Chris Melendez made his pro-wrestling debut on Impact Wrestling last week, but he’s more than just your average grappler.
What makes Melendez so special is that he’s a former Army Sergeant who was awarded a Purple Heart, and he lost a leg in the line of duty in an incident involving an IED in 2006 on a tour of duty in Iraq.
He was only 19-years-old at the time, but he never let it slow him down, as within 40 short days of his accident, he was back on his feet with a new prosthetic leg. More determined than ever that he wasn’t going to let his dream slip away from him, he began to train as a pro-wrestler in 2012, and just last week he made his debut with TNA.
Pictured in the ring with several other of the company's highest profile stars, including Kurt Angle, Melendez's dream debut came in front of his home crowd in New York, and he's been getting plenty of press thanks to his amazing story.
Chris credits his tough attitude and his never-say-die spirit to the fact that he’s a New Yorker, but he also added that he wasn’t just doing this for himself, he wants to inspire others too: “If you have something that you think is debilitating, you have to realise that you might only be holding yourself back, and I want to help people realise their own potential”.
Via IJ Review.com, All pics via TNA/Impact Wreslting
