Name: Ryan
Age: 26
Hometown: Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Known For: www.discoverwrestling.com
1. When did you first get into wrestling and what was it that drew you to the sport?
I got into wrestling as a little kid, but only really watched it when I got chance at a relative or a friend’s house. I really got hooked when Channel 4 started showing WWF Heat and Channel 5 starting showing WCW Worldwide. After those finished showing, I drifted through fallow years of the occasional DVD and book, before the Internet and full time employment allowed me much easier access to wrestling content. I think what drew me to it was the athleticism and theatrics, I’m a big comics fan and grew up really attached to the classic Batman TV Series, and there is really a lot of similarity between the two of them. So, when I saw the likes of Rey Mysterio and Psychosis going mental on Worldwide, it was like the next best thing! I was always drawn to the highflying guys and they are still the type of wrestling I tend to prefer!
2. Tell us a little about Discover Wrestling and how that came about?
Discover Wrestling was born out of the drive home from the PCW Supershow of December last year, springing out of an idea for a way for us to share videos/matches we liked. CJ and myself were chatting about it whilst belting across the M62 and the wheels were set in motion from that point. I studied writing at university and wanted an outlet for it and what better way than to start a blog! The name stemmed from the desire to share what we liked about wrestling and talk positively about one of our favourite things. After we came up with the idea to start up, we invited our good friend Olli to contribute, and later on our mate Mark was the last addition to the team. We like to blog with a real personal feel and want others to enjoy wrestling as much as we do!
3. If you could book a pro wrestling dream card at the moment who would it feature and why?
Ah! This is a question and a half, I’ll keep it to just six matches or I’ll be here all year.
First off, I’d start with a red hot opener to get the crowd going and I’d have a big tag team turmoil (first pin to win!) match featuring Project Ego, The Models, Frightmare and Hallowicked (Of The Spectral Envoy) and Bad Influence. With Ego, The Models and Bad Influence there would be some hi-jinks going on, but The Envoy would be the glue that would hold it together. It’d really get the crowd excited and probably have them in stitches too.
Next up, I’d have a hard-hitting collision between T-Bone and Akira Tozawa. Bone is just a brilliant heavyweight wrestler and Tozawa just has the IT factor.
To go into the interval, I’d have a first half main event between April Davids and Daniel Bryan, it’d be a technical showcase and if I had the booking pencil, I’d end it as a time-limit- tie and have the crowd desperate for a rematch!
To start the second half, I’d get the crowd in the mood with a battle of the comedic geniuses between Archibald Peck and Mad Man Manson. The two of them are probably my favourite comedic style wrestlers and I wouldn’t be able to leave them off the show.
Penultimately, I’d have a big four way match between a real mixed bag, first up I’d have ‘The Man Gravity Forgot’ PAC (now Adrian Neville in NXT), he’s just an awesome talent and pretty much the guy to watch at the moment. Secondly, I’d jump in a time machine and grab 1997 Rey Mysterio Jr, because those two alone would just be awesome. However for some extra layers of brilliance (like a wrestling lasagne) I’d put in Bubblegum, he can really go and would add a mischievous dynamic to the match. Finally, I’d chuck in Sami Zayn, also of NXT Fame. That would pretty much be a dream match and the thought of it, is pretty much mind-blowing.
Last, but by no means least I’d have THE main event. After all that wrestling action, what better way to top it off with the ultimate match? I’d finish the show with a sixty-minute Iron Man match between Antonio Cesaro and El Ligero. Those two are pretty much at the top of their game right now and it would be a big thick slice of pure goodness to watch those two step up to such an epic match.
Admittedly, this supercard would probably last about five hours, but I’d just love it. It’s a pretty good mix of UK and international talent and I think that says a lot about our site, we try to mix it up as much as possible!
4. What are your Top Three matches of all time and why?
My favourite match of all time is Mick Foley vs. Edge at WM22. It’s just the ultimate in wrestling theatre, a real blockbuster of a match. I can sit and watch it repeatedly, its thrilling viewing and one, which for all the gore and violence, still has a strong story and a really crisp narrative. I wrote an in-depth ‘Match Of The Week’ about it a while ago, you can find it here: http://discoverwrestling.com/2013/02/20/match-of-the-week-mick-foley-vs-edge-wwe-ryan/
Next up, I’d have to go with Eddie vs. Rey at Halloween Havoc in 1997. Its one of the best matches of its type and showcases both guys equally. It’s just a jaw-dropping match. Again, this is just one you can watch on loop and you’ll still notice little nuances that you missed the last time around. It’s just brilliant.
Third place is really difficult as those two are my definite faves, but I’ll go for PAC vs El Generico from PWG All Star Weekend 4 - Night . PAC is awesome. El Generico is awesome. What more do you need to say? A modern classic!
5. Where can our readers find your work and what have you got coming up?
If people want to check us out, they can click on over to www.discoverwrestling.com for all our opinions on wrestling from around the world. Whether you want to find a match recommendation, a review of a UK show or just our thoughts on wrestling in general, it’ll be there! The next shows we are at are the NGW 5th Anniversary Show and the debut show from House Of Pain: Evolution, so you can expect to see reviews of those up in the near future! Also, check back for our regular ‘Match Of The Week’ feature and any other random goodies that crop up.
We are also on Facebook and Youtube at /discoverwrestling and you can follow us on Twitter @discoverwres.
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We'd like to thank Ryan for the fantastic interview!
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