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When people think of professional wrestling, what first springs to mind are usually the high-flying acrobatic maneuvers 鈥� the missile dropkicks, spinning spinebusters and diving clotheslines. But beyond the sheer athleticism, pro wrestlers make use of creative storytelling, expressive acting skills and complex, well-timed choreography.

鈥淲restling is an art,鈥� said Mara Sad茅 (born Jamara Garrett), an sa国际传媒官网网页入口 native and rising star in the wrestling world, who previously performed under the ring name Jakara Jackson.

Sad茅 will join superstar wrestler Nic Nemeth at sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Tingley Coliseum for two nights of Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling on Thursday, Jan. 22, and Friday, Jan. 23. Both evenings will be shown on the AMC channel, the first as a live broadcast.

鈥淚t鈥檚 my actual hometown. That鈥檚 a big deal,鈥� Sad茅 said. 鈥淭hat becomes an extra special moment. 鈥� You want to see your family and perform for them and do the absolute best.鈥�

Nemeth, who wrestled as Dolph Ziggler during his 19-year tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), is widely considered one of the most talented pro wrestlers of all time. The sa国际传媒官网网页入口ter, an online wrestling and combat sports magazine, recently ranked him as the second-greatest former WWE wrestler to make the switch to TNA.

Nemeth knew he wanted to be a pro wrestler from the age of 5, which he said is 鈥渒ind of weird.鈥� Pro wrestlers, he said, come from many backgrounds 鈥� sports, dance, even law. But as soon as Nemeth saw his first live wrestling match, he knew it was what he wanted to do with his life.

鈥淢y dad took me to my first show. 鈥� Cleveland did not have an arena, so we had to drive an hour to the Richfield Coliseum, where the Cavs (NBA鈥檚 Cleveland Cavaliers) played, and where the first (WWE) 鈥楽urvivor Series鈥� was,鈥� Nemeth said. 鈥淚t was much different then. Now, it鈥檚 pyrotechnics and people with their screens everywhere, but (back then) even at a live event, it was just black curtains and a ring. I watched the show 鈥� Hulk Hogan was the main event. And I just told my dad, 鈥業 want to be a professional wrestler.鈥� I was 5 years old.鈥�

So, Nemeth鈥檚 father took him to a wrestling gym.

鈥淚 walked into the gym, and it鈥檚 just mats on the floor. I鈥檓 like, 鈥榃here鈥檚 the ring? Where鈥檚 the ropes?鈥� He goes, 鈥楾his is a different kind of wrestling, but if you get good at this and stick with it, maybe you can get there one day.鈥� So, I stuck with it my whole life,鈥� Nemeth said.

Sad茅, by contrast, began her career as a fitness and fashion model in sa国际传媒官网网页入口. After transitioning into bodybuilding, she appeared on 鈥淭he Titan Games,鈥� hosted by Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥� Johnson. In 2021, she tried out for WWE, joining the company the following year.

鈥淓verybody鈥檚 story is super different, and I appreciate that about the wrestling world. Everybody comes from completely different walks of life,鈥� she said.

Sad茅 was inspired by other women wrestlers, including Jacqueline Moore and Mercedes Mon茅 aka Sasha Banks.

鈥淔or me, Sasha Banks was somebody who opened my eyes to (the idea that) women can do this,鈥� Sad茅 said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榃ow, maybe I can do it, too.鈥欌��

Sad茅 and Nemeth said people tend to underestimate the creative side of pro wrestling.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge process. It starts weeks, months or years earlier,鈥� Nemeth said.

The wrestlers work with an entire creative team, including producers and creative directors, to develop interlocking storylines that unfold over time. Certain sequences require extensive preparation, including rehearsing with the camera operators to ensure the shots are perfectly timed.

鈥淵ou don't need to practice moves a lot, unless it's something out of the ordinary, or if you're thinking production wise, like, 鈥楬ey, we want this perfect camera angle for this shot, and I want this person landing in the background while I see this other person with tears in their eyes,鈥欌�� Nemeth said. 鈥淪o, you set up the scene cinematically.鈥�

The precise coordination of action and camera work is similar to long, complicated action sequences in films 鈥� with one key difference.

鈥淪ometimes they have to do 20 takes to get it right, but (in wrestling) you don鈥檛 have 20. You got one shot,鈥� Nemeth said. 鈥淪ometimes you don鈥檛 get exactly what you wanted, or sometimes you get exactly what you wanted but the boss goes, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 the opposite of what I wanted.鈥� 鈥� Then, you go back to the drawing board, you figure some things out, and you fix it for next time, whatever the next story is.鈥�

Keeping the staging and blocking straight is not always easy in the midst of knock-down, drag-out fights.

鈥淎 lot goes into it, and it鈥檚 all while you鈥檙e absorbing getting punched in the face and trying to think that I need to be over in this corner when I get punched in the face next time,鈥� Nemeth said. 鈥淎nd also while not making it look like a play, but making it look like it鈥檚 an MMA (mixed martial arts) fight that we鈥檙e trying to win.鈥�

Sad茅 said expressing realistic emotions onstage is a big part of the job.

鈥淵ou have to show the emotions, because people don鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 like, maybe, to be put in a chokehold or an arm bar,鈥� she said.

Despite the extensive preparations, things in the ring often go awry.

鈥淓ven if you got something in your head planned, someone gets hurt, someone misses something, you forget something or your time gets cut,鈥� Nemeth said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 live theater.鈥�

Sad茅 likened it to improvisational acting and said the ability to think on one鈥檚 feet is 鈥渨hat separates the great from the good.鈥�

Although pro wrestlers today don鈥檛 hide the fact that the matches are scripted, Nemeth and Sad茅 said that allows fans to appreciate their artistry even more.

鈥淲e let everyone know we鈥檙e doing entertainment, but also, if you get lost in a great movie, you get lost in a great movie,鈥� Nemeth said.

Sad茅 said she is always more impressed when she knows how much work went into a production 鈥� whether a wrestling match or a film.

鈥淚 remember when I was younger鈥� and my favorite movie would come out on DVD, and they鈥檇 have that section where you can look behind the scenes and see how the special effects happened 鈥� I loved that stuff. It makes me appreciate it more,鈥� Sad茅 said. 

Knowing how it's done doesn鈥檛 destroy the magic, because, as she puts it, "It's all magic."

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .