When Luke Hawx steps into the ring on Saturday at the NWA’s Hard Times show, it will mark a homecoming for the seasoned pro wrestler.
Hawx and his son PJ—known together as Hawx Aerie—will team up to challenge La Rebelión for the NWA tag team titles at Hard Times. The show’s venue—Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette, La.—sits only a few miles from where Hawx grew up in nearby New Orleans. Yet that is not why this show represents a return home. For Hawx, he is back home each time he steps back into the ring.
“Pro wrestling got me through all my darkest days,” says Hawx, who is 41-year-old Oren Hawxhurst. “I’ve been passionate about it my whole life. Even when I was in between homes, or had nothing to eat, all I had on my mind was wrestling.”
As a child, his parents’ drug addiction wreaked havoc on Hawx’s home life. In desperate need of an escape, Hawx always fantasized about the larger-than-life, alternate reality of pro wrestling. That stood in stark contrast to learning the keys to survival on the streets of New Orleans. He spent time all over the city—from a boys home to a local pizza shop where he could wash the floor in exchange for a free pie—but continually found strength from the seemingly outlandish notion that one day he would be traveling the world as a pro wrestler.
Remarkably, that dream became a reality. And Hawx will never forget the sacrifices made to reach his current place in wrestling.
Two years ago, during a show that took place shortly before the pandemic put independent wrestling on hold, his son PJ took a dive off a second-story balcony at the Esplanade Mall outside New Orleans. The video went viral, and his son’s moment of notoriety is even more meaningful for Hawx because of his personal history with that mall.
“On the other side of that mall is a fountain where I would dig for change to buy a hamburger,” Hawx says. “I’m so happy life is different for my two sons. But when you’re hungry, you find ways to eat. When I was a child, I didn’t know any different way of life.”
Adopted at 15, Hawx has continued to find stability in life—and genuine success in pro wrestling. He first started honing his craft in the ring during high school, and he found an instant connection to the art form he had long dreamed of performing. Against all odds, in an eighteen-by-twenty ring, Hawk had found a home.
“This was my chance, so I just decided I’d outwork everyone else,” Hawx says. “I’m still proving myself in wrestling. I wasn’t born with a work ethic, I created one. I didn’t have a choice—I wanted my life to be different.”
Throughout his 23-year career, Hawx has built a sturdy reputation for creating opportunities. That has included packing up his bags and living out of his car, traveling to shows across the country. He has made brief stops in almost every major promotion in the US, with WWE atop that list. But Hawx is not content with just feeding himself at the table, and an integral part of his success has been creating opportunities for others. He runs WildKat Sports, an indie wrestling promotion in New Orleans designed to give back to the community and serve as a launchpad for pro wrestlers in Louisiana.
“I’ve always wanted to give back,” Hawx says. “And I get to do it through wrestling.”
His unrelenting work ethic created a new chance for him in 2006, when he started working as a stunt actor. Hawx eventually transitioned into acting, leading to a whole new world of opportunities. Most notably, Hawx is currently playing the role of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on NBC’s Young Rock. He is also the wrestling coordinator and a performer on Heels.
Hawx has redefined his life, providing an entirely new world for his two children. Despite the success, he refuses to stop grinding.
“My next day off is Thanksgiving,” Hawx says. “I can’t sit back. I’m always looking toward tomorrow.”
In addition to Saturday’s NWA pay-per-view, he is also running a WildKat Wrestling show on Sunday. That is WildKat Wrestling’s Revolution Rumble, an event celebrating the promotion’s 11-year anniversary.
“So much is happening,” Hawx says. “It’s a lot, but it’s all worth it.”
If the father-and-son Hawx duo wins NWA tag team gold at Hard Times, it will serve as the next compelling chapter in a career that Hawx willed into existence.
“I am extremely grateful that I found my home in wrestling,” Hawx says. “And I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
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Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
