Last week, NXT UK announced the signings of four brand-new Superstars. While Meiko Satomura was the one to earn many of the headlines on wrestling sites worldwide, fans of the Canadian indies were thrilled to see the WWE also announce the signing of Rohan Raja.
Since making his debut in Alberta in 2015, the former Tony Cage has gone from a fledgling pro training at Calgary’s Storm Wrestling Academy to signing with the biggest promotion in the world. Though, of course, every WWE Superstar’s story is one of perseverance, determination, and grit, Raja’s origin story still stands out as one of the more unique in pro wrestling today.
Two Constants
Even in an industry well-versed in the trials and tribulations of worldwide travel, Raja’s air miles count would still impress most. Prior to the start of his wrestling career, Raja was well-versed in the rigors of extensive travel. His father’s work with Virgin Airlines required the family to move often, and frequently across long distances. As a youth, Raja spent time living in both Belgium and England, before officially settling in Australia at the age of 8.
However, through the travel, there were two fulcrums that Raja’s life revolved around: his family, and professional wrestling.
“All of my time growing up watching wrestling was WWE,” he commented to me when we chatted in 2019. “WWE’s the reason I fell in love with and into wrestling. My dad and my granddad and my brother watched it, so it kind of passed on to me.”
Time to Get Serious
It wasn’t long before Raja began to dream of his own in-ring exploits. Unlike today, unfortunately, Australia’s professional wrestling scene wasn’t quite as thriving in Raja’s early career as it is now. Though there were options to train, he says, what Australia had to offer wasn’t exactly what he was looking for.
“There wasn’t really any notable training schools (in Australia),” Raja lamented. “I think at one point when I was quite young, Al Snow had a school, but besides that, there were all these schools that weren’t all that well-known.”
“I started searching, and the schools I was coming across were all in America and Canada. I thought ‘Man, I’m probably going to have to move.”
Yet again, Raja found himself forced into yet another relocation. This time, however, it was in pursuit of his own dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Of course, where there was wrestling for the future Rohan Raja, his family wasn’t far behind.
“Eventually, after doing some more research, I narrowed it down to Storm [Wrestling Academy],” Raja explained of his decision to train in Calgary. “[Lance] comes from the Hart Dungeon as well, and my family’s always been big with the Hart Family as well,” Raja laughs. “So, it was kind of a no-brainer when it came to that.”
Of course, it wasn’t as though it was simply family politics that inspired Raja to venture above the 49th parallel. The Storm Wrestling Academy has become iconic for it’s ability to produce high-level professional wrestling talent including the likes of Chelsea Green, Oney Lorcan, Rachael Ellering, and Taya Valkyrie.
“He looks for the small things that not necessarily fans would pick up if you watch a student wrestle,” explained Raja. “It’s more so when talent scouts look at you for a big company, they’ll notice the small things. He gives you the tools on how you’re going to have success and how to move forward. He teaches you a bunch of things, but the small things are the ones that stand out to me.”
Alberta Wrasslin’
It was while with Storm that Raja found himself introduced to the Canadian indies for the first time. As part of his training, he said, his training class would attend the local wrestling events to familiarize themselves with both the shows and the promoters hosting them.
“As the classes were going on, me and my classmates would go to the local shows, PWA being one of them,” he reminisced. “We’d go watch to see how the independents worked and everything like that. We pretty much went to all of them while we were there for that three-month period, and the way the show was run was great and the guys there were really nice. No one had a big ego and everyone was sort of helping each other out, and the shows were quite entertaining. I asked Lance, too, and he pretty much said they were the greatest promotion in Alberta, if not Western Canada. I was like, ‘that’s definitely the perfect start to go there’.”
“So, I talked to the promoter, and he said they would love to have (me). It was cut-and-sewn pretty quickly from there.
”
Under the name Tony Cage, Raja quickly became one of Alberta’s most popular stars. His innate ability to engage a crowd and his old-school approach to his work inside the ring were quick to endear him to the traditionalist Albertan crowds. In June 2016, under two years after first stepping inside the ring, Raja won his first professional wrestling championship. It’s a moment that still stands out to him for more reasons than one.
