Glenn Spectre makes comeback

"Not everyone gets a second chance to chase their life goal. I’m super blessed to have that, and I’m giving it everything I’ve got."

Twenty years ago, a young grappler found himself in the locker room of  Korakuen Hall, the Japanese version of Madison Square Garden, as he worked his first tour with the DDT promotion in the country. He wrestled his way around his hometown region of western Pennsylvania for the few years prior and earned himself a reputation as a solid in-ring performer, hence why his skills took him to the other side of the globe when he was only in his mid-20s.

Glenn Spectre became the first "gaijin" or foreigner to win the DDT Tag Team Titles and he left enough of an impression to be invited back for other tour the following year. In America, he zigzagged around different states on any given weekend, working with names like Brodie Lee, Chris Sabin, Corey Graves, and others that went on to put their stamp on a national platform.

Spectre's stock was on the rise, but the combination of suffering a broken shoulder blade in 2006, and the death of his trainer James  "Devil Buddakan" Fawcett at the age of just 32 the following year dimmed his passion for the sport. He questioned if the physical toll on the body, the family sacrifices, and the uncertainty of the live entertainment business were worth the risk. Instead, Glenn Spectre laced up his boots for the final time at a tribute event to his late mentor in 2008, with the thought that he put almost the decade previous to that behind him.

Despite putting his gear in storage bins, starting a family of his own, and launching a successful business, Drawbridge Games, a store that specializes in tabletop gaming, the passion for the squared circle wasn't fully extinguished.

An ember still glowed within Glenn Spectre, and he didn't know it at the time, but when he pondered the idea of wrestling again in 2020, the possibility was enough to reignite a burning passion for the grappling arts.

"My initial goal was just to not embarrass myself or tarnish what I had accomplished in the past. For me, goals are ever evolving. Whenever I make one, I’m driven to accomplish something more. The second I started having good quality matches again, I was already setting the next goal of wrestling a full schedule and getting out of my home state," Spectre explained.

Once Glenn found the confidence in himself again, it didn't take long for him to also find the full schedule he was looking for, as many of the local groups were eager to add a veteran with his skill set to the cards, often in a player-coach role to work with the younger talent on the rosters to give the rookies the valuable learning experience of being in front of a crowd with an established pro to understand the finer points of the genre.

Among the potpourri of leagues in the western Pennsylvania area, there are live events somewhere in the region on any given weekend, and it's not uncommon for Spectre to work under the banner of different initials each week.

"The comeback as it is, has been fantastic! I honestly am blessed and in many ways couldn’t be more grateful to have a second chance. The caliber of workers I’m in the ring with are very good. The thing I tell young guys now is in modern wrestling being 'good' is kind of the default position now. You need to work even harder to separate yourself from the crowd. But, I’m different too. I’m much better psychologically equipped to deal with the huge ups and downs of the business," Glenn said.

When he isn't generating jeers from the audiences at the Reengage Wrestling Alliance in West Netwon, riling up the fans at Ryse in Uniontown, tormenting the crowd in Altoona, or popping up around the myriad of other events around Pittsburgh, Glenn can be found zigzagging his way around other states. He recently won the Upstate Pro Wrestling heavyweight championship, an accomplishment at his old stomping grounds,a promotion where he had an extensive rivalry with the late, great Brodie Lee almost two decades ago.

However, with the increase in demand to bring Glenn Spectre back to the ring from promoters around the independent circuit, comes with it the double-edged sword of the tedious traveling that is the other side of the equation. The far less glamour side of being in front of bright lights, rolling cameras, and an enthusiastic crowd is the tedious time spent on the interstate with late-night trips home and gas station food along the way.

"Traveling, in many ways, is the same. I love and hate it. I love the bonding element of doing riding and flying with friends and colleagues. But, I absolutely hate doing it alone." Glenn remarked.

Along with traveling north to work for the Upstate group in New York, Spectre found himself heading south to work for the National Wrestling Alliance, which provided a unique fit with the grizzled veteran character a of his "Big Boss" in-ring persona. In many respects, as much as Spectre has a forward-thinking philosophy to stay current with the modern era, he's still very much tailored-made for the traditional aspects of the NWA with his throwback fundamentals and ring psychology.

Thankfully, Glenn can make those interstate trips with a group of aspiring hopefuls that he shares a special bond with, his students. During the early phase of his return to the sport, Spectre worked and trained rookies under the International Wrestling Cartel, an organization that he was a mainstay of in the early-2000s. With a no-nonsense, but dedicated approach to teaching the ways of the ring, Spectre helped craft a crop of students that have excelled within the formative years of their careers so far.

Spectre took a few of his prized pupils and formed "The Troublemakers," a trio consisting of Specture, Tyler Brooks, an agile youngster that already shown ability beyond his experience level, and Canaan Kristopher, a young athlete that has a natural poise for the squared circle. Occasionally, "The Savage" Lexus Synn, a powerful female fighter with a muy thai background, joins the faction to amplify the chaos the stable can cause within a promotion.

"I love tag team wrestling, but it’s particularly special with the Troublemakers because everyone who has shared a spot in the group with me was raised and nurtured in the business by me. There is an incredible bond there. The comfort that comes with knowing the guy you’re tagging with that night also genuinely has your back. It’s the favorite thing I’ve been a part of since returning. Shout out to my Troublemakers Canaan, Tyler, and Lexus. They are the future of this business," Glenn said.

Later this month, Spectre and Kristopher will bring the Troublemakers' brand of violence to Tennessee for Joe Cazana's NWA group.

As if the weekly wrestling either locally or on the road wasn't enough, Spectre's passion for the sport keeps him in between the ropes as often as possible, as he joined the staff of The Stronghold, the training center of Ryse Wrestling, a blue collar league located in the previously mentioned Uniontown, earlier this year. Ryse, a company that often focuses its spotlight on a mixture of young lions and established veterans, was founded by 25-year pro Brandon K in 2016.

Given Glenn's career and track record as a trainer, Ryse management jumped at the chance to add him to the staff as a trainer at their school. As expected, Spectre brings his dedicated, but no-nonsense philosophy to those classes. 

 

"It’s the best facility for training pro wrestlers in the area, and our goal is to be the best, period. Not to toot my own horn, but my fingerprints are on many of the best wrestlers that have come out of this area and there is a reason why. I truly believe I am one of the best trainers out there in imparting technique, conditioning, and storytelling. I’m not only always challenging myself to be a better wrestler. I’m also always trying to improve as a trainer and look at legendary trainers like Pritchard, Snow, and Funk, as the pillar examples to follow. The biggest thing that any one who trains with me knows is that I have a standard and if you fall short of it, you will know I have no patience for excuses," Spectre explained.

 

"Glenn is a guy who walked away from the wrestling business years ago with a chip on his shoulder and now he's back to finish the book of Spectre," added Dean Radford, a longtime veteran that works at the co-head trainer of the Stronghold and one of the head organizers behind-the-scenes at Ryse Wrestling.

 

Where the story takes Spectre next or what chapters will be written going forward remains to be seen, but it's somewhat poetic in the style of professional wrestling that Glenn returned to the ring older and wiser to potentially put forth the best work of his career. At 46, Glenn finds himself more mentally prepared than he was in his 20s, and physically still as sharp as he was in his early years because he keeps himself in top condition between being in the gym or in the ring. It would certainly be a storybook ending if Spectre finds his greatest success if he lands on the national scene after he thought he hung up his boots years ago.

 

"I’m in no way claiming to have written the book on pro wrestling, but I have read a few pages and am happy to stand on the shoulders of giants," Spectre concluded.