Interviews
Mason Childs Interview Pt 1
Published November 10, 2011 at 2:59 am by Marek Indyka
Interview by Jason Helton
Helton: So hows it goin eh?
MC: On a scale from 1 to 10, Id say its going about a 7 thanks.
Helton: How long have you been wrestling?
MC: I started training in mid 2002 and made my debut for WCWA (now IPW Australia) in May 2003. So around 9 years.
Helton: How did you get in the business?
MC: Back in 2002 I was right into tape trading. I traded tapes with a guy who lived locally and told me about a show that was 10 minutes from where I was living. I went along with him, they advertised training throughout the show, so I signed up and got into it. Its funny how things work, cause that guy who convinced me to go to the show with him is now my brother in law.
Helton: Who trained you?
MC: Originally I was trained by Hawk, Cruz and BJ Blade at WCWA/MIW. When we broke away and started PWA Queensland I was fortunate enough to be able to train with Chris Hero and Shadow Phoenix. I was lucky enough to have Shadow Phoenix live at my house for three months. We trained almost everyday and it is what shaped me into the wrestler I ended up becoming.
Helton: What did you think of training?
MC: Initial training was alot harder than I thought it'd be. I had no real idea how much went into being able to do a match! I really enjoy any training I can get. If I can learn even the smallest thing, or make a technique better, I am happy. I don't feel there is anyone in Australia who doesn't need to train, or doesn't need to get better. If that were the case, wrestling in this country would be alot better.
Helton: How did your first match go?
MC: My first proper singles match was against BJ Blade, a guy who was a huge influence on my early career and a great friend to this day. In hindsight, BJ led me through the match, I did what I could but the match was all him. At the time he was a top tier guy and one of the best in the country. I was very thankful to wrestle him.
Helton: How did you start up your promotion?
MC: 2006 was an odd time for everyone in Queensland Wrestling. Xtreme Sports Entertainment were about to start up, so alot of guys were training there yet there were no shows. MIW, where alot of the original PWAQ guys came from, went from running weekly shows, to having no shows for 5 months. Over that period I became good friends with PWA Melbourne's Cremator, who suggested the idea to me. It grew on me alot. I ran the idea by Kyote and he was in. We got things underway.
Helton: How did you decide your roster?
MC: At the time, there was myself and Sweet Ass running MIW trainings. It was a very divided group really. There were students who liked my style more than his, and students that liked his style more than mine. I didn't want to do a huge mutiny on MIW, so I only really asked along 4 students, a couple of guys on the MIW roster and a few guys who hadn't wrestled in a while, but didn't want to wrestle for either XSE or MIW. When PWAQ started we didn't have much depth in our local roster, and we did rely on interstate wrestlers quite alot, but the locals did work very hard and became good wrestlers in their own right.
Helton: What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment in wrestling?
MC: Building PWAQ up to what it was in its peak would definitely rate up there.
Helton: What is your greatest regret in wrestling?
MC: Easily not going overseas and giving wrestling a real shot.
Helton: Tell me about Chris Hero
MC: Chris is a great guy. Wrestling Chris always pushed me to be better. When Ive watched back the three matches we had together, there was always something in each I did that I wasn't happy with. I would've liked one more match with Chris but unfortunately it wasn't to be.
Helton: How did you meet and book him?
MC: Chris contacted me back around the end of 2006 through a close friend. He was interested in coming out, doing a show and running a training class. At the time I was with MIW and told management of this, and they flat out said no. When the wheels got in motion for PWAQ, we decided it'd be a cool thing to have him on the first Rise of the Warriors and to train with him as much as we could. It was a great experience and we had Chris come out twice more after that. I was also lucky enough to wrestle Chris for the PWG World Heavyweight Title in his last visit.
Helton: Are you still friends?
MC: We chat from time to time and Id like to hope we are.
Helton: How much hassle did you have getting him to your show as shown on Border Security?
MC: That was the worst. The first problem with it was Chris missed his connecting flight from Sydney to Brisbane, so that had to be re-organized. Then the entertainment visa. I had to write up contracts, fill out 120 page documents, come up with $1000 and get all this faxed off and approved in 24 hours. They only gave Chris clearance 2 hours before show time. It was a very stressful time, coupled with having to run a double header and I also got fired from my job 20 minutes after I got the phone calls from immigration.
Helton: Did the TV exposure help your numbers?
MC: It pretty much stayed the same. Border Security never really named us as a company on TV, just showed screen shots of our website. So we didn't get much exposure at all.
Helton: How did you get involved in SWA?
MC: SWA Promoter Johnny D was working for PWAQ as a manager and was always on about starting something in Newcastle. He finally got things happening and booked his debut show the weekend after Rise 2. I wasn't able to compete on the show due to breaking my arm, but I ended up having one of my first matches back from my broken arm on a show. I look back on it, and I did have a good time there. I got to wrestle the likes of Krackerjack, Shadow Phoenix and Carlo Cannon. Its a shame the way things ended.
Part 2 next week