“The biggest thing that stood out was probably when I won my first title,” Raja reminisced. “That was at Night of Champions in Calgary (for PWA). That was really cool because my Dad was actually there, so he actually got to see me wrestle for the first time and see me win a title for the first time.”
“That’s probably my favourite wrestling moment; there’s been so much that I’d probably have to sit down and think about it, but I don’t think I can top that in Alberta. It’s the first time my dad saw me wrestle, so it was obviously very cool.”
Making an IMPACT
Though the then-Tony Cage was quickly earning a reputation in Western Canada, it was time to expand his horizons once again. This time, it was Eastern Canada that came calling. In 2017, Raja attended a two-day camp help by IMPACT Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH. After impressing the various scouts in attendance, Raja signed a developmental deal with IMPACT and made his way to Ontario to train under Scott D’Amore.
As part of his developmental deal, Raja was a participant in the inaugural – and to this day, only – edition of Global Forged, a reality-wrestling competition in which the winner earned a match at that year’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view event.
Though he didn’t win, Raja was able to impress both wrestlers and management alike through his time in the competition. Shortly after its conclusion, IMPACT signed Raja to his first contract in professional wrestling.
“It was a weird feeling,” he admitted to me. “It’s one thing getting told that you’re getting signed and reaching an agreement, but when you get the paper in front of you, it’s such a cool feeling. It’s like, ‘holy shit, this is the first step. This is the first contract of many I’m going to sign.'”
“It just reassures you that you’re moving from a rising independent star to a competitive TV wrestler. Your name’s more out there, and you’re on to the next level.”
Though his time in IMPACT was perhaps shorter than expected, it was certainly fruitful. Under the name Gursinder Singh, Raja was featured as a member of the promotion’s Desi Hit Squad stable with Raj Singh and Rohit Raju. The stable not only provided him an opportunity to work with a pair of individuals he considers friends, but also to work closely with legendary wrestler Gama Singh.
“Obviously, he’s a big legend so we knew about him before,” he admitted. “Like, my granddad even knew about Gama. When it comes to the Indian community, that stuff spreads. When I first came to Alberta, I knew he was based out there, and when I first met him it was super nerve-wracking.”
“We’d sit and watch old wrestling tapes with him, which was cool because you’re thinking ‘man, I’m watching Owen Hart vs. Gama, I’m watching Bret Hart vs.
Gama,’” he laughed.
Raja took a moment to collect himself.
“It’s so surreal. Even thinking about it now, I kind of get chills. When that turned into more of a mentor role when I was on TV and he was our manager, offscreen he was actually mentoring me. During matches, if you [saw] him huddling up to us he would actually tell us legitimate stuff. He’d constantly be mentoring us, which is really good.”
In 2019, Raja requested his release from IMPACT just over a year after debuting with the promotion. Though many were surprised by the move, Raja said it wasn’t one made with any ill will or harsh feelings in mind.
“(Management) was quite taken back, because they didn’t see it coming,” Raja admits. “They understood where I was coming from…they really understood and always said I was very professional through my time there and respectful to everyone. They knew I wasn’t trying to stuff them around on purpose, and that I was just doing the best for me.”
As we ended our first chat, Raja alluded to some major plans in the works that admittedly, even off the air, he was unable to reveal.
“I’m in talks with other places to go, and I’m going to be making a big career move soon,” he mused at the time. “It’s very exciting, but it’s only good things coming ahead.”
A Puzzle Completed
Now, nearly two years later, Raja laughed as he told me exactly what happened following his IMPACT departure.
“After IMPACT I was in talks with WWE and they invited me to the Canada Tryout in August 2019,” Raja revealed to me. “I impressed everyone there and they suggested I move to England. Once arriving back [in] the UK I wrestled one independent show and went to the UK Performance Centre in November for a couple of weeks. After that, I was told I would be starting with NXT UK.”
“The process started in January 2020 and was scheduled to finish in March 2020,” he continued. “I had one more thing on my medical and then bam, COVID happened, so that delayed things for me. Once things opened back up they brought me back to finish my medical in September and October.”
“I officially signed in November and the rest is history.”
Finally, it looks as though Rohan Raja has a long-term home, which is a boon for both he and wrestling fans alike. Even in a division as diverse as NXT: UK currently is, Raja stands out as one of the most well-travelled, well-educated professional wrestlers in the business.
