Rip Rogers built a remarkable career across numerous territories worldwide and trained some of WWE’s biggest stars at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), including John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton. But now, this wrestling legend is facing one of his toughest challenges yet. As Rip shares his wealth of stories and wisdom with us, the wrestling community can now rally behind him during this critical time.
‘Hustler’ Rip Rogers has had a storied career spanning decades, from his early days in the territories to becoming one of the most respected trainers in professional wrestling. Photo Credits: ICW, WWC, Rip Rogers. Artwork by Pro Wrestling Stories.
Jim Phillips, author of this article and one of the great wrestling historians here at Pro Wrestling Stories, is in the challenge of his life after being paralyzed on January 21st, 2023. Learn his story and how you can help him reach his goal of taking his first steps again!
Rip Rogers: From a Wrestling Fan to a Territory Legend
Rip Rogers, seen here in a bodybuilding competition early on, built an impressive professional wrestling career spanning nearly five decades. Photo Credit: Rip Rogers.
Born Mark Sciarra on February 7, 1954, Rip Rogers grew up in Seymour, Indiana, attending Indiana Central College, where he played both baseball and football. After graduation, he worked locally, becoming a school teacher and football coach.
As a youngster, he was a huge fan of Jimmy Valiant and was even a member of his fan club. His sights were set on the wrestling business from a young age, but in the days before cable television, you had to have an in — or know someone to get your foot in the door of a promotion.
Rogers decided to try writing Verne Gagne about securing a spot in one of his training camps in Minnesota. About a week later, he received a letter from Verne himself, accepting him into the upcoming class in November of 1977. The young man’s desire was stronger than his patience, and Rip decided to make his inroads into the business.
Breaking into the Business: Rip’s Early Struggles and Successes
Rip Rogers as a champion bodybuilder. Photo Credit: Rip Rogers.
Living up to the ring name he would later adopt, Rip Rogers hustled his way into a small wrestling gig that his friend and former football teammate, Tom Zupanic, saw in an advertisement in the Indianapolis Star in the spring of 1978. Zupanic would later become an alternate on the defunct 1980 Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling team.
That year, the Olympics were boycotted due to being held in Russia, and as a nation, we did not compete in protest of the invasion of Afghanistan a year earlier. The world was a different place back then.
The advertisement called for "sparring partners for wrestlers," a call to which Rogers responded. He went to meet the leader of the troupe, Masher Stevens. Rip saw wrestlers mostly imitating the moves they watched on television and learning how to work off the right side, which is the predominant method in American wrestling.
I recently had the privilege of speaking with Rip about his early career and how he found his way into wrestling. "I could tell real quick that they didn’t know any more than I did, but they had a ring. That’s all I cared about."
He quickly picked up on the ringwork and landed a spot on a local card, working under his real name, Mark Sciarra. However, it didn’t take long for him to realize that he wasn’t as prepared as he thought.
Rogers was completely ignorant of the lingo and wrestling terminology used in the locker room to describe what would happen in a match. The booker told him he would "go over" and when it was "time to go home."
He didn’t understand what any of this meant. He simply nodded, pretending he knew, and went along, hoping he could make it through the match without messing up or getting hurt.
During these formative years, he also worked as a bodybuilder, winning several competitions. He spent time as a chauffeur for Jimmy Valiant, logging long hours on the road, listening and learning from some of the greats in wrestling.
"Hustler" Rip Rogers was a fine wrestler and an even better trainer. His wealth of knowledge is essential for young wrestlers to take heed.
When I asked Rip what it was like learning the craft before today’s structured wrestling camps, Rogers said, "Back then we learned in the cars, out on the roads."
He continued, "When I was young, there wasn’t any Internet where you could look up and learn everything you wanted to know. Today, kayfabe is dead. We had wrestling magazines, and whatever you could get on local TV, that was it. When you got a chance to be around the boys, you shut up and listened. That’s how we learned."
Joining Forces with the Poffo Family at ICW
"Pistol" Pez Whatley and "Hustler" Rip Rogers as The Convertible Blonds. Photo Credit: ICW.
Once Rip Rogers began to make a name for himself among his peers as an excellent hand to have around, doors started to open for him. Paul Christie got him a shot with The Poffos at International Championship Wrestling, and then things really started to move.
Rogers was still working under his real name at this time, and when he came in the summer of 1978, they changed his name to Hercules Semard, where he would sport a black afro-type haircut. He was then booked to Nick Gulas in Nashville, where he worked under the name "The Disco Kid." It wasn’t until Angelo Poffo sent him to Mississippi that he got the name that would stick with him for the rest of his career.
The promoter there, a man known by the in-ring name of The Great Mephisto, bestowed Rip Rogers’ name on him. Upon his return to ICW, he teamed up in tag matches with Randy Savage while also winning the tag titles with "Pistol" Pez Whatley and Gary Royal as The Convertible Blondes.
In 1979, Lanny Poffo booked Rip out to the Pacific Northwest Wrestling territory for a six-month run. Rip spoke of his time there, as well as his travels on the road.
