With over 20 years of experience and more than 60 championships earned along the way, Montreal’s Jeremy Barnoff — known in the ring as Jeremy Prophet — is ready for the next step. All he needs is someone to give him a shot.
There are a lot of personality traits that become the pursuit of pro wrestlers and the envy of the ones that don’t end up mastering them.
The confidence and health of a pro wrestler go a long way in how their career unfolds. In that regard, Prophet has been very fortunate to stay healthy and avoid any major injuries through his long career. But, as in the case of Jeremy Prophet, confidence and health aren’t the only necessary ingredients to getting signed to a major company.
“The fact is, yeah, I don’t have that person’s exposure, but it’d be ludicrous to believe that just because somebody is on TV and somebody isn’t, or somebody’s signed to a TV contract and someone isn’t, it’s not a reflection of who’s the better performer,” Prophet told SlamWrestling.net.
“I’ve been one of the foremost voices in trying to raise awareness of how difficult it is for Canadians,” he explained. “We can’t just go and cross the border. There are only certain companies that have enough pull or enough stroke to be able to actually acquire a legal work visa for Canadian independent talent.”
In a sport where the bigger promotions are the goal for every competitor, it’s especially tough for wrestlers north of the 49th parallel. Prophet credits Jacques Rougeau Jr. as a major influence on spotlighting Canadian wrestling talent with his annual tournament.
Prophet is among the inaugural Lutte Academie winners, having won in 2022 and thereby obtaining a three-month training stay at Cody Rhodes‘ and QT Marshall‘s Nightmare Factory in Atlanta. The win translated into a match June 24, 2023, on AEW Collision against “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs, filmed in Toronto.
“He’s perfect. He’s got it all. I coached him on something, he picked up on it right away, he fixed it instantly. Such a coachable guy,” said Rougeau, who trained Prophet. Rougeau also said that he’s never met a wrestler more open to being wrong and learning.
“Jeremy brings something to the table that even in the big leagues, they don’t bring,” said “The Mountie.”
But naturally, in knowing him so well, Rougeau also provided a glimpse into who Jeremy is as a person: “Never seen anyone as dedicated to the business as much as him. Even eating. His thinking, his psychology.”
Prophet noted that he’s kept in touch with both Marshall and Rhodes. Marshall has been fighting for Jeremy to get opportunities wherever possible and Rhodes has been a stabilizer of sorts. “I’m beyond humbled that someone in his position in the wrestling world would still always find time to help someone like me,” said Prophet. Beyond the confidence of the wrestler in the ring, there’s the humility of the person doing what they love to make a living and the appreciation for a helping hand.
Beyond that, though, Prophet notes that being north of the border limits exposure.
“If it were up to me I would want to be on as many of [AEW’s] shows as possible because the more you’re seen, the better your chances are of having Tony Khan recognize your talent and decide he wants to invest in you and give you a job,” Prophet said. “As a Canadian we can only work on AEW’s events in Canada, so it again limits the amount of opportunities we can even apply for.”
Exposure being limited does not always mean that eyes are not on Prophet. Others have long taken note of just how talented and how dedicated the 20-year veteran is.
Ron Hutchison had nothing but good things to say about the talented Montreal product. “Jeremy Prophet would probably be the first one to admit to you that he is not everyone’s cup of tea. He’s confident. He can be cocky. And he has a right to be. He’s that good!” said Hutchison.
Prophet’s confidence and tendency to speak his mind have rubbed some wrong through the years. Yet he has continued on.
When the trainer of the likes of Edge, Christian Cage and Trish Stratus came out of retirement f0r a tour of the Maritimes with Grand Prix Wrestling, Hutchison asked for Prophet. “I requested to work Prophet for my first match back, anywhere, in 23 years. Why? Because I knew that he was good enough, respectful enough and I trusted him enough to take care of my old ass for my first match back in over two decades!”
It’s Prophet’s “pride in his work and his athleticism” that Hutchison admires.
Rougeau’s first national competition was in 2022, and Prophet entered, and mentioned it to Hutchison. Knowing Prophet, Hutchison boldly predicted that Prophet would win it. “He proved me right,” said Hutchison. “The kid is just that good and I’m glad to see that he continues to make big strides, learning new things and meeting new people with new opportunities as he navigates the, often, bumpy roads of professional wrestling.”
Rewind to May 21, 2010. SmackDown is airing from Ottawa. Fighting as “Jeremy Barnes”, Prophet has a dark match in a WWE ring. It’s a tag match with Brent Roberts (aka Tyler Tirva, from Woodstock, Ontario) against The Gatecrashers, Curt Hawkins and Vance (now Lance) Archer. It’s over quickly but it’s still exposure of some level. But a 77-second match that isn’t televised likely isn’t the best way to showcase potential talent to a big company with the resources to do more.
The only result of that WWE dark match debut was a later SmackDown appearance and one on Raw.
It’s exposure that as yet still hasn’t translated into the main goal being achieved. It would be easy to pack it all up and try something else. But Jeremy Prophet and ‘giving up’ are like an oxymoron. They’re just polar opposites. Despite the obstacles, “Black Dynamite” keeps a level head about it all.
“I don’t feel pressure in those situations because that’s what I want. If you’re going to crack under pressure there, then you don’t deserve to want it,” Prophet said.
Raymond Rougeau, who has commentated on a number of Prophet’s matches and has also had many discussions with him about life, spoke highly of the person both in and out of the ring. “As a person, he is extremely disciplined and totally dedicated with everything he undertakes … In the ring, he is very credible and always in the quest to better himself. He is always eager to receive advice and feedback on his work.”
Unwavering is another good word to describe Prophet. The line between confidence and bravado is not as fine in professional sports. As Prophet describes, being a professional athlete is no place for a person that will crack under pressure. “For me, it comes from a place of, I deserve to be there. I’ve worked for 20 years at this, people who have done this in 25% of that amount of time achieved success, maybe because of the people they know, maybe because of right place, right time. I feel like in a lot of ways, maybe I’ve just always been ahead of my time.”
In talking with Prophet, anybody can quickly pick up on his confidence and his charisma. There’s no shortage of confidence for a pro wrestler with his resume.
Azaelle, NSPW wrestler and Femmes Fatales champion, has interacted with Prophet as well. “Tn the ring, he’s a workhorse. He’s a hard worker. He has the logical part of wrestling at heart. He really wants to do the best he can do,” she said.
Prophet isn’t giving up.
“I believe everybody deserves a chance, even if it’s a chance to fail. So if you want to give me a chance to fail, I’ll be glad to take that chance and turn it into a success, because that’s what I’ve done my whole career,” said Prophet. “I’m going to accomplish the things I want, or I’m going to die trying, because I’m as all in as all in can be.”
TOP PHOTO:Jeremy Prophet taking in some appreciation from the crowd during a match. Photo courtesy Jeremy Prophet.
RELATED LINKS
- Jeremy Prophet socials: Instagram * X
- Apr. 3, 2024: Rougeau’s Lutte Académie back for round three
- May 7, 2014: Hannibal vs Prophet a match over respect, loyalty
