MEGHAN GUATTERY
Assistant News Editor
He is there when you go in and order your grande peppermint mocha latte.
He is the tall, muscular, blonde barista behind the counter at Starbucks on campus.
He has also been a Maximum Force Wrestling North American Champion.
Last year after spraining my wrist, Mike McNaughton asked to sign my cast while he rung up my order at Starbucks. He signed it, “Mike Lust.” When I asked if that was his nickname, he replied with “No, that is my wrestling name.”
Every child grows up with a favorite television show. For most of us, it is something along the lines of SpongeBob Squarepants or Thomas the Tank Engine. For McNaughton, however, it was wrestling.
“I was 3-and-a-half years old. I was sitting on my grandfather’s lap and he said to me, ‘Watch this. This guy can save America,’” said McNaughton. “That guy was Hulk Hogan.”
Young McNaughton had no issues replicating the moves he saw on television.
“I was the guinea pig for all the new moves the wrestlers came out with,” said his younger sister, Alicia McNaughton. “The jackknife will forever haunt me.”
While McNaughton grew up with a passion for wrestling, soccer and hockey were his sports in grade school. It was not until about 18 years ago when it finally hit him that wrestling was more than an obsession on his television — it was what he wanted to do.
“I was watching WrestleMania 12,” said McNaughton. “It was Shawn Michaels versus Bret Hart in a 60-minute Iron Man match. It was 0-0 and they had to go into overtime, and Shawn won. He said, ‘The boyhood dream came true.’ That was my defining moment.”
McNaughton was hooked.
While setting up for a show in early 2010, McNaughton was approached by a Rochester Hall of Fame wrestler by the name of Hellcat.
“Do you have gear?” said Hellcat.
“I have gym shoes and shorts,” said McNaughton.
“Okay. You’re going to train,” said Hellcat.
That interaction was the start of an incredible journey for McNaughton. It was the beginning of a legend — the beginning of Mike Lust.
“I would like to say Mike Lust, King of Cocky, is Mike’s alter ego,” said Alicia. “But honestly, he’s so much like Lust. On an everyday basis he may not carry that big ego around but it’s definitely there. The character couldn’t fit him better. I feel like as soon as his music begins playing and he makes his entrance, all of his conceited traits shine through.”
But most important to McNaughton, above the screaming of the fans and the rush of adrenaline he gets when he’s in the ring, is his family.
“He has a huge heart with family on the top of his priority list,” said Alicia. “He’s there whenever you need him, regardless of the time. That’s just how Mike is. A little over a year ago I got married and he walked me down the aisle. I know traditionally the girl’s father walks her down but, what’s the definition of a father? I think it’s the guy who’s in your life and never leaves your side; the one stable guy in your life that didn’t ever come and go. Mike was that guy.”
On July 5 in Dunkirk, New York, McNaughton and his partner Ethan Wright, known as “The Industry,” took on former WWE Wrestler Tatanka and his partner Primal Warpath in an effort to steal their MFW Tag Team Championship titles.
The Industry was victorious.
The team held the championship titles for 91 days before being defeated at the MFW Maximum Impact 2014 5th anniversary show.
So, after you ogle at the strapping man behind the counter, the one who always puts just the right amount of caramel in your latte, do not forget to say “thank you,” because you could end up in a swinging neck breaker before you even take your first sip.