CRUSHER CROSSEN'S wrestling career didn't result from years of agonizing under the pressure of a blood, sweat and tears wrestling coach It was generated by TV. The 14-year-old Crossen, known off-camera as Shawn, was just waiting for his MTV like other kids in Anoka when the people at Group W told him about a half-day course that would teach him how to make his own cable shows. Group W and other cable stations offer free or inexpensive video instruction to members of their community. Those who'd like to produce shows for local cable stations are given free access to costly video equipment and studio space.

Crossen was so taken by the offer he signed up not only for the basic studio production course, but also for the port-a-pak and editing classes. He subsequently began producing the TWA (Twin Cities Wrestling Association) show with a team of friends between 12 and 14 years old. The show is currently aired by Group W cable in Anoka, Shoreview and Roseville, by Roger's Cable in Edina and by Storrer Cable in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park, it reaches a total of 23 cities, sometimes bi-weekly.

Last winter, between January and the middle of February, Crossen and friends tackled five wrestling shows, working in the crude conditions of his basement. Unable to book studio time, the struggling artist/athletes converted Crossen's basement into a wrestling arena by padding the floor with old mattresses Since one boy had his own port-a-pak camera - with portable cassette and batteries - they were able to shoot outside the studio.

Later, with the use of Cable W's edit equipment and a $30,000 camera, they upgraded the show. Now it begins with a string of action-packed frames of wrestling matches. A "wipe," an editing technique where one scene appears to push another off the screen, makes the transitions between segments. The studio's character generator provides a printout of credits, including the names of cast members and a list of the 23 cities that receive the show. The entire lead-in is orchestrated to the pop song "Eye of the Tiger." According to Crossen, the capability of wiring up to eight microphones directly to the camera creates numerous audio possibilities, such as theme songs played during the matches. Todd the Killer Kampa insists on Michael Jackson's "Beat it" to get his teeth gnashing.

The outcome is predetermined in these contests between "evil" and "good" contenders. But the wrestlers' fighting names make it difficult to tell the good from the bad among Merciless Mike, Buster Brad, jackknife Jacob, Andy the Ripper and Todd the Killer Kampa, to name a few. Crusher Crossen assures that he is a good guy, but none of the monikers conjure up the apple pie image of Verne Gagne.

The wrestlers get puffed up and strut their stuff before matches, as is de rigeuer in network TV pro wrestling, and post-match interviews give winners a chance to growl at the camera once again. But these contenders don't administer the deadly choke holds that pro wrestlers use with such artfulness. "The wrestling is real," says Crossen, "but we're not in there to kill each other." The 25th anniversary show will be taped this month and Crossen hopes his cast will survive the violent Battle Royal he's scheduled. Every two months TWA sponsors this ultimate contest where wrestlers throw each other over the ropes; the last one left in the ring wins. Crossen worries that someone could get caught in the ropes on the way over and might not land on his feet. But as long as that doesn't happen, the battle will go on. Crossen has also invented a bout specifically for the 25th anniversary show, a sort of wrestling Family Feud. Ten people (five in each "family") will pair up and muscle it out in the ring at the same time until the first person is pinned.

During his tenure as the TWA show's producer, Crossen has learned to get himself off the ropes financially as well as physically. He recently applied to the Cable Commission for a grant to produce the show and was awarded $150. Crossen spent the first $50 for 10 half- inch tapes to film the show and to deliver other tapes to cable companies. He also purchased $50 worth of ropes to make the wrestling arena more realistic. Crossen says he'll use part of the remaining $50 to buy a three-quarter-inch tape so he can send it to Roger's Cable since it is the only cable company using the larger, more expensive tape.

So far there has not been enough money for costumes. The cast settles for sweats or parachute pants. But Crossen is more interested in smoothing out the camera work and editing, and in the wrestling itself, than in cosmetics. And skill's something money can't buy. Time, often a good substitute for money, is on Crossen's side, and he's devoting all he can. Though his family will move to Richfield next spring, he plans to commute to Anoka at least once a week to produce his show and he hopes to start up another TWA show in his new cable territory.

Terry Lovaas, public access coordinator for Group W, says Shawn is an unusually motivated and talented 14year-old. Shawn's camera work has been so impressive that Lovaas asked him to direct a Group W segment on break dancing at the Anoka County Fair. Obviously, Shawn's dedication to video has gone beyond fun and games. He says, unnecessarily, "It's a lot more than a hobby."