Latest / Poisonrana / POISONRANA Interviews Josh Alexander, Don Callis & Jody Threat | MLP Northern Rising 2026

Transcript

POISONRANA Interviews Josh Alexander, Don Callis & Jody Threat | MLP Northern Rising 2026 · Poisonrana

• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_04]: Poison Rana.
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am more than hype.
• 0:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: I feel like on a usual day-to-day basis, I'm hype, but I'm very, very excited.
• 0:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: As you know, this is just one of those venues that, as a rest, so you want to hit let alone a Toronto-born wrestler.
• 0:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm very excited to be here.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: The one true Torontoanian at Maple Leaf Gardens downtown.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be extra wild.
• 0:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've watched you, whether it's a demand lucha or northern crown.
• 0:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: I can list probably every Ontario indie scene going right now.
• 0:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: But what is this big show coming bringing all the different people from all the independence over the years?
• 0:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: What does it kind of mean to to you and maybe some of the other people on the roster?
• 1:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Seems like a pretty big deal for people
• 1:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: work their asses off in this Ontario Canadian indie scene for quite a long time.
• 1:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, as you know, this in itself, the venue is a historical wrestling epicenter, if you will, for wrestling, not just in Canada, but I would say like, you know, worldwide.
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: People know the Maple Leaf Gardens.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: And the fact that we have Maple Leaf Pro here, doing what they're doing, Scott DeMorb.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: giving Canadians a stage to stand on to show the world what it is that we're capable of doing.
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's just so special and for me personally as I said like born and raised, Toronto and I was born at like my first apartment I lived at with my parents when I was a wee baby was maybe like 10 minutes away at yeah clean and spadinas okay.
• 1:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: all of those things accumulate to something very special.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: The fact that wrestling gets to be back here.
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is the second show that Maple Leaf Pro has had here and they are the ones to re-bring back wrestling to this historical side.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's very cool.
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: And my dad's going to be, and I'm very cool too.
• 2:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: So dad's definitely going to be head to you.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, oh, oh, that's even better.
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 2:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, the other thing about the Ontario scene is that I'm seeing other like little things sprout up, whether it's like other new companies or training schools.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I see that you've been a part of a new training school.
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Shout out new wave.
• 2:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: What can you tell us a little bit about that?
• 2:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, so new wave is really special because we don't just your typical wrestling school.
• 2:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: We really do look at the human and the community that comes with pro wrestling.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: We want to create good people.
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: We want to create a positive environment to learn how to be a good pro wrestler.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um,
• 2:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: it's a collection of friends that are doing this.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not just one person sort of back.
• 2:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm the trainer, which there's nothing wrong with that, but how we do it, it's more of like a collective somewhere where all our different styles can come together and for us to create, like I said, like, first and foremost, like a community space for wrestling.
• 3:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it seems just I haven't been out to a show yet, but I see you're doing shows now.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Come on.
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it's a school that also puts on their own shows and everything.
• 3:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, for sure.
• 3:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not our priority.
• 3:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: The priority is definitely the school itself, um, but what usually happens is you've got to produce a show.
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are one of like four locations.
• 3:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's three locations in the UK.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like that's where it starts, right?
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like over and whales.
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I thought so.
• 3:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so we just really believed in how they did training and how like I said they really look at the human first and we wanted to bring that here.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we did that like I said hand in hand with having us for you got to have show.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we do usually about three big shows a year and we have like little teeny studio shows that we don't really advertise it's just more for like friends and family to see the progress and what we're providing.
• 4:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: If, if you were to be able to give any advice to maybe a girl who a little girl who comes to your shows or a show like you're tomorrow night, a new belief pro, what is something you would you would like to give to them, and if someone were to come into your school, is there something that you would hopefully they get out of experiencing Jody threat life.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: watching you live.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, um, specifically for girls is that you can do pro wrestling.
• 4:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: How you want to do pro wrestling.
• 4:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: You do not have to be that cookie cutter that you see on TV always.
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, being a woman is seen in different ways and you can be the pro wrestler that you want to be.
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Actually, I brought that up because I feel like your school already that I've saw I've been seeing on social media Yeah way more of a positive outlook on like the whole wrestling and the training we do and we I guess going back to women Like we offer a free women's class on Wednesdays
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, yeah, so for any trainee or working female wrestler like it's companies common and trained like we want as many women together to be able to do that because our experience is a bit different than a male's experience and it is a very male dominated space.
• 5:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we just try to create something special.
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, my competitor tomorrow, Lexi and Nicole and I, we actually have found it and not for profit, called throw grabs, where we kind of advocate and try to create extra space for women and wrestling.
