Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin recently interviewed Lucha Underground Star Son of Havoc on Ring Rust Radio this week. Below are some highlights:
Donald Wood: You are been one of the most popular stars in Lucha Underground, which airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on El Rey Network. You also have plenty of experience in many different promotions. How is the Lucha Underground locker room different from other companies and what is the general feeling about where the company stands now and where it’s going in the future?
I think everyone is really on the same page, which is quite rare. The locker room is like a cohesive unit. There’s no cliques, there’s no certain guys hanging out in certain areas, there’s not the ex-WWE guys. It’s all people on the same page realizing what they are a part of and realizing we have the chance to create something new and different in the wrestling space which hasn’t been done in God knows how many years. Everyone is really excited and motivated to work together. Hopefully that cohesive unite we have become will continue on because the effects from it can be seen on the show. Everything really is running so well and we are being treated so well.
Mike Chiari: Lucha Underground has really taken the wrestling world by storm and emerged as a great alternative for wrestling fans who are looking for something unique. Above all else, what do you think truly sets Lucha Underground apart from the other top American promotions, and why do you think so many fans have gravitated toward it?
I think Lucha Underground is an evolution of our business. It’s the difference between us as kids and or our parents watching the Brady Bunch Vs Breaking Bad. The way things are shot, the angles used, the actors, and there is just more expected from today’s audience. They are smarter than they have been treated in the past. It’s not just here is something in front of you, now there is little hints and things you have to decipher. Now we see as entertainment has evolved, audiences can keep up with this kind of thing. Lucha Underground is that type of evolution in the wrestling business. If you’re flipping through the channels and come across it on a cinematic vignettes, the in-ring action, costuming, you will see it’s so fresh and unique. I am so happy to be a part of it because I have clamored for change as so many of us have been forever. Now to be a part of that change, it’s just really so exciting and different. I think a lot of times wrestling falls into that category of old boys club. The mentality of this is how it’s been done and how it’s going to be done. Now with a new fresh set of eyes, everything is being looked at as fresh and new and that’s coming across in the content.
Brandon Galvin: During your match with Johnny Mundo, fans really started to support you and you’ve been having far more success recently than when Lucha Underground first started. As a performer, how important is to you that the fans are now supporting and appreciating your in-ring abilities?
It’s very nice to say the least. I’ve been in the business for 14 years and always felt that with the right matching I had a lot to offer. I feel like in Lucha Underground is the first time I have been given the ball. It wasn’t necessarily being given the ball as much as me smelling that the ball was near me, seeking it down, grabbing it, and then running. I think I have a lot to offer and Lucha Underground is the perfect platform to show that. Lucha Underground really listens to the talent and the people behind the stage, the fans, they are a lot more interactive then people realize. As the fans got behind me, they saw that I had so much to offer. At first I was being offered as this powerful guy but then surprised them with my unique move set and moves that really took people aback. I absolutely love having the fans at my back. That’s the real beauty of this industry is that it’s an art that’s evolving right before your eyes. If I go to a basketball game and yell for LeBron to shoot a 3 and he does, I want him to do it again so I chant for it again, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Where in wrestling, stuff like that can happen. In Lucha Underground, I have been told specifically we love you, be you. As a wrestler that’s all we can ask for you know? I am being given all the opportunity I have ever wanted, in front of a rabid and involved crowd. The fans aren’t just fans there. There are intricately linked and involved with us. We feed off their energy and they feed off of ours. The Temple has become a cool place and awesome environment.
Donald Wood: While you have spent much of your career as an unmasked wrestler, the Son of Havoc gimmick is not your first time wrestling with a mask. Whose decision was it to have you wear a mask for Lucha Underground and what differences does it present to you as a performer?
They have their vision for people and characters, and with my background they felt I would be able to adapt to that style. Wrestling with a mask is very difficult. For the audience not clued in on exactly what it’s like, sight, hearing, and breathing is all an issue. It is insanely hot when you are shooting a show with the lights involved as well. I haven’t even wore tights before this gimmick. I always thought that its 2015, there’s no reason to wear tights anymore. Now with Lucha, I’m wearing tights and leather boots for the first time ever. I know Prince Puma is in the same situation right now with wearing the mask and boots. It’s definitely a different world and hopefully this helps to see how it really can be.
Mike Chiari: Your partnership with Ivelisse has been one of the most entertaining parts of Lucha Underground. The two of you are obviously very familiar with each other having both been a part of Tough Enough, but how have you enjoyed your time working side-by-side with Ivelisse, and why do you believe the two of you have been able to mesh so well together as a tandem?
I think we work so well together because we have known each other for years even before Tough Enough. We had this weird trajectory of two people living in this weird circumstance of Tough Enough to now seeing each other again here it’s a weird story of how our careers intertwined. We are both just really excited for this opportunity and showcase we have been given. We both have this environment now that we can really show case what we do. We both have an appreciation for lucha libre, the business, and respect for those who came before us. We are two people at similar parts of our lives and careers and we are just excited to be on TV. With Lucha Underground we have so much free reign. We are included in the creative process, everything and everyone is taken seriously. No ideas are shot down or laughed at. Being on TV helps and gives us the opportunity to tell stories that you can’t do on the indie circuit where we do a show once a month. It’s easier when you don’t have to follow on a website and you can watch it every week and it’s in your face.
