Recently I had the chance to talk to the 2001 Southern California Wrestler of the Year, Super Dragon. In our interview he talks about his start in wrestling, his favorite opponents, his injuries, the future of Revolution Pro, and more.

Steve: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, lets get started shall we?

Super Dragon: Yep

Steve: What first made you want to get into pro wrestling? Were you a wrestling fan growing up? When did you say, "That is what I want to do"?

Super Dragon: Well, I heard that when you're a wrestler, you get chicks and make a lot of money. Boy was that a lie. Honestly, the Japanese style made me want to be a wrestler. When I got into that it was all over from there. I watched so many Japanese tapes over the years. I never respected wrestling until I started watching that stuff.

Steve: You started training in 1996 at WPW's school in Anaheim. What was that like?

Super Dragon: I always had to watch my wallet. I'm only being humorous. It was a lot of fun. I was really into the lucha style back then, so I figured it would be a great chance to get started in wrestling. Plus it was cheaper than all the other schools. Training in lucha is actually a lot harder than people think. You have to do a lot of running spots, so your endurance has to be high. Then you have to remember a lot of stuff for lucha sequence, and the moves that you do are really complicated. A lot of the moves require the guy doing it being talented enough to do it, and the guy taking the move being a good base. Both guys have to know what they're doing for something to come off clean. I'm glad I had that lucha training though. Not a lot of people have access to something like that.

Steve: What got you interested in lucha libre to the point that's the style you wanted to train in?

Super Dragon: I was really into the high flying and costumes that the guys wear. The comedy in lucha is great sometimes too. It's funny because now I can't get through the CMLL/AAA TV show on Galavision. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm not into that kind of wrestling anymore, or if it's really bad. That Mini Chucky is off the charts though. Him and his plastic knife. I want him to be my son.

Steve: OK, a few matches into your career, you were told by someone at WPW that they didn't want you wrestling anymore because you'd "get hurt". What went through your mind at that time and how did that affect you?

Super Dragon: Well I was young and stupid then. I just wanted to go and do a bunch of crazy moves. Martin Marin just wanted me to understand the fundamentals of lucha, and I really wasn't having that. At the same time, I know a lot of the guys had his ear in the promotion. A lot of the older guys gave him shit for using me. Back then it was harder to get on shows unless you were really talented. Unlike nowadays where guys who are 14 start a promotion and put all their backyard wrestler friends on the shows. A few years ago you had to earn your spot. It all happened for a reason. I know Martin's reasons for doing it. I'm glad it happened, because if I was with WPW, I may not have done all the things I've done now. On the other hand, I could be a star in Mexico with some nice Latina honeyz up in this! The worst was after my first match, I got chicken pox. I hope someone else got it! That'll teach them.

Steve: After WPW, how did you get back into wrestling?

Super Dragon: American Wild Child got me on a show in Hanford. It was Me/Excitement vs. Yakuza/AWC in front of the biggest hicks I've ever wrestled in front of. I remember I did a Tope Con Hilo, and this guy was like " You almost spilled my beer!". He didn't even care that I almost landed on his kids. That weekend we ended up going to the Hayward APW gym and talking to Roland about working, which we did like a month later. I basically tried to get on any show that I could, if I was getting paid or not.

Steve: And then in 1997 you got your big break, working for the Azteca promotion in Tijuana, Mexico. Can you tell us a little about that?

Super Dragon: Well, that came out of nowhere. I was just working local shows. I don't even think I'd had ten matches at that point. Then I'm on a show working in front of 1000's of people. It was a great experience, but I don't really like lucha crowds. There were around two to three thousand people at that show, and the crowd at the Spirit of the Revolution finals had 125 people and was my favorite crowd to work in front of ever. Doing that show made me realize I didn't really want to wrestle in Mexico. Also, Tijuana is really scary. I remember when I first came in I saw a bunch of dead dogs in a sewer. Then some kids were chasing me down the street trying to sell me chicklets. I DON'T WANT YOUR CHICKLETS DAMNIT! LEAVE ME ALONE! You know me though, good at heart, so little Juan now lives with me.

Steve: That was the show that really got Blitzkreig noticed.