• 5:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: You'll see more of that to come down.
• 5:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yeah, that sounds amazing.
• 5:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'd love to hear about that more as it goes on.
• 5:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 5:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
• 5:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, I wish you all the best tomorrow night at Maple Leaf.
• 5:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, wrestling and we will definitely see you at New Wave and everywhere.
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll see you jumping off some sort of a bar somewhere.
• 5:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Last question to Canadian because I have seen you on more than a handful of times go to a bar during a match and crack one open maybe during after a match.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's jodys choice of beer if you had to have one?
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, or Selpsor or non alcohol, whatever it is.
• 6:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I would say anything local.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love to try what the local flavor is.
• 6:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: These days, like, truly what I'm not wrestling.
• 6:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: I actually don't really try, but in the ring, sometimes you got to do what you got to do to it.
• 6:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm seeing you, I've seen you put them, put them back on stage.
• 6:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
• 6:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Be your chugger.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Whether I drink outside of the ring or not, I'm a champion.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're too chugger.
• 6:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, anything local, I just love to taste the local flavors.
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Headstand, class, come into new ways, too.
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, thank you for your time today, Joe.
• 6:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I wish you the best of luck.
• 6:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Awesome.
• 6:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much.
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Cheers.
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hello wrestling friends.
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Brain Harrington here with Davey Portman from Poison, Rhana, and we are joined by the leader of the Don Callous family.
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Mr. Don Callous, thank you for your time today.
• 6:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Good to be here.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: We are here at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, downtown, Ontario, Canada, and tomorrow they have a huge Maple Leaf Pro wrestling show, Northern Rising.
• 7:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, on one of your clients is in a big,
• 7:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: money match a big championship match what what's the preparation been like for the big one tomorrow night
• 7:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: One thing about the Don Cals family is we're always prepared.
• 7:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not like we have to go into a special camp to get rid of the first particular kind of a match.
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: This to me is just business is usual in the sense that we are always on the razor's edge of what we need to be doing physically, mentally, emotionally.
• 7:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so Josh Alexander is ready.
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Stu Grayson is a great opponent.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: But for us, this is about
• 7:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: taking what we want and then when there's nothing left to take we then take a little more and that's what we're planning to do here at Maple Leaf Garden I'm happy to be on commentary and be able to watch Josh Alexander because Josh Alexander is the rest of fans know is a great professional wrestler he's a great Canadian you know Stu Grayson is a tremendous wrestler as well so I think the fans are in for a treat.
• 8:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now you've known Josh Alexander for quite a long time.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: What differences and growth have you seen him over the years and from that first time you saw him did you see a potential for someone to be at the caliber he is today and obviously part of the family?
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that physical potential is one thing, a lot of people have that really what I look for is a mental mindset and an emotional stability and a talent.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think Josh suffered from imposter syndrome for a long time.
• 8:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: The best move Josh ever made, frankly, was joining the Donacales family because now he's a part of something.
• 8:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now he's got a support system.
• 8:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now he's got someone in me, where I would humbly point out like I've managed multiple World Champion singles tags, unified champ in a W international champion, World A, W champion, World Tag Team champ is an A, W international champion, TNT champ and literally every belt there is to hold.
• 9:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: I've held it.
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: So Josh is in a position now where he walks through the door, so to speak, of the Don Calus family, and you're in a winning environment.
• 9:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're also in a highly competitive environment because
• 9:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Josh was the big dog where he was before, because he was so much better than everyone else that was there.
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: But the reality is you walk into A, W, and it's a different world.
• 9:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: You walk into MLP, and it's a different world.
• 9:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: You walk into the Don Carlos family, and we're sitting around the conference table.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And to my right is Kyle Fletcher.
• 9:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: To my left is Ocada.
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Look, there's Kevin Knight, look, there's Jake Doyle, look, there's Mark Davis, the talent just in my faction, in my group, in my family is unprecedented in professional wrestling.
• 10:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: So what happens now, a guy like Josh, who's always been big man on campus, walks into that, and he's got to compete now with Kyle Fletcher, who might be the best wrestler in the world, with Kenosuke to catch the, who might be the best wrestler in the world,
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: the list goes on and on.
• 10:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Mark Davis is the bruiser Brody of our age right now.
• 10:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: So Josh has had to step up.
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Josh has had to get better and the great thing about Josh is he's embraced that challenge.
• 10:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: He has a shrunk away from him.
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: So geez, I'm not used to being not being the top guy.
• 10:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's had to fight and claw his way through the roster of the Dawn Calis family to get into the
• 10:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Once again, the Canadian championship here at MLP, and I think that's very, very exciting.
