I thought I would share my first (of hopefully many) interviews with my good friend, SB-1. Not much tech or hosting related content here. Just some good ol’ “Q and A” with an up and coming pro wrestling superstar.
Who is SB-1?
SB-1: The name “SB-1″ actually derives from the old television show “In Living Color”. Seriously. Shawn Wayans was the DJ, and he called himself “SW-1″. So it seemed natural for me to plug my initials in and ABRA-CADABRA! I had a stage-name.
The persona “SB-1″ is every emotion, strength, and flamboyancy (that may not even be a word) in me. It’s a combination of every hero that’s influenced me, wrestler or not. And make no mistake about it, folks: SB-1 is here to stay.
What is the hardest thing about being in the spot you are in right now in your pro wrestling career?
SB-1: I began training in late September 2005, had my first match about six weeks later, and here I am two matches later with only 5 months experience in this business. The term “rookie” seems like an understatement.
Right now I’m just paying my dues and, for lack of a better term, getting initiated into the business. I figure if I can make it through this phase, everything else will fall into place. And that’s not really a matter of “if”, but “when”.
How do you feel about sterotypical gimmicks and the place they have in today’s wrestling enviroment?
SB-1: I’m an artist and a perfectionist. I don’t believe in doing anything “half-assed”. Therefore, you’ll never see SB-1 wearing a generic outfit with a preppy haircut and a goatee. I believe in the frivolous outfits and personas of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, and, as a fan, I’m sick of the “reality” wrestlers today.
Whatever happened to gimmicks like Papa Shango, The Rockers, and the Repo Man? Look at Jake Roberts for instance. They gave him a snake and colorful tights, and next thing you know he’s larger than life. Brilliant! Don’t get me wrong: guys like Randy Orton and Chris Benoit are phenomenal wrestlers, but where’s the originality?
The unreal characters of decades past are what turned me on to professional wrestling. Without them, why not play football? Or baseball? I say F**K “keeping it real”. Let’s see more caskets and face paint!
What is your earliest memory of professional wrestling?
SB-1: Watching WWE’s “Prime Time Wrestling” and hearing Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. Man were those the days! I remember staying up past my bedtime to see my heroes at the time, DEMOLITION. Those guys rocked!
When others may look at you and smirk, maybe even mock you, what keeps you doing what you’re doing?
SB-1: I’m in the entertainment business. When I get a reaction from the fans, cheers or jeers, I know I’ve done my job. At my size, you can’t take people’s derrogatory statements to heart. When I wrestled ACTION JACKSON last month, he outweighed me by 110 pounds. What do you think the average fan would say about a skinny guy like me facing him? So I let that fuel me: I may not can beat this guy, but I’m not gonna let him tear me down. And he won the match, but I think I proved something to the fans and myself that night. To steal a line from the greatest ACTIVE wrestler today: I AM FOR REAL.
Would it ever be possible to see you in a buttoned up shirt and tie working a “nine-to-five” job?
SB-1: Haha! I’d love to be able to make a living wrestling. So would the thousands other independent wrestlers scratching and clawing to make it to the big leagues. The brutal honesty is that I might never be able to make ends meet in this business.
As SB-1, I’ll say it’s only a matter of time, but as a man I like to keep my feet firmly on Earth. Only time will tell.
In the world of professional wrestling, who would you say you look up to most and why?
SB-1: Bret Hart. The entire Hart dynasty, in fact. I have a tattoo of the Hitman’s logo on my upper back to remind me why I chose this life. I’ll go on record as saying Bret is the greatest wrestler of all time… PERIOD. Chris Benoit is close behind, and after that it gets a little blurry. Benoit’s intensity is unmatched. More recently I’ve been a huge fan of EDGE and both MATT and JEFF HARDY for their unique styles and innovative characters. Although I’m not a fan, I also have to give KURT ANGLE his due. And SHAWN MICHAELS ten years ago was up there with the best, too. Too bad I can’t say the same now…
It has been asked for decades, but in the “Internet Age” it needs to be addressed: Is professional wrestling fake?
SB-1: The word “fake” carries such negative implications. I prefer the term “choreographed” if I’m forced to put a label on what I do. Twenty years ago, no wrestler would dare admit this; but the times have changed.
It’s hard to convince anyone that professional wrestling is legit. It’s far from ultimate fighting, but it’s far from “fake”. Those are REAL people performing REAL athletic feats with very REAL pain. I think professional wrestlers are unfairly judged, too. No one comes up and says, “You’re one hell of an actor,” they say “Is it real? Is it all fake?” Do you think people come up to Jet Li and ask if his fight scenes are real? The audience needs to be entertained, and as wrestlers we always put on a great show. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
