The cliche claims that “there’s no business like show business,” but within that live entertainment industry, professional wrestling might be the most unique form of the genre.
Nothing encapsulates that paradigm quite like the weekend that 19-year pro, Wes Fetty, known in the squared circle as The Beastman, had just a few weeks ago.
A native of the small town of McMechen, West Virginia, Wes competed often in the western Pennsylvania region, eventually moving to a suburb just outside of Pittsburgh after he met and married his tag team partner in life, Anna Fetty. Anna, who is a registered nurse with several years of experience in the medical field, is certainly on the opposite end of the spectrum of her other half, the monstrous caveman that causes mayhem on the canvas.
The couple live in a relatively quiet neighborhood with a fence around their front year, and numerous mementos that decorate the walls of their living room, a spot where Wes has hosted friends for wrestling viewing get-togethers.
It’s an ironic dichotomy when the mammoth 350-LBS grappler packs his bags for the weekend, complete with furry boots, entrance attire, and his trademark bone at the dining room table on a Friday afternoon, while Anna checks the mail that was just delivered.
On this particular Friday in mid-March, Fetty had to spend a few hours on the road, heading toward his old stomping grounds of West Virginia for a Pro Wrestling Conquest event, a card that show him compete in a wild four-way bout. He arrived home around 2 AM with enough time to unpack and then repack his gear bag before he caught some sleep in his living room recliner to attempt to recharge for the next day.
As a resident of Pittsburgh and an enthusiast for the history of the business, Wes looked forward to the next day’s happenings, as a special tribute event to the legendary Bruno Sammartino was held in Ross Township, where the Italian strongman made his home after he originally immigrated to America from his native Abruzzi, Italy.
With the legendary Stan Hansen, who was the tag partner of the legendary, late Bruiser Brody, a major influence for Fetty, in attendance to honor his old rivalry Bruno, Wes got to bring another aspect of his ability to the table. With more than 400 fans in attendance, along with well-known magazine editor Bill Apter that Saturday night, Fetty had the chance to show his character skills to an audience that was there to experience a throwback presentation of the golden era. The massive neanderthal stomped his way around ringside to thrill the fans in attendance with his unpredictable nature.
Less than 24 hours after he tailored his performance to the old school Studio Wrestling style of the bygone era of Pittsburgh with old timers like Hansen and Apter looking on, Wes found himself covered in shards of glass, surrounded by dozens of broken light tubes.
In a true example of how versatile he is as a performer, the character-driven portrayal at the card to celebrate the classic period of Bruno, was traded in for the hard-hitting death match style of Game Changer Wrestling, the largest independent group in the United States.
Once again, after he honored the iconic Sammartino, Wes repeated the previous night’s process of switching out yet another set of gear, this time a pair of long tights because of his scheduled death match, and got about six hours of sleep before he was back on the road early Sunday morning. The circumstances that brought him to the ring of broken glass mentioned earlier were a six-hour trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey, a stronghold for the GCW brand that tours around the country, and an international reputation that Fetty established last year.
In July, Wes achieved his dream, something that was the culmination of his entire career as a pro wrestler, a journey that he has been on his entire adult life, he was offered the chance to compete in Japan, a country within a storied legacy that stretches back decades. The agile wild man was inspired by Brody, and had the chance to walk the same hallways as he did when he wrestled in Korakuen Hall, regarded by many historians as the Japanese Madison Square Garden. As a part of a tour for the Big Japan Pro Wrestling, a group with a thirty-year history itself, organization during the summer, Fetty celebrated his birthday in true death match style on the night of July 17th, with crimson on his face while he munched on a miniature cake given to him by his peers.
The month that he stayed for Big Japan, known for its status as the top death match organization in the world for the majority of its existence, impressed BJW officials enough to invite him to compete in the Big Japan Death Match Grand Prix, a tournament held on New Year’s Eve, a signature occasion for pro wrestling events in the country. Through thee rounds of the tournament, the combination of unbelievable agility for a super heavyweight, including dives from the top rope, and a fierce in-ring persona, The Beastman made an undeniable impression on the spotlighted platform of the tournament.
“When I got there after 12 hours on the plane, I know the level of competition there so I was focused on my one match with Shlak, he’s not a guy that you can look passed so when I walked into Korakuen, I took it as one match. It was a lot to go through three matches because this was being watched all over Japan, and being their big show of the year, every match had to have the mindset of the main event. After the first round match, it was easier because my body adjusted to what was going on, my adrenaline was up with all the light tubes, barbed wire, and the crowd,” Fetty commented.
Fetty is scheduled for his third tour with the promotion this summer, with a three-month stint for Big Japan as his next international excursion.
Besides Japan, Wes’ passport has been collecting a lot of stamps, as along with zigzagging around many different states in America on any given weekend, he also works Canadian gigs on a regular basis, with aspirations of seeing as many places around the world as possible in a pair of wrestling boots.
“The travel is part of the preparation, because knowing that you have to go all day, traveling five or six hours to wrestle for 10 or 15 minutes before you get back or staying at a hotel, it’s more mentally that you have to be prepared for it. At this point in my career, I feel like I’m going to stay physically ready, you just have to mentally stay ready, like if you have another show the next day, each match you have to be ready to go. Sometimes, the biggest thing is when you get home and the adrenaline falls off, it’s very tiring. You become used to being in a car for five hours at a time,” Fetty explained.
As the premiere independent group in the United States, especially with its focus on death match wrestling, GCW keeps its eye on the international circuit as well. The Big Japan officials weren’t the only ones that took notice of The Beastman’s performance in the Grand Prix on New Year’s eve, as Game Changer organizers were impressed with his skills as well, offering him an invitation to Atlantic City to challenge independent icon, Matt Tremont for the promotion’s Ultraviolent Championship in the main event on that particular Sunday afternoon.
“Matt Tremont is synonyms with death match wrestling, I’m wrestled Tremont before, but this was one of the biggest matches of my career. Coming off of the death match Tournament in Japan, not really being known as a death match guy, to be propelled into the Ultraviolent title match at GCW at The Showboat, it was time to deliver. This match was more physical and I felt like I had a lot to prove going into that match. I always believe that you have to show the people that you can hang with the best, and Tremont is the guy of death match wrestling, it was an awesome experience to work with Tremont at GCW,” Fetty commented.
“It’s a credit to his dedication to the craft that Wes even has the opportunity to do this, but it speaks volumes to his willingness to improve and become a key player, not only on the national independent scene, but internationally. GCW is arguably the largest and most successful independent companies in the US currently. For The Beastman to get the exposure at that level speaks volumes about his talent and ability, and I have to think that this just might be the spark for him to really skyrocket,” added Declan Finnegan, a member of the Victory Championship Wrestling broadcast team, the organization based in Fetty’s hometown of McMechen
When the final bell sounded, The massive grappler came up just a bit short in his quest for GCW gold, but post-match, he earned the publicly endorsement from Tremont, prompting the crowd to chant, “husk!” as a sign of their approval. Fetty’s plans for the rest of his wild 2025 so far are simple, he wanted to go as far as pro wrestling will take him and experience as much as possible through this unique career path.
When asked about his plans and aspirations for the future, Fetty simply replied, “worldwide.”
For more information about The Beastman, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/gfetty
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