• 10:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is what every Canadian wrestler looks at right now and says, wow, I've never in my lifetime seen an organization like this put together in Canada for Canadians.
• 11:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: And on TSN and on my AW, which is very exciting, paper views and weekly television.
• 11:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, I think Josh has got a tremendous opportunity, but as we discussed, he's in with Stu Grayson, who is a very quintessential Canadian.
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's a million Stu Grayson's out there from an attitude perspective.
• 11:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: He likes to fight, he likes to work hard, he likes to have a few beers, and maybe getting a bar fight after he wrestles.
• 11:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, to me, he's everything about Canada that I dislike,
• 11:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: frankly.
• 11:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And we have tried to take that part out of Josh, that Canadian part.
• 11:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's call it.
• 11:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: and really focus on winning.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't care where you're from.
• 11:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have guys in the family from Mexico.
• 11:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have the CMLL World Champion.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have guys from Japan.
• 11:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have guys from Australia.
• 11:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have guys from the US.
• 11:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have guys from Canada.
• 11:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't see borders.
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: What I see are results.
• 12:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's the difference.
• 12:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: We've taken all that hokey Canadian bullshit out of Josh Alexander.
• 12:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: And instead instilled
• 12:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: when it, I don't care what your address is, I care if you win your managers.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, I was gonna ask you a bunch of hokey Canadian questions.
• 12:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I guess I will lean off on those.
• 12:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But over the years, you've been listing a bunch of people in your family as a plate.
• 12:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: You have quite an incredible eye when it comes to picking your members of the family.
• 12:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: What goes into, what goes into that?
• 12:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe some wrestlers listening to this,
• 12:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, it may be just getting into the game or thinking, man, how do I get into the Don Cow's family?
• 12:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've noticed over the years you've definitely had a, and I, for the talent, kind of way ahead of the curb before people kind of get popular.
• 12:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have advice for the Canadian young wrestlers who say exactly what you said.
• 12:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: I want to join the Don Cow's family.
• 13:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: quit the business.
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not happening.
• 13:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: You have to look at odds, okay?
• 13:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: The odds of making it a professional wrestling are not great.
• 13:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I've made it in professional wrestling.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were even worse odds than they are now.
• 13:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's like me saying, hey, I'm a junior high school basketball player.
• 13:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'd like to start for the Chicago Bulls in the 90s alongside Michael Jordan.
• 13:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's nice, but put the work in.
• 13:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's the problem now with a lot of the younger wrestlers, the quote unquote millennials
• 13:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Some of them, not the ones that I interact with in ADW, but some of the ones that are out there trying to make their name, the Canadians, they want things handed to them.
• 13:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I slept on the floors of various rural communities in northern Meditoba for many years, wrestling for $100.
• 13:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: We paid dues, and so I say, don't talk to me about, hey, how can I be in the Dawn Calis family?
• 14:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Worried about how you can actually make money in the wrestling business.
• 14:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Worried about how you can get booked somewhere other than your hometown before you start saying, you want to be part of the biggest dynasty and professional wrestling right now.
• 14:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: You mentioned one of the things you looked in in Josh Alexander was his mental state and that's a big factor as you just say in these young millennial wrestlers, it's a it's a work ethic you're looking for on top of the talent there hasn't been a female member of the Don Carlos family yet is there anyone out there either on the AEW roster on the MLP roster outside that you think has that mental state who could be a good addition down the line.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have all of my efforts at focusing on the guys that I've got.
• 14:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have all of my efforts keeping track of Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher who are getting ready to take, you know, in my opinion, we're coming for the world tag team titles in AW.
• 15:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have
• 15:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have, I think, 16 active wrestlers in the Dolan Callis family.
• 15:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I have many associate members behind the scenes.
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Our back office, when you have an organization like ours,
• 15:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have a travel person.
• 15:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have various studges because I come from a time in the wrestling business where you needed studges.
• 15:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have many studges.
• 15:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have hangarounds, I have prospects.
• 15:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have all sorts of different classifications of people.
• 15:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Don Cals family internationally is actually over 40 members.
• 15:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: 40, 40, not all wrestlers.
• 15:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Wow.
• 15:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: But we're running a business here.
• 15:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're running a team.
• 15:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you have a professional sports team, if you have the Toronto Maple Leafs, if we can call them a professional sports team at this point, you don't just have the players.
• 15:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's also the things you don't see.
• 15:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: You see the scouting department, the training department.
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: That sort of thing.
