Every year, the Editor and Senior Writers of PWI bestow upon one or more individuals the Stanley Weston Award for Lifetime Achievement in professional wrestling. Last year, Pro Wrestling Illustrated chose to honor Madusa Miceli and longtime PWI Editor/Publisher Stu Saks for their contributions to the sport. This year, we have once again recognized two individuals for their career accomplishments: Terry Funk and Ron Simmons.
The PWI Editors Award is a tradition dating back to 1981, wherein a single wrestler, promoter, manager, journalist, or other figure in the wrestling industry would be honored for their overall contributions to the sport of professional wrestling. The inaugural award was given to the legendary Bruno Sammartino, with Lou Thesz being the second recipient in 1982.
Today, the Award—renamed for PWI founder Stanley Weston—is the single most distinguished honor bestowed by our publication, as well as the only one of our year-end awards not determined by our readers.
We're delighted to announce the 2021 recipients of PWI's Stanley Weston Award for Lifetime Achievement in pro wrestling. This year, our most prestigious award goes to Terry Funk and Ron Simmons. Today, we honor these two legends for their myriad contributions to the sport. pic.twitter.com/RYrNHko5JJ
Terry Funk is one of the most influential figures in the history of pro wrestling—a former NWA World champion, ECW champion, and holder of countless regional titles over the course of a career than spanned over 50 years. He is renowned for his toughness (including in wild, no-holds-barred environments) by fans across the globe, along with his colorful, unforgettable promos and many memorable in-ring encounters over the years.
Ron Simmons enjoyed a similarly expansive and influential career in the ring, with his most famous achievement being his WCW World heavyweight championship victory over Big Van Vader in August 1992. With that win, Simmons began a historic reign as the first widely recognized Black World champion, wearing a title belt that traced its lineage to the historic NWA title by Thesz, Funk, and so many others. He went on to additional success in the WWE, with multiple reigns as World tag team champion with Bradshaw and a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2012.
We’ll have more about these two greats of the squared circle in our April 2022 “Achievement Awards” issue, which hits stores in January.
Ramien, Jeffrey. “Moral Philosophy: The Critique of Capitalism and the Problem of Ideology.” Cambridge Companions to Philosophy: The Cambridge Companion to Marx. Ed. Terrell Carver. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1991. 151. Print.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE a couple weeks make! Wow! Ice Ribbon, a joshi promotion based out of Tokyo, Japan, looks like it’ll be going through a bit of a restructure in the new year with the departures of some of its top talent.
First reported by Tokyo Sports Web by way of Yahoo Sports and confirmed by Ice Ribbon through a press conference later in the day, eight wrestlers will be leaving the influential promotion at the end of 2021.
Current IcexInfinity tag champions Risa Sera & Maya Yukihi (Azure Revolution) and former ICExInfinity champion Suzu Suzuki are the most notable departures—as all three are positioned at the top of the company—along with ICExInfinity champion Tsukushi Haruka and head trainer Tsukasa Fujimoto. Akane Fujita, Kurumi Hiiragi, and Mochi Miyagi are also leaving but will continue their wrestling careers, while Kyuri plans on retiring from the sport altogether.
Risa Sera, Suzu Suzuki, Akane Fujita, Kurumi Hiiragi, and Mochi Miyagi will become a freelance unit focused on deathmatch and hardcore matches, according to Ice Ribbon’s official English Twitter account.
Pictured: An excerpt from the January 2022 PWI, featuring Suzu Suzuki’s photo and bio in the “Women’s 150” section. A former ICExInfinity champion, Suzuki numbered among eight top Ice Ribbon stars to announce their intentions to part ways with the company.
Maya Yukihi will continue her wrestling career as a freelance wrestler both domestically and internationally, while also pursuing other opportunities in the world of entertainment.
Sera, Yukihi, and Suzuki have expressed interest in keeping a working relationship with Ice Ribbon moving forward.
Coinciding with today’s news article and press conference, Thekla, an Austrian-based wrestler working with Ice Ribbon through 2021, will also be departing Ice Ribbon, according to her official Twitter account.
