Thomas fulfilling 'The Promise'

Antonio Thomas remembers getting that fateful call like it was yesterday.

World Wrestling Entertainment talent director Johnny Ace was on the other line, and the news wasn't good.

The message was short and sweet: Thomas' dream job of working for WWE was over, less than a year after it had begun with so much promise and potential. So much, in fact, the wrestler had been dubbed "The Promise."

Thomas, who had worked for the company as half of a mid-card tag team act known as The Heart Throbs, was crestfallen.

He and partner Romeo Roselli had worked hard to get their spot in the company and, by all accounts, were doing a decent job. But the lagging tag-team division no longer had a need for a team whose gimmick was posing for the ladies and performing pelvic thrusts to the beat of dance music.

The gimmick wasn't really Thomas, but he learned to play the role to perfection. When he got the news that he and his partner were being released, he felt his whole world was crashing down.

"I started crying right away. I started feeling every emotion," recalls Thomas. "One day you kind of take for granted that you're on national TV working the job of your dreams. You let some of the negative things in your life, whether personal or professional, kind of overshadow that."

The 31-year-old Thomas, whose real name is Tom Matera, now looks back and feels what happened that day may have been for the best.

"After crying and laughing and going through every emotion possible, I sensed a feeling of relief. I felt like I could finally get back to being myself. I took a deep breath, and I told myself this was only the beginning."

That was two-and-a-half years ago. A lot has changed since then, and Thomas now finds himself mentally and physically healthier than ever, and re-energized after coming off what he calls "a life-changing experience."

Thomas recently completed his third tour working for the prestigious All Japan Wrestling promotion. In between tours, he stayed at the dojo, living there and training under the accomplished Kaz Hayashi. He hopes to return soon.

"It was one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life. It changed me as a worker and as a person. Being away from what's comfortable made me appreciate so much more the things I have back here. I'm as happy as I've ever been. It's always been a dream of mine to go to Japan."

Thomas feels the journey has made him a more complete wrestler - and person.

"The image I portrayed in WWE wasn't really me. It wasn't indicative of me as a worker. Going to Japan really helped contribute to reinventing myself. It helped me evolve."

Thomas, who credits former NWA world champ Dory Funk Jr. with helping make the Japanese connection, says he initially didn't know what to expect there. But he had heard nothing but glowing reports from Funk, who is regarded as a legend in Japan, and other grapplers who had trained and worked there.

Pro wrestler Aaron Aguilera praised Thomas for his perseverance.

"I don't know many, if any, guys who have had TV time or contracts that would come back and live as a young boy and do the training and stay for three months. I get homesick off one tour," he told Thomas.

"I love wrestling," says Thomas. I love it more than ever since coming back from Japan."

Learning the ropes

Thomas graduated from Westfield State College in Massachusetts with a four-year degree in liberal arts and a two-year degree in sports management before breaking into the business. He finished school to fulfill a promise he had made to his mother.

He began his wrestling training in 2000 under the guidance of Kevin Landry. He also trained at the late Killer Kowalski's school in 2001 for only a month.

"It was tough with work and school, and then I cracked a rib, so I had to take a couple months off."

Thomas, who was then 24, returned to Landry's school in Springfield, Mass., since it was closer to his home. Landry, who had been broken into the business by Paul Roma, had trained a number of respectable veterans in the area.

"It was a second chance for me," says Thomas. "It was a sign that it meant something because I was ready to pack it in at that point. But he (Landry) gave me a new life after that."

Thomas had his first match in late 2001. "It was an awful six-man, but it was the best feeling I'd ever had."

Thomas started getting bookings by setting by setting up rings, and eventually found work with a number of small independent promotions.

He got his first big break training and working under part-time WWE performer Steve Bradley. He also took part in several Dr. Tom Prichard camps.

"I loved doing his camps and training under him," says Thomas.

A week after Thomas gave Prichard an updated resume, Prichard called Thomas and asked him to show up at WWE TV tapings in Rochester and Providence.