• 15:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: So this is a multifaceted,
• 16:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: globally engaged business that we're running here and so, you know, people like to say, oh, when you're going to have a trio's team or when are you going to have a giant or wait, listen, I focus on the best wrestlers and the guys that I recruit, you may notice all about between six, two and six, four, 220 to 240, maybe when O'Cott is really lifting,
• 16:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I want guys for athletic and I want guys who can make money and who can resonate outside of professional wrestling into things like acting, modeling, advertising, those sorts of opportunities.
• 16:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Can you get Ocada and like a MCU movie down the line?
• 16:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Listen, I think Ocada came into a W as the best tournament wrestler of all time.
• 16:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Many people thought the best overall wrestler of all time reminded me of a lot of Dick Bachwinkel who, by grew up watching and Tony Khan does, did what Tony Khan does.
• 17:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: provides an opportunity for people to become more for people to really explore what they have to offer.
• 17:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think Ocotta has shown that we knew the wrestling credentials, but Ocotta controls a crowd with a smile.
• 17:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ocotta
• 17:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: go caught up controls an interview set with a gesture.
• 17:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: So he has become exactly the kind of guy who could cross over into acting opportunities Hollywood, whatever he want to say because he has that sort of personality that has been allowed to come out here in a way that it maybe it was an
• 17:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: I have one final question before we leave here.
• 17:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Looking at your entire career, you've done everything, you've wrestled, you've managed, you've promoted, you've booked, you've been an executive.
• 17:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: Is there one in particular that really gets your creative juices like flowing the most?
• 17:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, have you had a preference of your career?
• 17:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Or has it been more of a each thing you've enjoyed as it's came?
• 18:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think the most gratifying thing for me is to control things.
• 18:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that I've on the journey of my career, I've learned how to do that.
• 18:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think the last probably three years since I've really formed the Don Carlos family and ramped it up in all the wrestling.
• 18:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, whether it's through my golf games with Tony Khan or my back channel relationships with several top guys that aren't in the Dawn Calis family guys like MJF other people.
• 18:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think now what we've done is we have exerted a form of control because if you think about it.
• 18:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: You look at any of our television shows.
• 18:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: If I were to conduct, let's say, a work stoppage.
• 18:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: It look as a business person.
• 18:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't like words like boycotts or work stoppages.
• 18:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if I were to conduct a work stoppage, just for one show.
• 18:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how Tony Khan puts the show on the air.
• 18:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: So what I want is power, what I want is control.
• 18:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to be remembered by history.
• 19:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I want to write the history.
• 19:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I've written my own history consistently with everything I've done the last number of years.
• 19:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Came back in the wrestling business after 13 years away and never watched one minute of wrestling and 13 years.
• 19:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Came back, became the greatest color commentator in a history of the business for New Japan pro wrestling.
• 19:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Took over impact wrestling, saved that from whatever was going to happen if I hadn't come in.
• 19:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: And now come and took Kenny Omega to World Championship and in all the wrestling.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Everything I've done with the Dawn Callis family.
• 19:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: getting Kyle Fletcher ready for becoming what I believe he's going to be the greatest wrestler in the history of the sport.
• 19:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: And now being able to come here to Maple Leaf, Pro Wrestling and sit with Mooranolo.
• 19:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's a great commentator.
• 19:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: And enjoy calling matches, which is something that's very easy for me, but something I actually have really enjoyed here in MLP.
• 19:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that I'm going to enjoy watching Josh Alexander show everyone why he's the greatest technician in Maple Leaf, Pro Wrestling when he goes up against an excellent opponent in student racing.
• 20:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: But the difference is, student racing thinks like a Canadian.
• 20:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's a Tim Fortin drinking back, bacon, eating, you know, cigarettes, smoking, probably, maybe not, but I just envision him with a dart in his mouth.
• 20:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's the typical Canadian.
• 20:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can walk out on Young Street today, and I can see 10 guys with the same mindset where I'll act there up, up a student race, you know, I'm his athletic ability.
• 20:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: But.
• 20:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: He is going to resonate with a Canadian band's Josh Alexander through fame, money, and the tutelage that I've provided, I believe, has surpassed things like, damn, and I'm a Canadian.
• 20:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't care.
• 20:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I really don't care about that stuff.
• 20:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: What I care about is wins, so it's been very edifying to be here and to watch.
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that for the first time, maybe since Wayne Gretzky,
• 21:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: people in Canada are going to have a national hero for good Connor McDavid, it's Josh Alixander.
• 21:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Wow, beautifully said.
• 21:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Since I have you one final question, you mentioned you mentioned you've had all these people in your Doncass.