Super Dragon: Yeah. I remember going to the back and Psicosis and Juventud were going crazy over him. It was good for him, because they really helped him get into WCW. I wasn't ready at that time for anything that big, and if I went I probably would have just made myself look bad. It's just unfortunate that there isn't opportunities like that now.

Steve: Not too long after that however, you got a dark match at a WCW show. How did that come about and what are your thoughts on it?

Super Dragon: Well AWC was good friends with Konnan, so he got us a tryout for that. I remember we were actually supposed to get one at Halloween Havoc, and we went from being on the show, to Blitz and I getting kicked out for not having a ticket. So we went outside and played handball instead. So we finally got our tryout in Oakland, and it was quite the experience. There was something like 15,000 fans there. We had planned a 8-10 minute match, and then we were told we were getting 8. So we do our dives about 20 seconds into the match, and the ref goes, "Alright, take it home". So we ended up having a four minute tag match. That included the intros. Our match wasn't very good, we just did a bunch of flips. I got paid nice though. The most money I ever made in 4 minutes! Met a lot of the stars in WCW, pretty cool overall.

Steve: What kind of feedback did you get on the match from WCW?

Super Dragon: I don't know. I sat in a corner crying while everyone told Blitz how awesome he was. I'm only kidding. A lot of people told us we had a good match, but I think it was more people being nice than anything. We did some cool stuff, but it wasn't good at all.

Steve: You then went on a tour in Australia. In past interviews you have said this tour is what really changed you as a wrestler. Can you elaborate on that?

Super Dragon: I just wrestled a lot of dates in a row. I got to wrestle Marty Jannetty, and I learned different things from different people. It was pretty scary, because I went to another country on my own, so it was a big accomplishment when I did well there.

Steve: Revolution Pro started in 1999. Obviously you and American Wild Child had known each other awhile at this point. When you were asked to be apart of Rev Pro what were your thoughts on the entire concept? Did you think that a year later it would be getting the hype that it was?

Super Dragon: I didn't really know what to expect. We had our own place to train, and our own place to run shows. It was small, and I didn't really know what kind of following we would get. We ran a couple of shows there, and it was mostly family who came, but we started to build that following. 3/4 of the shows, even shows now, are filled with Rising Son's family. I think we started to do really well once we got noticed on the Internet, and the group kind of suffered when I got hurt and had to miss 6 months. Nobody really stepped up in that time, so the crowds were kind of weak for awhile. Then we did that return show with me vs. Rising Son, and the show did really well. Shogun debuted and brought a bunch of family, and Rising and I had a pretty good match, which a lot of people overrated. I won't mention names, but you all know who I'm talking about. Sometimes being at shows live changes the way you feel about matches. Anyway, Rev Pro is where I gained a lot of experience. I really proved a lot to myself when I had that match with TARO that got so much hype, because he had only had like 3-4 matches at that point, and I was able to put together a match that people called an Indy match of the year. A lot of my best matches happened at Rev Pro, and it's something I'll never forget about no matter how far I make it in wrestling.

Steve: Speaking of getting hurt, when did you suffer your first knee injury and how did it happen?

Super Dragon: I was training one night with Disco and Rising Son, and tried some stupid flip, and landed on my leg wrong. I ended up tearing my ACL. I wrestled for like a year with it torn, and my knee went out like 15 times in that period. I ended up having reconstructive ACL surgery in July of 2000. I've had knee problems ever since. It's gone out a few times since then. It had nothing to do with the ACL. That's fine now that they replaced it. I have a torn meniscus that they couldn't repair, so my knee can't absorb shock very well. So every once in awhile it will go out on me, and I will have to take 3 weeks to a month off wrestling. I've been working harder to keep it healthy, but you never know when it can happen.

Steve: When you came back from your knee injury in January 2001, Revolution Pro and you started to get really hot. In early 2001, some of your most famous feuds began. You faced B-Boy and Excalibur for the first time. What are your thoughts on both of those guys?