Fear not, Ice Ribbon fans! As of now, there are no plans for the company to shut down. In fact, Hajime Sato, president of Ice Ribbon, addressed those concerns in his interview with Tokyo Sports Web. “I have never had such a large amount [of wrestlers leave],” he said. “[But] there is no particular impact [on Ice Ribbon plans moving forward].” Sato acknowledged some fans may leave, but the three-year investment into P’s Party should help usher in a new era for Ice Ribbon.
Finally, while we’re seeing some wrestlers amicably leaving Ice Ribbon, Chiharu has been reinstated as the coach of Ice Ribbon’s Joshi Pro Wrestling Circle.
PWI will keep you updated on any new information as it becomes available regarding Ice Ribbon. And, as always, “Be Happy With Pro Wrestling.”
FROM THE VAULT: Baba and Vince Open the Forbidden Door (updated 11/19/21)
VINCE MCMAHON. GIANT Baba. Together in the same ring. The 2,350 FANS in attendance at Korakuen Hall on January 28, 1990, were in for a big surprise. As recently as the early-1980s, McMahon’s WWF had enjoyed a solid relationship with All Japan’s biggest competitor, New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Suffice to say, no one was expecting Vince McMahon and Giant Baba to show up on the final day of AJPW’s New Year Giant series.
But that’s exactly what happened. On a show that saw All Japan Pro Wrestling founder Giant Baba defeat American journeyman Rip Rogers in a singles bout—along with the swan song of The British Bulldogs—no less than Vincent Kennedy McMahon made his way to the ring to address the crowd.
Vince McMahon waves to the crowd at Korakuen Hall as Giant Baba looks on.
The above photo, along with the forthcoming photos in this entry, was sent to the Pro Wrestling Illustrated offices by a Japanese freelance photographer who asked us not to name them. This person specifically cited the fact that McMahon appeared in the photographs as the reason for their anonymity. Regardless, the veteran photographer seemed excited to share the photos in question.
As one might guess, Vince wasn’t simply in town as a tourist, opting to take in a show at one of Japan’s most historic combat sports venues. He was there on business. McMahon took the microphone and announced to the crowd that the WWF would be teaming up with not just AJPW, but NJPW, as well. The three promotions would come together to present the WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit.
From left to right: AJPW President Giant Baba, WWF President Vince McMahon, and NJPW President Seiji Sakaguchi pose together for a photo.
The event, which emanated from the Tokyo Dome on April 13, 1990, was attended by more than 53,000 people. Despite not being released officially in the U.S., it was voted Best Major Wrestling Show in that year’s Wrestling Observer Awards. With an undercard that included a bout between Bret Hart and Tiger Mask, the show featured Andre The Giant and Giant Baba teaming up to take on Demolition, and the main event pitting Hulk Hogan against Stan Hansen.
Backstage at Korakuen Hall, Vince McMahon shakes the hand of Giant Baba.
In 2021, promotions are increasingly working together for the greater good. From the contemporary IWGP Conception, which saw NJPW copromote with Ring of Honor and CMLL, to the current, extensive interplay between AEW, IMPACT, the NWA, and other companies, cooperation is arguably one of the most exciting things about today’s wrestling landscape. Given WWE’s history of partnering with promotions overseas—and, later, giving visibility to upstarts like ECW and EVOLVE—is it really so hard to imagine the industry leader doing so once again?
Putting Wrestling Comics In A Headlock—An Interview With Writer/Creator Michael Kingston
Via Headlocked Comics Twitter
LARGER-THAN-LIFE CHARACTERS? CHECK! A fantasy world where anything can happen? Check! Large men in spandex? Check and check! I could, of course, be talking about professional wrestling, but just as easily also be talking about certain genres of comic books. Quite frankly, these two worlds have so much in common that it’s amazing there hasn’t been more extensive overlap between the two.
