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Writing Their Story In Dropkicks And Piledrivers

Infinity Pro

Among Bloomington, Indiana's many distinctions, the following may be the most unlikely: "the best kept secret in professional wrestling."

The Back Row Hecklers podcast made that claim about Infinity Pro, an independent wrestling league created by promoter and sometime wrestler Don Lechin.  Although still under the radar for all but the most devoted wrestling fans, Infinity Pro has been putting on shows in Bloomington since 2006.

Pro-wrestling exists somewhere in the space between sport and art form. "I used to say it was high-impact gymnastics; there's a lot of athleticism to it," explains Lechin. "Other people would say it's a testosterone-based soap opera.

I used to say it was high-impact gymnastics. Other people would say it's a testosterone-based soap opera.

"We do know who's gonna win, we do know who's gonna lose," Lechin concedes. "But what happens inside the ring itselfit hurts, it's real. Alone here in Bloomington, I've broken my nose, broken my foot, I've cracked two knuckles, cracked a rib, and fractured a tooth – and that's just here in Bloomington."

"It's the most unique type of performance art, I think," explains Jake Omen, a wrestler from Indianapolis, who has been competing with Infinity Pro for a few years. Decked out in baggy fringed shorts and gladiator shoes, Omen reflected on his art form before a recent match. "We have a lot of live interactions with the audience and they kind of change our performance. It's like an emotional tug-of-war."

The travails of this business are not only emotional, Lechin explains. "Every wrestler who goes home the next day is sore – and a lot of these guys – they've got six-hour drives after they leave here. So, they wrestleshow's done at 10 o'clock at nightthey hop in their cars, and they drive away."

It's the most unique type of performance art. It's like an emotional tug-of-war.

Omen is one of the rare wrestlers lucky enough to not have a day job. He ekes out a living through wrestling and hawking merchandise. "It's not a very comfortable living –  a starving artist living – I mean it just barely gets me by," he concedes.

Omen keeps wrestling, he explains, because it allows him to express himself in a unique way. While perfecting his athletic prowess, Omen is creating a character and telling a story.

"Jake Omen is a character that's kind of like a scumbag, kind of like a guy who lives on the streets," the wrestler explains. "Very starving artist, gypsy-type lifestyle. It's kind of like my character is the dark underside of life that a lot of people that don't want to realize is there," Omen ventures. "And most places I go I'm automatically the bad guy cause of that because a lot of people don't want to face that."

You can see the greatest movie on Earth, but never ever will a movie reach out and touch you.

But Bloomington seems to love this villain, observes Omen. "We portray people that remind them of their daily life. So say if someone's evil – what if someone's going after your significant other – you're gonna hate that guy, and you can yell at that guy – you can scream at that guy."

The interactiveness of this medium of entertainment is key for some fans. "You can see the greatest movie on Earth," explains aspiring wrestler Gregory Sharp, "but never ever will a movie reach out and touch you; which is what we're able to do in a pro-wrestling show – a live one anyway. We can change, we can look at you into the eyes, ask you for help, we can insult you, we can literally land on top of you."

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