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It was announced earlier today, by Mike Johnson, that long time northeast indy wrestler Paul E. Normous, passed away. Paul was one of the nicer guys in the wrestling business and he will surely be missed.
Just before Thanksgiving 2003 I was given Paul E Normous' email address from a promoter telling me that Paul was interested in doing a "10 Questions With..." segment. I contacted him and he said sure so I sent the questions his way. Due to horrible connection problems in the OVW area, Paul E. told me he'd get the answers back to me when he came home to visit over the holidays. That was fine with me. After numerous emails back and forth, Paul was able to get 4 of the 10 questions back to me!! It seems between computer crashes and connectivity problems, all 10 questions were never able to get through to me! Leave it to Paul to be the only 4 Questions With... that we have ever featured!
My thoughts are with the friends and family of Paul.
INDEPENDENT WRESTLER PAUL E. NORMOUS, FEATURED IN ' THE WRESTLER' PASSES
AWAY
by Mike Johnson @ 12:10 PM on 1/16/2009
Northeast independent wrestler Paul E. Normous, who had a cameo and was
mentioned by name in the first locker room scene in "The Wrestler"
passed away today. We don't have any additional details regarding his
passing at this time. He was only 33 years old.
A New York native, E. Normous trained out of a number of different schools
including Gino Caruso and Jason Knight's after growing up a fan of the
business. He often noted in interviews that growing up, his grandmother
was a huge Ric Flair fan He had worked some of the early Ring of Honor
shows, plus numerous indy promotions like WXW, 3PW. He had also worked
an invitational training camp for Ohio Valley Wrestling when it was an
official WWE developmental.
A tall, extremely muscled worker, E. Normous was billed at 6'6 so he fit
the role of a huge monster worker on independent shows during an era where
most wrestlers on that level are far smaller. Beyond that, he had also
worked as a celebrity bodyguard, personal fitness and nutrition and had
done some acting work.
Our deepest condolences to E. Normous' family and friends. We'll have
more details when available.
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I met Paul years ago up in Mass, we shared a locker room...years later Dapper Johnny from NWS teamed me and Paul up for a night on the beach in Wildwood, NJ, we did a few more shots after that, and always kept in contact, always bs'd about the bizz, but all in all had a lot of respect for each other....Paul E your in a better place now bro. RIP --------ZBarr
Paul E. Normous will be missed by all of us in the NorthEast Independent scene. He was one of the easiest going, positive, happy wrestlers I've ever had the pleasure of sharing a ring with. Paul never got involved with politics or name calling, he enjoyed every minute he was wrestling and it showed in his attitude. God Bless you and your family. --------Johnny Kashmere
Funny thing, when we were at WWE Raw, I walk into our locker room
and he's sitting there watching UFC on tv while Raw was on. He said he
would change the channell to Raw but he didn' know how to. I said "how
can u not know how to change the channell?" To which he responded
"I can't find a remote anywhere!" He was a silly goose at times
but was always serious about his work. --------Nick Berk
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Pro wrestler, 33, dies in Sloatsburg
By James Walsh
The Journal News • January 17, 2009
SLOATSBURG - Paul Fuchs, known to fans of professional wrestling as "Paul E. Normous," died yesterday at his parents' home in the village.
The 33-year-old wrestler presented a threatening persona on his Web site, and in the illuminated rings of theatrical combat up and down the East Coast, but to his family and friends he was "Teddy Bear," a sensitive soul who studied art and physical therapy.
Ramapo police were called to the Laurel Road house at 5:20 a.m. after the 6-foot, 5-inch Fuchs was found "unresponsive" inside the house, Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said yesterday.
He said family members were performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation when emergency personnel arrived, but Fuchs was pronounced dead at 6:18 a.m. at Good Samaritan Hospital.
An autopsy was to be performed by the Rockland County Medical Examiner's Office.
"We don't see anything suspicious," Weidel said of the death of Fuchs, a graduate of Suffern High School. "It's being handled like a medically related death."
Fuchs' parents, Paul and Adrienne, and his only sibling, Justin, were preparing late yesterday afternoon to make funeral arrangements.
They said Fuchs, who played lacrosse at Suffern High School, began working out with weights while in high school, and entered a body-building competition while attending SUNY Cortland.
At Cortland, Fuchs initially studied physical therapy, then switched his major to art. He graduated in 1998.
"Art came naturally to him," Adrienne Fuchs said. "He drew since he was 4 years old. Caricatures. Cartoons. I don't know if he lost interest in physical therapy, but I know he liked art."
Fuchs' dream was to get a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, the big leagues of theatrical wrestling.
On the day he died, "The Wrestler," a film starring Mickey Rourke, was released, with Fuchs having a small role.
"He was wrestling in New Jersey and he got a phone call from one of the casting directors who had been at the match," Adrienne Fuchs recalled. "He said he wanted to consider him for a part. He's very visible in the movie, but he didn't have any lines or anything."
Scott Wright who wrestles as "Scotty Charisma," said he and Fuchs enrolled in 2001 at the East Coast Professional Wrestling School in Lake Hiawatha, N.J., and Fuchs had worked for a variety of independent wrestling federations.
"He was a big, muscular guy," recalled Wright, whose father is Mayor Carl Wright, "but he wouldn't hurt a fly. People who knew him, loved him. It's very sad. Thirty-three years old. You think you have your whole life ahead of you."
Reach James Walsh at jawalsh@lohud.com or 845-578-2445.
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Name:
Paul Fuchs III (Paul E Normus)
Birth Date & Death Date
April 15th, 1975 - January 16th, 2009
Obituary:
Paul P. Fuchs III was born on April 15, 1975 in Queens, New York. When
he was one and a half years old, his family moved to Sloatsburg, NY, where
he attended Sloatsburg Elementary School, Suffern Junior High School,
Suffern High School and graduated from SUNY Cortland. Paul was known to
many as the popular wrestler, Paul E. Normus. He wrestled locally as well
as in Boston, Philadelphia and even Italy. He held various wrestling titles,
won many awards for body building, was featured in several magazine articles,
and appeared on TV and briefly in a recent major film. Paul’s presence
and intensity for everything he did made him special and unique. He had
a big heart, a strong love for his family and friends and a passion for
wresting and everything connected with it. He will be missed by his parents,
Paul and Adrienne; brother, Justin; girlfriend, Gayle Hoffman; grandmother,
Dorothy Scaccio; aunt, Diane Matthew; many cousins and Terror. A Mass
of Christian Burial will be Celebrated on Tuesday January 20, 2009 at
11:00 AM at St. Joan of Arc Church in Sloatsburg, NY burial will follow
at Airmont Cemetery in Airmont, NY Friends and relatives are in invited
on Monday from 2-4 and 6-9 Pm at the Scarr Funeral Home Inc Route 202
Suffern. For direction’s or to sign Paul’s guest book please
visit www.scarrfuneralhome.net
Visitations: 2:00PM to 4:00PM on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at Scarr Funeral
Home, Inc. - Suffern NY
6:00PM to 9:00PM on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at Scarr Funeral Home,
Inc. Scarr Funeral Home
Funeral Services: 10:00 AM at St. Joan Of Arc Church - 32 Eagle Valley Road, Sloatsburg, NY on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 St. Joan of Arc Parish, Sloatsburg, NY
Cemetery:
Airmont Cemetery
Airmont Road
Airmont, NY 10901
