Alex Shelley, one of the wrestlers involved with making over gay teen Chris Hendricks. Photo courtesy of TNA Wrestling____________
Gay teenager Chris Hendricks is being 'made' into a professional wrestler, thanks to some fellow Detroit-area residents who just happen to be stars for Total Nonstop Action ( TNA ) Wrestling, the second-biggest wrestling company in the world.
Hendricks, 15, of Highland, Mich., is a student at Milford High School, and a self-described 'choir queer,' according to MTV, the producers of the Emmy Award-winning series. Hendricks, according to MTV, is sick of being stereotyped as weak just because he's gay. Hendricks wants to be made into a larger-than-life pro wrestler so he can prove to everyone that he's tough enough to take a punch.
Enter Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, TNA's Motor City Machineguns tag team.
They are Hendricks' main trainers for the 'MADE' episode that first airs Sat., March 8, at 11 a.m.
Hendricks' six-week training for his pro-wrestling debut started in late 2007.
'In the beginning, he didn't have a clue [ about pro wrestling ] , but, by the end [ of his training ] , he actually turned into a pretty good pro wrestler,' said Sabin, 26, of Howell, Mich. 'If Chris wants to pursue pro wrestling down the line, I actually think he'll make a good pro.
'He's very talented and picked up the sport rather quickly; he understood what we were trying to teach him.'
Sabin added that Hendricks' tenacity was his biggest strength.
'He's very athletic,' said Sabin, who has been a pro for eight years. 'We were hoping he didn't just freeze up in the ring during his first match, and he didn't. He did pretty good. He does some amazing, spectacular-looking moves in the ring, things that will surprise a lot of people.'
The majority of Hendricks' training was done in Belleville, Mich., though he did spend two days in January at TNA Wrestling shows in Orlando, Fla., where he was instructed by other TNA Wrestling stars as well, such as Samoa Joe.
'Chris is a really good kid,' said Shelley, 24, of Plymouth, Mich. 'He has his head on straight and has a great attitude. As far as training him, and him as a person, I don't have enough good things to say about him.
'He's a natural athlete and, if he decided to pursue wrestling down the line, he may have a shot at doing something in the wrestling business.'
Sabin and Shelley each said Hendricks' sexuality was a non-issue.
'To be completely honest with you, I totally forgot that he was gay 99 percent of the time. If he brought it up, that was the only time I even thought about it,' Shelley said. 'I had no worries [ before filming started ] about him being gay.'
Sabin added, 'I couldn't even tell he was gay; he just seemed like a normal 14-year-old kid. And honestly, neither of us even cared that he was/is gay.'
