Q: What made you want to be a professional wrestler?
A: When I was a kid, I think it was the characters. The realness of it all really captivated me. It's not like Power Rangers or Batman cartoons or movies. There are no special effects, edits or computer animations, just a bad guy and a good guy fighting for what they believe in, in front of a huge crowd. I would get so caught up in it and swept away. There's nothing else I have seen that's given me that same feeling. In some ways it has numbed me to a lot of things I guess. As I got older, I never grew out of it. I said when I was 7 that I wanted to be a wrestler, and that's never changed. It's the belief that I can achieve these amazing things and fight for what I believe in that made me want to be wrestler. Forgive me if a ramble, I do that occasionally.
Q: Was getting in the ring for the first time what you expected?
A: As far as the pain, it was definitely more than I expected, but not much more because I knew it would be very painful. I was 18 when I first did in-ring training at Chaotic Wrestling in Lowell, MA, and most other guys there were marking out. I wasn't because I had known I would end up in a ring since I was 7. I just had to wait a long 11 years. (Laughs)
Q: How important is it to look the part?
A: It is important, but not as important as personality. When you say "look the part," it doesn't always mean physique-wise. You have to carry yourself as a professional, have professional looking gear, behave like you are SOMEBODY, and look like you know what you are doing. That's how you can captivate a little kid into believing in your match. So yes, look is very important. Wrestling is an art, its subjective, so there are a lot of grey areas. If you are not in shape, you have crap gear, and no mic skills, then you're not a pro. This all applies to backstage as well as in the ring, in my opinion.
Q: Is there any person you wouldn't want to see on the other side of Adam Badger vs. __ ?
A: Yes, there are definitely people who make you face palm yourself when you see you are booked against them. If you think you are one of these guys, then you probably are. Someone that doesn't take it seriously or is lazy are my biggest pet peeves. I won't call out people though.
Q: Is there a match of yours (good or bad) that stands out in your mind? Why?
A: My match with Scotty Too Hotty in Maine stands out because it gave me confidence that I could keep up with a guy that has his amount of experience. It taught me about timing and pacing. I feel like the strap match I have on May 24 against Eric Alden will standout in a very good way.
Q: How important is it for you to make money in wrestling?
A: Right now, learning and getting experience are my main concerns. I never got into wrestling thinking about money. Obviously, making a living in this is the goal because that comes along with "making it," but my motivations are not monetarily driven. I want to make a mark, prove that I made the right decision when I chose to follow my dreams and prove society and the conventions of normal life wrong. The only reason I want to make money wrestling is because then I could put my full day to day life into becoming a better wrestler.
Q: Have you achieved all of your goals you set when you first embarked on this journey?
A: No I haven't, and that's what keeps me up at night. I'll never settle or admit that I can't do it because I believe that I can "make it." I take it so seriously and want it so badly that it hurts sometimes. I have taken a lot loved ones for granted, skipped a lot of get-togethers, quality time and hurt relationships in my pursuit. As of right now I barely have even a small fraction of a fraction of the goals I've set for myself.
Q: Are there any indy wrestlers or tag teams you feel are ready for the big time?
A: I have met guys who I could see in the big time. "Big Time" Bill Collier (no pun intended), a friend of mine from PA. He's a tall, built, strong, athletic dude with charisma, great in-ring as well. I think Joe Sidusky from World Of Hurt has great in-ring skills and a good look. If he got out there, he could go far. I know he is in ROH which is big, but I am a fan of Tomasso Ciampa and he could be on an even bigger stage. I think Mike Mondo should be back in WWE as well. He actually went to the same high school as me in Medford, NY, and they had his picture in the hallway when he was in Spirit Squad. I was 16 and that always made it seem real, like wow, a guy from here made it. I have a soft spot for him. I've never met him, and I doubt he'll read this, but that always stuck out and inspired me.
Q: What is the importance of taping your match for your own personal use?
