Pro Wrestler KJ Orso to Showcase Native American Heritage at Skoden Event

Pro wrestler KJ Orso is set to highlight his Native American heritage at Produce Wrestling's Skoden event, scheduled for Monday and coinciding with Indigenous Peoples' Day. Orso, who has Choctaw ancestry, expressed his commitment to authentic representation in the sport.

"It’s huge. In wrestling, it's been less represented in a lot of ways. I feel like in a lot of ways, it gets overlooked and you don't get as much care as you probably should," Orso stated in an interview. "I knew when I unmasked, I wanted to rep my heritage harder and so to get to do this against Tiny Giant and Rich Swann is gonna be a huge deal and I'm very much excited to show out."

He plans to incorporate subtle nods to his heritage into his wrestling gear, avoiding stereotypes while raising awareness. "I hate the stereotypes. I absolutely love and respect the Tatanka and I love what he did for representing Native Americans. However, I think it’s been a played out trope in movies and in TV for so long," Orso said. "I think we can have nods to our heritage and bring awareness to our people without being so stereotypical in a way that you see in other things."

Orso will team up with Gringo Loco to face Rich Swann and Tiny Giant at the event, which will celebrate Native American culture. He noted his Choctaw heritage and experiences growing up dancing in powwows.

"So, you'll see a lot on my gear. I'll have a dreamcatcher either on the knee pad or on the back of my trunk, something very small, just a little nod, especially because I do think it's easy to look at our fight, our people as underdogs. And right now, I'm not trying to be an underdog, I'm trying to be a champion. So, let's focus on that first and foremost, and when the time is right, I'll show a little bit more representation. I'll do a little bit more with my culture to tell the stories that I wanna tell."

His tag team with Gringo Loco is named Dos Gringos Loco, a tribute to the legendary duo Los Gringos Locos. Orso hopes fans attending the event will gain a deeper appreciation for Native American resilience and pride.

"I think that we're very proud people. I think we are a resilient people. I think that we have this innate fight within us that we love to show and whatever we decide to set our minds to. You got so many great representatives of tribes and cultures coming together on this great day to really show out and I think you'll see firsthand exactly how much fight native people have," he added.