Latest / What Do You Call It? Podcast! / 🔥MARK CONNORS🔥talks Rascals Pro Wrestling Academy, Judo, Cena, Tag Team, The Rock & more

Transcript

🔥MARK CONNORS🔥talks Rascals Pro Wrestling Academy, Judo, Cena, Tag Team, The Rock & more · What Do You Call It? Podcast!

• 0:06
  Hello and welcome to another episode of What Do You Call It
• 0:10
  podcast. I'm your host, GB, great week.
• 0:16
  If you follow me on social media, you'll see that I went to
• 0:19
  the Arsenal game. We won two nil Champions League.
• 0:23
  I loved it. I'm very happy.
• 0:25
  Didn't get to redo this because Jacques didn't score, but never
• 0:28
  mind. Thought I squeeze that in.
• 0:30
  But we're not here to talk about my week.
• 0:32
  We're here to talk to today's guest. 1/2 of death Mark tag
• 0:36
  team, please welcome Mark Connors.
• 0:39
  Mark, how you doing today, mate? You're good.
• 0:43
  What's mate, How are you? Yeah, not bad mate, not bad.
• 0:45
  Cannot complain, cannot complain.
• 0:48
  I will just give the listeners a heads up.
• 0:50
  There is a slight delay so if I do pause after questions or
• 0:54
  speaking a bit longer than usual, that is why.
• 0:58
  It's not me being an idiot. So I just thought I'd give a
• 1:00
  heads up. So Mark, what I want to discuss
• 1:04
  is how you became a pro wrestling fan.
• 1:10
  Well I started watching wrestling when I was 5 back in
• 1:14
  2008 and the first show I watched was one of them 2008.
• 1:20
  So you had like flip flares of time and stuff going on.
• 1:23
  John Cena's massive fatal and then from now I kind of just
• 1:26
  like fell in love with it and it's just what I wanted to do.
• 1:30
  So I started training and oh it was amazing.
• 1:34
  Like the pop Cena got and then like 5 minutes later they're
• 1:37
  just booing him out the building afterwards.
• 1:40
  When they. Realized, oh, but yeah, so I
• 1:46
  finished college when I was 18 and I was looking up wrestling
• 1:49
  schools and I found a wrestling school called Pimple Pro
• 1:53
  Wrestling down in South Woods. So I thought I'll give it a go,
• 1:57
  see what I can, see if I'll enjoy it.
• 1:59
  So I go down first day, do all the drills, the bump in the bowl
• 2:03
  and stuff, and I kind of just fell in love, but I was like,
• 2:05
  this is what I want to do. So that's how I like started
• 2:09
  out. Just want to backtrack a little
• 2:12
  bit to, I know you said like how you got into it in terms of
• 2:15
  becoming a wrestler, but when you yeah, decision to do it,
• 2:19
  what was the initial reaction from your friends and family?
• 2:22
  Like I'm going to become a pro wrestler because it is very
• 2:25
  mixed. Yeah, some of them, like most of
• 2:30
  them all are supportive and that and some of them are like, you
• 2:32
  need to go get a proper job and that don't just like fully focus
• 2:35
  on wrestling and like think about like the future and like
• 2:38
  just in case it doesn't work out.
• 2:40
  But like, I get where they're coming from.
• 2:43
  But it's like this is my dream and this is what I want to do
• 2:46
  and stuff. I think that's fair, to be fair,
• 2:49
  sort of have a backup. Don't just put sort of your
• 2:53
  basket and then if it doesn't work out, but at least give it a
• 2:56
  go. And that's what you're doing.
• 2:58
  So it does sound like more supportive.
• 3:01
  So tell me about when you did begin this pro wrestling career.
• 3:06
  So did you face any challenges not just with, you know, the
• 3:10
  actual in ring work and taking the bumps, but maybe confidence
• 3:14
  issues, you know, talking to other people?
• 3:18
  Yeah, so I'm like very socially awkward.
• 3:20
  So I find it very awkward to talk to people that I don't
• 3:22
  know. So when I first got there, I was
• 3:24
  kind of like stood around not talking to many people because I
• 3:27
  was like, very awkward. But like, once I got all the
• 3:30
  people down, now I was like just fully amassed by it all.
• 3:34
  Hello there, I've got a special announcement for my next yes.
• 3:38
  Hey, it is your boy. It is your second award yet it
• 3:41
  is Craig Ryan and I am going to be pairing on the what you call
• 3:46
  a podcast. So check it out and I will see
• 3:49
  you there. Are you messing?
• 3:51
  Hey, yeah, what? Were your favorite things about
• 4:03
  the rest in training when you're doing it in the early days?
