Has your look on the wrestling business changed since you started your own wrestling school in Oct 2005?
I've found myself becoming even more critical of little details when I'm watching wrestling since I became a trainer. For a lot of wrestlers things become second nature, but when you're training people you're forced to look at the mechanics of every little move. I think doing so has also improved me as a worker. It's also allowed me to see a whole other side of the business. During my first classes first match I was more nervous for them than I've ever been for a match of my own. And when they did such a great job it was a feeling of pride and accomplishment that I've never experienced before.

What made you want to start your own school?
I've wanted to start my own wrestling school for a few years now, and owning my own wrestling ring has always been a dream of mine. I tried to start a school up in Calgary but just couldn't get everything in place. I feel like I've been lucky to have a lot of knowledge passed on to me by some of the greats in this business (Leo Burke, Bret Hart) the school was my opportunity to give something back and pass that on.

Can you compare all three of the Wildman Academy classes that have finished training so far?
Every class has been different but that's to be expected. I don't think it's really fair to try to compare them. I feel like I've been very lucky with the students at the Halifax school so far. For the most part they've been a pleasure to teach.

Who do you feel has been the top student to graduate from your school?
Right now Jeff Young aka Tommy Ozbourne. I've had some very talented students, but Jeff was the one guy that just caught on to everything right away in training. I didn't tell him at the time because I didn't want him to get a big head (I now know I don't have to worry about that with him) but I was convinced that he had secretly been trained before coming to me and was kayfabing me about it. He was just a complete natural, and he even taught ME a few things while HE was in training. For that reason I'd have to put him at the top. Jeff is someone that reminds me A LOT of myself when I was breaking into the business, so I've got that connection with him as well.

Have you been disappointed with the effort of any of your students have been putting in since they graduated from the school?
Yes I have. I make it clear through training that each person has got to be going that extra mile if they want to get booked and make a serious career out of wrestling. Not everyone seems to be willing to do that unfortunately. But you only get out of this business what you put into it.

Your thoughts on Krysta being the only student to get booked full time on both of the GPW tours this summer.
I was extremely proud of her. I knew that she'd do great and that it was an amazing opportunity for her. She works hard and she earned her spot. I think she has what it takes to be the next Sarah Stock.

Why did you pick Tony Armstrong to run the fourth class at the Wildman Academy?
I think very highly of Tony Armstrong as a person and as a wrestler. When the Moncton school came together I knew I had a decision to make about the Halifax school. I really didn't want to close it down, the Halifax school will always be special to me. There was still a lot of interest in the school so I knew as long as I could find someone reliable to run classes when I couldn't be there, it could be done. I would never have kept it open if I didn't have someone that I trusted completely to give the kind of training I give to all of my students. Tony has been helping out at my school since it opened and I knew he was the perfect person for the job. He was the one guy that would show up every weekend without being asked to just to help out and improve his game. He's been doing a great job with the new class. He does a fantastic job at disciplining the students, better than anyone I know, including myself.

Was becoming the first WWR champ special to you, or was it just another title?
Anyone who knows me knows that I'd rather work the first match of the night then the main event any day. There's a lot of guys in this business that only want to be in the main event title situation, I'm not one of them. I don't mean to say it meant nothing to me, any time someone puts their faith in you to be "the man to beat" in their promotion it's a huge compliment to a wrestler. I think what meant more to me was getting the chance to step into the ring with Bobby Roode again. Unfortunately I wasn't happy at all with my performance that night, but everyone has an off night. I also want to thank the fans for singing happy birthday to me when the match was over, it's always great to see the fans having a connection like that with you.

You were a part of the first Maritime Cup in 2003. What are your thoughts on how big it has become and what it means to Maritime wrestling
I think it's great, it's become like the "Wrestlemania" of Maritime Wrestling. Any time you have an event where people from all over the Maritimes are traveling for hours to attend a show, you know you've got something special. Hopefully the tradition will continue in years to come.