“There’s literally no one like me in the WWE. My background is Indian, I was born in the UK, grew up in Australia, and started my career in Canada. I bring a combination of styles that can make me adapt to any opponent I go up against. Originally trained by Lance Storm, I’ve also had training with Yuki Ishikawa, Santino Marella, and, when I first arrived in the UK, I trained with James Drake and Zack Gibson. Now, fast forward, I’ve furthered my knowledge at the Performance Centre, which is literally the Harvard of Professional Wrestling.”
And, of course, once it was official, there was only once person who could be the first to know.
“My dad was the first person I told,” says Raja.
“He has been my biggest supporter since the day I told him I wanted to follow my dreams. My Dad, Brother, Sister, and especially my late Mum all believed in me from the beginning and knew I would make it.”
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.
Prior to her finally appearing on Smackdown Live in November, many were left wondering what had happened to Chelsea Green. The Victoria, BC native was teaming with Charlotte Flair and showcased in a prime spot on NXT programming before her extended absence took place, and many speculated that she had been called up to the main roster. There were also rumours that Green’s call-up came at the behest of then-Executive Director of Monday Night RAW, Paul Heyman.
I asked her about those rumours as part of our recent interview for Love Wrestling.
“So, I learn things on the dirt sheets as well,” Green mused. “It’s funny because sometimes the dirt sheets get them right, (and) sometimes they totally get them wrong.
“
“But,” she continued, “that is something that I felt when I came up in December [and] January, and did a couple of matches for RAW and Main Event. I did feel like I had a great bond and connection with Paul Heyman.
“We had kind of started our relationship off in NXT when he watched a couple of my promos and gave me really amazing feedback and really, really positive feedback,” she explained. “That kind of fuelled my fire and lit a fire under my butt until the next time I saw him, which was the RAW and the Main Event.
I think I jumped into that position the best I could, and he saw that.”
“And so, I’m thinking that the dirt sheets are correct and that he has really had my back this whole time, which I love!” she exclaimed. “I think that’s amazing. I’m just so proud that someone that is the best in this business thinks that I’m great! How crazy is that?! We’re just going to go with that’s 100% true,” she jokingly confirmed.
Heyman was again credited again later in the interview when discussing Green’s experience thus far, and how it had potentially differed from how she had expected her tenure with the promotion would go.
“Oh, gosh, it’s not at all what I thought it would be,” she replied.
pharmacy
“I thought kind of the end was getting to WWE. But that’s just the beginning. My career is just getting started. There’s just so much more to do and so many more goals I’ve set for myself now that I’ve started with WWE and NXT.”
“I just think that there’s so much to learn, and I’m constantly learning at WWE,” Green concluded. “It never ends, whether it’s business sense, whether it’s accounting and money, whether it’s how to cut a promo with Paul Heyman, or just, you know, cameras and crowds and things like that. There’s so much to learn in wrestling, and WWE really provides that for you.”
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.
Oh captain, my captain!
Last night’s Royal Rumble event saw a number of shocking returns, but perhaps none more so than that of Christian. Though the Rumble was technically Captain Charisma’s first match since June 8, 2020, most would look at his March 24th, 2014 tilt as his last before being forced into premature retirement.
However, that retirement, while not short-lived by any means, has turned out to be far less permanent than originally intended. Not only did Christian bring tears to my eyes for what’s now the 2nd Royal Rumble in a row, but with them more than a handful of dream matches and potential feuds heading into WrestleMania season.
It’s something I never thought I’d get the opportunity to do, but it’s one I’m damn happy to get to. Let’s talk Christian dream feuds that, thankfully, are now a little closer to reality.
Randy Orton
While Christian may go by the name Captain Charisma, perhaps I’ve earned the moniker of Captain Obvious with this one.
That being said, sometimes, things are obvious for a reason, and there’s no better starting point for Christian’s return than where his last venture inside the ring ended: directly in front of Randy Orton.
Yes, it’s the easy answer, but sometimes, the easy answer is the right one.