• 4:07
  Oh, I'll say just like going through like all the bumps and
• 4:14
  the roles with Avery, because Avery that was all begin at the
• 4:16
  same time. So you're going through the
• 4:17
  process with everyone and you're seeing like everyone improved at
• 4:21
  the same time. And to see that is like quite
• 4:24
  special. Nice mate, nice.
• 4:27
  I believe you were saying something as well.
• 4:29
  I didn't mean to cut you off then as well, just unfortunately
• 4:31
  that just did. Yeah, but you're talking about
• 4:32
  like calendars and everything and like, what's the high
• 4:36
  spirit? So when I first started
• 4:38
  listening, I was like, quite overweight.
• 4:40
  And so I think now it's like the biggest challenge was getting
• 4:43
  into better shape, losing the weight.
• 4:46
  So I'll say that was like the biggest change when I first
• 4:48
  started out. Oh.
• 4:50
  Nice mate, fair play, fair play. I think a lot of people say that
• 4:53
  the bumps and stuff, but I've never really heard anyone say
• 4:54
  like, you know, dropping the weight to sort of maintain.
• 4:58
  Yeah, physicality and the cardio, because there is a lot
• 5:01
  that goes into it and there's a reason why I sit here and have
• 5:04
  the camera up on a certain level.
• 5:09
  But no, that's, that's that's cool, mate.
• 5:10
  That's cool. Before I discuss wrestling
• 5:12
  fervour, tell me about your Julo backgrounds.
• 5:16
  You know, I see that you feel about.
• 5:18
  So just yeah, just explain about the Julo.
• 5:23
  So yeah, I started judo this year in January, so I started it
• 5:27
  with Ross and that and I started it because I wanted it to help
• 5:33
  me improve like my lesson with like footwork fundamentals.
• 5:37
  So that's why I started judo. But then I kind of like fell in
• 5:40
  love with doing judo. So I've done 2 competitions, got
• 5:44
  a bronze and silver and that and yeah, I just really enjoyed
• 5:47
  doing judo now. Yeah.
• 5:49
  That's really cool man. Fair enough.
• 5:50
  Like you actually got into it after the wrestling, not to say
• 5:54
  that you're sort of finishing wrestling, but like during your
• 5:57
  wrestling career sort of early on.
• 5:58
  That's pretty cool, mate. As you mentioned, Rossi, friend
• 6:01
  of the show Rossi Roscoe, you know, got a lot of time for him.
• 6:05
  Tell me how he's been sort of as a mentor, how to.
• 6:09
  Yeah, I know you've worked for him as well, but tell me about
• 6:11
  him as a coach, even as a friend and as an opponent.
• 6:18
  Well, what's this like an amazing coach?
• 6:20
  Like he has time for everyone. And it's not like if you fuck up
• 6:24
  something, it's like get out the ring.
• 6:25
  It's like he'll take your time and like he'll sit down and
• 6:28
  coach you through it into you'll get him more confident with it
• 6:31
  and better with it. So like he just has time for
• 6:34
  everyone. But it's not just his coaching.
• 6:36
  It's like what he does with the community stuff as well.
• 6:39
  It's like just so amazing what he does.
• 6:43
  Yeah, no, I I think he's a great guy.
• 6:46
  He's a person I've enjoyed talking to.
• 6:48
  And then I've seen sort of following up from the interview
• 6:51
  with him about a year or two ago, what he does for the
• 6:54
  community like you mentioned in Blackpool.
• 6:57
  You. Know the support that he has
• 6:59
  from the fans, like the young crowds as well.
• 7:01
  It's it's pretty cool to see, you know, But what I will say as
• 7:07
  well mate, when did you actually make your in ring debut?
• 7:12
  The first ever match that you had?
• 7:14
  My first match was last April and it was at Vasco's, so I was
• 7:18
  in a battle royal. So I joined Vasco's last year in
• 7:22
  April. And then boss, me and Boss were
• 7:26
  talking and that and he was like, do you want to be in this
• 7:29
  battle royal? Because I've got space.
• 7:31
  And I was like, yeah. And then it gets to show day and
• 7:36
  that and I want to do something like battle stand out and make
• 7:40
  people be like, oh wow. So I started to watch a lot of
• 7:43
  Kofi Kingston, who was doing all his Rumble spots.
• 7:46
  So I thought, oh, I'll give one of them a go.
• 7:49
  So I get knocked off the apron and I land in the crowd, and
• 7:52
  then I just sit with them for a few minutes.
• 7:55
  So I thought I'd make all of those moments stand out.
• 7:58
  I know. No, that's great, man.
