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#Post#: 25167--------------------------------------------------
Prince Devitt Interview
By: SheriffLonestar Date: March 21, 2014, 6:27 pm
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Prince Devitt talked to Culture Crossfire about, well just about
everything in pro wretling;
You would be hard pressed to find a hotter name on the
international wrestling scene. Fergal “Prince” Devitt is one of
the most successful wrestlers to come out of Ireland, competing
in the UK and abroad in Japan. Currently in New Japan Pro
Wrestling, the former 3-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion is
the undisputed leader of Bullet Club, a cast of foreign “gaijin”
wrestlers. Devitt recently took time out of his busy schedule
to conduct an interview with CXF.
Did you grow up as a wrestling fan? Who were some of your
influences and how did you get into the business?
My earliest memory of life is watching old World of Sport on TV
with my grandad, so really wrestling had been a part of me for
as long as I can remember. Of course at that age, I didn’t
really understand what I was watching, even still it captivated
me. Then Sky TV came to Ireland with WWF and Sean Mooney and the
rest is history. Warrior, Koko, Savio Vega, Rick Martel, I loved
all the different styles and even at a young age appreciated the
villains. HBK stood out for me as being the total package, I
even super kicked a kid in my art class out the fire exit door
one day in secondary school. At 18, and just finished school, I
enrolled for Hammerlock UK‘s summer training camp. It wasn’t
even a choice, I had to do it, there was literally nothing else
I wanted in life. I never once looked back.
How did you get your break to go to Japan and did you have any
familiarity with Japanese wrestling before you went over
beforehand? Was there a specific moment when you knew you were
going to make it in Japan?
I was wrestling at an NWA convention show in Nashville when Dave
Marquez at the Inoki Dojo invited me to train in LA. I had been
there about 3 months, training by day, and sleeping in the ring
at night. Living off instant noodles and egg whites from a
carton. I couldn’t have been happier.
I was then offered a 3 month trial to train in Tokyo. I’ve been
there ever since…
I never think about ‘making it’. I don’t look back, or at the
present. I’d rather look forward at the list of things I still
want to achieve.
Is there a big difference in training in Japan versus when you
train elsewhere? What kind of routine do you have?
It’s like black and white.
The main difference is attention to detail, and that’s where the
Japanese excel. It’s a very structured training starting with
the basics and things don’t progress until every individual hold
is perfected.
The other difference is conditioning. As opposed to a mainly
body building type of training many western wrestlers will use,
Japanese training is more about body weight and functional
training which directly influences movements in the ring.
Some WWE wrestlers have noted that crowd energy sometimes gets
lost in the big stadium WrestleMania environment. What are the
Tokyo Dome shows like… atmosphere, preparation, crowd energy,
etc?
That’s an accurate statement. I certainly prefer performing in a
more intimate environment. Korakuen Hall, York Hall in London
for RevPro , or the garage for ICW in Glasgow.
The Dome is very surreal, it had the big match feel, but
sometimes when I’m out to there I feel like I’m performing more
for the cameras than the fans in attendance as they are a lot
further back from the ring than normally, even the front row,
and the people in the back are literally watching the screens
and not the ring.
How did you get partnered with Ryusuke Taguchi and who came up
with the Apollo 55 name?
When Minoru (Tanaka) left NJPW, myself and Taguchi where seen as
both similar in age and size and kind of thrown together by the
office. I came up with the name myself. I’m really into sci-fi
and space in general so I wanted to incorporate that. 5 in
Japanese is ‘GO’ . Taguchi’s nick name was ‘Funky Weapon a Go
Go!’ Jackpot.
How/why did you become Pegasus Kid II?
Again, that was the offices choice. They saw a similarity
between myself and the original in the fact that we were both
foreigners and both human. Because that’s really the only
similarity I saw. I was never a fan of the original but I was
honoured to be held in the same light at that stage in my career
Do you feel that Junior Heavyweights are more respected in
Japan/Europe than in America? If so, is it just a regional
preference or something that’s been given room to grow/killed
via booking?
No. I disagree. No matter how hard junior heavyweight wrestlers
work they will always be over looked everywhere by heavyweights.
And rightly so in my opinion. Wresting is a circus. When you see
a heavyweight in person, his size, and the stuff they do, they
deserve the respect.
Even when you talk about America, there are clearly more juniors
nowadays when you look at all the indy promotions. Sure WWE is
the land of the giants, but I think in general junior wrestling
gets its fair share of exposure worldwide.
What have you learned from wrestling such Junior legends as
Jushin Lyger, Koji Kanemoto, and Great Sasuke?
I first wrestled Liger when I was 24. I locked up with him and
it was one those moments in your life that you never forget. He
didn’t even have to say anything, but it was like seeing the
Matrix, where everything started to make sense. Since then I
have learned so much from Liger, and others, Jado and Gedo
especially.
I also learned that I’m still young. I meet people in Ireland
and they condescendingly ask me when I’m going to finish “that
wrestling.” I’m 32 and I reply, “I’m only getting started!”
Whose idea was creating Bullet Club and how did it come about?
If you had to choose one wrestler from another Japanese
promotion to induct to Bullet Club, who would it be?
When we did the Apollo 55 turn on Taguchi it got such a good
response the office decided to beef up what was originally going
to be only me and Fale as my bouncer. But it worked a treat.
