FSU Student Moonlights as Pro Wrestler

Frostburg State University student Paul Wilson ’23 seems very unassuming.

Sitting calmly in the Starbucks lounge of the Lane University Center wearing a gray Mickey Mouse hoodie, it is hard to imagine that Wilson spent the previous weekend flying off the side of a wrestling ring, slamming a folding chair over some big dude’s back and hollering “yee-haw” at the top of his lungs.

Mild-mannered (dare we say “shy”) Wilson, a liberal studies major with a focus in business by day, spends his weekends wrestling as “Cowpoke Paul” for adoring fans in the independent wrestling circuit.

Paul Wilson - FSU Student By Day, Wrestler By Night.

“Everybody loves a cowboy,” Wilson said, with an impish grin.

A resident of Cumberland, Md., Wilson has been a lifelong fan of professional wrestling. Although quiet, he confessed to an offbeat sense of humor and penchant for mischief and was even voted “Class Clown” at his Catholic high school. “This is far out of my comfort zone.”

During the pandemic, Wilson thought he would try his hand (and the rest of his body) at professional wrestling. “After the pandemic, it got me out of the house,” he joked.

He emailed various independent organizations and received a response from Ryse Wrestling out of Uniontown, Pa. Before entering training, Wilson had to come up with his wrestling persona. "Cowpoke Paul” from imaginary Dry Rock, Wyoming, was born with his colorful stretch pants, vest, cowboy hat and trusty lasso.

“I wanted a character that was super recognizable,” Wilson said.

After finishing his week of FSU classes, Wilson travels the east coast on weekends wrestling for screaming fans, young and old, who cheer on their favorite cowboy. Some younger fans even dressed as “Cowpoke Paul” for Halloween.

“The fans are going nuts for it.”

Cowpoke Paul

To train for the matches, Wilson works out four days a week and tries to “eat clean,” consuming around 3,000 calories a day. He hopes to move up in the professional ranks and recently faced off in the ring with Lee Moriarty, a popular wrestler signed with AEW (All-Elite Wrestling).

“I want to get better and advance and have a little fun,” Wilson said.

Over the years, several Frostburg Bobcats have leapt into the wrestling ring. Philip Stamper ’00/M’06 has been wrestling professionally since his days at the Burg when he was known as “Phenom Phil.” Nowadays, he wrestles as the President of Wrestling who, Stamper admitted, is equally booed and cheered at matches.

Like Wilson, Stamper started out as a fan, writing to his favorite wrestlers when he was a young boy, fascinated by the rivalries and storylines.

“I always thought of wrestling as the first reality show,” Stamper said.

Stamper also spends his time working with MCA Professional Wrestling, headquartered in Joppa, Md., managing and working behind the scenes collaborating with wrestling companies to promote events and wrestlers.

His day job is as the executive director of operations for the Office of University Branding at George Mason University in Washington, D.C. Do his colleagues in academia know about his alter ego? “Oh yeah, they know,” Stamper admitted with a laugh. “I get a lot of ‘really?”

While the debate about wrestling’s authenticity continues, the injuries are real and can be quite painful – just ask the President of Wrestling.

“I have a metal plate and six screws in my neck,” Stamper said of his neck fusion. “A third of my knee is someone else’s.”

But as the old adage goes -- no pain, no gain. That is something that newbie Cowpoke Paul is also learning.

“I recently sprained my rotator cuff,” Wilson said, which would make it hard to carry his college bookbag.

As Wilson left the Lane University Center for the week, he was off to grab his lasso and hat and set forth for another match. But he would be back in class bright and early Monday morning.

Does Wilson ever feel the need to “superplex” one of his professors or scream “yee haw” from the campus clock tower? Not really. He has a secret trick to keep wrestler Cowpoke Paul under wraps – just add water.

“You take a shower and the excitement just washes off of you,” Wilson said with a laugh.

Follow Cowpoke Paul on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @CowpokePaul and Philip Stamper @TrustinPhil.