Eric Priest (english)

CAGEMATCH: Eric, how did you create the whole Underwear Model gimmick?

ERIC PRIEST: Danny Dominion – one of my trainers – came up with the name. We were sitting around talking about my character and we had nothing. Actually, I was trying to be a tough guy, I wanted a “Stone Cold” type name.

CAGEMATCH: It seems like Danny did not like that.

ERIC PRIEST: No, he started laughing and said: “Dude, you are not a tough guy, you’re too pretty. You should be like ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ Boy or The Underwear Model.” We started laughing and I was like “Yeah, I could wrestle in my underwear and I could do this and that”. So we decided to give it a shot. Six years later, I am still in my underwear! As goofy as the name is, it is a blessing because people remember “the underwear guy”. Plus it’s instant heat.

CAGEMATCH: How did your special ring introduction with all those nicknames come into being?

ERIC PRIEST: I came up with the first four names; the others – like “The Count of Monte Fisto” – are stolen from the movie “Rocky IV”. Apollo Creed – one of its characters – used a lot of names in his ring introduction. I always thought it was cool and I figured out that it would work: Apollo was a cocky arrogant performer – just like me.

CAGEMATCH: What made you want to get into pro wrestling?

ERIC PRIEST: I fell in love with wrestling during a press conference with Mr. T and Hulk Hogan, leading up to Wrestlemania I. I was a huge fan of the A-Team and my dad watched the interview and called me into the room. That was all I had to see and I was hooked on wrestling. Ever since I picked up my first weight (by the way: a Mr. T weight set), it was with the purpose of becoming a wrestler. It is all I’ve ever wanted to be.

CAGEMATCH: How did your family react?

ERIC PRIEST: They thought I was nuts. I did not even tell then I was training until I was ready to have my first match. Now that I have reached some level of success, they kind of understand and are proud of me, but my mom can’t wait until I quit.

CAGEMATCH: Where did you get trained?

ERIC PRIEST: I was trained at Chicago’s Steel Domain by Danny and Ace Steel. It was not hard to start. I felt it was something I had to do. The Domain guys were happy to have me because I had a look that most new guys do not have. Training was hard but I never had any doubts about starting. Recently I have continued training with Kevin Quinn, he was the head trainer for the New Japan Dojo in CA.

CAGEMATCH: Was it hard to start wrestling?

ERIC PRIEST: Everyone thinks wrestling is easy, it is not. It is incredibly hard on the body and mind. I love seeing new guys come to camp all cocky and full of themselves, then they try and bump around and they look like they are about to cry. They cannot believe that a) it hurts that bad, and b) it is hard to learn.

CAGEMATCH: Who had the most influence on your style and attitude?

ERIC PRIEST: It is hard to say. I do not wrestle like either of my trainers. Danny taught me the business aspect of wrestling, Ace had more to do with my in ring learning. Danny probably nurtured my persona the most, simply by showing me what to focus on.

CAGEMATCH: What was it like to wrestle in front of a live crowd for the first time?

ERIC PRIEST: I have always craved the spotlight and I am pretty confident. But it was scary going out in front of a crowd that didn’t know me, not one friendly face in the crowd! But having my friends in the back and wrestling someone I was comfortable with helped. The match actually went OK.

CAGEMATCH: The casual wrestling fan doesn’t know much about Independent wrestling in the Midwest – except for some famous names like Chris Hero, Colt Cabana and CM Punk. Can you give us a brief overview about the wrestling scene in the Chicago/Midwest area?

ERIC PRIEST: There are too many wrestlers! Honestly, the wrestling scene is a bit diluted right now but there are names, like the ones you mentioned, that rise above the rest and make the scene better.

CAGEMATCH: After only 18 months in business, you became the youngest AWA World Heavyweight Champion ever. How did you get involved in Dale Gagnes promotion?

ERIC PRIEST: I worked a show for the AWA about a year before I won the belt. Apparently I impressed them and they gave me a shot at the title.

CAGEMATCH: And how were your impressions about that famous promotion?

ERIC PRIEST: The AWA did impress me at first. The owner, Dale Gagne, really tries to run a first rate show. It is nothing like working for regular indies. Plus he usually runs fairs so the crowd is in the thousands compared to regular indies that draw in the hundreds. Plus, it was my first experience wrestling with and around legends like The Honky Tonk Man, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter.

CAGEMATCH: What does your time in AWA mean to you in retrospective?

ERIC PRIEST: My time with them was some of my best and worst experiences in wrestling. I learned a lot about the business, I made some great connections and I really got my name out all over the country. Unfortunately my relationship with them has soured. But that’s business, right?

CAGEMATCH: You have held several other titles in your career. Is "wearing a championship belt" or "being a champion" something special for you?

ERIC PRIEST: Absolutely. It is a gauge as to where I am in the company. When I have the opportunity to be champion, it means the company I am with thinks highly enough of me that they will make me the centerpiece of their promotion. Belts themselves are props, but the meaning behind the belt is real.

CAGEMATCH: Before you came to IWA Mid-South you had shows with many promotions, like AWA, SDW, MCW & MAW and more. Which one was your favorite?

ERIC PRIEST: MCW was probably my favorite. I was their champ, I was wrestling with friends and the promotion was very close to home so my friends and family could see me. The after the shows we would all go out and party. It was a very fun time. But I have had fun in all the promotions I have been involved with.

CAGEMATCH: How did you get involved with your current promotion – IWA Mid South?

