U.S. Army Combat Veteran, Wrestler, and Promoter of 'United 210' says Wrestling "saved his life"
United States Army veteran Dave Campos Jr. and Robert Garibay invite people out to the 'The Yard' to watch 'United 210' wrestling shows on the Southside of San Antonio
“I shouldn’t be here right now.”
Promoter and wrestler Dave ‘Studstache’ Campos Jr. explained to me as he stood outside of Hybrid School of Wrestling in San Antonio, Texas.
Campos, a U.S. Army veteran, doesn’t take life for granted. The former veteran-turned-wrestler decided to pursue his dream of being a wrestler in his hometown in San Antonio, Texas after his combat days had ended.
Since his time in the military, he teamed up with best friend and tag team partner Robert ‘King Rob Love’ Garibay to host ‘United 210’ wrestling shows in the Southside of San Antonio. The ‘United 210’ name is an homage to his love for the country he served and the city he loves.
“I’ve stared death in the face too many times when I was deployed. So, with my time here, I want to make sure I give a lot back to the community that made me. This community took care of me when I came back.”
Campos detailed how he suffered from severe PTSD, drug abuse, and alcoholism after he served his time in the military. Like many others who served, Campos is not alone with these struggles. Veterans who are deployed are more likely to experience mental health conditions or cognitive injuries.
According to Campos, wrestling saved his life.
“Wrestling found me, I didn’t look for wrestling. And I think it was for a purpose. It helped me continue to keep going. Wrestling helps us touch people’s lives in the way we want to touch them. We love seeing the joy in people’s faces when they come out to one of our shows.”
Garibay, Campos’ tag-team partner in the ring and business partner at ‘United 210’, explained that the pair met in 2019 after running into each other at a few wrestling shows. Garibay says Campos caught his attention because of his larger-than-life personality, and giant signature mustache. After seeing Campos’ growth, Garibay pitched the idea of the pair becoming tag-team partners- and they have been inseparable ever since.
“(Campos) and I are like brothers. We know everything about each other. If he calls me at three A.M., I’m going to be there ready to go.”
Despite being the sole-owner of United 210, Garibay is the right hand man for all of Campos’ business affairs.
United 210’s events are held at a Campos’ family-owned property on the South Side of San Antonio. The venue has been nicknamed ‘The Yard’, because the venue is a perfect blend of a wrestling venue mixed with the traditional Hispanic backyard in San Antonio.
‘The Yard’ has a home-like feeling, and there are multiple vendors at each United 210 event. Their event has grown consistently over the past few years, and United has developed a dedicated, loyal fanbase.
One of those fans is Ruben Garcia, a U.S. Marine Corp. veteran who served in the United States Military for six years. Garcia served a tour in Afghanistan, and has been attending United210 shows over the past few years.
Garcia explained why he enjoys going to the shows:
“I don’t really watch wrestling much at all on TV. But being able to go to (United210) shows where the crowd is a little more local, a little more invested in the events because its a part of the community… it adds a little more appeal (to attend).”
Garcia explained he enjoys attending because of the storylines, and was invited by Garibay, his co-worker, and has been attending ever since.
Garcia named various wrestlers and storylines, and one particular member of the United210 shows is a professional wrestler Spencer “K-Jax” Smith. K-Jax is not only a wrestler for United, but is an active duty military member as well, serving in the United States Air Force and is currently stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
K-Jax has been wrestling for about three years. Jax started his wrestling journey when he was stationed out in Okinawa, Japan. Like Campos, he also attributes wrestling to helping him with the daily life of being an active duty military member.
“Wrestling plays a key part in my mental fortitude and physical fitness. When it comes time for the military to test me for my physical assessments, wrestling has helped keep me in shape, as well as assisting me with my adaptability when it comes to work. Sometimes, I have to go through deployments, and I have to be stationed at other locations. I have to worry about enemies that are foreign and domestic, and wrestling helps me adapt better to those kind of situations at a faster pace.”
K-Jax described what it is like working under a wrestling promoter who served in the United States Military:
“Knowing that I am working under Studstache (Campos), a person that served in the military, it means a lot to me. We bond on totally different levels now. Once you are in the brotherhood of being in the military, it becomes a bond that goes deeper than being in wrestling. When you mix the two of them together, its an indescribable feeling knowing that we share so many things (in common). I know for a fact he gets and understands where I’m coming from with some things. We have a different level of passion, a different level of tenacity, a different level of fire and fury. It is hard to explain, but its easy for us to show (at a United210 show).”
David “Devin ‘The Fashionista’ Carter” Melchor and Terrance ‘Zakai Living’ Livingston, a beloved tag-team at United210 named “Living In Fashion (pronounced Fas-SHUN)” have ties to the United States Military as well.
Melchor was in R.O.T.C in high school (Reserve Officers' Training Corps, a program that prepares students to become officers in the U.S. military) and he looked up to his Grandfather, who served in the U.S. Army. Livingston’s father is a retired U.S. Military Air Force veteran as well.
Livingston discusses why he appreciates the Military service members in the crowd:
“..(His dad) was always working, and they always have to uphold a certain type of appearance. So when I see military members in our crowd, it makes me appreciate them, because they can let their guard down and just enjoy the shows and be a civilian. So the fact that we get to entertain them, and we are happy to do that for them. The veterans are helping to keep us safe in this country, so that is one thing we can do to support the troops.”
Melchor goes into further detail on what it means for the tag team to entertain the service members:
“Like Zakai said, its an honor to perform and show out in front of them. These veterans put so much on the line just so we can live the normal lives we do. So why not give them a little bit of entertainment on top of their stressful lives. Seeing my Grandfather come out and enjoy the show is honestly amazing. He always loves watching Zakai and I wrestle. This is my Grandfather’s escape from reality, so I am glad that he can be a part of our world.”
Not only did Campos’ promotion help him get through the tough life battles he faced in life, but his shows at ‘United210’ touched the lives of many U.S. Military Veterans who have been stationed around the world.
Whether the service members are retired, served a couple of years, or currently active duty, they can all agree- wrestling has been a sport that helped reach many people - and unbeknownst to Campos - is helping cope with the hardships and stressors that oftentimes come with the ultimate sacrifice of serving our Country.
Thank you for your service.
United210 can be followed at @United210SA on Instagram. Tickets can be purchased at the door or at www.United210.com .Their next show is Friday, September 27th at ‘The Yard’ 1003 McCauley Ave. Gates open at 6:30 pm. Adult tickets are $10.00, Kids under 12 are Free.
Beautiful story HOOAH brothers fight on