Enter Michael Kingston, creator of Headlocked: the comic meshing these two worlds together so well that your favorite wrestling stars are lining up to get involved. With Headlocked and its spinoff series, Tales From The Road, Michael has collaborated with over 40 wrestlers who share his passion for telling stories through this unique art form. PWI recently caught up with Mike to discuss all things wrestling and comics.
PWI: Where did the idea for Headlocked come from?
MK: I was a wrestling fan since the very first Saturday Night’s Main Event. George “The Animal” Steele hooked me as I was flipping through the channels, and I had never seen anything like it. That was my entry point, and I’ve watched wrestling every day since. [Growing up] I loved wrestling, loved comics, and I’d buy all the wrestling comics but … I just felt that they weren’t written for wrestling fans. So, I always thought there would be a market for a book like Headlocked. I took my idea to comic book companies, and I got laughed out of every room I went into. Literally! One guy actually laughed in my face. So, I decided to make the book myself. I worked two jobs for a year to make enough money for my first print run. And then I took it on the road, selling it out of a backpack at wrestling shows. As I started going to bigger conventions, I would meet wrestlers who liked what I was doing, and they helped support it. From there, I hooked up with Jerry Lawler, who does the covers for my books, and it just sort of spiraled from there.
PWI: Do you think there are similarities between trying to make it in the wrestling business and trying to make it in the comic book business?
MK: There are so many similarities between both in terms of what they are as art forms and businesses. A lot of the support structure that surrounds wrestling and comic books comes from the fans. They’re both kind of dominated by a singular aesthetic. When you talk to people about wrestling, they tend to think of WWE. And, when they think of comics, it’s superheroes. Then, obviously, you have colorful characters, the battle between good and evil … the sort of joke is, comics are like 2-D wrestling, and that’s why I found it strange to meet so much resistance early on. But I think the themes of breaking into these businesses are there. The emotional rollercoaster I had breaking into the comic business is the same as an independent wrestler has breaking into wrestling. The physical part is different, is all. Hopefully, I don’t have to fall off a ladder to make a comic!
PWI: You have collaborated with a lot of wrestlers so far, and I think it’s clear this is what sets Headlocked apart from previous wrestling comics. How important was this element to the success of the series?
MK: It’s my favorite thing to do. And the stories we tell are entertaining, but they are also important to the talent. The story I did with The Hurricane for Volume 1 of Tales From The Road, [at the time] he was sitting in a doctor’s office waiting for an MRI on his neck, not knowing if his career was over. So, the story we ended up telling was very powerful, and it’s even more powerful when you understand the circumstances behind it. If you give people something they’re excited to work with, you can tell the difference. Everything we make is made with love and passion, and I want people to experience that.
PWI: Wrestlers are obviously creative people, but this is a different way for them to tell stories. What’s the creative process like for you putting a story together with them?
MK: It’s different for everybody. Mick Foley wrote me a prose story. The Iinspiration and I had a Zoom call, and we talked out the story and had an email chain providing input. But, once we get a concept and the story beats, I’ll write it and send it to the talent. And we’ll work on it until we have something we’re happy with. But it takes on many different forms.
PWI: Has anyone surprised you with their creativity?
MK: I keep talking about The Iinspiration story just because it’s fresh in my mind. But we had it a certain way, and they suggested a different type of character for the “Heavy” in the story. My initial thought was that it was never going to work, but then it did work, and it actually changed the story into something else entirely. There’s always that moment where everything clicks, and I never in a million years would have pushed it in that direction. But their suggestion was what made that story what it was. Wrestlers are all storytellers. It’s who they are at their core. The ones that really do surprise me are the artists. Obviously, Jerry Lawler does the covers, but we’ve had Fred Ottman, Sinn Bodhi, Ken Anderson. Tony Atlas did a piece of art for us. He does pointillism, which, to me, is amazing to imagine this giant dude hunched over a desk. It’s cool to me because Headlocked has always been about showcasing wrestling as an artform. So, to showcase wrestlers who are artists is the coolest thing to me.
PWI: Any dream collaborations?
