University of Pittsburgh Athletics
3/4/2018 12:41:00 PM | General, Wrestling
Through a black and white, grainy YouTube video, you are able to see the All-Star Championship Wrestling (ACW) wrestler, White Dragon, fiercely take on his competitor, Diego Corleone. White Dragon, a young man, is donning sweatpants and working diligently to take down his aggressive opponent. Chants from the crowd continuously yell and cheer for White Dragon.
Rob Lee Sr., previously known as White Dragon, was a former All-Star Championship Wrestler. Starting out in the state of Wisconsin, Lee Sr. spent most of the early stages of adulthood wrestling professionally in the Midwest Professional Wrestling League. He started out local, competing in smaller tournaments, but it was not long before he took a big step with his career. With his hardworking mindset and his popularity with the audience, Lee Sr. was able to make his way up to well-known competitions. Many of these competitions were Battle Royales, which are competitions with many competitors and are won through the process of elimination. It was not long before he claimed the title of "King of Battle Royale," which was given after many competitions where he was a finalist.
The time commitment, which came along with the career, eventually took a toll on the White Dragon. There were times when he would take a few months out of the year to travel to different circuits and competitions. It eventually paid off when he made it to the Ring of Honor, which is a professional series. Throughout his journey, he would cherish moments with his kids and from time to time brought them on stage to introduce them during events. But, being away from his children took a toll on him. With the desire to watch his children grow, he took a step back from the lifestyle that he had come to know.
Despite his professional wrestling career being over, he is not out of the ring just yet. His son, Robert Lee Jr., is now following in his footsteps as a Division I wrestler on the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team. But, unlike his father, Lee Jr. had a slow start in to wrestling. He was introduced to the sport in an unusual way. Growing up, his father worked to get him and his brother interested, bringing them to WWE events.
"When I was three or four years old, I remember going to wrestling events and there would be big name pro-wrestlers and I would tie their shoes or get them drinks," said Lee Jr.
His wrestling career started in Pre-K, when his father signed Lee Jr. and his brothers up to wrestle. It turned out to be short lived, having only a quick introduction until he realized it was not for him. A mishap in plans when Lee Jr. was in second grade was when he realized his true appreciation and enjoyment for the sport.
"We were supposed to hang out with our cousins but we messed up, I think it was the wrong day. They had a wrestling tournament and their dad was like 'just throw them in there', and so we were thrown into this wrestling tournament. After that, we just stuck with it and loved it ever since," said Lee.
Since then, wrestling has consumed the Lee family, as all of the boys wrestle. Robert, however, has been the only one who has pursued wrestling at the collegiate level so far. It was not until the end of his senior year that Lee decided that he had an interest in wrestling at the next level.
"I made a late decision to come here. Throughout high school I was trying to focus on my goals and being there for my team," recalled Lee, who was a three-time Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state champion and managed to break the all-time program record with a mark of 182-17.
During a trip to nationals, where he took second place, Lee met the Pitt wrestling coaches. After a campus tour, he was sold.
Over the past two seasons, he has experienced some success at Pitt and hopes to see continued growth as Pitt wrestling transitions under the direction of the program's first-year head coach, Keith Gavin.
"The transition has been awesome so far. Keith, even the other guys, their successful history and all of that, makes the transition easy," said Lee. "They know how we feel and what our bodies need. They are all-around great guys."
Although Gavin is the coach at Pitt, he will always have his father in his corner.
"He was my coach throughout my whole life," said Lee. "I will text him after matches if I lose and ask him for feedback. He knows what I do best."
Aside from helping his son navigate his own wrestling career, Lee Sr. keeps busy by running a wrestling club, Fox Valley Elite Wrestling. The club works with youth to expose, teach and work with them in the sport of wrestling. Apart from small talk with people in his community who are interested in professional wrestling, the former ACW wrestler has since left that chapter behind, focusing on his children, their blooming wrestling careers and Fox Valley Elite Wrestling.
Rob Lee Sr., previously known as White Dragon, was a former All-Star Championship Wrestler. Starting out in the state of Wisconsin, Lee Sr. spent most of the early stages of adulthood wrestling professionally in the Midwest Professional Wrestling League. He started out local, competing in smaller tournaments, but it was not long before he took a big step with his career. With his hardworking mindset and his popularity with the audience, Lee Sr. was able to make his way up to well-known competitions. Many of these competitions were Battle Royales, which are competitions with many competitors and are won through the process of elimination. It was not long before he claimed the title of "King of Battle Royale," which was given after many competitions where he was a finalist.
The time commitment, which came along with the career, eventually took a toll on the White Dragon. There were times when he would take a few months out of the year to travel to different circuits and competitions. It eventually paid off when he made it to the Ring of Honor, which is a professional series. Throughout his journey, he would cherish moments with his kids and from time to time brought them on stage to introduce them during events. But, being away from his children took a toll on him. With the desire to watch his children grow, he took a step back from the lifestyle that he had come to know.
Despite his professional wrestling career being over, he is not out of the ring just yet. His son, Robert Lee Jr., is now following in his footsteps as a Division I wrestler on the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team. But, unlike his father, Lee Jr. had a slow start in to wrestling. He was introduced to the sport in an unusual way. Growing up, his father worked to get him and his brother interested, bringing them to WWE events.
"When I was three or four years old, I remember going to wrestling events and there would be big name pro-wrestlers and I would tie their shoes or get them drinks," said Lee Jr.
His wrestling career started in Pre-K, when his father signed Lee Jr. and his brothers up to wrestle. It turned out to be short lived, having only a quick introduction until he realized it was not for him. A mishap in plans when Lee Jr. was in second grade was when he realized his true appreciation and enjoyment for the sport.
"We were supposed to hang out with our cousins but we messed up, I think it was the wrong day. They had a wrestling tournament and their dad was like 'just throw them in there', and so we were thrown into this wrestling tournament. After that, we just stuck with it and loved it ever since," said Lee.
Since then, wrestling has consumed the Lee family, as all of the boys wrestle. Robert, however, has been the only one who has pursued wrestling at the collegiate level so far. It was not until the end of his senior year that Lee decided that he had an interest in wrestling at the next level.
"I made a late decision to come here. Throughout high school I was trying to focus on my goals and being there for my team," recalled Lee, who was a three-time Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state champion and managed to break the all-time program record with a mark of 182-17.
During a trip to nationals, where he took second place, Lee met the Pitt wrestling coaches. After a campus tour, he was sold.
Over the past two seasons, he has experienced some success at Pitt and hopes to see continued growth as Pitt wrestling transitions under the direction of the program's first-year head coach, Keith Gavin.
"The transition has been awesome so far. Keith, even the other guys, their successful history and all of that, makes the transition easy," said Lee. "They know how we feel and what our bodies need. They are all-around great guys."
Although Gavin is the coach at Pitt, he will always have his father in his corner.
"He was my coach throughout my whole life," said Lee. "I will text him after matches if I lose and ask him for feedback. He knows what I do best."
Aside from helping his son navigate his own wrestling career, Lee Sr. keeps busy by running a wrestling club, Fox Valley Elite Wrestling. The club works with youth to expose, teach and work with them in the sport of wrestling. Apart from small talk with people in his community who are interested in professional wrestling, the former ACW wrestler has since left that chapter behind, focusing on his children, their blooming wrestling careers and Fox Valley Elite Wrestling.
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