Pro wrestler Syther tackles tiny opponents for his day job
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In a classic battle of good versus evil, a professional wrestler by the name of Syther is about to take on the dreaded Southern Hangman.
This is the minor leagues of the professional wrestling world. Almost all these guys have day jobs in mostly manly-man professions, with the notable exception of this green angry bird.
When Syther’s not wrestling villains, he’s singing the days of the week.
Yes, in his kindergarten class in Fort Myers, Florida. Syther, aka Steve Damico, has been doing both jobs for about two years now.
Crisscross, pound them into applesauce -- what a contradiction.
“Yeah, the lives, they don’t mesh well together, at least they don’t seem like they do,” Steve said.
“There are similarities between the two, I think … I think that you have to have a dynamic personality for both. You come in the classroom, it’s a prepared performance,” he said.
And certainly, if you can feign injury, that helps too.
Steve got his degree in elementary education back in 2011. He applied to a dozen schools but no wanted him -- until he got a call from Three Oaks Elementary.
“I put the wresting on the resume and that’s what got me the job,” Steven said. “I mean, I don’t know if that put it over the top for them, I don’t know.”
Jody Moorhead is the school principal.
“I’ve been doing this a lot of years and I trust my instincts and I just saw something in [Steve] and I thought he would be great in our school. Just had such enthusiasm,” she said.
And that’s how the future of America became entrusted -- to this soon to be soprano.
Despite his writhing, Steve says he loves both jobs. But if forced to choose, he says he would have to pick the profession with fewest intimidating characters.
In other words, he’d pick wrestling.
“After the end of the match if anything goes wrong I don’t have to talk to the Southern Hangman’s parents afterwards,” he said.
Proof that teaching kindergarten definitely isn’t fake.
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