Supreme Lee Great (english)

CAGEMATCH: Hey Supreme Lee Great, thank you for giving us from www.cagematch.de the chance to ask some questions.

SUPREME LEE GREAT: No worries I am honored to do it sorry it too so long to get back to you.

CAGEMATCH: First of all, a lot of German wrestling fans surely not know you. So, could you give a short introduction who Supreme Lee Great is, what his style in the ring is?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: Well Hopefully sooner then later they will know exactly who SLG is and be able to experience him in all his glory in person. Supreme Lee Great is the most entertaining, charismatic, gifted, and without a shadow of a doubt the Greatest wrestler ever to step in any kind of ring. He is confident, arrogant, a superb athlete and has some of the best mic skills in the business. An articulate student of the profession, SLG can mix classic wrestling, strong style and flying so well it usually keeps audiences on their feet through his matches. His most recent TLC match will most likely be labeled as one of the best in recent times.

CAGEMATCH: And what is the person behind the gimmick like?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: Only my closest friends know the person behind the gimmick. But most people would tell you there isn’t much of a difference between SLG and Jon when they first meet me.

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?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: Some of my first memories were professional wrestling at the local Catholic Youth Center in Scranton when my father and mother took my brother and me to see the WWF superstar perform their magic.

I don’t remember if there was an exact moment I was hooked, but pretty much since I first saw wrestling was when I became fascinated with the strength, the movement, the challenge, the competition and eventually, the theatrics. I joined amateur wrestling in elementary school in hopes that it would be professional wrestling. It wasn’t.

I later became an above average amateur wrestler, winning district championships in folk style, a Keystone State Games second place and various placements at Greco Roman freestyle state tournaments. I was offered scholarships from Wilkes University and King’s College for amateur wrestling and a few other colleges recruited me also. When I decided to go to Wilkes, a week before classes I found out they wouldn’t let me on the team because at that point I was being paid to be a professional wrestler (Yeah, I know it’s bullsh*t but those were the NCAA rules).

My parents were 100 percent behind my dream. But there were some promises I had to make before I could train professionally. I had to promise to go to college and get a four-year degree in something (It was in Mass Communications from Bloomsburg University in 2003). I also had to maintain a 3.0 or high grade point average. I could also not do drugs, smoke or abuse alcohol. As long as I kept those promises, I could train. I did and the rest is history.

CAGEMATCH: Pennsylvania has a lot of wrestling schools to offer, why did you choose the Wild Samoan Training Center (WSTC)?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: There was never any doubt about wanting to train with WSTC. Besides the fact it was close to where I lived, I had a chance to train with a legend. I also was trained by Tommy Suede, Sal Bellomo, Molsoon and Samu. All taught me some real valuable lessons.

CAGEMATCH: You graduated the six month WSTC program in just four months. Was it because of your experience before or did you turn out (bragging aside) to be a natural talent?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: There’s no bragging, I do consider myself a natural. Some guys are better wrestlers, some have better bodies, others can fly better but overall, I believe I bring intelligence, ability, charisma and talent to the ring. Not many wrestlers have it all.

CAGEMATCH: Is there any wrestler who had the most influence on you and you thought: "I want to become like that guy and wrestle like him"?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: I don’t believe in Hero’s or Idol’s I think they are for losers. People end up living their lives though them and never get off their asses and live their dreams for themselves. I believe in Influences there have been many wrestlers who have influenced my style of wrestling and my career path. Such as Shawn Michaels, Curt Henning, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, The Rock, Tazz, and several Indy wrestlers who have influenced my career. But the truth is I liked these guys when they were the arrogant heels, and long before they got really popular.

CAGEMATCH: You were part of the WXWŽs big tour throughout US Army stations in Asia and Hawaii. What was this experience like for you?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: It was the best experience of my life. Not only did I see some of the most beautiful parts of the world, I met really great people in the military and experienced what it would be like if I do get a contract someday.

CAGEMATCH: Besides WXW, you wrestle for the IWC (International Wrestling Cartel) in Pennsylvania. Can you discribe the IWC in a few sentences for the German readers who have never heard about it?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: IWC is a very strong promotion in the western part of Pennsylvania, they have top notch talent and a real potential to do something in the area and eventually the region. Norm Connors is a true professional and always has a plan for each and every wrestler who walks in his locker room. I have been taking some time off from IWC lately so that Norm can find a good gimmick and be able to repackage me as hopefully a beneficial part of their show, I am excited to see what he has in store for me. I believe I will be making my IWC re-debut some time in May.

CAGEMATCH: YouŽre a pro wrestler for almost five years now. Where do you see your future in Pro Wrestling? What do you want to accomplish and for what promotions do you want to work?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: I want to take my talent to the highest level possible. The WWE is where I want to go. Whether that will happen is yet to be seen. I hope to have many more years in this business so anything can happen.

