Pro Wres Expo — NWA International Stars Shine

The massive “Pro Wres EXPO 2008” was held over two days and encompassing three shows from October 24th to the 25th. The show was broken into three chapters: Part 1 – Green Chapter, Part 2 – White Chapter and Part 3 – Blue Chapter. The shows were held in Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan, and saw a mixture of wrestlers from all around the world come together for the event. The main fixture of the 3 days was the “Continent Confrontation Tournament” a tag team tournament. Not only did many wrestlers from all over the world appear, several Japanese and US companies were represented including New Japan, ZERO1, Big Japan and TNA and NWA Ireland and NWA Australia. Almost the entire ZERO1 roster took part in the three shows:

The first show of the Pro Wres Expo which took place in Tokyo featured many international talent. Former NWA British Common Wealth Heavyweight Champion Paul Tracey competed in match. And current NWA Australian National Champion Hartley Jackson lost to Zero One’s Ikuto Hidaka (who has made a few appearances on the NWA Showcase). The following night Jackson competed in another match. This time Tracey tag teamed with Heddi Karaoui in a lossing effort to Kohei Sato and Ryouji Sai, when Sai pinned Karaoui. And on the final day Jackson teaming with the Himalayan Tiger and Kikutaro defeating the team of Tengu Kaiser and Tengu Baron when Jackson used a piledriver on Tengu Baron.

I for one thing its great to see memebers of the Alliance wrestling Internationally. I was kind of disapointed to notice that none of the North American NWA wrestlers were competing.

NWA British Commonwealth Championship Legacy

NWA BRITISH COMMONWEALTH CHAMPIONSHIP

2nd Champion Dru Onyx

Update on ICWA: NWA France?!?

Although no official word has been announced from the NWA Website, according to the ICWA website, the promotion isn’t just co-promoting with the NWA, but has joined the National Wrestling Alliance. This would be the 3rd NWA Promotion in Europe, joining NWA UK, NWA Ireland, and now NWA France. The International Catch Wrestling Alliance also marks the 2nd International Wrestling Promotion to join the Alliance this year, with the 1st being New Japan Pro Wrestling.

An Interview with the Bajan Bomber

A dark building flutters with flashes. A dazed man climbs to his feet only to be crushed with a spear from Dru Onyx. A scene that plays out over and over for the opponents of “Godz Fav’rit Weapon.” A man known through the Alliance as a belt collector shares his thoughts on his time at the Inoki Dojo, the British Common Wealth Championship, his tenure as North American Champion and his future.

JAY CAL: Your accolades speak for themselves… you’ve held the International Wrestling Syndicate’s version of the World Title, formerly one Half of the IWS Tag Team Champions, the NWA UK Heavyweight Championship, 2 times Québec Heavyweight Championship, the North American Heavyweight Championship, and are currently a three time British Common Wealth Champion… how great is it to be Dru Onyx?

DRU ONYX: It a exhilarating feeling I think both genders of the human race should at least one time in their life, gain an additional 100 pounds shave their head bald, get a dark tan and find some black and purple to put on.

JAY CAL: First off, let’s go back two years ago. Dru Onyx defends his British Common Wealth Heavyweight Championship against Fergal Devitt. David Marquez witnesses the match and you are invited to come out to train at the Inoki Dojo with Devitt, Karl Anderson, and with some of the other NWA Pro regulars like TJ Perkins, and Rocky Romero how did this match and eventual time spent at the dojo impact your career?

DRU ONYX: All of my matches with Fergal Devitt have been highlights of my career. We have feuded in both single and tag-team competing for 3 years straight on two continents and four Counties (Ireland, England, U.S., & Wales)For Mr. Marquez to invite me let me It’s also an acknowledgment that you’re a level above others in talent, there were more then 50 wrestlers worldwide from all over the alliance and less then 10 were invited to California.

JAY CAL: What did you take back in your style of wrestling and when you train wrestlers at the Torture Chamber?

DRU ONYX: The Inoki Dojo was a positive experience; you can never learn enough about pro wrestling, my time there taught me the importance of conditioning and the emphasis of psychology in a wrestling match both these aspects have taken back with me to the Chamber.

