At EPIC's inaugural show, International Collision, Joshua Shibata had the opportunity to sit down and interview "Tornado" Tony Kozina. Kozina talked about how he got into wrestling, his size, his record breaking stint in the NWA, where he has worked, his favorite opponents, the WWE, and much more.

Joshua Shibata: I am here with "Tornado" Tony Kozina, who is one of the most talked about junior heavyweights from the NWA promotion out on the east side. You just wrestled here at EPIC's debut show in an amazing match against B-Boy.

Tony Kozina: Thank you, I liked the match. I took one in the end but that's how it is.

Joshua Shibata: Alright, let's start at the beginning. What made you become a wrestler?

Tony Kozina: I don't remember a time when I didn't want to wrestle. When I wanted to break in at 18, it was back when wrestling was still very protective and I was a guy standing at 5'6 and they just looked at me, gave me a pat on the shoulders and, "A-OK kid." But I got my start from Billy Jack Hayes who had a radio show out in Oregon. I called him up in 1996 and said, "Here's my thing. I'm 5'6, but I'm very dedicated and he took my number off the air. I started talking to him and training with him and he turned me over to Sandy Barr and Matt Borne.

Joshua Shibata: Matt Borne, the original Doink the Clown.

Tony Kozina: Right. I started training with them as a ref and as a wrestler. I appreciated good old school wrestling which is what I got. It was really physical and I learned how to protect myself in the most unfriendliness of environments.

Josh: So was the training everything you expected to be, or were you overwhelmed by the physicality?

Kozina: It was everything I expected and more. They prepared me for the worst because of my size; people take advantage of me. It's not necessarily always the case but my style is, how you would say… snug, because of my training. I think the fans really appreciate it and it makes for a better product.

Josh: You've mentioned your height a few times. Do you feel that your height has been a disadvantage in your wrestling career?

Kozina: Absolutely not. When I broke into this business, Billy told me there was a 90% chance I would not make it. But after a few months of training, he said, "You know there is a 90% chance you will make it."

B-Boy stops by.

B-Boy: I love Tony Kozina.

Kozina: (Laughing) You stop that, right there! I took all the opportunities that I could to get in the ring and I mean I've been in the ring with the best. Asian Cougar, Low Ki, Sabu and tonight with B-Boy, and I've just been thrilled. I keep taking every opportunity and you know what? My size has played no factor in all of this.

Josh: Alright, you've been wrestling a long time with the NWA which has you mostly on the east coast. Has this been your first time wrestling on the West Coast?

Kozina: No, I'm from Portland, Oregon. In fact, I have wrestled in Los Angeles a few times for some Lucha groups, but nothing at this level with the fans of this size at EPIC. This has just been beyond expectations and I hope this is the beginning of many, many great things. I've been thrilled to be a part of this.

Josh: Now, not many people know about you here on the West Coast because you've wrestled mostly on the east coast for the various NWA promotions. There, you've made a huge name for yourself by being one of the top junior heavyweight competitors as well as winning the NWA Junior Heavyweight belt on more than one occasion. How did it feel to win such a prestigious title?

Kozina: You know in the NWA, I won the Northwest title four times and you know the whole point of the NWA is opportunity. So, when I regained the Northwest title a fifth time, I went to my promoter and I said, "I would like to go after the NWA Canadian Junior title. So we made some calls and lobbied for it, and I traveled to Winnipeg for CWF, Ernie Todd's promotion, and I defeated Robbie Royce and Tony McGuire in a three way to win the belt. I lost it, regained it again, and as soon as I regained it again, I told my promoter I want to win the NWA World Junior title. I lobbied for it and said that no one had the track record like I did in the NWA so I called them…

New Jack came out yelling and hollering and making fun of some of the people in the back. Then Jack asked all of us to take a picture with him. Too sweet.

Josh: OK, going back to your time at the NWA, when you won the NWA Junior title, you set a few records for the most title defenses in the least number of days.

Kozina: Yea, I did that first with the Northwest title, to help get it some prestige, and that was 19 defenses in 31 days. As soon as I won the World Junior title, I went to Pittsburgh, Jim Miller's group, NWA East, and defended the title there. Then I went to the non-NWA territories to defend the belt because again it's all about opportunity. I went to APW, Roland Alexander's territory, defended the belt against Jardi Franz, then I went to Tijuana, LA again for some little groups. I defended it all the way up in British Columbia, lost the title in Nashville and now I'm looking for my third title reign. Right now, I am the number one contender for the NWA Junior title even though I don't have the Northwest title. As far as I'm concerned, in Corpus Christi in October will be the NWA's 53rd anniversary show. Ever since I lost the belt, I have wrestled in the ECWA Super 8, the NWA Super Junior open, here in EPIC, gone back East and defeated Low Ki, wrestled with AJ Styles and Red, Christopher Daniels, Asian Cougar, Sabu and nobody still, not even the NWA World Junior title holder has the track record that I do, and I want a Junior World title shot at the Anniversary show.

Josh: Well I hope you get it. It will be great to see you regain the World title. Now with your previous records of most defenses, how much of a strain has that put on your body?

