Home ARTICLES “I’m gonna be a deathmatch wrestler!” ⎸ Tara Zep on Mick Foley

“I’m gonna be a deathmatch wrestler!” ⎸ Tara Zep on Mick Foley

by Spencer Love

Tara Zep is no stranger to violence.

On December 16, 2023, Zep took part in her first-ever deathmatch, facing off with John Wayne Murdoch at ICW NO HOLDS BARRED. Late in the match, ICW was treated to a surprise appearance by hardcore icon Mick Foley, who assisted Zep in picking up the victory.

Zep discussed the appearance with Love Wrestling, and her relationship with the former Cactus Jack.

“I met him at a GCW – it was a big deathmatch show,” Zep began. “It could have been T.O.S. I think it was Tournament of Survival, [and] I was there being a mark. I had a friend who was working with him, doing some of his P.R. stuff. He was videoing his meet-and-greet. I finally got the chance to meet him in person through my friend. We chatted for a little bit, and I told him – I actually hadn’t even started training at that point, but I told him that I was gonna. I’m like ‘I’m gonna be a deathmatch wrestler!’ I partially meant it, and I partially didn’t know if that would even happen. I was kind of like ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ and he was kind of like ‘Okay, lady!’”

The Hardcore Icon at ICW

Zep described how a call from Foley sparked his appearance for ICW.

“A little time went by, and then my friend, Kacey Hopkins, who was the one who introduced us, they were together somewhere, and they were FaceTiming me. I was like ‘Ahhh! Oh my god, I’m talking to Mick Foley!’”

“Then, Mick was kind of like ‘I want to talk to you about some stuff’ and I was like ‘Oh, okay, cool!’ We started texting, and he was kind of interviewing me in a sense, it felt like. He was like ‘What’s your interest in deathmatch wrestling? Why do you want to do it, I don’t understand.’”

“I think he went into a mode there where he was like ‘I don’t want to really support and endorse this style of wrestling. He didn’t want people to get hurt. Deathmatch had evolved so much where people were doing crazy, crazy, crazy spots and getting badly hurt. I don’t think he wanted to be attached to that too much to that, which makes sense. Looking out for workers.”

Foley was recently announced to appear at the debut event for No Fate Pro Wrestling, as well as host a seminar.

Tune in to the full interview with Tara Zep below.

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