15 Questions w/ TS Aggressor

Conducted by IPW Webmaster Mike Frost

1 When did you break into professional wrestling?

The summer of ‘96. I was being scammed by a dirt bag “promoter” and it gave me an early look at how ugly pro wrestling can be. The positive thing Dirt Bag did was to introduce me to Brad Rheingans, Wayne Bloom, and Curt Hennig. I began training at Brad’s camp in the fall of 96.

2 What made you want to become a professional wrestler?

I was fascinated as a kid, watching the AWA, NWA/Georgia Championship and WWF on TV. I was big into super heroes, and to me - wrestlers were superhuman. I began working out in high school, but it wasn’t until a few years into college that I weighed 230lbs and I actually thought I could pursue wrestling myself.

3 What was your first ever match?

February 9th, 1997 in Pepin, Wi. Wayne got me booked against a fellow camp member, this big, pasty looking dude named Hurricane Hanna (Mr. Destiny). It was very memorable for several reasons. Hanna and I were the first guys in our camp to get a match and our trainer and fellow students were there....the crowd was packed 400-500 strong in a little school gymnasium...and guys like Nailz, Barry Darsow, Ken Patera, Jim Brunzell and Baron Von Raschke were there. Hanna wrestled in a singlet, but I went out there in my street clothes, wearing boots I had borrowed from Brad. I lost the match, but I felt like every sacrifice I had made to get to that point was worth it. It was an incredible, unforgettable day for me.

4 Who are some wrestlers that influenced you most in the ring?

There are things I like about so many guys, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Brett Hart, Hennig, etc. I used to love Sid Vicious because of his look, and I loved watching the Great Muta, that guy was so graceful, quick, and mysterious. Junkyard Dog , Tommy Rich, and Mr. Wrestling #2 were my favs as a kid.

5 What has been your favorite match?

If I had to pick one match it would be vs Brent Filmore in Afton, IA, July of 2001. The match had so many elements that I think made it good: Great good guy played by Sheridan, hatable bad guy played by me, a rabid hometown crowd, a good pre match promo to set the mood, some solid back and forth action, nice pacing during heat segments, passionate comebacks, and the overall length to give the match an epic feel.

6 Who has been your toughest opponent?

As far as trying to put on a good match, I’d say I’ve had many horrible, forgettable matches on my log, but hopefully I’ve learned how to make things better the next time. I wrestled Terry Saltzman in Missouri back in ‘98 or ‘99, it was a disgrace to the biz and something I am not proud of.

As far as guys you wouldn’t want to fight in an alley somewhere, I would say there are many guys in IPW you wouldn’t want to mess with. Wicked Lester, Fitness, Awol, Montoya X, Mitch Paradise, a pissed off Dirty Sanchez....the thing for someone on the “outside” to realize is that pro-wrestling is not “easy” and this business is full of “tough guys”.

In the end, I may be my own toughest opponent because I can’t stand watching myself wrestle on tape. It makes me sick. All of the fun I have disappears the moment I have to watch my own stuff.

7 What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I have been doing this for 8 years, so in my opinion I have had a great deal of highlights.

Training guys and watching them succeed and live out there dreams is very rewarding and satisfying for me. Wrestling in my hometown for the first time was huge for me. My matches with guys like Kenny Backwash ,Johny Fitness, Destiny, Ash, Mitch - those matches where fans have and emotional investment in the performers. It allows us to pull major reactions from the crowd by understanding how to work with them and it gives the crowd the most enjoyment/entertainment for our effort. The post show parties and the road trips with my friends are highlights. Wrestling in front of my wife and daughter is always a big deal to me. Oh yeah, and throw my 2001 appearance on Raw somewhere in there too, HAHA!


8 What is the worst injury you have suffered in the ring?

I broke my arm in Wisconsin working for Ken Patera during the summer of 2000. Early in the match I did a dropkick off of the 2nd rope, (no, not the top) and broke my right forearm. I had a plate put in to help it heal and it is still there to this day. I was pretty bitter and depressed at the time because my daughter was 3 months old at the time and I couldn’t pick her up for awhile.

