Cody Rhodes makes the WrestleMania dreams of a Brooklyn classroom come true! The students of KIPP AMP High School teacher Victor Taylor Perry’s “Wrestling Club” started a popcorn fundraiser to earn enough money to travel to WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia later this spring.
And when the extracurricular group’s fundraiser caught the attention of Rhodes, 38, the WWE Superstar sent twitter informing the students that he would pay for the children’s tickets and hotel rooms – a message that freaked the students out when they found out.
“Seeing their reaction was priceless,” Rhodes tells PEOPLE. “Good things happen to good people. That’s what I really love about social media, the bright spots like these amazing kids.”
Perry divided Rhodes twitter with his class and recorded their response, cheering as reality set in.
Rhodes told the class, “I could buy a bunch of popcorn or I could just tell you that I have your tickets and hotels. You’re going to WrestleMania 40!”
Perry chirped that “the joy of the extracurricular club is absolutely incredible” after learning the news. “They are so happy for each other and it speaks directly to the community that is TWC,” the teacher wrote.
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Cody Rhodes.
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In recent years, Perry has become well known in the professional wrestling community through his work with “The Wrestling Club,” which he runs at KIPP AMP High School in Brooklyn, New York.
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Perry used professional wrestling as a tool to teach students, often going viral with videos of his lessons and collaborations with wrestling companies and the performers themselves. The teacher focused primarily on the storytelling formats of professional wrestling, using them to teach students about story lines and character development.
“Victor gathered a group of kids where he shows matches from all over the world,” reads the Change.org petition, which aims to earn Perry recognition from WWE for his work. “The assignments he gives them teach them all about the different wrestlers and companies, which in turn has taught the kids to be the best no matter who they are.”
Rhodes tells PEOPLE he was “thrilled” when he first learned about the club through his sister, Teil.
“I never had anything like that growing up and I wish I had,” the WWE star said. “What I love most about TWC is the sense of community. Wrestling is more popular than ever, but when it wasn’t it was hard to find and connect with people who are as passionate about wrestling as you are. They have a place to talk about the ups and downs of it all, support each other and have fun.”
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Cody Rhodes.
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WWE wrestlers such as Rhodes, Big E Langston, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin and Titus O’Neil have worked with Perry in the past, sometimes appearing in their Brooklyn classroom to surprise the students.
Rhodes says he hopes to meet The Wrestling Club students at WrestleMania 40 in April, or find another way to meet them in person.
“My wife, Brandi, wants to find a way to get me to meet the kids that weekend,” he says. “I wonder if I should just show up at school and surprise them?” WrestleMania 40 will take place over two nights in Philadelphia on April 1st and 2nd. Last year, Rhodes was featured in a main event match against WWE Champion Roman Reigns and was expected to challenge Reigns for a rematch at this year’s event.
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Source: HIS Education