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CAGEMATCH: Thank you for giving us from www.cagematch.de the chance to ask some questions.
SUPER DRAGON: No problem! Lets get started.
CAGEMATCH: What first made you want to get into pro wrestling? Were you a wrestling fan growing up? When did you say, "That is what I want to do"? And what did your family/friends say about that?
SUPER DRAGON: I was indeed a fan of wrestling growing up, and I was a fan for all the stuff that I can't stand today. The more entertainment part of wrestling. I was a big fan of the WWF, which had it's share of good matches, but I was more interested in guys running around with armbands shaking the ropes. I guess when I first started to get serious about wrestling was when I started to watch all the Japanese stuff that my cousin had tapes of. My family has always supported me when it comes to wrestling. My mom and little brother come to local shows that I'm on. She's always reading about me on the internet. I am really thankful that they support me in that way, because I think it would be really hard if they didn't.
CAGEMATCH: You started training in 1996 at WPW's school in Anaheim. What did you feel after your first week? Was it hard to start wrestling?
SUPER DRAGON: I actually did a few training sessions before I did training at WPW at some bullshit American school. The school of hard cocks was the name of it I believe. That's besides the point I guess. I don't really credit anyone for training me, I've mostly picked things up on my own. I do give great credit to WPW for showing me a lot of the Lucha stuff that I use in my matches today, like punching and kicking people in the face. In all seriousness, I had a lot of fun training at WPW, and the guy running it all gave me my first chance to wrestle as Super Dragon, and actually got me my gear made and everything. The first day you do training it isn't bad, but the day after you feel like you were run over by a truck or a train or a Matt Sinister. You wouldn't believe how much harder lucha training is than american training. Lucha you have to have good cardio, a good memory to remember long sequences, and a lot of technique and grace to do a lot of the moves they do. I'm really glad I got a chance to learn things from that style, even though I'm not a big fan of it as a whole.
CAGEMATCH: You are wearing a mask. What is the reason for that? Is it because you are interested in lucha libre and try to wrestle that style?
SUPER DRAGON: I've always liked that element of Lucha. I've always thought that their masks and costumes were really cool and unique. You'd be suprised at all the power ranger chants guys with the sort of outfits I wear will get from fans, and these same fans like guys who wrestle in clothes I would paint in. The same fans that call me a power ranger walk around in face paint, and wear jersey's that say "Supah Killa". Nobody appreciates the detail in all of the outfits and masks that luchadores wear. I guess I picked wearing a mask because I thought it would be unique, and I was really young when I started wrestling, too young to be taken serious without a mask.
CAGEMATCH: In 1997 you wrestled for the Azteca Promotion in Mexico. What was it like to wrestle for a promotion that has bigger crowds and fits with your style of wrestling?
SUPER DRAGON: It was a great experience. It was the biggest crowd I worked for at that point. I wouldn't really say that my style was for a lucha crowd. I don't really work lucha, I've always tried to have a hybrid ninja style, with a mix of all sorts of wrestling and love. I am not a fan of lucha crowds, because they don't really understand the style I wrestle.
CAGEMATCH: After that you had a Dark Match with World Championship Wrestling. What were your thoughts on that? Did you expect anything from it or was it "just another match" for you?
SUPER DRAGON: Well I expected to get some girls since I was a WCW superstar. That didn't workout very well. We were actually supposed to get a tryout at Halloween Havoc in Vegas before we got our tryout on the Thursday Thunder. We went from getting a tryout at Havoc, to being kicked out of the show for not having a ticket. Bliztkrieg and I then went outside to play handball. I guess it all worked out though, because we eventually got on the Thunder, and it was the most people I had ever wrestled in front of. It was a great experience. I would love for their to be a WCW for me to wrestle in nowdays.
CAGEMATCH: You've wrestled in America, Mexico and even Australia. Can you say something about the different crowds and what it was like to wrestle in these countries?