9 Do you have any regrets in the wrestling business?
Doing a 2nd rope dropkick. I did blow off Bob Ryder and Jeremy Borash in a Minnesota locker room one time, but it isn’t like I was dying to get into WCW or later on TNA, anyway. I just didn’t know them and sometimes I’m not very approachable. I don’t have much in the way of regrets as it pertains to wrestling. I found out very early in my involvement with wrestling that not only could I physically not take the beatings of working 4+ nights a week, I couldn’t stand to be away from my family for very long either. My dream of wrestling for a national promotion evolved into doing what I am doing right now, having an absolute blast with my friends & students trying to give our fans something they’ll never forget.

10 What do think of the current state of indy wrestling in the state of Iowa?
I love it, we have so many guys IN IOWA who have so much to offer our fans. It is the best it has ever been in my view. We have Troy Peterson to thank for his relentless desire to run shows constantly. Troy IS Iowa Indy wrestling. That’s why you see the Jerry Stewarts and 3XW guys at Troy’s shows, Troy is the link to everyone here in Iowa. He’s got guys from all over the Midwest wanting to work for him. He’s also got the loyalty of the guys he does use.

11 Why do you think the fans love you so much?
I don’t think any fans really love me, but I think by wearing my emotions on my sleeve so to speak, I can get them to care about me whether I am a heel or a face. I try to push all of the emotion I have to the surface and let it come out in my facial expressions and body language. It is a key element of getting people to care about YOU. I am a firm believer that once the fans care about you - you can get more meaningful reactions by doing little things. You can kill yourself to get an “astonishment pop”, but why not make people care longer than just one spot or move? Letting out of my hate, anger, love, aggression, etc is also very therapeutic.

12 How much longer do you see yourself in the squared circle on a regular basis?

Injuries are like enemies, they accumulate. I am nearing the end, but I have too much fun to let it go yet. Too many friends to hang with and memories yet to be made.

13 How would you like to be remembered when your done wrestling?

Just being remembered is a huge deal. If I were to get greedy, I’d like to be remembered by fans as a guy who they could really have good time hating on or cheering for, a guy who never let them leave the venue feeling like they wasted their Saturday night or their money on me.
I’d like the guys in the back to remember me as a friend and a fun guy to have around. A guy who’s priority was giving the fan’s and enjoyable show- above winning a match, looking cool or being tough.

14 What do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

Personality wise: being open, outgoing and approachable (things I have a hard time doing many times)
Physically - I’m an ass man!

15 What would your advice be to anybody wanting to become a professional wrestler?
LET ME TRAIN YOU!!! Seriously, wherever you train, treat everyone the way you would like to be treated. Be in the best possible shape you can be in. I have learned so much by seeing and hearing things I don’t like. I don’t want to sound or behave like certain people that I have come across in life and in wrestling - and I think if you are intuitive about spotting and eliminating the negative aspects of you game, (both in the ring and how you deal with people in general) you will put your best presentation out there.   Don’t make wrestling out to be more than it is. (I could write for hours on this topic alone)  Another thing, don’t force “insider terms” into your conversations with other guys in the business, that annoys the piss out of me. I think too many younger guys are concerned with sounding “smart”, but by throwing dirt sheet terminology around, you are sending the wrong message.


NAME ASSOCIATION

What comes to your mind when you think of the following people?

TS Aggressor- A guy I don’t like watching tape of.

Havyk- Strong guy, strong heel, very valuable part of the show. Havyk is a soft spoken, likable guy who could write his own encyclopedia on sports nutrition. His best matches are still ahead of him. Havyk is another guy that has made me proud to be his trainer. “BAMF!!”

Johny Fitness- I strongly feel Fitness can be the best heel or best face of virtually every show he’s on. He usually is a face because we have other strong heels for him to play off of. He soaks up wrestling knowledge like a sponge. Fitness connects with the audience and understands how to put a match together. Very reliable friend, in or out of the ring. It’s a sure bet if he’s at the post show party, there will be stories to tell. “THEY’VE GOT A HOT TUB!”

