Powerbombing Autism

Powerbombing Autism

Big Al knows, and that's how it goes.

Alex Moshenko, 14, of Buffalo, N.Y., is not your typical WWE fan by any stretch of the imagination.

How many of our fans can say they host their own wrestling talk show on radio twice a week? How many have interviewed legends such as Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart and Chris Jericho?

What's even more amazing is that Moshenko suffers from Asperger's syndrome -- a form of autism -- but he hasn't let that stop him.

"I really became a wrestling fan in late 2003, when I was 10. By 2005, I was able to name all the moves during a wrestling match as they happened. I was just completely hooked," he explained.

"My mom hosts her own show called DisAbility News & Views Radio, so I bothered her and kept asking to have my own show. Finally she told me that I would have a show, and it was going to start that month. That was in June of 2006, and like wine, I've just gotten better with age."

The show is broadcast from his house, in a computer room with a radio mixing board -- something that Alex says is pretty easy.

"I just flip a few switches and I'm on the air. People call in and I ask them questions. I even had two boys from out in California call me twice in one show to tell me that they are my biggest fans."

But Alex has some other, more well-known fans as well.

"I interviewed Jimmy Hart for about 45 minutes. He's a really great guy and has a lot of info," he said with the excitement beginning to come out in his voice.

"The biggest interview I've done for the radio show so far is Chris Jericho. It was an awesome interview. I just didn't want to mess up and make myself look like a fool. I definitely hope to interview him again. He certainly had a lot of good opinions on wrestling."

This year, Big Al and his mom rented an RV and drove from Buffalo to Detroit's Ford Field to catch the Grandaddy of them All -- WrestleMania 23. It was an experience he will never forget, as he watched more than 80,000 fans file in to see the pinnacle of sports-entertainment.

"It was awesome. It was just like a dream come true. If you like a specific sport, you have not experienced that sport until you go to the biggest show of that sport … which for me is WrestleMania," he explained. " And now that I've been there, I've lived and breathed wrestling. It was amazing. Other than being born, I think it is perhaps the best experience of my life."

But besides his talk show, he has become an important part of the fight against autism. Last year, the organization "Wrestling Autism" asked him to be a spokesperson -- both an honor and a thrill -- for the host.

"I was shocked when they asked me [to be a spokesperson], because it was like, ‘Hey, I'm being recognized here.' I have a form of autism, and I've gotten the treatment I've needed. Look where I am today. Think of what the other kids who have autism … think of what they could do," he explained.

"It's a really great organization, and it's helped out a lot of kids who have autism. There are a lot of them who love wrestling. The thing about wrestling that has helped me, personally, is that if you have autism and you like a certain thing [subject, sport, etc.] then you'll suck onto that like a sponge. You learn everything about it. That's basically what happened with me, with wrestling."

And with his love of wrestling has come many opportunities -- some of which are once-in-a-lifetime chances -- which have cemented his chosen career path. He also offers his many thanks to his family, WWE and wants to make sure that others struggling with autism know they can make a difference, too.

"Thanks to WWE, I was able to interview Batista in 2005. It was really one of the driving forces behind me wanting to be a wrestling talk radio host. One of my dreams is to be like my announcing idol, Jim Ross, who in my opinion is the single greatest wrestling announcer of all time," he said.

"Keep on keeping on. Do what you do best. Be true to yourself, because only you can be true to you. Be thankful every day for all the blessings that you have. I'm very lucky and thankful for what I have. Most of the stuff has happened because of my mom, and I'd really like to thank her for all of that."
 
Catch Al's Wrestling Talk Show every Saturday at 7 p.m. ET and Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at www.AlsWrestlingTalk.com.

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