The greatest lesson that The Wrestling Club teaches is that life is not as big as it seems when you really believe in the things that you love.”