Andrew N. Vassos is still recognizable as "Donovan Morgan," the name he used for a decade in his previous job.
But most pro-wrestling fans would do a double take if they saw the former wrestler today, decked out in a suit and tie and working in the "real world" as a banker.
After years of takedowns and somersaults, concussions and broken bones, nationwide tours and a few titles, Vassos abandoned his wrestling persona this year to pursue a career in mortgage banking.
After moving to Central Florida, he landed a job with Atlanta-based HomeBanc Mortgage Corp., one of the largest lenders in the Southeast, and was assigned to HomeBanc's regional sales operation.
Living in Mount Dora, the 30-year-old California native is a HomeBanc lender in Lake County -- far from the U.S. and foreign arenas where he once competed for championship belts.
"After wrestling for 10 years, you get to the point where your body just feels like it's wearing out," Vassos said. "I figured I had made about as much money as I could make in wrestling. Plus, I had just gotten married, and we wanted to start a family. I didn't want to be gone all the time.
WRESTLER TRADES HIS TRUNKS FOR A SUIT
- 11/01/2006 (12:04:35 pm)
- Media
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Thanks to Mike Informer for sending us this article about Donovan Morgan from the Orlando Sentinel:
Wrestler trades his trunks for a suit
The former 'Donovan Morgan' is transformed into a mortgage banker.
Richard Burnett | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted November 1, 2006
| |
So I knew I had to decide what would be the best way to build my future."
Acting on a tip from a wrestling buddy, Vassos applied at HomeBanc, which subsequently put him through a rigorous interview process, then a nine-month training program in mortgage banking.
Now Vassos has been on the job four months, and HomeBanc officials say they are pleased with the results.
"This is his first stab at the business world, and he's doing a great job," said Rob Mitchem, sales manager for HomeBanc's Altamonte Springs office. "He looks good in a suit and tie, nothing at all like you might think a professional wrestler would look like. He's taken to the business and the customers really well."
Vassos says he has worked very hard to succeed in his new career, putting in extra hours and going the extra mile. It's a work ethic he honed while rising through the ranks of minor and regional wrestling organizations to reach national professional status, he says.
As Donovan Morgan, he and partner Christopher Daniels won the 2001 tag-team championship of Ring of Honor Wrestling, an independent outfit based near Philadelphia that competes for fans with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., promoter Vince McMahon's mega organization based in Stamford, Conn. Morgan and Daniels defeated American Dragon and Michael Modest to become the tournament's first champs.
Brian Fritz, an Orlando sports-talk-radio personality and former pro-wrestling announcer, said Morgan was "a well-known independent wrestler who wrestled all over the country." He said Ring of Honor was a well-regarded company that focused on in-ring athletics instead of excessive hype.
"People like Donovan Morgan . . . are very hard workers, who sacrifice a lot to be a part of professional wrestling," said Fritz, who co-wrote Between the Ropes, a book about the pro-wrestling phenomenon. "They are just looking for an opportunity to continue their craft and to get a big look from a company like WWE. I believe some of the independent wrestlers are better in-ring wrestlers than some of the guys in WWE."
Vassos wrestled in Japan from late 2001 until last year, when he and his wife moved from California to Mount Dora to be closer to her family. Earlier this year, he took one more shot at the big time, trying out unsuccessfully for Nashville-based TNA Wrestling, which has a TV contract with Viacom Inc.'s Spike cable-TV channel.
"After that, I knew I needed something else to channel my energy into," Vassos said. "I've just been really blessed with this job. I've got a slew of customers, and I'm getting to prove myself all over again in a new field."
Acting on a tip from a wrestling buddy, Vassos applied at HomeBanc, which subsequently put him through a rigorous interview process, then a nine-month training program in mortgage banking.
Now Vassos has been on the job four months, and HomeBanc officials say they are pleased with the results.
"This is his first stab at the business world, and he's doing a great job," said Rob Mitchem, sales manager for HomeBanc's Altamonte Springs office. "He looks good in a suit and tie, nothing at all like you might think a professional wrestler would look like. He's taken to the business and the customers really well."
Vassos says he has worked very hard to succeed in his new career, putting in extra hours and going the extra mile. It's a work ethic he honed while rising through the ranks of minor and regional wrestling organizations to reach national professional status, he says.
As Donovan Morgan, he and partner Christopher Daniels won the 2001 tag-team championship of Ring of Honor Wrestling, an independent outfit based near Philadelphia that competes for fans with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., promoter Vince McMahon's mega organization based in Stamford, Conn. Morgan and Daniels defeated American Dragon and Michael Modest to become the tournament's first champs.
Brian Fritz, an Orlando sports-talk-radio personality and former pro-wrestling announcer, said Morgan was "a well-known independent wrestler who wrestled all over the country." He said Ring of Honor was a well-regarded company that focused on in-ring athletics instead of excessive hype.
"People like Donovan Morgan . . . are very hard workers, who sacrifice a lot to be a part of professional wrestling," said Fritz, who co-wrote Between the Ropes, a book about the pro-wrestling phenomenon. "They are just looking for an opportunity to continue their craft and to get a big look from a company like WWE. I believe some of the independent wrestlers are better in-ring wrestlers than some of the guys in WWE."
Vassos wrestled in Japan from late 2001 until last year, when he and his wife moved from California to Mount Dora to be closer to her family. Earlier this year, he took one more shot at the big time, trying out unsuccessfully for Nashville-based TNA Wrestling, which has a TV contract with Viacom Inc.'s Spike cable-TV channel.
"After that, I knew I needed something else to channel my energy into," Vassos said. "I've just been really blessed with this job. I've got a slew of customers, and I'm getting to prove myself all over again in a new field."
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