WWE Bound? Pro Wrestler Pursues Dream in Downturn

SHAWSVILLE, Va., Aug. 5, 2009— -- In the middle of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains lies the New River Valley, an area that has been hit particularly hard by the economic downturn. In just the past year, the unemployment rate here has doubled.

Troy Long is part of that statistic. He lost his $60,000-a-year job building Volvo trucks in Shawsville, Va., one year ago. He has been scraping by ever since and has not looked back, instead focusing entirely on his dream career: professional wrestling.

In the ring, he is "Sergeant Long," a character based on his time as sergeant in the U.S. military. Long wears black shorts, a camouflage vest, and recently had his wrestling name tattooed across his stomach.

Waving an American flag at the start of each match, he plays a "good guy" body slamming the "bad guys."

"Some people take drugs, some people drink to get a fix or a high -- this is my high," Long says with a grin.

The 36-year-old hopes that someday that "high" will make him rich. For now, the new job barely pays the bills, so he does odd jobs to make ends meet. With a young son and growing bills, money has been tight.

Still, he has no regrets. "This is about somebody going after what they've always wanted to be, I'm living my dream. And I don't care if I'm dirt poor in the process, it doesn't matter to me. Because I don't base my life on material stuff," he says.

Long trains at Boogie's Pro-Wrestling camp, run by hall of famer Jimmy "the Boogie Woogie Man" Valiant.