Latest / What Do You Call It? Podcast! / HARLEY HUDSON talks TNA, Myla Grace, Elegance Brand, UK, Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford & more

Transcript

HARLEY HUDSON talks TNA, Myla Grace, Elegance Brand, UK, Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford & more · What Do You Call It? Podcast!

• 0:06
  Hello and welcome to a very special episode of What Do You
• 0:09
  Call It Podcast. I'm your host, GB.
• 0:14
  Today we've got a very special guest, TNA's Harley Hudson, one
• 0:18
  of the most exciting rising stars in the game right now.
• 0:21
  Harley, great to have you with us.
• 0:23
  Thank you for having me. Yay.
• 0:26
  Also a time recording. It's Bank Holiday Monday, so
• 0:29
  they may not celebrate it in America, but I hope you've had a
• 0:32
  good Easter. And well, I sort of, I sort of
• 0:35
  forgot that it was Easter until, until my mum put in our family
• 0:39
  WhatsApp a bunch of Easter messages.
• 0:41
  But yeah, yeah, I actually, but I haven't bought no Easter eggs
• 0:45
  this year, so I've not had a single egg, which is probably a
• 0:47
  good thing. But yeah, no, no Easter, no
• 0:50
  Easter money from me, no Easter eggs for me.
• 0:51
  So, yeah, what I'm going to do is I'm going to begin the
• 0:57
  conversation and it's very special episode by talking about
• 1:00
  your current tag team partner, Milo Grace.
• 1:02
  So I like this team and I think you 2 have great chemistry, a
• 1:07
  fun mix of styles. How do you feel about Team River
• 1:10
  so far in TNA? Yeah, it's been great.
• 1:13
  I think obviously, you know, we we came in together, what both
• 1:17
  of our debut at TNA was, was wrestling each other that
• 1:21
  finished, that finished in a draw, obviously.
• 1:25
  So I think having somebody there that like, obviously, you know,
• 1:29
  America is great, but it's very different to the UKI think it's
• 1:32
  great to have somebody by your side who understands how
• 1:36
  different it is and how also how important the opportunity is.
• 1:40
  And she's always been the type of person who's very, very
• 1:43
  honest, you know, one say. And yeah, it's great.
• 1:46
  It's great to to be around that and, you know, be around people
• 1:50
  that have the the same ideas where they want to go and what
• 1:53
  they want to do the the new object.
• 1:54
  I mean, that's very important. So now that you mentioned it by
• 1:57
  the way, sort of the. You know, being.
• 1:58
  Brits and. Coming to America.
• 2:00
  I've just got to ask you quickly, since moving to
• 2:02
  America, what's been the biggest culture shock that you've
• 2:06
  experienced so far? You know, tall because maybe
• 2:13
  there's so, so much that is different, but it's just like, I
• 2:17
  don't even know. I didn't even know where to
• 2:19
  begin. Gosh, I didn't even know.
• 2:23
  I mean, you know, obviously because I'm from Liverpool, it's
• 2:25
  but like very different. You know, maybe the maybe the
• 2:30
  biggest thing is, you know, not seeing family all the time.
• 2:33
  I'm quite close with my family and, and I always, always have
• 2:36
  been, you know, very close with my mum and things like that.
• 2:38
  I think the biggest, the biggest change is that maybe now I feel
• 2:41
  like an adult, like, and I'm 23, so I probably should have felt
• 2:44
  like an adult before now, but maybe now this is the first time
• 2:48
  I've because like, you know, obviously wrestling's harder and
• 2:51
  then it is a job. But you know, a lot of the
• 2:55
  times, you know, in England, it's like I get to go and
• 2:58
  perform with all my friends and get to wear these cool outfits.
• 3:02
  And then, you know, before that I worked in a gym, which was
• 3:05
  even more like, you know, I'm getting paid to sort of mess
• 3:08
  about and tell people how to do stuff and, and whatever.
