Re: Q&A mit Shaka
by Shaka » 27.06.2009, 19:00
I'll go in order to answer your questions...
1. I got into the wrestling business after watching it for 14 years on television. This was during the final years of the Territory period. After seeing my first indie show in Philly, I found 2 out of the 3 schools who running at the time.
2. I used about 6 to 8 pet moves to finish a match. I would say nearly all but 3 were unique, which is a tough thing to do these days because people borrow styles all the time and I wanted to stand out as much as possible. The main 4 pet finishes that I used most of the time (and in order of use) was Karma:Zero , the Last Ascension, Mephisto's Hammer, and the Crown of Thorns submission. The first three are variations of the Diamond Cutter, which of course was Diamond Dallas Page's version of the Stone Cold Stunner, which Steve Austin borrowed from Johnny Ace's Ace Crusher. I wanted something fast and practical to set up on anyone. I came up with Karma: Zero in 2002 shortly after deciding to borrow Masato Tanaka's top version he called Diamond Dust. I took that after wacthing his matches in ECW against Ballz Mahoney and saw how easy it was for him to take out someone bigger than him without much effort. Mephisto's Hammer was a variation of Karma: Zero I played around with a year later. Karma: Zero starts off from an overhead control, which is used for neck cranks and vertical suplexes. Mephisto's Hammer starts from what most call the 'T-Bone' 'Exploder' grip, where the right shoulder and left leg are gripped for a throw. The Crown of Thorns was the submission I saw New Japan's Horiyoshi Tenzan use to finish a match. It combines a neck crank with a top wrist lock, so it's very uncomfortable.
3. The facepaint was tribute to some of my biggest influences in wrestling, 3 of which I was compared to a few times. The Road Warriors and the Great Muta top that list. I actually got to meet Muta when he brought All Japan to Philly about 5 years ago in late 04. I started off with just black in 00, but decided to go full face with red and black in 04 so that the red would accentuate the black even more. Add the fact that I was using red mist (borrowed from the match between Jushin Liger and Muta.) since 2000 and the begins the legend of the Crimson Assassin.
4. I always preferred the 'Strong Style' of New Japan's Junior Heavyweight division. This style was actually started by the first Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama, who later left wrestling to fight for Shooto in 89, thus becoming the first wrestler to crossover into MMA before it was MMA lol), a very young Bret Hart and the Dynamite Kid back in the early 80's. It's fast pace with a lot of impact (you'll see a lot of suplexes) and ground work. If you watch Benoit's matches or Eddie Guererro's earlier matches (he was the first Black Cat in New Japan) you'll see a lot of Strong Style, especially when he was influenced by Dynamite Kid. A lot of Shoot style was incorporated into Strong Style due to the top juniors faced off against Shootfighters to give them more credibility. (Liger, Koji Kanemoto, aka Tiger Mask 3, Takaiwa all faced shootfighters at some point. Liger even faced Sayama once). There's an awesome match between Bas Rutten and Nakanishi (who wrestled as Kurosawa in WCW from 92-93) on YouTube. Bas even executes a wicked Shining Wizard near the end of the match. I watch a lot joshi (women's) puroresu. Mariko Yoshida is one of my favorite wrestlers to watch, as is Aja Kong. When I'm not watching joshi, I'm watching MMA matches with Masakasu Imanari, who has a serious arsenal of leglocks, Shinya Aoki, who accidentally 'showed' Undertaker the gogoplata submission (and does wrong, lol) and Genki Sudo, whose ring entrances for K-1 are so ridiculously mindblowing that even Vince McMahon couldn't even think of duplicating.
5. I was actually in a movie called the Black Ninja. I was in 2 fight scenes and went through a window in one of them. To be honest, I would love to an action thriller or two, especially in Europe. I toyed with the idea for the past 3 years.
6. I have a lot people who inspire me. One of them is my father. For all his shortcomings, he showed me in his own way how a man should be. I've always respected and admired him and the older I get the more I see how alike we are.
7. My German fans were the reason I stayed in wrestling. After losing the DWA tag titles in February I was considering hanging the tights up for a break and just focus on training for MMA. After seeing what's happening in wrestling here in the States (which was what upset me to begin with), I decided that that would be giving up everything I've worked for. German fans appreciate wrestling more than the Americans do, and that gave me a reason to try make a difference. I've been changed a lot this year, and I owe a lot to you guys.
8. There were a lot talented guys in the 80's. The Road Warriors and the British Bulldogs were my favorite tag teams, followed by the Rock'n Roll and Midnight Expresses (Eaton and Lane), the Fantastics and the Hart Foundation in no particular order. Jake Roberts had the most ominous presence I can imagine, so small wonder he was a member of the early L.O.D. Sting, Nikita Koloff, the Great Muta (already established earlier), Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., Manny Fernandez, Chris Adams, The von Erichs, Barry Windham (when he was in NWA), Lex Luger (when he was a Horseman), and Steve Williams were all in the start of their careers then and they were already doing great things.
9. By the end of the Territories, I was watching a lot of ECW, to the point where I started taping the shows. The matches between the Eliminators and the Gangstas were all out war. Taz brought serious intensity. Sandman, Dreamer and Raven transcended the realm of feuds to the point where YOU got high just by watching Raven's promos due to the surrealism he brought to them. I was even compared to Raven 3 years ago. These guys took Memphis hardcore (if you want to call it that), threw Lucha Libre and Strong Style and threw LSD in you got one wicked formula of physicality. Thanks to them, I was exposed to Japan's new kid on the block in 'Garbage Style' wrestling (what the Japanese called their hardcore promotion) in FMW. Seeing Hayabusa, Shinzaki (formerly Hakushi), Sabu and Van Dam fight it out, Onita DDTing everyone in sight including Dreamer (who he just saved from the Dudleys. Well, he's not called Mr. Stupid Liar for nothing!)
10. Lesnar was one of the last guys who impressed me, and that was 7 years ago. He was such a beast that I literally dreamed about him and woke up in a sweat for no reason at all. That's how intimidating he was. After his transition into MMA I understand why. The man is a machine and a beast, and ironically I've said that of myself many times, but he's definitely in a realm of his own, and I totally respect that in an athlete.
As for my career, I'm not done with wrestling, but my perception has completely changed. I can honestly say that I'm no longer just a wrestler anymore. I'm definitely not a Sports Entertainer, nor have I ever wanted to be. Despite my ring appearance, it wasn't a gimmick to me, it was a way to stay focused in the ring and to stand out. I've learned early on that some of the best wrestlers transcended the term of 'gimmick'. I tried to avoid being put into any one category. I just the way I am. It's not an act. I'm a funny guy outside the ring, but once you get me on the other side of the ropes, it's nothing personal, but it's either you or me, and I'm going to best I can to tear you apart and still let you live to talk about it. If I really respect you we may drink a beer later. By definition, I'm a warrior, a modern gladiator. I'm a combat athlete. I'm not stepping out of the wrestling ring yet, but I am trying to add dimension by stepping into the MMA cage, and if permitted the mats of submission grappling. That's a lot of hats to wear, but I'm a man of many hats...
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