JAY CAL: You reached your highest level of success in the NWA on April 22, 2006. In Altamonte Springs, Florida, three Men walk into the ring, one walks out as champion. Dru, you took on and defeated Tommy Marr and Chasyn Rance in 3-way match and walked away with at the time, the highest-ranking title in the NWA, what did this night mean to you? What did the NWA North American Championship? do for you in terms of your career?

DRU ONYX: It allowed some exposure showing my skills in U.S. rings prior to that; I wrestled mainly in Canada and Europe. In addition, to be in the history books with all the greats who held that championship was an honor for me. It also let the NWA top brass see the that I can be a major layer NWA. It also opened up some doors for corporate sponsorship for both my wrestling school and me.

JAY CAL: As the North American Champion you raised the status of the title from the past champions by having defenses all over the East Coast of Canada and the United States. You showed true class by carrying yourself and the NWA in the highest regard, even defending the title on a TNA house-show. However, you were not invited to participate in the crowning of the Worlds Heavyweight Championship Tournament. In addition, you have yet to receive a title shot, what are your feelings on this?

DRU ONYX: No bad feelings, I think tenure as N.A. Champ was more beneficial to me then being in tournament. Maybe at the time they didn’t view me as a top competitor, and it took me defending the title to do so. Also With the World title being decided I felt I had to carry the load and rep the Alliance as their premier champ. Everything happens for a reason, truth be told even if they ask me I couldn’t have participated at the time. In December 2006 I was seriously hospitalized for Kidney failure and almost had the risk of having my feet amputated only to recover from that, and three months later have to go through an emergency pneumothorax surgery due to a botched biopsy procedure that almost left me for dead. One month after that I was back in the ring defending the title in Virginia, to say the least I had my hands full at the time.

JAY CAL: Wow, it appears you overcame even more obstacles than anyone really knew about. You recently regained the “other worlds” Championship recently from NWA Irelands’ Paul Tracey. This title has been made famous by a handful of individuals. The title is in fact a non-B.O.D Controlled Title, however travels more than any other championship. What does it mean for you, to regain this title you helped to make famous?

DRU ONYX: Your right this title is a non-B.O.D title and it was created by Andre Baker & Ernie Todd. It was to be major title to be defended in both the U.K. and Canada, they believed if a Commonwealth title was created, it could include all the countries that were or still under the British Commonwealth. With so many countries under that banner, they can promote the NWA within countries that may not be a part of the NWA or also places where the World title may not have a chance to visit just yet. It was not nor ever intended to replace the World title but an alternative. The NWA World title is one of the most prestigious and recognized title in pro wrestling and for a few years being associated with TNA it really couldn’t travel much. There are a few reasons why people are noticing it now. Good solid booking, putting the title on credible workers who are traveling and most important no egos between the promoters working with the title. The belt is used and recognized by NWA U.K. Hammerlock, NWA Ireland, NWA Quebec, NWA Pro, NWA ECCW with the understanding that the emphasis is to promote the NWA and share talent.

For me to have the title means to follow the tradition of former champions
of the NWA back in the old days, To go out and represent the alliance and cultivate and elevate the talent I have to wrestle. It means constantly conduct myself as a professional at all times, to challenge myself to on having the best match possible.

My first run was less then a week, my second run was a year, and I put some serious mileage on the championship with the amount of defenses I made. I was the first to have it defended and promoted in different countries, and help set the bar for this championship. I wouldn’t say I was the best wrestler to hold the title that accolade would have to be given to Devitt, but I can say I was the greatest champion to hold the belt

JAY CAL: Where do you look to defend this title first?

DRU ONYX: First place I would like to defend it would be the west coast of Canada in NWA ECCW, the Canadian Champion gets a mandatory title shot, and the title has never been defended there.

JAY CAL: Speaking of the British Common Wealth Heavyweight Championship, one of the previous holders had less then savory remarks about that title. The Machine Gun, a champion during the Santa Monica’s tenure, mentioned the belt was lucky to be held by the likes of Alex Koslov, Devitt, and himself. How do you feel about these comments and are they justified?