A: It's a very productive tool if used right. Don't watch just to mark out for yourself. See what you did right, what you could do better, and what you suck at. Wrestling is an art and if you were a musician you would listen to your recordings. If you don't like your own song, chances are most other people won't either.
Q: What's your most embarassing moment in the ring or on the road?
A: I had a match in Maine where we got booed out of the place. I was less experienced then and it was just the wrong match for the wrong crowd. It was an old school crowd, and a young stupid spot-filled match. It was so embarrassing, but I learned from it, and it made me better. At the time though, I should've been on suicide watch... just kidding, but close.
Q: If you could switch careers with any wrestler (professional or independent) who would it be and why?
A: I don't wanna switch just yet. I wanna see where I end up first. There are tons of wrestlers in better positions than I am, but they all have their own unique journey, and I want mine as well.
Q: Wrestling boots or shoes?
A: Boots, definitely.
Q: Wrist tape or no wrist tape?
A: I like wrist tape better, but I also can dig the old school no wrist tape look. It depends on the wrestler. I switch it up.
Q: Tag or singles?
A: I think at heart everyone likes singles, but I like both. It's art. They are just two different types of stories and both are beautiful when done right. If a booker asks, it's "whatever you need me to be."
Q: Do independent championship titles mean anything to you?
A: Yes. They should. Again, there are a lot of grey areas. If the promoter and/or booker takes pride in their fed and their titles, then their rosters should follow suit. If it's some crap fed where anyone and their mother gets a belt cuz they live next door to the booker, then no, it probably doesn't mean much. It's the difference between winning a trophy and the "everyone gets a trophy for participating" league.
Q: I hate, hate, FUCKING HATE when wrestlers don't use the tag ropes, or promoters don't provide tag ropes. I see this as something that's wrong with wrestling on the independent level. What is something that rubs you the wrong way about the indies?
A: Aesthetically, I don't like when the ring is filthy looking or the fed has a shitty looking set up. I don't like how a lot of indy feds don't take the safety of the wrestlers seriously. If your ring is dangerous make the boys aware of exactly what they should avoid doing. I despise when untrained people are given spots as if its a walk-on beer league. Again...safety. But all of this in the end, whether its tag ropes, dirty rings, crappy wrestling/wrestlers, etc., are things that compromise the integrity of your show and of the whole sport. When we were all kids, we got captivated by wrestling. Now imagine you as a kid, going to a local wrestling show, and the setup was crap, the ring was dirty, bad wrestlers were doing bad wrestling in that dirty ring. It would be like when you found out there was no Santa. The magic is gone, the innocence is gone. Think of how many kids may have gotten turned off of wrestling cause of a shit show they went to run by some gypsy promoter booking his fat friends. It could've been the next Cena or Austin, you never know. That kid's dad is trusting you with his hard earned money, but that kid is trusting all of us with his innocence, his untainted view of this captivating world of pro wrestling. To him you might be the closest he ever gets to the WWE, so always act as such. It's not about your friends, your ego, your moves, or money, it's about keeping the magic alive. Every time a crap half-assed show gets put on, you're spitting in the face of whoever captivated you and got you to follow your dreams. There are a lot of shitty people you'll meet through wrestling, and there are politics and all that stuff you hear about, but the kids don't know about any of that. Wrestling gave me dreams, goals, it got me into weight lifting and kept me away from drugs and alcohol. I have never smoked a cigarette, never been drunk, never touched any drugs, all because I wanted to stay on track. Wrestling was there for me when I was a kid going through a rough childhood. My pursuit of my dreams has molded me into who I am and wrestling is responsible for giving me the courage to follow my dreams. That's who we are to every kid who goes to a show. We can give him a reason to pursue his dreams and keep him on track. So remember that, whoever is reading this.....
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(Michael Anthony is the artistic genius behind WrestleArt.com and has been a friend and Contributing Corespondent to Wrestlefudge.com for some time! Be sure to check out the WrestleArt Facebook page and give it a "LIKE"!)
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