Before getting involved in the industry himself, MLW star Dominic Garrini was, like many professional wrestlers, simply a fan of professional wrestling. One star that caught the soon-to-be-known Bone Collector’s eye was the then-Kevin Steen, now known to professional wrestling fans throughout the world as Kevin Owens.

Garrini and I recently chatted about his thoughts on why Owens is one of the all-time great wrestlers in his opinion.

Spencer Love: “A couple more I’ve got to ask you before we get closer to winding it out here. One that I really, really wanted to pick your brain on actually, and I know you’ve mentioned it a couple of times, but as a Canadian podcaster, it’s always nice for me to hear when a Canadian is on a Mount Rushmore and especially when it’s a name like Kevin Owens. Maybe just take me a little bit through and the listeners through why you enjoy him so much (and) how he got you back into professional wrestling?”

Dominic Garrini: “So when I was a young, a young lad discovering what independent wrestling was, probably about 2004, 2005 I really gravitated – I was what they would call a ghoul. I really liked hardcore wrestling and I really liked all that, but I’d also started to notice how – I was still sort of the chubby kid at the time. So the first independent wrestling tape I ever got, really, I ordered from a website with a money order was I ordered Cage of Death Six from Smart Mark Video and I bought that for the main events which were the two cage deathmatches. In the end, those were there, but there was one that stood out to me more than any of them and it was Super Dragon and Excalibur versus Kevin Steen and El Generico.

I always remember how much Kevin Steen stuck out to me in that match. Just everything he did. The attitude, the way he moved, you know, the moves that he did everything stuck with me, and (he) was a guy that I followed from there on out.”

“I was following all the stuff he did in IWS. I was following his extended CZW on at that point. He had had a couple small tryouts in ROH at that point. That was one guy that, even when I was getting out of wrestling, I was always cognizant of where he was. What was he doing and Ring of Honor? What was he doing here? What was he doing there? When it came down to the fact of I was really burned out of competing in Jiu-Jitsu, it coincided that that was when his big WWE push started. I’d gotten back into the WWE about two years before my decision to be a wrestler. 2013 was when I got really back into the WWE. I got back in because Bryan Danielson, who’s my other favourite wrestler, was killing it. And then I saw Kevin Owens or Kevin Steen got signed I was like, ‘holy s**t,’ and then NXT on the Network and I was like, ‘Okay.

‘ So then, I’m watching Kevin Steen just come right in and win the NXT title so that was firing me up.

And then, literally the week I came back from the worlds where I lost was when he had beaten down Cena at Elimination Chamber. I watched Elimination Chamber in LAX because I was flying back from the worlds and I didn’t want to miss it. And, I went to that RAW in Cleveland and him having a big part of that show and from there on out, it was just kind of like, ‘okay I’m gonna go to wrestling school,’ and you know it’s been awesome, his success since then even, you know, Universal Champion, (a) great WrestleMania moment this year, and a guy that’s gonna keep on ascending the ladder hopefully.”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used. 

Major League Wrestling Tag Team Champions Ross & Marshall Von Erich are more than aware of the weight their last names hold. As members of the legendary Von Erich wrestling family, the pair are often compared to their legendary family members. Luckily, they’re far from the only legacy wrestlers currently wrestling for MLW, which the two discussed at length when we spoke a few months ago.

Working with fellow legacy wrestlers like Brian Pillman Jr, Davey Boy Smith Jr, and Jacob Fatu

SL: “I love that you mentioned it earlier, like, the family sort of environment. I think that it has a lot of parallels both in the, you know, metaphorical sense and in the actual sense with you guys. How much of a benefit is it for you guys to work with guys like Pillman Jr, a Davey Boy Smith Jr, Jacob Fatu,   who really do have a bit of a similar experience as far as being second and third and fourth generation wrestlers?”

Marshall Von Erich: “It’s just so awesome, because a lot of the guys, you know, in our life, it’s hard to meet somebody with a lot of common ground, and these guys have the same upbringing we had. You know, they had – their dads were wrestlers, their grandpas were wrestlers, so it’s been, like, the only thing they know as well. And it really is the only thing we know. We grew up in locker rooms, wrestling has been a part of our lives our entire lives, and so to meet other men like that, and to be doing what our fathers and grandfathers were doing is – everyone’s extremely happy with where they’re at. You know, like, if my dad was a blacksmith, we’d probably be blacksmiths. It doesn’t matter. When you’re a kid you want to be like your dad, and that’s why I got a lot of love for men without fathers because having a good dad has been nothing but a huge blessing in our lives and stuff. To meet guys with their head on straight with not having that fatherly figure growing up, it amazes me. Like Pillman Jr, there’s a lot about that guy that – he’s just, he’s just a good guy all around, and my dad loved his dad and the fact that we can, you know, that a Pillman and a Von Erich (can be) on the end on the same card again, or a Hart and a Von Erich are on the same card again. Fatu, it really is just – even if we have differences in the ring or the storylines, all that stuff, we’re still always going to be brothers.”

