[Photos] NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood Feb. 12th

Young Hollywood: Bradon Parker & Todd Chandler

Johnny Goodtime

TMDK: Shane Haste

Talk NWA Episode 25 Saturday February 25th 1:30PM Eastern

The 25th Episode of Talk NWA hits the podcasting airwaves this Saturday February 25th, 10:30 AM Pacific, 1:30PM Eastern. First from the entire Talk NWA crew we'd like to thank our loyal listeners for making us apart of your Saturdays. To embark on the Silver Anniversary of Talk NWA we're proud to bring the Return of the FREE FOR ALL.

Traditionally the FREE FOR ALL episodes have no guests scheduled and we take the show where ever the fans would like to take it. But we would like to hear you opinnion on wether or not the NWA needs to be International to be relevant., agree or disagree?  Also as an added attraction we'll be playing exclusive audios with Jay Cal speaking NOAH Pro Wrestling's TMDK (Shane Haste and Mikey Nichols) along with Ring Ka King's Joey Ryan. 

What else should we talk about? Call in and you can decide.

(646) 478-3019

TMDK International World Wide!

Shane Haste

Those in the know, were more than a little excited about the pending debut of TMDK International. With the past accomplishments of Shane Haste and Mikey Nichols in their previous runs in Southern California, the expectations were set very high for the duo.  However Haste and Nichols delivered on every expectation when they entered the Glendale Studios in front the NWA Hollywood crowd.  Unfortunately the initial reaction TMDK got was a little less than stellar.  But that changed the moment they entered the ring.  With lightning quick maneuvers and very hard hitting action, Nichols and Haste quickly galvanized the fan base in  Hollywood.

Two obstacles placed in front of them their match up with  H.E.D.and the duo of Josh Lazay and Leo Blaze and the matches ended with the same result.  A blur of motion, bodies flying everywhere, and TMDK victorious.  Much like I had anticipated TMDK was most impressive, with two victories in the television taping over I think they did all they can to earn a Heritage Tag Team Title shot when they return.

TMDK to heads to NWA Hollywood!

Dateline Hollywood, CA - The International Tag Team of Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste makes their US return at the 2/12 NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood taping. Don't be left out, RSVP today at www.savefans.com

NWA EPW Presents Hell or Highwater: TMDK

Awe Inspiring: An interview with EPW's Shane Haste

Shane Haste made his debut in early 2003 and over the following eight years has travelled around the country and throughout the United States and being the first West Australian based wrestler to get his name on the PWI 500. Tez got the opportunity to speak with the former EPW champion to get his thoughts on his career to date. Not long after this interview was conducted, Haste along with Mikey Nicholls went to Japan to work with Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Foreword: So because I’m a big shot (douchebag with an ego) I thought I’d do a quick foreword for this interview. This interview is full of a lot of horrible ramblings and things that probably don’t make sense. I wanted to put a lot of stuff in here you probably wouldn’t hear from me usually cause you never know when I might get asked stuff again and I’ll probably forget some of these stories (laughs). So be warned I’m not a professional writer, I’m not very smart and I forget proper details of stories and even the question sometimes halfway through answering them. But I enjoyed doing this and I hope you enjoy reading it, if you’ve got any feedback or questions please feel free to message me on my Facebook page, it’s Shane Haste or something.

- Shane Haste.

WPW: Can you tell us a bit of the background about how you got into EPW and when you first started training?

HASTE: Well I always loved wrestling as a kid, I didn’t get to see much of it apart from what was on TV (like when Channel 9 used to have WCW on at like 4 in the arvo). So growing up I would always wrestle around with my mates, jumping off couches and generally annoying my parents.

Eventually in high school I started doing the backyard thing (with a few faces that are still around today). And yeah then ECW started up and we went to every show and I thought as soon as I can I’m gonna train there. So I was at the first training camp along with such people as Kiel, Tommy Cartel and I’m pretty sure even Mr. Brett Corvus was there. It was hell, but was awesome fun, there were like 20 odd people there (and I mean odd in both ways) and I got told I was welcome to train.

So I busted my ass off working to save the money and not long after I was there one bright Sunday morning for my first wrestling training session. It’s fun to think back to those days and remember the people who have come and gone and the great nicknames (laughs).

WPW: You made your debut at The Uprising event in February 2003 in a Four Way Match including Bobby BadBlood (Marshall), Kiel Steria and Chris J. Lazareth. What memories do you have from your debut match and your rookie year?

HASTE: Man I remember the weeks leading up to that match, I think it was meant to be a three way then got turned into a four way and back and forth which is great when it’s your first match and you’re trying to think of things to do for it (laughs). It’s funny cause during the planning I needed a top rope move to throw in there and I was just like screw it I’ll do a frogsplash thinking I’d never be doing it again and we all know how that went.

Leading up to it they wanted me to work on the splash a lot, so I practiced the aim onto a crash mat a heap of times, then onto thinner gym mats and then just straight onto the mat. So many times, I think back and think stupid kid what were you thinking, plus ask anyone and when I hit the frogsplash I REALLY hit it so all that time practicing my aim was really for nothing.

As for the rest of the year it was pretty good, pretty sure I didn’t win a single match though. I use to watch my matches back all the time but now just thinking about them makes me think eeewwww, plus I even weird myself out with some of the stuff I use to do. What a dorky kid. I feel sorry for Stormy (Davis Storm) and Carny (FN Carnage) who had to put up with me while I was training (laughs).

WPW: Mid 2004 saw you team up with Kiel E. Lectrifying (now Kiel Steria) as Awsome Inc. The Tag Team division was very strong at the time with teams such as The Brat Pack, The Serial Thrillers and the Genetically Superior Team. Was it a fun time being involved in the division and I have to ask about Rupert. Where did the idea of a watermelon mascot come from?

HASTE: Yeah man those matches were very important to me hitting the next level in my wrestling skills. Bob (Marshall), CJL, Kiel (Steria) and I all came up together, so we were also pushing each other so hard and trying to steal the show.

There were a bunch of matches we had with GST which were awesome (like I could still watch them back these days), including one of my all time favourite matches, the tag match we had at Hell or High Water. Man that was a crazy day, on the way to the show I was driving and Kiel was in the passenger seat and I went to change lanes on the freeway. As I turned to check my blind spot all the cars in front hit the brakes and bam, I went into the right side of the rear of the car in front. We spun a few times and I managed to steer the car off the road but yeah it was a total write off. So yeah that was a wicked way to start the day then in the opening part of the match in the dives CJL breaks his foot. So the whole match we're like s**t, s**t s**t, what we gonna do!? But as you all know we kept going and CJL wrestled for another like 15 minutes on a broken foot (injuring it far more in the process) and man did that match turn out awesome.

Wrestling the Brat Pack was a different experience but still included car crash like hits (laughs). Those two pretty much beat the s**t out of us, yet Jamie will still claim I was the stiff one. The match we had at Evolution Night 2 (I’m not good with years) (Editor: 2004) and it was us and Fergy Block against them and Rave. It was a match that hell boosted my confidence in the ring. Having no time to prepare because it was meant to be Serial Thrillers and the Blockster against them but because of the s**t beating (Justin) Sane took from Havok the night before we got thrown in on the day.