• 21:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, it's an owl.
• 21:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Was or an owl in your shirt.
• 21:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: A OVO Brett Hart collab.
• 21:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: One final thing.
• 21:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's tough.
• 21:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: You had Kenny Omega and Willos, very both in your Don Carlos family, and I'd argue you help them get to the next level in their career, just if there's any brief thoughts from their match a few weeks ago in Wembley Stadium, because it definitely set the wrestling world on fire.
• 21:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, you know, I've said it all say it again, you know, and I'm not prone to making giving compliments to Kenny Omega.
• 21:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, obviously our history goes back decades.
• 21:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, his uncle trained me.
• 21:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: We know all that to Kenny betrayed me.
• 21:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, but I thought Kenny's career was over.
• 22:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought I had destroyed Kenny's career because multiple of my guys had been Kenny Omega five this time last year.
• 22:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, obviously the injuries and the disease and everything else that he had had taken a toll.
• 22:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought Kenny was done.
• 22:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I thought one of the things that people would talk about with me a hundred years from now was this is a guy who destroyed the career of maybe the greatest to ever do it.
• 22:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kenny proved me wrong.
• 22:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kenny came back last year.
• 22:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: He had a great run with a world title.
• 22:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought his match with MJF was phenomenal.
• 22:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was blown away.
• 22:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Wendley match, I've watched twice, which is two more times than I normally watch a wrestling match.
• 22:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought, you know, listen, I've got my history with both guys.
• 22:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought that
• 22:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought Kenny was going to win that match, actually, because I did not think Will Osprey would be able to handle the pressure he did, and they had, you know, maybe one of the two or three greatest wrestling matches I've ever seen in my life, I thought both of them look great, I think Will Osprey is doing a smart thing right now, bye.
• 23:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: bringing in some of his friends from the United Empire because what I think will learn last year and maybe he learned it through his association with the death riders, I don't know, is that it's really hard to do this yourself, especially when you're in an organization like a W that has factions, groups, teams, whatever you want to call it.
• 23:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: And Will is a guy I had Will for a long time and I help Will right here in Toronto, be Kenny Omega.
• 23:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Will's a guy that needs a support system.
• 23:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: He needs things taken care of for him.
• 23:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: He needs to build a focus.
• 23:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Will Osprey is the best in the world right now at one thing, having porous and matches.
• 23:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Will Osprey needs people to do the other things.
• 23:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's what we tried to provide to Will.
• 23:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: But as someone much, well,
• 23:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: someone who would like to be as wise as me once said, wild horses are going to run.
• 24:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't ever make it my job to tell 25-year-old super athletes, don't do this.
• 24:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: People say, well, why do people in Don Calis family have matches?
• 24:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's competition.
• 24:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: What am I going to do?
• 24:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: The more I tell them,
• 24:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: don't fight, don't fight, it's going to explode.
• 24:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have zero issues, as long as I don't injure each other, of them beating the crap out of each other.
• 24:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because that's how you get out those emotions.
• 24:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: You don't suppress them.
• 24:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think Will Osprey has been smart to build up a faction.
• 24:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: How long Will is able to keep this run going.
• 24:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
• 24:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: I haven't even begun to consider what?
• 24:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to do in terms of mobilizing resources against Will Osprey, and he's already got he just went through a war with John Moxley.
• 24:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: uh... he is going to go on to Paris France and perhaps lose the title of the dawn calis family with all i mean i think it would be phenomenal if it at any time if he were to lose the title to someone in my family it would be great and here's the great thing the dawn calis family has multiple worthy world title contenders co-fletcher top of mind cusuch go kata of course done it before
• 25:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: How about Kevin Knight?
• 25:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: How about Josh Alexander?
• 25:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine Josh Alexander holding the MLP Canadian Championship and the AW World Title.
• 25:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think I'll live to see that.
• 25:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Beautiful.
• 25:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, Canadians will love that.
• 25:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I appreciate your time today, Don, and I hope you have an OK time in Canada.
• 25:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's terrible.
• 25:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: I walked just from my car service into this building.
• 25:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was propositioned for money from various people.
• 25:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: They said, hey, you make a lot of money.
• 25:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, give me 20 bucks.
• 25:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, this is very Canadian.
• 25:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: I told you not to bring that up, but sorry.
• 25:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: There you go.
• 25:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're not from here already.
• 25:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: I am now.
• 25:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: appreciate your time today, don't.
• 26:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you very much, guys, appreciate it.
• 26:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: That was fun.
• 26:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you very much, guys.
• 26:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hello wrestling fans, brainharrings in here with Davey Portman for Poison Rana.
