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CAGEMATCH: Thank you for giving us from www.cagematch.de the chance to ask some questions.
JOEY RYAN: It's my pleasure.
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?
JOEY RYAN: I have always been a fan growing up. I was a huge fan of The British Bulldogs, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and of course Hulk Hogan. I never really said "That is what I want to do." A friend of mine wanted to start training and I decided to try it myself. He only lasted a few months, but I kept going. My family and friends all support me, because they know I love it.
CAGEMATCH: Where did you start wrestling and who trained you?
JOEY RYAN: I started with Jesse Hernandez and Bill Anderson at the School of Hard Knocks and when they split, I stayed with Jesse. While I was there a lot of my training came from Bobby Bradley. Then I went to UPW and started training a lot with Tom Howard, and eventually started training with Spanky. Although I owe a lot to Jesse, Bobby, and Tom, I feel with Spanky is where I grew the most as a wrestler. With him, he was showing me stuff that he himself had learned from Shawn Michaels, William Regal, Bobby Eaton, Tracy Smothers, while he was at Shawn's school and at Memphis with the WWF. I felt priveledged that he was sharing all his knowledge with me, and my in-ring work really showed the difference. So I'd give a lot of credit to Jesse, Bobby, and Tom for teaching me how to be a pro-wrestler, and I give a lot of credit to Spanky for helping me polish and fine tune myself.
CAGEMATCH: You had your first match in EWF (Empire Wrestling Federation). It was an 8-Man Tag Match. What was it like to be in the ring in front of a crowd? Was it hard for you?
JOEY RYAN: I wouldn't nescessarily say it was hard for me, because I was wrestling with a great bunch of guys. Being an 8-man tag, I didn't have to do as much as I would in a singles, so I was more relaxed. We had the crowd totally into our match, so they helped pump me up.
CAGEMATCH: In 2001 you started wrestling in UPW. What was the reason for you to go there? What do you think of the company?
JOEY RYAN: Well, the partner I had at the time and I heard a lot of good things about UPW, and were looking to expand from just the EWF. The EWF was and still is a great place, but we had our eyes set on bigger things. We wanted to go places, so the easiest choice for us was UPW. And as for the company itself, I have never been let down by them, and I owe them a lot for what they've helped me accomplish. Although I started at EWF, I think most people consider me a "UPW guy" and consider that my home.
CAGEMATCH: UPW has some lite shows. What is the difference between a lite show and a bigger show?
JOEY RYAN: The biggest difference is the crowd size. There's usually 400 more people at a UPW Galaxy Show than a UPW Lite Show. That isn't a knock at Lite Show's though, because with the post match critique by Tom Howard and company, a Lite Show can be one of the most important match you wrestle.
CAGEMATCH: You also started to wrestle for WPW in 2001. This is more a lucha style promotion. What was the reason for you to go there? Do you like lucha style wrestling? I mean, it's not your style in wrestling, am I right?
JOEY RYAN: You're absolutely correct. I don't wrestle lucha, and I don't pretend to either. I can do a lucha spot or something, but as a style, it's not for me. I don't think a lucha fan would want to see me do lucha anyways. I'm white, so they expect me to do American style, and that's what I give them. I started wrestling there to get myself more work and again, expand my career.
CAGEMATCH: On to the next promotion. You started working for All Pro Wrestling in 2002. What do you think about the company and especially Roland Alexander?
JOEY RYAN: Great atmosphere there. Great fans too. Really respectful. I loved it there, and hope to do more in the future. All those guys there really make APW something special. Roland is a cool guy too. Really professional promoter.
CAGEMATCH: Now the last promotion. EPIC seems to have the chance to become something big in the SoCal region. You had the chance to wrestle The Messiah and Frankie Kazarian, two of the top indy workers. What do you think about the concept of EPIC and your matches there?
JOEY RYAN: I'm really happy with EPIC. Like you said, they've given me top name opponents to work with, and given me the chance to bring my game up a notch or two. I'm really glad that when a big shot like this comes up, that I have the experience to not blow the oppertunity. Chances like this are the reason that I've worked so hard at every show for every promotion around this area, so that I could be in high profiled matches, not only at EPIC, but UPW and RevPro and such and not be "green" in them. I've had some good outings at EPIC with Messiah, Havana Pitbulls, and the match I had with Frankie Kazarian is one of my favorites.