MK: Xavier Woods, Paul Heyman, Carmella … I think Carmella is fascinating, creatively, because she makes every gimmick work but never loses sight of who she is. And that’s a real gift that she doesn’t get enough credit for. Zelina Vega … there’s so many. I always say that wherever there is a ring and a payday, there’s a story. I’d love to get to a point where we are big enough to tell stories from less well-known people, because some of the most famous people may not have as many interesting stories that people on the fringes might have to tell. The Boogeyman! I think he’s fascinating. He’s such a unique personality, and I’d love to collaborate with him.
PWI: What does the future hold for Headlocked?
MK: I’ve got Volume 5 of the main Headlocked series in production, and it’s the wildest one yet. I can’t wait for people to read it. Not one person is going to imagine [that it goes the way] it goes. We will still be putting out our Tales From The Road series. And, by June, I’ll have enough content for Volume 4. We are currently only on Volume 2, so we have a lot of stuff still to put out. I’m hoping to do more stuff with Brian Myers and Matt Cardona in the Fig Story vein. I have a million ideas for that. And, in the first volume of Tales From The Road, I collaborated with Gangrel on a story about a guy who trains Bigfoot to wrestle. We’d like to spin that out into a series. I don’t ever see a scenario where I will run out of things to write. So, as long as people keep supporting us, we’ll keep making stuff.
“I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.” – Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks
I KNOW BRIAN Johnson.
This isn’t Brian Johnson.
If you’ve ever bought a ticket to a show that he was on or ever watched him on television, then you, too, know Brian Johnson … and you know that this isn’t Brian Johnson.
Say what you will about him—and lord knows that many have—but the one thing you could never say about him is that Brian Johnson is a man who has nothing to say. That’s why all of this is more than a little unsettling. And why I had to dig a little deeper into finding out the answer to the question that has been bugging me for several days now: “Why has Brian Johnson gone quiet?”
In the wake of last week’s news that Ring of Honor would be going on hiatus following the December 11 Final Battle PPV and releasing all contracted performers, an outpouring of love and support went out to those affected by the news. Many current ROH wrestlers took to social media to thank the promotion for giving them an opportunity, but to also discuss their future. While it was a sad occasion, there was also some hope. Surely Brian Johnson, perhaps ROH’s most outspoken performer would have much to say about this, right?
Wrong!
Instead of the usual vitriolic Johnson we have grown accustomed to, all we got was a retweet of ROH’s announcement regarding going on hiatus, coupled with a quote from the man himself that said:
“Sometimes you can’t put the emotions and the feelings into the right words. I’m going to need a few days to gather my thoughts. When I do, you’ll hear from The Mecca.”
Sensing something unusual was afoot, I took the above screenshot.
It’s now been more than a few days, and we have yet to hear from The Mecca. What’s more, his entire social media has gone dark, and even the above tweet has been deleted along with all pictures and posts. Johnson’s Instagram account is still active, but a tad unusual.
So, just what the hell is going on?
In short, I don’t know. I have exhausted all methods of trying to get hold of Johnson personally and have had no response from the man. One of the benefits of working with Pro Wrestling Illustrated is that you can normally be put in contact with almost anyone in the wrestling business, but absolutely no one I have spoken to has heard from or seen Johnson, either.
It’s not that anyone is being coy or secretive—they simply just don’t know what’s going on with “The Mecca.” Every person, however, has echoed similar sentiments to PWI Editor-In-Chief Kevin McElvaney, who said, “This guy never shuts up, so this is very unusual behavior.”
Brian Johnson is a loudmouth and a trash-talker. He’s angry and he’s opinionated. But he is also incredibly talented and has the chance to do big things in professional wrestling. So, you can be sure that whenever he does emerge, whatever he does next will be fascinating to watch. Until then, we wait with bated breath and wonder just what “The Mecca” has planned.
“I WILL NEVER RETIRE!” – After Shocking The Entire Chicago Indie Scene, Pat Monix Gives An Exclusive Interview To Pro Wrestling Illustrated About His Recent Faux-Curtain Call
Via Project MONIX’s Twitter
“CARD SUBJECT TO change.”
