Japanese World War II fighter pilots were dubbed Kamikaze pilots because of their suicidal battle tactics used in order to compensate for the vast difference in size and firepower against larger and more powerful American battleships.

Friday, August 13, 1999

Japanese World War II fighter pilots were dubbed Kamikaze pilots because of their suicidal battle tactics used in order to compensate for the vast difference in size and firepower against larger and more powerful American battleships.

At 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, the name Kamikaze fits Brenden Troster.

"As you can probably guess, I’m not the biggest guy out there," said Troster, a 1995 graduate of Austin High School. "I’m going up against guys that are 5 or 6 inches taller than me and outweigh me by at least 100 pounds. I have to take all kinds of risks. I have to fly around and do things lots bigger guys don’t or really can’t do."

Kamikaze will be among a host of other pro wrestlers from the All-Star Wrestling Association as the main attraction 10 p.m. Saturday night at the Mower County Fair.

Troster, who still lives in Austin, is living out his childhood dream of as a pro wrestler.

"I’ve wanted to do this since I was 8," said Troster, who will be 23 in September. "I don’t think my mom really took me seriously though until I was in high school, but she’s gotten use to it though."

As a sophomore, his only year wrestling at AHS, Troster talked to AWA wrestler Ken Patera about becoming a wrestler, and was referred to Brad Rheingas, a two-time gold medal winner in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Pan-American games in 1980 and a silver medal winner at the 1976 Olympics. Rheingas was the main instructor at pro wrestling camp in Plymouth.

"I don’t even know how to described it," he said. "They just basically beat the crap out of us."

Among those doing the beating were Animal, one half of the World Wrestling Federation’s Road Warriors, Kurt Hennig of the World Championship Wrestling and Wayne Bloom, also of the WCW.

Of the eight students that began the 10-week course that ran three hours a day for four days a week, Troster was one of only two that completed the training.

Even before completing his training, Troster had lined up his first gig. A promoter for a small show in Des Moines, Iowa needed two more wrestlers, so was called and recommended Troster.

"It was incredible," Troster said of wrestling for the first time in front of a crowd of about 400-500, which is about the average crowd size he wrestles in front of now. "I was scarred to death."

Aside learning how to take punishment as well dish it out, Troster said the showmanship and over-the-top personalities, which have become synonymous, with and largely responsible for, increasing the popularity of the sports entertainment event, wasn’t touched on at the course.

Troster said a lot of wrestlers come up with their own image and name as he did, but added that sometimes a promoter will "see something they can use" or ask a wrestler to assume a different type of identity to help market an event.

One such case was with Laney Lane, a pro wrestler Troster battled in the ring several times in one of the eight independent wrestling circuits in the Twin Cities. Lane has since been hired to a lucrative deal with the WCW to assume a homosexual identity at the request of the show’s promoters.

Troster said he still keeps in contact with Lane and still has his eye on eventually joining him on the national scene.

"I’m on year four of a five-year plan," he said. "The WWF and WCW don’t even look at you unless you have five years experience."

But if Troster does eventually get the opportunity to wrestler for either one of the two biggest companies, it might not be as Kamikaze, but an entirely different persona. Troster said if given the opportunity to, he would be willing to change his style but "nothing degrading."

"If you don’t have that flexibility, you won’t go far in this business," he added.

Troster, who has wrestled all throughout the Midwest and was once the Northern Premier Wrestling Champion, was actually known as Kamikaze Kid, but dropped the second word about two years ago when he found out another wrestler on the East Coast had the same name.

Troster, who said he wrestles about five shows a month, works in the same sense as a freelancer. At less prestigious pro wrestling circuits such as the AWA, there is no guaranteed money. A promoter will call Troster if there is opening to fill.

Although the notoriety and money are less than national leagues, and a Kamikaze action figure isn’t in the immediate future, Troster is still enjoying his shot at living out his dream.

"I don’t care if there’s 20 or 2,000 people out there," he said. "I just want to go out there and give people their money’s worth."