Grant Carter

Grant Carter is straight off the Jersey Shore… but way before that meant you were a spray-tanned douchebag. (He does use spray tan though… shh.) His long curly blonde hair hangs slightly past his shoulders. His mustache and goatee are well-groomed. His teeth are bleached often and it shows. But there's just something about this guy that makes you want to like him.

In the ring, he’ll wear a pair of gold-colored full-length tights and white boots.  A matching elbowpad on his right elbow rounds out his ring gear.  Before he gets ready for action though, you’ll catch him in a gold vest with “GGC” written across the back in airbrushed font with a few gold chains hanging around his neck.

"Golden" Grant Carter had a childhood… but we don't care about that.

Fast forward ahead to the early 00s when Carter is managing a hard rock club in New York City.  One Saturday night, his head bouncer called in and said he was stuck in Philly due to weather and couldn’t make it.  Turns out he was moonlighting as a pro wrestler.  Carter fired him…

…and then had second thoughts.  The next time his bounced went to work a show, Carter tagged along.  He instantly thought he had the potential to be a pro wrestler and signed on at a local training school - a school that took ten thousand dollars from him and then closed up shop.  He was pissed and gave the pro wrestling business the proverbial middle finger.

Fast forward to 2008, Carter sees an ad on local television for pro wrestling school.  He swears at the TV… but starts to wonder.  Could he still do it?  He decides to give the school a call.  The trainer is willing to take his money… but says he’ll never make it as a wrestler.  An enraged Carter cuts a promo on the guy in the middle of the school.  The trainer’s grin got bigger and bigger throughout the verbal asskicking and at the end of it, he offers to train Carter to be a manager.

Carter accepts and soon after, he makes his debut as “Golden” Grant Grimes managing the Mad Samoans.  That lasts for a few months and then he gets to manage “Bad” Bruno Rocca.  Then he gets another tag team called the Marauders.  Soon, he’s managing his own stable - The Gold Mine.

Carter’s enjoying his gig but he’s also seeing that it doesn’t pay a heck of a lot.  His overtures to the major promotions go mostly unanswered as the wrestling business is in a bit of a downturn.  He keeps working wrestling as a side job… he keeps getting better… and he keeps seeing wrestlers that just aren’t very good getting paid more than him because they’re taking the hard shots inside the ring.

In 2011, Carter drops everything in his life and moves to Dallas, Texas in hopes of getting a job with the AWA.  He shows up at a Saturday Night Wrestling, somehow talking his way past security, and encounters Todd Michaelson.  Michaelson starts to have security toss him when Carter starts to tell him his story.  Michaelson listens with interest and ultimately allows Carter to stick around to watch the show.  

Two days later, Michaelson offers Carter a job as a manager… starting immediately on AWA television.

Carter declines to the shock of Todd Michaelson.  He wants to be a wrestler.

Michaelson tells him all the reasons he’ll fail but Carter doesn’t care.  He wants to be a wrestler.  Michaelson refuses, Carter says he’ll train without getting paid.  Michaelson agrees to that.

Three months later, Grant Carter is signed to an AWA contract… the lowest paying contract they’ve ever given.  Many in the Combat Corner see it as charity - “The old man will never make it.”

They were wrong.

As 2015 begins, “Golden” Grant Carter’s determination has gotten him to where he always dreamed of being - the squared circle.  He has his golden opportunity.

What will he do with it?  Stay tuned to find out.

He WAS a manager for a long time. He don't need no stinkin' manager.

DDP

[The opening notes to Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” starts up to a cheer from the crowd.]

PW: Introducing… from Asbury Park, New Jersey… weighing in at 262 pounds…

[Watson pauses just as the lyrics begin and “Golden” Grant Carter bursts through the curtain into view to a bigger cheer, throwing his arms up in a “V” with his left fist clenched and pressed into his fully-extended right palm.]

PW: “GOLLLLLLDEN” GRAAAAAAAANT CAAAAAARRRRTERRR!

[Carter throws his arms apart, a big grin on his face at the crowd’s reaction.  He hops a couple of times, pointing out at the cheering fans before he starts striding down the aisle, quickly making his way down towards the ring.]

<INSERT ANNOUNCER CHATTER>

[About thirty seconds into the song, he pulls himself up on the apron, turning towards the crowd, cupping his hand to his ear as he “listens” to the lyrics.]

#I ain’t gonna be just a face in the crowd
You’re gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud#

[The music pauses for a second as Carter reaches over his head, clapping his hands together twice in rhythm with the beat and then points out to the crowd, encouraging them to sing along with the chorus.]

#It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive

It’s… my… life#

[A grinning Carter ducks through the ropes, throwing his arms up into the same gesture we saw earlier as he faces his opponent and the music continues to play, ending with the very symbolic lyric.]

#It’s… my… life#

Face