Post by Goldash on Jan 26, 2008 8:59:28 GMT -5
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH...
THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
(Shaun McAndrew and Kyle Stafford)
Q: The Great White North is the URWL's newest tag team. How does it feel jumping from the Canadian indies to a long-term deal with the URWL?
SM: Well, I think it's been great, really. The guys over here in Buffalo have treated us well and the fans over here really love their wrestling, so I guess if we just approach it like any other match...envisioning that arena with only 25 people instead of 25,000, then we'll be fine. We just need to wrestle the matches we used to wrestle in the indies, quality-wise, which may be hard at first, but as we gain expertise I don't think it'll be an issue.
KS: It's a big transition, definitely. A lot of guys, promoters actually, thought we were too small and underweight to wrestle, but as soon as we stepped in that ring, they changed their minds. The wrestling industry is embracing lean, fast-moving talent and moving away from juicers, despite what World Wrestling Entertainment tries to do. In the indies, it was hard to gain respect, but we did. We just want to give the fans the best tag team matches possible, because it's a dying artform. Our time in the URWL, hopefully, will prove that we have the same amount of heart that we did in the indies.
Q: Are you guys familiar at all with our roster? If so, are there any wrestlers you appreciate or would like to have a "dream match" against?
SM: Well, first off, everyone in the Canadian wrestling scene knows about Adrien Carnage and Trent Tail, that's for sure. They started out like we did, just lowly kids wanting to make a living in an industry few really care about...and now, they're in their thirties and in the best financial shape of their lives. As a wrestler, I'd love to step into the ring with Trent, just because I remember seeing him in action during his prime...he was amazing, just re-writing the rule book...dude's got a screw loose, though...since we're in the tag team division, though, I think the match I'm most looking forward toward is against Adrien and The Downfall Syndicate.
KS: Jaime Emo is a guy who's really in the prime of his career right now and I'd like to either team up with him or face him in the ring one of these days. I recently met him as well, after we signed our contracts, and he's a really well-meaning, soft-spoken guy in real life. !nterogative has also been supportive, although he's a beast in the ring...I'd like to face him but I think he'll break my spine in half before I even put a move on him. But, like Shaun said, It'd be a dream of mine to compete with or against Tail and Carnage...those guys are like gods up in Toronto, simply because they were two examples of the Canadian indie scene that "made it".
Q: Who were your heroes, wrestling or otherwise, growing up?
SM: Well, Kyle and I grew up and went to the same high school in Pickering, near Toronto, so we were both into the same stuff growing up. I can't speak for Kyle but I remember we both dug Bret and Owen Hart, just because they were both freaking amazing wrestlers and from Calgary. Also, Edge and Christian Cage were big influences on me, being from Toronto and all - Edge just radiates this energy in the ring that can't be matched. He just wants to go for the kill from the opening bell, and you can't say that about every wrestler that steps between the ropes. As for non-wrestling hero? Well, I played hockey for three years before I discovered wrestling and the guy that I always appreciated as a hockey player was Doug Gilmour, who used to play for the Leafs. He was a classic leader - the dude never gave up.
KS: For the most part, Shaun's right. We did end up liking most of the same wrestlers in high school, like the Harts, Christian and Edge. I also appreciated Chris Benoit as a wrestler, despite how he fucked his life up. I started getting into Lucha Libre, though, after beginning to work indie shows around Canada - through tape trading, mostly. CMLL was and still is some crazy shit, it never ceases to blow my mind. I'd say some of my biggest influences from the Lucha Libre circuit are Juventud Guerrerra and Super Calo. Dudes just go out there every night and blow minds, it's incredible. As for non-wrestling hero...I'd say Neil Peart from Rush, and not just because he's Canadian. As a drummer, I like to think I'm pretty good...but I can't figure out just how the hell he does the stuff he does. He's just that fucking brilliant.
Q: Have you scouted potential URWL tag team opponents yet? If so, how do you plan to go up against them?
SM: The URWL teams are diverse, that's for sure. Every one of them poses an equally different challenge. E.O.E. for example are pure powerhouses from what I've seen. They can dominate matches with only a few moves, and that could be trouble for us if we don't keep it in the back of our minds during a contest. The only thing is, you can't scout the heart and brain of your opponent. The Downfall Syndicate are champions right now just because they've equally brutalized and annoyed their opponents. Like them or not, they have heart. They're gonna be hard to beat, that's for sure.
KS: I don't wanna go into too much detail but, like what Shaun said, the teams are very diverse here. Just like every athlete does, we study film and do it often, just to know what our opponents' tendencies are...it doesn't matter how unique you are, you still develop a style...we're guilty of that, too...but if you study your opponents enough, you'll see what they repeatedly do and try to either stop them or force them into making mistakes.
Q: What plans do you have for your URWL career?
SM: Just to expend all the energy I can every night I'm booked, and maybe to win a championship or two. I mean, it's all fine and good to be a daily worker but you need to keep gunning for that title. It should be in your mind at all times. It should be your inspiration. If you're not in the wrestling business to win a title, that's fine by me, but you don't gain the attention and respect of the fans without doing so. Look at Jaime Emo, for example. If Jaime didn't win the Internet Title at Asphyxiation, I'm not sure he'd be as popular as he is...I mean, he won the match dramatically and got a prize for it. It's like eating cereal and getting a free toy or something like that. I'd also like to try some solo action in the HighFlyer division during the time we're competing in the tag team division...it'll at least give me some versatility in the minds of the fans.
KS: To give every paying customer the best match and show possible. I don't care much about the gold, but if I win a title, fine. The URWL is taking huge risks by signing "undersized" guys like us and Kuleshov, the MMA fighter, for example, so Shaun and I want to prove that the risk is only on paper. I want the URWL fans to appreciate us as wrestlers and people. I want to be the hero of that kid in the thirty-second row, or that teenager in the nosebleeds, just like Owen and Chris, God rest their souls, did for me. I've always believed that you will leave more of an impression with hard work in the ring than with what character you play. We're both "no-gimmick-needed" types of wrestlers, anyway. We're all about our in-ring professionalism than our out-of-ring bullshit, so that will remain a-number-one on our agenda: just giving it all to the fans. I, also, would like to try some HighFlyer Division matches out, the division needs some help and I'll be more than eager to put my hat in contention for CobrA's belt.