What are your thoughts on IHW and how it is run
IHW has treated me very well and I'm extremely grateful for all of the opportunities they've given to my students. I don't necessarily agree with a lot of the decisions they make, but they've been very accommodating to me, and are doing well for themselves. I'd like to see them be a little more receptive to outside ideas as I think it would help them out a lot in the long run.

Who do you think is the top IHW talent?
If we're talking people who came into the territory through IHW, then Titus, Julien, Suave, and Sidewinder. It's no mistake that those 4 are being booked with WWR, they've shown us that they have what it takes.

Your thoughts on Titus following in the footsteps of Bobby Roode and Brody Steele by winning the 3rd Maritime Cup
I think it was a great opportunity for him. Titus has a lot of potential. Winning the Maritime Cup solidified his position as a force to be reckoned with in this territory. I hope to see him take his career to the next level.

What are your thoughts on WWR adding a cruiserweight title?
I was all for it. I think it adds something extra to the matches with the younger guys. It gives their matches more of a purpose, and is a great addition/attraction for WWR.

Your thoughts on Sarah Dunsworth as a wrestling promoter
She's been amazing, the success of her shows speak for themselves. In a city where most promotions are lucky to draw 100 people, Sarah has drawn great crowds.

Are you happy with the progress that WWR has made so far?
Absolutely. If we're talking the TV series, a year after we first started talking about it we had an offer for a big TV deal made, that's huge. I think we're doing things right in taking it slow and making sure we handle it right. The TV industry is new to all of us, but we've been lucky to get some great advice from a lot of big names in the industry. If we're taking the promotion, WWR shows have been successful in a way no one else has in this area for years.

Walk us through what you were thinking during the Buddy Lane incident at the Maritime Cup
I didn't really know what to think, I was frustrated. We all just tried to cover it up the best that we could. It's all part of the Wild Driver curse.

Your thoughts on the gym being an integral part of a wrestler?
Anybody that thinks they can be a wrestler and not be in the gym is an idiot, it's as simple as that. You don't need to look like a body builder, but you do need to be an athlete and to look like you can handle yourself in the ring. Even when Tony Armstrong was 400 pounds he had great in ring cardio. No one wants to pay money to see someone wrestle that looks like a wimp. There's no excuse to not be in the gym.

Your thoughts on how important being properly trained is in pro wrestling
It's everything. Being trained properly is your foundation. When you're in a match with someone, they're entrusting you with their safety, if you're not properly trained you're going to hurt yourself or someone else, it's as simple as that. I've also noticed that guys that do backyard wrestling tend to have a terrible attitude when it comes to the wrestling business. Wrestling is no place for attitude and egos behind the scenes. From a training standpoint, guys that have done backyard wrestling are often harder to train than guys with no ring experience at all. You have to break them of the bad habits they have picked up and in some cases that's not easy.

Is there anyone you still go to for advice?
If I do need advice on anything I usually talk it over with Peter Smith. I'm at the point in my career where I can usually make my own mind up on things, but if I need another view on something I usually talk to Pete about it, he's always helpful to put things into perspective.

Someone that works 7 days a week but makes $20-$30 a night or someone that makes decent money but works 6 times a year, Which do you consider to be the professional wrestler?
They both are if they're both trained. Early in someone's career if they're working 7 days a week it's worth it to only get paid a small amount of money. I don't agree with anyone working for free, but as long as you're being given something it's paying your dues and you'll eventually get to the point where you can ask for more money.

Who is the top pro wrestler in world John Cena because he makes the most money or Chris Benoit because he is the best in ring talent?
The guy with the talent. There's been lots of cases of guys being paid a lot of money in this business when they weren't anywhere near the top of the game. That just means they got a good contract, and good for them, but the top guy to me is the guy with the talent, because he's making a lot of money too.

