Black Widow
06-23-2008, 10:16 PM
Fans of Maryland Championship Wrestling have seen Patrick Brink wrestle at North Point Plaza in Dundalk on a number of occasions. In the near future, however, they very well could be watching him wrestle in their living rooms.
Brink announced at Friday’s Eastern Wrestling Alliance show in Parkville that he has signed a WWE developmental deal and will be heading to Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa. Once there, he will try to earn a spot on either Raw, Smackdown or ECW.
Brink, 27, an Atholton High School graduate who grew up in Laurel, has been wrestling for seven years, mostly in Maryland and other cities in the Northeast. In the early part of this year, Brink decided it was time to make a serious attempt at taking his career to the next level, so he headed down to Kissimmee, Fla., to enroll in the Team 3D Academy, where he trained under the tutelage of Brother Ray and Brother Devon.
Team 3D’s training center is not a destination for beginner looking to learn the ropes. It is designed for up-and-coming wrestlers such as Brink who wish to advance their current training. “The training that I got at Team 3D’s school was by far the best training I’ve ever gotten anywhere in seven years in the business,” Brink told me at Friday’s show. “Every little detail is worked on and perfected there.”
Three months into his training with one of TNA’s top tag teams, Brink got an opportunity to participate in a tryout for WWE.
“[Team 3D’s] loyalty is to TNA, but with their students, their loyalty is to their students,” said Brink, who is 6 feet 6 and a well-chiseled 280 pounds. “Brother Ray and Brother Devon have been around long enough that they know which company each student is better-suited for. It was their opinion that I would have a better opportunity trying out for WWE.”
Brink was sent to FCW for a five-day evaluation. “I was pretty much put through the ringer to see every single thing I could do, from a promo to what I had done in the ring,” he said. “I had the confidence that I needed to make it happen. There was not one person there that made me feel like they had something that I didn’t. I knew in my heart it would just be a matter of time.”
The next step for Brink is to hone his skills in FCW and convince WWE officials that he is ready for the big time. The average time for a wrestler to go from developmental to WWE is six months to a year, Brink said, adding that it takes less for some and longer for others, while some never make it at all.
“It’s competitive. There are 60 guys down there jockeying to get on TV,” he said. “You’ve just go to do whatever it takes to separate yourself. You have to find something about yourself that makes you stand out.”
On a personal note, I’m happy to see Brink get this opportunity, although I’m not surprised. A little over two years ago, Brink gave me a crash course in Bump-taking 101 to get me ready for an MCW show in which I took a bump from former WCW star Crowbar. From the first time I met him at our initial training session, I thought Brink had “it.”
I applaud him for his determination in pursuing his dream and for having the strength to persevere after the recent death of his 15-year-old sister. It’s always nice to see a local boy make good.
baltimoresun.com
Brink announced at Friday’s Eastern Wrestling Alliance show in Parkville that he has signed a WWE developmental deal and will be heading to Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa. Once there, he will try to earn a spot on either Raw, Smackdown or ECW.
Brink, 27, an Atholton High School graduate who grew up in Laurel, has been wrestling for seven years, mostly in Maryland and other cities in the Northeast. In the early part of this year, Brink decided it was time to make a serious attempt at taking his career to the next level, so he headed down to Kissimmee, Fla., to enroll in the Team 3D Academy, where he trained under the tutelage of Brother Ray and Brother Devon.
Team 3D’s training center is not a destination for beginner looking to learn the ropes. It is designed for up-and-coming wrestlers such as Brink who wish to advance their current training. “The training that I got at Team 3D’s school was by far the best training I’ve ever gotten anywhere in seven years in the business,” Brink told me at Friday’s show. “Every little detail is worked on and perfected there.”
Three months into his training with one of TNA’s top tag teams, Brink got an opportunity to participate in a tryout for WWE.
“[Team 3D’s] loyalty is to TNA, but with their students, their loyalty is to their students,” said Brink, who is 6 feet 6 and a well-chiseled 280 pounds. “Brother Ray and Brother Devon have been around long enough that they know which company each student is better-suited for. It was their opinion that I would have a better opportunity trying out for WWE.”
Brink was sent to FCW for a five-day evaluation. “I was pretty much put through the ringer to see every single thing I could do, from a promo to what I had done in the ring,” he said. “I had the confidence that I needed to make it happen. There was not one person there that made me feel like they had something that I didn’t. I knew in my heart it would just be a matter of time.”
The next step for Brink is to hone his skills in FCW and convince WWE officials that he is ready for the big time. The average time for a wrestler to go from developmental to WWE is six months to a year, Brink said, adding that it takes less for some and longer for others, while some never make it at all.
“It’s competitive. There are 60 guys down there jockeying to get on TV,” he said. “You’ve just go to do whatever it takes to separate yourself. You have to find something about yourself that makes you stand out.”
On a personal note, I’m happy to see Brink get this opportunity, although I’m not surprised. A little over two years ago, Brink gave me a crash course in Bump-taking 101 to get me ready for an MCW show in which I took a bump from former WCW star Crowbar. From the first time I met him at our initial training session, I thought Brink had “it.”
I applaud him for his determination in pursuing his dream and for having the strength to persevere after the recent death of his 15-year-old sister. It’s always nice to see a local boy make good.
baltimoresun.com