Johnnie Robbie, 30, is a wrestler rising from the local Los Angeles wrestling indie scene. Robbie is an example of finding your inspiration sharing the tribulations of her education journey, interest in wrestling and discovering community.
Community college starts as the foundation for most students and there they discover their passion, but attending Citrus College Robbie pivoted and began a new path.
“I was going to school for psychology and sociology. I was trying to double major. I went only for about three years and then decided not to continue,” Robbie said.
Robbie shares her struggles with school finding it hard to make the time and finding the drive to further progress her journey at school. Later realizing the importance of focusing on what she desired for her own life, even if it isn’t the typical path.
“I feel like people who want to go to college know just what they need to do. You work very hard for it, even if you’re struggling you make the time for it. You make sure you’re passing, you’re able to move forward, right? Even if it’s step by step, I couldn’t do that with college. But I do that with wrestling,” Robbie said.
Robbie watched wrestling as she grew up, but didn’t have an affinity for it until her friend watched it with her more frequently. Then Robbie grew more than just an affinity. She needed to enter the ring.
“I think I found exactly what I needed that I knew college wasn’t giving me or making me want to do,” Robbie said.
The first step to Robbie’s passion was finding a wrestling school and growing a connection to her previous trainer Ray Rosas. This connection allowed Robbie to get her foot in the door to the world of wrestling, this door being the community of the Santino Bros. in Southern California.
“They brought me in because you’re his [Rosas] ‘child’. So you’re technically part of us through him, because he trained you … That’s why they brought me in and I’m kind of like a little stepchild … to explain how the community goes,” Robbie said.
Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy is a wrestling school that hosts live matches for local and non-local talent. The academy has been growing in numbers and successfully promoting entertainment talent since 2008.
Their next live event took place on Friday, Jan.16 in Azusa, California, featuring Johnnie Robbie.