• 3:11
  So maybe now I feel like an adult just it's scary, but it's
• 3:16
  good. Maybe maybe I needed this to
• 3:17
  grow up a bit, but but yeah, probably that.
• 3:21
  And I'm like, you know, that's fair in an apartment in like the
• 3:25
  other side of the world. Like, yeah, it's crazy.
• 3:30
  It's it's. Definitely crazy.
• 3:31
  I wouldn't have the balls to do that what you've done.
• 3:34
  So I absolutely thought you for that.
• 3:36
  I mean, I'm just, I'm too lazy and I'm not passionate.
• 3:39
  You know why it's evident. It's why you're.
• 3:41
  There. And I'm lucky enough to speak to
• 3:44
  you right now. But I'm going to go back to team
• 3:47
  thought it'd be. Interesting to talk about.
• 3:49
  Cultural difference as well, but there's a few talents that I
• 3:52
  want to mention that you've wrestled so far.
• 3:54
  What's it like stepping in the ring?
• 3:56
  Against the elegance. Brand, they've got such a unique
• 3:58
  star and presence. That, you know, they carry
• 4:01
  themselves like absolute superstars.
• 4:04
  Yeah, because I think obviously we've had, you know, a couple of
• 4:07
  different sorts of matches with them.
• 4:09
  We've had sort of six woman tags.
• 4:11
  We've had just straight tags with Heather and Maggie.
• 4:14
  I also wrestled Maggie in in singles competition.
• 4:18
  I think that they're they're a great team, really good, you
• 4:22
  know, working together sort of thing, which is great for it's
• 4:25
  great to work with people like that when you're, you know,
• 4:28
  you're just becoming A tag team yourself and it's good to to
• 4:31
  learn from those people. I also think they're a class
• 4:34
  act. Having the Iceman, you know,
• 4:37
  George with them, I think that just totally adds something
• 4:43
  hilarious to watch them. I find them hilarious.
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  And, you know, and, you know, seeing all the things that
• 4:48
  they've been getting up to lately, yeah, they're a class
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  act. And I, I feel very lucky to get
• 4:53
  to get to work with them, even if they are sometimes a pain in
• 4:58
  my side. Yeah, I was going to say I
• 5:01
  wasn't going to expect you to be so confidential with them, but
• 5:04
  you've got to respect. Them as well, sort of as the
• 5:07
  great acts that they are in. TNA Yeah, definitely.
• 5:10
  Also, I want to ask about wrestling.
• 5:12
  Victoria Crawford and Mila Moore.
• 5:16
  Yeah, I think so. Mila Moore is someone that I've,
• 5:18
  you know, you know, starting to become unlikely friends with,
• 5:21
  even if she doesn't want to admit that she is my friend.
• 5:25
  We train a lot together. I don't know if she's very happy
• 5:29
  about that, but I am. Yeah.
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  Because obviously coming here, you know, you don't, you know
• 5:33
  people, well, you don't really know people.
• 5:34
  And then it's not until you're, you know, training with people,
• 5:38
  it's a different sort of sort of bond, you know what I mean?
• 5:40
  And obviously, then I know all the tricks for for TNA when I
• 5:45
  get there, you know, I know exactly what she's going to do.
• 5:47
  So I'm going to beat her every time, you know, but.
• 5:51
  And Victoria Crawford again, is someone who grew up watching, I
• 5:55
  was a big fan of Total Divas and obviously through watching
• 5:57
  wrestling when I was, when I was a kid, you know, she was someone
• 6:00
  I watched and, and looked up to. So it's great to, you know,
• 6:04
  again, very surreal, but it's great to again, work with people
• 6:08
  who've been in the industry for so long.
• 6:10
  I think it's so important and it really helps people like myself
• 6:15
  who are new to to TV wrestling. Really.
• 6:20
  I'm glad you've said that you actually found out to my next
• 6:22
  question about, you know. Working with such a like
• 6:24
  wrestling veteran like Vic. Have the coaches or producers in
• 6:29
  DNA change the way that you approach matches Now I think
• 6:35
  it's a totally different type of pressure wrestling for TV
• 6:39
  compared to you know, I mean, I did a lot of different types of
• 6:43
  shows in the Uki wasn't just down to to 1 style.