Super Dragon: Well I think my best feud has been with B-Boy. I think he's really talented, and I think that our styles mix really well together. Our matches really played well off each other. That's one thing I really loved about All Japan [Pro Wrestling] when they were around. Misawa and Kawada may not wrestle for a year, but when they do they played off their past matches. A lot of people I meet in wrestling think the only kind of psychology in wrestling is working body parts, but I think what the All Japan guys did is the ultimate psychology. B-Boy and I had a match back in March of 2001 that I thought was my best match at that point. It was a really complex match, and we did it in front of like thirty people. Then the next singles we had was at the Revolution J and we ended up just wrestling the whole thirty-minute match on the spot. That isn't my favorite match that we've had. The one at MPW that everyone said was SoCal Match of the Year was. But [the Rev J Finals match] is the one I'm most proud of. We just went in and we know each other so well that we could just improvise a thirty-minute match, and still have people think it was good. As far as Excalibur, he's one of my favorite wrestlers to wrestle and watch. I think he's got great charisma, and he's one of my best friends. It's funny, because he was living in Michigan, and I got him on a Rev Pro show out here. He had never had any training, and then with 2 weeks of training, we put him in a tag match with Rising Son, TARO, and myself. Nobody can believe that was his first match, because he was such a natural, and picked things up so quick. Him and I really enjoy emulating the Japanese style and you can tell from our matches together. We've always been friends, which surprises me, cause I've hit him in the face several times with lariats. I think B-Boy and Excalibur are my 2 favorite guys to wrestle to tell you the truth. They had a really good singles match at GSCW this past show. They teased doing my finisher, so I slit their tires after the show. That's the price you pay.

Steve: XPW used you for the first time in March 2001. What was it like wrestling for XPW?

Super Dragon: It was fun. I knew that we were going to be over with the crowd. They started chanting "Power Ranger" at me. I don't know when that chant started working for anyone with a mask. When the match was over, they had forgot all about us being "Power Rangers" and I think we really made a good name for ourselves there [in XPW]. Unfortunately, we did a little too much in the first match. So they didn't ask us back often, and when they did they wanted us to tone down our matches. I think they should have put us higher on the card. I was at this past show they did, and Shooting Star wrestled Scott Snott or whatever in the middle of the card. It was one of the worst matches I had ever seen. It made me wonder why the hell we couldn't get past the first match on their shows. Then I figured it out, and the only possible explanation is that they all sniff glue in the parking lot before they book their shows. I really enjoyed working in front of the XPW crowds, and hopefully all the fans come to EPIC's future shows.

Steve: During that summer, Revolution Pro held a round robin tournament called "Spirit of the Revolution". A lot of people have called the finals of the tournament where Rising Son finally defeated you the finest moment in Revolution Pro history (14 Jul. 01). How do you think the tournament went, and what was your reaction to how well it was received by the fans?

Super Dragon: I was really pleased with all my matches at the Spirit of the Revolution. Overall, it was pretty good. But, it could have been the best thing in the Indies all year in my opinion. Nobody else really did anything like that. I was left in charge of that whole tournament, and I really thought it was planned well. Rising Son and I had wrestled like 15 times before that and he had never beat me, so I knew that when he did beat me it would be a special thing. He was also the first person to kick out of the Psycho Driver. Unfortunately, nobody else stepped up for that tournament. It was a mistake putting El Gallinero in there, because he was really green still. He still is. How the hell is someone still so shitty after wrestling for like 3 years? Hopefully he gets his head out of his ass, and improves in the next 5 years. Then, maybe he can be as good as Hell Kid in 2007. I'd really like to do it again and put Disco and TARO in there. I think with [Disco and TARO], it would have been a lot better. The finals of that tournament will be on Super Dragon Evolution 2, which I will have copies of at CZW and EPIC.

Steve: I should also mention at that time, you had started wrestling for MPW. Your second match in MPW was against Low-Ki (28 Jul. 01), which was considered a dream match by a lot of people. How do you feel that match came out? Why the time limit draw on a match that was so heavily hyped?

Super Dragon: I was really excited about that match going in, but once I met Ki I wasn't as excited. Not many people know this, and I may get shit for saying it, but Ki didn't want to do the job in the match. He even accused me of being a backyard wrestler. I offered to lose, but that wasn't in MPW's plans, so we ended up doing that stupid finish. I think with a straight finish it would have been a lot better. I have no problem with Ki now. I guess he just hadn't seen anything from the West Coast before. I didn't hold that against him. We seemed to be cool after the match, and I think I gained his respect. I respect him a lot as a wrestler, and I think he's one of the best in the Indies. Sorry if being honest pisses people off, but this is uncensored dammit! If you have a problem with me, I'll shit in your hat.

