Today we’d like to introduce you to The Young Professor Matt Graifer.
Hi Matt, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a premiere edutainer: half educator, half entertainer. At 25 years old, I became a college professor in the field of exercise science after spending several years working in higher education institutions in the field of recreational sports management. The extent to which I had taught or entertained at the time was limited to my experience as a Spinning Instructor for several years, but I took to teaching pretty well and wound up teaching courses on a wide variety of subjects under the exercise science umbrella for almost eight years.
During a period somewhere in the middle of that, I was displaced at the college I initially worked for and found myself in need of more opportunities to provide for my wife and four children. It was at that time that I started in entertainment as a trivia host at local bars and restaurants. It was there that I got the moniker “The Young Professor,” which was actually a much more memorable (and marketable) name than just being Matt. I found my way back to teaching at a different campus shortly afterward and began teaching by day and entertaining by night.
All throughout, people had been asking me for years after hearing me speak: “do you work in sports or radio?” I always just politely said no, but after a while, I started listening to them and asked myself, “Why are you not doing this?” Just like that: I set out to make that a reality.
Within six months of writing down the goal, I began working as a professional wrestling ring announcer at a small school called Go Wrestle. They ran weekly live shows, and with that kind of frequency, I was able to hone my craft and become pretty polished within a relatively short time frame. I also became the on-field MC for the Jacksonville Sharks arena football team at that time. However, my biggest opportunity that opened the most doors for me came out of Atlanta with the wrestling promotion Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment.
In the summer of 2019, co-owner of AWE Josh Wheeler put out an open call for performers who were looking for opportunities to be pro wrestling managers on a big stage. For many, many decades, Atlanta, GA has been a true cornerstone city for professional wrestling in the south and Atlanta has always loved characters who can talk people into the building. The call to apply for a chance to be called “Atlanta’s Top Manager” was met with much enthusiasm in the pro wrestling industry with dozens of applicants, including me. Despite never being a manager before, I threw my hat into the ring and rallied up my support, along with setting out to produce good videos to advance me to the finals.
Despite being up against managers who have been in the game for years, I was named Atlanta’s Top Manager and began my work in the ATL as the leader of “The Academy” before being forced onto an extended hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon AWE’s return, I was named the host of the television program AWE LOUD!, which aired locally on Right Now TV and in multiple other markets where we highlighted the incredible talent roster of Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment.
Due to my status at AWE, I was able to gain exposure to a much wider audience which has led to tons of new opportunities. Through other promoters witnessing the work in Atlanta, I have worked with multiple promotions in GA, TN, FL, and IN as a result. I also have become the exclusive ring announcer for Combat Night, the #1 amateur and professional MMA organization in the state of FL and the on-field Master of Ceremonies for the Daytona Tortugas at the historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark, the exact location where Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball.
Without Atlanta’s rich heritage and incredible fandom for professional wrestling, my career would not be anywhere near what it is today. I am grateful to have been given such an incredible opportunity to perform in front of these great fans and provide quality entertainment for the city. I am excited about what the future has to offer.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s no such thing as a smooth road. I have a blended family with four children while being a full-time teacher and a heavily booked entertainer. Scheduling and making time for family while still maximizing career opportunities is a constant struggle and balancing act, but I try to do the best that I can. I am not disappointed with the results thus far, but it can be difficult at times.
The other massive obstacles thus far have been directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AWE product was put on the shelf for nearly a year in the wake of the virus, and then after only a handful of television tapings and the difficulty of navigating the waters back to full operations, we are on hiatus once more.
Nevertheless, I continue to engage our fans online, and I have even been able to book some of the AWE talent roster members on other shows with me to continue some of our work together in other places in the meantime until we are able to get off the ground once more.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a live performer, usually in the role of Host or Master of Ceremonies (MC). I have worked in professional wrestling, MMA, boxing, baseball, and football and have performed in front of well over 100,000 fans collectively at a total of nearly 1,000 events. I also DJ small events and have been asked to give speeches as a keynote speaker at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s graduation ceremony and at Elevate Daytona, a TedX style speaking event.
I am a skilled speaker and announcer, but what separates me is my vast array of wild wardrobe choices as well as my professionalism & organization. I am not just someone who reads off names: I am dynamic and creative in ways that separate me from my peers pretty clearly. I can adapt quickly and efficiently to sudden changes and I always contribute towards enhancing every show I am a part of in some way. I like to tell prospective clients that if you bring in The Professor, I will “class up” the presentation of your event.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
In Atlanta, the guys who deserve the credit are the ones who gave me an opportunity and later made me a part of the AWE family: Mr. Josh Wheeler and Murder One, the owners/operators of AWE. They gave me a shot early on when many others didn’t, and I have thrived because of their belief in me as a performer and as a representative of their brand. I also have to give a shout-out to Michael Palomba, aka 3MP, who owns a large business firm in Atlanta and has been a worthy adversary and folly for me inside the confines of AWE. He is worth mentioning, at least briefly.
However, more than anyone else: my wife Shanna Graifer deserves all the credit for helping me get where I am today. She is my biggest supporter (and sometimes most brutal critic) and her efforts in keeping our family on task and our lives in motion, especially in my frequent absence, makes it possible for me to do what I do. I know it isn’t easy on her a lot of the time with our four children, but she adjusts to the demands of this lifestyle and makes our house a home while providing a loving atmosphere for our children to grow up in. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in this journey so my thanks for her cannot be stated enough.
Contact Info:
- Email: theyoungprofessormg@gmail.com
- Website: https://linktr.ee/
theyoungprofessor, www. teepublic.com/stores/the- young-professor?ref_id=22633 - Instagram: www.instagram.com/mgtheyoungprofessor
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theyoungprofessor
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/YoungProfessorG
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/theyoungprofessor
Image Credits
Sadiel Ruiz (Speedy Productions) Eye Reyes Photography Rusty Holt Photography Emanuel Torres
