Iconic WWE WrestleMania moment inspired a 37-year-old star to become a pro wrestler

WWE has produced some epic moments throughout its history, but Edge spearing Jeff Hardy off the ladder at WrestleMania X-Seven was truly groundbreaking. Former WWE star Ricardo Rodriguez has now revealed that the iconic spot got him back into pro wrestling.

Ricardo Rodriguez worked for WWE between 2010 and 2014, during which he was mainly known as Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer. Rodriguez also wrestled both in and outside WWE, having been an active performer since 2006.

During a recent interview with Developmentally Speaking, Rodriguez was asked how he became a wrestling fan, and he said the exceptional TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven hooked him back into an art form he'd briefly stopped watching.

Rodriguez even revealed that he decided to take up pro wrestling as a full-time career option after witnessing one of the greatest 'Mania matches ever.

"The end of high school is when I really started getting back into it. It was WrestleMania 17, it was a TLC match between The Hardy Boyz and Christian and the Dudleys, and there was that one moment where Jeff Hardy was hanging from the title, and then Edge speared him off of the ladder," recalled Rodriguez. "That moment, for me, it was like, 'I've got to do this. I want to do this.'" [1:59 - 2:40]

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Ex-WWE star Ricardo Rodriguez looks back at his humble beginnings in pro wrestling

Like many stars, Ricardo Rodriguez worked through the indies before securing a contract in the pro wrestling powerhouse.

As noted above, Edge and Jeff Hardy's mind-boggling spot pushed him towards wrestling as he began training a few years later. Ricardo Rodriguez admitted that he started as a backyard wrestler and said that the untrained practice would always be prevalent in the underground scene even though it was looked down upon.

Rodriguez added:

"That was it. That was that moment that made me realize, 'I want to try this. I want to do this.' I started doing backyard wrestling for a little bit; obviously, we don't condone it, but like so many of us did it, and so many of us are still going to do it." [2:41 - 3:00]

Which is your favorite WrestleMania moment ever? Let us know in the comments section below.

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