*** Article in The Daily Athenaeum ***
Monday Feb 07, 2005
Man realizes dream to wrestle
By Chris Huntemann
Staff Writer

For Christopher-Joseph Summers, the dream to become a professional wrestler began when he was a child, watching the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Kerry Von Erich and Ric Flair with his father and grandfather.

"Being a pro wrestler is something I always wanted to do," Summers said. "I knew I wanted to be a part of pro wrestling."

After graduating from South Amboy High School in Edison, N.J., Summers took a year off before he started training to become a professional wrestler. He received training from wrestling legends "Iron" Mike Sharpe and Dory Funk Jr., and now wrestles for different independent wrestling organizations across the United States and the world. Summers wrestles under the nickname "The American Rockstar" CJ Summers.

Summers will be making an appearance at a show in Clarksburg on Feb. 25 for the organization Impact Championship Wrestling, before going on an overseas tour of Ireland in March, his third such tour.

Summers realizes the stigma that is attached to professional wrestling - that it is "fake" and that people who wrestle do not actually get hurt - but he is quick to dispel some of those myths.

"It's a lot more real than people think," Summers said. "It's very physically demanding and guys wrestle (while) hurt all the time. I've wrestled with concussions and back and knee injuries."

Summers' ultimate goal in professional wrestlin g is to work for World Wrestling Entertainment, the most recognizable company in the professional wrestling business, responsible for such wrestling legends as Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin. If Summers can't make it there he would like to work for Total Nonstop Action, an organization that is a subsidiary of the National Wrestling Alliance, a company that has been around for over 50 years. No matter where Summers ends up, he is certain of his future in professional wrestling. "It is definitely what I want to do," Summers said.