Interview with Gravedigger
Travis Johnson: I am conducting an interview with the owner of Total Non-stop Wrestling, Gravedigger. I wanted to ask the owner himself what TNW is really all about, how it came to be, and other important questions you might be wondering. I would like to start off by saying thanks to Gravedigger for sitting down and doing this interview with me.
Gravedigger:Not a problem at all, I’m ready whenever you are.
TJ: Ok, let’s get started right away. Probably the biggest question for any federation is, where, when, and how did the fed get started?
G: It all started in the winter of 2003/2004. Alan and I were sitting in his room watching wrestling. We began talking about how they fake certain moves, or land certain ways so it doesn’t hurt as bad. We decided in the spring we were going to try wrestling each other just for the heck of it. We tried building a ring up in a friend’s garage, it was working well, but it got ruined. So we wrestled on their trampoline for the summer of 2004. We recruited a few new faces, first being Inferno and Exodus, and then Cataclysm and Catastrophe joined later on in the year. This year we have our own trampoline and hoping this season is going to be awesome.
TJ:What are your views on backyard wrestling?
G: I think backyard wrestling is a great past time for youth. It is an excellent way to stay in shape, improves charisma, self-esteem, and attitude. The only thing that frightens me is the fact that some federations out there think its “cool” to hit your friend over the head with a chair until he is unconscious. Weapons are a great thing to use if you know how to use them and not hurt anyone. TNW uses weapons, only to improve storylines and matches. We focus more on the wrestling than weapon usage. The key thing is, take things slow; you’re not going to be a Rey Mysterio or Chris Beniot over night. Don’t ever do a move that you are uncomfortable with, that is the way most wrestlers get injured.
TJ:That’s great advice, but don’t you ever worry about getting hurt?
G: It’s a constant thought in every wrestlers mind. At TNW though, we have great trust in each other, we trust that when another wrestler is doing a move to us, he is going to make sure we are safe. That is the way it has always been around here. Looking out for each other, I think that is the most important thing you can have to keep yourself from getting hurt, trust in your fellow wrestlers.
TJ: What is the worst injury you have gotten while wrestling?
G:I once got kicked right in the face by Josh Uran. You probably don’t recognize the name; he never actually taped with us. This was during a practice match. I am still not sure if my nose was actually broken, but there was lots of blood everywhere.
TJ:That sounds pretty painful. One of the biggest questions I have, and probably constantly in the mind of the fans who follow us, how did you pull off that buried alive match? Were you actually buried alive?
G: (laughs) No, I was never buried alive. That would be extremely dangerous. I never plan to reveal the secret of the TNW buried alive match. I am going to take that secret with me to my grave, no pun intended.
TJ: (laughs) Ok, fair enough. So your now 100% owner of TNW, how do you feel about that.
G:It’s an honor. Alan and I ran it together since the beginning. It just got to be too much having more than one owner. Too many different thoughts going around at once, Alan decided to step down and become full time wrestler. He is still in charge of booking. I am in charge of everything else though.
TJ:So what’s in store for TNW fans in the future?
G: More wrestlers, better storylines, better matches, a DVD, Psycho’s CD, and many more things.
TJ:Sounds like TNW is going to be really coming together this season. Speaking of Psycho though, what are your views on that crazy individual?
G:Psycho is a great person, very nice; he is all about the fans. TNW just would not be the same without him. In fact TNW would not be the same without anyone on our current roster. We all pull our own weight, we all make interesting storylines, we all love the federation.
TJ:What is on that CD of Psycho’s anyway?
G: (laughs) I’m sorry, I can’t tell exactly what’s on it. I can tell you it is very funny. Psycho’s song “I Believe in You Mr. Bear” is on there. Psycho also has a segment where he interviews Alan, which is possibly the most interesting interview I have ever heard. Then there is a segment where Psycho interviews Stuart from Mad TV.
TJ: That sounds like a very funny CD; I can’t wait until that comes out. Well, that’s all the time we have, thanks again for taking time out and doing this interview.
G:Not a problem at all, I would do it again, this was fun.