If they feel their name has been a hindrance or a benefit to their wrestling careers

SL: “I do have to get – we got a fan question in for you guys before we close it out on the show. They wanted to ask ‘what are each of your feelings on being part of such a legendary wrestling family. Have you found it to be more of an advantage or a hindrance?’”

Ross Von Erich: “Man, that’s a pretty loaded question but, I mean, you know, in one aspect, it’s just been a huge impact and a positive impact for us as far as the name and everything. On the other hand, there’s the, not the pressure, but just the accountability, you know, just to live up to what your family did and honour the name. So, we feel like there’s a good balance, it’s good to have both, but we definitely-“

Marshall Von Erich: “Wrestling in Texas let us understand more of the magnitude of what my uncles and grandfather did and accomplished, and the emotions they brought out of people. And, you know, this stems from doing our best and trying our hardest to honour – if we’re not doing that, then we’re not honouring the name. But, being a part of this family has been nothing but a huge blessing for our careers and growing up, but it’s that’s definitely, that’s an awesome question and it almost has a different answer every time, because there’s so many answers for it. But it kind of all stems from – we got, these doors have been opened, not by us, and so it’s we’re going through the doors that stayed open. This is the family we’re in and the cards we’re dealt, and so we’re just trying to learn from their mistakes because they weren’t perfect, and my dad will be the first one to say it, but it does make us appreciate the value of having a brother, having a brother that we do hold each other accountable to keep our bodies in shape, to take care of ourselves. And we’re wrestlers, so there is – injuries are just a name of the game. They come with it, so working around injuries, working smart, and trying to take care of each other is extremely important.”

Ross Von Erich: “I think any good tag team will tell you it’s almost like being married, because you’re literally with the person, almost 24-7 when you’re on out there on the road. Same hotel room (and) all that. We just find ways to get along, and I think it just given us a deeper appreciation for brotherhood and each other and wrestling and just brings everything full circle.”

Marshall Von Erich: “It makes me have a respect for guys, the guys that do it alone. Some guys probably enjoy doing it alone, and I’m not a super social person. I don’t like handling big crowds but it’s weird that I’m in this kind of job because it just makes it to where – we hold each other accountable going all out in the meet-and-greets, and going all out in the shows because people paid to come to see us. You’ve got to give them their money’s worth and be genuine.”

Hearing stories about their family

SL: “You betcha man. It’s actually pretty cool you mention those guys, they’re dream matches in whichever era of professional wrestling you love, but I’m even bringing it up to my dad earlier today that I’m going to be speaking with you guys, and by no means is he a wrestling fan but he’s (like ‘Oh shit, the Von Erichs, that’s pretty cool,’ and I absolutely love it, man. It’s kind of cool when my dad puts me over.”

Ross Von Erich: “We can relate on that one.”

Marshall Von Erich: “No, that is awesome. And hearing people – like, whenever it gets old, sometimes fans feel like they could be annoying us or whatever, by telling us stories about how they met my dad, or my uncle’s, or my grandfather, but that stuff never gets old because it’s just confirmation of why we’re here and the impact that wrestling can make on, you know, a kid, (or) an adult, or whatever.”

Ross Von Erich: “Yeah. We hear countless stories of, you know, a guy saying, ‘you know, I was eight years old and I was just one of the kids in line you know, trying to get an autograph, or shake his hand, or something and-“

Marshall Von Erich: “’And your uncle grabbed my shoulder and encouraged me,’ and he’s like, ‘I’ll never forget that.'”

Ross Von Erich: “Yeah, you know and so it just it kind of puts everything in perspective for us, because there’s a lot of kids at our shows and we’re just like ‘let’s make it let’s make a good positive impact, as much as we’re able to.”

Marshall Von Erich: “These are moments that some people will never forget.”

Ross Von Erich: “You never know.”

