A Navy veteran and former powerlifter, Josh Schaff has continued to blaze a trail all his own inside the ring. He has earned a great deal of notoriety competing primarily for DEFY Wrestling (which can be seen on Powerslam.tv), which is based out of Seattle, Washington. As a big man, SCHAFF’s style is a reflection of his frame. But his versatility in the ring enables him to work well with both men his own size and stature, and those smaller than him. He is the man that is often referred to as the ‘baddest motherf***er in professional wrestling’.
His career first began while training out of Atlanta, Georgia under AR Fox. He wrestled around Georgia a great deal but needed to branch out, and so he did. This need to branch out took him to Seattle. In October 2017, SCHAFF made his debut for DEFY Wrestling, and he went from unknown to someone everyone in attendance was immediately talking about. His passion to be a wrestler was illustrated by his earlier days practicing on a trampoline. As he got older, he knew that he wanted to do something fun, and do it for the rest of his life, and his pursuit of personal success grew. His training transitioned from bouncing on a trampoline to taking a beating on the wooden planks that form the bottom of a wrestling ring. While taking bumps isn’t the most fun thing for any wrestler to endure, Schaff did enjoy tossing talent.
Going from Navy training to wrestling training was, for SCHAFF, a seamless transition. He was doing calisthenics all day long already, so he was well prepared. His learning curve wasn’t met without some setbacks, however. By his own admission, he did some things in training that in hindsight was something he shouldn’t have been doing. But he was able to learn, adapt and grow. At one point, an injury made him rethink what he did and didn’t need to do in order to grow.
In moving from one part of the United States to the other, he had to adjust to a new environment. While he can’t necessarily foresee how his character will evolve, he does know that he is quite pleased with the overall performer he is quickly becoming. He began weightlifting nearly six years ago and has developed quite quickly. In doing so he completely changed his frame and size, and that dedication to weight lifting is clearly visible to fans who see him today.
He compares himself as a young Bill Goldberg, though not in a conceited way. His reason for the comparison is that the intensity, size and explosive nature of his ring style are similar to Goldberg and what he did in the ring. Schaff looked up to Goldberg and was inspired by his in-ring style. As he continues to move forward he has seen other challenges and triumphs throughout his young career. The taxing nature of wrestling has forced him to also rethink how he approaches his craft. He had to overcome the mental anguish that came with taking his first bump. By his own admission that pain he experienced led him, like many others, to question if this was what he wanted to do. However, he stuck with it and continues to compete. Once he had his first match, the bumps were all worth it at the end of it. In order to succeed, he had to push forward.
His time with DEFY Wrestling came about simply by reaching out to a number of different promoters, including DEFY’s Matt Farmer. The buzz around the promotion was building, as notable names such as Cody (Rhodes) had competed for the company, and he knew this was where he wanted to be. After being given an opportunity, he had his first match for the promotion and was blessed with an immediate reaction from those in attendance. The reactions of the crowd certainly have energized him time and time again and pushed him to go farther than he initially thought.
A humble person, SCHAFF doesn’t come across to those watching as someone who thinks he’s better than them. He appreciates that fans like to watch him come in and hurt those that stand in front of him. He also knows that if he continues to give fans what they want, they will continue to show their support. He continues to push himself, and his aspirations aren’t limited to simply wrestling in one particular territory but rather do so all over the world. SCHAFF is on each card that DEFY Wrestling presents and faced current PROGRESS Wrestling Champion WALTER on August 10th. That was a case of two sizable men unleashing stiff strikes on each other. Fans were witness to several suplexes from Schaff as well. These sorts of matches showcase just how good SCHAFF is, and how good he will become. He is a star on the rise, and certainly, someone fans need to keep an eye out for throughout 2018 and beyond.
To listen to an edition of ProWrestlingPosts Podcast with SCHAFF click here.
Catch SCHAFF at DEFY Wrestling by watching on Powerslam Wrestling Network. You can download Powerslam TV for Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Google Play.
