Fans of professional wrestling would think it easy to spot a star of the squared circle when they walk in the room. Look for the guy with the chiseled physique, standing nearly seven feet tall, and that’s probably him right. Olive Branch, Mississippi’s Marko Stunt, one of the top stars in the new All Elite Wrestling promotion, might beg to differ. In fact, he might be the last guy in the crowd you’d think was lighting it up every week in the ring.
“I didn’t get to be seven foot tall” said Stunt, who will be under the spotlight Wednesday night in Southaven, as AEW takes over the Landers Center for their weekly television show, AEW Dynamite. To say Stunt doesn’t look like the average pro wrestler would be an understatement. Checking in at 5’2”, Stunt looks more like a fan that one of the guys who’ll be in between the ropes.
Stunt got his start in pro wrestling at the age of 18, simply by asking a wrestler what he had to do to get into the business he had loved since his earliest memories. “I went to one of my first live shows, and I was like wow, this is incredible! I was 15 at the time, I asked a dude what’s it going to take to train. He asked how old I was, he thought I was 10.” From there, training led him to a match in New York City, where he caught the eye of Cody Rhodes, son of the legendary “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, and now top star and executive vice president of AEW.
“Marko Stunt IS pro-wrestling. He’s not defined by his size or stereotypes regarding the squared circle” said Rhodes, a second generation superstar who has been around the business since he was a child. “Marko has a huge talent in the ring, and it makes me happy we contracted him so early in his career because fans can watch him grow up on AEW. The trio of Jurassic Express has something for all fans…the muscle bound and athletic Luchasauras, the young leading man “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry, and the Memphis underdog Marko Stunt.”
Wednesday will see Stunt wrestle in his hometown as AEW makes its first appearance in the Magnolia State. He’ll team up with the other members of the Jurassic Express. They’ll take the trio of the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy in a match that will bring together six of the most popular personalities on the show. Stunt couldn’t hide his enthusiasm about putting on a show in his hometown. “The fact that it’s happening now is almost surreal, it’s going to be a very big night for me, it’s going to be my homecoming.”
#AEWDynamite Greater Memphis Area
THIS Wednesday, January 8th, 2019@LandersCenter – Southaven, MS@trentylocks, @SexyChuckieT & @orangecassidy vs @boy_myth_legend, @realmarkostunt and @luchasaurusGet your tickets now at https://t.co/UN1cNiJJrQ or watch at 8/7c on @tntdrama pic.twitter.com/eCbL9hkO7r
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 6, 2020
AEW Dynamite kicks off from the Landers Center Wednesday night, with the first matches taking place at 6:30, and the show going live on TNT at 7 PM. All of the top stars are booked to make appearances, including Rhodes and his older brother Dustin, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Kenny Omega. Standing alongside those names that are among the biggest in the business today will be Marko Stunt, a journey even has trouble believing sometimes. “I still haven’t figured out how I got here, it’s been an absolutely wild ride.”
