Interviews
Exclusive: Madison Eagles Interview w/Neil Wells
Published February 6, 2012 at 11:56 pm by Marek Indyka
(Interview was conducted last year (2011) and was planned for Rumble magazine, some of the questions may be out of date)
Interview by Neil Wells
Madison Eagles is arguably the #1 female wrestler in Australia. She has made a fantastic impression on Australian fans since her debut in 2001, but was also noticed by fans and wrestling insiders alike in the United States after her impressive showing during an OVW tryout in early 2003.
On April 11, 2010 at the tapings of Volume 31, Madison defeated MsChif to become Shimmer champion, the first Australian to do so.
An all-around athlete who has competed in diving and gymnastics, Madison was also a professional Life Saver working on the beaches of Sydney.
I caught up with Madison, to see how things are going for her.
Neil Wells: Hi Madison, thank you for your time.
Madison Eagles: No Problem Neil.
NW: What made you get into pro wrestling?
ME: For the pure love of the sport. From when I first saw wrestling on TV I knew thats what I wanted to do.
NW: Who did you train with?
ME: Originally I started my training with IWA in Australia. From there I branched out to the USA and trained with ex-WWE training schools OVW and HWA. More recently in the past few years I have been training at the PWA school in Sydney, as well as the ROH school in PA. At the moment I train with Chikara in Philly which is VERY challenging, but well worth the gruelling training sessions.
NW: Who has been your greatest inspiration?
ME: By far Ryan Eagles. He has had the most influence on making me a better wrestler then I had ever dreamed I could be. He inspires me every time I step in that ring to do a better job then the time before. I also love watching him wrestle, he comes up with some great stuff that I steal ALL the time. He can work entire matches on the fly, and that is a huge thing that I aspire to do.
NW: You are currently touring USA, how is the independent scene there compared to Australia?
ME: Its a lot bigger. So many more wrestlers and companies in every state. There is also a greater respect for female wrestlers that can actually wrestle which I love.
NW: Do you get much of a chance to do any sightseeing while in USA?
ME: No unfortunately. Wrestling is a job for me here so when you travel to far off places its all about the job, sightseeing rarely crosses my mind.
NW: What other countries have you wrestled in?
ME: Other then Australia and the USA? Japan and in June I am working in Canada for their best all womens company NCW-FF. Hopefully in the near future that answer will change :)
NW: Congratulations on becoming Shimmer champion. How do you approach a big match like that?
ME: It was difficult for me because I was injured with a burst eardrum that had happened the night before. My equilibrium was totally thrown out so anytime I went upside down I lost my direction completely. Going in it was a lot harder work simply because of that. I know I didnt do my best, but I did what I could in that situation, and hey, look where I am now, I have held the belt for over a year now.
NW: You made your Shimmer debut at Volume 21 with Jessie McKay. How was that experience?
ME: It was another difficult time because we were both running on minimal sleep and got strait off the plane to the venue, and had to go make ourselves stand out against 30 (give or take) of the best wrestlers in the world. But we had each other and thats what got us through.
NW: Kellie Skater also wrestles for Shimmer, do the three of you hang out much together?
ME: Yeah... we go a little hyper every time we go to SHIMMER because its like a big family reunion. It's a chance to see all our friends from across the world, that we only see twice a year, and when everyone is broken and bruised and you add alcohol at the end of the long weekend, everyone has an awesome time together.
NW: You have wrestled for Shimmer and Chikara in your current tour, what other federations have you wrestled for?
ME: Inygirlz in NJ, 2CW in NY, RCW in MD, AIW in OH, SlamminLadies in FL.... and many more coming up.
NW: On March 4, 2011 Australia's own Tenille Tayla attended a FCW tryout camp and it was reported that she has signed a developmental contract with WWE. Do you think this will shine more light on Australian female talent?
ME: I would like to think so. Tenille has been wrestling in North America for a while now, and if she reachers her goal of being on WWE TV then yes it would. Sadly the way WWE portrays some of their women, its not about being able to wrestle, but about how you look, but everyone is aware of that. If anyone, male of female, gets a chance to represent Australian wrestling internationally I hope they do us proud.
NW: Would you like to see yourself working for a company like WWE or TNA?
ME: I would not turn down the chance to make more of a living off wrestling. At the moment I am really happy where I am, but would love a full time wrestling job in Japan to be quit honest with you.
NW: Are there any WWE Divas or TNA Knockouts you would like to wrestle?
ME: Kong, again. She was trained in Japan and I really like her wrestling.
NW: There are many critics who say womens wrestling is just a filler for shows. How do you respond to that?
ME: If anything (good) womens wrestling is a gimmick, not a filler. Men who are not good wrestlers are fillers, women are unlike anything else on the show. Just like a hardcore match would stand out, so do women. And if you have good women's wrestlers on the show they can add value to the show. If you think womens matchers are filler your either ignorant or have not seen any good womens wrestling.
NW: An all female federation is starting up here in Australia, called Glamour. Do you think this kind of fed can survive in our small market?
ME: PWWA has made a good deal off DVD sales across the world. I, and all the other girls on the PWWA shows, work so hard to make themselves stand out and try to do the best they can by learning and improving as much as possible. At this point Glamour has stirred the pot of womens wrestling in a not so good way so they have not given themselves the best head start in the business of all female shows.
NW: What would be your advice for any girls wanting to get into wrestling?
ME: Find a a good school to go to. Women are naturally not as suited to wrestling as men, so if you want to be good you need to work twice as hard. Also if you want to be in wrestling for anything other then to be a wrestler, be something else (e.g. Manager) and leave the wrestling to the people who are wiling to work hard.
NW: Is there any chance that Shimmer might tour Australia?
ME: you never know ;)
NW: You also wrestle for PWWA here in Sydney, when might we see you return?
ME: At the moment I am doing much good stuff over here to head back home, so I dont have an answer for that question at this time.
NW: Where can Madison Eagles and Shimmer merchandise be purchased? Can DVDs be purchased here or online?
ME: either on my facebook or at www.rohstore.com
I thank you for your time and wish you all the best for the rest of your tour.
Thanks so much :)
Name: Madison "THE PUNISHER" Eagles
From: Sydney, Australia
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 72kg
Wrestling Style: Chameleon... I can do anything
Finishing Move: Hell Bound (Death Valley Driver onto the Knee)
Debut: 2001
Trained By: IWA - Currently at Chikara, Philadelphia, PA, USA
