GROWING up in Ringwood, Chris Atkins developed a teenage dream to become a professional wrestler on the world’s biggest stage. But he never expected that he’d find himself so close, so soon.

The 26-year-old moved to Los Angeles six months ago to pursue his dream of winning a contract with the World Wrestling Entertainment — the pinnacle of sports entertainment.

Six weeks ago he was invited to attend a tryout session. It was an invitation he referred to as “the opportunity of a lifetime”, and one that he took with both hands.

Last week he received an e-mail from the pro-wrestling boss and as his heart pounded in his chest, he clicked on the electronic letter to see the words: “Congratulations! WWE want to hire you!”

media_camera Mr. Atkins could one day be the biggest Australian star in professional wrestling.

Mr. Atkins still remembers the first time he laid eyes to spectacle of American pro wrestling after his parents installed Foxtel in the family home when he was 14 years old.

“I turned on the TV and first person I saw was John Cena wrestling and thought holy cow! This guy’s pretty damn big. So I was a Cena fan from day one and loved wrestling ever since,” he said.

Mr. Atkins has been involved in pro wrestling since he was 19 years old after meeting Craig “Pitbull” Cole, a veteran of the Victorian pro-wrestling scene.

After taking a break for a few years to focus on his bodybuilding, Mr. Atkins recommitted to wrestling and since moving to LA to pursue his dream, it has happened quickly.

“I went for a one time workout at Golds Gym in North Hollywood and in classic Hollywood style I was approached by a guy named Eric,” he said.

It just so turns out that Eric was a scout for the WWE. “He took my picture right there and sent it to the WWE talent director.”

Action takers are rewarded. Make the right choices today. pic.twitter.com/FnW6WuQv — Chris Atkins Fitness (@Chrisatkinsfit) December 13, 2012

As for the try outs, they were pretty gruelling. “They’re designed to push you to your absolute limits to see who is gonna quit,” he said.

The first two days consisted of rigorous physical exercises including intense circuits of cardio drills, push ups, squats, sit-ups and burpees.

Professional wrestling is part athleticism part theatre, so naturally the final day of the try outs was in front of the camera doing “promotional work.”

media_camera Wrestlemania is the biggest event of the year for the WWE.

Two other Aussies are currently contracted to the WWE. Emma (Tenille Dashwood) is a regular on the Monday night Raw show, while another, Buddy Murphy (Matt Silva), is in the company’s developmental system (NXT).

As for when fans can expect to see Mr. Atkins on Monday Night Raw, it’ll be some time yet. The 26-year-old will likely go into the developmental program of the WWE to learn the ropes, pardon the pun.

“Debuting on Monday Night Raw is a day I very much look forward to,” he said.

For the moment he is intent on learning as much about the business as he can and his main goal as he starts out on his journey is to “do Australia proud.”

media_camera Something tells me he’ll be able to match it with the best.

'WWE 2K15' trailer Get your first look at raw gameplay from the upcoming next-gen WWE game. Courtesy: IGN

Originally published as Meet the WWE’s new Melbourne star