[39 / 4 / 30]
>I have wanted to become a professional wrestler since I was 6 years old, and for most of my life I thought it was never on the cards. I have dwarfism, which means I am not the six foot, 200lb person that WWE would normally hire, but it was always my dream—I wasn't going to let anything stop that.
>In 2006, I heard that WWE was looking for a person of my stature to fill a role in wrestling, and to my surprise, they hired me.
>For just under ten years I got to live my dream of being a professional wrestler on worldwide television, and it was absolutely incredible. I got that role because of my stature, not in spite of it.
>During this period I heard from other dwarves, who rarely saw a person with our condition wrestling. Many kids would reach out, telling me I was their favorite because they couldn't relate to the other guys; they related to me overcoming obstacles in the ring. It was awesome to feel like a role model.
>Because of my time as a wrestler, I was chosen for roles in the 2014 movies Muppets Most Wanted and Leprechaun: Origins, both of which were an absolute blast to make. For me, it was another dream scenario that I got to live out.
>During my childhood, I rarely saw people with dwarfism on screen, and while it increased as I became a teenager—cameos in movies like Jingle All The Way and Elf—those roles felt very few and far between, and they were never main parts.
>That's why I was so heartbroken when, earlier this month, I saw leaked photos of the seven dwarfs in Disney's remake of Snow White, which showed the characters were being portrayed by actors who appear to be a mix of heights.
>I felt so let down. I went through so many emotions; I felt shame and embarrassment, and then anger. It just blew me away. How could they think that casting was a good idea?
>In 2006, I heard that WWE was looking for a person of my stature to fill a role in wrestling, and to my surprise, they hired me.
>For just under ten years I got to live my dream of being a professional wrestler on worldwide television, and it was absolutely incredible. I got that role because of my stature, not in spite of it.
>During this period I heard from other dwarves, who rarely saw a person with our condition wrestling. Many kids would reach out, telling me I was their favorite because they couldn't relate to the other guys; they related to me overcoming obstacles in the ring. It was awesome to feel like a role model.
>Because of my time as a wrestler, I was chosen for roles in the 2014 movies Muppets Most Wanted and Leprechaun: Origins, both of which were an absolute blast to make. For me, it was another dream scenario that I got to live out.
>During my childhood, I rarely saw people with dwarfism on screen, and while it increased as I became a teenager—cameos in movies like Jingle All The Way and Elf—those roles felt very few and far between, and they were never main parts.
>That's why I was so heartbroken when, earlier this month, I saw leaked photos of the seven dwarfs in Disney's remake of Snow White, which showed the characters were being portrayed by actors who appear to be a mix of heights.
>I felt so let down. I went through so many emotions; I felt shame and embarrassment, and then anger. It just blew me away. How could they think that casting was a good idea?
