Pro wrestler Crowbar works magic outside the ring as a physical therapist

Chris Ford only had time for two of the three.

Ford had a goal of becoming a physical therapist. And as a lifelong professional wrestling fan who began training when he was a junior at Rutherford High School, he wanted to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler.

Oh, and then there was his down time. Yeah, there was none of that.

“When I first got involved, I junior in high school (Rutherford), and I saved my money to go to wrestling school,” said Ford, who is best known as Crowbar, former WCW star who has also wrestled in WWE, ECW, AEW and pretty much every other wrestling organization out there. “My parents had to sign a waiver, we had a deal as long as I pursued an education, they would have no problem with it. They signed off, I was 17, and after I turned 18 and graduated, I went to college. Physical therapy school. The entire time I was doing it on weekends wrestling.”

That’s not easy when you’re wrestling at any level.

But when you’re doing it at the highest level, it’s even more trying.

Tag teaming wrestling, school

Ford started out like any pro wrestler but quickly made a name for himself as one of the top independent stars out there. Soon, he started working in the Philly promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling. Then he went on to wrestle at World Wrestling Entertainment.

But the man who wrestled as Devon Storm previously entered World Championship Wrestling where he was dubbed “Crowbar,” the name he still goes by.

And he found plenty of success. He was featured, prime time on TNT and TBS for WCW. He also collected championships, winning the cruiserweight championship, the hardcore championship and the tag team championship with David Flair, the son of legendary wrestler Ric Flair.

During that time, he wrestled just about everyone, including one of his favorites, Terry Funk. That match happened at Starcade, which was WCW’s biggest pay per view of the year.

Had he retired when WCW closed, he would have retired a professional wrestling success story. But he would have needed a Plan B.

Instead, he went right into Plan B, his physical therapy career.

“You have to have a Plan B if you want to be a wrestler,” he said. “Work really hard, You can do both. I did both, full time college and physical therapy student. Show up, I had to go to class, there were no online classes. And when I came home, I would study, go to the weight room if I didn’t have a match on the weekend, I would go to a gym and train. I’d be on the road all weekend.

"Then I would get back to my hotel or in my locker room, I would study. During that time, I just had no real social life. You can do a lot of things, focus on multiple goals, but you’ll have to give something up. Fun, socialization, video games, I love doing that, but I didn’t have time. It can be done, pursuing multiple goals, if you want to do it badly enough. Reach for the stars, go for your greatest dream, but do it responsibly.”

NFL Playoffs: NFL Divisional Round playoff schedule is here. How to watch this week's NFL playoff games.

Philly guys: Report says Jason Kelce retiring. Where does he rank among Philly's favorites?

These days, that’s exactly what Ford is doing.

He spends his weekdays running his business, Raising the Bar Rehabilitation and Fitness in East Rutherford. Then, not all weekends, but when there’s a show he wants to do, instead of helping people walk, he’s beating them up.

Oh, and the best part? At both jobs, he gets to work with his wife.

“My wife Dina, she sees patients, she’s a registered dietician,” said Martin, who earned his degree from Kane University. “We’re both in wrestling, we met in wrestling. And my manager (Adam Kerr), he was a patient. He came in, he was a wrestling fan and army vet. We talked wrestling. He knew me from WCW. He didn’t recognize me at first, I had on glasses, but I sent him to a wrestling school, worked with him for his first few matches. So it’s pretty cool.”

While who will be with him is a surprise, Ford gets back in the ring on Saturday night for Independent Stars of Pro Wrestling at Barnegat High School. Things are slated to start at 7 p.m.

Feeling great after 32 years

Crowbar won’t be fixing knees, he’ll be bending and twisting them as he defends his ISPW championship against up and coming star GKM.

Ford may not be an up and comer. Instead, he’s a veteran with 32 years of experience. But if you haven’t seen him in a while and you’re expecting a broken down veteran holding on past glory, you’ll be shocked.

“Saturday, I’ve been off for weeks, but I’m going to kill it,” the confident but far from cocky Ford said. “GKM is really a great (wrestler). First time working him, he’s very athletic, charismatic, and people laugh when I say this about my opponents, he’s a super nice guy. After 32 years, that’s important to me, I like to work with guys who are nice people. That counts.

“I wrestle because I choose to. I enjoy it, I love it. I love doing it with my wife, and at this stage of the game, I’m able to choose the people I wrestle against, the companies I wrestle for. And because it’s not the way I make my living, not how I support my family, it truly is fun and I enjoy it to its fullest and on my own terms. I tell the younger guys you can do the same.”

That made all those days of not going to the bars or playing video games worth it.

It makes those years of studying in the locker room instead of fraternizing with the boys worth it.

“A lot of people say if you want to be a wrestler, you have to put everything you have into it,” Ford said. “It’s not realistic. Guys like, and I’m just naming names, John Cena, the Rock, Arnold Schwarzenegger. They did things that set them up for life, while most wrestlers do this for a career and then it’s over. Then what?

“I’m so fortunate that I still wrestle, but do it because I love it. I’m not looking for a job. A lot of guys do this, then they want to become a coach, a trainer, a producer, whatever you want to call it. I have no interest in doing that. I only want to wrestle, that's it.”

And it’s not just because of his successful job.

Family first, work second, wrestling third

Ford and Dina have two children, Nicholas, 16, who plays football, wrestles in high school and lifts weights, and Mia, 14, a cheerleader, basketball player and member of the drama club.

Like him and his wife, his children are getting involved in many different things. Seems like they learned from their parents.

And fans can see him do his thing on Saturday.

Ford is ready, and more importantly, so is Crowbar.

“I keep myself flexible,” Ford said of being prepared for his match. “I train. In this day and age, pro wrestling is crazy. A lot of moves look spectacular. And they are. But not safe. I believe I’ve narrowed my moveset down to look athletic, look cool, and look dangerous, but very, very safe compared to a lot of other wrestlers move sets. There’s always a risk for injury. No matter what we do, minimizing risk does a great service. I try to do moves that are athletic and impressive.

“My knowledge of anatomy and physiology, I know how to heal injury, I nip a lot of small problems in the bud before they’re bigger problems. Wrestlers are weight lifters, body builders, fitness enthusiasts, and a lot of people in that line of work try to fix things and make it worse. My knowledge has helped me work through injuries safely.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Crowbar, a physical therapist and wrestler, set for ISPW Barnegat show