Kozina: I thank God that I'm healthy. I haven't had any injuries and when you have fifteen-twenty minute matches a night, I just go back to the hotel, take a shower and get my sleep. It's a two-hour, five-hour. Up in British Columbia, it's a 17 hour car ride. They go as far as the Yukon Territory and I love it up there, it's so beautiful. But you know this is what I wanted to do and I just listen to my body more than anything. I've heard all the horror stories of guys just taping it up and go, but thank God, I take the risks but I try to be calculating. Even though a slip up could happen at any time and that could be it. But again this is something I always wanted to do and I just want to push it. If I could do 30 defenses in 31 days I would do that too. I just want to wrestle as much as I can.

Josh: Now you were in ECWA's 2001 Super 8 Tournament, which is probably one of the most prestigious Indy tournaments in the country. How did it feel being invited to compete in that?

Kozina: I was thrilled. Jim Kettner is probably the best promoter I have ever worked with and he was just a professional. It was the best show I have been a part of. That show really helped me get some national exposure on the East Coast. I went back there to work with Steve Corino's group, wrestled for New Jersey's Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Jim Kettner's group again a few more times. I have just been thankful. Everywhere I have gone it has been nothing but opportunity. Sometimes the opportunity is just a great match, a twenty-dollar pay off and a night of sleep on the couch. Yet, who am I to question that? It's just what you had to do. One day it will pay off. More exposure, my name gets out there and that's just the way it is.

Josh: Now, you've had a bunch of classic matches in your career, who have been some of your favorite opponents?

Kozina: Man, I really… I am not being funny, but I just can't name one. I think Asian Cougar. Probably, I had my best match with Asian Cougar from IWA Japan. Sabu… I had a great match with Sabu at Anarchy and Piper's Pit in Eugene, Oregon. It was the biggest card Oregon had in 15 years. Christopher Daniels, we've done some phenomenal things. Red and Billy Fives, these guys are just tremendous wrestlers and I've wrestled with them so many times. You can just go on auto-pilot, you know. Bret Como, Black Dragon, he wrestles in Toryumon. He's another one. These guys are so good. It just comes naturally. There is this chemistry there. Just like tonight with B-Boy. First time I have ever wrestled him and man it just… it was just on. You know when you go out there and the fans give you that feedback, it just helps it create that momentum and it's all there. I hope there is more opportunity later on to wrestle them again.

Josh: Now, you speak about opportunity but today there is only really one promotion for Indy stars to go to. Do you think this has hurt the Indy field?

Kozina: Well, I hear a different thing everyday. Some people see it as a detriment. I don't think of it as one. There is still New Japan, AAA. Truthfully, I would love to go to Japan more than the WWE because I think performance wise I like to fight hard and that may be appreciated more because of my size in Japan. But again you never know. Guys like X-Pac and Billy Kidman, Rob Van Dam. I never say never plus there is talk about Rey Misterio coming in, so I never say never. There really is a place for everyone. There is one big thing though that will help the territories. WWF, the more they go for entertainment, the more they create an opening for things like Ring of Honor, which is more straight nose, which is what I like. Handshake, go at it, handshake at the end, pure wrestling. The more the WWE go to entertainment, even with the name Wrestling Entertainment, the more it opens the door for straight nose feds. Something will pop up. EPIC's popping up, ROH is popping up. I am sure the WWF can take the talent as they go like they did with ECW, but that is a good thing, its opportunity. Those fellows will move on to big and better things and we will all rise to big and better things hopefully in the end. I don't look at it as a bad thing at all.

Josh: If you could pick a dream opponent, who would it be?

Kozina: Ric Flair. I pattern my ground style after Ric Flair and Bret Hart. And Benoit is like the 21st century version of the two of them. Everybody that Flair fought, Steamboat and others, I just like that it was a straight nose feud. I like that. I grew up with that. There is a lot of high flying and I could do that but there are plenty of guys who can do that better than me. If I could do something a little different and I try to bring as much psychology as I can. You can still do high flying but less is always more.

Josh: Five years from now, where would you like to see Tony Kozina?

Kozina: In the big time. And from that I mean AAA, New Japan of course WWE. I'm going where there is opportunity. The more hands you shake, the more people you're going to meet. As long as I'm going, I'm not going to be discouraged if it is not there. I know as long as my body's healthy and my attitude is good and hopefully my reputation will be great and promoters and other wrestlers will appreciate it. Even if I don't go any further than I am now, but I keep busy, then I'm cool. I mean everyone wants to make a million dollars but that's not my thing. I'm in the business because I love it. When my body tells me that I can't do it anymore, hopefully there is someone I can talk to about doing some stuff behind the scenes.

Josh: Like the radio show.

Kozina: Yea. I helped ECCW up in British Columbia in the Northwest do a lot of behind the scenes promotions. I learned how to help promote and market. If I was to do anything in the WWE, I would do the "behind the scenes" things there like Tom Pritchard and coordinate. I love it. It doesn't matter what I do whether it be wrestling, refereeing, behind scenes, I just want to do something in wrestling because I love it.

Josh: Well, thank you for your time Tony and I hope to see you wrestle again out here in LA.

Kozina: Thank You.