ERIC PRIEST: I actually worked for IWA in 2003 but for one reason or another never went back. A few of the guys I trained were working for Ian Rotten, so we started talking and next thing you know, I am a mainstay there. I am extremely happy to be back, I am having a great time there.

CAGEMATCH: What is your general opinion about IWA MS?

ERIC PRIEST: I believe they are the best “indy fed” in the Midwest, maybe the country. Its owner Ian Rotten is not afraid to pay the money it takes to bring in the best talent. On one show you see stars from ROH, TNA plus all the best indy talent around. Plus the show brings a lot to the table. You see technical matches, comedy matches, high flying, hard hitting and even hardcore from time to time.

CAGEMATCH: What do you think about your tag team partner Silas Young – as a person and as a wrestler?

ERIC PRIEST: I do not know Silas personally to well. When I see him it is all about wrestling! The few times we have talked outside of wrestling, he seems like a nice person, he has looked out for me and I looked out for him. If we hear of a show or if the WWE is looking for extra talent, we call each other and try to hook each other up. Professionally, I really enjoy tagging with Silas. We have a lot in common but he is a bit younger and lighter so he does more of the crazy stuff in the ring, I just come in a clobber people!

CAGEMATCH: What are your future plans?

ERIC PRIEST: That is hard to say. It’s really not up to me. I just worked four dates for WWE but they will not be back in my area for a while. I have some connections with Zero One, so that is a possibility. I have worked a lot with Shane Douglas, so I might make a trip back down to TNA and see if there is any interest. I am also planning to be in England in September, I will post those dates on my website (www.ericpriest.com) when they are confirmed. I also hope to go to Mexico soon. In wrestling, you have to have a lot of irons in the fire, hopefully a couple things pan out.

CAGEMATCH: Some time ago you started as a wrestling instructor. How do you feel about giving your knowledge of professional wrestling to the new generation?

ERIC PRIEST: I never thought of being a trainer. When I was asked to train, I called Danny Dominion up and asked him what he thought. He said go for it! I love training people. It can be frustrating but there is nothing more rewarding that helping someone live out there dream and achieve success.

CAGEMATCH: Is this something you want to persuade during and/or after your wrestling career?

ERIC PRIEST: I do not know if I will continue training after I am done wrestling or not, it will probably depend on how the school is going. Sometimes I want a break from wrestling, it would be nice to be a regular person for a while. But I know that after a week or two, I would miss it and be drawn back. I hope to always be involved in wrestling in one form or another.

CAGEMATCH: What do you think about the fans? Do you feel fans today are too demanding?

ERIC PRIEST: You cannot generalize that: There are many types of fans. Some fans just want to be entertained, give them comedy or high spots, anything of quality and they will be entertained. There are a few people thought that can be a bit demanding. But you cannot go out and wrestle just to make 10% of the crowd happy. You go out, do your best and please as many of the fans as you can.

CAGEMATCH: Is the wrestling business itself responsible for creating this demanding type of fans?

ERIC PRIEST: Yes. I believe that wrestling took it too far for a while. We tried to shock the fans every chance we got. We showed them everything we could and we took chances that could have killed us. The fans responded with “give us more”. How do you top a flaming table covered with thumbtacks? We desensitized the fans.

CAGEMATCH: What is the consequence of this development?

ERIC PRIEST: New wrestlers coming in think the only way to pop a crowd is to kill yourself with high spots. If you really learn the business you will find there are little things to do that pop a crowd. You will learn how to make every move count. That is something that is being lost in wrestling today.

CAGEMATCH: What was the funniest story you've experienced inside a wrestling ring/locker room?

ERIC PRIEST: The funniest stuff usually happens after the show at a bar or hotel. The funniest thing I can remember in a ring would be the time I wrestled as “Chester the Molester”. I wore a fake moustache, short shorts and aviator sunglasses and spent most of the match chasing the midget ring announcer.

CAGEMATCH: Back to your current gimmick: Does an “Underwear Model” have problems with groupies?

ERIC PRIEST: I did not have any real problems with groupies but there are many stories. First off, I seem to only really attract 15 year old girls and gay men. I have a few yahoo groups dedicated to me and some of the stuff on the sites is pretty weird. I have gotten pretty creeped out by both men and women who have sent me e-mails.

CAGEMATCH: In which way?

ERIC PRIEST: I used to sell my underwear on-line. I thought it would be a good money maker, you know, buy the Underwear Models underwear. They were just regular boxers with an animal print that I would sign. I stopped that real quick after a bunch of people were asking me to leave some pretty sick stuff in the underwear before I sent them.

CAGEMATCH: Sick stuff?

ERIC PRIEST: To put it politely, they wanted my DNA. That and then hearing from them what they wanted to do with the underwear was enough for me to call it quits. Oh well, lesson learned. I also get a lot of people wanting to wrestle me "to see if they have what it takes". I'm not sure what the hell that means and I don't want to find out.

WORD ASSOCIATIONS

Sports Entertainment: A natural progression in wrestling. Need to be taken a step back though and focus on the wrestling rather than the storyline.
Silas Young: The Yin to my Yang. An excellent tag partner as well as wrestler.
Vince McMahon: The man, period.
"Wrestling Is Fake!": Really? I have stacks of medical bills that prove otherwise!
The Steel Domain: At one point in time, the best training facility in the Midwest. It was only open for a few years but produced CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Adam Pearce, Brad Bradley & me.
Ian Rotten: Lots of respect. He is known for hardcore but is actually a great technical wrestler.
German fans: Thank you for supporting Independent Wrestling! I hope I get to perform for you all someday.