Former WWE star Enzo Amore to wrestle today at Pajama Factory

A college journalism major, Eric Arndt has authored quite a remarkable story.

A football player at Salisbury University soon became the professional wrestler known as Enzo Amore . Despite never wrestling a match prior to his signing in 2011, Amore quickly burst onto the WWE scene, became a superstar and eventually captured the Cruiserweight championship.

Since exiting the WWE in 2018 following a meteoric rise, Amore has wrestled the Independent circuits and will be performing with Ricky Pryce in a tag match against Sugar Dan and Joey Martinez Saturday at Williamsport’s Pajama Factory as 5Star Wrestling presents its Summer Bash. The book continues there and Amore is now at the part where he enjoys giving back; helping others try and live the dream which he already has.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to help someone live their dream. That’s what this second journey is about … going around the world to try and help them live their dream,” Amore, also known as Real1, said. “I’m more than happy to give back. That’s what this business is built on. We tell a story and bring the people along with them for the ride. It’s a form of entertainment that’s one of a kind.”

Amore fell in love with that entertainment as a child, growing up in Waldwick, New Jersey. A well-rounded athlete, Amore played multiple sports and especially shined on the football field. Ironically, it was there where Amore earned his first wrestling break in a round-about way.

Former high school teammate Joe Harasymiak, now the Rutgers defensive coordinator, tried bringing Amore to Springfield. WWE legend John Cena was in the middle of his big run in the company and had played football at Springfield.

Amore ended up playing at Salisbury from 2007-09 but met Cena his freshman year and the wheels started spinning. Following college, Amore was working with strength and training Joe DeFranco who also was training WWE Hall of Famer and current CEO Triple H.

Although he had no formal training, Amore cut a promo which went viral for all the positive reasons. Triple H liked what he saw, offered Amore a tryout and he was nearly instantly signed.

“It was an incredible experience,” Amore said. “I was sent to Florida Championship wrestling run by Dusty Rhodes and tried out under Dr. Tom Pritchard and I learned that you only get to where you want to because you deserve to be there. The only way I could catch up to my peers was to put in more time than anyone else and that’s what I did.

“I was the first one to show up and the last one to leave and that goes a long way in the eyes of the people making the decisions.”

Amore was part of a strong recruiting class, the first signed by Triple H in his current role, which included multiple-time women’s champion Charlotte Flair, Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley. Former WCW star Norman Smiley helped teach Amore all the wrestling intricacies and Rhodes offered constant encouragement.

Those two played major impacts and then Cena returned to help give Amore his biggest break yet. Cena, then the WWE champion, attended an NXT (the WWE training ground) event for the first time and chose Amore to join him in the ring.

Amore was given the mic and ran with it, cutting a promo which brought the fans to their feet. Having Cena choose him among all the other wrestlers gave Amore instant credibility before he ever wrestled at match at NXT and he was off and running.

Over the next six years, it would feel like he never stopped running either.

“I live a life and leisure and I really owe it to four people. Norman Smiley worked with me and showed me everything. Dusty Rhodes believed in me and was a key component in getting me on the microphone,” Amore said. “Triple H signed me, Norman worked with me, Dusty believed me and John Cena saw me. It was all those things coming together.”

Amore formed a tag team with Big Cass (Bill Morrissey) who he first met at 15 when they played basketball together. They rose through the NXT ranks and made their WWE debuts in 2016, the night after Wrestlemania 32. They quickly became perennial contenders for the world title before Cass turned heel and Amore started his singles career. Amore possessed the gift of gab and electrified fans with his work on the microphone, but he also took to wrestling like a fish in water and earned impressive reviews for his in-ring work.

Put it all together and Amore was appearing on every Monday Night Raw episode and earned the Cruiserweight belt when he defeated Neville in the fall of 2017.

Because that belt held a stipulation that the champion must appear on RAW and Smackdown (the company’s other major weekly show), Amore was literally constantly on the go. He rarely had a day off with him putting in his pre-RAW work, then working the show, hitting the road and beginning his pre-Smackdown work before that Friday’s show. Amore was the last of WWE’s Ironmen, ones who worked both shows every week.

He was living the dream, but Amore also was burning out. When he was let go in early 2018, Amore did not necessarily view it as a negative. Physically and mentally beat down, Amore took some time off before starting his work on the independent circuit a year later.

“I had lived my dream in ways I never imagined. Of course, you believe in yourself, but I never thought I’d win titles and wrestle at Wrestlemania. It’s so hard when you’re in it, to realize you’re living the dream.” Amore said. “You’re running hot, running full speed and burning the candle at both ends. When I got let go, I was over it. I was a little gassed out from pro wrestling.”

Following some downtime, however, Amore revved back up and has not stopped since. He has traveled around the world, speaking at seminars and doing all he can to help aspiring wrestlers reach the heights he did.

Amore is living the good life, meeting new people, seeing places he only once dreamed about and wrestling on his terms. The best part for him, and what he is especially excited about in Williamsport, is interacting with his fans. They are the ones who keep him going strong day after day; year after year.

“I’m very grateful and have loved meeting fans,” Amore said. “I try to be really good to my fans and love to be good to my fans to this day because those people pay my bills and I could never repay them because they are the reason I live the life I do. Wrestling is my life and it’s my livelihood and is what keeps me going

A former journalist, Amore continues writing his story. The first few chapters have been page turners but the rest remains unwritten. That is what Amore is looking forward to now.

His dream continues and Amore is excited about being the master of his destiny. As riveting as the first ones have been, his favorite chapter right now is the next one. That may be the best one yet.

“We saw a chapter in my career and in my life and I have such a great opportunity ahead of me in pro wrestling to detail this book and write my next chapter as I see fit,” Amore said. “We’re in the middle right now and there will be another chapter after this and I can’t wait to see where it goes.”

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