Mr. Destiny- Along with Wicked Lester and Griz, Destiny was one of the first true friends I made in the wrestling business. He is one of my favorite road trip buddies because we both laugh our asses off over stupid sh!t. He is as smart as he is big. We’ve got 8 years of wrestling history to analyze and joke about. “WHAT THE F IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

Brian Ash- Brian has an outstanding and articulate wrestling mind. It is fun to watch him when he’s inspired and going balls out in a match. I think Brian will do a great job as a teacher for future IPW students. I always enjoy his promos and I think he would be well represented in a “Best Promos of IPW” DVD, I would buy that! “ONE GUY DOES NOT MAKE A CHANT.”

Rampage Ruska- How can you not like this guy? In the ring, Ruska is a great baby face, who doesn’t use a promo to help him get over, he does it from bell to bell. I love keeping him around for the post show party and seeing his “Mr. Hyde” side come out from his usually reserved demeanor. “SHUT UP.”
Juan Fourneau- Juan is a likable guy who was actually the first guy to rent my ring for a show. I think he has found his niche as a heel in Delta. Juan has been around the independent scene for quite a few years, I can remember seeing him at some of the Harley Race shows I used to do. All that time I think promoters tried using him as a face, not realizing he could be a breakout star heel. “ARRIBA!!!”

Troy Peterson- Good friend to me on a personal level. Good friend to every wrestler in Iowa who likes being put in front of a crowd. I don’t know that we as performers ever give Troy enough credit for his intelligence as pertains to the wrestling business (or the fact that he’s a math wiz). He usually runs his ideas by a dozen people and subjects himself to their criticism, he does this time and time again for every show he does. I don’t know of anyone, wrestler or not, who obsesses about wrestling shows the way Troy does. The thing I love about Troy’s thought process is that he is always trying to put the ticket buying fan’s interest first. He doesn’t give a sh!t about some east coast or Japanese internet “star” that none of the people buying tickets to his shows have seen or heard of. He is very careful about getting a return on his investment whenever he brings someone in from outside our core group. “AAAHHHHHH”

Dirty Sanchez- Hilarious human being in or out of the ring. He’s got a very down to earth approach to wrestling that I admire. I am glad to have him back on the Iowa scene. Wrestling is something he enjoys, but his world doesn’t revolve around it and that is refreshing. Sanchez is an important part of the post show party team. “WHAT’S IS GONNA TAKE?!!?”

Montoya X- He makes me want to go out and buy “Darin’s Dance Grooves”. Another guy on my, “How can you not like this guy list?” Fun guy to have around and very impressive early on in his wrestling career. He and Octane put on two really good matches recently. He has that certain quality where I think he could whip a ton of ass if he ever snapped. Glad he’s on my team. “THE C WALK”

Kenny Backwash- I still miss the suicidal superstar. Fitness, Backwash, and I need to make a pact to watch all future UFC PPVs together. . He and I have spent a lot of time traveling and trying to make believers out of the size marks. I don’t see him enough, he’s a good friend. Still sets the standard for enthusiastic body language drawing people into the action. “I BEAT BITCHES UP.”

Thrillcat- The Thrillcat project was my way of trying to bleed all of the possible fun out of a show. I could do something completely different than I was doing as T. S. and have fun with it. My goal was to be the best heel and best face on the same show. I have really enjoyed being Thrillcat and it has also been fun watching other guys step in and play the role. I have been saying Thrillcat has worn out his welcome in Delta for quite awhile, it is a much fresher gimmick in new towns. “HPPY BRDA TU U!!!”

2nd Coming- Awesome, fun team to watch. These guys used to wrestle the same way in a camp setting that they would in front of the crowd - with very little personality. They have completely turned that around and compounded their value to the show. They are a “must have” team that understands the value of personality. Devon Carter left me perhaps the greatest drunk call promo of all time after the May Delta show. “WHAT’S GOT TWO THUMBS AND LOVES BJS?”

"The Delta Dome"- Home of the most fun wrestling shows anywhere. Who didn’t make fun of the Delta center the first time they saw it? Now it is the place to be. I remember how low my expectations were the first time we wrestled in Delta, I really didn’t think anyone would show up to watch us. Now, 17 shows later things are going very well with no end in sight.