• 6:46
  But you know, I worked a lot for like camp shows.
• 6:49
  So that that's performing to a lot of people who maybe casually
• 6:54
  rock watch wrestling or even some people that have never been
• 6:56
  a fan of wrestling. I think that does carry over
• 6:59
  great to TV because there's going to be a lot of people who
• 7:03
  were switching the TV on and I've never seen me, may have
• 7:07
  never heard the TNA and may have never or haven't watched
• 7:10
  wrestling since. I know a lot of people in
• 7:13
  England say, oh, wrestling like Big Daddy and the giant
• 7:16
  Haystacks. And that's the people that they
• 7:18
  haven't, yeah, a lot of people. And I'm like, yeah, the same
• 7:23
  thing, the exact same thing. But, you know, a lot of people
• 7:27
  might not have watched wrestling since then.
• 7:29
  So I think having the attitude of every time that I step
• 7:33
  through the KM, no one, no one knows me.
• 7:36
  I'm thinking that's good. Because then you're always, you
• 7:39
  know, trying to, you know, present your full, your full
• 7:42
  self and your full personality as well.
• 7:44
  I think you need to make sure that people see that because
• 7:48
  often a lot of the time that's the really important part about,
• 7:52
  you know, being on the TV. They want to like, connect with
• 7:55
  you. I've got to show it off, you
• 7:59
  know what I mean? That's fair.
• 8:02
  That's a good way of putting it as well.
• 8:03
  And the fact that you mentioned the Big Daddy thing and John
• 8:06
  Haystacks obviously from a if. You're a certain generation.
• 8:08
  You get us. All the time.
• 8:10
  Oh, I remember them. They'll watch them on.
• 8:12
  TV and it's such a Brit thing, isn't it?
• 8:14
  It's. Great.
• 8:14
  I love it. Yeah.
• 8:17
  What I do want to know is what are your biggest goals in TNA
• 8:20
  over the next year? I think to be, I'd like to just
• 8:28
  keep doing what I'm doing in terms of, you know, if I'm
• 8:31
  getting put in a situation or getting an opportunity, like I
• 8:33
  just do me best with it. I think that's all you can hope
• 8:37
  to do. Obviously, like I'd love to win
• 8:40
  some belts. I'd love to, you know, be
• 8:43
  wrestling as much as I can, but I'd just like to think that if
• 8:47
  I'm working hard and I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing,
• 8:49
  then it'll happen one way or another and it'll happen in the
• 8:53
  way it's supposed to happen and at the the time it's supposed to
• 8:56
  happen. And you know, I think at any
• 8:58
  time there's a redirection in what you're doing, it's like
• 9:02
  supposed to go that way, if that makes sense.
• 9:05
  Or at least that's what I tell myself.
• 9:06
  I don't know. No, that's fair.
• 9:10
  That's fair. What I do also want to ask is
• 9:13
  TNA has a really passionate fan base in the UK.
• 9:17
  Why do you think the product connects so well with British
• 9:21
  wrestling fans? I think the possibly the style
• 9:27
  of a lot of the matches, you know, it's, you know, there's
• 9:31
  action, action, action as as people would say, there's things
• 9:33
  always happen and it's it's very exciting.
• 9:35
  I think that lends itself well to a British audience,
• 9:41
  especially people who come and watch independent wrestling
• 9:44
  shows and see, you know, the sort of styles and matches that
• 9:48
  people put on there. It was great to see even, you
• 9:53
  know, during the time of the good check and when they came
• 9:55
  over for the UK tour, how well that was supported and how, you
• 9:59
  know, people love the shows when and when they came over.