WWE agent Arn Anderson observed Thomas in the ring prior to the show, and told him he looked like a babyface, so he wanted to see him work heel in his bout later that night. Thomas had a dark match with another newcomer, John Walters, a friend with whom he had worked in the past. The two had good chemistry and worked a solid six-minute match without any botched spots.

Thomas says he wasn't nervous in front of the largest crowd he had ever wrestled in front of.

"I wasn't nervous at well. This was where I was meant to be. It couldn't have gone any better."

"You might have just got yourself a job," Anderson told the 27-year-old Thomas as he came through the curtain.

Thomas says he felt like he was on Cloud Nine.

"This was Arn Anderson telling me this. It was unreal. I shook his hand and thanked him," says Thomas, who was given pointers after the match by Edge and Victoria.

Signed, sealed, delivered

Thomas didn't know what to expect when Johnny Ace made his way to the dressing room and asked to see the rookie.

"Something's up here," he thought.

Ace took him to a room with Jim Ross, and the two offered him a contract that night.

"It all happened so quickly," recalls Thomas. "I went in unemployed and left with a contract for my dream job - the only thing I ever wanted."

"I owe a lot to Dr. Tom," he adds. "I can never thank him enough for that."

Thomas worked another dark match against Funaki the next night in Providence. He soon was off to WWE's developmental training facility in Louisville.

A lot of things worked in his favor. For one, says Thomas, he was lucky enough to have Lance Storm as a trainer.

"He was perfect for me. He was a perfect temperament for me. I never responded well to harsh criticism."

Thomas, who also trained under Bill DeMott, credits Jim Cornette and Danny Davis with his development, and also gives props to Bill DeMott, Al Snow and Tommy Dreamer. Working with such a talented group, he says, was one of the best learning experiences of his life.

Thomas talked to Cornette about the possibility of teaming with Roselli, whom he had met a few months before having his first official match. The worked had worked together as a team, and he believed they could jell as a team.

Cornette found the pair perfect for a gimmick he had been wanting to do for years.

Thomas and Roselli would be known as The Heartbreakers, with a manager named Moe Green, and would come to the ring in white boots, white trunks with big red hearts and colorful feather boas.

The gimmick worked to perfection.

"We liked the idea Jimmy gave us, and we ran with it, and I was glad to do something like that because it wasn't myself."

Within a month, the two had become full-fledged babyfaces with a big fan reactions, working with teams such as MNM (Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro and Melina), The Tolands, Johnny Jeter and Matt Cappotelli, and Mark Henry and Matt Morgan.

Less than three months later, Thomas' dream would come true.

Making the big time

Turning heads and generating tremendous fan response in OVW soon got The Heartbreakers the attention of WWE officials.

Dreamer, who worked closely with WWE executive Ace on talent development, called Thomas and Roselli up to the big show and sent them to a WWE TV taping at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of pro wrestling arenas.

"It really was the dream job come true, and of all places, our first official match with WWE was at Madison Square Garden," says Thomas. "It was really hard to believe that it was happening."

The team, renamed The Heart Throbs in order to avoid confusion with "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, made their WWE debut on the April 18, 2005, episode of Raw, losing to WWE tag-team champs William Regal and Tajiri.

"I was internally torn by what had worked in OVW and what they (WWE) wanted. We wanted to try to combine the two," says Thomas.

Thomas says no one gave the two any real direction concerning the gimmick.

"We watched 'Night at the Roxbury,' 'Fresh Prince' and pop culture stuff. It (the gimmick) was like 'Night at the Roxbury,' but we turned it up a notch. When we first started doing it, we just made up our minds that we were going to be as crazy as possible. It wasn't me, but I enjoyed it. We had fun with it because we were different. We had this crazy little dance, and we were going to have fun with it."

Thomas makes it clear, however, that he was just glad to get the opportunity to prove himself.

"I would never blame WWE. They gave us the opportunity ... they gave us the ball. We tried and we tried. We were just too green at the time. But we were always prepared. We were always on time and did everything they asked of us."

