Learning the ropes

By Joe Mason
Times Sports Editor

Drew Gulak has always been a huge fan of wrestling.
Gulak, a senior at Northeast High School, tried out for the Vikings’ wrestling team as a sophomore and did fairly well.
He began his high school career on the junior varsity team and worked his way up to the varsity squad by the time he was a junior.
By his senior year, he was named team captain, but various injuries and a nasty bout of bronchitis kept him sidelined for the entire season.
But his junior year wasn’t the last time he took part in a wrestling match at his high school’s gym while wearing his Vikings’ uniform.
No, he never wrestled in another varsity match, but now Gulak’s a rookie professional wrestler, and he made his debut at his home gym last month.
Gulak has signed on with Combat Zone Wrestling, better known as CZW. And while he was learning his craft, CZW officials were looking for a place to stage a wrestling fund-raiser to buy books for children.
Gulak knew of the perfect spot.
"I stopped by Mrs. (Elsa) Cohen’s office because she’s the athletic director at Northeast and I asked her if we could rent the gym for a couple of hours," he recalled. "She gave it to us and we held a show.
"It was actually the first time I ever got in the ring in a real match," he added. "I came out in my Northeast wrestling gear and I won my first match. It was so awesome.
"I think the best part about it was that I had a lot of people in the crowd," he said. "There were more than one-hundred people there, and I’d say at least thirty or forty were there to cheer for me. It was an awesome feeling."
Gulak’s fascination with the world of professional wrestling wasn’t brought on because of his love for the amateur sport.
Sure, the experiences on the mat have helped him in his quest to become a star, but it was a trip to a CZW event that sparked his interest.
"Everyone knows that there’s a huge difference between real wrestling and pro wrestling," he said. "In high school wrestling, you don’t know what’s going to happen, and in pro wrestling, you know going in what’s going to happen.
"I knew there was a difference, and both are great," he continued. "I was in eighth grade when I went to my first CZW show, and I thought it was just a minor-league WWE. But when I got there, I was hooked."
CZW isn’t your typical wrestling federation. The matches have been called ultraviolent because the wrestlers use everything from lightbulbs to thumbtacks to barbed wire.
But it wasn’t the blood and guts that attracted Gulak.
He enjoyed the mat wrestling, the technical aspects of the sport. He instantly became a fan and started to hang around the CZW home in South Philadelphia, formerly known as the ECW Arena.
Last August, he began to train for his start in the sport.
"I didn’t want to go out and do the hardcore stuff," Gulak said. "I’m a mat wrestler. I take it very seriously. I’m still very early in my training. I’m still learning how to fall and make it look real.
"The hardest part about wrestling isn’t the wrestling," he added. "Our job is to make it look real, and make it look like it hurts. I mean, when you fall or when you get thrown to the ground, it hurts. But we have to do it so we minimize our injuries and at the same time make it look like it hurts a lot. That’s our main job."
Gulak trains three times a week. He knows he’s a novice and he’s not looking to be the main event on a World Wrestling Entertainment show anytime soon.
His goal is to learn as much as possible about the sport before he starts to make money from his hobby.
"Wrestling is what I love to do and where I’m at . . . it’s not glamorous," he said. "I get to the shows early to set up the ring and I do whatever they need me to do. I’m paying my dues. Every wrestler has to do this if they want to make it.
"I’m having fun because I love being around the sport and being around the wrestlers who have so much experience," he continued. "Would I love to be a main-event guy and make a lot of money . . . sure, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to learn and to have fun."
Pro wrestling is a hobby that Gulak hopes to pursue long after his days at Northeast High School are over. But he’s not looking at it as a way to get rich.
Next fall, Gulak will begin his freshman year at Drexel University, where he will major in architectural engineering.
He believes his pastime will be part of his future, but he’s not banking on it as an occupation.
"I know school is much more important than wrestling," the 150-pounder said. "If you look at the successful wrestlers, they’re all huge and a lot of them use steroids. My body is way too important to me to do something like that.
"For me, wrestling is a hobby that I’ll give one-hundred percent to, but school comes first," he added. "Right now I’m having so much fun and I’m learning a lot. It’s a fun hobby that will be a part of my life for as long as I am having fun." ••
Sports editor Joe Mason can be reached at 215-354-3035 or jmason@phillynews.com