Midget Wrestling Warriors
The Midget Wrestling Warriors are giving professional wrestlers who are 5'1" and under a company where they can have shows in front of any audience and showcase their talents, abilities, strengths, and characters. MWW travels and performs shows throughout the U.S. and Canada and looks forward to performing worldwide. We have shows at casinos, event centres, fairs, and venues and soon we will be at a venue near you.
Dan DiLucchio, the founder of MWW, aka Short Sleeve Sampson, is one of the hardest-working people in professional wrestling today. His grit and determination to base his career on not just being another midget wrestler, but rather a wrestler who happens to be a midget. He has traveled all throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico throughout his 27 year career. Being on WWE, TNA, Hulk Hogan's MCW, ROH, and independent wrestling promotions throughout North America, and now Sampson has been the owner of the Midget Wrestling Warriors for the last 12 years. Short Sleeve Sampson is one of wrestling’s most recognizable ‘midget’ wrestlers. At 4’ 2” tall, his trademark saying “It’s Midget Time” has become world renown and loved by fans of all ages.
Outside of wrestling, Sampson’s career also reaches into film, television, commercials, print, and video games. He has appeared in films like “Umbrella’s Kill”, "Gender Bender", “Solitaire”, and “The Hard Candy Kid”. He has also appeared on tv shows for Conan O'Brien, MTV's Pranked, Jerry Springer, and NBC’s “Here & Now”.
Most currently, Sampson was one of the main character elves for the Five Below stores. He can be seen in commercials, print, and online campaigns. He is also behind the mask of Teddy the Bear, the iconic character for the Teddy snack cake brand.
Sampson has been featured on several documentaries for CMT, The History Channel, The Travel Channel, A&E Network, and on National Geographic's show "Incredibly Small World".
He has also done promotional work for Universal Studios, Fox, and Molson Beer, appearing as characters for movies such as ‘Childs Play’ and ‘Minions’ for promotional purposes for Good Morning America, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the New York Stock Exchange.
How did Midget Warrior Wrestling get started, and how has MWW evolved over the years?
In 2013 I had announced that I was going to be retiring from wrestling because I wanted to transition from wrestling into more mainstream acting, so I announced that I was going to do a 40-city farewell tour. The tour would allow me to thank all the fans who have supported Short Sleeve Sampson throughout the years and the promoters for booking me and having me on their shows. Towards the end of the tour, I was presented with the opportunity to start my own promotion without having any financial risk. So I did it, and in October 2014, the Midget Wrestling Warriors had their first tour in Canada.
Today, we have grown significantly since our first tour. We began with just six wrestlers, one referee, and an announcer. Today, our productions feature 10–12 wrestlers, two referees, a full production crew including sound, video, and photography, and a dedicated social media team. Beyond the professional growth, MWW has evolved into a second family for everyone involved.
What inspired you to get into professional wrestling? And what's the most difficult part of being both a performer and a promoter?
I was always into wrestling. I remember from my earliest childhood memory, my family taking me to the local wrestling show. I remember seeing wrestlers like Bob Backlund, Chief Jay Strongbow, "Polish Power" Ivan Putsky, etc. In 1999 I got a call from a midget wrestler; unknown to me, we had a mutual friend, and he got my number from him. He asked if I ever thought about wrestling. He mentioned that he was in a midget tag match for a local independent promoter and needed one more guy. He asked if I was interested. I told him “yes” and found myself in Connecticut, on an independent wrestling show, with a few WWF talent in front of a sold-out high school gymnasium. I was so nervous, but I did the match and we won! The crowd was so loud and explosive! Wow! When the match and show were over, I remember thanking Doug and the promoter Mike, and telling them that if they ever needed a guy again, to give me a call.
A few months went by and I got another call from Doug. He told me that Mike had another show and he needed me. I asked if it was another tag match, and Doug said “no” this would be a singles match. I told him I would be at the venue. I showed up, did the match, thanked Doug and Mike and went home.
The following night at 10:30 pm, my phone rang, and it was someone from WWF. They asked me if I would like to be on WWF Raw the next night. I thought this was a joke, a prank. When I found out it wasn’t and it was a real offer, I said, “yes, I'm in!
The following night I was in New Jersey at the (then) Continental Airlines Arena. I was so nervous and scared, hell, I was terrified. An agent came up to Doug (who was with me) and me and told us that we were at the beginning of Raw. We would be in the ring with Triple H, The Big Show, Shane and Stephanie McMahon, and we would be making fun of the Rock.
The segment went off great. I thanked everyone again for giving me this opportunity and left the arena when the show was over. My soon-to-be wife and I drove back home, and while we were driving, I was talking about the show we just did, and I remember saying to her, “If I am going to do wrestling, I think I want to go and get trained.”
The hardest part of being a worker was "getting yourself out there." When I started wrestling, social media was just starting off. There was no Facebook or YouTube. I had to make personal connections. I had to send off VCR tapes and 8x10 photos or personally go to wrestling events and talk to promoters and tell them that I was available to work for them.
The hardest part of being a promoter is everything! To start off the wrestlers who were your peers, you now have your own promotion, so you need to book everyone, and not just wrestlers, but a ring announcer, referees, tickets sellers and ticket scanners, merchandise people, photographers and videographers, and anyone else you need to have for just one show. In addition, you now need to get shows, run your website and social media, talk to venue owners and managers, book flights, organize transportation, book hotels, pay people who worked for you, etc.
Which cities or venues have been the most memorable to perform in?
Some of my most memorable cities that we have performed in would be Cowboys in Calgary, Seven Feathers in Oregon, Onondaga Nation Arena in New York, Hollywood Casino in Indiana. In all honesty, everyplace the Midget Wrestling Warriors have performed in has something special about it that makes it memorable.
Do you have a favourite fan interaction or story?
All our fans are the best. Everyone is special to the Midget Wrestling Warriors. There is no way I can say this one was more memorable, or this one was special. I want to thank everyone who supports us, comes to a Midget Wrestling Warriors show, buys our merchandise, follows us on social media, visits our website; thank you! It is because of your support that we can continuously do what we do!
To learn more about Midget Wrestling Warriors, and purchase tickets to one of their shows, head over to www.midgetwarriors.com and follow them on socials @midgetwrestlingwarriors
