Here’s an interview I did with a friend of mine who is a talented Independent Wrestler, “The Pretty Hate Machine” Jason Gotti out of Philadelphia.
1.How did you get started in the Wrestling business?
I first started training actually when I was 16 and trained with Jeff Rocker in the summer of 2002. I trained there during the summer when I was off from school. Then when I started training again and finished my training pretty much is when I went to Les’s Place. I finished my training under Diego Demarco, White Lotus and Cannonball. I started training there in April of 2003 and stopped in August, 2004. I left wrestling in the summer of 2004 and came back in the summer of 2007 and have been wrestling almost every weekend since.
2.When did you realize that you wanted to be a Pro Wrestler?
I realized I wanted to be a wrestler ever since I was a little kid. My grandmom used to live a few blocks from the ECW arena and I would go to alot of the shows there. I also used to go to the WWF and WCW all the time with my dad. I would say the match that made me want to be a wrestler and sticks out in my mind is the 4 way dance for the ECW tv title. 2 Cold Scorpio vs Pitbull #2 vs Shane Douglas vs Chris Jericho. I remember watching that on wgtw 48 which always had ECW in Philadelphia. That was the match that made me want to be a wrestler I was probally 11 at that time.
3.Who is the toughest competitor you’ve faced so far in your career?
I have had some good competiton, I enjoyed my matches with Vinny Nero and Rockin Rebel. I would not say there has not been any opponent who is tougher than the other.
4.What is the hardest move that you’ve pulled off in the ring?
There really has not been any move that was too hard to hit. I won’t do a move unless I know that it can be done correctly and safe. There are alot of guys who drop there opponents on there necks. I hate seeing that, and it shows that you don’t know how to work. It’s all about protecting your opponent and yourself. Accidents happen in wrestling but you try to minimize them the best you can.
5. If you were in WWE or TNA right now,who would you want to be feuding with,& why?
I would like to work HBK. Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest workers of all time. It would be awesome to work him. I would also like to work John Cena. Alot of people talk about how John Cena can’t work and stuff. He may not be the most technically sound wrestler but if I were to work with him that means I would be a top guy. Only top guys work with Cena and it would be a great chance to make some good money in the buisness. Another thing about people saying Cena can’t work is bs. When he comes out to perform he gets a huge reaction from the crowd. Whether it’s negative or postive. People react and care. Whats the difference between Dean Malenko and John Cena? Dean Malenko is a great wrestler but John Cena is a good worker, who is well known and makes more money then Malenko. See my point?
6.What injuries have you sustained since becoming a Pro Wrestler?
I have been pretty lucky with injuries since I started wrestler. I broke my wrist once in training but other than that I have been pretty lucky with injuries.
7.What is the #1 thing that you dislike about the business?
The number one thing I dislike about the wrestling buisness is the poltics. I can not stand the poltics in professional wrestling. It makes me hate wrestling alot of times. There are alot of guys in wrestling who are bitter and like to start trouble. I can’t stand it. I have seen guys go to promoters and put down other wrestlers because of jealousy towards the performer. Alot of wrestlers who can not get it done in the ring will try to down someone they feel threatned by. Wrestling is a very cuthroat sport. There are only so many spots and the nature of it is cuthroat. So if a guy feels threatned that there spot is going to go away because someone new is coming in. They will do what they can do to hold that person down. It’s nothing new, it has happened millions of times and probally always will happen. I never felt the need to down someone for no reason like alot of people do. I don’t get threatned when another wrestler is good. Im happy that there good because I want to work them and have a great match. People fail to realize it takes two to make a match good and one to make it bad. So if your not doing whatever you can to make that match good, then it’s going to suck. Alot of guys won’t sell for smaller guys or younger guys. I can’t stand that either. Im a legit 295lbs, if I can sell for a smaller guy and make him look good then thy can too. Because it makes the match better, then im going to do it. Im all about making the match good, im very for whats good for buisness. But there are so many guys in this buisness who are just out for themselves. They fail to realize is that if you get to work with better people and have better matches then the house becomes bigger and we can get better payoff’s. Peoples ego’s kill indy wrestling and it fucking sucks. I have been a victim to poltics many times. But I learned if you try to look for answers as to why someone is talking bad about you or why someone does not like you it can make you crazy. I take alot of what goes on in wrestling with a grain of salt. The buisness can make you crazy if you let it. I continue to work hard and stay focused on my goals because one day my hard work will pay off. I will get the break that I feel I deserve. Poltics can only get you so far, it takes the talent to succeed in this buisness as in any sport. Im confident with my ability.
8.What do you offer that would draw people out to see you Wrestle?
I have offer a realistic style of wrestling. I also have the ability to talk people into the seats. One thing I feel that I do better then alot of guys is cutting promos. Any top guy in the buisness are good at promos. I feel this is something I have that alot of guys don’t.
9.What’s something that most people don’t know about you,like a special talent or a hobby of yours?
I write poetry and am very into music.
10. In closing,what drives you to keep going out there every match,where ever you may wrestle & to give it your all each & every time?
What drives me is my drive to be the best. I want to be the best wrestler in the world. I want to make a living off of wrestling one day. My ultimate goal is to go to the WWE. But when I get there I want to be a top guy. I don’t care if there are 10 people in the audience or 10,000 I give it my all each and everytime. My dedication to wrestling and my work ethic towards it will one day let me acomplish my goals.
Check out Gotti’s Myspace and youtube pages,where you can see some matches he has performed in:
http://www.myspace.com/tattooedwrassler
http://www.youtube.com/tattooedwrassler