A funny moment from that match if you watch it back Jamie has me bent over and he’s laying in kicks to my head then I go all Jap on him and Enziguri him, we both tag out and Blocky Kong and Rave start going at it in the middle of the ring. If you watch the side of the screen you can see us with our respective tag partners on the outside, we're both like totally out of it and their trying to get us to stop walking towards the light (laughs) also funny (but not really) Jamie’s kicks to my head were so hard that the next day I had welts on my forehead from his laces! His soft cotton laces where smooshed into my head so hard they made me bleed!

Rupert’s a good story too. I stole the idea from it from a web comic (bonus points if you know which one). But yeah fruits a great thing to eat before a show because it doesn’t upset the stomach (unlike a pack of donuts and a kola beer) and what’s better then throwing away the outer melon? Freakin’ making a mask out of it, that’s what! I use to carve some good stuff on his forehead too aye.

Also Awsome Inc were robbed by never becoming the tag champs!

WPW: You won the EPW Championship won a Steel Cage match against Jimmy Payne at Desperate Measures in August 2007. Can you describe the experience of winning your first major championship and especially hitting the frog splash from the top of the cage?

HASTE: At the time it was a pretty crazy feeling and looking back at it now I really wish I had done more with it. My reign was pretty forgettable except for how I won it and how I lost it. Which I actually felt was the most important part of my run, when Bobby beat me I knew I was gonna make sure he put me through hell before he got it and sure enough he delivered (laughs).

The splash from the cage was cool though, we had the cage set up down at the factory for the week before the show and damn that thing was high. The first time climbing up it I was s***ting myself (little known fact Shane Haste isn’t a fan of heights) but after a bit I was climbing all over that thing like I was born up there. I watch the splash back and man that was a messy landing; I totally ate s**t over him (laughs). Lucky the next time doing it I was better prepared and it looked a lot better.

WPW: The NWA Australian Tour in November 2007 saw you team up with “Jag” Hartley Jackson to take on the NWA World Tag Team Champions, The Real American Heroes (Joey Ryan & Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson. You won a Steel Cage Match at Challenge Stadium on the first night, earning a championship shot the next night in Bunbury. What was it like working with the Heroes?

HASTE: It was pretty cool; I actually don’t remember much about it though. I just remember it was really easy, their confidence rubbed off on me so I was pretty relaxed. I was already used to wrestling people I’d never met before so there were no nerves for that part and because Jag had wrestled them before and was on a level much above myself he took care of most of it and I just had to do what I always did at that time, be me.

Man that trip was great fun though, getting to hangout with all those guys and kickin’ it with them in Bunbury. (Laughs) Some great moments and stories that unfortunately I can’t share with you but I’ll tell you this the next year while at the NWA TV tapings I caught up with Danielson again and he was playing it off like he remember me but I could tell he didn’t until I reminded him I was the guy who showed him a certain genital trick. For the record it wasn’t his I did the trick on, it wasn’t like that at all, 100% hetro. Ahh, totally dragging my good name through the mud...

WPW: Late 2008 saw you make your first US tour. In only your third match outside of Australia you had a NWA World Heavyweight title match against “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce. Were you surprised that the NWA gave you a shot at the 10 pounds of gold so soon after your arrival?

HASTE: Nah bro, its Shane Haste you’re talking to. But seriously I was told I could have the match before I went over so I’d thought about it enough. The thing with wrestling is you shouldn’t believe anything’s gonna happen till it’s actually happening, so being told I was getting the match didn’t have me convinced it was gonna happen but I was gonna head to the states regardless.

Great guy to work with and having that match so soon into my trip was great because it taught me the right way of doing it thusly I didn’t pick up any bad habits. Feels pretty rad to be one of few Australians to get to wrestle for it though, so when I see people talk about it I still think f**k yeah.

WPW: What was it like being part of the early days of the NWA Showcase TV tapings, was there a lot of difference to how the show was taped compared to EPW’s Monday Night Wrestling tapings?

HASTE: Yeah there was a huge difference, but that’s the differences between Perth and L.A. Here in Perth we're pretty laid back and EPW is a family so we're all looking out for each other and junk where L.A is very business and the guys there are all over the place and there’s so many of them. So mad props to (David) Marquez and all those guys in charge to get a handle on everyone and get the show out there.

It was a great learning experience for sure and I got plenty of good feedback. One of the matches I was wrestling Inspirted Fidel (I’m 100% sure that wasn’t his name but it was something like that) and Pearce interrupted it and threw me into the ring post and shit me it was the hardest I’ve ever been thrown into anything in my life, back on camera I’m probably all looking dazed as I’m heading towards it but in my mind it was AAAHHH!!! I’m gonna die! Then I hit it and just spun ... and that part was pretty fun.

WPW: Early 2009 saw the Blitz Team have an excellent series of matches with then Tag Team Champions, Dan Moore and Chase Griffin. Which one stood out your favourite?

HASTE: I don’t know, they’re all just a big blur to me now (laughs) but even if not I probably couldn’t pick a favorite. I have favorite moments from them but it’s mostly the emotion that went into each match that really sticks out to me. Being a worldly seasoned wrestled I am I really wanted to bring out in them what I think is the most important thing in wrestling and that’s the emotion, the raw fire of passion that if you get it right you don’t have to do shit and the crowd will eat it up. When Chase went to cheat in the Goldrush match and I challenged him to swing it out with me, it doesn’t get much rawer then that. I was just yelling at him to hit me and man he brought the fire... and beat the p**s out of me (laughs), so it just shows you get what you ask for.

It was great fun in the second match reversing all the shit we did in the first, I laugh at my herculean like strength when I pushed Dan mid air into Chase when they went for the double double. The table match was a great way to finish it, was so easy and fun. I mean when you got so many tables you really don’t need to put much more thought into it. My highlight from it was dropping the ladder on Moore’s head (laughs) sure felt like a p***k doing it but I knew it’s what he would wanted me to do.

Another little real life of Shane Haste fact after the show that night on my way home, I was in yet another car crash the brakes locked up on my car and I skidded out through a red light and got nailed but another car. Everyone was ok, but man it was a scary moment after when I knew I was fine but then seeing another smashed up car I was like holy s**t. They were fine too and very nice about the whole thing... maybe a little too nice. So lesson to be learnt here: Don’t ask me for a ride.

WPW: Can you tell us about your experiences working for Pro Wrestling Guerilla in 2009?

HASTE: PWG was awesome fun, from the matches to the crowds and especially the backstage atmosphere. There’s a few things that happen like every PWG show and my first match there, I’m pretty sure I did all of them. It was a four way match between Human Tornado, Charles Mercury, JTP and myself, and Tornado and JTP are as about as popular as you get over there so I thought I would side with Mercury. Big mistake, I instantly got pummeled by Tornado and thrown out of the ring cleaning up like five people and spilling two jugs of beer (To those who don’t know PWG doesn’t have guard rails, the crowd just sits up to the ring) then Tornado came flying out of the ring onto me wiping out another five odd people THUS ticking off two things, 1: Messing up where people are sitting and 2: Spilling someone’s full beer.

Later in the match Mercury and I went to give LTP the old spirit squad throw up in the air thingy but we were all so sweaty that as we went to fling him up into the air our hand slipped right off and he got about half a foot up and we looked like we threw an invisible man up. So this got me my first and ticked off #3... the you f****d up chant. Then near the end I was a little jumbled to what I was doing (probably after being kicked in the head so much and hard during Tornado's corner kick dance) and all I remember was seeing Mercury standing there ready to Powerbomb LTP and I thought “s**t I better take him out” so I did the fourth thing: an impromptu superkick! Now I don’t do super kicks so I know it was the spirit of PWG and Indy wrestling taking over me as I thrusted my foot into the already split chin of Mercury definitely making it much worse.