There’s simply too much to work with when it comes to the two whether it be over Christian’s own issues with Cowboy Bob’s son or Orton’s year-long feud with Edge. Who can forget Orton breaking the WWE Universes’ heart and ending Christian’s Heavyweight Championship run just one day after it began? Just dastardly, and certainly something that’s in need of some recompense.
While Christian got a modicum of revenge on the Viper a few months ago, there’s still room for a cherry on top of the sundae of retribution.
Seth Rollins
I tried to make a Christian/Messiah pun to kick off this portion of the article, but unlike the Lord, that idea didn’t float.
Outside of the obvious fact that the two could put on a terrific match, let’s not forget that Christian was also in the ring the night that Rollins held his foot to Edge’s neck in order to get John Cena to reinstate The Authority, which years later must still stick in the craw of both men.
There’s no argument that Rollins is one of the most talented members of the WWE roster right now, and if Christian’s only going to be back on a limited-time basis, may as well put him up against the best of the best.
AJ Styles
Christian’s Coalition! CHRISTIAN’S COALITION, YOU GUYS.
I’d make the argument that AJ Styles is a dream match for a broomstick, nonetheless a highly-talented professional wrestler making his shocking and anticipated return to the sport. I mean, of course it’s just selfish speculation to think that any mention of one of TNA’s greatest stables (in this writer’s humble opinion) would ever make it to WWE save for a mention as a joke, but pipe dreams aside, it’s pretty incredible that we can even talk about this as a tangible, realistic dream match.
Frankly, folks, I don’t care how we get there, but let’s make it happen.
Big E
In the nearly seven years Christian has spent away from wrestling, the WWE roster has nearly entirely turned over. While there are certainly a few familiar faces on both the RAW and Smackdown sides of things, there are a bevvy of new faces for Captain Charisma to step inside the ring with.
One might even say that it’s an entirely New Day (yes, it is).
Okay, yes, the two have squared off before, and a lot of that long-winded introduction was in service of a pretty average pun, at best. However, if we want to go way back, it was Christian who won the fateful March 24, 2014 #1 contenders match that turned out to be his final (full) wrestling match. The championship that the former Brood member was chasing that evening? The Intercontinental Championship. How cool would it be to see him successfully uphold his #1 contendership, especially when pitted against someone both as equally talented and charismatic as Big E?
This match would be worth it for the sheer entertainment value of their promos, nonetheless the slapper of a match the two would be bound to deliver together.
Edge
How can a guy mentioned so often throughout this article NOT be named?
The possibilities in an Edge and Christian feud of any sort are truly endless. Whether they choose to approach it from an angle of two best friends wrestling each other for the first time or whether The Ultimate Opportunist reverts to his old dastardly ways, there’s simply money to be made between a tilt between the two, especially after their emotional reunion at the Royal Rumble.
Despite their long history, few words really need to be said about a potential Edge vs. Christian match. Simply put, it’s perhaps THE dream match for many of us wrestling fans.
What’cha think, friends? Who do you want to see Christian step into the ring with?
Let us know in the comments or get at me on Twitter @SpennyLove!
In just over seven years as a professional wrestler, Victoria’s Chelsea Green has developed into one of the prime examples of what makes the sport of professional wrestling great. Since first stepping inside a wrestling ring in January 2014, the former Jaida has racked up accolades across nearly every promotion she’s been involved in. Whether it be during her fledgling days in ECCW or in matches with Charlotte Flair and Natalya on WWE’s main roster, Green has always had the ability to steal the show both inside and outside the squared circle. In-ring, Green continues to be one of the most innovative and entertaining wrestlers in the world today, and likely should be recognized purely based on her wrestling skill alone. However, in an industry that can often feature generic gimmicks and unoriginal characters, Green stands as one of the most unique individuals in the industry today.
It hasn’t exactly been the traditional path to WWE for Green, but for a British Columbian known by wrestling fans as the Hot Mess, could anything different really be expected?
Early Years
Retweeting the #SWA success stories feels good…
I walked into Storm Wrestling Academy 5 years ago with zero wrestling knowledge. I wasn’t a lifelong wrestling fan. I had never seen a live wrestling show. I didn’t even know what a suplex was. What I did know, was that I wanted— Chelsea Green (@ImChelseaGreen) January 1, 2019
Green’s beginnings in wrestling are well-documented; however, it doesn’t make them any less interesting. Many professional wrestlers will espouse their early love of the sport, claiming to have grown up knowing that stepping inside the squared circle was their destiny.
