At the last PCW show, Benjamin Tomas sat down with Crayz. They discussed Crayz’ start in wrestling, his thoughts on Kaos, his feud with the Messiah, the Internet, and more.
Benjamin Tomas: At what age did you decide to become a professional wrestler? Where did you start your training?
Crayz: I started at like 23 or 24, and I trained out in San Bernardino with some guys who were trained out there by Jesse and Bill for the EWF.
Benjamin Tomas: Who influenced you to get into the business?
Crayz: There are a lot of guys. The Ballards, yeah right. (Shane Ballard was standing right there.) Bret Hart, The Bulldogs, early Cactus Jack from Texas, and every WWF or NWA guy from the 80’s.
Benjamin Tomas: How hard was wrestling training initially? Does wrestling get easier as you get older, or harder?
Crayz: Harder, cause you don’t heal as fast. It’s a lot harder on the body.
Tomas: Tell me what feds you currently work.
Crayz: (laughs) Anyone who will hire me.
Tomas: Favorite fed, and why?
Crayz: That’s kind of a loaded question. I try to have fun with anyone I work for. I’m a team player. They ask you to do something and you do it.
Tomas: You used to tag with Tech 9 as Da Naybah Hoodz. How did that come about?
Crayz: Lets see, I was training Supreme and Kaos from XPW, and what happened was Byron (Tech 9) was a friend of a friend who started training with us. I decided I wanted to work tag matches, and we got together. This was before anybody really knew who Public Enemy was. Before they got famous.
Tomas: How did it feel when, after you’d been broken up for a bit, WPW had the two of you get back together? Also, how was it to beat the Ballard Bros., and then pass them the title of best SoCal tag team?
Crayz: Well, it was great. I wish more people woulda saw it. It would have been bigger, but the Ballards were younger and better, so we gave them the little mental, you know.
Tomas: When you and Tech finally hooked up one-on-one for Ric Drasin’s show in Huntington Beach at the high school a few years later, did it disappoint the 2 of you that only like 7 people in the crowd knew the history leading into
it?
Crayz: It was a drag that no one really knew who or what was going on, but for those in the know, it was a small tribute to all we had done. I wish it could have been a little bigger.
Tomas: I know you are a guy who will go on the record for saying he will not be a part of the WWE, and accept it. What motivates you to keep wrestling?
Crayz: It’s like a drug. You can’t stop. I just love wrestling. It’s in my blood. But I’m sure I’ll get to where I just can’t do it anymore, or I just can’t. I’m getting
older, and I’m having a baby, so that might change things just a bit.
Tomas: What do you think of steroid use on the Indy level? Is it prevalent?
Crayz: Lets see. In California, it’s probably not real big. Are there guys on the sauce? Of course there are. At the Indy level, tons of guys are on it. If you’re on it, good for you. I don’t bad mouth any guys on it.
Tomas: Who is your favorite opponent, and dream opponent, and why?
Crayz: My favorite opponent? I always liked working with Kaos. There were always different finishes, or different things we’d like to do. We knew what spots worked well, so we could recycle them over and over again. My dream opponent? I don’t know if I have one. I got to work Terry Funk and Abdullah the Butcher in the same year. I would like to work Cactus [Jack], as he’s the man.
Tomas: Who is your favorite partner, and dream partner, and why?
Crayz: My favorite partner would have to be Tech 9. When you work that long with someone… Dream partner? I like different guys for different reasons. Flair, you know, there were lots of great guys in the 80’s.
Tomas: From the group of young workers who have only been around a short period of time, whom do you peg as the one to breakout from the pack and make an impact?
Crayz: I’d like to say Kaos, but he is being held down, as far as where he is allowed to work. If he were in Memphis, or Ohio, he’d probably have a job already. There are a lot of guys. Joey Ryan is very good. There are so many kids. It’s hard for me to get work.
Tomas: To follow that, which SoCal guy has the best shot at the big time?
Crayz: Well, Daniels probably. Chris [Daniels] has the best chance. He’s the best worker in all of SoCal.
Tomas: Do you like to wrestle in front of kids and regular folks, or smarties? Why?
Crayz: I prefer to wrestle in front of kids. They cheer good guys and boo bad guys. Smart fans are armchair quarterbacks who think they know how matches are suppose to work.
Tomas: I know you have an old school approach in a new school Indy world. How would you approach a match with, say, Super Dragon?
Crayz: Super Dragon, well, lets see. I would go along the route of saying sometime you have to take spots out and put spots in and take more spots out. I wouldn’t work with guys who might hurt me or I’d hurt them… Too many high spots, too little psychology.
Tomas: Conversely, a match with Adam Pearce?
Crayz: That’s different. He’s an old school guy. He can work matches without a lot of high spots. He is a consummate pro. It’s too bad he’s not working matches on a regular basis.
Tomas: How do you feel about training guys like Kaos and Supreme, considering how different their careers turned out from yours? Were you hurt when they took Rob Black’s money to leave the UIWA?
Crayz: Yeah, I think at first it kinda hurt. You know, you think they’re your pals, and I think they still are. They just took a different approach to things. I used to love training guys, but training is a funny thing. I more started
them out, trained them a bit to get them the basics. People change for different reasons. I think XPW changes a lot of people. Some good, some bad. I talked to Supreme at a show, and he’s happy. That’s all that matters.
Tomas: I know promoters tend to discriminate against the veteran workers, which you, by self-admission, are. Did it piss you off when EPIC only wanted to book you if you’d let New Jack cut you to ribbons?
Crayz: (laughs) It was a little disappointing. It’s kinda sad I have this reputation for being a hardcore guy, when I’m really not. I worked for Fred [Valentine], and I did these crazy matches. But I did them because I trusted the guy I worked with. I wasn’t gonna go in with New Jack knowing I was gonna get killed. Money is not always worth the ass beating you get.
Tomas: When you worked so hard to build a feud with Messiah, doing his finisher and all, does it surprise you nothing ever came out of that feud?
Crayz: Yes, I was depressed about it. MPW decided to blow their load early for his first match there. They coulda had me work Messiah. It would have made more sense. [MPW Brass] kinda blew it, but what can you do about it now? I’m not gonna cry about spilled milk.
Tomas: What is your opinion of the Internet’s effect on the SoCal Indy scene?
Crayz: It’s a big black eye. It’s eight smart marks deciding how good someone’s match is when he or she have never been in a ring before. It’s too bad the rest of the public doesn’t find out about these Indy shows, so they would draw decent
crowds.
Tomas: When the history of the SoCal scene is written, what place will Crayz hold?
Crayz: Probably a low one. For those who liked me, cool. For people who hated me because I was a good heel, cool. For people who just don’t like me, I just don’t give a shit.
Tomas: Putting aside how you think you will be remembered, how would you write the Crayz legacy, given the chance to be it’s author?
Crayz: Lets see. Good gimmick, and a decent worker. Good psychology, sometimes.
Tomas: Would you encourage your children to get into wrestling?
Crayz: Actually, I wouldn’t. I’m 31 and wake up with sore knees.
Tomas: If you could pick any cartoon character to be president, who and why?
Crayz: Shall I date myself? I’m an old school cartoon guy. I’d probably say someone like Fred Flintstone. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s a good guy. He’s kinda stupid sometimes, but he’s Fred. He’s always looking for the good in people, so I got to go with Flintstone.
Tomas: Thanks for your time, and congrats on the new baby.
Crayz: Thank you.