The company were the first that I had ever dealt with at that point and made everything so fluent and simple and were a welcome experience for my first venture into covering professional wrestling as a journalist.
While myself and partner spoke to many of the top talent that were featured at the event including Cody Rhodes, Joe Hendry, Pete Dunne and Melina, it was Conners that provided us with one of the more in depth chats of the afternoon.
The performer from Nottingham is set to represent WWE in the upcoming tournament to crown the first ever United Kingdom Champion in Blackpool in January and here is the full transcript of the chat between myself and the 29-year-old.
So champion of WCPW how does it feel?
It feels
great, you just look around at the thousands of fans and to represent this new
company that is doing all of this great stuff is absolutely fantastic. The
important thing for me now is to just do all of the right things and keep hold
of the title.
The first ever pay-per-view for WCPW was
streamed online as you squared off against Martin Kirby, how highly does that
match rank in your career so far?
Looking
back at it after everything was said and done, seeing all of the reactions on
the night, you have to take a step back and you see Jim Ross and Jim Cornette
are commentating on the show, Kurt Angle in the main event and so much other
stuff going on and then to be in the ring with someone that I have known
personally and professionally for nearly 10-years, and then for it to be on
pay-per-view as well as listening to the feedback, everyone seemed to have enjoyed
it. To see the fans throw their glow-sticks into the ring – I think we created
a moment of something special, and with it being the first pay-per-view of the
company and heading into it as champion that is a big responsibility to give a
worthy championship match, so hopefully when I talk about and describe the
show, they feel that there was something special about the match, that is the
most important thing.
You mentioned about being on the same show as
some legends of the wrestling industry, do you ever just step back and reflect
on how quickly things are growing?
I have been
doing it for about 10-years and I have been on shows and wrestled a lot of big
names, names that I grew up watching and stars that have now made it to WWE, if
I was able to go back in time and speak to the teenager me and tell him what he
would be doing, he’d tell me I was crazy. You get to a level where hopefully
you’re in the ring and you’re not really thinking or worrying, it could be
against Cody Rhodes, Billy Gunn or X-Pac and you just think that you’re there
for a reason, so there are special matches but you have to feel that you belong
there and have confidence in your own abilities, otherwise what is the point of
doing this?
The list of performers you’ve come up against
is very impressive, you’ve mentioned a few already – but is there anybody that
stands out for you?
Drew
Galloway is phenomenal. I could sit here truthfully and say that he was one of
the toughest guys I have worked against, he was very, very physical and I have
a lot of respect for his style as when I am watching him, his physicality is
second to none in my opinion. I have been in the ring with Hardcore Holly five
times and obviously he has a reputation for being tough so that was an
interesting experience for me. Cody Rhodes is an absolute professional, he is
phenomenal in the ring so he is worthy of a mention, but there are a lot of
British guys also. Rampage, El Ligero, [Martin] Kirby just to name a few and even
people all around the world. I’ve wrestled Rich Swann before he went to WWE, he
was a hell of a character and a hell of a talent. Chris Hero is another one, an
amazing and different athlete, so there are so many guys that I could sit here
for an hour and list them all but to finish, there is a British guy I would
like to plug; CJ Banks, he hasn’t wrestled for WCPW yet but he is flawless in
the ring and phenomenal but there have been so many that have stood out. I am
lucky in that I have got to a level where I get to work with some of the top
names, even just the WCPW roster, where everyone has shown that they belong
here.
You’ve been a part of WCPW from the very start
do you feel that the exposure that the company brings has helped grow your
profile even more?
Absolutely,
just the scope of the audience they bring in is massive. I have had some high
profile matches over my career elsewhere and I appreciate that I have been at
some phenomenal companies all across the country but at the minute the views
that WCPW command online is incredible. One of the first matches that I had for
the company was a triple-threat between myself, Gabriel Kidd and Alex Gracie
and last time I checked it was over 180,000 views just for that one match so
after the first episode of Loaded my phone was on fire from messages on Twitter
and Facebook, so yeah it has helped my name and even just at the events
themselves with hundreds of people queueing up for autographs and pictures so
it has definitely helped a lot.
With gold already around your waist and your
name continuing to rise, have you outlined any specific goals that you want to
accomplish in your career?
Mainly I
just want to continue building my name and being part of big events such as
True Legacy but I’d love to work for a full-time organization. Wrestling is
pretty much my living now but I want to be on the biggest stages possible,
wherever that is, whoever can offer me the opportunity to be in the big events,
I would be lying if I said I did not want to go to WWE at some point in my
life, that would be phenomenal. Be it a WresteMania or a Royal Rumble, that
would be incredible. I’ve learned in life that no matter what you do, you
should never put a glass ceiling to anything, you have to believe that you can
get there and never tell yourself that it is too early or too late, so for me
right now I am just enjoying where this crazy journey takes me.
In bringing this full circle, you’ve listed
some of the top people you’ve stepped into the ring with already, but in an
ideal world is there anyone you would love to be involved in a match against?
Looking at
the current crop it would have to be someone like a John Cena, purely because
of the legacy he has in the ring and the way the crowd react to him. I’ve been
asked this question in the past and I always look to Cena or [Randy] Orton just
because of the longevity that they have had. Looking back, there are the
typical answers such as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and from a British
perspective you have [William] Regal or Finlay so there are so many guys to
name and so many amazing guys that I’m sure all wrestling fans want to see in
the ring. To everyone, there will be people that stick out for all different
reasons, and when you get into this industry you appreciate people for
different things that you maybe didn’t think about when you were just watching
it on the television. Looking at closer to home, Kurt Angle is literally on the
same show so it would be great to get in the ring with him but for now I’ll
have to settle for him versus Cody [Rhodes].
Your career is far from over but you spoke
about the longevity factor in Orton and Cena, how would like to be remembered
when everything is said and done?
Hopefully
knock on wood I do have a long career and injuries hopefully calm down but I
want to have the legacy of someone who worked hard, was professional in and out
of the ring and someone that whether you loved or hated me, was able to make
you feel something when I was in the ring. Also as someone who kept their feet
on the floor, that is something that I am asked a lot and the advice I give is,
that no matter where it takes you remain humble. I’ve worked shows with
thousands of fans to some with 20 people at working men’s clubs so I have been
in a lot of different places, so make sure you remember who you were when you
decided that this was the career you wanted to take. With me, there is Joseph
Conners and then there is the normal Joe as well and I want to stay true to
that person, that is the most important thing.
