After all, the twenty-three year old rookie measures in at a rail-thin 5'10', looking more like an amicable frat brother than a professional athlete. "A lot of people come up to me and say, 'Do you think I'll ever get an opportunity in wrestling,' or 'Am I too small, too this or too that?' Well, to me it's all about how bad do you wantit," said Kidman supporter and fan Diamond Dallas Page. "Look at a guy like Billy Kidman. He wanted it bad, even if it meant wrestling in his backyard; he would have done so, if that's what was needed." "Most of all," said Page, "Kidman loves the sport, and that's very important."
Growing up as the typical Allentown, Pennsylvania, teenager,Kidman watched wrestling whenever possible. That's all he ever wanted to do. At 16, he inquired at the local Wild Samoan Training Center, but was told he had to be 18 to train. Kidman returned to the Center three years later, began training and,shortly thereafter, began wrestling in small, regional federations throughout the Northeast. "Of course I knew I wasn't big in comparison (to the other athletes), but I didn't think that would hold me back from following my dream," Kidman said. "As I got older,I saw smaller guys like Rey Mysterio, Jr., excelling in the sport. I really looked up to Rey and guys like him because they were doing so well and they, too, lacked the typical size. I figured if they could do it, I too could do it. I knew I had the talent. I just didn't want the size-factor to hold me back."
It hasn't. Kidman has challenged wrestling's best over the past twelve months, including Dean Malenko, Juventud Guerrera, Glacier, and Chris Benoit. "So many people want to give (wrestling) a shot, but don't. Well, to them I say: Follow your dreams. Stick with it. Don't let anyone discourage you." Kidman's progress has been aided by DDP and Terry Taylor, both helping ease and coach Kidman through his first year in WCW.
Kidman's marquee move is the top-rope Shooting Star Press. Kidman stands on the top turnbuckle facing the ring, then does a reverse somersault landing in a splash on his opponent. It's Kidman's version of a reverse moonsault, and based on a move Jushin 'Thunder' Liger did years ago in Japan. "When I first started training, I didn't think (the move)was possible, but when I saw Liger do it, I figured I had to give it a shot," Kidman said It is a difficult move to do. I'm just fortunate in that I am one of the few guys who is able to do it." "I'm working on a couple of new moves that, well, I don't want to reveal right now, but I think the fans will be impressed-- and so will other wrestlers. I'm going to lean towards more amateur wrestling and add to my aerial arsenal."
With a year behind him, Kidman now looks ahead. "Up until this point, it's been a real learning experience for me," he said. "I learn something new in each and every match, things that I should have or should not have done which,no doubt, will help me in the future. "I feel as though I'm here, but still haven't accomplished my dream: winning the WCW Cruiserweight Championship belt,"Kidman said. "I know I have a lot of learning to do, but I think I will do just fine in this sport."
Still, Kidman understands the good fortune in living his childhood dream. "I still remember when my dad (Pete) took me to my first live wrestling match: it was in the mid-1980s at the New Haven(Conn.) Coliseum and Hulk Hogan was there. It was just amazing. Now I'm wrestling, and it's a great feeling."
