Better Together: 2 Israeli pro wrestlers hope to make it in the US ring

Israel is known for being the birthplace of many great accomplishments, from a bevy of profitable start-ups and unicorn companies to popular TV shows such as Euphoria and agricultural achievements like drip irrigation. And if Ori Gold and Hadar Horwitz have anything to say about it, Israel may also be known soon as the birthplace of some successful professional wrestlers.

Competing together as part of the tag team Better Together, Gold and Horwitz cut their teeth in the Israeli indie wrestling scene for years before deciding to lace up their boots in the United States.

Since then, the two have been working together as they refine their skills, both in the ring and out.

Professional wrestling isn’t an actual unscripted athletic combat, although that doesn’t mean it’s fake. Rather, pro wrestling is essentially physical theater and is one of the most unique art forms. It is a combination of live-action stunt work and physical storytelling which, on the surface, appear to be superficial scripted clashes between actors attempting to put on a veneer of legitimacy; but in actuality, they are compelling performances of athleticism, acrobatics and rhetoric that can result in some of the most engaging forms of entertainment.

Though pro wrestling is mostly centered in the US, Japan and Mexico, there are various independent circuits in countries all over the world, including Israel.

Professional wrestling in Israel was largely popularized by Rabbi Rafael Halperin, a Vienna-born haredi Israeli who made a name for himself wrestling in the US in the 1950s for the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, a promotion that would later become World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), currently the largest wrestling promotion in the world.

Taking on the gimmick, or wrestling persona, of “The Rasslin Rabbi,” he became relatively popular on the American wrestling scene before returning to Israel and bringing the sport’s popularity with him. Afterward, he became a religious scholar, aspiring politician and successful businessman who founded the optometrist store chain Optica Halperin.

Wrestling still airs on Israeli TV, specifically WWE’s shows, and through them, many Israelis gained an interest in wrestling, going on to help give birth to the local scene.

That is exactly what happened to Gold and Horwitz, the two having been exposed to WWE programming on TV and licensed video games at a young age. It was a childhood obsession that never died, giving rise to a dream that they’re now living.

“It just became a love story,” Gold told The Jerusalem Report of his relationship with wrestling.

The two of them took inspiration from some of the biggest names in pro wrestling in the US, such as Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio, and soon found themselves lacing up boots of their own.

The two wrestled throughout the Israeli indie scene, most notably at Israel’s largest wrestling promotion, the Israeli Pro Wrestling Association (IPWA), founded by Gery “Rabbi Swissa” Roif. These shows highlighted some of Israel’s incredible stock of talented wrestlers, some of whom, like their fellow IPWA rostermate Yuval Goldshmit, have begun wrestling in the European indie circuit.

Gold and Horwitz were no exception, with the two heading to Orlando, Florida, together.

“We flew to the US to become better and try to really make it in the pro wrestling business,” Gold said. “We’re training with talent from all of the big companies, including Impact Wrestling, WWE and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). We’re working on our craft and doing as many shows as we can.”

Orlando was a natural destination. It’s home to many indie wrestling promotions, and it’s where the WWE Performance Center and WWE’s developmental brand NXT is headquartered. More importantly, it is near Apopka, home to Flatbacks Wrestling, a school run by veteran pro wrestlers Shawn Spears of AEW and Tyler Breeze of WWE.

“When I heard that Shawn Spears and Tyler Breeze were opening a wrestling school, I didn’t need to think twice about going to Orlando to train with them,” Horwitz explained.

That is where the two began to craft their respective gimmicks to become the tag team they are today.

How are Ori Gold and Hadar Horwitz Better Together?

“Our gimmick is that I see Hadar as my best friend. No one can separate us, and we’re better together. He sees me as a burden because I have this hype and touchy energy, but eventually he has to admit that we are better together,” Gold asserted.

Horwitz’s explanation was a bit different.

“Better Together is not a gimmick. It is just the true dynamic when you put me and Ori together in a match,” he said. “It’s the true representation of what our relationship looks like outside the ring.”

However, he noted that the two of them have more success as a tag team than they do by themselves, which is why they are better together.

So far, the two have continued their shows without stopping, all with the goal of becoming stars in the pro wrestling world. This has led to several exciting moments, such as a surprise WWE photo shoot in Germany with former NXT UK champion and current WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther, something Gold and Horwitz count as a major career highlight thus far.

One question that came up during this interview was how being Israeli impacted their careers in wrestling. There are several Jewish wrestlers who have achieved great success, such as Drew Gulak, Matt Sydal, Colt Cabana, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Goldberg.

As such, being Jewish isn’t necessarily a barrier to success in the squared circle, but what about being from Israel? Currently, there is one Israeli wrestler who has made it to WWE, the Be’er Ya’acov-born but Ayr, Scotland-raised Noam Dar, but he is more often associated with UK wrestling rather than Israel.

Gold and Horwitz say that being Israeli hasn’t been a barrier for them.

“I don’t think being Israeli caused us any problems. I try to look at it as an advantage,” Gold said. “People are really surprised when we tell them that we’re from Israel, our young age and the amount of things we’ve already done. It’s fun being special.”

Indeed, Gold and Horwitz think there is something about Israeli wrestlers that sets them apart from others, and they want to prove to the US that Israeli wrestlers aren’t something to overlook.

“I think the scene we had going on in Israel wouldn’t shame any big indie promotions here in the States, so we always put it upon ourselves to show people from the business that our scene in Israel, which is tiny on the US scale, has produced some really good talent, and it’s not by coincidence,” Horwitz stated.

“Everyone wrestling in Israel has the mentality of giving it their all every time,” he continued. “When you’re working so hard trying to make wrestling bigger in Israel, you have to impress when you get the chance to perform. To be so impressive that people who look down on wrestling will be amazed, too. I think that’s the mentality.” ■