CAGEMATCH: A few weeks back, I conducted an interview with your former tag team partner "Smooth" Tommy Suede and he answered the question whatŽs the funniest thing you have ever experienced inside a wrestling ring or locker room with, let me quote, "there have been many.Drunk SLG urinating on himself is up there though.....Kids don't drink or you could end up just like SLG." WhatŽs your side of this story and what is the funniest story that you ever experienced inside a wrestling ring or a locker room?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: The truth is Tommy and I had some issues in the ring that night. Apparently I wasnt taking the match as seriously as he would have liked me to have been and long story short I saw like seven white flashes in that match. The white flash for those of you who don’t know, in wrestling usually happened cause you got hit in the head too hard and you vision goes white for a split second most people have experienced this once in their lives, I experienced it seven times in that match. NO I am a person who almost never drinks in life, decided to show tommy how angry I was about this by going on a drinking binge well, 2 hours and 9 doubles of absolue vodka later I was placed on a bus to go back to the hotel, when all the alchol caught up with me I had to go to the bathroom really bad, and decided to go in a bottle, well apparently after I finished I fell asleep in my seat and spilled the bottle on the bus. Well the contents of that bottle ended up running down stream and onto Samus briefcase. To say the least he wasn’t happy at all the last words I heard out of him as I walked off the bus was, Lloyd Get that F***ing kid off the bus befor I kill him. After a LONG couple of hours I learned a valuable lesion and haven’t drank since.

A lot of stuff falls under the category of 'you would have had to have been there to appreciate it' but there was this road trip with Tommy and Gene Snisky to Boston. Those high protein diets can be nasty on the digestive track and after hours in a VW bug, things can get realy fking smelly. Oh, well you can probably figure out the rest. It was disgusting but funny.

CAGEMATCH: If you had to choose a wrestler you have never wrestled before in your personal dream match, who would it be?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: There are a lot of guys who I would like to work one on one, but I care more about a good match then a big name.

CAGEMATCH: You have held numerous titles in your career. Is wearing a title or being a champion something special for you or is it just part of the business?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: Its is really just part of the business, however its really cool to tell people who know nothing about the business that you are a champion somewhere, but as far as in the business people shouldn’t let it get to their heads cause after all it really is a work and a lot of times its more about politics then talent.

On a side note, it does say a lot for a person a lot of times if they do win a championship and its not politics related, it usually means the promoter believes in them enough to carry that title and represent the company, in somewhere like WXW when pops makes you a champion it really does mean something.

CAGEMATCH: Did you have any serious injuries in your career and what are your thought in general about injuries and wrestling?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: I have been lucky. I’ve only had a few stingers, a couple of stitches, a few concrete floor and head connections, some twisted ankles, wrenched knees, some rope burns and jammed fingers LOL....

CAGEMATCH: You started as a backyard wrestler. What are your thoughts on Backyard Wrestling nowadays?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: Those who do it are foolish. Training schools should recognize the desire of kids to do these things and attempt to get them to see the other hard work that goes in to becoming a professional wrestler. It is not all chair shots, falling on mattresses and getting hit with a curtain rod. For those kids who really want to imitate a pro wrestler, they should run a mile or two every day, hit the weight room daily, drink gallons of water, and get used to being rejected, working for little to no money and waking up feeling like you were hit by a truck.

CAGEMATCH: Why do you think Backyard is so popular? Is it because the "mainstream" wrestling is too soft when people can watch stuff like Jackass on TV or have some promotions, who did or do feature garbage and ultraviolent wrestling opened the door for that stuff?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: I think backyard wrestling is just another way of fantasy playing for kids. Just like kids who like to sing, act, participate in soccer or baseball or take ballet lessons and karate classes, most young people fantasize about becoming like those they imitate. Unfortunately, many kids are unsupervised and are not guided in pro-wrestling the way they are in other sports and activities. When there isn’t that supervision, kids can and do get hurt. Kids get hurt in other sports. I’ve heard of Little Leaguers getting hit with baseballs and becoming blind or dying. Those sports don’t get blamed the way pro-wrestling does. People has a way of blaming others instead of opening their eyes and seeing the real reason accidents happen in pro-wrestling.

CAGEMATCH: Do you have any special advice for young guys who want to start pro wrestling?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: Have a back up plan. Don’t assume you will get trained, do the Indy circuit awhile and then go into the WWE or TNA. There are a lot of very good Indy wrestlers out there for many years and that is as far as they are going to go. You have to follow your dream but you also need to have a back up plan.

CAGEMATCH: Okay, now towards the end of our interview, letŽs put the wrestling aside a bit. I know you are in college and you wrestle on many weekends. So beside studying, wrestling and training, what does SLG do in his free time?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: What free time? I will be finishing my master’s degree in August in Instructional Technology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. The course has been tough and over the summer I have to do an internship to finish the degree. My free time is spent with family. My parents and I are the caretakers for my grandmother (who has Alzheimer’s) and my grandfather (who has Lewey Body Disease). My grandparents have lived with us since I was three and they are a very important and private part of my life. If I do have some time, I am on the computer IMing my friends, going to the movies or spending time with my Boxer and Golden Retrievers.

CAGEMATCH: Thanks a lot for your time and answering our questions! We wish you all the best for your future! To learn more about Supreme Lee Great, you can check out his website at www.supremeleegreat.com. Anything left you want to say to the wrestling fans in Germany?

SUPREME LEE GREAT: Yeah, you need to write to all your local promotions and demand I be invited to your country to wrestle. So that all of my great fans (which of course is each and everyone of you reading this) can truly have the Wrestling EXPERIENCE of a life time for one very simple reason: 'Because I am Supreme Lee Great, Wrestling’s Last Hope'

WORD ASSOCIATIONS

Afa: Respect
Tommy Suede: friend
your catchphrase: Because I am
wrestling is fake: Ouch! (Then why do I hurt when I get fake injuries?)
Sports Entertainment: me
broken links on your website: sorry
WXW: educational
your T-Shirt: $15
favourite music: Linkin Park
favourite TV Show: Daily show with Jon Stewart, Simpsons
favorite movie: Transformers The Movie
Germany: I’d love to wrestle and visit there