Marshall Von Erich: “My dad – one thing my dad’s always said, coming from a life of, you know, a lot of trials and tribulations, losing his brothers -because he was really close to his brothers. I got one and I’m real close, I couldn’t imagine being closer – but the fact that my dad had five and lost them, he really appreciates life. He tells everyone he loves them before they leave the house. He lives life in moments, and something we’ve got from his life was that, and it’s to take advantage of every moment with any of the fans. You don’t know their stories, or what their background is, or where they’re coming from, and so every now and then a hug or shake your hand in encouragement-“

Ross Von Erich: “And we get to do such a cool thing, you know, we’re brothers, we get to travel the world, we’re with each other all the time when we’re traveling and stuff and so we kind of keep each other accountable, like, ‘look around, let’s – enjoy every aspect of wrestling. Going out to find good food, we both love good food, and we love traveling, and it’s just like, we are living the dream right now. We get to share these stories with my dad and stuff we really are living.”

Marshall Von Erich: “We’ve had other jobs. We were roofers for a while. We worked in a shipping logistics business. Ross owned a macadamia nut business when we first came to Hawaii. We tried everything, and we are so happy we get to be wrestlers. We’re so grateful that we get to do this for a living.”

Finding their places in professional wrestling

SL: “That’s awesome to hear, guys. You would almost think, and you don’t want to stereotype by any means, but a lot of individuals you would feel in the situation that you guys and your dad has been dealt maybe would be a little bit more bitter about it, or have a little bit more of a chip on their shoulder, but anything I’ve heard, anything I’ve read, t’s so nice to have that reinforced that, despite the fact that it’s got to be a pretty slim silver lining as far as stuff like that goes, that they were able to find it, right?”

Marshall Von Erich: “That is so true. I’m not gonna lie, in the beginning, it was rough. Going to Japan, and we were young, and so we didn’t know that the opportunity we had in front of us was such a big deal and what a blessing it was to start in Japan, because (in) Japan they pound the fundamentals in you and we just got a whole new respect for wrestling. But, those opportunities, getting those opportunities solely because we were Von Erichs – being a Von Erich is nothing but a blessing, and it’s nothing that we earned. It was something that was given, and so when we’re out there, we know that if we’re not doing our best-”

Ross Von Erich: “We’re not honouring the family names.”

Marshall Von Erich: “We’re not honouring the family names. We hold each other accountable to that as well. I think our whole careers have been, you know, when you start feeling down, ‘Am I doing the right thing? Am I in the right place?’ Then, I think that, like, God will give you some confirmation. We have a story: in Japan, we were going to Japan for three months where we wrestled – we didn’t wrestle, we just went for training for three months, and then we came home for a few weeks, and had to go back for three months. And so we were a little homesick, you know, we were tired. Tired from the road, and you know, you have a lot of those thoughts, like, ‘am I doing the right thing? Is this good for me? Am I in the right place? I mean I wish I could have played college football, I could have done this, could have done that.’ We were in line, going through the Japanese airport, (and) we had to go through customs. My first name is Kevin, Ross’ first name is David, and the guy at the counter said ‘I remember, 20, or 35 years ago, Kevin and David came through these doors, and I was like ‘oh, yeah those are – that’s my uncle, that’s my dad.’ And the guy started crying. We were just like ‘Woah-‘”

Ross Von Erich: “We couldn’t have felt further from home at the time, you know and I feel like it was just the confirmation we needed at that time. ‘Okay, we’re where we’re supposed to be right now. Let’s just put our heads down and do what we got to do.”

Marshall Von Erich: “And there’s so many of those stories where, as soon as we start feeling down or whatever, there’s confirmation you’re where you’re supposed to be. We’ve tried so many different things. This is the only door that hadn’t shut, so we know where we’re supposed to be.”

The moment they knew they were meant to be professional wrestlers

SL: “Yeah, and I wanted to touch on that, actually. I’m glad you bring it up because you’ve always mentioned sort of that being the only window that was really left open, but, was there a moment or was there, like, a solid point you can point to where it was like ‘okay, we’re moving into professional wrestling.’ I know you started off – or at least I think I know – that you started off at the Harley Race camp and then moved over to Japan, but what was sort of the decision-making point there where you said that you wanted to be wrestlers?”

Marshall Von Erich: “I remember the exact moment. It was our second tour in Japan, we came home, and it was like bittersweet. We got to see mom and dad, it was great, and we’re talking to dad, and I just see my dad’s – you know, he never forced us to do anything, but seeing his eyes light up when we became wrestlers, that meant a lot.”