Not so in Green’s case.
“I knew nothing about pro wrestling. Not a thing,” said Green in an interview with 411mania in May 2018. “I had never seen a pro wrestling ring until I was maybe around grade 11. Lance Storm taught me everything that I know.”
The Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta is widely regarded as one of the premier training facilities in the world for professional wrestlers to have existed over the past two decades. Founded by Lance Storm, the school has produced high-level talents like Rachael Ellering, Tyler Breeze, Oney Lorcan, and countless major names in both major promotions and throughout the independent scene.
“Well, here’s the thing,” says Green. “(Lance) starts from day one from the basics and he builds from the ground up. He doesn’t try to throw you in and teach you a move before you know how to lock up, or he doesn’t try to teach you how to be a character before you even learn how to wrestle. You start from ground zero, and you build this great foundation and you just keep building on that.”
“He really is like a dad to me, and to Peyton Royce, and to Rachael, and everyone who’s gone through his school,” she continued. “He just has the best wrestling mind. There’s just no one like him out there.”
Green’s talent was evident early. A natural athlete, Green took to the sport quickly, and in May of 2014, Green debuted under the name Jaida for Vancouver’s Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling. There, she joined a who’s-who of Canadian stars on the roster including Kyle O’Reilly, El Phantasmo, Nicole Matthews, Artemis Spencer, and the Bollywood Boyz. It was a unique time throughout the province’s independent scene for both fans and those inside the business alike.
“We used to do Ballroom Brawl on Granville Street, and everyone would come and pre-drink and watch wrestling,” Green reminisced. “It was such a different crowd. It wasn’t just wrestling fans, it was sports fans. That’s what I loved about it.”
However, ECCW was far from the only promotion the then-Jaida saw herself working for in her inaugural year inside the squared circle. Thorugh the latter half of 2014, Green plied her trade across the Canadian indies, performing for VIPW, HIW, Big West Wrestling and more.
It wasn’t long Green had developed a reputation as one of the top workers in Western Canada and began gaining attention south of the border.
Tough Enough
In August 2014, mere months after her in-ring debut, Green made her first WWE appearance as Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist during a feud between Stephanie McMahon and Bryan’s wife Brie Bella. While Green’s brief cameo on RAW was her first appearance for World Wrestling Entertainment, it wouldn’t be her last. The next year, Green was selected to appear on the 6th season of Tough Enough.
“No matter what happened, win or lose I was coming out of this experience a winner,” Green said in an August 2015 interview. “How could I not? Being surrounded by legends, superstars, and divas every day, and being able to take advice from each of them and use them to further my career was amazing. Any wrestler out there would kill to be in this position, I wanted to make sure I took full advantage of it.”
Green entered the competition in the show’s fourth episode, replacing Dianna Dahlgren, who had left the competition the week prior. In her short time on the show, Green made a major impact, winning two competitions in her four appearances. Despite a strong showing, Green was eliminated in the season’s 7th episode, finishing in 4th place among females.
The Indies
While Tough Enough may not have landed her a WWE contract, it wasn’t long before Green reappeared on the independent scene in a major way. In 2016, Green made her first two tours of Japan. While the first was cut short due to a broken collarbone, Green’s second stint in the far east saw her break out on the worldwide stage in Stardom. Through her first tours in Japan, she was undefeated in singles action, eventually earning a championship opportunity against then-WWRS Champion Kairi Hojo, known in her time in WWE as Kairi Sane. Despite the loss, the time in Japan was hugely influential.
“I still didn’t really know what I was doing,” said Green in 2018, “but with the language barrier over in Japan, they don’t know that you don’t know what you are doing, so every crazy move that I wanted to try, they were like, okay, let’s try it. That is how my confidence and move sets grew by trying things that I wouldn’t have tried had I been here in the United States.”
That confidence translated into a contract with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) in June of 2016. Making her televised debut as Laurel Van Ness in September 2016, Green defeated Madison Rayne in her first match before immediately entering a feud with Allie and developing a relationship angle with Braxton Sutter. It was during this storyline that Green would develop into the character that would gain her worldwide notoriety, the Hot Mess.