• 8:01
  That's great. Is there any footage of this
• 8:04
  that can? Be seen on Bath Goes YouTube
• 8:07
  channel. This way, I'll have to dig for
• 8:10
  that. So about the training, I know we
• 8:12
  talked about sort of the fundamentals and getting into
• 8:14
  it, but if someone is from the area and they want to get into
• 8:18
  Roswell's Pro Wrestling Academy, why should they step foot into
• 8:23
  that wrestling school? Because I honestly believe that
• 8:27
  Vassals is the best wrestling school in Britain.
• 8:31
  Like because it's not just wrestling, like we're like a
• 8:34
  family, it's community based. Like no, we sort of get like, Oh
• 8:38
  no, you can't come in because of this or that.
• 8:40
  Like everybody's acceptable who they are and what they are.
• 8:44
  And I think that just makes us unique and we just stand out.
• 8:51
  Yeah, no, fair play mate. I feel, I feel I do see there is
• 8:54
  a big following for them. Yeah, I've been following for a
• 8:58
  while as well, and it's one I would personally recommend as
• 9:01
  well to keep an eye out as a company and the talent and the
• 9:05
  future as well. You know, you never know.
• 9:06
  Wait, they're going to end up, which is good.
• 9:09
  And some people can say I saw them there.
• 9:12
  It's Rascals Academy, so who knows.
• 9:16
  How are you there? I've got a special announcement
• 9:18
  for my next guest. What's up everyone?
• 9:23
  This is the artist of Eight Limbs, The Golden Dragon Big
• 9:29
  Boss Tyson Keaton, for the first time appearing on the What Do
• 9:33
  You Call It podcast. Yeah, I heard Death Mark tell me
• 9:44
  about this tag team and its formation.
• 9:49
  So yeah, me and my brother are the tag team here at Vascals
• 9:53
  known as Death Mark. So I got into wrestling fast
• 9:57
  four years ago and then my brother kind of fell out of
• 10:00
  wrestling for a while, but I kind of like dragged him back in
• 10:02
  during lockdown and we had watched wrestling and stuff and
• 10:06
  I just asked him one day like I should come down to train with
• 10:08
  me. So he did.
• 10:09
  And then through that he got really back into wrestling now.
• 10:14
  So now then we started training here together at our schools and
• 10:17
  there was only one tag team here at our schools at that point and
• 10:20
  they're still boys. So when me and my brother showed
• 10:23
  up here, me, Ross Pope, me and my brother together, tag team,
• 10:28
  and then we did this whole trilogy, we could see all boys
• 10:31
  and stuff. Yeah, that's how the tag team
• 10:35
  came together. Sweet mate, didn't we ask you
• 10:38
  siblings, do you find yourself to be competitive with one
• 10:42
  another? Yeah.
• 10:43
  We're not playing competitive when wrestling, so if one of us
• 10:46
  fox up and we'll just rub it in each other's faces.
• 10:50
  You got to mate, you got to. You know, help.
• 10:53
  You to wrestle with each other. We have on a non storyline show
• 10:58
  and that was last October. How was it?
• 11:02
  It wasn't the best match by Conky Box.
• 11:06
  Fair play, fair play. Do you reckon at the moment is
• 11:09
  it at the moment you want to remain tag team?
• 11:11
  There's no singles, you know, ambition, you don't have a
• 11:16
  little, maybe a bit of a singles one or you just want to focus on
• 11:18
  the tag team, get Mark, a brilliant tag team in the UK
• 11:22
  scene. Yeah, because it's weird because
• 11:26
  when I got into wrestling I always thought I'd be a singles
• 11:29
  wrestler, but then my brother came back into wrestling and
• 11:32
  stuff, so then teamed up. But I am really enjoying teaming
• 11:35
  with him because not that many people investing can save that
• 11:38
  they team with their brother. So I think that's like a very
• 11:42
  special thing you have. But then I'm also still doing
• 11:47
  like the singles wrestling stuff at the same time, so like I'm
• 11:51
  doing kind of both worlds at the moment, so I get best of both.
• 11:56
  Yeah, great mate, great. Just a few more questions to ask
• 11:59
  you. Who in the UK see at the moment
• 12:01
  would you and your brother like to face off against?
• 12:06
  Oh, trying to think of some good time teams because we've I'll
• 12:14
  say the biggest tag team vessel right now is Bolton Club.
• 12:17
  We vesseled them back in January.
• 12:21
  But I'll probably say models, Danny Hopan, Joey Hayes because
• 12:28
  I watched them at Target Wrestling a few weeks ago.
• 12:32
  So I'll quite say them at the moment.