Big brother Benoit

The gimmick initially got over fairly well, says Thomas, as the two became more familiar with the new surroundings and the much larger crowds.

They also found some of the veterans backstage more than willing to lend advice. One of those veterans was the late Chris Benoit.

"He was like a big brother to us when we got called up," says Thomas, who was introduced to Benoit by Rob Conway.

"We had known Rob Conway from living in Louisville. Rob kind of took us under his wing. He really pushed for us."

It was Conway who approached Thomas and Roselli and told them they'd be perfect candidates for the "squat club." The "club" consisted exclusively of Conway and Benoit routinely doing 500 squats at every TV taping and most house shows.

Thomas says he was flattered by the offer and tentatively accepted. Two weeks later at a show in Pennsylvania, Conway informed Benoit that The Heart Throbs wanted to join the group.

Benoit asked the 6-0, 225-pound Thomas, who didn't have a match that night, how many squats he had done before. "I had never done more than 200," says Thomas.

To his surprise, though, Thomas made it through the grueling training regimen.

"I'm staring face to face with Chris Benoit. I got through them and did them all. It was weird ... Not all of them were perfect, but I really think I could have done even more."

Thomas says he'll never forget what Benoit told him immediately after doing the squats.

"That was ------- amazing," he told the rookie. "Nobody has ever done 500 squats on the first time."

Benoit then told Regal and others in the locker room about Thomas' feat.

"After that he told me I could put my gear next to his and dress near him," says Thomas.

For the new kid on the block, it was the ultimate compliment, says Thomas.

"We would do squats at every TV and at the house shows. John (Roselli) later joined in, and there'd be the four of us."

Benoit was moved to the Smackdown brand a few weeks later, but Thomas says he'll never forget the advice he was given.

"He was helpful with everything ... matches and training. Then Rob took over as our big brother. He was always there to work out with us and travel. We had the same mentality.

"Benoit told me to keep doing what I was doing. He told me that I might not notice, but that a lot of people were noticing. I knew I was green, and maybe I was coming up short, but I was trying to get both of us over. He didn't even have to do that, but I really appreciated everything he did for me."

End of the dream

The first few months in WWE went without too many hitches, says Thomas, noting that they got thrown right into the mix. The duo's first major program was with Regal and Tajiri.

"It was a roller coaster," he says of the first three months. "We were somewhat timid. We just wanted to do what we were told. We didn't really think outside the box. We didn't want to screw up. William Regal was awesome. He told us we were one of them. He told us to start taking control and calling stuff. We wanted to listen to the veterans and do whatever was best for the match. But we kind of held back in the ring a little."

Thomas says he really got motivated after receiving a compliment in July from WWE ring agents and wrestling legends Ricky Steamboat and Arn Anderson. It turned the corner for them and gave them some much-needed confidence.

"They told us just to go out there and wrestle," says Thomas. "Once we were told to just wrestle, we started to get more creative, since the agents told us to think outside the box a little. We became a little more daring in trying to see what worked and what didn't work."

When the agents were rotated, however, Thomas and Roselli had to prove themselves all over again.

The two built a rapport and also had good matches with the team of Hurricane (Shane Helms) and Rosey (Matt Anoa'i).

"We had good chemistry with them. For two straight months we got to go out there for 20 minutes and wrestle. We came out as our characters, but for 20 minutes we got to wrestle."

In September of their first year with the company, new tag teams were brought in, while La Resistance (Conway and Sylvain Grenier) and Regal and Tajiri were broken up.

Thomas says their schedule eventually waned, and they found themselves getting into a lull doing TV once a week and occasional house shows. They had gotten into a groove doing four nights in a row, but they became stagnant with the new schedule.

"We still had our dream job, but after finally turning the corner, we both missed that. We got into a lull. We'd do some OVW house shows when Paul Heyman was running, and then fly out to TV on Sunday nights," doing a number of Heat shows and some Raws.

A match in October against the largest team in the company gave them some hope.