The Hot Mess
Wedding angles are always a risk in wrestling, but the – heh, impact – of the February 23, 2017 storyline union between Van Ness and the aforementioned Sutter will likely go down as one of the best in the genre if not for it’s standalone content, then for its repercussions. Van Ness’ slow descent into madness following Sutter’s shocking wedding betrayal was a highlight through each episode of IMPACT, and watching the Hot Mess develop weekly was a clinic in character development. Her weekly appearances became must-watch, and fortunately, the wrestling world began to take notice. By the end of the year, Green’s character shift and aggressive new attitude in-the-ring led to her first IMPACT Knockouts Championship. It was a fitting conclusion to her tenure with the company; within months, Green had left the promotion and become one of the most in-demand wrestlers in the world.
Finally
“I guess with me, I set my sights on what I think is the top,” Green has stated on her goal of working for WWE. “I always pick a goal, and I can not get off of that track for that goal.”
Frankly, Green’s signing with WWE always felt like an inevitability to many fans. However, it wasn’t as though the former Jaida was cooling her jets on the independent scene waiting for a contract. Green turned heads with appearances on Lucha Underground as Reklusa and at the record-setting All In mixed in with her Knockouts Championship reign.
“To this day, that is my favourite pro wrestling experience,” she says of All In. “It’s my favourite match, it’s my favourite crowd. It’s my favourite – it was literally the best day of my life, I’m not even joking. I was so thankful to get that opportunity.”
Finally, on October 17, 2018, Green was confirmed to be among the class reporting to the WWE Performance Center. Merely nine days later, on October 26, she took part in her first match under the NXT brand against long-time friend Deonna Purrazzo. Shortly after, the pair aligned with another graduate of the Storm Wrestling Academy, Rachael Ellering as VXT.
“VXT was just a short version of the word ‘vexed,’ which Rachael Ellering came up with. She saw it and pitched it to Deonna and myself, for the three of us to be a strong, badass, Charlie’s Angels-type of group.”
Though Ellering was rehabilitating from an injury at the time, the faction looked poised for success out of the gate. Green and Purrazo were given a patented in-the-crowd shot on the second-ever live NXT on the USA Network. It was the first of many hints that WWE knew exactly what potential stars it has in the pair.
Unfortunately, a broken wrist sustained in March 2019 kept Green out of in-ring action for the better part of three months. Though it did delay any potentially impending plans for VXT, it certainly didn’t appear to diminish the former Hot Mess’ star potential in the eyes of the WWE brass. Only a few short months after returning from her injury, Green made her Monday Night RAW debut on the brand’s 2019 Christmas episode, where she looked more than equal to the task in facing off with Charlotte Flair.
“I was a little bit nervous,” Green admits of her WWE debut. “I went in, and I tried not to think about who it was or who that name was. But, you know, I was nervous for my debut and everything.”
Evidently impressing the WWE brass, Green made her official NXT television debut just over a fortnight later accompanied by Robert Stone. For four months, Green was consistently featured across NXT programming, taking part in a critically-acclaimed ladder match and teaming with old rival Charlotte Flair against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley. It was following that match that Green ‘fired’ Stone and looked primed to make the move to RAW or Smackdown. However, it was a few months before her eventual official debut. Rumours flew that Green was part of the then-fledgling RETRIBUTION stable – “No, people are totally lying with that,” she refuted – but it wasn’t until November that her call-up came to fruition.
On November 13th, Green made her debut on Smackdown Live, marking her official move to the main roster of WWE. In an eerie parallel to her first match at Full Sail University, Green sustained yet another wrist injury, keeping her on the shelf for the foreseeable future. However, injury notwithstanding, it’s yet another step forward for Victoria’s finest.
“I’m so proud to be Canadian, and I’m so proud to not only represent Canada but represent the island that I’m from,” Green finished. “Not many crazy things happen in Victoria, BC, but one of them would be that there’s a professional wrestler from Victoria!”
Steve Rivers is full of stories, you guys.
