Westport Wrestler’s Dreams Come True as He Finally Gets to Wrestle for WWE

In third grade, Westport's Ted Bolduc wanted to become a professional wrestler.

Fast forward to 2022 and that dream has finally come true as the legend of "Teddy Goodz" keeps on growing.

On Friday, April 22, WWE SmackDown gave Goodz the call he's been waiting for his entire life: the opportunity of a lifetime. Instead of being an extra, Goodz was chosen to step into the ring in one of the televised matches for the night.

Oh, and 2.5 million people witnessed it.

"I was already in Albany, New York, when I got the call," Bolduc said. "It was around 3 p.m. when they told me I was actually going to be wrestling that night on the main SmackDown roster."

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It was Goodz against Gunther, a 6-foot, 5-inch beast of a German whose reign of terror has just begun. Unfortunately for Bolduc, the three-minute match ended abruptly with a powerbomb to the mat, a three-second count and a victory for his opponent.

Prior to the fight, the producers of WWE asked Bolduc what name they should use to display against Gunther. Bolduc only had about 10 seconds to give them three choices to choose from.

"No one ever gets to keep their name," Bolduc said. "I said 'Ted Bolduc,' 'Teddy Steel,' and 'Teddy Goodz,' and they actually went with my hometown wrestling name!"

The name "Teddy Steel" was a tribute Bolduc was ready to use in honor of his late friend and trainer, Nick Steel.

Following the fight, Bolduc's mom called and asked him if this was the biggest accomplishment of his life. He replied with a simple "No."

"Looking back, I've had much bigger shows and matches that lasted upwards to 20 minutes long," Bolduc said. "The local aspect was more exciting for me knowing that friends and family are there to cheer me on. That's what I love the most. This, to me, was just like saying I've played in the Super Bowl for three minutes. It's just not the same."

From the start, Bolduc dreamed of this moment and it finally came true.

Even his old school teachers have been reaching out to ask him to speak in front of their students about his wrestling career.

In a way, Bolduc, who recently appeared on a YouTube stream of All Elite Wrestling, has come full-circle and then some. He also has gained thousands of new followers on Twitter.

Just another example of how awesome the SouthCoast is and the people who live here.

Bolduc, also known as Teddy Goodz, is a prime example of how perseverance, persistence and good old-fashioned hard work will take you just about anywhere.

Dreams are, in fact, within reach. Just ask this small-town Westport kid.