How are you?

I'm great.

Is Chris Hero your real name?

Real name, my parents picked my gimmick when I was in the womb.

Can you describe yourself in three words?

Crazy Sexy Cool.

What’s the biggest difference between Chris Hero, the pro wrestler and Chris Hero, the person?

The real person sleeps a lot more.

When was your pro wrestling debut and what memories do you have of it?

September 12th, 1998, I don't remember much, but it wasn't a good match.

How did you feel afterwards?

I felt good.

What do you like best about being a pro wrestler?

I like being able to entertain people. It's a thrill being "on stage" and being able to do something you love.

What do you like the least about being a pro wrestler?

The toll that it takes on your body isn't very nice.

What’s the definition of a "hero", according to you?

To me, a hero is someone that you are so enamored with that you strive to make your life like that person's life. I think who is a hero and who is not a hero really depends on the individual.

What’s up with the "Donkey Conga"?

Found a sample version of the game at a Toys R Us and became mesmerized. Shane Storm purchased the thing and we all had a get together and played the dumb thing.

Some time ago I’ve seen a picture of you taking a look at the www.dutchwrestling.nl website. What do you think of that site and what were you reading?

I was thinking that Dutch people should always speak English to make things easier on myself. :-)

You’re wrestling on the independent circuit. In my opinion, the independent circuit has changed a lot during the last few years. Now it seems like that an organization doesn’t have its own roster of talent. A wrestler wrestles in organization A this week and in organization B next week. This way I think it’s hard for an organization to establish its own identity. How do you feel about this?

It's a catch 22. It would be nice for wrestlers to be exclusive to a certain promotion, but promotions don't have enough money to tie wrestles down with contracts i.e. make it worth their while to wrestle only for one promotion. On the other hand I think it's great that guys get to travel so much and work in front of so many different crowds. You gain a lot of experience that way.

Traveling the world and wrestling on the independent circuit, you must come across wrestlers you’ve never heard of before. Wrestlers you might have to work with in the ring. Are you concerned about wrestling "unknown" wrestlers as far as your health and well being is concerned?

I'm not really worried about that. As long as the "unknown" wrestler in question is respectful to myself and the other wrestlers there won't be a problem. I know how to take care of myself if my well being was at stake, but I stay smart and keep away from those situations.

You wrestle for a lot of independent promotions. You seem to use a different entrance theme for every promotion. Why is that?

Well, it depends on what I feel like coming out to. It gives me a different kind of feel before my matches. My three favorites are Dead and Bloated, Holding out for a Hero and Certain Shade of Green.

What do you think of the European independent scene? How does it compare to the American independent scene?

I think there are several talented guys but there isn't nearly enough GOOD training out there. A good chunk of guys have basically trained themselves, not because they think they can do it, but because there aren’t many options. Over here, in most regions, there are schools every few hours it seems. It helps, but I am still very picky about training and I don't recommend many schools.

You’re currently wrestling for CHIKARA. What is it like wrestling there?

CHIKARA has a very different feel, a diverse atmosphere that just gives off a cool vibe. CHIKARA is not the typical indy and I think that's one of the things that makes it special here.

You’re also active as a trainer. Other trainers include Mike Quackenbush and Skayde. What’s your role in the training program? Does each trainer teach specific aspects?

When Skayde is here, he's the man. He trains Mike, myself and all of our students. When it is Mike and myself, we just go back and forth and try to give the students a good all around training experience.

You’ve also wrestled for Juggalo Championship Wrestling. What was it like and what memories do you have of it?

I had a great time. We went on tour and were treated like rock stars. A lot of fun and good times.

Is JCW run like any other professional wrestling promotion?

It was run more like a concert but there were enough good wrestlers on the shows to give the fans, wrestling or ICP, a good show.

How do you rate the Insane Clown Posse as wrestlers?

I don't. They are masters of marketing and self promotion, more power to them. They wrestle to have fun, not to be the best wrestlers ever and they have the money to do what they want.

Most European fans know you from your matches in Westside Xtreme Wrestling. How did you get into contact with wXw?

I worked for a promotion called IWW In Hannover in 2000. I made several contacts and once I had made more of a name for myself in the states, Sigmasta Rappo helped organize a small tour for myself and Madman Pondo in January/February of 2002. Thanks Sigi!

What are your thoughts on wrestling for wXw?

I always had a great time. When I was there wXw was like a family to me and I really felt like I had made a positive impact on the promotion, the fans and the wrestlers. It was good being part of something special.

How do you feel about the wXw fans standing so close to the ring? Do you have to alter your wrestling style knowing the fans are so close to the action?

A good wrestler can adjust his style to fit any situation.

What’s your favorite match from your time in wXw and why?

So hard to say. I was very happy with the 2/3 falls match with Homicide, the 4 way with SMH and Quack was special in many different ways. I think the singles match I had with Double C was my favorite. It wasn't our best match but there was so much emotion and he beat me with my own hold. It was a passing of the guard of sorts. Kinda like when Double C left and passed the torch to Brookside, oh wait....

What do you mean?

