Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘I had always been a fan of professional wrestling growing up. Announcing saved my life.’

Ryan Peterson, Bethpage

“I have two jobs: By day, I’m a technical assistant for account managers at an insurance broker, and by night, I’m a sports announcer for sporting events, including MMA, kickboxing and professional wrestling. I’m basically the gentleman in the suit introducing the fighters coming into the ring or cage. It was a long road to get to this point.

“I grew up in a single-parent home. I had a difficult time because I was bullied in middle school. By the time I got to college, I was still a shy guy, but I loved working on an internet radio show. I had always been a fan of professional wrestling growing up.

I try to get the crowd involved. If the kids are happy, it makes me and the fighters love what we do even more.

“In my 20s, I became friends with people who did professional independent wrestling. In the beginning, I tried wrestling myself. It’s not as easy as people think. I quit after the first two weeks because it wasn’t for me.

“There was a training school that hosted a seminar by WWE Hall of Famer ‘Mouth of the South’ Jimmy Hart. I said to Mr. Hart, ‘I’d like to participate, but I’m not a wrestler. What can I do?’ He said, ‘Why don’t you try being a referee?’ I wasn’t good. The school said, ‘This guy is actually a radio DJ. Why don’t you give him a shot at announcing?’ So, I took the microphone, did what I normally observe, and he said, ‘Son, that is your calling.’ Those four words are near and dear to my heart.

“Two months later, I officially made my announcing debut in front of 300 people. Until that point, I hated public speaking. I was a nervous wreck, but the adrenaline kicked in, and all my fears went away. It has been more than 10 years, and now I’ve done shows all over the U.S.

“I’ve also been featured on global pay-per-view, and I’m a mainstay at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, which hosts 10,000 people. I’m living my childhood dream in that I’m involved with wrestling but not getting hurt.

“I try to get the crowd involved. If the kids are happy, it makes me and the fighters love what we do even more. It’s all about giving back to the fans. Announcing saved my life. I’ve lost a lot of weight since beginning, and it made me feel good about myself again. I feel more competent in interacting with people. I’m very happy with the person that I am today.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

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