• 26:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we are here with the real Maple Leaf pro wrestling champion.
• 26:14
  [SPEAKER_04]: I've done three interviews so far and nobody's gotten this right.
• 26:17
  [SPEAKER_04]: And so you guys, so happy right now.
• 26:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: That is right.
• 26:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Josh Alexander is here.
• 26:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: The real Maple Leaf pro champion.
• 26:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, how you feel today?
• 26:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're looking good, by the way.
• 26:27
  [SPEAKER_04]: I feel good.
• 26:28
  [SPEAKER_04]: I look good.
• 26:28
  [SPEAKER_04]: I'm ready for, you know, northern rising tomorrow.
• 26:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, uh, Stu Grayson is walking around with a similar looking title right now far worse flows.
• 26:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, how do you and how do you obviously you've been off injured?
• 26:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, have you been impressed by what Stu's been doing with the championship since you've been away or do you feel there's kind of an imposter going around?
• 26:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: How are you going into this match and what are your feelings towards Stu?
• 26:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: I have this belt.
• 26:55
  [SPEAKER_04]: I was very happy for Steve watching everything.
• 26:57
  [SPEAKER_04]: It's happened like we have very similar paths throughout our careers.
• 27:00
  [SPEAKER_04]: We have traveled the roads together for 20 years.
• 27:02
  [SPEAKER_04]: Like both of us have been in this business the exact same amount of time.
• 27:05
  [SPEAKER_04]: We've wrestled in the same places with the same people.
• 27:08
  [SPEAKER_04]: We both had like humble beginnings and have come up to, you know, a send to being, you know, at least not entering the champion, but Canadian champion along the way.
• 27:16
  [SPEAKER_04]: And yeah, super impressed.
• 27:19
  [SPEAKER_04]: I think he's super talented.
• 27:20
  [SPEAKER_04]: I think all he needed was an opportunity.
• 27:21
  [SPEAKER_04]: He got it.
• 27:22
  [SPEAKER_04]: He sees the moment and he capitalized.
• 27:25
  [SPEAKER_04]: But I don't think it's there's only so many spots and throw us on.
• 27:30
  [SPEAKER_04]: I'm at the top of this company and I'm not just giving away because it's done great.
• 27:34
  [SPEAKER_04]: So he's going to have to fight me for it tomorrow night and he's going to have to bring a real good fight because I've come in.
• 27:40
  [SPEAKER_04]: I am at the peak physical shape of my career right now like this was extra my calendar when I went out with my knee injury and they told me I wouldn't be able to get back in time.
• 27:51
  [SPEAKER_04]: for this show.
• 27:52
  [SPEAKER_04]: And I was like, there's no way that's happened.
• 27:54
  [SPEAKER_04]: So I just went to work and got to rehab and work my way to the pack.
• 27:58
  [SPEAKER_04]: So I got cleared four months early and always.
• 28:00
  [SPEAKER_04]: So this is all happened because I hard work and just because I just wanted to be here so bad.
• 28:05
  [SPEAKER_04]: I knew I had to be here.
• 28:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: I wanted to touch on that injury, like obviously you've had quite a few serious injuries in your career and you've seen to come back better, bigger, stronger every single time.
• 28:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: You said this was a goal of yours, like being made believe gardens, hopefully, you know, unifying that championship and stuff, I assume that was a big motivation for you coming back.
• 28:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: How do you keep yourself mentally
• 28:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: like, you know, positive going through an injury, are there any other wrestlers you've reached out to who've had similar injuries to you for advice and motivation when going through these kind of setbacks?
• 28:40
  [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, tons of wrestlers and friends, you know, have been through similar engines, reach out, try to offer advice along the way.
• 28:45
  [SPEAKER_04]: But like, it's just at the end of the day, it's the way I've been wired.
• 28:48
  [SPEAKER_04]: From both times I broke my neck to tearing my tricep to, you know, now the knee injury, it's just, it's not hard to say positive because the second I go down, all I'm thinking about is getting back up.
• 29:01
  [SPEAKER_04]: All I'm thinking about is getting back to where I was, because every day, like,
• 29:06
  [SPEAKER_04]: Every day along my career, I'm better than the day before, so when I go down for an injury, that's what I'm taking the step-ath, and I know I got to get all the way back to where I was, and then start incrementally.
• 29:16
  [SPEAKER_04]: It steps forward again.
• 29:17
  [SPEAKER_04]: So for me, it's just that the work is what motivates us.
• 29:21
  [SPEAKER_04]: The work is what keeps me on a positive headspace.