The other two times I worked for them I was more confident and fist pumped for the crowd which was way more fun because for some reason they took me as a big guy, so I got to man handle everyone and use my power moves. Backstage was great too, as some of you know PWG get some of the best Indy guys in to work and at PWG shows they’re so relaxed and having a good time. So listening to their stories and seeing them prepare was wicked for learning and getting to know what to expect from wrestling and working in America. One of the shows also had Dragon Gate guys there so it was packed back there and they’re a lot of fun too with their over politeness.

The crowds there were awesome too, they would pop for everything! Someone did a Russian leg sweep and they lost their s**t (it probably helped that they were mostly drunk). So all in all I reckon I had a good run there though it’s funny I got booked there cause the promoter saw me doing a 630 dive and thought shit yeah we'll get a cool flippy guy yet once I got there all I did was throw people around and maybe did one standing Moonsault.

WPW: You were booked to take on Teddy Hart at an Alternative Wrestling Show card in September 2009, but apparently AAA wanted him to stay in Mexico. You ended up taking on former Wrestling Society X star, Scorpio Sky. Were you disappointed that you didn’t get to take on Hart?

HASTE: I was pretty surprised I got put up against him in the first place, usually over there they don’t really put you up against the out of town names. So I talked to a few of the guys there who had worked with him or had met him and all I kept getting back were these horror stories, people who met him said he was a nice guy and seemed normal but the people who had wrestled him where telling me about how much of a nutbar he was... but still a nice guy.

So leading up to getting to the show that day I was pretty worried thinking what’s this guy gonna be like and how awful is this going to be, then we get there and they tell me has had to go back to Mexico and can’t do it. And to be honest I was like thank god, then when they told me I’d be up against Sky I was as excited as you’d think I would be to wrestle Hart (laughs).

Sky’s a great guy and an awesome wrestler and was defiantly on my list of people to go against there. I really wish someone had put the match up, I never even got to see it back but man it had some awesome stuff in it (to toot my own horn) and he nailed me with so many knees and elbows. But yeah it turned out to be a great night and hell yeah I’d love the opportunity to not wrestle crazy Hart and work Scorpio again.

WPW: Late 2010 you attended the Harley Race Training Academy. How was it and were you nervous at all taking part in the NOAH/WWE tryouts?

HASTE: Not really. I’d gotten into town about 2-3 weeks before it so I’d met the guys down there and gotten to know what it would be like. Also the weekend before we went to Kansas to go see a show some of the local guys were on and it turned out it was like a 4-5 hour long TV taping and I was wearing shorts and a T-Shirt. What does that matter you might ask well for those 4-5 hours I was sitting watching this show in the freakin’ freezing cold weather, it was shit cold. So I ended up catching a cold, awesome thing to get two days before the camp (oh yeah I should mention it’s a NOAH/WWE camp, not a try out).

So the year before this camp had 50+ people to it, WWE and NOAH wrestlers there to take it and show people new and amazing things but for us there was only eight of us... and no one from WWE came. Two upper office guys from NOAH came, who though not wrestlers still had a wealth of knowledge and interesting things to teach. Also of course Harley was there too and though he's getting on his age and can’t move like the king used to he’s still as sharp as ever with his wrestling mind and picks up on a lot of things and has great advice.

I managed to scrape through the first day but the sickness killed me that night and I was unable to make it the next, the rest of the week I wasn’t at full power either but I think that worked in my favour as it slowed me down which meant more control of my body and helped improve my pacing. So it was a long week for us with a lot of matches, some good and some bad. I remember Mike almost losing his shit a few times (laughs) but luckily we had plenty of trips to Starbucks to cheer us up. In the end it turned out to be great for us because even though a WWE rep never came we had impressed Harley which with his connections turned out great.

A few days after the camp we went in to say bye to Harley and thank him for the training and wisdom, we told him we were gonna head to Florida to give it a crack there and he said to wait here a little bit longer and he'll give WWE a call. So for 3 days Harley kept calling WWE for us just to put in a good word which is awesome of him, I mean he's Harley freakin’ Race he don’t have to do s**t for no one (laughs). So eventually Harley got through to them and after a bit of conversation they said they'd love to have a look at us and we should head down to FCW in Tampa. And that’s when the real tryout happened.

Now I can’t tell everything that we did and all that cause I’m sure we signed confidentiality papers but I’ll give you a vague description of what went down. We spent a week there, trained with their guys did a few taped things that would be sent off to WWE offices and watched/helped out at the shows that weekend where we could. It was such an awesome experience there, the place is like heaven for wrestlers who want to learn, the amount of experience and wealth of knowledge there is incredible and everyone is so helpful and fun (laughs).

Tampa is a beautiful place too, so many places to eat, the weather was great and it was the first time in awhile we'd seen some pretty girls (laughs), gotta remember we'd been in Eldon, Missouri for a month and a bit before that. So the tryouts were great and we were having such fun there that I didn’t feel the nerves and Harleys camp turned out pretty good for us I mean we still keep in contact with the NOAH guys now too.

WPW: Do you have any plans to return to the States in 2011 and possibly appear for NWA Hollywood?

HASTE: I don’t have any plans to but if I was in the area I sure would, the set up they got for it looks great and I love working with the guys they have there. We (Mike and I) were going to try be there for one taping while we were in the states last year but ended up in Tampa that week so we didn’t make it.

WPW: The past couple of years in EPW have seen you as part of two very successful Tag Teams. Having Championship reigns as part of the Blitz Team with Alex Kingston and TMDK with Mikey Nicholls. Are you hoping to get back in contention for the EPW Championship in 2011?

HASTE: This year I kinda wanna have a crack at everything. I love tagging with Mike so you'll definitely see us keep on going, BUT that new belt does look awfully good. Since my last title run was pretty forgettable, I do wanna take a hold of the championship again and really do something with it but of course that would require beating Davis Storm and I haven’t been able to do that yet (laughs). Also with the Hardcore Shield being added it seems like I’m not a grand slam guy anymore SO I’m gonna have to get that too (laughs). And the Rising Star Cup too I guess... I don’t know how but I’ll find a way.

WPW: You have wrestled some big names over the course of your career, which have been some of your favourites to wrestle, both here and in the States and who would you like to face that you haven’t had the opportunity to?

HASTE: Haven’t really wrestled big names (laughs), met a few. But to the question, I guess I’d have to say probably John Cena you know just starting small (laughs).

But for realsies, Overseas I’d love to wrestle a few guys in L.A. like Johnny Yuma, Brandon Parker, Johnny Goodtime, Chris Kadillak and some others I’m forgetting at the moment. A lot of those guys are really good friends of mine, some who are fairly new still and have come a long ways from when they started. Other US guys would be guys like Davey Richards and Bryan Danielson who would have rocked my world if I had got to test myself against him while he was still in the Indies. The biggest on my to do list though is KENTA, dudes my fave and even though he'd probably kick me into a coma it would be awesome.

Back here in Australia there’s a few too, from over east there’s the Fitness Maniacs and I reckon there’s a match of the year to be had with them against TMDK for sure. Ryan Eagles would be a fun match too aye. In Perth, I’m really looking forward to see how good some of the new guys coming through here are, guys like Marcus Pitt, we had a match many years ago when he was pretty green and he's come a long way since then so I’d like to see if he’s gotten better (laughs). Chase Griffin and I have tangled many a times in tag matches but I wanna roll with him in a singles, maybe even hardcore (we haven’t seen me do that yet). Alex Kingston is on my list for singles too, now that we're not full time tag partners I’d like to test “the kid”. He’s starting to travel around the country and getting some wicked experience so I think it’s time to see if he's ready to become “the man” (laughs). I’m pretty funny aye.