Steve: Then in August 2001, you, Rising Son, and Excalibur were all injured at about the same time. What do you think of the way Disco Machine and Mr. Excitement stepped up and helped carry Rev Pro through that?

Super Dragon: Yeah, I thought all of us being hurt was going to hurt Rev Pro, because whenever we need people to step up it never happens. Thank God for Disco, Excitement, the Cubans, and Mariachi Loco. Disco is so underrated. Excitement is on and off. He really isn't all that into wrestling. He enjoys wrestling certain people, and I know the Cubans are a few of the guys he likes to wrestle. When he's enjoying it, he can be really good. He has a good body, and comes off more like a wrestler than the other guys who have full body suits or PJ's, as some would call them. Disco/Excitement vs. Los Cubanitos was such a great match. I really respect the Cubans as wrestlers, and some people think I keep dodging them when it comes to wrestling them. It kind of looks like that, but it's hardly the case. I really want to wrestle them, and I hope it happens in EPIC or APW. They also broke them off into singles the next week I think it was. Rocky and Excitement had such a great stiff match. I really don't get into other wrestling as much anymore, but I really enjoyed that match. Disco/Reyes was also good, but I liked the other match better. Hopefully I get to wrestle [the Cubans] in the future.

Steve: The culmination of the summer (and the year) for Revolution Pro was the Revolution J tournament. That was a sixteen-man tournament that even got Revolution Pro some international press due to ARSION, FMW's Morita and NOSAWA's involvement with the tournament. How do you feel the tournament was received, and do you think it came off as well as you wanted it to?

Super Dragon: No. It didn't come off anywhere close to what I wanted it to. I wanted to do what Sasuke did at the Super J Cup, and have matches that topped the previous match. I think B-boy and I was pretty good. Everything else was decent enough, but nothing was that great. I think my [Spirit of the Revolution] matches were a lot better. I really hate wrestling at the Marketplace. It's where I started, but I really hate the atmosphere at shows that are run there. I also hurt my ankle on that show, because the mats were all damp. I hurt it right at the start of my match with Rising Son, which was also a really big disappointment. We followed our SOTR finals match with that junk. As far as the other matches in the tournament, nothing was really good. It was just a below average tournament in my opinion. Especially with all the great Indy tournaments happening at that time. It was great to see the ARSION girls there. I think it was a special thing for a lot of fans, and everyone can thank Paul T for that one. Thanks, Sweetrice. They didn't do half of what they do in Japan, but you had to expect that. They come to California and see a bunch of ugly white kids, except me, and they're obviously thinking, "What the fuck are we doing here?" I think overall, they respected what we were trying to do, and they really enjoyed their time here. The best was watching them walk through the dirt to get in the back of the Pomona Tony Hawk skate park to get to the building of the place. I was hoping I could get the Psycho Driver in on GAMI, but a double axe handle to the back was an excellent substitution.

Steve: After the Revolution J, there were a lot of negative comments said about it on the Internet. Most of the comments were backstage stuff, and it was obviously other wrestlers that said those things. What were your thoughts on what was said, and the way it was said?

Super Dragon: It's pretty sad that wrestlers have to get behind a message board and talk a bunch of shit. I really don't know who it is. I have an idea of who it was, and I don't think that was fair. Someone said something like "Super Dragon's lariat isn't going to hurt when he is 125 lbs", then went on to call me "chubby". Someone rides the short bus to school. A lot of unfair things were said about Disco too. If you ever met [Disco], he's the coolest guy in the world, and it's really unfair that people would talk down on him. I know his match with Spanky wasn't all that great, but I don't think either of them have a problem with each other. Some things got messed up, and Spanky did wrestle a bit stiff with him. I don't think that was wrong, I'd probably do the same thing. Disco knows if he fucks up, he's going to get it back. That's just how it goes. I know those two don't hold anything against each other.

Steve: You were then selected for APW's King of Indies tournament, which is most likely the second biggest tournament of the year in Indy wrestling. How was your King of Indies experience?

