Jeff Rocker

Jeff Rocker was born in Dover, Delaware. He grew up in close by Smyrna, Delaware. In his youth, Jeff was active in Karate and Boxing. By the time he turned 17 he found the weight room and began his hard-core training. After graduating from Smyrna High School in 1991, he worked odd jobs until he started college. After 2 years of college Jeff made a very complicated decision to quit college and open a health club.

Sharp Bodies Fitness Center opened for business in February of 1996. Rocker wisely reinvested his profits into his business to make it grow. Rocker started competing in body building in 1995, while placing in every show. In 1997, he had a phenomenal year by winning 2 national championships that year, the USA Classic and the Heart of PA, along with other awards such as best poser, best back and best legs. Jeff appeared on the TV program Muscle Fitness Forum when ESPN came knocking on his door to compete in the Muscle Mania body building competition in Redondo Beach, CA.

After realizing that his bodybuilding career had gone that far without 'help', Rocker looked towards the future. Wrestling school came into perspective, after passing the entrance test Rocker entered wrestling school. Entering into the wrestling business, Rocker has shown with "sacrifice, dedication, and a never say die attitude", his name will be up in lights soon. Check out Jeff Rocker's web site at www.jeffrocker.com after reading this incredible interview.

Lekisha: Thank you, Jeff. I must admit you had a wonderful match up there.

Jeff Rocker: Thank you.

LO: How long have you been wrestling?

JR: I've been wrestling for five years, now.

LO: Five years?

JR: Yes.

LO: Where did you get started?

JR: I started in Delaware with the ECWA which is a federation based out of Delaware, it's pretty well known. I was trained by Simon Diamond, who is known through ECW-fame. Great trainer. So I got my start in the Delaware area.

LO: Have you adopted any of his style?

JR: Yeah, I have. I like the psychology of a match, which Simon's great with doing that. A lot of the technical moves and chain wrestling, and things of that sort, he's great with that. He's like a Dean Malenko. Everyone is familiar with Dean Malenko's style and I try to incorporate that. I like the amateur style and like I said the psychology and technical part of wrestling.

LO: You are in incredible shape I must admit.

JR: Thank you.

LO: What's your daily routine?

JR: Daily routine. I own a health club, so I get up in the morning and go to the gym and I check all my e-mail, some wrestling related some not. Then I go ahead and hit my workout. I have a few partners that come in and work out and we hit a really hardcore workout. I get some work done in at the club and then I'm off to wrestling school. I own a wrestling school in Delaware, so I go there and train the students and we hit another hardcore workout.

LO: How many students have you got in the school?

JR: I have six students right now.

LO: All male?

JR: All male at this point, yes.

LO: What are their age ranges?

JR: They range from 18 and I believe 24 or 25, around that area.

LO: I read on your bio that you did go to college. What was your major?

JR: I was a physical therapy student. Which I'm able to apply a lot of that to my workout. I know how the muscles are used and what movements work the muscles. That helps a lot, the kinesiology of that really goes into my lifting.

LO: Have you thought of going back and completing it?

JR: No, I have the health club and wrestling is going great right now. I wanna further my wrestling career. I'm very excited about that. I get to meet great people like you. (Laughs).

LO: Sucking up really works. (Laughs)

JR: Put me over. (Laughs) I'm getting into real estate right now. I wanna get into that. I'm looking forward to getting into that as well.

LO: How long has your school been open?

JR: The wrestling school?

LO: Yes.

JR: Um, I've had it for about a year now. I have got some great students coming out right now. Mark Harrow, you're going to see him and James Vapor. These guys are tearing up the Indy's. Plus I have a few more coming out. They'll be ready in a few months. I get a lot of students that come through the school. They think they want to do it. They watch it on TV and they think it's easy. You've been around the business and you know it hurts. That's why I only have six students. I could have twenty if I wanted, cause I have them coming at me all the time. But we hit hardcore workouts. You either want it or you don't.

LO: What all federations have you worked for?

JR: Well, I have worked for a lot of companies. I'm really expanding out. ACW which is based out of Connecticut. Jason Knight, from ECW, owns that company. Great company in the New England area. Also UWF, which is a company coming out of the Pennsylvania area, MEWF out of Baltimore, Maryland, and I could just name a lot of them. It's great. I'm in and out of a lot of locker rooms, I'm really having a great time and whoever will hire me. As long as there's not a lot of politics in the locker rooms, which I will not mention or even plug them, but I think if anyone wants to be a wrestler, get into it, find a close friend in the business and hold them tight. Have fun with the sport. Stay around the good crowd.

LO: That's true. Anything that you would like to say to anyone that would like to consider this business? Any wisdom or anything that you have learned thus far?

JR: Yeah I have. One thing that Simon Diamond taught me, which I always pass along, never pick a gimmick before you get trained because if that's not what you are supposed to do, it may not be your natural ability. If you have, you have limited yourself. If you want to be a high-flyer, you may not have the potential to be a high flyer, you've limited yourself to do that. You may be a technical-suplex kind of guy and that's a great piece of advice that he passed along to me. Like someone comes into the school saying "I've got a great name for myself and this is what I want to do" and you can't do that. That's a great piece of advice to pass on.

LO: Very good. Anything else you would like to say?

JR: Yeah, never hang out with Hammerjack. (Laughs)

* Note: Hammerjack decided to make a guest appearance behind us during the interview.

* If you ever stay at his house he'll never feed you. (Hammerjack laughs).

Hammerjack: Thanks, I appreciate that. (Laughs).

JR: Actually, Hammerjack is a great guy. We beat the heck out of each other in the ring, but we have a mutual respect for each other and I believe that's why we put on a great match. I would like to say, anyone that is interested in professional wrestling, if you want it, go for it. Don't stop. This business, along with many other businesses, is full of promises and your going to get a lot of promises broken. Not because people want to intentionally hurt ya, but it doesn't go as planned. But when you get there, you get to the top, or where you want to be, it's worth it. You have to keep pushing for it.

LO: Very good. Thank you.

JR: Thank you.