"Lanny booked me out in Portland working with Buddy Rose, The Bushwhackers, Roddy Piper, and Jesse Ventura. Guys like that could work and teach you more by being in the ring with them. It was a great place to learn.
"When I came back, things were getting really hot for ICW. They were beginning to promote together with All-Star Wrestling, and we were doing lots of shots. We had fourteen television spots going at one time on different stations when things were really moving."
From Territories to WCW: Rip Rogers’ Storied Path
"Hustler" Rip Rogers with the WWC Championship. Photo Credit: WWC.
After leaving ICW, he went on a tour of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. He held tag titles and championships everywhere he went and had a lengthy feud with Adrian Street in Fuller’s Continental Championship Wrestling territory out of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama.
Rogers would also become Caribbean Champion during his time with the Colons in Puerto Rico at the WWC. He continued his journeyman career in WCW in 1991, where he later enjoyed a victory at the 1993 Battlebowl and a substantial run against Brian Pillman.
He eventually made his way to Ohio Valley Wrestling in the late ’90s, holding the Heavyweight Championship three times, and capturing a trio of tag titles with Dave the Rave and his Suicide Blondes partner, Jason Lee.
From In-Ring Competitor to Trainer of WWE Champions at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW)
Rip Rogers has been training the next crop of wrestling stars at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) since 2000. Photo Credit: OVW.
Traveling the roads finally caught up with Rip Rogers in 2000, when he was involved in an automobile accident that left him with a heavy limp in one leg due to his injuries.
Just before the accident, he took on the job of head trainer for OVW, a position he still holds today. He’s trained some of the biggest names in the business, including John Cena, Dave Batista, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Tye Dillinger (Shawn Spears), and Ruby Riott, just to name a few.
"It’s a lot different. It’s like night and day. The big promotions are now looking to the indies, and that’s where the opportunities are. It’s not like it used to be when you could break in through a territory. It’s more like a football camp now.
"Bigger wrestling promotions like WWE are looking for specific criteria. For example, have you been on TV before, or do you have a family connection in the company? Having an athletic background is also important. They’re looking for athletes transitioning into wrestling. But you need to stand out. Being middle-of-the-road is playing it safe. Too many people look and wrestle the same way."
"There’s no real time out on the road anymore because only a couple of companies offer a living wage.
"The money is significantly better than it used to be, though. These kids today can earn in a couple of years what it took us old guys a career to achieve. Things are moving so much faster now. There aren’t years spent building a career unless you come up through the indies and work overseas."
Rip Rogers’ Health Struggles and How You Can Help
“Hustler” Rip Rogers was a very fine wrestler and is an even better trainer, with a wealth of knowledge of the sport that’s beyond essential for young wrestlers to take heed. Photo Credit: ICW.
On September 10th, 2024, Rip Rogers revealed that he has been facing significant health challenges, including vein issues, neuropathy, severe swelling, and balance problems. These conditions have been slow to improve, and he now requires surgery.
Like many in the wrestling world, the cost of medical care is overwhelming. To assist with his surgery expenses, a GoFundMe page has been established.
Rip Rogers proudly sporting one of our exclusive Pro Wrestling Stories shirts in this recent photo—a true legend in and out of the ring! Photo Credit: Rip Rogers.
Rip Rogers knows this business as well as anyone I’ve ever spoken with. His knowledge of not only the techniques but the psychology of the ring makes him an invaluable source of information for anyone who crosses paths with him.
I can vividly remember his coming to the ring in ICW, with the strut of a heel and the bleached blond hair that made everyone take notice of The Hustler.
Rogers has a book out entitled The Book on Pro Wrestling: Lessons from Rip Rogers. The book is a compilation of his lessons and teachings in wrestling. Being able to understand and implement these lessons will significantly expand your knowledge and help any aspiring wrestler to further advance their career through the words and mind of one of the all-time great pro wrestling coaches.
I want to thank Rip, as well as all of you out there, for sitting down with us and peering behind Oz’s curtain into the land of professional wrestling as we uncover its treasures. We urge you to seek out his podcast, Wrestling with Rip Rogers, along with his other shoot interviews and videos. Take the time to learn from a true, old-school legend who has shared his knowledge and experiences with countless wrestlers. His insight remains invaluable to those who want to understand wrestling at its core.
We wish him all the very best in his latest health battle and the surgery to come.
Until next time, no matter what you do to get your foot in the door, when that opportunity is given, break it down!
In a highly entertaining interview, Rip Rogers and the late Lanny Poffo speak of their past and time on the road:
Rip Rogers can be followed on Twitter/X at @Hustler2754, as well as on Facebook.
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Jim Phillips is a senior author for Pro Wrestling Stories and a lifetime member of the Cauliflower Alley Club. He has been a passionate pro wrestling fan since the late '70s and has spent the past decade as a journeyman writer, sharing his insights and stories with the wrestling community. He can also be heard in the BBC Radio production Sports Strangest Crimes: The Ballad of Bruiser Brody. Tragically, Jim is currently facing the greatest challenge of his life after being paralyzed on January 21st, 2023. You can learn more about his journey and how you can support him in reaching his goal of taking his first steps again at the link above.
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