SUPER DRAGON: There really isn't much of a difference in the crowds in America and Australia overall. Wrestling in Australia was pretty fun, because it was the first time I really got to let loose and do what I wanted, and in front of big crowds. It was kind of strange wrestling Kangaroo's, but I guess that's how they do it there. A lot of nice people in Australia. The guy who was in charge of things, TNT, was a very nice guy, and I think that helped me trust him when we wrestled. We had several singles matches, and they were all pretty good for that point in my career. I would love to go back there, because it's like America without mustard and fast internet. Mexico was alright, but not really my type of crowd to wrestle in front of. There is no cooler country where you can legally buy explosives and switchblades. It's not really a place where I'm looking to wrestle, or go very often. It's where my gear comes from though, so I don't completely hate it. Last but not least, wrestling in America? Well, it has it's pro's and con's. It also has a bunch of people with the brain of a 2 year old. There are about 100-200 fans out here that actually respect what I do. A lot of the fans just want to see dangerous spots and moves. Like I've said before, the greatest crowd I've wrestled in front of was 125 people at the Revolution Pro Spirit of the Revolution finals against Rising Son. I liked wrestling for CZW, and I would like to see the reaction B-boy and I would have got if we weren't put after 2 drawn out matches. I hope I can condition the Epic crowds to like and understand what I do.
CAGEMATCH: On to Revolution Pro. This thing started in 1999. It was different to many other US Indy Promotions. You've been in that from the beginning. Can you tell us something about Rev. Pro and your personal thoughts on it?
SUPER DRAGON: Revolution Pro were the first ones to start doing the "japanese" style in the indies. We started doing a lot of things before a lot of people, like head drops in the indies. I think at first we copied a lot of Japanese wrestling which was good and bad. It was good because it was the closest thing to seeing the actual thing for Japanese wrestling fans in the US, but bad because it wasn't our own style. I think everyone in Rev Pro eventually moved on and created their own style. I've always been with Rev Pro, and hopefully they stick around for a long time, because I have fun wrestling there for the most part.
CAGEMATCH: What do you think, have been the "biggest" moments for Revolution Pro? Maybe the "Spirit of the Revolution"-Round Robin?
SUPER DRAGON: I would say that was the biggest and best thing ever for Revolution Pro. It was something that nobody else could do, because nobody really runs weekly in the indies. I think the idea of the tournament was great, and I was left in charge to book it. I thought it came off alright, but it could have been a lot better. The buildup to Rising Son beating me is why that match had so much heat in my opinion. A lot of the time in the indies, nobody really cares who's going to win, they're just waiting for dangerous spots and people to get dropped on their head. At that point, Rising Son and I had like 10 matches, and he had never beat me. He's a weak bitch, but that's besides the point. So people really got into that when he finally did beat me. I would love to do it again sometime, but unfortunately Rev Pro isn't running that often anymore. We do have the Revolution J tournament set for Sept, though. That should be interesting.
CAGEMATCH: Looking through your career and the history of Rev. Pro, there is one word you can't ignore. That word is "injury". You've had a knee injury. Rising Son and Excalibur have been injured at the same time. What were your thoughts on your career and on Rev. Pro as you 3 have been the top stars of Rev. Pro?
SUPER DRAGON: I think injury comes with the style that we work, but all the big injuries all of us have had have come from the most simple things. I fractured my scapula taking an armdrag from Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez(a local luchadore), when he didn't let go of my arm on it. I tore my ACL one night at training trying a moonsault out of a hot air balloon. That was the worst pain I've ever seen in wrestling. Well, it's pretty painful looking at the faces of a lot of fans, but this was the most physical pain I had ever felt. After I tore my ACL, my knee went out on me so many times. It went out on me once on the dangerous and risky leapfrog. It also went out outside of wrestling. I think I threw it out playing basketball a few times, and once playing checkers. Without the ACL there to support your knee, it slips out of place a lot. I've had a lot of injuries that I've wrestled through. I wrestled with a sprained ankle the day after the Revolution J. Being a wrestler, a lot of the time you have to wrestle through injuries. I haven't been 100% since 1999 when I went to Australia. I doubt I ever will be again. Excalibur and Rising Son have also had their share of injuries, and at times like that when we're all 3 injured other people need to step up. Disco Machine and Mr. Excitement did stepup in that time, and they had a great tag match with a local tag team The Cubanitos. Local tag team sensations The beautiful people also wrestled each other and had a ***** in a mat classic reminiscent of Owen vs. Bret Hart. It was good to see all the talent stepping up when the top 3 guys in Rev Pro were all out on the beach drinking drinks with little straw hats in them.
CAGEMATCH: You've also wrestled for Rob Black's XPW. It's well known that XPW hasn't got a good reputation on the internet, but what are your thoughts on XPW and Rob Black?
