An American wrestler devised the evilest, most notorious, and meanest persona south of the border to ensure his certain success in Mexico’s professional wrestling league—Donald Trump.
Sam Adonis says that the idea came to him during the blazing heat of the 2016 presidential campaign. He observed that “people were so angry,” and thought that if he donned a pair of wrestling tights with an image of Donald Trump on them he would become an instant villain for the Mexican fans who watch the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) professional wrestling promotion.
“Most people here hate Donald Trump without really knowing why,” said the 6-foot-4, 250 pound Pennsylvania native, whose real name is Samuel Polinsky. “Nobody knows anything about him. They don’t read his policies, or anything he believes. It’s the blind leading the blind.”
According to Yahoo Sports, Adonis strikes an image of a “rudo—tall, blond and handsome.” Moreover, he is a throwback to the days of pretty-boy wrestlers “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig.
“I’m a flamboyant loudmouth,” Adonis said. “I’m willing to shove my president down your throat. I’m just such an ass that I want to be Trump. I’m the high school quarterback that picked on you.”
Adonis says that he watches “so much wrestling it’s stupid. I’m addicted to ‘80s wrestling.”
Sam’s dad was a Pittsburgh-area wrestling promoter and his brother, who goes by Corey Graves, was a great wrestler and spends his time now out of the ring and in the broadcasting box for the WWE. An injury to Sam in 2011 redirected his journey from American to European leagues, and ultimately to Mexico.
“I’d probably be at the top of the game in the WWE [if I stayed healthy],” he said. “Their top guys might not be at the level I am. You can be in the system and not that good. It’s like if a good prospect played basketball in Israel; I can be better than LeBron but not seen yet.”
All that being said, Sam Adonis stirs the ire of Mexicans while in the ring. As Yahoo reports, he turns “old jingoism on its head.” Standing in the ring, he sings the Star Spangled Banner (poorly) and tells the fans, “This city has the ugliest kids and the poorest men!”
He told Mercury News in February, “Wrestlers don’t get enough credit for being masters of human psychology. I know how to take people on an emotional roller coaster, so the fact that I can get people in such a frenzy and control them the way I want to, there’s an artistic pride behind that.”