Brandon Galvin: Yourself and the other wrestlers at Lucha Underground have really been pushing the limit it seems when it comes to the high-risk maneuvers. How much competition is there backstage to one up the next person and how do you when to draw the line?
As of now, the environment backstage is really unique. There is a monitor in the back that everybody can watch and we all root for each other. Us as the workers watching it makes us feel like reborn fans. When I’m in the back watching Johnny, I can’t wait to see what he does next. He is so motivated to push the envelope and do things that in the past we would have held back on doing. Now he does this crazy stuff where I’m left saying, “what?! That was crazy”! Everyone is pushing the envelope to help the show grow and then helps us to grow as individuals. It’s fun to sit there and watch and wonder what’s going on or what’s going to happen next. Being able to watch as a fan and not just a chore is fun to me. We are just riding this wave right now and where we are all supporting each other. I’ll come to the back and everyone is hugging and cheering and I’m doing that for them as well. It’s a really neat time for the company as a whole.
Donald Wood: You had a brief stint with the WWE and were one of the biggest names on the show Tough Enough. I’m still not over your elimination. What did performing with the biggest company in the country do for your psyche and your drive in the wrestling industry?
All that can really be said at the end of the day was Tough Enough was a TV show. Take that for what it is. I don’t hold any ill will towards Stone Cold Steve Austin and I actually stay in touch with him to this day. I did American Ninja Warrior last year and talked to him right before I went on. We talked about wrestling, Cesaro, the Shield, I mean if you want to talk about someone who loves wrestling its Cesaro. It was a good experience overall. I never thought coming out of it I would ever meet Stone Cold or if I did it would have just been in the back. I’m sure part of his contract wasn’t to pick one of the talents or two and keep in touch with them indefinitely. Ultimately I’m thankful for the people I have met along the ride and now that it’s come around again full circle.
Mike Chiari: One of the most intriguing aspects of Lucha Underground is that the male and female talent work together rather than being placed in different divisions, and it works really well with your match against Sexy Star being a great example of it. At the same time, there’s been some bad publicity regarding inter-gender wrestling outside Lucha Underground based on what happened at Beyond Wrestling recently, but with all that in mind, how you feel about the manner in which Lucha Underground?
I think it will continue to grow. I didn’t realize how groundbreaking it was or could be. I never thought that it was weird or different. When the show aired I saw the people’s reaction to it and how they were blown away. I always loved ECW and how crazy they were and I never thought of Miss Congeniality or Lita if they were to wrestle a guy. When I saw a lot of the feedback about it I was honored to be a part of it. Sexy Star is a bad ass. She is in incredible shape so when she was in there I said let’s see what she has. She has hitting me and she was beating the crap out of me. Take this from a guy who has been in the gym since he was ten years old and prides himself on his physical ability, she is legitimately tough. I believe the UFC at one time was on record as saying they were not interested in women’s fighting and that it won’t happen. Now you look at them and that whole division is taking off. Then they thought about revisiting it, do we need them to just be eye candy, do we delegate them to fight one another, or can we see what they are really capable of and mix it up with the men? I know for a fact Ivelisse sure does. Why should they hold them back from doing that? Moving forward, I think we have given a platform to that and we will see more of that.
Brandon Galvin: As we’re seeing, you’re gaining a lot more success at Lucha Underground, but what do you feel you need to do to break through to the next level and contend for the Lucha Underground Championship?
That is something I would like to do definitely. I started off against Sexy Starr, Mascarita Sagrada, and Pimpinela. At the time I was seen more and treated more as a joke. Then Aztec Warfare happened, the 10-way match happened, and I was able to show what I was capable of. All of a sudden, the channel started to open their eyes, backstage opened their eyes, and the fans opened their eyes and saw what I could do. I wear that as a badge of pride opening their eyes like that and being with them since the first episode. No matter what happens or where the show goes, ill forever have been part of the first show which only had six people on it. Fans appreciate that stuff when you are one of the original guys and stuck your necks out for a company, believed in the concept, that’s the kind of stuff that resonates with people. I think Prince Puma and I have shown little pieces of what we are capable of doing together and what we could possible do in other types of matches. I don’t think anyone would be oppose to a Prince Puma Vs Son of Havoc match. It would be spectacular and one of a kind type of match. I would love an opportunity like that. Since day one I have shown I can go from 0 to 60 in a short amount of time and I want to keep up that momentum. I love to keep reinventing the business I love and want to be on top of the company same day. They are bring in world class talents like Alberto Al Patron and I want to test myself against them. I’m only in this to be the best I can be and you can’t get better working guys better than you. This could open me up to a whole new style and set of guys.
Donald Wood: How did the name son of Havoc come about?
That was given to me and I think it fits. I like to bring the chaos and destruction to the ring. I’m something different, I’m the aerial executioner, the crazy look, black attire, Ivelisse, I think were bad ass and it all works together.
