From the swamp to stars, Luke Hawx's WildKat wrestlers star in 'Iron Claw'

They signed up to become professional wrestling stars.

They ended up starring in movies and TV shows with A-list celebrities.

Luke Hawx is the owner and head trainer at WildKat Sports, a professional wrestling promotion in New Orleans. Hawx is a wrestler and promoter, a stuntman and coordinator, and now has a strong acting resume to top it off.

The promotion uses its own wrestlers on the show, who were trained and mentored by Hawx.

But for most independent professional wrestlers, their vocation isn’t a full-time job. Weekends are jam-packed with events, but weekdays can be slow.

Not for Hawx’s wrestlers. They were busy starring in "The Iron Claw," a biographical film of the Von Erichs, a family of professional wrestlers that dealt with more than their fair share of tragedy.

The movie, which premieres Friday, stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany and Lily James.

Those are the stars, but the guys taking the bumps and bruises are Hawx’s charges.

“It means the world because it’s something they never expected to do when coming to train for pro wrestling,” said Hawx, who served as the assistant wrestling coordinator in the movie. “Nobody thinks they’ll be in a movie. You think you have to be in Hollywood to be in movies, not New Orleans. So now their lives are changing. This isn’t the first film they’ve been in, and these are great projects. It changes the way people look at them. It helps grow their image. And it’s great to see them living a dream they never knew they would get a chance to.

“I think it’s a dream come true. Who wouldn’t want that opportunity? So for them, it’s just a dream come true. It’s like ‘pinch me and wake me up’ because there’s no way this is happening.”

Like his wrestlers turned stars, Hawx chased his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, then started WildKat Sports. Not only did the independent promotion become one of the tops in the country at putting on shows, Hawx’s wrestling school has trained some of the best wrestlers out there.

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But he wanted more. He eventually got his foot in the door as a stunt man, and just as he did in wrestling, he wanted more.

“In 2006, I was on Kevin Klinerock’s Wrestling Society X,” Hawx said of the professional wrestling show that was on MTV. “I got approached to do a movie in Mexico. One thing led to another, and I figured out how to chase the film industry and started stunt school.”

What started out as a stunt career turned into much more when he got into stunt coordinating.

His biggest project was Heels, a professional wrestling drama starring Stephen Amell.

His acting roles grew as well.

After successful roles in Marvel's "Logan," "Fate of the Furious," and Netflix's "Project Power," came Hawx's role on “Heels.” Another huge role was when he portrayed “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on NBC’s “Young Rock.”

Because of that, he's worked with directors like Peter Segal ("Heels"), F. Gary Gray ("Fate of the Furious"), Gary Fleder ("Homefront"), James Mangold ("Logan"), Peter Berg ("Battleship"), and even had the honor to film a scene for Francis Ford Coppola in his final film "Megalopolis," now in post production.

He’s enjoyed plenty of his own success, but watching his students do the same is just as special.

One of the best nights was last month when he took a trip to Dallas with his wrestlers to see the “Iron Claw” premiere. They walked the red carpet and were honored like the Hollywood stars they are.

Not bad for guys who just wanted to learn how to wrestle.

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“You get excited to see it for them,” Hawx said. “I still get the thrill, but seeing them, it’s just so different. I’m so happy for them. I’ve gotten the experiences and I know what it’s like, I always cherish the opportunity. I know what it’s like to want the experience and how happy you are. You feel like you accomplished a goal. It’s a golden opportunity, and something you never forget.

“Walking the red carpet was the coolest thing to see a guy like Danny Flamingo be able to have the opportunity. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Such a heavy hitting film after all the years of hard work, not only as a wrestler but he works as one of our coaches and he’s a friend. So to see him get his due, it’s pretty special.”

It’s also special to star in a blockbuster about the sport they love.

Like all of his wrestlers turned stuntmen, Hawx grew up a huge wrestling fan.

The Von Erich tale is a tragic one. The family went through death and despair during the 1980s and 1990s, but this the first time it’s been presented as a film.

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“The Von Erichs are legendary,” Hawx said. “When I was growing up, I only had WWE, so I watched Kerry (Von Erich) as the Texas Tornado and I really liked him. He looked like a superhero. I started hearing about the other stuff in Texas, they had great wrestling there and you see it on videotape. It wasn’t easily accessible. I was a kid, I didn’t always have a television. You watch where you could. WWF was mainstream, but I learned a lot about them. They’re legendary.”

It’s the same feeling he got from "Heels."

The series, which had a two-year run on Starz, drew rave reviews. Hawx did everything on that, and it’s what raised his profile in Hollywood.

“'Heels' is my love,” Hawx said. “There’s nothing I love more than 'Heels.' So to have these guys on that with me was a dream come true. I had the three things I love the most. I had my film, my wrestling and my fitness all in one project. And my family and friends were there. They got employed. It doesn’t get any sweeter than that. And they all fit the roles.

“Nothing was forced. Everything fell in place because they all fit where they were supposed to be. These weren’t favors. These were jobs my guys were qualified to do and it was what casting was looking for as well.”

Same as Hawx starring as “Stone Cold.”

That role showed that Hawx has what it takes to be a Hollywood star.

“I did no stunts, it was all acting,” said Hawx, who is represented by Raphael Berko at Media Artists Group. “It gave me the ability to step out a little bit. It gave me range. It gave me a character to play. I had to walk and talk like him. It was important for me to portray Austin as true to life as possible even though it was a family comedy. I got a ton of feedback, how much I looked like him, how much I sounded like him. It was a great opportunity and I really appreciate Seven Bucks Productions and Brian Gerwirtz.”

His acting was noticed by fans who flooded social media with praise. They weren’t the only ones.

“The best compliment I got was from Chris Bauer, who is an incredible actor, highly respected, he’s your favorite actor’s favorite actor,” Hawx said. “He said I should be known as the actor who can fight, not the stuntman who can act. I worked with him on Heels and that was a great compliment.”

Now that all the hard work is done, the only thing left is to enjoy the movie. He saw it at the premiere, but is excited to see it on the big screen.

“We’re going to go as a team Thursday night when it comes out,” Hawx said. “I’ll be happy to be there with them. It’s fun to see yourself on the screen. They are in a movie, and the movie is going to be big. It’s going to win awards. It’s a blockbuster. How many people can say they’re in a blockbuster?”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: WildKat wrestlers play huge part in 'Iron Claw' thanks to Luke Hawx