It’s a common phrase in pro wrestling—one used to make fans aware, in advance, that matches advertised might not go on. While, in the past, it’s often been employed as a bait-and-switch tactic, nowadays, it’s more frequently evoked as a result of travel issues, scheduling conflicts, or injury.
Or, in the case of Project (Pat) MONIX, a “retirement” that wasn’t.
Monix, the focus of PWI’smost recent “On The Indies” column and Chicagoland indie mainstay, announced that his October 23 Freelance Underground match—initially scheduled to be against Kylie Rae—would be the last of his career. Kylie had to pull out of said bout to take care of her health and well-being, but that’s not the only thing that was “subject to change” about Monix’s alleged Final Phase.
Freelance Underground’s Final Phase event opened with then-champion GPA’s open challenge, answered by rising star Calvin Tankman. Tankman dispatched GPA quickly, winning the title, and issued a challenge of his own. Monix chose to answer it, leading to the night’s main event.
And, while Monix did not come out victorious, Freelance brass chose to honor him after the match by giving him the original Freelance Underground championship belt—a sort of gold-watch-gift-for-retirement nod to Monix’s contributions to the company and to Chicago indie wrestling. However, Monix played everyone—Freelance Underground, the crowd (who had showered him with streamers ahead of his bout with Tankman), and even PWI— and went on the attack, both physically and on the mic.
There would be no retirement, but, rather, a rebirth. The “Final Phase” was instead the first step into a new persona for Monix, who has now declared himself the “Freelance Undisputed Champion,” compared himself to God, and decided that “six years following the rules, 18 months of [injury] rehab, and one night” was all it took to create this shocking transformation.
In light of Monix (in his own words) “working” PWI, we have secured the supposedly final follow-up interview with the self-styled Freelance Undisputed champion. His comments follow and have only been edited for length and clarity.
On his decision to, essentially, play the long-con:
“In professional wrestling, the card is always subject to change. And this, quote, unquote, ‘closure tour,’ every single match that I was booked for, one way or another, was changed. This was a reminder that pro wrestling works this way. And, for a long time, I let pro wrestling work me. When I took a step away, and decided to take the step back in, I decided that I was going to work wrestling. So, when these changes took place, I was ready. I was prepared. And it didn’t faze me one bit.
“When you’re someone who gives their all to this, and you’re someone who does all the right things, and you’re someone who plays the game, it constantly plays you. There’s a breaking point. And I hit that breaking point mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. And I didn’t love wrestling anymore. And it was hard. It was a hard pill to swallow. Because it wasn’t my fault. I did everything right. I showed up. I worked hard, I followed the rules. And that’s just not how wrestling works. Wrestling will take from everyone over and over and over again. And I simply made a decision in my mind that I was never going to let that happen again. I’m doing this how I want to do it. I’m doing it on my own terms.”
On Monix’s match against Calvin Tankman and its aftermath:
“As far as wrestling Calvin Tankman in the main event, you know, going into a match like that, that this is a tall task. This is one of the most dominant wrestlers on the independent scene. So, going into that match, yeah, I had every intention to upset him, and beat him, and go out on top with that championship. But I had a feeling that even if I came up short, fans were going to react the way they did. I had a feeling the fans would react that way if I won, as well.
“So I already knew, win, lose, draw, going into that match, what it meant for me, and what I was going to do going forward when I was in the ring. And I was handed a token of appreciation, the original Freelance Underground championship belt. And the crowd reacting as if it was a gift and award and not what it actually was—a consolation prize—that was just the cherry on top. That was the validation of my own thinking that these fans don’t understand what it’s like to be in my shoes. They’ve never laced my boots up. And most of the people in wrestling hadn’t walked a day in my life.