• 12:35
  Wicked, mate. And what about if you was to be
• 12:37
  a fantasy Booker? Maybe A tag team of the past.
• 12:44
  What was that? Sorry.
• 12:45
  If he was a fantasy Booker and you could pick A tag team from
• 12:47
  the past, who do you think death match def Mark sorry should face
• 12:52
  off against? I'll probably say the Hardy Boys
• 12:56
  because I'll say we'll face similar because I like to do a
• 12:59
  lot of stupid things in the ring, but probably I shouldn't
• 13:02
  be doing. But yeah, I think if we face
• 13:05
  high boys, it'll just be very chaotic and very stupid.
• 13:08
  Stop happening. Nice, nice, I've got a fun
• 13:11
  question to ask you mate. 3 dream dinner guests for your
• 13:15
  dream party. Doesn't have to be resting
• 13:17
  related, but if you want to keep it resting themed it's up to you
• 13:20
  mate. You're the host. 3 dream dinner
• 13:22
  guests past the present. Fiction, non fiction.
• 13:25
  It could be anyone mate. Doesn't have to be a real person
• 13:28
  even. But give me the first person go.
• 13:33
  I'd probably say the first one is John Cena because he's the
• 13:35
  goal of us in and he is my favorite.
• 13:37
  So I've put Cena on. Now I'll say Kevin Hart because
• 13:44
  he's like one of my favorite comedians.
• 13:48
  And the last one, I'll probably say The Rock.
• 14:00
  Nice. Why would you have the rock
• 14:02
  there? The People's Champ.
• 14:07
  Just to like pick his plane or like acting as well and
• 14:11
  wrestling. I think you can like mash them
• 14:14
  two together and they will just like help with a lot.
• 14:18
  What's your favorite rock film? Oh, I was the one with Kevin
• 14:25
  Hart, Central Intelligence. I quite enjoyed that one.
• 14:30
  I liked some of it, but I didn't love it in the end, I thought.
• 14:33
  I thought they were actually better in Jumanji together.
• 14:36
  Yeah, I. Thought I was actually going to,
• 14:40
  thought I was going to hate Jumanji, but it ended up being a
• 14:42
  really, really good film so and it didn't do that.
• 14:45
  Robin Williams won. If you used to come back as
• 14:48
  podcasts, let's say 1/2 plus years later, what would you have
• 14:53
  liked to add to your wrestling CV?
• 14:58
  A lot of big names bow onto the vessel and like championships
• 15:05
  because I'm 22 right now, so in like 2 years and we'll be 24.
• 15:08
  So I want to have like championships in like the next
• 15:11
  two years and like just build up on the legacy.
• 15:15
  But I want. Give me some big names that you
• 15:18
  would like to face off in the UK right now.
• 15:21
  Next. Year or two.
• 15:24
  Ossie Vasco is probably top of my list right now.
• 15:30
  Who else? Rhino is like a dream match of
• 15:34
  mine. I know he keeps going back to
• 15:35
  the UK, so I'd love to wrestle him and I'll probably say like
• 15:42
  Sheikh Al Sharma as well because I just saw him at top Vote
• 15:45
  vessel. I know he's like a massive name
• 15:47
  across Britain now and everywhere, so I'll say they're
• 15:51
  like my top three names I would want to wrestle.
• 15:54
  Awesome, awesome Mark, where can the listeners find you on social
• 15:58
  media if you want to keep up to date with what you got lined up
• 16:01
  next? You can find me on Instagram at
• 16:08
  Mark Connors. That's a lot.
• 16:09
  And you can find me on Facebook at Mark Connors.
• 16:13
  Wicked, mate, is there anything you want to say, any wrestlers
• 16:16
  would have called out or just anything you want to give a
• 16:18
  chest? The opportunity is yours now.
• 16:19
  We're now at the end of this interview, mate.
• 16:23
  If you're in the Blackpool vicinity, we've got another Toll
• 16:26
  show coming November 23rd but I am on but my match is not being
• 16:31
  announced yet. But when it gets announced is
• 16:34
  the biggest match of my career. So if you're in the Blackpool
• 16:37
  area, buy your tickets for that. Wicked, wicked mate.
• 16:42
  Good luck with that match mate. Thank you for coming on full
• 16:45
  list out there if you can. What's that mate?
• 16:50
  I was just saying thank you for having me.
• 16:51
  No problem at all mate, no problem at all.
• 16:54
  Give Mark a follow, give me a follow, subscribe to his
• 16:56
  channel. But for now, everyone take care.
• 16:59
  Peace. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and
• 17:14
  girls, children of all ages, it's time for What Do You Call
• 17:20
  It podcast.