SG> How did you get started in the wrestling business?
KO> I was 15 and hooked up with a local promoter that trained in the basement of a crack/whore house. Picture the whole dim light with stucko falling from the ceiling bit. To enter the place you had to maneuver your way through a
maze of car wreckage.
SG> How would you describe your wrestling training?
KO> I loved to train, though all I was shown were the absolute basics. Thinking back on it all now, those basics weren't even shown correctly. Yikes!
SG> What wrestlers have influenced your in ring style?
KO> In-ring influences have changed from time to time, but currently I'm mixing in my own personality with an old school Michinoku pro style. There's no one wrestler that I really mimic or try to be like, but if I could be
someone else for a day it'd probabaly be BxB Hulk or Taiji Ishimori. No diggity.
SG> What was your career highlight prior to signing with WWE?
KO> Probably working with the Amazing Red before he fell off the face of the planet. He was a super cool guy that had a big hand in revolutionizing the sport into what it is today. For a smaller scale indy show, we went all out
and nailed a lot of the things he hadn't done in years.
SG> How did your WWE developmental deal come about?
KO> I accepted an indecent proposal from Mike Bucci to meet him in his hotel room. Just kidding, it was actually Tommy Dreamer. Alright alright, I had a couple try-out matches in front of Johnny Ace and Kenta Kobashi. That didn't sound as exciting did it?
SG> Describe your experience in Deep South wrestling.
KO> I met a few real cool guys, but unfortunately 80% of everyone there wants to 'make it' just so they can one day meet Shawn Michaels and get his autograph. No love for the sport or the art of wrestling, just a love for fame and a chance to have their name on TV.
Training-wise, things were decent. Dave Taylor drilled and refined our wrestling (extremely well, I learned a ton), and Bill organized the slaughtering of anyone outside of his clique. Never a dull moment at DSW. Well, except for the shows on Thursdays, they kinda sucked.
SG> Your personal opinion of Jody Hamilition and Bill DeMott?
KO> Mr. Hamilton was a great guy that understood all of the intricacies of pro-wrestling circa-1842. He was adamant to bring things back to the way they used to be. For DSW it works well. For WWE TV? Well, wow many DSW guys are on right now? *scratching chin*
William Demott was, well, ummm? He had his own strange way of training. In his mind, I think he still saw camera crews filming for "Tough Enough" around him. This made things not so fun and often dangerous. Oh well, funny
guy though, I liked his brand of comedy. Very Hugh Morris.
On a side note, if I were in need of a good work-out partner, Bill would be the guy I could count on to motivate that extra rep outta me. If I needed to work on wrestling, I would avoid him worse than a Khali match.
SG> Why did you request your WWE release?
KO> There were personal issues that warranted a return home, and a few days off couldn't correct the problem. Aside from that, I felt as though I was falling in the "DSW trap"...
It's sad, but there are a group of guys who will be there forever, spinning their wheels and only having a few dark matches to show for it in the end. THAT, and hip replacement surgery by the time they're 27. I'd much rather feel proud of my work, my style, and be myself in a place like ROH, TNA, and/or Japan and have spine replacement surgery at 24.
SG> What was your Deep South highlight?
KO> Wrestling: Working with Sonny Siaki and Tommy Suede. No other time did I ever really feel excitement for a match aside from when I was paired with those guys. Their skills went beyond Georgian old school and we were able
to pull off some crisp, athletic, and innovative stuff. Lots of fun while it lasted.
Other: All of the ridiculous entrances I came up with on the fly before my TV matches. One time I stole a guy's Skeletor mask, a feather boa, and some mardi-gras beads and executed the "Thriller" dance. My zombie curse ended
just in time for my one minute 34 second squash match.
Notable mentions: Playing through Shenmue for the DreamCast...Oh yah, Scattegories and mini-golf with Kevin Matthews and gang was always cool too.
SG> With this WWE experience behind you, where do you go from here?
KO> Wrestling is a business of who you know nowadays, it's no secret that no one in Canada knows anyone so I'm pretty much dead in the water, yikes!
I guess with that said, I'll throw up a prayer and hope that someone like a TNA or ROH will take a chance on me one day, maybe? umm, hopefully? *awkward chuckle*... yeesh.