"We got great response for getting demolished by Kane and Big Show on the Halloween show," says Thomas. "We just got completely killed in three minutes. But we really sold for them. They won the belts the next night. That was a great feeling, and it turned out really well for us. We had worked Big Show a couple of months before, and he loved it. We were like their little buddies. We were there to sell for them and make them look strong."

Toward the end of the year, the two turned babyface in a match with Chavo Guerrero and Nick Nemeth after being attacked before the bell.

"They jumped us right away, and we got the fans behind us."

The fans didn't know what to make of them at first, but gradually accepted them as babyfaces instead of heels.

"We were still kind of in a lull, because we didn't know where we stood, and we always worried if our phone was going to ring and we were going to get that call. I became obsessive-compulsive doing cardio, and I lost a lot of weight. I wasn't very healthy the last couple of months I was there. We started doing promos the last couple of months and actually approached Vince (McMahon) with some ideas. We were always pitching ideas."

With the fans now solidly behind the duo, they'd pick out two girls in the crowd to dance with before each match.

"Vince kind of got a kick out of it," says Thomas.

Thomas had first met the WWE boss his third week on the Raw roster. He and Roselli had cut a promo for Heat when McMahon told them, "You boys are making quite an impact."

The two felt more encouraged after going to McMahon.

"It was a big step for us. We had a whole resume of storylines. He was awesome. He listened to us and encouraged us. We felt good about ourselves after talking to him. We started talking with some of the writers and pitched some more ideas."

In February 2006, after only 10 months with the company, Thomas and Roselli were released.

"We were trying and trying, but we just couldn't get any momentum," says Thomas. "It just wasn't working out. They had just called up The Spirit Squad and The Highlanders. We had our opportunity and did what we could. It wasn't anybody's fault. It was like a relationship that just wasn't working out. It was better to go our own separate ways."

Thomas says the two had an uneasy feeling for a couple of days before receiving the call from Ace. He remembers having dinner with a friend at a restaurant when he saw the numbers flash on his cell phone. He went to the parking lot in his car to take the call.

"We were both told we were being let go," says Thomas. "He (Ace) said we had gotten kind of stagnant the past couple of months. We were trying but not improving, and it just wasn't working out. But he left the door open."

Thomas says Matt Cappotelli, a rising young star who had put his own wrestling career on hold a year earlier due to a cancerous brain tumor, was the first person to call and lend support.

"That just tells you what kind of person he is," says Thomas. "We both picked ourselves back up. It didn't work out the way we had hoped, but we knew now we could control our own destinies. We could work for ourselves. I didn't have to wear a feather boa or tear-away pants anymore."

Evolution of The Promise

Thomas took a month-and-a-half to get his body and mind back to where it needed to be. Heart Throbs partner Roselli went to Puerto Rico for three weeks; the two, he says, needed a break from one another.

"We gave each other some breathing room."

Thomas, meanwhile, got a personal trainer before returning to the Northeastern independent circuit.

"We started taking bookings and singles and tag teams, and just started being ourselves again."

Thomas and Roselli reunited for a couple of matches in TNA last year that included a pay-per-view in March.

"It was a great experience. We were brought in for a shot and got to work with VKM (The Voodoo Kin Mafia - B.G. James and Kip James). It was great working with those guys."

The Heart Throbs, though, were gone, and they haven't done the gimmick since their time in WWE.

Thomas went to Italy for 2 1/2 weeks in June 2007 and worked for NWE (Nu-Wrestling Evolution). He got his personal trainer's license in late 2007 and began working as a trainer this year while still working indy shows.

"I've evolved and taken everything I've learned along the way. I just want to wrestle and come down to the ring in tights ... I wanted to slowly and slowly evolve as a worker and a performer."

The drive to get back into the ring on a more permanent basis grew stronger, and Thomas got into contact with All Japan's Osama Nishimura, who advised him to talk to Dory Funk Jr.

Thomas, who had lost weight over the past year, tweaked his diet, reshaped his body and got back into the best shape of his life. He went to Funk's wrestling school in Florida in late May and worked an eight-man tag against Nishimura and Funk.