• 10:02
  And, and obviously there's a lot of there's quite a lot of like
• 10:06
  UK talent who get who get brought over to TNA and, you
• 10:11
  know, there's no coincidence and that I think that there's great
• 10:16
  wrestlers in the UKI think some of some of the best, some of the
• 10:19
  best wrestlers in the world. Not saying myself, but but a lot
• 10:22
  of a lot of, you know, UK wrestlers are fabulous.
• 10:25
  So I think, you know, it lends hand to hand, Really.
• 10:30
  Yeah. I absolutely agree and I'm not
• 10:32
  saying that to be biased as well as a British wrestling fan, but
• 10:35
  there's so much talent here and the fact that you've got you and
• 10:38
  Leon Slater. Representing the UK and.
• 10:40
  There's so much talent that I think it's going to make its way
• 10:43
  eventually to TNA. Oh, definitely, like I was
• 10:48
  saying earlier, I think if you literally you know, after the
• 10:52
  girls, if you literally looked at one of the like say Eve or
• 10:55
  one of the all all women's wrestling shows in the UK, you
• 10:58
  could literally look through the cards and pick any one of those
• 11:01
  girls that could move over and be on and fame perfectly.
• 11:06
  Do you know what I mean? Like it's, you know, it's at the
• 11:09
  point where it's like, who do you pick?
• 11:11
  Not as like not in the way of life.
• 11:13
  There's no one speak like who who else of this many people
• 11:16
  could even be on Jeremy. It's it's great.
• 11:18
  It's really cool. One last question, if you had to
• 11:22
  describe TNA in one. Sentence How?
• 11:27
  Would you describe TNA? What does it mean to you?
• 11:32
  I think, well, this is going to be a really bad sentence, but I
• 11:35
  don't really, I'm not great with sentences anyway when I'm
• 11:39
  typing. I think TNA is somewhere that
• 11:42
  gives people opportunities. I feel like it always has been.
• 11:48
  But you know, not just saying this what myself mean, like
• 11:50
  other people as well, but like giving people opportunities who
• 11:53
  really deserve it and given them like a platform to become a star
• 11:57
  instead of just like, you know, the people who are already
• 12:01
  stars, the people who like they've always done well at like
• 12:05
  looking at, you know, the other places where wrestling is or the
• 12:08
  other, you know, especially the UK or other countries or, you
• 12:12
  know, different parts of America, like fans and people
• 12:16
  and giving them a platform. I think that's, and then that
• 12:19
  makes for the best, that makes for the best wrestling because
• 12:21
  it's, you know, there's that mix of, you know, seasoned vets or
• 12:27
  people who've been on TV for a long time and then the likes of
• 12:30
  me who's never been on TVTV before and then those matches
• 12:34
  coming together. So it's like not, it's not
• 12:38
  anything you can probably see anywhere else really.
• 12:40
  So yeah, long sentence. Don't worry, I'll put a lot of
• 12:45
  comments in there. If you put emoji emojis in it,
• 12:49
  then that's what I normally do. Thumbs up :).
• 12:56
  But Harley? Thank you very much for your
• 12:57
  time. If the listeners want to give
• 12:59
  you a follow on social media, where can they keep you?
• 13:02
  So where can they find you on social media?
• 13:05
  I think on all of them. I'm Harley Hood.
• 13:07
  Some of the kiss on the end to just search me up.
• 13:11
  Yeah, I'm on. I'm on all of them.
• 13:13
  Awesome, give a follow. Make sure to check out TNA
• 13:17
  Rebellion pay-per-view this Saturday at Wolstein.
• 13:20
  Centre, it's on. The campus of Cleveland State
• 13:23
  University. As always, fans in the USA can
• 13:26
  watch Thursday night impacts in the new home of the AMC and AMC
• 13:30
  Plus. Impact also airs on Sportsnet
• 13:33
  360 in Canada. And TNA plus.
• 13:36
  Worldwide great app. By the way, honestly I'd
• 13:38
  recommend it. I hope all my listeners have had
• 13:40
  a great bank holiday, Easter. What have you celebrated but for
• 13:44
  NAV One? Take care.
• 13:46
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