The career of Eamon Paton

"Something about the soap opera-style nature of that build, bloody parking lot assaults included, really captivated my attention."

A youngster was flipping through the channels on a carefree Monday night in the summer of 2002 when he stumbled upon Spike TV, the predecessor to The Paramount Network, and found an episode of Raw. The flagship show of World Wrestling Entertainment featured the dramatic build up to Shawn Micheals' return to the ring after a four-year hiatus from in-ring competition following what was thought to be a career-ending back injury. Micheals, a former headliner for the newly-renamed WWE, was set to step back inside the square circle against his former best friend, Triple H, who savagely attacked him.

The showdown was scheduled for that year's Summer Slam, which many consider a pivotal event, as it was seen as the unofficial kickoff of the "Ruthless Aggression" era that shaped the direction of the organization in the years that followed. A former NCAA heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, beat The Rock to claim The Undisputed championship. Rey Mysterio, an electric luchador that would go on to forge an incredible legacy made his WWE pay-per-view debut against Kurt Angle in a stellar match. Plus, Shawn Micheals, one of the best in-ring workers of all-time, was back into the fold.

The saga and the perceived magnitude of the event had a profound impact on nine-year-old Eamon Paton and eventually shaped the direction of his life.

"I was hooked since that point and it became a real bonding point between myself and my father. He nurtured it by taking me to house shows and TV tapings. It was such a consistent part of my media diet that it was hard to focus my attentions on anything else," Eamon explained.

Eamon spent the rest of his childhood nearly obsessed with the action inside the ring ropes, but it wasn't until the Corpus Christi native moved to San Antonio to pursue higher education at The University of Texas at San Antonio that he was exposed to independent wrestling, which opened the door for him to make his own journey into the industry after he befriended Justin Bissonnette, a longtime veteran of the Texas indy scene.

"After a few months attending shows, I got to know Biss. He was the lead commentator for Anarchy Championship Wrestling in Austin and also did backstage work for them as well. They were one of the few Texas promotions getting big mainstream attention outside of the state and bringing independent talents from all over. I interviewed Biss for the podcast I was a part of, the Wrestling Mayhem Show, and we struck up a solid friendship," Paton said.

Between diligently taking notes in class on Friday mornings and studying for exams the following week on Sunday nights, Eamon spent the bulk of his weekends during his college years zigzagging around the state to attend as many events as he could. It was on a car ride to Houston with Bissonnette one weekend that Paton was told of plans to launch Inspire Pro Wrestling, a group that will celebrate its tenth anniversary in just a few weeks, with Max Meehan. Considering his background in podcasting and his professionalism across the board, it didn't take long for Inspire management to offer Eamon the role of lead announcer for their new venture.

"I was barely 20 years old at the time, so it was definitely a trial by fire experience. But, I tried to learn as much as I could, absorb any advice or guidance that was offered to me, and do my best to put forth their vision and make the talent look as good as possible," Eamon explained.

Before he relocated to Pittsburgh, a region that known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced, Eamon spent a decade on the mic for Inspire Pro, working to become one of the trademark voices of the independent circuit with a level of knowledge and dedication that allowed his work to stand out among the indy landscape.

"To me, ego must be left at the door, first and foremost when it comes to commentary. Unless you have a truly one of a kind personality and comedic genius, two things I’ve definitely struggle with all the time by the way, the focus should be on the talent and the performers. The building of momentum and excitement is also a skill that takes time and practice. I cringe at some of my earlier work where I’m at level ten from the five-minute mark. When you start that high, there’s nowhere to go. Now, with a little more experience, I enjoy watching psychology of a match play out. Some of the biggest compliments of my work that I’ve gotten from talent is when I speak to one of those nuances during their match that they hoped would be picked up on, and that is always a satisfying," Paton commented.

Aside from educational pursuit and professional achievement Eamon found love during his wrestling adventures in Texas, eventually marrying his non-binary husband, Merlin, who is always a friendly face willing to assist at events. However, after a decade of work with Inspire Pro, the couple felt it was time for a move, which saw them make the decision for the previously mentioned relocation to Pittsburgh.

"My husband and I moved to Pittsburgh in September of last year, for a multitude of reasons, not the least being that Texas was becoming untenable for our mental health & safety as an LGBT couple," Eamon said.

Once they arrived in the steel city, Eamon reached out to his longtime friend, Mike Sorg, who runs the Sorgatron Media studios, filming a myriad of projects, including a bulk of the independent wrestling events that run in the area. Paton was seasoned from his time with Inspire and looked to continue his tenure in the pro wrestling business that he had such a passion for since his youth. Sorg directed him to Victory Championship Wrestling, a West Virginia-based organization that is run under the direction of standout performer Wes Fetty, known inside the ring as The Beastman, a massive grappler with an incredible amount of agility. VCW's blend of old school rasslin with contemporary talent was a platform where Eamon could shine, working as the group's lead announcer since last November.

"It has been an incredible experience. It’s been great seeing a locker room full of talented, hard working individuals with the same drive and passion that I witnessed in Texas. The work is top notch and deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. Also, it’s been great having the trust of someone like Beastman when it comes to putting forth his vision in such a vital role," Paton commented.

The move to the northeast brought with it a level of support and acceptance for the LGBT announcer as well, with the launch of his podcast with his husband. Eamon and Merlin cover a variety of relevant topics for their community with a production that emanates from the Sorgatron studios in Beechview.

"My husband and I have our own podcast 'A Gay and His Enby', that we started back in January. We release weekly episodes where we talk about our thoughts on some of our favorite reality tv programs popular in the LGBT community," Paton remarked.

Eamon's journey within pro wrestling, a path that brought him professional and personal growth, will go full circle when he makes a one-night return to Inspire AD, where it all started for him in Texas, as the company will celebrate its tenth anniversary event in early July.