DRU ONYX: Everyone’s is allowed his or her own opinion, his is just a lit bit wayward, his claim was that the title didn’t “make him” or “give him the rub” but then again he may not care or knew the significance of that title, The title is put on a worker who can wrestle and put over his competition so they look strong after the champion leaves that particular area, also it’s put on champion who TRAVELS thus allowing BOTH the title and the champion exposure, experience, allowing prestige to the title and name recognition to the worker.

Not a shot at Karl, but he never left L.A. to defend this British title, so how would that belt help him? He doesn’t know how serious people view that title in the U.K. or Canada. Every champion who ever held that belt traveled to another country to defend it, with the exception of Koslov, but at least he traveled to the east coast Defending the title and he carried himself like a true champion. The person who holds it also defines the Championship’s value.

Another Analogy would be like, no matter how nice or fast a beautiful sport car is, you’ll never be able see how fast or how far it can go, cause you have it sitting in your driveway and complaining it’s a piece of crap. And before this misconstrued as me hating on him, I think Anderson is one of the bright futures of the NWA he’s a great worker and worthy of his current tenure as one half of the world tag teams champion, and hopefully that particular title does something for him.

JAY CAL: You are somewhat of a Globetrotter Dru, What Country, States/Providences, Cities have you wrestled?

DRU ONYX: I think it would be a little tedious to name all the cities so here are
just few, Canadian provinces Quebec, Ontario, Winnipeg, Vancouver, U.S. recently I’ve wrestled New York, Massachusetts, California, Tennessee, and Nevada. European countries: Four tours of Ireland, 2 tours of Wales, 2 tours of England.

JAY CAL: The Dru Onyx videos featured on You Tube earlier this year to a lot of notoriety. What do you think of this form of promotion? Do you think it has helped you in your attempts of getting more attention, title shots, fame, and notoriety?

DRU ONYX: I think it the best form inexpensive promotion, definitely a tool I believe and would endorse. One of the strongest talents I have is the gift of gab. Therefore, this medium gives me a vehicle to let the masses know about me whereas they may not have had a chance to before. I can tell any promoter to look me up. It’s great also for building interest for upcoming matches. I had a great build up with NWA Virginia’s Pharaoh on line; I intend to be even more outrageous in my next few promos.

JAY CAL: As head trainer of the Torture Chamber in Quebec, what do you feel is the greatest tools a young wrestler can have before attempting to train for wrestling?

DRU ONYX: A willingness to learn, to remove any preconceptions of what they perceive as pro wrestling to be. Study your craft learn the past, present and where the direction of the business is going. In addition, It is imperative that they know that IT IS A BUSINESS! To get in the gym and prepared to work hard to achieve whatever goals they may have. Sounds cliché but to get a Education to fall back is sounds advice.

JAY CAL: What’s next for Dru Onyx? You’ve conquered the British Common Wealth Heavyweight Championship; you’ve held World Titles in other promotions, what are your career goals?

DRU ONYX: Game plan is to train hard for the next six months get in the best possible wrestling shape. . So many people talk about they want to be a world champ, but truth of the matter is so many are in delusional concerning their abilities and what it would take to carry this company as champion. So whether I’m solo or tagging with the 2006 NWA rookie of the year Justin White the quest is to be in the best shape in order to be put in the position for a realistic shot as World Champion. I’ll be defending this British title, in the U.K. for some mandatory defenses in England, Wales. U.K in April. The game plan is to also defend the title in Australia. I want to at some point in the near future, perform in Japan & Mexico. My objective is to bust my ass and see what upward movement I can attain in the next year’ If I’m in the same place career wise 2008, and then I’ll be hanging up the boots in 2009.

JAY CAL: I for one hope that 2008 with a higher level of success so that we continue to see you perfect your craft. Finally Dru, what would you like to tell the restling fans out there who are reading this?

DRU ONYX: I would like to tell the wrestling fans that I happy to be alive and I’m blessed to be able to follow a childhood dream and those who’ve seen and enjoyed my antics I’m nothing without you guys, you as fans are saluted.

Please Check Out: Dru Onyx’s Torture Chamber and NWA Quebec

And you can buy the Dru Onyx Shirt by clicking here