I mean, that’s bound to happen over a nearly thirty-year career in professional wrestling, but when your career kicks off with an introduction to the Hart family and wrestling your first match for the WWF, you’re certainly apt to have more stories than your average indie wrestler.
One of the stories I had to ask him about as part of our recent chat was his participation in a famous show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in which Bret Hart won his first WWF World Heavyweight Championship.
“A bunch of us local guys were booked on the shows for Regina and Saskatoon, for TV tapings,” began the Albertan icon. “I remember we were at the taping in Saskatoon, and we were chatting with Davey Boy [Smith]. Ric Flair and Bret were off in a corner kind of talking, and Flair we saw say to Bret, he’s like ‘don’t worry, don’t worry about nothing. It’s going to be great tonight.’ So, we’re talking to Davey, and we’re like ‘what’s that all about?’ He said ‘hey, they’re putting the belt on Bret tonight,’ and we’re like ‘oh! Wow! Okay!'”
“We couldn’t believe it, because the word was Ultimate Warrior was supposed to get a title [run],” recalled Rivers. “Ric Flair was supposed to drop the belt to the Ultimate Warrior. That was the original plans, everybody knew it. So, for them to go with Bret just like that – obviously, Warrior had a falling out, and plans change, so they decided to go with Bret. Once we heard that, we all thought that was pretty cool. We sat out there when the match came and watched him win his first world title in Saskatoon.”
“If you go onto my Instagram page, there’s a picture of me and Ric Flair somewhere on there. That picture was taken right after Ric Flair dropped the title to Bret Hart in the locker room.”
Of course, seeing a hometown hero win a world championship had to mean a little bit extra, right?
“Well, with that, actually, we were just really shocked,” Rivers replied. “We just never – Bret Hart’s name was never in that world title picture at all at that time. For him to be bumped up at that level, for sure, absolutely. It made us all feel [like] ‘geez, this could happen to anybody. It could!’ Anybody could get their chance. Back probably five years prior to that, people would have laughed if you would had said Bret Hart was going to be the world’s champion one day. It was a big guy era. They wanted the Hulk Hogan’s, the 300-pound guys, you know, the Ultimate Warriors. Bret was never even on the radar for a world title run before that. It was very encouraging for everybody to know that you know what, hey man, we could get a chance at this.”
“That sounds so foreign,” I replied. “It is a lot of the same sort of critiques and critiscisms you hear of professional wrestling now in well, [he’s] not the Hulk Hogan type, the big, bulky dude, but to hear that Bret Hart wasn’t in that conversation is such cognitave dissonance.
“Yeah, he’s a smaller guy,” I laughed, “but he’s Bret f**king Hart!”
“I think Bret really showed his worth, winning the Intercontinental titles and having those great matches with Curt Hennig and his battles with Shawn Michaels,” Rivers responded in conclusion. “He really showed that yeah, [WWF] could run with this guy. He’s not going to let [WWF] down work-wise.”
For more from Steve Rivers’ interview with Spencer Love, click here.
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.
Indie wrestling star and ring announcer extraordinaire Shaul Guerrero joins Spencer Love to discuss getting back into the ring, announcing for All Elite Wrestling, finally wrestling under the Guerrero name, Thunder Rosa, her love of performing arts, Brodie Lee, her parents influence on her career, differences in her experiences with AEW and WWE, signing with a major promotion and more.
VIDEO
AUDIO
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Steve Rivers joins Spencer Love to answer a series of fan questions sent in, including topics like wrestling his first-ever match for the WWF, his matches against Heavy Metal in Edmonton, ribbing the boys, Calgary vs Winnipeg as Canada’s wrestling capital, and more!
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Last year, third-generation star Shaul Guerrero received her first opportunity to work for All Elite Wrestling, ring announcing for the company’s Tag Team Cup Tournament. Despite not having the opportunity to wrestle for the promotion, Guerrero joined a select group of individuals to have performed for both AEW and the WWE/NXT brand. As she explained to me in our recent conversation, the two experiences differed both personally and professionally.