Super Dragon: Not very good. I didn't have the matches that I wanted to. Wrestling Chris Daniels could have been a lot better, because he's a good wrestler. Unfortunately, he wanted me to work a different style than I usually work. He wanted me to work a more spotty type of match, and that was harder especially since I hurt my knee doing a crossbody to the floor in that match. I don't think the match was bad, but I also don't think the match was good. At that point, I had a lot of hype going in, and a lot of people who had heard about me and then saw me there were really disappointed. I tried to do more of my stuff the next day in the 8-man tag. I think if I would've got to wrestle Low-Ki in the first round it would have been a lot better. Maybe I should have spoke up and told Daniels how I wanted to work. I just went a long with things because he's a more experienced wrestler than I am, and I didn't want to come off like I knew everything. I think he probably has a bad opinion of me. First he saw my singles match with Juventud at UPW, which was horrible. Then he saw my match in Alaska where I knocked Disco out with a lariat. He told me to, "leave the stiffness at home". That hurt my feelings. Then him and I didn't have the greatest of matches. I'd like to wrestle him again. I think we could have a better match. If there is a King of the Indies this year, I'd love to be a part of it. I know I'd have a better showing. I already have [had a better showing] my last few times out at APW.

Steve: You mentioned your trip to Alaska, how was it working up there? What were the crowds like compared to here?

Super Dragon: It was actually a lot of fun. The crowds were more into the wrestling than anything else. Again, like XPW, we didn't have much time for our match, and we were in the first match before midgets. The crowd for the first show was around 3,000 people. It was a really awesome crowd. I guess we really pissed some people off by doing so much in the first match there. When we came back, Nova got all mad at Excalibur for using the Air Raid Crash. Nova was like, "You don't know who the fuck I am. I invented Earth, bitch! You can't use my moves! I am NOVA!" By that point we were in our room, and he was talking to himself. Good enough guy though. The second night was just as bad. For the first time in my whole career, Simon Diamond tried to plan my match for me. I guess he thought I had been wrestling for 20 minutes, and thought he could help me be more like him. He was telling me how it wasn't Michinoku Pro, and we weren't wrestling in Japan. I guess he thought that everyone in America should wrestle the same style. Then that same night, I knocked out Disco with a lariat to the face. It was an accident, and the first time I really hurt anyone. [Disco] was drooling on himself. It was great. Anyway, I went to the back and Nova was like, "Super Dude!" And I was like, " Yes, my friend?" And he makes a phone gesture with his hand, and he says to me, "Ring ring. It's a work, brother". It was the funniest seeing [Nova] go into Wendy's in Alaska. Nice enough guy, but I heard he talks all kinds of shit on me to fans that bring me up. I heard he's going to WWF now. Good for him. Watch out Vince, Nova invented wrestling!

Steve: You were the 2001 Southern California Wrestler of the Year and were in both the 2001 SoCal Match of the Year and Match of the Year Runner Up. Did you expect to be Wrestler of the Year? Were you surprised when you found out? What are your overall feelings on those awards?

Super Dragon: No, I wasn't surprised. Considering I paid you to make me Wrestler of the Year. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. I knew it was either going to be me or B-Boy. It was close between B-Boy and I the whole time. I knew I'd be in one of the Matches of the Year. I had like 10 matches on the polls, so I figured I'd be on one of them. I was happy that B-Boy and I won it, because I think that's my best match. The Spirit Finals is good, but the crowd made that match 100 times better. With the same crowds, B-Boy and I is a much better match.

Steve: Revolution Pro has only ran one show in 2002. What do you think the future is like for Rev Pro?

Super Dragon: I'm really not sure. We did that show in March, and it had a really good crowd for Rev Pro. I don't see how we're not running more frequently. I hope we have some shows soon, or do the Spirit of the Revolution again. I guess only time will tell.

Steve: You recently signed a contract with EPIC. What made you decide to sign semi-exclusive in SoCal with them, before they have even run a show?

Super Dragon: It's a big gamble I must admit. I really think that EPIC is going to do great. It's being done right. I've never seen a promotion that was being run so well. I signed the contract, because I thought it would help EPIC to have me exclusive, and I was sick of working all these shows around here. The money is fine, but I hate wrestling shows where there is like 30 people who aren't even into it. I'd rather not wrestle, because I can't just go half ass it out there. Plus when you're seeing everyone on every show in SoCal, it makes it less special seeing [everyone]. When you can only see them in one group, I think it makes people want to go [to shows] more. Someone may be like, "Well, I can see this guy here. I'll just wait for another show to see him". When they're only on one show in SoCal, they'll have to go to that to see them.