• 29:23
  [SPEAKER_04]: I know that if I do the work and I'm diligent with it, everything's going to work out, because that's just what's benefit of me from the past one or two years ago.
• 29:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: You say, day by day, you get better and better.
• 29:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've watched you from whether it's squared circles, smash wrestling to our lovely friends at Northern Crown here in Toronto.
• 29:39
  [SPEAKER_04]: I mean, you got one good promotion in there.
• 29:41
  [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
• 29:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: No, well, I would go to say, like, for you, you've traveled through Ontario through the Canadian scene, the American scene and stuff.
• 29:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now you're here in Maple Leaf Gardens.
• 29:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, it feels like all the years of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of,
• 29:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: now you're a champion and it's Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, like that's got to feel good.
• 30:02
  [SPEAKER_04]: It feels the best.
• 30:03
  [SPEAKER_04]: Like you mentioned traveling all over the world and wrestling and stuff and this is all just building my brand and my name and gaining experience, but it's really at all culminate to come back here and do things in front of the hometown crowd that like I care so much for because I wouldn't have gotten all those other places without the Canadian fans getting behind them.
• 30:22
  [SPEAKER_04]: This is a way to kind of give back come back and show out in front of the
• 30:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: It feels like Maple Leaf Pro is almost a love letter to the Canadian fans, at least.
• 30:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Definitely, I'm an Ontarioian, so the Toronto people have been following and these characters and people that they connect with over years, finally getting on TSNTV, finally getting to perform in a arena, downtown, Toronto.
• 30:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: It just feels like fire, there's a bit of a Canadian Renaissance of wrestling, and you are at the forefront of it.
• 30:50
  [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, and it's all because of Scott tomorrow, like, uh, I'm going to put him over right now.
• 30:56
  [SPEAKER_04]: There's no bigger Canadian wrestling fan.
• 30:58
  [SPEAKER_04]: I've ever met Vince Scott tomorrow.
• 31:00
  [SPEAKER_04]: He can list cards that happened in this building on random days in the 80s and 70s and stuff.
• 31:06
  [SPEAKER_04]: And name wrestlers that quite frankly, I've never heard of.
• 31:08
  [SPEAKER_04]: No matter how much I try to study wrestling, I'm never going to figure it out.
• 31:10
  [SPEAKER_04]: But like, he's the one that's just such a crazy fan for wrestling, just like everybody that's attending this show tomorrow night.
• 31:17
  [SPEAKER_04]: He saw on this big place all this, you know?
• 31:19
  [SPEAKER_04]: Like that's, that's why it is what it is.
• 31:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Aside from just Canadian nationals being on the show, what does it mean to be a authentically Canadian wrestling promotion?
• 31:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: What does that mean to you, aside from like an American motion or British or Japanese motion, being Canadian?
• 31:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: What does that mean?
• 31:36
  [SPEAKER_04]: I think it's a way to highlight the style of progress on behalf because just like you mentioned the UK scene, the Mexican scene, the Japanese scene, the American scene, we all have a different style of doing this and I think Canadians, you know, you've seen the Canadian restless fine success in these other markets and show that style, but we haven't had.
• 31:56
  [SPEAKER_04]: our own place for 30 years when we can just really highlight what goes on here.
• 32:00
  [SPEAKER_04]: It's that, and it's also just having a platform for our wrestlers to be able to set a goal to know that if I get to MLP, people are actually going to see me, and maybe that's going to be a spring board for my career to make it easier to get to the next levels.
• 32:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: We just had a conversation with Don Callis, someone you know very, very well.
• 32:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: He was saying that down the line, you could be potentially
• 32:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Canadian champion and AEW world champion.
• 32:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is that a potentially a gold down the line double champ?
• 32:30
  [SPEAKER_04]: I would be a fool if that to not let you go.
• 32:32
  [SPEAKER_04]: Like you don't get into when the second I stepped into all the wrestling, I was just like, well, that's the top and that's where I got to get to.
• 32:38
  [SPEAKER_04]: And I was like, sure, the international titles along the way, the TNC titles along the way to take those might be over here, but I'll get there eventually, so.
• 32:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I have the, the, the, the tutelage of the genius and don't call us along the way to help me so it's good.
• 32:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: So since joining the don call us family, obviously you've been in this business a long, long time since joining what is something new you've learned under the tutelage of don call us.
• 33:02
  [SPEAKER_04]: Uh, I mean, the one obvious thing you dress very nice.
• 33:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: You smell nice, you look like money.
• 33:09
  [SPEAKER_04]: You got to look the part and that that doesn't really have to do with money so much as much as it has to do with self confidence.
