Wrestling is a serious hobby for Laura McEntire.
The 34-year-old personal trainer, known inside the ring as "Miss Laura," has spent the past decade honing her skills with industry professionals, enduring broken bones and even driving three or more hours to train or attend matches.
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In addition to wrestling, McEntire also works matches in a variety of other roles, including as an official referee, photographer, announcer and valet, as shown above.
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As a child, Laura McEntire often sat mesmerized by the excitement and action that took place during televised World Wrestling Federation matches. Now, several years later, she has a front row seat as a female wrestler within the Combined Wrestling Federation.
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McEntire, who spent several years with Southwest Premiere Wrestling, said the sport is very hard on your body and the training is very hard.
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"It's very physical, and the training is hard" McEntire said, noting that no matter whether she's in the ring or working as a referee or valet, she always has fun.
While McEntire recently slowed down due to motherhood, she is still very involved with local and regional promotions, and, soon, will participate in one that will fulfill a lifelong dream.
"I was recently given the opportunity to be in a (promotional match) with Lacey Von Erich (daughter of the late legendary wrestler Kerry Von Erich) in Oklahoma," she said, noting an official date has not been set.
McEntire said as a child she had a fascination with the Von Erich family — the well-known professional wrestling family from Texas — and often found herself glued to the TV, mesmerized by the action of their matches.
"They had that charisma, and a kind of shine," she said. "I guess they were kind of like heroes to me, bigger than life."
McEntire's captivation with the Von Erichs, paired with her interest in the sport, sparked her decision to become a wrestler in 1999.
"I met this woman in College Station, Donna Shannon, who had been really involved in watching wrestling, and she knew a lot of wrestlers," she said. "Donna and I went to a lot of shows, and over time I remember being like, 'that looks like fun,' and thinking to myself 'I might could do that.'"
Shannon introduced McEntire to Marty Jannetty, one-half of the well-known tag team The Rockers, who later became her trainer.
"I trained for about four months," she said. "I'd drive down on Thursday nights (to Alvin, just south of Houston) and go train in this unconditioned storage building for four hours, then go eat and drive home so I could go to work in the morning."
McEntire said the training was hard, but it was well worth it.
Her first match was against Cat Phinelli at one of Jannetty's promotional matches in Alvin.
"I was exceptionally nervous," McEntire said with a laugh. "The better part of the storytelling (that goes on during the match) is listening to the audience, but I think we were both so nervous, that neither of us paid attention. But, (coordinating the moves and what the audience wants) that comes with time."
Part of every match is telling a story between the two wrestlers. A typical match will stage a protagonist, typically an audience favorite, and an antagonist, someone who breaks the rules and acts with a certain arrogance.
McEntire said at hometown matches she is always the protagonist, otherwise known in the wrestling world as the babyface, but is an antagonist, known as the heel, when she goes out on the road.
While there are elements of drama incorporated into every match, the matches are not choreographed, McEntire said.
"There are certain moves you can do, but I'd usually pick about four moves and incorporate those throughout the match," she said. "People begin to expect it, and it helps to make a predictable storyline."
While McEntire said she enjoyed being in the ring, she also worked in a number of different roles at various promotions, including as an official photographer, referee, announcer and valet.
In addition to gearing up for her upcoming match, McEntire also recently began collaborating with World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) first female ring announcer Mike McGuirk on a book that chronicles McGuirk's experiences in the wrestling world.
McEntire said while she is not as active in the wrestling world as she once was, she feels she has been very lucky to have been a part of it.
"I've met a lot of really great people," she said,