SUPER DRAGON: At first I didn't think it was that bad. I would just go there, wrestle, get paid, and go home. I was never into their product. I don't even consider them a wrestling promotion, really. They could have had all the Rev Pro guys on their shows. Instead they decided to put us in the first match every 6 months. Then when we got more heat than their home grown talent, they got pissed and didn't book us for another 6 months. I think it's dumb that they never put us past the first match, and then complained that we "did too much", when they know what we are going to do when we come in. I had the same problem in Alaska when I went. We were brought out and told we were going to get 20 minutes. Then we were put in the first match, and they gave us 7 minutes. The midgets followed us both nights and got 15 minutes. I know that the midgets are in top physical shape, and incredible and exciting ahtletes, but I thought it was bullshit that they got more time than us when we were promised 20 minutes. We were over in Alaska too, and I think that upset my buddy Simon Diamond. We go way back(I was the best man at his wedding), but he seemed to be upset that we "did too much". Nova was also angry. Apparently Excalibur stole his finisher and he was very angry about not seeing polar bears in Alaska, so he took it out on poor Exmalibu. Overall wrestling for XPW was pretty fun. I got to wrestle in front of a big crowd at the Grand Olympic, and that was a great experience. I wish they would have given me more time to do what I do though.
CAGEMATCH: I read it before, but I wanted to ask you this personally. You met Low Ki' in MPW (July 2001). This match was expected as one great match, but ended in a time limit draw. I read, that Low Ki' didn't want to do the job. Is that correct and what have been your thoughts on that match? And what are your thoughts on Low Ki'?
SUPER DRAGON: MPW basically wanted me to go over, and Low Ki didn't want that, because he's a master of the art of fighting, and his life is a fight to the death. So Low Ki thought I could be a backyard wrestler, because he had never heard of me. Perhaps cause I hadn't wrestled on the east coast, but it's okay cause my mom hasn't heard of Low Ki. So anyway, we did the match and it cameoff really good except for the finish in my opinion. We went to a time limit draw, because we're so evenly matched, and that is why we jumped at each other off the top rope Matrix style. It was the only way to prove who was the better man. He got the best of me on that night, but there will come another day Low Ki! In all seriousness, I respect Low Ki as a wrestler. I think he's one of the top indy stars today, and he's one of the only people I enjoy watching. He gets a lot of shit on the internet like his backyard pal, Super D, but I think that is just because he's so popular. I think I gained his respect after we wrestled, and now he knows that I'm not a backyarder.
CAGEMATCH: In 2001 you've been in APW's King of Indies Tournament. What are your thoughts on the tournament itself and your performance?
SUPER DRAGON: I was very disappointed with my performance. I wrestled Chris Daniels, and we should have had a much better match together. When we wrestled, I think he thought I was more of a lucha/flying style, when in reality I am more of a Aztec Warrior stab you in the face with my spear style. I would love to have a rematch with Daniels, because I'm postive we could have a good match the next time. The next day I wrestled in some 8 man, and Vinnie Massaro knocked me out with his fat. He did the "bitch slap", some head drop move, where you get dropped on your head and all his weight comes down on your face. That was a lot of fun. I wokeup with all my clothes on after the match. I think American Dragon probably dressed me, cause he's a nice guy. We once helped carry a midget who broke his nuts. You wouldn't believe how heavy midgets are. I think the tournament itself was excellent. Spanky/American Dragon was my favorite match in the whole tournament. That was so basic and great. There were a lot of nice guys on that. Like "Shooter" Moondog Moretti and Brian "Help me ED" Alverez. I really enjoyed Doug Williams' work, and I love watching his matches anytime I get a chance.
CAGEMATCH: Recently you've been on several APW Events. You even hald the Internet title. What do you think of All Pro Wrestling and Roland Alexander?
SUPER DRAGON: Well I didn't exactly have the greatest relationship with APW in 1997 when I first worked for them. They were dealing with my friend Ron, and had a lot of problems together. Now that things passed, and I'm more on my own, I absolutely love going to APW. I think once I got to do things the way I wanted, Roland started to believe in me a lot more. I've been down there several times after KOTI, and to be honest I never thought I would be back after KOTI. I love how professional APW is. From their wrestling, to their production, to their school, to their attitude. I think that American Dragon and whoever else trains the school did an amazing job, because they have a lot of talented rookies coming up. Bobby Quance is amazing. That guy is so far ahead of any other rookies in the indies that I've seen. He just had a good match at Gym Wars with the female wrestler Nikki(who is one of the better american female wrestlers), and I was so amazed by how good Bobby was in that match. I wrestled him in a singles match and worked his knee, so he would have chronic arthritis in 10 years. HA! Bet you didn't know that was coming, Bobby! He just sold his knee incredibly well in the match. A lot of guys who sell body parts in matches only sell them when they are being worked on. He made it so believable that I hurt his leg. He's very good for this stage in his career, and I think he's going to be amazing in time. Winning the internet title was pretty cool, because it's the first title I've actually had a belt. I won another title, but we never got a belt. This was the invisible title of sexiness. So winning the belt at APW was pretty cool, and it showed me that Roland must believe in me somewhat. Roland is a very good guy, and a lot of people seem to dislike him. I think it's because he tells it like it is, which I have absolutely no problem with, as you can tell by this interview. We've had our problems in the past. I think now we have a great relationship, and that you will continue to see me and my guys on APW shows. I think you have to respect Roland no matter what. He's had APW around forever, and a lot of the guys from his promotion have made it big.