WPW: After nearly eight years in the business, what does Shane Haste still hope to achieve in his career?

HASTE: I really wanna wrestle all over the world. I like the idea of traveling but I won’t go anywhere there’s not wrestling; wether it be matches or just training. Eight years really isn’t very long in wrestling time I don’t think and I feel like I’m starting to hit my stride now so I’m hoping it’s all uphill from here. I wanna recapture the EPW title and defend, defend, defend it, around Australia where possible too.

In the long run I want to be in the WWE, do all the things you can there, travel, have the moments and junk. It looks like a lot of fun. After that I’d love to come home and help make EPW bigger and better known. Hopefully if I accomplish something in wrestling and it will make wrestling in Australia bigger and Australian wrestlers will get recognised for their skills.

But really the short answer to it is: To make money and sell out. Sex, Drugs AND then rock n roll.

WPW: Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to WPW, Shane.

Check out:

www.westsideprowrestlingwa.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/westsideprowrestling

and the promotion where Shane Haste comes from

www.epwperth.com

New Top Ten Thoughts

Before I get into the top ten rankings of the NWA, I want to plug real quick two things.

As some of you may know I do a weekly video show on Youtube called Wrestling Man's Wrestling Show where I cover just about as much wrestling as you can think of. To become a subscriber go to http://www.youtube.com/mrwrestlingman85 for my videos.

The other thing is this Saturday I will be providing my own play by play commentary of ROH's Glory by Honor IX. Go to http://www.stickam.com/wrestlingmanv2 to join up for all the fun and madness that will take place. It begins at 7:15 PM Eastern time.

Now, a lot has changed as far as rankings go in the NWA since I first wrote about the rankings. Let's take a look at the rankings as I give you my thoughts on the top ten.

10. Chance Prophet- The Current NWA DAWG Pound Heavyweight champion and former NWA National Heavyweight champion, he truly has the ability to challenge for the World Heavyweight title and win it. However, when he was National Heavyweight champion a lot of people including myself thought he was going to become the next champion before he was injured and had to forfeit the National Heavyweight title. While I think his ranking should be a bit higher, right now Chance is under the radar and all it takes is one big win and he is right back as a major name to mention for the title.

9. Antonio Thomas- He has dropped two spots in the rankings but remains in the top ten for his ability in the ring and charisma. How he has not received a title shot is amazing because he is so good and crisp in the ring. Will he ever get noticed by the NWA as a wrestler who is good enough to go for the title or will he just continue to be ignored?

8. Shane Haste- Still the man in Australia, his climb to the top will no doubt continue with each and every [victory.  The question must come up of if he wants to challenge for the Worlds Heavyweight title again, will or make the NWA Australia championship his goal?]

7. Sid Sylum- The current NWA Canadian Heavyweight champion, he is no doubt a contender for many other titles in the NWA, mainly the North American Heavyweight title. However, Sylum seems to be the kind of person who will not rush into going for a title and will cherish every single day his reign as the Canadian Heavyweight champion. There hasn't been a Canadian to have held the belt in three years is Sid Sylum the one to bring the World Heavyweight title back to the Great White North?

6. Shinsuke Nakamura- One of the best wrestlers currently in Japan, the fact that he doesn't have a title and is on this list is pretty amazing. It shows how good of a wrestler he truly is. While his focus right now might not be on the World Heavyweight title it must certainly be on the back of his mind. But the only way for him to start chasing that belt in my opinion is to regain the IWGP Heavyweight title from Togi Makabe and then start dominating as champion like he did in his previous reign. It's only a matter of time before he is at the top once again.

5. Charlie Haas- The former WWE superstar sure did give Adam Pearce a run for his money back in August. While that match ended in a double countout, Haas proved to everybody that he has the right stuff to become the World Heavyweight champion. And with his recent victory to become the Texas Heavyweight champion it may help him for a request of another shot at Adam Pearce and the title. While the rematch might not happen in Texas, Haas is certainly a man who deserves a second shot at the title.

4. Oliver John- The summer of 2010 is certainly a summer that Oliver John would soon love to forget. First, he loses the PWR Heavyweight title to Blue Demon Jr. and then loses the Heritage Heavyweight title to Atsushi Sawada, it does hurt his case for a shot at the World Heavyweight title. However, don't let these two loses change your mind as far as a contender goes because any man who can take Blue Demon Jr. to the limit and beyond certainly should have a look at with the title. Will the bad luck of Oliver John stop or will it continue as he could go down the rankings of the NWA?

3. Blue Demon Jr.- The former heavyweight champion right now might be taking a break on his quest to regain the ten pounds of gold but that doesn't mean that he's still keeping his eye out on not only Pearce but all the top contenders because whenever Blue Demon Jr. gets his rematch at the title it could very well be against anybody. He is an experienced wrestler and will study all tapes of whoever the champion might be and when the day comes he will be ready to go once again at the belt.

2. The Sheik- Of any wrestler on this list that deserves the next shot at Adam Pearce it is this man. 2010 has no doubt been his year, being the only wrestler in NWA history to hold a state, territory and continental title at the same time, The Sheik felt that he was being ignored. But when he knocked out Adam Pearce last month in Charlotte he put everybody on notice that he means business when it comes to the world title and that he wants the belt around his waist. But the question is how soon will Sheik get his shot? It depends on the schedule and contenders and hopefully, The Sheik will not be ignored.

1. Phil Shatter- The current NWA National Heavyweight champion still has his sights on Adam Pearce. Despite having two chances at the title within eight days, Shatter still does not have the title that he longs for. He might go down as the greatest National Heavyweight champion of all time and that's a nice feat in itself, but he wants something bigger and if given one more chance, like the old saying goes, maybe the third time will be the charm and he could become the World Heavyweight champion. But until then he will have to wait.

Which of these ten men will make the next move on there quest to becoming World Heavyweight champion? Only time will tell.

Trailblazer - Mikey Nicholls Interview

Mikey Nicholls has been wrestling throughout the world for near on nine years, and is one of the most successful wrestlers to come from the local scene having wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Tokyo and dark matches for Ring ofHonor. WPW’s Tez got the opportunity to speak to Mikey about his career not long after Team Murder Death Kill lost the EPW Tag Team Championships in a Tables Match at Hell or Highwater.

WPW: You made your debut at the first ever Explosive Coastal Wrestling show Awakening in November 2001 at quite a young age. What was it like making your debut on what has become somewhat of an significant step in WA wrestling and did it feel like something special at the time?

MIKEY: I was like 16 years old back then and man did it ever feel like something special. Dreams and aspirations were so much simpler back then, it was almost like I was getting everything I had always wanted. I of course have not watched that show back since then, lol, but no matter how awful the wrestling may have been, it was, what it was and like you said a pretty significant step in WA wrestling

WPW: You were part of the very first ECW Championship match, a Four Way Match with

Davis Storm, Jimmy Payne and FN Carnage at Redemption in January 2002, where things went a little wrong. Was there ever any thought of you giving wrestling away at that point and what did you think of the publicity it got it in the major papers like The West Australian?

MIKEY: Nah, there was never a thought of giving wrestling away. I guess its like they say, no publicity is bad publicity right.