CAGEMATCH: At the end of this month you are scheduled as a participant in Revolution Pro's Revolution J tournament. What do you expect from this tournament?
JOEY RYAN: I'm really glad to be a part of it. It's a pretty big deal here in SoCal, and I think I bring a unique style to it. I think I might be the only straight up American style guy in the tournament. It'll be interesting because I'm pretty good at adapting to all styles, so no matter who I'm against in the tournament I have a good shot of doing something special with. And I know the other 15 guys are gonna be some of the best around.
CAGEMATCH: Speaking of Rev. Pro, recently we had an interview with Super Dragon, one of the top guys there. What do you think of him as a wrestler and as a person?
JOEY RYAN: I think Super Dragon is a really good wrestler. He has a good mind for it, and can create drama so well in his matches. That's just as important as anything else. As a person, he's always been friendly to me, although I know a waitress in Hayward in California that doesn't think much of him.
CAGEMATCH: You've held several titles in your career. Does "wearing a championship belt" mean something to you?
JOEY RYAN: It can. I take pride in all the belts that I have worn, but in the end it's more about what goes on in the ring. Belts can help create drama for matches though.
CAGEMATCH: On to your favourite matches. Can you tell us something about your favourite match in which you've been involved and your favourite match without you?
JOEY RYAN: My personal favorite match was at a UPW lite show. March 16, 2002 and it was myself vs. Spanky. I felt so good about it afterwards, and people were telling me how good it was, and I felt so much pride. Going back and watching the tape I can see where I could've done things better here and there, but at that moment after the match, I was on top of the world. My favorite match that I wasn't involved in was Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart in the Iron Man match. I just love watching two of the best ever go at it for over an hour.
CAGEMATCH: You've been part of the SoCal wrestling scene for the past 2 years. Have you met some guys you would consider your friends? Would you say it's more like a friendly relationship between the wrestlers?
JOEY RYAN: I have a friendly relationship with almost all the guys here in SoCal. A couple of the guys who I consider close friends are Spanky, who is always helping me out, and Scott Lost, who is in about 75% of my matches nowadays.
CAGEMATCH: What do you think about the fans? Do you feel fans today are too demanding? Is it to much "we want more high spots and bumps"?
JOEY RYAN: It depends on where you're at. I don't think an APW fan would ever ask for more high spots, but an EPIC fan would. You definitly want to give the fans what they want, but you want to take your career and where you want to go into consideration too. Thus far, no promoter has ever asked me to be anything but Joey Ryan, so that's what I give them and that's what I give the fans.
CAGEMATCH: What was the funniest story you've experienced inside a wrestling ring/locker room?
JOEY RYAN: I was doing commentary for a match at WPW once, and the bottom of his boot broke off and you could see his sock, and I got to say such lines as "He's really SOCKing it to him now." Which I'd imagine was funnier being there, than it is now with me telling the story.
CAGEMATCH: What are your goals in your wrestling career? Do you have another job or are you doing only wrestling for a living?
JOEY RYAN: My ultimate goal is WWE. Japan would be really nice, but the WWE is where my heart is. My job is a pro-wrestler. It's a 24/7 thing if you do it right.
CAGEMATCH: Is there anything you want to say to your German fans?
JOEY RYAN: Keep checking the my website www.joeyryan.com for updates on me. I will have some shirts and videos in the near future for those interested. And please keep supporting me, because I really do appreciate each and every one of you.
CAGEMATCH: Thanks a lot for answering our questions! We wish you all the best for your future!
JOEY RYAN: Thank you very much.
WORD ASSOCIATIONS
Scott Lost: There isn't anybody here in SoCal that'd I want to be my partner in a tag match other than him. Really great mind for wrestling. Good understanding of American style wrestling
SoCal: Haven't had much experience outside of SoCal to compare it to, but that will change soon.
"Wrestling is fake!": DDP said it best. "You can't fake gravity."
US Independent Wrestling: A lot of talented guys.
Paul London: Nice guy. Left SoCal too soon, but that opened up his chance for Ring of Honor. I would consider him a close friend.
Spanky: I can't say enough about Spanky. I owe so much to him.
Sports Entertainment: I love it. It's what I do for a living.
Vince McMahon: I've never met him, but I hope to work for him someday.
Samoa Joe: One of the best wrestlers in SoCal. A bad Samoa Joe match is a rare thing to see.
EWF: It's where I started and it will have a place in my heart forever.