CAGEMATCH: Speaking of titles. Does "wearing a championship belt" mean something to you?
SUPER DRAGON: It doesn't mean that much to me, really. I'm just out to have good matches, but having a title makes people get into matches more when they're on the line. So I guess having a title is good in that sense.
CAGEMATCH: On to the next promotion. You signed a contract with EPIC. Looking on the first shows, EPIC has the chance to be "something great". What was the reason for you to go with EPIC? What do you think on EPIC and do you think it's gonna be big?
SUPER DRAGON: EPIC is going to be the next big thing in California. It has already been doing well, and all the stuff that just happend with Messiah has made it even bigger. It's my new home, and it's where I signed a contract with to eliminate wrestling all these shows out here put on by 13 year old kids with daddy's money. I think being exclusive with Epic is going to help them a lot, because people can only see me there or Rev Pro in SoCal. Gary Yap runs the promotion, and I consider him a very good friend even though I haven't known him for very long. I think he believes in me more than anyone else in the wrestling business. Him and Ron Rivera have both done more for me than anyone else, and I would probably babysit for both of them if they asked me. I think the best thing about EPIC, is that it's geared for every type of wrestling fan. You have guys like American Dragon, Spanky, Tony Kozina for the fans of the more american style of wrestling. You have guys like Ruckus, Trent Acid, Johnny Kashmere, Sabu, New Jack for the more hardcore style of wrestling. Then you have guys like B-boy for the homosexual style of wrestling. You have guys like Lil Cholo, Silver Tyger, Piloto, Nosawa, Ark Angel who are all the lucha style. You have all the "Stars" that come in for one shots. Then you have all the Rev Pro guys who work the hybrid monkey/snake style. Epic is really awesome in that way. Every single fan comes to the show, and there is something for them(Even ICP retards). You have all different types of wrestling, tables breaking, half naked girls, naked girls(thats in the back, I'm a playa! WHAT WHAT!), high flying, people jumping in tacks and lightbulbs and eating spiders, and just a very good amount of entertainment. It's very well done, and it reminds me of how ECW was when they were around. I think to have success you have to have a bit of everything. I don't like every style, but I understand that having something for everyone is what it takes to seperate us from the rest in SoCal. I think once EPIC starts getting tapes out on the net, you'll start hearing a lot more about it. There have been some great matches there, and I expects a lot more to come. Maybe you will see Epic in Germany soon!
CAGEMATCH: This one is the last promotion for now. You've wrestled together with B-Boy for Combat Zone Wrestling in their "Best of the Best" Tournament. Just give us a short view on it from your side. What was it like to wrestle there and what do you think on your matches?
SUPER DRAGON: It was great to wrestle in the "ECW Arena", because of it's historical importance. If you've ever seen the venue you would be like " Wow, this place is a shithole" and wouldn't believe it went down in history as an important wrestling venue. I guess it had nothing to do with the venue, but the wrestling that took place there. I did meet a cool guy there though. Apparently he lives out front in the bushes. Working for CZW was a lot of fun. I was more excited about that show than any show I had done in a long time. I did some interview for www.czwfans.com, and it really got me over. I was really over at the tournament when they announced everyone at the start of it, and I think it's because of the interview I did for them. A lot of people thought I was the next Eddie Murphy. I really enjoyed my matches at BOTB, and I think that they were pretty different than anything else on the show. A lot of the matches were very spotty, which is what the CZW fans wanted, so I decided to do something completely different. It worked for some people, others hated it. I'm not sure what CZW thought of it, because our match had a lot of buildup to the moves we were hitting, and we did a lot of submissions, strikes, and worked on the mat a bit. I think if Rising Son and I would have had one of our types of matches there, we have been a lot more over than B-boy and I were. Overall a lot of fun, and I hope that I get another chance to wrestle there.
CAGEMATCH: Now some general questions. You've had some great matches with B-Boy. You also had a great match with American Dragon, who many consider one of the best independent wrestlers in the USA. What do you think of them, both as a wrestler and as a person?