Marshall Von Erich: “But, what really changed everything is we were wrestling I believe it was Korakuen Hall, but Ross and I, we like to go to the roof of any building that we’re working at just to get away from everybody. It sounds weird, but we go to a roof and it’s just this kind of escape and get away from everybody. It was before a big match at Korakuen Hall, and it was just, I don’t know why we did it, but Ross got on my shoulders and found this really high spot and we marked Marshall, Ross and marked the date and we drew a little picture that he was like ‘one day, we’ll come back here when we’re 20 or 10 or 15 years from now, and look at it. And so right after Ross marked it, we were getting down to go to get ready for the match, we saw another marking, and it was funny – we marked it high, so nobody can clean it off. That’s why we got (on my) shoulders, but we saw a marking that said Kevin and David and had a picture of an alligator. (We said) what is that and so it just kind of like, I was like ‘Man, what a coincidence!”

Ross Von Erich: “I draw this, like, cartoon dinosaur, so that’s what I drew. So weird.”

Marshall Von Erich: “We didn’t know it was my dad yet. After the match happened, we called my dad. My dad’s signature picture is an alligator, he draws an alligator with jagged teeth. That’s just what he’s done any time he tries to show off with his drawings-“

Ross Von Erich: “It’s the only thing that you can draw.”

Marshall Von Erich: “And so, we called my dad and told him about it. To hear him get choked up and say that ‘yeah that was us,’ that was the day we knew we were exactly where we were supposed to be. We were (in) exactly that same building, we were where we needed to be and that’s when we’re ‘okay, this is what we’re doing with our life. So let’s pour ourselves into this.’ That was confirmation from God, it really was. We’ll never forget that and that’s kind of what we’ve been holding on to this whole time.”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used. 

In 2017, Kevin Von Erich stepped back into the squared circle for the final match of his illustrious career. The match, which took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, was notable for both Von Erich’s retirement as well as the inclusion of Kevin’s sons and the now-MLW Tag Team Champions Ross and Marshall. The event not only marked the first time the three had teamed together in an official capacity but was the first time in over 20 years that three Von Erichs had stepped inside the ring together.

Recently, both Ross and Marshall joined me to discuss a variety of topics, including being a part of their Dad’s retirement match.

Wrestling in their Dad’s retirement match in Israel

SL: “One other thing I want to touch on with your dad specifically is you guys have wrestled with him in his retirement match in Israel. How cool was that for you guys? Take me through the circumstances of how that came about.”

Marshall Von Erich: “That was just unreal. It was a dream of ours our whole life to even go to Israel. We were doing a lot of indie shows, we had just become the IWR World Class Revolution Champions, so we just-“

Ross Von Erich: “To us, that was a big deal, you know, for any company to put you know their belt on you is a huge honour to us, you know and so we just, we were feeling pretty good about ourselves at the time.”

Marshall Von Erich: “We became really close to the promoter, real good friends, his name is Jerry Bostic, we became good buddies, and he wanted us to defend those belts around the world. So, we got an opportunity to go to Israel. My dad set it up and we were going to defend our belts in Israel. It was just – to be in Israel, be so far away from home, and just the love and respect the fans had for my dad was unreal. Back in the 80s (in) Israel, after their Shabbat, they had one channel and that was World Class Championship Wrestling, so it was the first time ever the ratings were 100%.

After Shabbat, after they see the first star in the sky, they turn their TVs on.

It was like almost part of a tradition. They love what my dad stood for.

They loved my dad never cheated, he fought his heart out, he would always – he was just Kevin Von Erich. They have a saying, I think it’s called ‘Von Erich Hazakim,’ it’s ‘what do you think you are, strong like Von Erich?’ You know, like how we say ‘what, you think you’re Superman?’”

SL: “Very cool.”

Marshall Von Erich: “It’s a saying down there, and so they told us like stories and stuff, we had posters of Israel on our wall like we always wanted to go. Getting to go with the entire family, all 20 of us – it was the first time my nieces and nephews got to watch us wrestle. My sisters, my brothers-in-law, it was the first time they all got to watch us wrestle. It was just a surreal moment. Going in there with my dad, you know, seeing how my dad prepared for matches it was just like, if my eight-year-old self could have seen that or to (have) known this would have happened would have been insane.”

Ross Von Erich: “For me, you know how you get that numb feeling when you’re like, ‘this is like some pivotal moment in my history in my life right now?’ I just had that feeling. Like, ‘I’m never gonna forget this,’ the whole night. Even being in the ring-“

Marshall Von Erich: “It was all slow motion.”

