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Interview with Drew Cordeiro (english)

Interview

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Published on:
12.06.2012, 00:25 
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CAGEMATCH: Since our last Interview Beyond Wrestling has really grown. You have good relationships to different promotions and work close with them, you have moved from Ohio to New England and you have held your first live events. How has Beyond Wrestling changed in the last two years or is it basicly the same as two years ago?

Drew Cordeiro: We've made some major changes since our last interview and almost all of them have been positive. As you mentioned, we moved operations from the Midwest (which was oversaturated at the time) to the Northeast (which is oversaturated in a totally different way). Our internet presence is stronger than ever and http://www.youtube.com/beyondwrestling is currently the fifth most watched YouTube channel for any wrestling promotion in the world. We've helped to raise the profile of competitors like ACH, Aaron Epic, Chris Dickinson, and Matt Tremont. We've attracted some of the top athletes in the country including Drew Gulak, Sugar Dunkerton, Pinkie Sanchez, as well as former WWE developmental wrestlers. Less than a dozen of the guys that we worked with in 2010 are still with Beyond Wrestling.

How did the wrestlers in New England react to Beyond Wrestling when you moved there?

The New England scene is drastically different than anywhere else I've worked. In a way it almost operates entirely in it's own bubble. Not many of the wrestlers are proactive in finding work outside of the area. The only goal is to work with WWE. With that said, there are some really talented competitors in the Northeast. Guys like Brian Fury, Julian Starr, Matt Taven, Taka Suzuki, and Biff Busick are highly skilled and I wouldn't be surprised to see them turn up in WWE some day. However, that doesn't mean that they are incompatible with the genre of independent wrestling. In fact, the wrestlers that we have been lucky enough to work with thus far have a somewhat progressive mindset and are using Beyond Wrestling as a platform to branch out. I can't say enough good things about the New England Pro Wrestling Academy, where we have been hosting our studio tapings for the last 8 months. Brian Fury is the head trainer and is producing well-rounded students who are far more skilled in the ring than their amount of experience would indicate.

What was the reason for your decision to do live shows instead just shows in front of wrestlers?

There were a number of reasons. In a sense I felt we were starting to plateau and hoped that running live events would help us reach a new audience. We also had established a substantial fanbase just by releasing footage from our private tapings. The amount of requests to run live events became more and more frequent. We couldn't deny our most loyal supporters. Running a live event also helped us further legitimize our organization. In the eyes of our detractors, without running shows for the fans, there was no way that we could ever be considered a real promotion, despite the undeniable influence we've had on the industry.

Speaking of live shows, your next one will be on June 16, when you return to Cleveland, Ohio to co-promote an event with Saint Louis Anarchy. How did that cooperation come about?

We've worked with Davey Vega, Pierre Abernathy, Evan Gelistico, and Gary Jay in the past. They don't get nearly enough credit for the amount of time they spend working on their craft and I respect their level of devotion. St. Louis Anarchy has put on some unbelievable cards in the last year that have seemingly gone under the radar for whatever reason. I'm hoping to put more eyeballs on their organization while demonstrating that it can be mutually beneficial to collaborate with other independent wrestling promotions. It's a shame more companies can't work together!

Why will it be in Cleveland?

As you may know, Beyond Wrestling's second ever live event was the first half of a double header with Absolute Intense Wrestling in Cleveland, Ohio. Not surprisingly, we had a rather strong reception as a result of our Midwest roots. It was decided that Beyond Wrestling would come back to Cleveland as frequently as possible to show our appreciation for the fans that have supported us the longest. We are once again returning thanks to the help of our friends from AIW. This cooperative effort also means bringing a number of fresh faces to the area for the very first time.

A few months ago you held a training with Mike Quackenbush and taping at the Chikara Wrestle Factory. How did that come about and how was Quack's response to Beyond Wrestling?

One of the benefits of holding tapings closed to the public means the wrestlers remain ringside to watch every bout. When that contest is done, the competitors are provided with instant feedback from their peers. This is a great learning experience which allows the wrestlers to improve at a quicker rate. Everyone on the roster is willing to learn and eager to get better. In my opinion, the top wrestling school in the country is the Chikara Wrestle Factory, so it was a no brainer to link up with them for a workshop. The in-ring seminar lasted almost five hours which is almost double the length of an average clinic. This was followed by a two hour lecture where "The Master Of A Thousand Holds" shared two decades worth of wisdom with our roster. It was an overwhelmingly postive experience and I can't recommend Quack's classes enough. If any aspiring pro wrestlers have the opportunity to train at the Chikara Wrestle Factory they would be foolish to pass it up. I wouldn't feel comfortable speaking on behalf of Mike, but I am under the impression that he understands the potential of the Beyond Wrestling project. In a lot of ways I think the early days of CHIKARA and the early days of Beyond Wrestling are very similar.

