David Marquez interview – Westside Pro Wrestling

NWA Main Man

David Marquez is a member of the NWA Board of Directors, the promoter of NWA Pro and one of the people instrumental in the Explosive Pro Wrestling affiliation with the National Wrestling Alliance. Westside Pro Wrestling’s Tez Himself was lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak to the very busy NWA Pro promoter.

WPW: You got your start in the wrestling business in the late 1980’s, how did you initially get involved?

MARQUEZ: I started out like most people, being a “jack of all trades”. First taking jackets, then graduated to taking photographs and such. Things really started to fly for me in the mid 1990s when I moved to Missouri and started World Legion Wrestling with Gordon Solie and Harley Race. Its pretty much been full steam since then.

WPW: The NWA had been a major part of Australian Wrestling in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, but with the decline of World Championship Wrestling, had no affiliate. This changed in 2005 with the affiliation with EPW. Can you tell us how this came about and how do you think the affiliation has gone after nearly five years?

MARQUEZ: Hartley Jackson and Mikey Nicholls came to stay with us at the LA Dojo. They told me about EPW and Davis Storm came right after them. During their time training, we talked about many different possibilities and in those three months we created the relationships in both Perth and Adelaide.

WPW: Mikey Nicholls, Bobby Marshall and Shane Haste seem to have had the biggest success of the Australian talent that have visited SoCal since 2005. There have been title runs (Nicholls and Marshall) and shots at the NWA World Title (Haste). Do you think any Australian talent has a shot at a BOD (Board of Directors) Title reign in the future?

MARQUEZ: I’d say all of those guys you have mentioned, I’d even throw in Damian Slater. I’m very impressed with the ability of everyone I’ve seen from Oz. If I had to pick one…it’ll be a toss up between Haste and Marshall.

WPW: The 2007 NWA Australian Tour was a good time to be a WA wrestling fan, getting to see the likes of Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Rocky Romero, Sean Waltman and The Real American Heroes compete against EPW talent, who some of us had been following since their early years. Is there any update on a DVD release of the shows and on a personal note, how did you find your first experience of Australia?

MARQUEZ: We’ve planned on adding the tour to our “Reclaiming the Glory” DVD, but that has been put on hold by Big Vision due to the decline of DVD sales world wide. They are looking at other means of distribution for us as I answer these questions. And as for my time down there…I really enjoyed myself. I met some of the most wonderful people I think I will ever meet; I ate meat pies and drank a lot of ice coffee (your version of ice coffee is very different from ours). That tour will not be my last one to your country.

WPW: The NWA Australian National Championship has become stuck in Adelaide, when it was created to be a title defended around the country. The title was last defended outside of South Australia in November 2008, and hasn’t been seen in Perth since April 2008. Now with EPW Adelaide’s name change to NWA Pro, it seems increasingly unlikely this will change any time soon and Perth fans are disappointed with this situation. Does NWA have authority on the title or is it all in the hands of NWA Pro Adelaide?

MARQUEZ: Yes the NWA does have authority, and the management there knows what’s best for their promotions. I’m sure when the time is right, that green beauty will pop up in Perth again.

WPW: The airing of the NWA on Fire program beginning in January is the first time NWA product has been shown on Australian National TV since World Championship Wrestling in the late 1970’s. How did the deal come about?

MARQUEZ: That was secured by a third party distributor that licensed our footage and re-packaged it from existing programs. I have no idea really, what each hour consists of.

WPW: Does the NWA have any plans regarding Australia in the near future?

MARQUEZ: Well yes. It’s my hope to grow the NWA brand there. The management teams there are looking into expanding the brand, but currently there is no rush.

WPW: What does the NWA have in store for 2010 on the American scene?

MARQUEZ: Well, we hope to keep developing new talent. Return to television in a different way, especially the format and model. And to keep up what we are doing and that is producing hundreds if not thousands of NWA sanctioned events world wide.

WPW: Thank you for taking the time to speak to Westside Pro Wrestling, Mr. Marquez.

Check out David Marquez’s blog “Some Assembly Required” at www.nwawrestling.com