Steve: You have begun wrestling a lot in APW over the last few weeks. What are your feelings on APW?

Super Dragon: I love it there. I like the fans a lot, and Roland seems to have a lot of faith in me. It's kind of weird, because I had shitty matches at APW until this last time I went up there. I've already won the APW Internet title, which is completely weird. I'm just glad I can finally show NoCal what I'm capable of. The first week I went there, Jardi and I had a solid match. The next day, I wrestled in a tag match with Me/Spanky vs. Bobby Quance/Jardi Frantz, which I thought was really good. Quance did a Shooting Star off the top over the post, and it was the best Shooting Star to the floor I've ever seen. The crowd there was really good as well. One of the better crowds I've wrestled in front of. This last week I went, and I wrestled Disco for the Internet title which was good, then I wrestled Rising Son for the title the next day. I don't think Rising Son has all his ducks in a row after the Psycho Driver off the top. After the show, I saw him eating flowers in the parking lot. I'm glad I can work with APW, because I think the guys there are great, and I think they're very professional. The way [APW] run their school/promotion is awesome. American Dragon is a really awesome trainer from what I can see. A lot of their young guys have come far in a short time. I really look forward to working there in the future.

Steve: You will be making your East Coast debut June 8th for CZW and their annual Best of the Best tournament. How did that come about and what do you think about wrestling on the East Coast, and how do you expect it to be different from wrestling on the West Coast?

Super Dragon: Well I know CZW has wanted to bring me out for awhile, but I guess they were waiting till BOTB to finally do it. I'm really excited to wrestle on the East Coast. I think it will be a lot different from the West Coast. Just from the tapes I watch, the crowds seem to be a lot different. The East Coast crowds seem to care more about the wrestling, than yelling out a bunch of insider terms during the matches. Not all the West Coast crowds are like that, but a lot of them are. MPW's crowds the last few shows were like that. I saw some ugly fans holding some signs about "Sasuke Wannabe". I don't really get that one. They're just lucky I didn't go shank them in the face. I really like working in front of crowds that get into the matches, rather than crowds that sit there and wait for someone to mess-up so they can yell insider stuff at them. I guess that makes you a cool fan nowadays though.

Steve: Back to EPIC for a minute, on their debut show, you are wrestling American Dragon, which is a dream match people have been talking about for a long time. What are your expectations for that match?

Super Dragon: I think it's going to be awesome. I think American Dragon is one of the best wrestlers around. I'm really not into watching a lot of wrestlers, but I think he's incredible. He's a really nice guy too. I think that match will live up to the hype.

Steve: Are there any other wrestlers that you would like to wrestle that you really haven't gotten the chance to yet?

Super Dragon: Not a lot. I'd like to wrestle the Cubans, because I think it would clear up a lot of things. I think we could have a good match too. I'd really like to do a singles match with Samoa Joe. I'd like to have a rematch with Low-Ki with a better finish. The one I think I'd like to do the most is a singles with Spanky. I hurt my knee last time we wrestled, and I'd like the chance to have a better match with him. I think he got a bad impression of me from that match. Since then we've been through a lot together. Hot dog eating contests, battles in the squared circle, the Hayward Gym in the dark. I really enjoy being around him at shows. He's a really funny guy, and I think he's a great wrestler. "BILL IT TO MY BALLS!"

Steve: What are your goals in wrestling, and where do you see yourself in the future?

Super Dragon: My goal is to go to Japan. Who knows what will happen though. I see so many other guys who are awesome who haven't made it anywhere. I hope to be in Japan sometime in the future, that's the only place I can see myself. Anywhere that I can make a living wrestling anyway. I'm not going to WWF. If this wrestling doesn't work out, I think I'm going to become a professional male model. "Sparkles" will be my name. Watch out for Sparkles in the future!

Steve: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Is their anything you'd like to say before we end?

Super Dragon: I just hope to continue to put on good matches for fans who appreciate wrestling. See you all at EPIC, CZW and APW!