Will there be future cooperation between CHIKARA and you?

Yes, absolutely.

Why do you think these good relationships with other companies are so important? Are there other companies to which you have such good relationships?

I would wager that there are less than 100,000 fans of independent wrestling worldwide. There is not a lot of money in wrestling, if any, because of the limited appeal. Working with other organizations allows promotions to pool together resources, share talent, and explore different ideas. At the end of the day, this only serves to improve the product, which in turn ensures giving the fans the best possible value. You'd be surprised by some of the companies we will be working with later this year.

Due to the moving from Ohio to New England and also because of the time that has passed, there are a lot of new guys in Beyond. Who do you think are the guys on your roster today, that could get a bigger name in the indies, like Chris Dickinson did before his injury? Or do you think there are guys that could be even ready for WWE?

Drew Gulak reminds me of Bryan Danielson in a lot of ways. Only recently is he starting to show just how versatile he truly is. He's been around a long time but he's still so young. Mark Angel is strong, agile, intelligent, vocal, and is willing to do whatever it takes to "make it" in wrestling. If he can stay healthy then the sky is the limit. Sugar Dunkerton is ready to prove he's more than an afro and a basketball jersey. He's such an underrated striker and he has the rare ability to make a real connection with an audience. It is only a matter of time before guys like Jonny Mangue, Darius Carter, and Anthony Stone blow up. Sometimes it really is about being in the right place at the right time. I would bet money that Julian Starr and Matt Taven will be signed to WWE developmental contracts withhin the next two years. I hope they can match up with the best on the indies before they move on.

You had some sort of IPPV, but it wasn't live. Would a live IPPV be an option for Beyond Wrestling?

"Gospel of the Boards" was not live to avoid the very real possibility of production errors. Because the show was taped closed to the public, it was presented spoiler-free. The studio tapings certainly lend themselves to the iPPV format. Fans might not be able to attend, but they could watch the bouts in real time from the comfort of their home while we maintain the authenticity of the unique atmosphere which put Beyond Wrestling on the map. The format is still very flawed and I don't think there is enough of a demand to justify the expenses at this time, but once Smart Mark Video starts hosting iPPVs, it is something we will once again consider.

Why are you commentating under the name Denver Colorado? Why not Los Angeles California or New York City New York?

"Denver" is a real name. I've never met anyone named "Los Angeles" or "New York." Not that I've ever met anyone named Denver in person, either, but that is besides the point. For what it's worth, I used to rock a Colorado Avalanche jersey growing up and my initials are DC. Taking the time to explain this made me feel really stupid. I thought it was a good parody of dumb wrestling names at the time. At least my catchphrase rules.

What does the future hold for Beyond Wrestling? Where do you see Beyond in five years?

I couldn't tell you with absolute certainty but the day we stop growing is the day we pull the plug on the project. So we're either going to be huge or history. Maybe both.

In our last interview we asked you at the end for match recommendations. I'm sure that there have been some new great matches in Beyond Wrestling during the last two years. What do you recommend this time?

- Darius Carter vs. Josh Thor from the "Burst The Bubble" studio taping - http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxoVCI5sHU8
- Sugar Dunkerton & Taka Suzuki vs. Bill Carr & Ken Scampi from the "Off The Grid" studio taping - http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=g84imYMNkrU
- Mark Angel vs. Anthony Stone from the "World Of Hurt" studio taping - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1awa2xbW3Y4
- The entire Tournament For Tomorrow featuring AR Fox vs. ACH - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00E96C1A9D99F373

Okay, I think we asked you enough questions. Many thanks for answering the questions. But before we get you off the hook, I'd like to play a little word association game again. I'll give you some keywords and you just tell us what comes to your mind:

Chris Dickinson:
Tragic
ACH: Superstar
CHIKARA: Inspiring
Johnny Gargano: Heart
wXw: Karsten Beck
Germany: wXw
CAGEMATCH.net: Germany
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