Spotlight on April Hunter
April is a prominent Internet model, whose pay site is located at http://www.aprilhunter.com. April began working as a stripper, which then parlayed into a career as a fitness model. Knowing fitness models only spend a few years making money, her eye caught professional wrestling on television after dating a guy that was a fan. "I got hooked on it when a guy I was seeing was a wrestling junkie. The athleticism, the power...it looked like a lot of fun!" April exclaimed.
When World Championship Wrestling (WCW) came looking for fitness models to use on their broadcasts, April was amongst the females chosen. She debuted in WCW in 1999 as one of "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner's freaks. She appeared alongside other notable fitness models as Tylene Buck (Who later became Major Gunns), Midajah O'Hearn and Kim Kanner (Known as Shakira). April enjoyed being apart of the show, but when she wasn't being used, she felt that her tenure was quickly over. She admittingly developed an ego, and soon left WCW after plans for her to enter the Power Plant fell through. "I was stupid and impatient," April said about her WCW departure. "They didn't have a spot for me at the moment and I was missing modeling and commercial work opportunities. I wasn't trained, didn't know squat about the wrestling business or paying dues, so I didn't handle the situation as well as I could have."
She still wanted to get trained, so she was referred to WWE Hall of Famer Killer Kowalski's school in Boston, MA and quickly relocated there. She didn't learn just how to wrestle there, but she got her mindset fixed from when she was working with WCW. "Leave your ego out of things because it's a really tough business and you have to leave your ego behind to get anywhere," she said. "You have to have thick skin. A lot of how your career goes has to do with who you know, politics and what they're looking for at the moment."
April has been hooked up with "The Underground King" Slyk Wagner Brown for the most part of her career. Her first pin came in an intergender match, which saw her and Slyk defeat Simon Diamond and Dawn Marie when April pinned Simon. One of her earlier and favorite victories came when she defeated WWE Tough Enough I finalist Taylor Matheny. April's career in the independent scene quickly skyrocketed and she found herself wrestling all around the world.
In the first half of 2002, April was one of 14 wrestlers invited to compete at the WWE's tryout camp in Cincinnati, OH. Only two other females were invited to the camp. Unfortunately for April, things didn't work out for her and WWE. Her next stop was in NWA: TNA. She got to wrestle on the live PPV against Alan Funk, who was wrestling as Bruce. They battled several weeks over the crown of Miss TNA, and April was soon gone from the company.
Doors began to open for her in Japan. She has competed in such companies as A to Z, Arsion and NEO. She was invited by NEO Ladies, run by Joshi Promotions, last year to work their anniversary show at Korakuen Hall. And at last year's A to Z debut show. She defeated Yoshida and Leo-na in Kawasaki, Japan. She was also featured as an action heroine in the Zero One/Hashimoto Japanese movie Home Sweet Battlefield.
Meanwhile, back in the States, she has seen just as much success. Last year, she won the World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) Women's Super 8 Tournament while sick with bronchitis. Rounding out 2003, April and Slyk became the first inter-gender tag team champions for Jersey All Pro Wrestling when they defeated the cocky champions Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz. As 2003 was coming to a close, April was getting more and more chances to shine as a singles competitor. In November, she challenged Tyler Payne for his Stars & Stripes Championship Wrestling (SSCW) Tradition Cup. The match was to take place in January 2004, but it didn't take place. She almost helped Slyk win the Cyber Space Wrestling Federation Title (CSWF) from champion Ron Killings in November 2003, and again in their rematch in February 2004.
Instead, April began 2004 by being invited, along with Slyk Wagner Brown, to work the IWA Puerto Rico tour. She worked against Sumie Sakai. A few weeks after that tour, April returned to the States and defeated Kara Slice to become the first Women's champion of Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW).
April has competed in one of the more prominent wrestling companies in the Northeast, USA Pro Wrestling. She competed in a 3 Way Dance in August against Billy Reil and Simply Luscious in her USA Pro in-ring debut. She wrestled and won her second match in the company back on February 14 of this year, defeating Ariel and Tara Charisma in match dominated by April.
April continues to be a force in the indy scene. She continues to work for USA Pro, WXW, JAPW, JCW, CSWF, amongst others in the Northeast. Whether she is wrestling or managing Slyk Wagner Brown, April is a standout and is getting better learning from the best talent she comes across. The brash, cocky, attitude-filled April has been giving opponents fits with her win-at-any-cost style. Keep your eyes on her. It won't be long before she takes over the wrestling world.
****UPDATED About a year into her training with Killer Kowalski, April was offered a WWE developemental deal to work for them in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). Ironically, April was referred to Kowalski's school by former WWE and WCW agent Terry Taylor when she first left WCW. She turned down the deal for several reasons, one included her not wanting to do strange personal requests which she thought was unreasonable. She that ended that. She received another offer about ten months later. "After that, I decided just to do my thing," she said. "Tour, work, not worry about WWE. If it happens, it happens. If not, I'm still going to try to do my best and improve with every show if I can."