Pittsburgh is a city inspired by grit and hard work.

The 3 Legacies Wrestling Company is built on perseverance.

On Jan. 9, 3LW will present “Steel City Grit,” an action-packed night of professional wrestling featuring former WWE talents as well as local and up-and-coming stars in the industry.

The event is a first of its kind in many ways. It will be the first live wrestling show held at Sunken Bus Studios in Ross. 

It is also the first time the 1½-year-old wrestling promoter will take its show outside of its home territory.

Founded by former WWE Superstar and current MLW star Jesus "Ricardo" Rodriguez, 3LW is based in Lancaster, Pa. The first 29 events of the promotion’s history have all been in that area.

Rodriguez, however, is no stranger to the Pittsburgh area.

“I've been very blessed in the past, even with my time with WWE, that I've been able to come out to Pittsburgh and experience the city, not just in the aspect of wrestling, but also just as a whole in the times that I've come out,” he said.

“I'm very excited to be able to come back and give back, even if it is for just one night, being here in Pittsburgh with my brand: 3 Legacies Wrestling for Steel City Grit.”

Rodriguez wrestled at WrestleRex on the South Side in June 2022, and has known many local wrestlers throughout his career. For him, Pittsburgh was a great fit for his first show on the road.

He moved to the Lancaster area during a pivotal time in his life.

“Something I've been very open about in the past was my issues with the drugs and alcohol addiction,” Rodriguez said. “When I ended up in rehab centers in Lancaster, I ended up doing my own thing. I opened up my own wrestling school.”

Rodriguez wanted to find a way to give back to the wrestling community, which played such a large part in his career. But once the Lancaster community embraced his idea, he realized he wanted to do something more than just a wrestling school.

As he has helped other wrestlers begin their careers, he has kept himself focused on wrestling and away from his demons. Rodriguez is currently over three years sober.

One major success story for 3LW is the rise of Zoey Cannon. The 5-foot-2 “Bombshell” from Boston has just begun her journey into pro wrestling, but 3LW has given her a path to follow and all of the tools needed to reach the top.

Cannon moved to Lancaster from Massachusetts after seeing an online flyer.

“I messaged the person that had put the flyer out, which was 3 Legacies wrestling,” she recalled.

“I explained who I was and said that I just moved here and I was really looking forward to this particular event. I love wrestling. But is there anything that I can do to help out? I see that it's your first thing happening.”

She was told to stop by the school the next day, and she has been there ever since.

In less than two years, Cannon has wrestled over 30 matches in the Northeast. She won her first title and has added promotions to her resume as her notoriety has grown.

When she began training, she said she was not in great shape.

“I didn't do any sports. I wasn't athletic at all,” she said. “From the get-go, I started training 4-6 nights a week, every week....

“It was just wrestling every single day. And then on the one or two days that I wasn't training, I was going to either one of our shows or another company’s show. We would  (hand out) flyers over there, we would help out with ring crew or we would just go and enjoy the show, whatever it was.”

She described it as going from 0-to-60 overnight.

“There's plenty of times that I wanted to quit. But then I realized, like, look how far I've gotten. I can't go back now.…

“Wrestling has taken me to a lot of different places, places that I never thought I'd get to, but I've done it. I'm doing it now.”

Cannon will not be the only member of the 3LW academy to wrestle on Jan. 9 in Pittsburgh. She will be joined by Chris Alcalde, Tarzan Duran and Al Snook.

It was important for Rodriguez to make a show that was family-friendly.

“I remember when I was a kid just watching Lucha Libre. The appeal of building memories with my family members because I knew that in Mexico when I was coming up, every Saturday or Sunday we would all sit down and watch wrestling with my cousins or with my grandpa or my uncles,” he said.

“So building that everlasting memory that I, to this day, still remember. When I used to go to wrestling shows, it's something similar to when dads take their sons to baseball games. It's a bonding experience and it's something that creates memories.”

Michael Cichowicz, a South Allegheny High School grad better known by his ringname, Facade, has worked with 3LW five times already. He and his Neon Blondes partner, Dani Mo, have their sights firmly set on the tag team titles.

He noted that just because he and his partner are an intergender team doesn’t prohibit them from competing against the best teams out there.

“We wrestle a lot of matches against guys and girls and guys with guys. You know. it's cool that wrestling's in that kind of state now where the inclusivity, if you will, is there,” he said.

Cichowicz has watched as 3LW has blossomed from an idea into a successful touring organization.

“I've seen lots of people from the area, getting out beyond Lancaster and middle Pennsylvania already,” he said. “Especially being in your first year of wrestling and training. That's a pretty big deal.

“I see also at the events that (Rodriguez) has, that he has WWE superstars coming in and wrestling his students and having these matches where they can learn and continue to progress and then make connections with important people within the business.”

“Steel City Grit” starts at 7 p.m. Jan. 9 at Sunken Bus Studios, 3312 Babcock Blvd., Ross (15237). Tickets for the all-ages show are $35 for VIP and $20 for general admission, available at threelegacieswrestling.ticketspice.com/steel-city-grit.

Saul Berrios-Thomas: sthomas@post-gazette.com

First Published: January 2, 2025, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: January 2, 2025, 3:04 p.m.