SUPER DRAGON: B-boy and American Dragon are both cool guys. Except for the time B-boy tried to shiv me. I think American Dragon is a great wrestler, and I always enjoy watching him perform. He's also a very nice guy, and he doesn't seem shady at all like a lot of other wrestlers I have met. He's definately one of the best indy wrestlers out there, and he's always really intense when he wrestles, which is why I love watching him. Our singles match was pretty good, but somewhat of a disappointment to people, because they were expecting match of the century. I think if we had another singles match it would be a lot better. Our tag from Epic with Samoa Joe and myself vs. Spanky and American Dragon was said to be really good. So hopefully that gets out in the future. As far as B-boy goes, he's the guy I've had the best feud with, and the one that people cared about the most. Probably because he turned all my fans on me, but that's okay, cause you're not the champ anymore, champ! I'M THE CHAMP! THE CHAMP IS MEAN! B-boy and I took it from the west to the east, and I think in those matches I took a total of 47 headdrops I think that B-boy and I have had some great matches, and I think we will have great matches in the future. So overall both dudes are cool. I would probably let AD babysit my kids, but I'm not sure about B-boy.
CAGEMATCH: What was the funniest story you've experienced inside a wrestling ring/locker room?
SUPER DRAGON: In the locker room it has to be the time I was at WCW, and Rey Jr comes running out of the shower naked, and jumps on Halloween's shoulders. That was excellent. I don't really have any funny ring stories. I guess it's always funny hearing my opponents cuss after I punch them in the face. The funniest story I have in wrestling, was something that happend in the tour bus in Australia. We were going somewhere, I don't really remember where. Sabu wanted to watch one of those When Animals Attack videos or whatever. Tammy Sytch was against the video, because she was eating a turkey sandwich. Kinda funny if you think about it. Anyway, she didn't want to watch the video because it was gross or something. So eventually Chris Candido loses it and starts screaming about people not respecting his girl. Then he says to stop the bus, because he's quitting the tour. He gets off the bus in the middle of the street, and the guy in charge of everything(TNT), tried to stop him from going and get him back on the bus. Then out of nowhere Candido says " Don't look at my wife that way" and pushes TNT into the bus. At that point this giant monster wrestler Gothic Knight comes out and gets in Chris' face, and Chris backs off, because Gothic Knight would bite his arm off and then beat him with it. So we all get back on the bus, and Sabu says " Now can we watch the video". We all shared a laugh and went on to have a great show! Tammy also complained about walking 15 feet to a bus. " EEKS! Can't it come pick me up?". No....but it can run your lazy ass over. I'm sure I have some other good stories, but those were the first I thought of.
CAGEMATCH: What are your goals in your wrestling career? Do you have another job or are you doing only wrestling for a living?
SUPER DRAGON: I just want to make a living at this, and continue to have great matches. I am a professional male model(Sparkles is my working name), and I also work with retards. Both are very hard work, but I gotta do something to make money when wrestling is slow.
CAGEMATCH: Is there anything you want to say to your German fans?
SUPER DRAGON: I just hope everyone in Germany understands my sense of humor, because not a lot of people do. Hopefully I will be able to come to Germany and wrestle sometime, and hopefully people there get to see a lot of me and all the talented guys in the indies.
CAGEMATCH: Thanks a lot for answering our questions! We wish you all the best for your future!
SUPER DRAGON: No problem!
WORD ASSOCIATIONS
Sports Entertainment: Too goofy for me, but it's what makes money.
WWE: I like certain things about WWF, don't really care about it overall. I hardly ever see it, and when I do, it's just to watch certain guys.
B-Boy: Who's that?
"Wrestling is fake!": Torn ACL, torn meniscus, fractured scapula, sprained ankles, sprained wrist, concussions. That's on me, god knows what I've done to other people:(
Japan: My goal in wrestling.
Lucha Libre: *bypass*
American Wild Child: A very good friend. Without him I would have probably never got where I did. He's been there for me a lot, and I will always do whatever I can for him.
US Independent Wrestling: More talent than anywhere else. A lot of talented guys who will still be in the indies in 5 years.
Mexico: They have crazy taxi drivers there.
SoCal: SoCal is filled with a bunch of wrestlers who like to talk shit behind your back. There are a few good wrestlers, and some good guys, but I think it's the most overrated for wrestling anywhere. Most of the fans are retarded as well, it's like that movie " What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and they're all playing the part of Leonardo Dicaprio.