"The whole week I just picked Dory's brain. Dory is a saint. He's awesome," says Thomas. "It's an honor being in the ring with Dory Funk. He was one of the best-drawing NWA champions. That was amazing to learn from him. He took the time to talk with me on the phone before and after. He gave me some pointers to adapt to their style."

Nishimura also was pleased with what he saw. After Thomas flew back home to Massachusetts, Nishimura called him and told him he wanted to book him for two tours in Japan as a tryout.

"He liked my style," says Thomas. "It's very old school. It was a big compliment to me. Before you knew it, less than two weeks later, I was going to Japan."

Thomas headed out on June 18, stayed the maximum three months and has never looked back.

"This was what I had been waiting for. It was the experience of a lifetime. It changes you in every way for the better. There's times when you miss home, and there are cultural differences, but I remembered Benoit telling me once that you have to go to Japan and work the summer tours in England. You've got to experience this. I wanted to be in WWE, but I also wanted to do that."

Thomas says he thought about Benoit often while in Japan.

"People can say what they want, but I wish I could call him and tell him I've doing 500 squats every day and I'm doing great and I love every minute of it. I love the training. Just give me my laptop and a gym and a place to train and wrestle, and I can go anywhere."

Thomas has returned to Springfield where he's doing the drills with the boys at the same place he began his training.

"I'm showing the guys the stuff that I learned. They love it and I love it."

Going to Japan has helped Thomas evolve as a complete performer.

"It made me so much more well-rounded to where I can do tags, I can do singles, I can do the Memphis comedy, I can do the Ring of Honor style, the mat wrestling, the high-flying stuff. Going to Japan has helped me evolve even more. I really want to make a name for myself over there."

"Being in WWE was a dream come true, but going to Japan was a life-changing experience," says Thomas. " I learned and improved in the ring, but more importantly, I learned more about life. Coming back here made me appreciate everything I've had and what I accomplished back home. I know there's not many guys who have been on TV and are doing this, but when you get the opportunity to work for a good promotion in Japan, tackle that chance."

Thomas says he wants the respect of his peers.

"It's not about the money. It's about the opportunity and getting my foot in the door and having the experience of a lifetime. I wrestled for 25 bucks in front of 25 people for 25 minutes, and I wrestled at Madison Square Garden and Japan. It's not about the money. I love doing this."

Happier than ever

Thomas is planning another tour of Japan later this year.

"I want to make a name for myself in All Japan and help them in any way I can. My goals over here are to continue to improve and to keep learning and to work for as many quality promotions as I can. Ring of Honor has always been a goal of mine. I love their product and would love to be able to show their fans what I can do. Eventually I'd like to be back on WWE or TNA, but right now I'd love to get a shot at the NWA championship and the belt that one of my idols, Tully Blanchard, had - the United States championship.

"I would love to back to WWE when the time's right. It's been in my heart since I started watching wrestling at the age of 8. But there's other ways to make a living. I love passing along whatever information I can. I'd love to get an opportunity with TNA as well. I'm more enthusiastic than ever. I want to go to England and overseas and learn as many styles as I can. I went to Japan for a purpose, and that was to improve and get better and improve my overall life. I don't ever want to not be a part of the wrestling business."

Thomas points to all the veterans who have helped him along the way. He credits Landry with giving him his first break.

"I probably wouldn't been in wrestling if it hadn't been for Kevin. He's a friend for life."

Thomas says he's still young enough to make an impact in the business. He's confident that he'll get that chance.

"I want to stay in wrestling, but I don't want to be the guy who does the local indies. I want to do stuff of substance and I want to continue on with Japan and hopefully work some different styles and places. I want to show the fans who 'The Promise' Antonio Thomas is.

He says it's all been part of a long journey.

"WWE gave us the opportunity, but in terms of us not working out there, it wasn't their fault. We were still finding ourselves and still learning. I have no regrets. Everything that has happened to me has taken me to where I am today, and I'm happier than I've ever been."

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com. For wrestling updates during the week, call The Post and Courier Info Line at (843) 937-6000, ext. 3090.