WPW: The following show, the first ever Evolution in May 2002, you made an appearance and cut a promo, which unfortunately there were some technical issues with the mic. Even with that the first ever sold out ECW crowd gave you one awesome ovation. Were you surprised with the support the crowd gave you before you made the heel turn?

MIKEY: I’m so amazed that you can remember that far back. Yeah was pretty surprising, I mean we had only done a few shows so it wasn't like we had build up a huge audience or anything yet. The thing I remember most is the nerves, man i was a such a buildup of nerves, I had such an awesome promo planned out but then of course the microphone doesn't work. In hindsight was probably a good thing the mic didn't work (Laughs).

WPW: Mid 2002 saw you join up with the faction known as The Uprising, which pretty much ran riot through ECW/EPW until the classic street fight with Team EPW at Re-Awakening II in 2003. Along the way having some top matches including the Last Man Standing Match with Jimmy Payne. Do you have fond memories of your time in the Uprising?

MIKEY: The stuff we did with The Uprising was some of the most fun times of my entire

wrestling, dare I say, career. It was so much fun turning up to shows and essentially just hanging out with your friends and doing whatever you wanted. In that time as well I think I grew as not only a wrestler but as a character and my confidence of being out in front of people really grew.

The last man standing match with Jimmy was a whole heap of fun, and as far as the Street fight goes, that was one of the most emotional and most fun nights of my life. I think anyone in attendance that night would agree with me when I say that the emotion and drama was off the charts that night.

WPW: You were part of the NWA Australia promotion in Adelaide, which drew 1000+ fans to the Thebarton Theatre for its debut show Turning Over Tradition. Unfortunately, the crowds plummeted to less than 100 within three shows and the company folded. What was the experience like wrestling in front of such a big crowd for the first time and being part of a national promotion?

MIKEY: It was great honour initially just to be asked to be apart of the show, made me feel like I was getting somewhere in Australia. It was also great to wrestle in front of that many people, to meet a lot of the guys from other states and seeing guys that I definitely looked up to within Australia.

WPW: 2004 was quite a big year for you. Feuding with Azazal (Drake Wallace) after the Uprising break up, culminating with a Match of the Year Chain Match, taking on Davis Storm in a couple of number one contender’s matches, finally winning the EPW Championship in a triple threat match with then champion, Davis Storm and FN Carnage. What was it like winning the title for the very first time at Re-Awakening III?

MIKEY: 2004-05 was such a rollercoaster time for me both in and out of wrestling and I think a lot of that showed in the way that I wrestled and the matches that I had. I’m so proud of my chain match with Azazal and was so happy when it was voted match of the year. Then it all kinda came together in the triple threat match at RA when I won the belt for the first time. I like to think that I had a great first run without the belt and had some pretty memorable matches.

WPW: You held the title until Evolution 2005 before Richter cashed in his title shot after you had a hard fought Fatal Four Way with Jimmy Payne, Havok and Jag. You got your rematch at Dirty Deeds, which was the first ever show at the Alma Venville Centre, which was a Street Fight. You climbed up a wall and did a dive off the balcony which was an awesome thing to see. Was that a spur of the moment thing or had you had that idea in mind as soon as you saw the building?

MIKEY: (Laughs) That was most definitely the first thing I thought of when I saw that building. It was the first show we had done in a new venue so I figured I was in a situation to make it as memorable as possible.

WPW: You made your first overseas trip in late 2005 to SoCal training and wrestling out of the Inoki Dojo with “Jag” Hartley Jackson and Davis Storm. What was the first overseas experience like for you training with guys like Fergal Devitt and Karl Anderson?

MIKEY: It was always a dream of mine to train at the Inoki Dojo and it really just sorta happened out of nowhere. I look back on that time now as the most fun and also the most intense time in my life. I made some great friends out of it and we were all kinda going through the same thing together you know, so it made it even better. The first overseas experience was definitely an eye opener for me to how the rest of the wrestling world works. Made me realise we have it pretty good here in Perth.

WPW: Returning to Perth in February 2006, you dropped the EPW Championship to Havok at Stand & Deliver in March, before returning to the States. Your second tour succeeding your first as you along with Karl Anderson challenged Alex Koslov for the NWA Heritage Championship and Rocky Romero for the CMLL Championship in a Two out of Three Falls Match. Was the push you received during this tour where you felt like you could make a name for yourself on the SoCal Indy scene?

MIKEY: It wasn't so much that I thought I could make a name for myself it was more the fact that I was so shocked and excited to be in the same ring as those guys. The triple threat match was a whole lot of fun and it was such an honour to be selected to wrestle someone who I have the utmost respect for and definitely someone I look up to in Rocky. I also think that the 2 out of 3 falls match took me to a whole new level with wrestling.

It was like I had to bring myself up tohis level, which I still maintain is the best way to better yourself as a wrestler. Train and wrestle with people who are better than you and you will always be forced to come up to their level. Because if they are any good they sure as hell wont get dragged down to yours!

WPW: In what is an awesome achievement, yourself along with Hartley Jackson were the first ever Australians to compete for New Japan Pro Wrestling, taking part in a Tag Match against Minoru & Hirooki Goto in Tokyo Korakuen Hall. Did it get overwhelming or did you feel like it was just another step forward in the career of Mikey Nicholls and would you like to go back?

MIKEY: Man was it ever overwhelming. I don't think I have ever been so nervous in my entire life. Trying to get everything together in a different country, with people who don't speak the same language man it was a trip. At the time it was a huge step forward for me and it kinda disappoints me a little that I didn't capitalise on it more, but cant dwell in the past. I would give anything to go back.

WPW: September 7, 2007 at EWF’s Gold Standard, you became the first ever Western

Australian wrestler to win a title in the United States when you defeated then champion Karl Anderson and Ryan Taylor in a 30 Minute Triple Threat Ironman match to become the new EWF American Champion.

MIKEY: It felt real good to hold some gold in the states. Definitely made me feel like I was on the right track. I also think I had a couple really good matches while I was the champ, made me a lot more confident with my wrestling.

WPW: 2009 saw you make a change of scenery moving from the SoCal scene to Ohio to wrestle for the Northern Wrestling Federation and during the nine month stay you got to make your debut for Ring of Honor in a few Dark Matches. What was that experience like?

MIKEY: It was a real surreal experience. For the longest time I had, like most people, had been watching ROH stuff and wishing I was there, well all of a sudden here it was right in front of me. The whole atmosphere was great, I met some great guys and also had some real solid matches.

WPW: Returning to EPW in late 2009, you were voted by the fans as the partner for Shane Haste to take on Slex and Carlo Cannon for the EPW Tag Team Championships at Re-Awakening 8. You won the titles in a brutal Ladder Match and defended them in some great matches before losing them just recently in a Tables Match. What is your next goal in EPW?

MIKEY: I’m not sure yet. I was having a whole lot of fun doing the tag stuff with Shane and I think that we had a pretty memorable run. Its been a while since I held the EPW title, maybe I will have a go and try my luck at that. I think there is still a lot of fire left inside Mikey Nicholls.

WPW: Do you have plans to return to the States in 2010-2011 and where would you like to go, back to SoCal or Ohio?

MIKEY: I don't know man, I’m never one to make definite plans, I prefer to just take it as it comes and see what happens. I will go back to the states for sure, not sure how or when, but it will happen.

WPW: What does Mikey Nicholls hope to do in the wrestling business before he retires?