Being able to wrestle or looking like a bodybuilder what is more important?
That's kind of a tricky question. Looking like a bodybuilder isn't important. Looking like a wrestler is. That being said wrestling ability is probably more important because with most people it's easier to work on getting a good look than it is to develop wrestling skill if they don't have it. I don't think you need to look like a bodybuilder at all. I miss the variety in wrestling that seems to be lacking these days. The fat guys, the bodybuilder guys, the guys that just looked like wrestlers, all the different gimmicks.

Your thoughts on Mike Hughes making his debut in WWR at the August show
It was a great business decision to bring him back. Personally it was good to have him back in our circle of talent, and hopefully we'll continue working with him in the future.

Why did you not wrestle full time on the GPW tour this year?
I've got other priorities in my life now and going on tour full time just wasn't a possibility. I had too many responsibilities between the school and managing a security firm in Moncton. On the plus side, my not being there opened up a spot for some younger guys to get in there and get experience, so I think it worked out for the best.

Any closing comments?
If you want to get trained go to wildmanacademy.com, you can find links to both the Halifax school and the Moncton school there. Also, look for Cathy and I as extras in the Trailer Park Boys movie opening next week. You can see us in the party scene at J-Roc's place. Other than that keep supporting Maritime Wrestling...

Name Association

Tony Armstrong - Great friend, great wrestler. Runs a mean warm up. I want the moustache back.

Krysta Lynn Scott - Beautiful, talented, dedicated, she's got it.

Tommy Ozbourne - Can't say enough good things about Jeff, he's making a trip to OVW this fall, and I know it'll be a great experience for him. It's completely up to him where he goes, the sky is the limit for him.

New Scott - He's earned everyone's respect. Does so much for wrestling here, he helped bring Maritime wrestling back to life after it crashed in 2002. Thanks New Scott.

Jason Holiday - Personally I love the guy, needs to have a better attitude when it comes to wrestling though.

Sarah Stock - The best female wrestler in the world. Very glad that my girls got a chance to work out with her and learn from her while she was here. She's a great role model and she should be making big money on TV right now.

Jeff Dupre - Very different from his brother.

Damien Spades - Glad to see that he's in the gym now, keep at it bro.

Jamie Hamilton - Put 20 pounds on this guy and look out. Talented and working hard to put on some size, very proud of him.

Aarron Matthews - Seemed to lose a lot of his focus and motivation once he completed training. I'm hoping to see him get some of that back and step up his game soon. Even though your training is done, I'll always be your trainer. Keep in touch and don't hesitate to get in touch for advice.

Chris Madison - One of the most determined and dedicated students to come to my school. He's going to be big in a few years. One of my top students. Stay away from the catnip though haha.

Purity Saint - Love the girl. She worked so hard through training and I couldn't have been happier with her first match. Going to miss the hell out of her while she's out west, but she's got a great opportunity to learn a lot from Sexy Sam and the rest of the MPW crew while she's there.

Tim Kimball - Very nice guy, it was a pleasure teaching him at the school.

Sean Walker - Coming to the Academy has done a lot for him. Nice guy even though he's retarded haha. He's got a very big heart, which has allowed people to take advantage of him in the past. He's surpassed all of my expectations of him. Just needs to work on his confidence and learn to focus in the ring.

Chris Cooke - at 17 years old, the guy is huge, and extremely talented. If he plays his cards right he's got the wrestling business by the balls.

Ryan Grosvenor - Seems to really have his heart set on wrestling. Just needs to work on getting all the ring time he can to polish his skills.

Norman Ross - Reminds me of Cactus Jack, and the only trainee I've ever given a nickname (Cactus). If he keeps up the good work and gets all the ring time he can I'm sure he'll find his place in wrestling.

Jeremy Cross - In order to be successful he's going to have to work hard to find a gimmick that works for him. Great guy, always very respectful. Good luck and stay in touch.

Sexton Phoenix - He's got the strongest charisma out of all of my students. He's been a huge help at the Maritime Wrestling Academy while Peter Smith has been out of the country. He's never treated me with anything but 100% respect, but I think he needs to be careful about being overconfident at times so he doesn't burn any bridges.