• 33:17
  [SPEAKER_04]: join in the Donc house family being under Donc house it is worked wonders for myself confidence before you know I might be in it's a regular jumpsuit like a sweat suit and something like that just like when I'm walking down the sidewalk people aren't like turning and looking for you know don'ts kind of taught me different ways to go about things so what about the songs now I'm turning heads and in airports all of a socks no
• 33:40
  [SPEAKER_04]: I hadn't graduated the socks.
• 33:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: These are still plain black.
• 33:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's the secret with that?
• 33:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is there like the little socks underneath?
• 33:45
  [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, yeah.
• 33:46
  [SPEAKER_04]: When you wouldn't spill, it's got these little doily things or it goes barefoot.
• 33:48
  [SPEAKER_04]: I don't know, but my feet wouldn't be able to handle it.
• 33:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's interesting you say that though, because he pretty much said the same thing about you.
• 33:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: He said a young Josh Alexander, he fell at imposter sink and didn't necessarily believe in the Talon he has.
• 34:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Is that something you agree with?
• 34:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 34:06
  [SPEAKER_04]: Uh, you're talking to somebody who's 300 pounds at 18 couldn't do a push-up and for some reason started trying to be a pro-less so now nearly 21 years later in November of the 21 years.
• 34:18
  [SPEAKER_04]: Uh, I talked about the incremental goals.
• 34:20
  [SPEAKER_04]: It wasn't just overnight.
• 34:21
  [SPEAKER_04]: Everything just flipped like a switch.
• 34:23
  [SPEAKER_04]: It was building blocks along the way to both physically change me and mentally change me to the point where now I have the confidence to step out and sold out building like this.
• 34:31
  [SPEAKER_04]: half-naked.
• 34:32
  [SPEAKER_04]: I don't know probably what they don't understand.
• 34:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've seen Stu Grayson defending his version of the Maple Leaf Championship in other companies.
• 34:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Most recently, I saw him defend it a few times in mystery wrestling.
• 34:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is that something you would be looking forward to do maybe with defending a championship in in other countries, even.
• 34:53
  [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 34:54
  [SPEAKER_04]: I would like to check in this championship all around the world.
• 34:57
  [SPEAKER_04]: Like I've defended it in CML L last March right before I got bird against this finger successfully defended it.
• 35:04
  [SPEAKER_04]: Obviously, but yeah, I'll take all students booking, so when I defeat them tomorrow night and mystery wrestling in the world.
• 35:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: No problem.
• 35:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'll fill the void and final question.
• 35:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Wrestling aside.
• 35:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let's talk about the city.
• 35:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Best place to eat.
• 35:19
  [SPEAKER_04]: So, you're talking to a guy that does not like kind of downtown Toronto because there's one thing that I hate more than anything else is traffic and what about St. Catherine's?
• 35:44
  [SPEAKER_04]: I can't remember the name of the old it's like the oldest pub or something it's on the dance floor okay and there's just literally like doesn't even say the side
• 35:55
  [SPEAKER_04]: it's just a pig.
• 35:56
  [SPEAKER_04]: It's the side.
• 35:57
  [SPEAKER_04]: It's like a statue of a pig.
• 35:59
  [SPEAKER_04]: And I went on my first day with my wife there because I went with a friend like three years earlier there.
• 36:04
  [SPEAKER_04]: You live on the Dan for it.
• 36:05
  [SPEAKER_04]: And I thought the food was really good.
• 36:06
  [SPEAKER_04]: So we went there.
• 36:07
  [SPEAKER_04]: And my wife just smashed like a bowl of muscles like a...
• 36:11
  [SPEAKER_04]: Like it was the last meal she was ever going to have and I was just like, man, I'm in love.
• 36:15
  [SPEAKER_04]: So, and we've gone back there since, but yeah, it's like the Alde Street Hub or something like that.
• 36:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, celebratory muscles, tomorrow night.
• 36:24
  [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, I didn't have the muscles.
• 36:25
  [SPEAKER_04]: I didn't have the muscles.
• 36:26
  [SPEAKER_04]: I just watched her eat solely with her face and not use her hands.
• 36:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love it first sight.
• 36:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, amazing.
• 36:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, appreciate your time here today and good luck tomorrow and uh, hopefully uh, you get that title off of Stu Grayson's.
• 36:40
  [SPEAKER_04]: I mean, I have no doubt I will.
• 36:41
  [SPEAKER_04]: There's nothing to do with work.
• 36:42
  [SPEAKER_04]: I'm prepared for him.
• 36:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: I appreciate it.
• 36:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you very much.