Interview With Pro Wrestler JT Roberts

I had the pleasure of interviewing a local pro wrestler on MySpace recently. He is from around the same area as me so I wanted to make my first interview for my blog with someone local. I've always enjoyed pro wrestling and have see some Ground Breaking Wrestling shows where JT Robert wrestles.

When did you start wrestling?

In 2002 I responded to a classified ad for a wrestling school in Hanover, PA. I was trained by 'Mighty' Quinn Nash, who at one point was an enhancement talent in WCW, so the guy had traveled and worked with alot of great talent like Dallas Page, The Nasty Boys, Harlem Heat, Dean Malenko, etc.

What wrestling promotions have you worked for?

All American Wrestling Federation, Ground Breaking Wrestling, American Championship Pro Wrestling, New Elite Wrestling, Future One Wrestling, National Championship Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling/Maven Bentley Alliance, Eastern Wrestling Alliance, World Pro Wrestling and several others, all of them have been in the Atlantic region. I'm lucky to live in the hotbed of indy wrestling.

How does a person go about getting started in the wrestling business?

Nowadays if you know someone you can somehow network and get trained. When I started we didn't have myspace or any of that. It was really hard to get into because the veterans would beat the piss out of you and make you earn respect. Very old school. Nowadays its much easier to find a place because wrestlers and wrestling in general are more accessible to the public.

Who were some of your idols growing up?

I was always a big fan of Ric Flair, and Shawn Michaels. It was so easy to hate those guys, but at the end of the day, you had to admit that they were good. That's what I liked so much about them.

If you could wrestle any WWE/TNA wrestler who would it be?

If I was going to match someone style wise, I would say Chris Jericho or CM Punk. Ive also always been a huge fan of Kurt Angle.

What are some memorable matches you have seen?

The Iron Man match at Wrestle Mania XII. Michaels vs. Hart was the match that made me want to become a wrestler. I figured, I was gonna grow up to be a small athletic guy, so seeing those two smaller, athletic guys at the top of their game really motivated me. I think there are many indy wrestlers like me who would tell you the same thing. Plus, anything the Hardy Boyz, Dudleys and Edge and Christian did with tables, ladders and chairs.

What do you think of the state of the WWE currently?

They're doing what they have to do to get kids back with the PG-13 rating and material. I think they set a very high standard in the 'Attitude' era, and that's been difficult for them to match in the eyes of many educated fans. I think they've written some really good television going into Wrestle Mania, as they do every year. I don't like the idea of a brand extension because Raw, Smackdown and ECW are the exact same type of programming. No particular program stands out as being different or original. If there were a more serious number 2 promotion, I think it would be different. The competition would make everybody better.

With Wrestle Mania right around the corner what match are you looking forward too?

Taker vs. Shawn. The guys with the two longest tenures in the company going head to head. Taker needs this match because hes never really had a "great" match at Wrestle Mania. They've done a great job making it look like Shawn has a chance, and even though we all know Taker is going to win--for the time that they're in there, they are gonna tell a great story and suspend the element of disbelief to a point where everyone watching will think Shawn has a chance. That's how great those two are. I also want to see Hardy vs. Hardy. I think they have the potential to steal the show in the Extreme Rules match.

Thank you for the interview. It's been a pleasure doing the interview. I look forward to the next GBW show in Gettysburg.