Tony Mantella - My Story

"Wrestling is a little like wrestling a bear, you don't quit when you are tired, you quit when the bear is tired." - Author Unknown

I grew up in a small town in upstate New York called Homer. If you're not familiar with Homer, it is a small dot on the map between Syracuse and Binghamton. One of the most noteworthy things about Homer is that there are twice as many cows as there are people. Growing up in this rural area adjacent to many farms was quite different, there is not much happening on the weekends. Sometimes, "cow tipping" was the only way to entertain ourselves and help pass the time on long summer nights. Those cows sure made us stronger though!

My inspiration came when I was a…