By: Graham Boain
Source: WCW Magazine October 2000
Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire did not get a thunderous ovation as they walked to the ring in Des Moines, Iowa for their Nitro debut. In fact, they did not get much of a reaction at all.
That changed minutes later, however, after the fresh-faced duo defeated Rey Misterio jr. and Juventud Guerrera. While Jindrak and O'Haire celebrated their victory in the ring and on their way to the backstage area, the crowd enthusiastically cheered the pair as if the two were established icons.
Not since an unknown named Bill Goldberg burst onto the scene in 1997 has anyone made such an immediate impact in WCW as Jindrak and O'Haire. Their arrival is representative of the company's decision to push young, hungry talent.
Jindrak and O'Haire have made the rare jump from the Power Plant, WCW's training facility in Smyrna, Georgia, straight to a prominent role on Nitro. Jindrak spent a little over a year at the Power Plant while O'Haire was there for just six months.
That Jindrak and O'Haire learned the ways of the ring in short order isn't surprising considering they may be the best pure athletes ever to go through the Power Plant. "We've learned everything we could learn at the Power Plant," Jindrak says. "It was time for us to move on and wrestle in front of live crowds."
Jindrak, who made his Nitro debut on his 23rd birthday, and the 28-year-old O'Haire met at the Power Plant. Jindrak, who had been training there for nearly a year, made it a habit to help the newcomers, including O'Haire. "One of the reasons I progressed so fast was because of Mark's help," O'Haire says.
Jindrak made the transformation from basketball to professional wrestling after he realized his playing days at Keuka College, a Division III school in Rochester, New York, wouldn't lead to NBA stardom. "I've always been a good athlete and had fast-twitch muscles; I just wanted to capitalize on that," Jindrak says. O'Haire felt pro wrestling provided him an opportunity to combine his skills in gymnastics, kung fu, boxing, and kick-boxing.
Although they have tremendous chemistry in and out of the ring, Jindrak and O'Haire are at different stages in their lives. Jindrak is married and has a son, while O'Haire is a bachelor. As it concerns their future, however, they are on the same page. "We want to be great," O'Haire says. "I think we have what it takes to succeed. Right now we're just looking for consistency from week to week."
Occasional rookie mistakes notwithstanding, Jindrak and O'Haire have impressed fans with their ring skills. Despite their size (Jindrak is 6'6", 253 pounds and O'Haire is 6'5", 253), each wrestles with the agility of a Cruiserweight. It is not uncommon to see Jindrak jump off the middle rope to deliver a springboard splash, and O'Haire's Seanton Bomb from the top rope is a crowd favorite.
Because of their obvious talent, it is easy to overlook their inexperience. Jindrak and O'Haire, though, realize more work is necessary. Jindrak, from Syracuse, New York, and O'Haire, from Hilton Head, South Carolina, both relocated to Atlanta and go to the Power Plant once a week and to work on ring psychology and the intricacies of tag-team wrestling with instructor Mike Graham.
"It's not so much the physical action we work on but the mental stuff," Graham says. "I can watch a match of theirs and see them use stuff we talked about. They are very intelligent."
Jindrak and O'Haire appear to have the attitude, desire, and skills to become top stars. As far as their ring work, they say they have just scratched the surface. "We have hardly done any of our moves because we have been wrestling smaller opponents," Jindrak says. "All the stuff we do is high risk. Eventually everyone will see that we'll be a 6'6" version of the Hardy Boyz."