Hometown wrestler seeks to astonish in his professional career

Local wrestling fans may have seen Lebanon native “Astonishing Austin Mulitalo” on the wrestling stage for the first time during World Wrestling Entertainment’s 2025 Backlash. But Mulitalo has been wrestling for years prior to Randy Orton RKO’ing him (knocking him off his feet) in Saint Louis earlier in May.
Mulitalo has been a wrestling fan since he was a child. He knew he wanted to become a professional wrestler when he was around 12 or 13. His love for wrestling has driven him towards a career in the sport and placed him in moments hard for his younger self to imagine.
“Obviously, knowing what you want to do and taking the steps to make that happen – sometimes, that’s a little complicated,” he said.
He and his mother began looking for wrestling schools around that age. He had had his eye on Harley Race’s Wrestling Academy, then in Eldon, but by the time he turned eighteen, the school had moved to Troy. Despite the distance, he tried out at the school and then committed to training in July 2020.
Because of pandemic restrictions, Mulitalo’s training was not consistent until August or September. Once training proper began, the focus was on physicality and showmanship, what Mulitalo described as combat theatre. The hardest part of wrestling for him was teaching his body how to fall.
Working in a ring made of metal beams, wooden boards, thin mats and canvas, the body must train itself to mitigate injuries while performing. The first three months of training will likely be the worst, Mulitalo said, but they should help a wrestler’s longevity in their career.
Aside from injury training, would-be wrestlers also work out and do cardio. Training is around three hours and consists of stretches, workouts, and in-ring exercises that replicate the environment of real matches.
For Mulitalo, wrestling training can be like that in his martial arts background. Fundamentals and techniques for footwork are important in both. While not like a dance, he said wrestling footwork is necessary for a successful wrestler. Hands on learning is also important in both.
After taking basic and advanced courses at his school, Mulitalo had his first match in March 2022. Most students may have matches with higher attendance through the school’s wrestling promotion. Mulitalo’s coach, Leland Race, had him in an Arkansas show with around 20 people watching.
Mulitalo was just excited to wrestle after a long training period. Those twenty people gave Mulitalo the energy he needed to overcome his nervousness and survive his first match. He continues to think fondly of that first bout.
“There’s a philosophy in wrestling, that if you can’t wrestle in front of ten people, what makes you think you can wrestle in front of 10,000 people, ten million people?” he said.
Ten wrestling titles later, Mulitalo is still learning. A professional wrestler is also an independent contractor who deals with merchandising, promotion, and other moving pieces. His coaches and mentors play a large role in his development, giving advice and answering questions.

Aside from wrestling, Mulitalo works as a liason for the U.S. Army National Guard. He also recently began acting and is considering stunt work.
Because Mulitalo’s goal is to do professional wrestling full time – or at least make it a living – he is not sure if he will reenlist with the Guard this November. He still enjoys his job, though.
His schedule keeps him busy. When the Record talked to him May 23, he was driving to a Cleveland show that night after training the night before after work. After Friday’s show, he had a show Saturday in Jefferson City. The Sunday after his second show, he had a radio interview in Saint Louis.
Sometimes his wrestling takes him closer to home. In February, Mulitalo wrestled at a show at Fort Leonard Wood with his tag team partner Blade Lennox, who is medically retired from the military. Wrestling with a prosthetic leg, Lennox trained with Mulitalo in school before becoming his partner.
The duo wrestled at Fort Leonard Wood to a crowd of 3,000 people – friends, family, and fellow service members. That show was a surreal and special moment for Mulitalo.
In three years of wrestling, Mulitalo said he has gotten to do lots of cool stuff. He has been on WWE several times and hopes the organization signs him. He has been having fun.
An important lesson he has learned about wrestling is on its subjectivity. Wrestlers cannot copy other wrestlers one-for-one and expect to be successful. A wrestler, he thought, had to perform for all kinds of people. He thought extraordinary wrestlers had the ability to adapt to the crowd and create moments.
Moments, for Mulitalo, are everything. Those moments, whether highlighting him or other wrestlers, are what he thinks crowds will remember. People may not remember who gets eliminated in what Royal Rumble, but people will remember the countdowns, the entrances, and the elimination spots.
Mulitalo goes by his real name in wrestling, a departure from the traditional stage name. He thought of his performances as an amplification of his normal personality. Because of his childhood meetings with wrestlers who treated him kindly, he wants to do the same with his fans.
“There was a good portion growing up, when I was a little bit younger, that I just used to get bullied a lot,” he said. Others would also mock him for wanting to be a wrestler.
During Backlash, he performed and talked with childhood icons like Randy Orton, John Cena, and Triple H. Being part of the final match between Orton and Cena in his home state was special, both as part of his wrestling journey and for the comments he received afterwards from locals and old friends.
“There’s so many times, more times than I can count, that wrestling has either taken me from a dark place and put me in a happy place, or it’s honestly saved me from doing who knows what with my life,” Mulitalo said. He hopes to pass forward the positive experiences he has shared with wrestling.