Ross Von Erich: “I remember being on the apron and my dad you know givin’ me pointers like ‘when you get back in, do this and that,’ and it was just so awesome to have that. Three Von Erichs in the ring at the same time.”

Marshall Von Erich: “First time in 20 years and you know, we always – my dad, I can’t tell you how many times he’s like, ‘Man, I wish I was in the ring with y’all. I would do this, I would do that,’ and then to have him in there. It was crazy, though I think he wanted to do a lot more, but he had the flu the day of the show, and so he kind of had to slow down a little bit, but to see him – he was literally throwing up in the locker room before the match, he was sick, he had a fever, everything. And then, as soon as this music came on, it was – he like nipped up, he turned it off, and we watched him get his body back in shape, he was over 200 pounds and he just turned back into Kevin Von Erich and it was just, it was unreal. Just being in there with him and listening to everybody in the crowd was like crying and stuff. It was in Israel, you know, there’s a lot of tension there with the Palestinians and the Jews and the Arabs, there’s all this, and then to see that wrestling brings all these people together, they’re cheering, they’re booing together, they have their arms around each other and it was just (spreading) peace and love through wrestling. It was just like, we got to see the power of wrestling, too, and I was also a pivotal thing in our careers that really made us know that we’re in the right place.”

SL: “That’s incredible, like, you hear that (and) it’s almost like Pavlov’s dog when he hears a bell ring. It’s just like, snap Kevin Von Erichs back!”

Ross Von Erich: “Yeah, exactly. You could just see this thing come over him and he’s like okay, now he’s Kevin Von Erich, he’s not dad right now.”

Marshall Von Erich: “It was weird. When the bell rung, my dad grabbed us and told us ‘hey, I’m passing the torch on to you guys. Take it and run with it,’ and I’ll never forget that, either. It really felt like we were taking the name from there and now we’re gonna leave it to our kids and stuff, so it was just a beautiful moment for us.”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used. 

MLW star Mance Warner is certainly a man of many names. Whatever you know him by, whether it be Ol’ Mancer, the Souther Psycho, Lariats and Light Beers or any of the other myriad of nicknames that he can claim to be his own, there’s no shortage of descriptions for one of the most entertaining professional wrestlers in the game today.

Recently, Warner joined me to discuss his nicknames and his favourite beer-drinking partners in professional wrestling.

Earning all of his nicknames and if one is particularly meaningful:

“There’s so many nicknames there, because I started out doing shows in Ohio and Indiana and the Midwest, out in Tennessee, wherever I could go I would drive and go to the show and hit the pay window and fight people. The one – I got a beer mug that a fan made for me, and they took their free time to make every nickname that I have on the back of it. And they had it cut out, each little piece, and they glued it on there and stuff. So, I’m sitting there drinking beer out of this thing, and it’s cool to know the connection I have with the fanbase to where they’ve given me these nicknames.”

“I guess, for me, Southern Psycho kind of represents everything that I do, because when you hear that, you automatically – if you don’t know who I am, you go ‘what’s happening,’ and then you watch and you go ‘awe, I get it.’ Back in the day, people had nicknames, you would hear it and you knew exactly what it meant. So, for me that kinda represents exactly what I’m bringing to the table.”

“I always feel bad. Nick Manawa, the ring announcer out there at IWA Mid-South, he pinned that tweet on there and he told me to put all the nicknames there, so when people gotta do the introduction, they can look and say the names right there. Guys will come up at different shows and they’ll be like ‘hey man, which one do you want me to say?’ And I always go ‘say whichever ones you want, man!’ And they’re like ‘well, now I gotta read ‘em all, man! That’s like your thing!’ And I go ‘no, no, no. You ain’t gotta waste all your time reading all that s**t. Take some that you like, I don’t care which ones you say, say whatever one you want. Let’s just go out there and do what we’re doing.”

His favourite people to have a beer with:

“I’m gonna pick two, though. I’m gonna pick Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk would be the two I would wanna sit down and drink with. Currently, I’m gonna say Stone Cold, because he, maybe we get him one more match at some point, but I would like to sit down with him.

”

“Another guy that I’ve drank with – I’m trying to think of the most oddball one I could think of. I drink with a lot of people, man!

It’s hard to think of just one.

Like I said, usually after shows I go out in the parking lot and drink beers with fans, they bring beers (and) it’s a good time. I’ll just say all the fans, man. I like sitting out there, bulls**ting, drinking a beer and talking about life.”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.