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Dean 'Mojo' Muhtadi's Wrestling Combine Brings Together Eight Premiere Athletes for a Shoot Style Competition

Who will survive the first ever wrestler's combine?

Rick Ucchino

Black Label Pro Wrestling

Leave kayfabe in the back because this time we're shootin', cowboy!

Eight of some of the best athletes in pro wrestling have spent the last several weeks in the gym, getting their bodies ready for the first ever Wrestler's Combine. A legitimate skills competition to test the strength, speed and athleticism of the four men and four women who are competing.

It's a competition that everyone is taking extremely serious, according to the man who helped turn this concept into a reality.

“I didn't realize the talent were going to be legitimately training for this, as much as they were going to. I figured with everyone having busy schedules and wrestling every week, that maybe they would just turn up their weightlifting a little bit. No, they actually started to train specifically for these events.”

Dean 'Mojo' Muhtadi's Paragon Talent Group has partnered up with DraftKings to put on this event ahead of Black Label Pro's Crowning Glory show in Chicago Wednesday, September 4.

The man whom WWE fans will remember as Mojo Rawley will not be competing in any of the events himself, but as the host for the evenings' proceedings, Muhtadi is - dare I say - 'hyped' to get a front row seat for all the action.

“Nobody has to pay a cent to watch this. Thanks to our partners at DraftKings for sponsoring this and making all that possible,” Mojo told the Takedown at SI. "It's gonna be a battle of the Titans, man. I'm excited!"

The Wrestler's Combine will kick-off at 7:45 P.M. ET, live on Chris Van Vliet's YouTube Channel. The 4-Time Emmy Award winning TV host has become one of the foremost figures in wrestling media and airing this event for his one million plus subscribers is something he said made all the sense in the world.

"When my good friend Dean Muhtadi reached out and asked if I’d be interested in streaming the event on my YouTube channel, I said, 'Heck yeah!'" Van Vliet said. "The question of who the fastest wrestler or who the strongest wrestler is has been around forever. It's pretty exciting that at the Wrestler's Combine, we are going to find out the answer for real."

The competitors are all names wrestling fans are familiar with. On the men's side it's Mike Rallis, formerly known as Madcap Moss in WWE, who was also former linebacker for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Rallis is a freak athlete who held many of the WWE PC combine records during his time in NXT. He'll be going up against WWE & AEW veterans Jake Hager and Parker Boudreaux, as well as former TNA Heavyweight Champion and 7-year NFL veteran Moose.

The reigning TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace headlines the field of women in the competition. She'll test her mettle against Ash By Elegance, Xia Li and Mandy Sacs - formerly known as Mandy Rose in WWE.

"I was actually kind of shocked that nobody's done this before,' Sacs told the Takedown at SI. "It's a cool idea. People don't realize the amount of work that goes into a wrestler's background or whatever it may be. It's sports entertainment, right? But there's so much realness and training that's involved behind it."

Sacs is coming off a rigorous 12-week training program that transformed her body for the World Bikini Championships. A full circle moment for Sacs who last took part in that competition a decade ago.

"Preparation is pretty crazy with a bodybuilding show," Sacs said. "It was 10 years since I last competed. Before WWE, I started competing with WBFF and that's where I became the 2014 Bikini World Champion, which then led me to some great opportunities such as WWE Tough Enough, obviously WWE after that and Total Divas."

While Sacs was incredibly proud of all the work she put it the last few months, there was no time to get complacent. She immediately had to roll from training for the World Bikini Championships - in which she finished 2nd in bikini and third in wellness, respectively - right into getting ready for the Wrestler's Combine. Her first official wrestling action in nearly two years.

The training regimens for each competition are little different with some bodybuilders choosing to focus more on aesthetics as opposed to strength and endurance. If one thing is for sure, Mandy is not lacking in confidence in either of those two areas.

"I lifted pretty heavy during my prep. Really towards the end is where I maybe went a little bit lighter where I didn't wanna have, God forbid, an injury," Sacs said. "I think as far as strength, it was pretty similar for this wrestler's combine and I've been heavy lifting for well over 10 years now. I definitely know that I'm prepared for that."

Where Sacs may be at a disadvantage in respects to her competition, is the lack of wrestling reps she's had over the years.

Then again, this is going to be a very unique event that will test all the physical tools required to be a great professional wrestler.

“Who can run the ropes 10 times the fastest? Easy measure of speed. Our version of the 40-yard dash for the NFL," Mojo said. "We're gonna throw in some arm wrestling. People love to see it. I think it's probably the most common foundational method to test strength that literally every person on the planet can either personally relate to or is at least familiar with.”

There will also be a tug-of-war style competition and the pro wrestling version of one-on-ones drills in football, also known as the Oklahoma drill. That's where an offensive lineman and defensive lineman square off in a shoving match to see who can knock the other one backwards.

Who will survive the wrestler's combine?
Who will survive the wrestler's combine? / Black Label Pro

"This is our version of that and we're gonna do it out of a collar and elbow tie up," Mojo said with a smile on his face. “Obviously in a tie up everyone always thinks it's a test of strength, but it's really not. If you're wrestling, you always gotta worry about someone shooting the leg, taking the arm, going behind, roll-ups, all these crazy cool quirky counters.”

Wednesday night, those counters will be removed from the equation. Two competitors will lock arms and see who can shove the other back into the ropes. A true test of strength and technique.

Does Mandy have what it takes to push around someone like the reigning TNA Knockouts Champion? We're all gonna get to find out together.

"Jordan Grace is definitely a big competitor in this," Mandy said. "Obviously looking at her, her strength and everything else, but there's gonna be a lot of different types of competitions. Where it could be agility, not just strength. But... pound for pound, I'd say that I'll be alright."

Arguably the most exciting aspect of the Wrestler's Combine is the room for growth. The potential expanded field of competitors and events next year. Perhaps even one day the chance for some dream match-ups featuring talent signed to WWE and AEW.

How about a Wrestler's Combine that provides an opportunity for lesser known talent to get discovered and maybe earn themselves a WWE tryout, or even a contract?

“That's part of the mission, right? This is going to be the first one of its kind for men for women. Let's see how this one goes," Mojo said. "Let's focus on strength more, but we also do want to have some elements of speed and stamina for the big guys because just a pure weightlifting competition is great, but anybody can get that at a gym. Let's find some things that are more sports specific that have to be done inside of a wrestling, ring in front of a live crowd, and see how it goes.”

You can follow Rick Ucchino on X and on Instagram: @RickUcchino

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