That was a sarcastic remark. I will try to explain what I mean. I think Double C had done an excellent job carrying the wXw title and representing the promotion. As he grew, I think the title and the reputation of wXw grew as well. Brookside is an awesome wrestler and some may think it gives the title more credibility because it is held by such a well known veteran, but I think it's important to have the title defended on as many shows as possible. Robbie is a very busy man and I know that wXw is not his top priority. I think the wXw title should be held by someone who represents the company better than anyone else. The title ended up in an outsider's hands when it could have greatly elevated one of the "homegrown" wXw wrestlers. It will have been 3 times before Brookside has defended the title and I don't think the "value" of the title will have increased one bit. When Claudio moved to the US he asked to take the belt with him so he could hold it on shows...like CHIKARA and IWA Mid South's biggest annual show, the Ted Petty invitational. They did not give him the belt because they needed to repair it. He came back to defend it against Brookside and the title had not been repaired in any way. They could have had so much more exposure but they kind of bit themselves in the ass.

One of your last matches in wXw was the 60 minute iron man match you’ve had with CM Punk. To me, the match was awesome. At first I was worried about a match lasting 60 minutes, but the two of you made 60 minutes go by like 60 seconds: it was non stop action. You, on the other hand, were not completely satisfied with the match. Why?

It had been a year since Punk and I had met in the ring and we'd both changed a significant amount. It didn't have the same feel that our old matches had and I think I wrestled like crap.

There are rumors that something went down between you and wXw management. Is there any truth to those rumors and if so, what’s going on? Will you be back in wXw?

I will answer these questions together. There was a situation where I was treated unfairly. In the past in similar situations I have been a pushover but I've grown and learned to stand up for myself and that's where the problem occurred. I would love to be back in a wXw ring. I know I helped put wXw on the map and helped many of their stars in the ring and out and I feel I can do so much more. Until this situation is corrected, which may never happen, I won't wrestle for wXw.

You’ve won numerous championship titles. What does a championship belt mean to you?

It depends on the title. I am proud of my title reigns. Not necessarily proud of winning the title and being the "best" wrestler in the promotion, but I'm proud of the fact that I think I've done a good job representing each promotion where I've held a title. Being a titleholder puts you in a rough spot. The pressure is on and everyone is looking for you to mess up (fans, fellow wrestlers, etc.)

Would you accept a WWE contract if it came with a gimmick you wouldn’t be comfortable with?

I would put a lot of thought into it. I think if done the right way, I could make anything work. It would be a learning experience and I'm always trying to be the best at whatever I do. Would I accept the contract, who knows? The situation would have to present itself for me to give a truthful answer.

What are the five highlights of your career thus far?

In no specific order:
1.wrestling in Japan
2.wrestling so frequently in Europe
3.having students and being proud of them
4.being able to show my mom that I was on a trading card
5.building a reputation in the business that speaks for itself

If you could pick any five wrestlers to have a singles match with, who would those wrestlers be?

No specific order: Toshiaki Kawada, Dean Malenko, Johnny Saint, Ric Flair, Virgil (payback time buddy)

Payback time? What went down between you and Virgil?

As much as I would like to give away the story, all I will say is this: Buy the PWG DVD of "The Next Show" (September 2004). My promo will tell you the story :-)

If you have to define your career by one match, what is the match you would want people to see to let them know what you’re all about?

Normally I would say the 93 minute match, but so much time has passed and I'm such a different wrestler now. The match I was most happy with in recent memory was a two out of three falls I had with student/fellow wrestler Double C Claudio Castagnoli in Darwen, England for GPW. I thought we both put on a great performance, waking up the crowd from a long show and generating an Al Snow pop with the closing minutes of the match.

What do you consider to be an Al Snow pop?

Al Snow taught me that the original meaning of pop was when the roof came off and the crowd exploded. Nowadays people refer to any reaction from the crowd as a pop. Since then I try to say "reaction" instead of overusing the term "pop".

Word association

I hate Word association so I'm going to change this one around, hope you don't mind....

Mike Quackenbush: I think Quack is a very talented and smart individual. It's a pleasure to share discussions with him and he knows his stuff.
Dean Malenko: Malenko is someone I wish could have had a long run on top. His wrestling always seemed so fluid and I think if he always had the intensity that he had in his series with Jericho he would have been a much bigger star.
Double C: Claudio defines student of the game. He is always growing, learning and keeping me on my toes. Watching him grow inspires me to bust my ass so he doesn't completely close the teacher/student gap and leave me in the dust... Oh yeah, he's a great friend too that has the tendency to be a bit on the moody side. He's no Mark Wolf though, whew!
Emil Sitoci: I'll be honest, The first few times I met Emil, I didn't care much for him. I knew he had talent but something told me to give him a chance and I'm glad I did. He surpassed all of my expectations and made me very proud along the way.
Mark Wolf: I miss Mark Wolf. Some of his brain may be nonexistent nowadays from several concussions but he has a great mind for the business and hasn't realized his true potential in the ring and out. I cross my fingers and hope he heals up and leaves a lasting impression on the business. He has the ability to.
Trik Davis: Watch IWA's "We Are Family 2003" and then watch the January 05 Highland show and you will see a transformation. Trik wants it and I know deep down that all his hard work will pay off in the end. You will know Trik Davis.

You've added two names to the word association, namely Mark Wolf and Trik Davies. Why is it important to you that these two names are included?

I just picked a few people that I wanted to talk about. No real reason, but they were the first two that came to mind.

Chris Hero, thanks for your time to do this interview. To end this interview, the stage is all yours. Anything you’d like to say to the European wrestling fans and/ or anyone else who’s reading this interview?

I've been very busy over the last few months but I always look forward to hearing from fans. You're more than welcome to e-mail me at chrishero@chrishero.com. ChrisHero.com is the site and I have a good webmaster who is going to take the time to help me update everything.

Thank you for all your support and I will continue to do my best to be the best. Take care.

CH