“Someone in the tier of wrestlers that I’m in, if you’re an elite talent, and you have an elite work ethic, and you fully commit yourself to this industry, you’re in a very, very small group of people. And that doesn’t always get rewarded. So, when this crowd looks at a situation like that. Getting streamers, and getting applause, and seeing that people emotionally care about you—seeing people literally crying in the crowd, lots of people literally crying in the crowd—and then you get a consolation prize, you get a token of appreciation. All these people think that’s something that you’re going to be happy about. That was the moment I realized that I was right about, ‘I understand how wrestling works.’ “
Monix, on who he is, where he’s at, and moving forward:
“I feel mentally, at a point in wrestling, where I’m a mastermind, I feel physically at a point in wrestling, where I’m gonna have the best match on any show. And I feel emotionally about wrestling, that wrestling can’t touch me. And I feel spiritually about wrestling, completely ascended.
“So, when I had the microphone, and I had the championship over my shoulder, the crowd was cheering, crying, smacking, banging on the mat, I had every single person in there doing all the moves that I had intended. It was a checkmate. In that moment, I knew everything going forward is mine, it’s on my terms. And no one can touch me. And, when said the things I said, after all that, they proved me right. Again, because then these people decided to cheer me.
“When I look at wrestling, and I look at the people that I was trying to appease, I was never going to win them over by playing fair, playing clean, following the rules. Everything you’re going to see going forward is going to be on a whole different level. The Final Phase, that wasn’t a show, that wasn’t a match. The Final Phase is infinite, the Final Phase is forever; The Final Phase every single day going forward for Project MONIX is that mentality of living on your own terms. Being at the top will never end. And that is what the Final Phase was, is, and always will be—as long as Project MONIX wrestles, which will be forever.”
As far as that original Freelance Underground title belt, which Monix initially referred to as a “consolation prize,” it appears he now has a new perspective. After all, he is calling himself the “Undisputed” Freelance champion.
“I’m the Freelance Undisputed champion, because I did something that no one in Freelance Wrestling would ever be able to do, has ever done, or will ever do. I am the Freelance Undisputed champion; I was gifted a championship because I performed and existed on a level that, in Chicago wrestling, has not been touched, has not been matched, has not been seen.
“That championship being handed to me in the moment may have been perceived as something different by the people in the building, and may have been perceived a certain way by myself, and then perceived a certain way by the management handing it to me going forward. It represents the best wrestler in Chicago. It represents anything I want it to be, whether it’s Freelance Wrestling, whether it’s Freelance Underground. Anyone who wants to wrestle me, that title is going to be on the line. But it’s my title, it’s my championship. And I’m never going to lose it.
“Project MONIX is the Freelance Undisputed champion. The booker, the promoter, the people in charge, they don’t get to pick who the champion is anymore. Because I picked, I made a decision that I was going to do something special in a world where nothing special is happening. Anyone who was there that night knows that it’s fact. Anyone who watched the stream knows that it’s fact. Anyone who reads this PWI article knows this as fact. Anyone who is in professional wrestling, right now, whether they want to admit it, whether they’re on the independent circuit, or AEW, or WWE. They know it, too.”
As revealed by PWI Contributing Writer Kristen Ashly on the latest episode of Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions,WWE superstar Bianca Belair is the #1 ranked wrestler in this year’s PWI “Women’s 150.”
The January 2022 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated—available now for preorder—includes this year’s ranking in its entirety, plus special coverage of NWA EmPowerrr, Ring of Honor’s Quest for Gold tournament, and Ashly’s extensive “Hotseat” interview with Paquette.
Belair, who memorably main-evented this year’s WrestleMania against Sasha Banks, tops the list on the strength of that victory, her victory in the 2021 Royal Rumble match, and her prominent position on WWE Smackdown—along with a string of high-quality championship defenses and a remarkable win-loss record. Heading into her world title loss to Becky Lynch at SummerSlam, Belair had not lost a singles match since last December.
The number-two ranked wrestler, Utami Hayashishita, is a former runner-up for PWI’s Rookie of the Year award (2019). The reigning World of Stardom champion at the time of this writing, she is the highest-ranked representative of a Japanese promotion in the history of our annual women’s ranking.
