JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s not often a single phone call can change your life, but it can when the person on the other end of the call is Sylvester Stallone.
But let’s back up to how we got here.
Mike Walden has wrestled under the name “Cash Flo” for decades. But he wasn’t wrestling in WWE with all the glitz and glamour; he was wrestling on the independent circuit.
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While many don’t achieve stardom on the independent scene, Cash was still making a living.
(Cash Flo’s interview can be found on the latest episode of Going Ringside right after Royce Gracie. Press play below to watch)
“When I turned 18 I found a wrestling school that I could do, and I did it. I’ve been wrestling ever since,” said Cash who started in 1996 and has consistently made a living on the indy circuit ever since.
But things changed two years ago when Netflix made a deal with Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), the former developmental territory for WWE.
Going Ringside has covered OVW extensively speaking with the former owner Danny Davis and the current owner Al Snow with his students.
Netflix worked with Snow to develop the hit series “Wrestlers.” It’s been one of the top shows on the global streaming platform in the past few years.
“My story was very positive. They were very moved by it,” said Cash. “Because of that show Wrestlers on Netflix, I get an email from my casting agent.”
Fast forward a few months after he auditioned for a show he wasn’t familiar with. At that point, he was told something VERY important.
“If you get a phone call from a number you don’t know, it’d be in your best interest to pick it up,” said Cash.
Fifteen minutes later Cash’s life changed fundamentally when his phone rang.
“It’s Sly Stallone,” said Cash. Not an agent. Not a rep. Stallone himself. “Told me ‘Hey, I wrote this part for you. You’re a star. Me and my wife binge watched this Netflix show Wrestlers. I’m telling you kid, you have it.‘”
Soon enough he was cast on Stallone’s hit show Tulsa King as the character Bigfoot. And his life has never been the same.
“At this time I’m in my 40s. I’m fanning out,” Cash said. “Wow, this is amazing. I’m calling him Mister and Sir. He’s telling me ‘No, you call me Sly, we’re going to be working together.‘”
And now after almost 30 years living the grueling life of an independent wrestler, Cash’s future is on a much different trajectory.
“That was one of the things Sly told me on the phone. He said ‘Look kid, this is going to change your life. You may want to rethink how you do things these days.’ And, every bit of what he told me is absolutely true,” said Cash.
Today he’s making more money, he’s being cast in new movies. And he’s showing the world that at any age, no matter how long you work, life can change.
You just need to be ready when it does.