“Well, it was very different just because when I was walking in [to AEW],” Guerrero began. “Not only was I there with my mother, so like that was obviously very cool, it was like running into old friends. I’ve trained with a lot of people there back in my FCW days and back when I was at NXT. It’s true what everybody says. The environment in the back is a lot more relaxed. There’s a lot less pin needles to be worried about. I mean, there’s like an overwhelming amount of respect for everybody. Everybody’s just there to put on a good show and have fun.”
“I think that fun was everywhere when I was backstage,” she continued, beaming. “I was so fortunate to be able to work with Justin Roberts and announce so many amazing women. Honestly, just between that and watching the training session, watching Dustin Rhodes train everybody and just – I don’t know, there’s just so many amazing things.”
When looking back on her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, Guerrero admits, the experience was a bit different.
“And I do believe I was in a different time when I was with WWE, as far as when we’re talking about comparing,” she reflects. “I was in the era where like, you know, we were pre women’s revolution and evolution and everything like that. And so, you know, we had 10 minutes or a bikini contest, or there was just – I think body positivity has increased lately, as well. So, not that anyone ever told me anything specifically, but there was just kind of an air at that time where it was just like, you’ve got to look a certain way and a lot of pressure that I couldn’t really control as far as the family stuff. It was just all the time because that was my father’s alma mater, and my mom is there, and my cousin was employed at that time.
So there was a lot of pressure. And so I think all of that combined before I got mature, you know, it was not the best environment for me. So that was kind of the comparison. Happy for both experiences, though.”
Of course, given her wide array of skills in the wrestling business – and frankly, her prowess at all of them – it would be naive to think that a major promotion wouldn’t come calling for the third-generation star sooner rather than later. Given her experiences working with major promotions before, is it still her end goal to sign a contract with them?
“Honestly, that is my end goal is to be with a promotion that I am passionate about [and] that I care about. And I’m sorry, I love television wrestling, and I love the camera, and I love the big stage. I mean, that was literally what I grew up with. It’s all I remember is being on the road and I don’t know, just being backstage, so that’s what I crave. I feel at home in that space. And so if somebody came a-calling, absolutely! Ab-so-fucking-loutely I would go. But like, I feel like my immediate goal for 2021 – because I try not to have expectations, that way, you don’t have crazy disappointments, you know what I mean?
“
“So, I’m gonna bust my ass on what I know I can do right now, and that’s the independent scene,” she finished enthusiastically., “Thank God. I feel very humbled and blessed to be getting booked as a beginner. I am considering myself a beginner at this point. I’m just gonna wrestle everybody I can, get as good as I can, and you know, if somebody comes calling?
Yes, please!”
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.
The wrestling world was rocked on Boxing Day 2020 by the sudden passing of Brodie Lee (Jon Huber). Wrestlers, in-ring personalities, and fans alike were heartbroken to hear that the world had lost an individual that many had regarded as one of the greatest human beings in the business.
I asked Jake Crist about any memories of Lee he may have had as part of our recent chat, and what stood out to him about the former TNT Champion.
“My hearts crushed,” he began. “Obviously reading all the stories and the interviews and stuff and the tweets of the other brothers and professional wrestlers tweeting about how great he was. I happened to run into him here and there throughout our career, but as far as me knowing him, I really didn’t know the guy.
I probably had maybe one conversation with him my whole entire career.
So, our paths never really – they crossed, but when they did, they didn’t cross for that long. Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate USA – we never did any EVOLVE – but I think those were like the only two companies that our paths – Maybe 2CW in upstate New York.
“I never really knew him, but my heart is broken in a million pieces due to just how great of a guy that I hear that he was, and leaving his sons and wife behind is just – it’s crushing. It’s crushing. And the good ones do die young.”
While Lee’s exploits inside the ring were well worth highlighting, it was his standing as a family man and a father that has been front of mind for so many since his passing. That was a sentiment Crist echoed.
“It is heartbreaking,” Crist finished. “And just to hear on how great of a human being he was, it’s just, it just breaks your heart that much more. You know, I never had the pleasure of really sitting down and having a great conversation with him. But I wish I did. Hearing how great of a man he was, it seems like, you know, there’s a lot of similar stuff that was going on and happening with both of us, you know, with his wife getting pregnant. I found out when I was in upstate New York that I was having a second child. That’s kinda weird. But yeah, it’s – my heart’s out to his family.”
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.