Since its inception in 1979, Pro Wrestling Illustrated has been considered the world’s #1 professional wrestling magazine. And, 40 years on, we pride ourselves on covering wrestling as both sport and art form. Our annual women’s wrestling ranking, which is released each year after our much-discussed PWI “500” list, began in 2008 as the “Female 50.” As women began to take on a more prominent role in North American wrestling, the list expanded to become the “Women’s 100” in 2018.
The “Women’s 150,” which focuses primarily on the in-ring success of wrestlers competing in women’s divisions and promotions, is based on the evaluation period beginning October 1, 2020, and ending September 30, 2021. In order to qualify for the list, wrestlers must have competed in at least 10 matches or, if less than 10 matches, in six bouts in six separate months during the evaluation period.
Influence (in one’s home promotion and the industry at large)
Technical Ability
Breadth and Quality of Competition
Activity
For posterity, here are the top five wrestlers ranked in this year’s “150” issue:
Bianca Belair
Utami Hayashishita
Deonna Purrazzo
Britt Baker
Thunder Rosa
CLICK HERE to preorder the print edition of our January 2022 “Women In Wrestling” issue, which contains the “Women’s 150” list in its entirety. It ships out to subscribers soon, followed by internet preorder customers. The magazine will be available on newsstands beginning November 9, 2021.
TO SAY THAT Alex Shelley has been everywhere and done almost everything in wrestling is an understatement. The Detroit, Michigan, native has plied his trade in Ring of Honor, IMPACT Wrestling, and New Japan to much success—and even cropped up in NXT for a brief time in early-2020. Away from the ring, he has worked just as hard in pursuit of academia and his day job. Now, after some time away, Shelley is on the cusp of a return to the ring as part of Major League Wrestling. PWI recently caught up with him to find out just what it is that keeps the former Motor City Machine Gun coming back for more.
PWI: A lot of fans are excited to hear that you are returning to wrestling again. Why is MLW the right place for that to happen?
Shelley: It’s the right place, right time. They contacted me about a year and a half ago, and it didn’t really work with my schedule because of my career outside of wrestling. But now, it does. On top of that, for me personally, I want to be creatively inspired. I want to be challenged. And I want to be excited about the wrestling I am going to produce. And when I saw the MLW roster, that appealed to me, as well.
PWI: MLW has announced that you will face TJP at the Fightland event on October 2 as part of the Opera Cup tournament. TJ is someone you are quite familiar with. What can fans expect from that match?
Shelley: I’ve known TJ since 2004. We both competed in the Jeff Peterson Cup in Florida when TJ was (wrestling as) Puma at the time. He was a guy who I had actually watched before I met him. I had watched CMLL and PWG, and he had been in both places. I thought he was very good. Then, I found out he was close to my age, too, When we first met at that Peterson Cup in Florida, Chris Hero and I had been sparring in the ring that day for close to an hour before the show started, just training. When we were done and got out of the ring, TJ came up to me and said “Where did you learn to do all that?”
A group photo of the 2005 Super 8 participants. On the right, Alex Shelley poses behind a crouching Puma (TJP), whom he’d first met the year prior. (Photo by Joe Zanolle)
Now, keep in mind, this was a peer of mine. He had more experience and better training than me—albeit different training. But that’s really where our bond was formed: over a love of wrestling, and technical wrestling in particular. And, if that doesn’t give you an idea of how this match will be, then I don’t know what will.
PWI: You touched on it earlier, but you do have a career outside of wrestling as a physical therapist. That obviously comes with its own responsibilities and was a key reason why you had to step away from IMPACT Wrestling earlier this year. A lot of wrestlers don’t plan for careers away from the ring. Is it something that’s been difficult for you to balance?
