Watch Chris Pratt Rally Behind Paul Walter Hauser Before Las Vegas PROGRESS Championship Match

Paul Walter Hauser, the award-winning actor and lifelong wrestling fan, is set to officially step into the ring for PROGRESS Wrestling later this week. And if that wasn’t already exciting enough, he got a major cosign from none other than Chris Pratt, star of Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

In a new video message, Pratt hyped up his friend ahead of the big match:

"Paul, it’s Pratt. Hey dude! I just wanted to say I was watching your most recent wrestling match and dude, you’ve made such incredible progress! And I just want to commend you on that. Gamesmanship, your technique, you’re in amazing shape right now. And you know, when one friend notices the PROGRESS of another friend, they need to reach out. And so here I am, buddy, reaching out and saying that as our friendship PROGRESSes, I hope that you would do the same for me if you saw something that I did that you liked," Chris Pratt said. "I just wanted to tell you that I commend your PROGRESS."

Hauser will compete for the PROGRESS Proteus Championship in Las Vegas on April 17. He’s set to square off against Charles Crowley, Effy, Adam Priest, and the current Proteus Champion Simon Miller. The bout is part of GCW’s The Collective, a huge week of independent wrestling events leading into WrestleMania weekend.

While this marks Hauser’s official PROGRESS Wrestling debut, it’s far from his first time inside the squared circle. Hauser has previously wrestled for MLW, Defy, and Wrestling Revolver, earning praise for his commitment to the craft and surprising in-ring ability. Hauser was named Executive Producer of MLW recently.

With some Hollywood star power in his corner and a growing reputation in the wrestling world, all eyes will be on Hauser as he competes for gold in Las Vegas.

Here's another video of some famous friends offering Paul encouraging words: