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On
November 9th yours truly The Mark and Zippy traveled to HICW's
premier show at the WrestlePlex in Woonsocket. While there we
had the opportunity to meet with PWF Northeast Heavy Weight
Champion, and HICW stand out Chris Venom. The Two-year veteran
led us on an exciting look at what it takes to be a star in the
Indy circuit today. We found him to be extremely soft spoken and
respectful of not only the business he loves but those around
him.
THE
MARK: First question, you've been around for a couple of years,
and you've worked for a couple of promotions. Now you're coming
in here tonight, this is a brand new promotion, what's going
through your mind walking through the door?
VENOM:
Looking forward to working with someone new. I'm working with
Kevin Mathews, I've seen his track record, and he's been around
as long as I have maybe a little longer. He's done the Funk'n
Dojo. He's trained with a lot of really good guys, from New York
City. I get a really good vibe from him, and Stryker who I
worked with a couple of weeks ago for PWF Northeast told me of
him. So I'm looking forward to that. I've known Andy (DiStefano),
I knew him from college, and kept up with him, trusted him
enough to come down tonight, and I know a lot of the boys, ya
know good fun, put on a good show.
THE
MARK: Why did you start with this?
VENOM:
I've always loved wrestling, I always watched it. I think anyone
who starts in this business in any form started watching for
X-amount of time. I lost watching it during the cartoon period;
I was big into the actual wrestling not so much of the character
and gimmicks. I like guys like Bret Hart, you know the guys that
showed there was more of a sport and an art to what they do. You
can see that. Of course there's an element of entertainment. If
you want to do this you want to be entertaining, and you want to
be athletic, that's where the wrestling comes in. I started
training with Mad Dog and Draven at the Damned Training Camp in
February of 2000.I currently train at Slamtech University
w/Brutal Bob Evans.
THE
MARK: What's your opinion on wrestling now? What do you see
happening as far as the Indy scene?
VENOM:
There's a lot of bad out there. An abundance of bad as a matter
of fact. There’s a lot of guys going out and doing a lot
wrong, including myself still. I felt I was trained pretty well
by Mad Dog And Draven and they set me on the right course,
they looked out for me. I did get to a point I felt I could
learn more elsewhere & from somebody else and they gave me
that opportunity and I’m very grateful for that. Now I'm
training with Bob Evans at SlamTech, in Pawtucket. The
first day I was there he told me flat out, when your done
here I'm going to send you to somebody else. Which to me spelled
out, once you've learned as much as I can teach, move on learn
from another. I've been thinking of traveling up to Steve
Bradley's Top Rope Academy up in New Hampshire. You always must
move around. You know, there are only so many schools around,
and those are a few I'll list right now. There are a lot of bad
guys, but not in the sense of a bad worker, bad person, or
anything of that sort more so they just weren't taught
properly. You guys have seen plenty of shows; I've read your
pages, the opinion sections. There are a lot of guys who could
be doing better than they probably are now. Most of the younger
guys just haven’t been taught properly. There is a good
portion of the guys starting out that way. But they're are some
that are actually doing better now.
THE
MARK: What do you attribute that to?
VENOM:
Poor training, wrong training. Discouragement, and wrong
attitudes. There are a small hand full of promotions that can
put out guys that other people want them to work for, actually
there's probably only about five, that have credibility, and
respect.
THE
MARK: Can you name those five?
VENOM:
PWF Northeast, New England Championship Wrestling, Chaotic,
Green Mountain, and EWA up in Maine.
THE
MARK: When you were growing up as a kid, whom did you idolize?
VENOM:
Oddly enough it was the Ultimate Warrior who got me interested
in wrestling. He wasn't a real model wrestler, but he put people
in front of the TV. I enjoyed watching because he killed
everybody, him and Hogan, and the Hart Foundation. Those guys
got me hooked at first. I was into the wrestling aspect, the
Bret Hart, and the Andersons. For a while it was really cartoony,
and I chose not to watch wrestling for a while because of it. I
was a big fan of Shane Douglas, and during 1995 and 96, I
watched him every Saturday night, and I had a satellite feed up
in my room. Not so much for his wrestling but his interviews
were awesome, a lot of bent up anger. Now I watch for Indy guys,
I watch the Indy guys so I can get better. I go to shows looking
for the guy I can find that I know I can learn from. Like I've
said, I've been working with Bob Evans and I've been working
with Maverick Wild. I try to get a feel for guys like them or
anyone else that can show me something different, someone that
can give me more experiences, guys who've been around for so
long who have the right ideas. A guy like Mav who's in great
shape, not to flashy but everything he does makes sense as it
pertains to the said match, and it’s intense. That’s what I
want to be.
ZIPPY:
You said that earlier, you were turned off by the cartoon
period, what do you mean by that?
VENOM:
Just after 1991, and just before 1995. You had the Doinks, and
duke the dumpster drose ect. these were the guys who didn't look
like athletes, and were too much character and not enough
wrestler for me. Just before was the time everyone was a
muscle man, they were huge. But they couldn't move half the
time. They'd throw a clothesline and a body slam, and that was
it. I hate to keep going back to the same guys, but guys like
Bret Hart and Arn Anderson, ect.
I can't think of whom else to mention... they looked
the part, they were the wrestlers. They made it look like more
of a sport. You have to make it look believable in this business
today. Fans have seen everything, they've seen Tough Enough, and
it becomes that much harder. Especially in the Indy's, you gotta
show them that there's more there than just space. Everybody's
oiled, and it's all glitz and glamour. You gotta throw in so
more stuff to make it more impactive.
THE
MARK: Do you think it's that much more tougher nowadays?
VENOM:
Yes, I do. Because, it's been exposed. They all know we all
dress in the same locker room, and they'll see us driving
together. So when we come out here, we have to present something
else. We have to put on a show, give something more, and make
them believe, "wow, he really hates that guy." ect.
THE
MARK: Well that goes back to the Bill Watts days, faces and
heels never associated. Do you feel the fans appreciate it more
now?
VENOM:
Oh, they definitely do appreciate it. Even more. But when we go
out there, we have to keep that in mind. They already know we
showed up here together, they already know we're in the same
locker room. We're gonna come out and sell t-shirts together,
and we're gonna go out to dinner afterwards. So we have to give
them that much more intensity to show them a good time. So we
can guide them. We can tell when they're following. A lot of
guys, will do this and that, but no following at all. I could
hit every high spot, every awesome move, four hundred suplexes,
and a bunch of chops, but would it make a lick of difference.
Maybe not. After two or three moves, they'd be "cool".
But after awhile its not gonna make sense anymore.
THE
MARK: How do you handle hecklers?
VENOM:
Well, I believe you shouldn't have to break out of character too
much. At the end of the night, after I've responded to them,
whether there's a guy drunk off his @$$ or just having a good
time, he'll say "I gotta give that guy credit, he did a
good job, and I was just being loud." I don't believe guys
in the back should get flustered by those guys, because we still
have to concentrate on the match. They are usually few and far
between. Because there's one out of the many who are actually
watching you and trying to enjoy it. It will start to bug you,
but you gotta stay focused. Other fans know where these guys
stand, and so do we. They are in the middle between the average
fan and the wrestler. And they'll never leave that spot. Other
fans will look at them and say, "whoa, what's his problem,
it's just wrestling." Whether they're drunk or not, that's
okay with me because my gimmick is "all's fun in love and
beer".
THE
MARK: What are the best aspects of the business?
VENOM:
The entertainment for the fans. As long as I'm going out there
to entertain. Trying to make this all make sense for the fans.
I'm still going to wrestling school. I'm still training to get a
better handle on what these people want to see. The main event
should be something intense with a feud. The comedy and the other
attractions should be earlier in the night.
THE
MARK: What's the worst aspect?
VENOM:
The harshness being alone. At first when you go into this, you
end up with a group of friends. But as you improve and get
better, and your friends lean towards a different goal, or don't
progress enough, it's hard to say, "I want to get better,
and I have to leave those guys behind."
ZIPPY:
During an important show, do you turn it up a notch when you're
performing?
VENOM:
In a way, yes. In the feud between Billy Black and I, it has to
be that much better of a match, because it's at the tail of the
feud. I want someone to come in off the street, never seeing our
show before, and say "wow, they really do hate each other.
I wanna know what happened earlier." We're always tried to
perform in a way to bring people back, one way or another.
ZIPPY:
How important is the trust between a promoter and a wrestler?
VENOM:
Very big, I have to be assured that it's the right kind of show,
and the assurances are all there. I trust Andy, tonight, he's
always been very supportive of me in both my good matches and
bad. He asked me here tonight first, so that takes my priority.
Other promoters, there's been some down here that just
don’t care, don’t know or don’t care to know how to
put on a good wrestling show. A lot of RI and southern Mass was
destroyed by a couple of promotions. As for ones I have
been fortunate to work w/ nothing major. I've yet to come across
a promoter who's a real jerk, or treated me poorly. I've worked
with really good guys, knock on wood. Plan to keep it that way.
THE
MARK: How do you pick that promotion?
VENOM:
I Find the credibility and professionalism that is shown to you
by them. Look at how they represent themselves and how they will
in kind represent you. Go where your buddies are. I ask around a
lot, and try to get the info I need to decide it's a good show.
Mainly it's based off of word of mouth through the other guys.
You can also tell by the time it takes to promote the show, the
effort required.
THE
MARK: Say there's a kid, about 18 years old, wanting to break
into the business. What advice do you give?
VENOM:
I'd ask how much money you're willing to put in, and how much
time they're willing to give up. It's a sacrifice. Go to a
reputable school. A school where they will teach you the
basics. Slamtech, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with Bob Evans.
He'll teach you how to step it up a little bit more. He provides
goal oriented practices. He stresses basics and fundamentals in
a team environment. Currently at the school we have 27
students. I can honestly say I learn something from there every
time I'm there. Find a place where you feel welcome, a
reputable place, slamtech is one of them in my opinion. If
your in CT. go to the Damned Training Camp. Steve Bradley
& Alex Arion at Top Rope Academy up in New
Hampshire. Always go in with buddies. You really don't wanna go
alone. But yes finding a school is a must.
THE
MARK: You were in the PWI 500, where do you see yourself in five
years?
VENOM:
I find myself no. 496!!!I don't really know or remember who
submitted me for that, but I think there are a lot of guys much
better than me. I'll still probably be doing this in five years.
I'd like to be training at a school personally. I don't know how
far I'd go in the bigger business aspect of it, but I'm always
trying to get better, and improve.
THE
MARK: Shameless plug, how can fans contact you?
VENOM:
Chrisfnvenom@hotmail.com
www.slamtech.net
THE
MARK: Thank you so much, for your time.
VENOM:
Thank you.
For
more information on training, please contact the following
schools.
SLAMTECH:
The Wrestling University
Head
Trainer: Bob Evans
250
Easten Avenue
Pawtucket,
Rhode Island
(508)
335-6634
brtlbob@lycos.com
www.slamtech.net
http://www.slamtech.freeservers.com
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