MIKEY: I guess just keep having fun and keep bettering myself. Once that enjoyment goes its kinda hard to keep motivated and also becomes hard to keep justifying to yourself why you do it you know. But I guess as long as I’m moving forward and having fun, I cant complain too much.

WPW: Thank you for speaking to Westside Pro Wrestling Mikey.

Thoughts on rankings and chase for the 10 lbs. of gold

Before I begin I would like to thank Jay Cal and everybody at alliance-wrestling.com for giving me an opportunity to write blogs for this fantastic website. My first blog that I'm going to write about, and will probably be a theme for me are the look at the top ten rankings in the NWA plus the serious challengers for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, held currently by Adam Pearce. The hunt for the 10 lbs. of gold has not been this exciting, this thrilling and this entertaining since the NWA Heavyweight title was in TNA. Adam Pearce, who has been a great representative of not only the title but the NWA itself has not been a classic champion. He has faced all challenges and still has the title. But let's take a look at each guy in the top ten and how they could figure into an already heavy chase.

10. Lance Cade.

The former WWE Superstar and trainee of Shawn Michaels is a world traveler. He's been in Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico and more. His size and power is a good characteristic for a contender at the World title. Currently in NWA Southwest, his goal is set at the Texas Heavyweight Championship currently held by Chad Thomas. If Lance Cade can capture the Texas Heavyweight title then not only will he move up in the rankings but will also have more eyes looking at him as a serious contender to Adam Pearce and the title. But for right now, Cade is at a good spot but one huge title win gets him into serious talk.

9. Shane Haste.

Currently one half of the EPW Tag Team Champions in Australia, Shane Haste is one of the best wrestlers currently wrestling in the land down under. Unlike Cade, Haste's looks might not be able to help his case chasing the gold. At only 6'2" and 205 lbs. he might not be thought of as a serious threat to the NWA World Heavyweight title. But like the old saying goes, great things come in small packages and Shane Haste might be that great thing that could not only bring him fame but also bring the NWA World Heavyweight title to Australia for the very first time.

8. Robbie Hart.

The current NWA Australian Heavyweight Champion is an individual who could also represent Australia as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Since his win back on March 20th he has been on a roll. Nobody has been able to stop him and it can only get better for the champion. Can Robbie make it all the way to the World title or are there road blocks along the way for Robbie Hart?

7. Antonio Thomas.

Another former WWE Superstar, Thomas has been making a name for himself all over New England. Also a former NWA Liberty States (currently On Fire) Heavyweight champion, he has a lot of great talent and potential to challenge Pearce. Go all over not only the United States but the world as well to chase him for the title. A veteran of nine years, Thomas could be the guy that gets the job done and takes "Charlotte" away from Pearce.

6. Sid Sylum.

Sid pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year when he defeated Scotty Mac on April 10th of this year to become NWA Canadian Heavyweight Champion. When he defeated Mac, who had held the title for almost two years, Sylum not only took the title but also took what could've been a huge opportunity for Mac. Now it's Sid Sylum's turn. He represents all of Canada and would make a great representative as NWA World Heavyweight Champion. 2010 has been Sid's year so far, can he continue making it his year by becomming the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion as well as NWA Canadian Heavyweight Champion?

5. Blue Demon Jr.

The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Blue Demon does have a right to a rematch against Adam Pearce since he was the former champion. It's just a matter of when and if Adam Pearce will give him his rematch. As the current head man in NWA Mexico his time for a title shot may have to wait for a little bit. Also that could delay that is Oliver John, one of his most hated enemies. Oliver John may take Demon's attention away from his hunt to regain the NWA World Heavyweight title but being the professional he is, Blue Demon Jr. will get right back on track for a chance to regain the title no matter what happens to Oliver John.

4. The Sheik

A wrestler that may get some votes as wrestler of the year in the NWA, The Sheik did something this year that nobody has ever done before. He held at one point in time, the Florida, Midwest and North American Heavyweight titles. No wrestler has ever held a state, regional and national title at the same time and it might be a long time before anybody does. The Sheik has been going all over the United States defending the North American title. The Sheik is the kind of wrestler who if given one chance, just one, could take away the NWA World Heavyweight title from Adam Pearce. Plus, with his array of weapons and fireball The Sheik is an unpredictable wrestler who can pull anything out at anytime. If given the chance, will The Sheik pull something out to become NWA World Heavyweight champion? If given a chance.

3. Shinsuke Nakamura.

Even though he is returning from injury, he has accomplished a lot of things in his career. A former U-30 champion, co holder of the IWGP Tag Team titles and IWGP Heavyweight champion he may be the most serious threat to Adam Pearce and his title. Nakamura could also become the first Japanese NWA World Heavyweight Champion since the late Shinya Hashimoto won the title nine years ago. But as mentioned, he is returning from an injury and his shoulder could play a part in any hope of getting a title shot. If he was not coming back from an injury, he might very well be number one in the rankings and maybe in line for a shot. Instead, he's got some work to do to not only get back to the top of New Japan Pro Wrestling but to also get into the conversation of the NWA World Heavyweight title.

2. Oliver John.

Before Adam Pearce defeats Blue Demon Jr. in Charlotte this past April, the closest man to beating Demon for the title is Oliver John. At one point, he even laid claim to being the NWA World Heavyweight champion although he didn't win the title. If he can defeat Blue Demon Jr. in Mexico then Oliver John may very well be the number one contender and the next one in line for a title shot. However, if he loses to Blue Demon Jr. then it's going to be a long climb to get back into the talk for a title shot.

1. Phil Shatter.

If you saw the three way elimination match for the NWA World Heavyweight title back in April a lot of people thought that Shatter had won the title. But instead, Adam brought a shoulder up and has the title. Phil Shatter has been the National Heavyweight champion since January 19, 2009 and has defended the title against everybody!!! He has been easily the best National Heavyweight champion since Chance Prophet and may very well go down in history as the greatest NWA National Heavyweight champion. But a wrestlers career is sometimes not defined by being the greatest holder of a title, it is defined by becomming NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Phil gets his chance on August 1st in Ohio when he faces Adam Pearce. If he wins the title he will join an elite group of all time greats and hall of famers. But if not, will he ever get another shot at the title? Only time will tell.

Before I end this blog, I wanted to talk about real quick two men who have title shots coming up in August. On Saturday August 7th, Adam Pearce defends the title against Bryan Danielson, a man who many thought including myself back in 2007, would be NWA World Heavyweight champion. But an eye injury forced him out of the tournament and it seemed like we would never know if he would get a shot. Now he gets his shot in front of not only the fans but some of the biggest names in wrestling history. But if Adam Pearce survives that night, he's got another title defense on August 8th against an unknown opponent. Could it be Phil Shatter? Who knows it remains to be seen.

Then, in Texas on August 14th it's Charlie Haas. A former collegiate wrestler and WWE Champion, Haas has the wrestling ability to take the title away from Pearce. With his family in the building on that night it will be the biggest match in Charlie Haas' life. Can he get the job done? Can he become the next NWA World Heavyweight champion?

There you have it. Each of these men can become champion but some will fall and others will rise to the occasion. No matter who challenges Pearce for the title it will be a fight and it will be remembered for a long time.

NWA EPW Main Event of Evolution 2010 Night #2

Explosive Pro Wrestling consistently puts together some of the best talent in Australia to put on phenomenal cards.  I would imagine if the NWA Sanctioned EPW were in the US, they would be considered one of the top promotions in the NWA.  The main event of EVOLUTION 2010 Night #2 saw Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste defend their EPW Tag Team Championships against the number one contenders AZ Vegara and Damian Slater.

