Pro Wrestler Coaches High School Volleyball

Anthony Cofrancesco, who has appeared for six years as an entertainment wrestler, is stepping into a different arena as an assistant volleyball coach at

Cofrancesco’s experience in sports entertainment harkens back to the spring of his first year at Southern Connecticut State University, where he took his degree in recreation and leisure.

Then, he and his brother formed a tag team (stage names Anthony and Chris Battle) with one brother active in the wrestling ring while the second waited for a transfer on the side.  They trained under a former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) member for half a year.

“What we do is basically the minor leagues, like Triple-A in baseball,” the new assistant volleyball coach said of his wrestling appearances throughout the state.  “It all depends on getting exposure. We do independent wrestling. We’re not signed to contracts." 

“They [entertainment wrestling impresarios] send people to watch shows like ours, and they may give the wrestlers a trial match. It’s like off-off-Broadway to Broadway,” the mild-mannered yet hefty athlete said.  “It’s not a competition. It’s basically a play with athletes.”

“There is a lot of technique that goes along with it,” he said, taking care to debunk a myth associated with sports entertainment.  

As for the narratives that drive the matches, he said the shows always pit a good guy against a bad guy. “Right now, I’m the good guy.  A year ago I was the bad guy.”  

“Being a good guy is a lot more rewarding,” he remarked, noting that children come up to him after a show and ask for his autograph.   

Volleyball, which, like wrestling, requires both physical strength and a capacity to be quick on one’s feet, seems to run in his family. Cofrancesco mentioned two siblings and one cousin who were also participants in the sport.

“The [high school] team had an appeal when I went out for it – they were state champs,” said the Bethany resident, who honed his athletic skills in both volleyball and wrestling while a student at Amity High School.

After helping to coach a number of volleyball clinics, he said his aim at EHHS, where he will assist Coach Craig Brown with the girls volleyball team, is to have a winning season.

“The target is to get the kids ready for the varsity court. We’re going to try to win,” said the new assistant coach.

Yet he continues to have fun at each of the two sports he pursues, even if he views volleyball and wrestling as equally tense at this point. 

He said being nervous was part of the thrill of wrestling – and that, he said, was an emotion that should never go away.

“The first time I have to submit a lineup to a referee [will also be] nerve-wracking,” he conceded.  Once he gets used to doing that, he said, those jitters should go away.

The girls volleyball varsity team debuts Sept. 16.