Navy veteran Jesse Neal grew up a professional wrestling fan. While he was in the service, he would invite shipmates over to watch pay-per-views and talk about stepping into the ring himself one day.
“Then the bomb happened, and I got away from it,” said Neal, a survivor of the Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole.
Seventeen sailors died and nearly 40 crew members were injured in the suicide attack during a planned refueling stop in Aden, Yemen, according to the FBI.
Neal, whose roommate died in the attack, said that just as they were finishing up refueling, two men on a pilot boat approached the ship.
“They were even waving at some of our guys up on top deck … [then] just blew themselves up when got alongside [the Cole],” said Neal, who joined the Navy in 1998.
Once he returned to the United States, everything slowed down for Neal. Just 22 years old when he exited the Navy in 2002, he said he felt “like a ghost.”
But life circled back to professional wrestling after trying to become a firefighter and then working as a bouncer. He joined Team 3D Academy, the wrestling school run by WWE Hall of Famers Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley, in 2007.
“I was analyzing everything and in my own dark space,” Neal said. “The demons were in my head. Through working out, having a set goal, especially one that’s attainable but you just gotta work hard, I just concentrated on that.”
Now he’s joining forces with Veteran Pro Wrestling (VPW), a company initially founded in 2012 and making its return this month. VPW aims to use professional wrestling as a form of performance art therapy for service members, law enforcement and first responders.
“It’s not just a pro wrestling event; we’re trying to create it so it’s a safe and healthy experience for everyone,” said Christopher Annino, VPW co-founder and a former firefighter and EMT. “We want it to be a reason for people who have PTSD to get out and feel they’re welcome.”
Annino, who’s also a wrestler, said they decided to relaunch VPW because there’s “a need for heroes.” Angel Orsini, VPW owner and the granddaughter of World War II Bronze Star recipient, was also part of the reason for the comeback, he said.
“This federation is my tribute to my grandfather, a Pearl Harbor survivor and Bronze Star recipient, who taught me that honor, integrity, and equality are worth any sacrifice. We stand to celebrate every veteran and first responder whose courage protects strangers every day,” Orsini stated in a press release.
“It was designed to help people, that was the whole concept,” Annino said. “We see this as a necessity now.”
A review of research articles published between 2014 and 2022 found that “expressive therapies” are beneficial for veterans diagnosed with PTSD. A separate study from the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation journal had similar results.
But the flaw of a traditional theater program, according to Annino, is that not everyone likes theater.
“You’re a first responder or military veteran, you’re used to a certain level of intensity that you can never get rid of,” Annino said. “… I think this, because it’s a little bit more than your average acting thing, pro wrestling is perfectly designed for military veterans.”
A lot of military veterans who start wrestling excel because of the environment they’re used to, according to Annino.
“Pro wrestling is a combination of athletics and theatrics, and you have to be good at both otherwise you can’t be a pro wrestler; it’s very hard,” Annino said. “So for me, and the military veterans that I’ve met that have become a pro wrestler, they’re phenomenal because they’re already designed to do It.”
In Neal’s case, no matter how hurt he was, he showed up every day. He concentrated on shows, and the next workout.
“It helped me push so hard, I got signed so fast, [I was] training so hard, and I just went for it,” Neal said. “I didn’t hold anything back … the post traumatic stress stuff kind of pushed me because I was afraid to be in it.”
He wrestled on the independent scene for about a year and a half before Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) signed him. He was with the company from 2009 to 2011, and later took time off to focus on his family.
Wrestling, he said, has helped him in both good ways and bad. At the time, he said, he felt like he didn’t deserve to live or feel good.
“I would jump off of high things and do crazy stunts. Not that I don’t care … I just didn’t care about the pain,” he said.
Neal will wrestle for VPW and work as an agent. He said showing troops what he can do in the ring is a way to pass on his experience from both the wrestling business and the military.
VPW, according to Annino, has multiple purposes, including an acting program that former American Gladiator Deron McBee will oversee, a substance abuse program, and involving veterans through a color guard and a company podcast.
They also hope to bring free shows to military bases for the troops.
The USO-style concept VPW hopes to achieve — something Neal said he has always wanted to do — is a way to give back and show service members “there’s more outside of the military.”
“Don’t just get caught up in there … You can literally do anything you want to do,” Neal said. “Just stay the course.”
Shortly after getting signed to TNA, Neal wrestled in Norfolk, Va., where he had been stationed during his service. Some former shipmates attended the show, and Neal didn’t know they were there until he saw them in the crowd.
“Those three guys were there and everything just froze,” Neal said. “It was cool to see it pay off. We were all teared up and hugging and they were so proud of me.”
The VPW return show, September to Remember, will be held on Sept. 6 at:
VFW Post 10209
14736 Edward R. Noll Drive
Spring Hill, Fla.
For more information about VPW or to purchase tickets for the Sept. 6 event, visit their website.