Diamond in the Rough: An Interview with Bobby Marshall

Bobby Marshall is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the short history of WA Wrestling. Marshall is a former two time EPW Champion, M1W Champion, two time EPW Tag Team Champion and is both the 2009 EPW and WPW/ EPW Wrestler of the Year. Marshall is also a star in the NWA after making several successful tours of the United States since 2006. [Westside Pro Wrestling] conducted the longest interview in the history of WPW with Bobby, covering his career from the beginning until now.

WPW: February 2003 saw you make your debut as Bobby BadBlood in a Fatal Four Way match to earn a Explosive Coastal Wrestling contract. The match was won by future four time EPW Tag Team Champion, Chris J. Lazareth, but also involved Kiel E. (Steria) and Shane Haste. You made an impression on the fans that night by coming out by yourself, when the others came out together, and made sure the people knew who you were off the bat when you held up a sign saying “I am Bobby BadBlood”. Was that your idea to get yourself remembered after your first match?

MARSHALL: (Laughs) Yes indeedy, I remember that one. Actually there’s a funny story behind that. Before I even started training with EPW I made a pretty good name for myself as a royal pain in the ass. I used to get on the internet and message boards in particular and spout off about what I thought about everything and anything.  Unfortunately, when it comes to my words I have about as much grace as the old bull in the china shop and basically pissed everyone off. Bobby BadBlood was my username and after quite a few posts people started daring me to bring a sign to the next show so they could see who I was, and punch me right in my face. Sometimes things just work out. Of course, then I was stuck with the name Bobby BadBlood, which I wasn’t too happy about, but nevermind. Serves me right for being a dick.

WPW: The Bobby BadBlood gimmick drew a great amount of heat with the EPW fans at the time. The hatred turned physical, when your “Blood Bitch” Michelle, was attacked by an enraged fan. Who came up with the gimmick and were you surprised with the amount of heat you got with the fans?

MARSHALL: The gimmick was actually another funny little chance thing that came up. I was getting my head shaved for the show and, as you do when shaving your head, me and my good mate Dan Moore were just mucking around giving me stupid haircuts. Well, eventually he gave me a Mohawk and basically talked me into keeping it because it looked a good mix of stupid and mean, and that was it. After watching the tape back we decided that I kind of looked like a neo Nazi so lets keep the mo, and roll with it. Unfortunately some people were turned away by it, but that’s the way it goes. Was good fun while it lasted! 

WPW: As 2003 progressed you started to team with Lazareth, eventually being known as the Genetically Superior Team (GST), and becoming two time EPW Tag Team Champions. The tag team division was quite strong at the time GST started as the Tag Team Championships had just been brought in. GST had battles with teams like The Serial Thrillers, Awsome Inc. and The Brat Pack for the titles. Was it an exciting time to be coming up the ranks with all the competition for the titles?

MARSHALL: Definitely a lot of fun. I’ll never forget the matches and fun we had going up against Kiel and Shane in particular. The four of us all came through together and we had a bit of a style of match that wasn’t really smiled upon by a few of the higher ups of EPW, but we kept doing what we were doing because we just had too much fun doing it. We actually had a killer match at Hell or Highwater one year, which was definitely the breakout match for all of us. It’s funny how me and Shane in particular have always been neck and neck in our wrestling development, and it creates a pretty good bond. Unfortunately he’s starting to edge away from me now and just quietly, is well on his way to pretty decent life as a pro wrestler Jerk

WPW: GST went their separate ways pretty much immediately after being destroyed by Davis Storm and Jag on the first night of Evolution 2006, as you made your first tour of the United States as the redneck Bobby Jo Marshall. The tour saw you feud with WSX’s The Human Tornado throughout California and even teaming up with “Cowboy” James Storm in Massachusetts to take on Tornado and Syxx-Pac. How was the experience for you to get such a push on your first tour?

MARSHALL: That was wild. Getting flown around America to wrestle was just unbelievable, and getting to go up against X-Pac was an especially huge thrill. As a wrestling fan, I was born from the attitude era so seeing getting to wrestle someone who was such a huge part of that was pretty special. I was green as grass, mind you, when we had the match, and I got in trouble by a few of the higher ups because I smiling during the whole match. It was clear that I was just having a bit too much fun out there and forgot myself. Funnily enough, X-Pac used to be my most hated wrestler when I first started watching wrestling and now of course, he’s one of my favorites. I’ve been lucky enough to have been in the ring with a handful of world famous wrestlers, but none of them have been as good to me as he was on that night. He really looked after me a lot more then he should’ve and was just a really nice guy. Can’t say enough good things about him.

WPW: After a short return to Perth you returned to the States in late 2006, for a second tour. During this time you took part on the NWA’s Fiesta Lucha supercard in Las Vegas teaming with Ricky Reyes to take on Colt Cabana & Sonny Samson. What was it like wrestling in front of several thousand fans?

MARSHALL: Now that was fun. Probably one of the best weekends of my life. I was lucky enough to be in Vegas with two very good mates in Drake Wallis and Damian Slater and we just went nuts. See, we were all told that we would just be in the rumble, so we were more looking forward to the partying than anything else. So yes, we got to Vegas on a Friday night and went straight to a bottle shop and got drinking. We were out cruising the strip till well after sunrise and had to be up to do a promotional thing for he show at mid day on the Saturday. Soon as that was done we got drinking, clubbing and even got to spend some quality time with the locals (including a certain young lawyer) again till about 8am. Now, Call time was 10am, so we were running off minimum sleep, and were feeling quite under the weather but were still excited to wrestle in front of a big crowd. Soon as we got there and looked at the card, I was a little shocked to see my name up there with Ricky Reyes and Colt Cabana. Let this be a lesson, never drink before a show! Luckily I survived the match and the rumble and even managed to stay out and watch the sunrise for the third night in a row on the strip in Las Vegas. Man, the three of us had some fun the states. I could sit here for hours and spill stories about what we got up to, but that can wait for another time.

WPW: You had an awesome feud with then EPW Champion, Jimmy Payne over 2006-2007, which culminated in the brutally epic Ladder Match at Evolution 2007. I know of people who actually had to leave the arena because they couldn’t stand the punishment you were putting each other through. Did you suffer any major injuries during the match? 

MARSHALL: Surprisingly, none at all. Even managed to head out on the town after the show. Nice bruising though.

WPW: You have taken some of the biggest and nastiest bumps ever seen in EPW. What are some of the injuries you’ve received and during which matches?

MARSHALL: I’m pretty lucky with injuries and truth is, there’s only really one time that I can think of where I was hurt mid-match. Well, two now. The first was in Nate (Dooley) and Jimmy’s (Payne) farewell match and I did a standard top rope leg drop. Unfortunately, I landed awkwardly and lost feeling in my entire upper body and couldn’t move my arms. I sat there like an idiot briefly trying to get feeling back into them and thankfully it came back. Causes me a bit of grief still to this day, but that’s wrestling. Find me a wrestler with no back pain and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t work hard enough.

The second one was actually in the show just gone, in the four way match with Mikey (Nicholls), (Marcius) Pitt and (Tyler) Jacobs. After Mike did his shooting star onto all of us I lost feeling in my arm, aside from this strange burning pain running down it. Well, strange isn’t the right word, it was bloody excruciating! Took me a while to get movement back in it, and I still haven’t been able to hit the gym since, but again, that’s the nature of the beast. These injuries are a small price to do what we love and truth is, sometimes its nice to come backstage and actually feel beaten up and like you’ve really given it your all. Ask me again in 10 years though and I’m sure ill be singing a different tune.