Really the four original members are best pals and travel
together in Japan anyway so it made sense. The name again was my
idea. I had been using the ‘real shooter’ and pistol sign, and
then of course ‘machine gun’ had his thing so I wanted to tie
them together. I also specifically didn’t want 3 letters or a
‘the’ in front of it. I messed around a few ideas and came up
with that.
Even since the formation of Bullet Club, your entrances has
become much more flashy and dramatic. What was the inspiration
behind your Real Rock’n'Rolla Jacket and what made you think to
paint yourself up as, we presume, Marvel’s Carnage for the Tokyo
Dome?
When I turned villain, the office wanted me to do something like
a Double J cocky heel gimmick, but I wanted to put a modern
twist on it. So, I showed them a few things, including TRON
imagery, and then my AX endorsement and it all tied in.
I had 2 ideas for the Dome. One was to rig the ring with lights
the same as my jacket. But I felt that we had already done the
lights and I wanted something new. I was looking around and
decided I wanted to be painted entirely black. That was what I
thought was happening. Then on the day the artist when with her
own ideas and it turned out looking like Carnage but was never
meant to be. It was meant to be more like Venom. The paint
turned out to be a blessing as it disguised the fact I had lost
10lbs in the 2 days before the Dome in the hospital with a
vomiting bug.
With the rise of digital television, where do you see New Japan
in five years?
If they can get their finger on how to get more accessible to
the audience worldwide, with English commentary, merch store and
DVD sales there really is an opportunity for it to blossom as
it’s the best ‘wrestling’ product by far.
How was your experience wrestling in Mexico? What is the
wrestling scene like in Ireland/the UK? How do these regions
compare to how things go in Japan?
Mexico was hot and cold. I got really sick the first time I went
down there. On top of tearing my calf in Japan the day for I
flew out. I also got the customary “welcome to Mexico” from some
of the boys and still have the scars to show but that’s nothing.
The CMLL office were fantastic and even though I don’t
understand a thing of what’s going on in or out of the ring I
had a good time, especially the 2nd trip. Hopefully I’ll get an
opportunity to go back again.
Ireland is quiet, there is one promotion called wrestling.ie
that is running quite regular now and really professional.
UK is on fire. RevPro down south. There is Fight Club that’s
really different. I’ve been so many places and there are so many
lads I wanna work with. The level of the talent out there right
now it’s a hot bed. Can’t forget ICW in Glasgow. An over
18′s promotion with an amazing loyal fan base and great
booking. That one could really break out.
Would you ever consider promoting again? If so, would it be in
Ireland or elsewhere?
No. I don’t think so. I’m a wrestler. I’m not interested in
promoting any more. It’s hard. I like agenting matches, and
coaching or giving some advise to people that ask.
Is there any truth to the rumours that you could join the WWE?
If not, has there been any attempt to lure you away?
There is truth in the rumour that I would like to go into the
wild and live off the land, and also the rumour that I would
really like to work with some homeless charities.
If NJPW and WWE worked combined shows, who would you most like
to work with on their roster?
John Cena or Randy Orton because that would mean I would be near
the top of the card, and despite what lots of ‘fans’ think they
know, both of them are two of the greatest performers on the
planet.
What has prevented you from doing a tour of the popular US
indies (outside of PWG dates in the past)?
Before I went to Japan no one wanted me… And rightly so, I was
far from the finished product. Everyone had a chance, I had
mailed all of the large groups at the time. But that was a
different time, no Twitter or Facebook and YouTube hadn’t kicked
off… I was in the States for 6 months, I had done some indys but
none of the bigger names.
Now, I’m so busy working all NJPW’s shows I don’t have much
time. When I’m off I’m home in Ireland, I have the groups I work
with in the UK. The idea of a flight to the States sounds awful
for 1 match. Plus most places won’t get me a visa, I’m not 23
with nothing to loose anymore, I’m not risking being black
balled for an Indy shot. I live a simple life, if something came
up that I wanted to do, I’d be there, but for now I literally
don’t have time. I didn’t have a weekend off from march till
X-Mas last year. 1 US Indy will take the guts of 4-5 days for me
to travel in and out. I can work 3 times in UK in the same time.
Was there ever a moment in your career where you thought about
quitting the business?
Never ever.
Do you spend much time watching wrestling when you aren’t
working or do you like to take a break from it? If you do watch,
what have been you been watching lately?
I used to watch everything. I had tapes literally from every
promotion in the world. I wouldn’t even know what they were when
I was buying them. When I was 19 I bought a K1 tape not
realizing it was kick boxing! Now I watch the best wrestling in
the world in NJPW on the monitor or through the curtain, I don’t
really watch much else. I check out NXT cos I have some friends
there, or if I’m home I’ll check out Raw once every 6 weeks.
What are some of your career highlights so far?
Every single day has been equally as important. The highlight
has to be the friends I’ve made and the places I’ve got to see.
Which wrestlers, in your opinion, are underrated?
Karl Anderson
Rocky Romero
The Young Bucks
Ryusuke Taguchi
CJ Banks
Zack Sabre Jr
Ricochet
Sha Samuels
Johnny Moss
If you had one piece of advice to offer to aspiring wrestlers
what would it be?
Forget about everything and everyone else. If you really want it
that won’t be hard.
Becoming a pro wrestler is easy. All it takes is YOU giving
absolutely everything it takes. It’s that easy.
No one is going to help you more than yourself so go out and
train with as many different coaches and work as many different
places as you can.
Where do you see Prince Devitt in 5 years?
I’m on a train heading to the country side right now. Hopefully
back in the country side
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