When Storm Grayson competed in his first match in 2014 in UnderGround Wrestling it was as the masked wrestler Rey Furia.
Since October 2021 Grayson has been Independent champion for the promotion now known as Freelance Underground, which presents its first show of 2023, Back for More, Feb. 11 at Cantigny Post 367 Veterans of Foreign Wars in Joliet.
“I’ve been with them literally my entire career,” said Grayson, a Naperville native who now lives in Palos Hills.
“I’ve seen them do a lot of the same things they did with me, where they gave a lot of young guys or a lot of wrestlers who didn’t have a lot of opportunities (a chance) to prove themselves against other well-known, high-caliber talent.
“They took a chance on a lot of people.”
Grayson defends the Freelance Underground Independent belt, which still bears UnderGround Wrestling’s initials of UGW, against Bryan Keith of Texas.
“The night before I won the Independent title we had a match for his title and I lost that to him so this is our first time again since then but now it’s my title on the line,” said Grayson, who was unable to win Keith’s New Texas Pro Wrestling championship.
“He’s probably the best unsigned wrestler in the country right now. He’s the best wrestler I’ve been in the ring with.”
Other matches at Back for More, which also is planned to stream live on subscription service IndependentWrestling.tv, include Mojo McQueen vs. Ezio Orlandi, Sandra Moone vs. Heather Monroe and Gunner Brave vs. Koko Lane.
Back for More also features Freelance Underground tag team champions Pick N Pop (Darius Latrell and Koda Hernandez) vs. Technical Difficulties (Moses and Rahim De La Suede) and Heroes of Our Time (Mason Conrad and Joey Marx) vs. Pretty Young Things Inc. (Playboy Double H and Bradley Stephens III).
“It’s got a very good chance to be the best Freelance Underground show at least top to bottom in terms of the card,” Grayson said.
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“There’s been plenty of good shows, but this is probably the most excited I’ve been for the card in a while just as the fan in me watching the matches.”
Unmasked at a 2016 Gladiadores Aztecas de Lucha Libre Internacional match, Grayson was inspired by his grandfather and mother being fans of wrestling to begin training in Villa Park with Bryce Benjamin at what is now Freelance Wrestling Academy in Chicago.
“Essentially since I could talk, I was saying I wanted to be a wrestler,” Grayson said.
“When I turned 18 that’s still what I wanted to do with my life. I trained at the closest school I could find.”
Grayson, who competed against Veer Mahaan on March 3, 2022’s episode of WWE’s “Main Event,” also held the top spot in Freelance Underground’s sister promotion, Freelance Wresting, for two months in 2022.
“Winning the Freelance Wrestling world championship was validation for a lot of the hard work,” said Grayson, who has competed in other local promotions including AAW and Warrior Wrestling.
“It was the first time I ever won the main championship of a company.”
Back for More
When: 6 p.m. Feb. 11
Where: Cantigny Post 367 Veterans of Foreign Wars, 826 Horseshoe Drive, Joliet
Tickets: $20 adults; $10 ages 12 and younger (cash only at door)
Information: facebook.com/freelanceunderground
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.