WPW: There was a rumour that the WWE had contacted you before the 2007 SmackDown/

ECW tour about the possibility of a tryout/dark match during their visit to Perth. Is this rumour true?

MARSHALL: Ah yes. Well what happened was Jesse Hernandez told me to shoot Johnny Ace an email and see of he was interested in using me in a dark match, or something while they were in town, but by the time I checked my email for the reply it was too late to hook anything up. Serves me right for being so unorganised...

WPW: The Black Bag storyline. You defeated Shane Haste to claim your first EPW Championship in February 2008, and at the very first Monday Night Wrestling TV Tapings the following day came out brandishing the title in a black bag claiming the EPW fans didn’t deserve to see the belt. Were you disappointed that you didn’t get to show off the belt at all during your first title reign?

MARSHALL: Honestly, it didn’t really bother me that much. There are reasons behind everything, and usually good reasons. Unfortunately I’m probably not allowed to say why we did this the way we did, but good stuff was supposed to come from it. Due to outside circumstances, I just ended up looking kind of silly I thought. Was good fun though, and it sure did get me a lot of heat!

WPW: You have had some of the all time classic matches in this state at Re-Awakening, including the four way tables match at R-A III, The battle with Jimmy Payne at R-A V, The Steel Cage match at R-A 7, and of course the absolutely brutal bloodbath you had with Richter at R-A VIII. What does Re-Awakening mean to Bobby Marshall?

MARSHALL: Re-Awakening means as much to me as any other show I’ve done. Its a fun one because the crowd is usually bigger then normal, so in that sense its a bit more fun, and the pressures switched up a couple notches, but personally, I don’t hold it as being any more important then any other show. If I had a cage match at Goldrush I would put the same amount of time, effort and self punishment as I would if it was at Re-Awakening. I actually think we (EPW) have an unhealthy fixation on it. I don’t see why we cant make every show we do R-A quality instead of waiting till the end of the year to pull out all the stops. I seem to be the only person who thinks like this mind you, so yeah, all good. The fans seem to love it, and that’s what matters most.

WPW: How is it to have to adjust between California and Perth when you go on tour, Does it take long to acclimatize?

MARSHALL: Oh yeah, big time. Its lot of fun wrestling multiple times a week against guys you don’t really know and have never seen in so many different styles, in so many different cards. Sometimes your the brutish bully, then follow it up by being a loud mouth cocky bad guy and then wrap the weekend up by being a fist pumping babyface. Its a lot of fun to wrestle like that, and the improvement that it forces you to make is amazing. Coming back to EPW and only wrestling once a month or so is tough to get used to. It kind of takes the gloss or the challenge I should say away so you kind of get lazy and therefore your matches suffer because of it. Once you settle back into it, and the way we do things its not so bad. The locker room environment here is the best in the world in my experience too. We have a real family thing going on that no where else that I’ve wrestled has come even close to matching. Its something to really want to go out there and put your body on line for no other reason then to push the brand name that you believe in, and so badly want to succeed. In America its all about self enhancement, over here its about doing what’s right for the team. I know which one I like best too. If I could make a career out of wrestling in Perth, that would be magical. Its definitely my dream. Unfortunately, its a big time pipe dream, but that wont ever stop me from trying to make it a reality.

WPW: What did it mean to you to after four years to win you first title (M1W Championship) in [SoCal] in December?

MARSHALL: Winning belts in wrestling is a funny thing, seeing as you don’t actually “win” them. I like to think of championship belts as a nice pat on the back that your doing the right thing, and heading in the right direction, so in that sense it was great. The best thing about it was that it guaranteed me big matches every week and forced me to improve. I was lucky enough to wrestle ROH guys like Joey Ryan and Johnny Goodtime a few times over, and also top level [SoCal] guys like Willie Mack, James Morgan, and Johnny Yuma just to name a few, on a regular basis and it really forces you to step up and improve. Every week I needed to be at my best to hang with these guys so its a fantastic challenge. Soon as I stop improving will be the day I hang up the boots.

WPW: Would you like to challenge for the NWA Heritage title in the future? The title is seen as a stepping stone to the legendary 10 pounds of gold, NWA World Championship. Is it a goal for you to get a NWA title reign in the States and bring it home to Australia?

MARSHALL: Its not something I really think about to tell you the truth. It would be nice, but its far from the top of my list of things to do in wrestling. I’m a long way from being in line to win the NWA title, so ill keep plugging away till I feel like I can give it a real push. Just quietly, that belt looks pretty good on Adam Pearce anyway, who for my money, is the best unsigned wrestler going around anywhere in the world. We’re lucky to have him as our World Champion.

WPW: What have been some of your personal favourite matches, both here and in the States during your career so far?

MARSHALL: The ladder match is one of my favorites, as it just went about as good as it possibly could’ve. I love throwing myself around, but a lot of the time its all for nothing so when it comes off in such spectacular fashion it really makes you feel pretty good. That was also my breakout match in EPW, so that definitely made it mean that little bit more. Another one that comes to mind was the six man tag with me, (Tyler) Jacobs and Jay (Taylor) vs. Nate (Dooley), (Davis) Storm and Jimmy (Payne). It was one of the few times where I’ve come backstage knowing full well that I had nothing left to give. It was lucky that the locker room cleared out to say their farewells to Jim and Nate because I was just a mess laying on the floor in the empty room. Couldn’t move a muscle. Good fun though, it is nice to feel like that sometimes, well, all the time. Its why I wrestle.

WPW: You have taken on some of the biggest and best names in the Australian Wrestling scene. Is there anyone from either in EPW who’s coming up in the ranks or interstate that you would like to face in the future?

MARSHALL: Honestly, no one really comes to mind. I think Damian Slater is the best wrestler in the country right now, along with Shane (Haste) of course, so that would be a nice challenge to see if I could still keep up. Other then that I feel like me and Stormy haven’t had the match we should be able to have yet, so he’s right at the top of my list of guys id love to have a few more matches with. Also, for personal reasons, I’d love another go around with Tyler Jacobs. These two guys both taught me how to do what I love, and I feel like I could thank them the only way I know how. By smashing them in the face with a chair or two!

WPW: From when you debuted back in 2003 to where you are now, are you surprised about how far you have made it? From all the accolades, achievements and titles you have won in your seven year career. Could we possibly see Bobby Marshall in TNA, ROH or WWE in the future?

MARSHALL: Well, I’ll never say never, so lets just see what the future holds. I’ve never wrestled for tomorrow, only for today, and for whatever the hell moment I’m in at the time, and I’ll continue to do that until the body breaks down completely. As long as I’m enjoying my time in the ring, I’ll continue to move forward to whatever end it takes me.

WPW: Do you have any plans to return to the States in 2010-2011?

MARSHALL: Not anytime soon, but we will see. I’m not really big for planning ahead. Let the future stay in the future and I’ll live for the here and now. It makes things simpler when you don’t plan ahead. And simple is my middle name!

WPW: Thank you for your time Bobby.

Westside Pro Wrestling is a Western Australian Newsletter that celebrates Pro-Wrestling in Perth and its surrounding areas. The free newsletter is available via email subscription to find out more, please check out their Facebook, Westside Pro Wrestling To see Bobby Marshall in action along with the entire Explosive Pro Wrestling, please check out LocoTV's EPW Channel