Shelley: I think it was different for me and for where I fell generationally. I’ve been doing this for 20 years, even though I’m still only in my late-30s. I remember very, very clearly around 2008, in TNA, due to the way the company was structured and how they operated at the time, I remember thinking that I don’t want to do this here forever. I don’t enjoy it. I love wrestling, love it so much, and I’ve given so much to it. But that environment just wasn’t good for younger wrestlers. That’s when I started making a contingency plan, and the obvious answer was to get an education. So, I got my first Bachelor’s degree in 2012. Then, I went to Japan for a little while, and Japan was an amazing experience.
But I fell in love with learning then. And, even though my first degree was in business, I got to thinking about physio. Everyone gets injuries, whether you’re a wrestler or not, right? New Japan had two trainers who went on the road with us, and I was around them for years. They helped the wrestlers get into the ring. Like, if you saw what goes on behind the scenes, with the amount of work that these guys put into the wrestlers, and what the wrestlers are then able to do after treatment, it’s very inspiring. And, at that point, I got very inspired to go in that direction.
And I thought, Well I guess it’s time to get another four-year degree (laughs). So, I went back to school after my New Japan contract was up in 2015, and that was all she wrote. But I was splitting my time between wrestling and school, and it was so exhausting. I was in Ring of Honor at the time. I gave them all I had, but wrestling requires a certain amount of mental study outside of the ring. I wasn’t able to do that as much as I would’ve liked. Because I couldn’t. I had to learn all sorts of stuff about joints and anatomy and systemic illnesses and oh, my gosh! That was easily the most stressful period of my life. But I got through it, and now I’ve got a degree in Physical Therapy. Now, I’m able to work in physio 40 hours per week and wrestle, too. And I’m not saying it’s easy—because it’s not—but it’s a grind that I love because I love both fields.
PWI: You have been everywhere and done everything in wrestling. And you have a Monday-to-Friday job away from the ring. So, what keeps you wrestling? Is it that desire to be creatively inspired, like you talked about earlier?
Shelley: Yes it is. It’s very much a love of creativity. But also, wrestling is supposed to be fun. Wrestling is a sport, and what do you do with sports? You play sports! And I was that kid that grew up playing sports. I loved it because I loved helping people, and I loved pushing myself, and loved just being in the moment and feeling that stress—not the bad stress, but the good stress, which is what you feel when you’re in the ring. You almost go into autopilot … And I think that’s the most fun. And to be paid to do that is such an honor, such a privilege. And to be able to use your body and to help other people, I mean, to anyone who has ever spent one minute watching me, thank you so much!
Alex Shelley attempts a submission on Mark Haskins at Ring of Honor’s Free Enterprise PPV in February 2020. Though Shelley is well known for his high-flying abilities, he’s also a sound technical wrestler. (Photo by Ring of Honor/Zia Hiltey)
PWI: Away from wrestling and physical therapy, you’re a big music guy. You sing and play guitar, and are a big punk rock fan. What kind of stuff is Alex Shelley listening to these days?
Shelley: For the most part, I revolve around the same things. Like, the bands that I like are going to be making music until the day they die because that’s just what they do. But, lately, there’s been this whole West Coast indie punk rock scene that’s popped up in the last ten years, and there’s this band called Wavves … f’n awesome man! It’s basically one guy. But he put out a new album not that long ago, and I love it because I can learn to play it, too, you know? It’s all basic chord parts, but so well structured. When I look at Wavves or Together Pangea or Fidlar or Guided by Voices or Electric Six … bands that I’m a huge fan of, they don’t tend to veer too far off [the same chords], just the strumming pattern is different. But they make the most out of the least, and it’s just so cool.
PWI: It’s quite clear that being creative is a big thing for you. With wrestling, your education, music … it’s a fire that burns pretty bright within you. You’re obviously going to bring that with you to Major League Wrestling. What can fans expect from you in MLW?
Shelley: I don’t want to say anything finite because it’s going to change from opponent to opponent. I’m going to wrestle TJP differently than I’m going to wrestle Calvin Tankman or Matt Cross. But I can promise you this much: Whatever I’m doing, or whoever I’m in there with, I’m going to work my ass off!
(MLW Fightland takes place this Saturday, October 2 from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA)
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