I recently had the chance to interview Brawlin’ Bo Cooper. We discussed a number of subjects, including his time wrestling in his hometown, his hip injury, Battle Ground Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling War, and several struggles with Gary Yap and EPIC Pro Wrestling War.True Fan: First question. Let’s start out with Pro Wrestling War. What were your thoughts on it?
Bo Cooper: I think Pro Wrestling War, when it first started, was something that Gary Yap wanted to do to try and prove he was sorry for the huge mistakes he made with his first promotion, EPIC, and WAR was his way of trying to “give back to the fans” and make them try and believe in his product. To which he even ran a show with no admission I believe. They had ok shows for awhile with different venues here and there, drawing a pretty normal fan base for SoCal Indy wrestling, then out of nowhere they just folded. Not really sure of why the decision was made to do so but that’s what it was.
TF: During Pro Wrestling War’s run, you injured your hip at an AWS show and were sidelined for several months. What were your thoughts during this time period and did you ever question whether you wanted to return to the ring?
Bo: When I injured my hip at AWS, I wasn’t aware of how serious it was until the next day when I got X-Rays and the doctor told me it was broken. There was even a talk from the doctor about a possible surgery. It was very scary at the time as I thought that I would never be able to wrestle again, let alone walk without a handicap. I rested for nine months, and tried my best to rehabilitate my hip so that I would still have a future in Pro Wrestling. Within a year, I made a come back to the ring working against Alex Kolsov in a return match in AWS.
TF: Did you face any complications with your hip when you made your return?
Bo: To this day I still have soreness, once in a while. It doesn’t hurt much during matches, but I have limited some of my moves that I used to perform.
TF: When you made your return, Battle Ground Pro Wrestling was starting up and were beginning to run in Newhall. You were featured in the majority of the promotion’s main events, what was that like?
Bo: At first I wasn’t in the main event, as it was supposed to be Scott Lost, as the main attraction. I believe due to an injury he could not make the booking that would have made him the first champion in Newhall. Jason Bennet realized that due to my growing popularity, I would be a great candidate to be champion and represent Battle Ground and my home town. I had a great run for a year as champion facing such competitors as Kaos, Rocky Romero, Alex Klosiv, Joey Ryan, and Plauge. All in main event.
TF: How involved were you with the promotion outside of the ring?
Bo: Other than my in ring performances, I would help the promotion by passing out fliers around town, trying to get local radio coverage, news paper ads, etc. I would also pitch ideas here and there to Jason about angles.
TF: How did you feel when Battle Ground folded?
Bo: I was very disappointed. Jason, Foob Dog, Pete, and myself, along with all the other wrestlers, worked very hard on gaining a solid fan base in Newhall. I feel that the Newhall fans were going to be disappointed the most, once it folded. It was sad to see battle ground go, as it was one of the funnest promotions I have been apart of.
TF: You were nominated for SoCal Wrestler Of The Year in 2006. What was that like and how much did it mean to someone like yourself who had been working in SoCal for a long time?
Bo: When I first found out that I was nominated, it was a very good feeling that the fans and SoCalUncensored recognized the fact that I was having great matches throughout the year.
TF: After Battle Ground folded, Gary Yap opened up EPIC Pro Wrestling War and began running shows in Newhall. Did you think that it was the right move for Gary Yap to fill the void that Battle Ground might have left behind in Newhall?
Bo: I was happy just to have wrestling continue in Newhall, as I feel that if done right it can be a great place to work. When Gary first called me about it, he pitched the idea that he wanted to take over the dates that Battle Ground had left open. He was very interested in having me promote the shows just as I had done previously with Battle Ground. He told me that he wanted a more controversial crowd, rather than cater to the more family friendly atmosphere. I think that Gary had different intentions than what Jason did when it came to running the shows. Gary was trying to fill the void, but approached the actual promoting differently than Jason too. Jason was very organized when it came to having fliers printed on time. He stapled them to every telephone poll in town, and was very hands on to get the information out there at least a month in advance, where as Gary relies more on promoting the promotion via internet. In my opinion, the local Newhall fans probably can’t even afford a computer, let alone know that a fed is promoting via only internet.
TF: As Gary’s latest venture went on, there was a lot of criticism about his involvement with promotions with poor reputations (IWL). What were your thoughts on this?
Bo: I have stated on SCU that I don’t believe that any professional wrestler/promoter/staff member of a professional wresting organization should ever be involved or participate on a show that is being ran by untrained workers, let alone the promoter (Gary) make a decision to have his championship belt change hands or be deafened on a show with no credibility. I believe that he spends too much time focusing on angles that are taking place in other promotions, resulting in a local Newhall fan to be confused due to the fact that once again it is all done through a online show.
TF: During this ordeal, EPWW’s feud with APW seemed to have come to a halt. Do you know why the APW/EPWW working agreement ended?
Bo: From what Gabe has told me, Gary defended his belt on a Backyard show, APW decided to move on and not deal with the issues of being a part of something along those lines. He has his ideas of what “backyard” is and so did APW. I was also told 2 checks in the amount of $350 were both bounced for payments for ring rental. I pitched an idea to Gary of having Gangrel and Billy Blade come to EPWW to start a team with me, which they came in for one show and had to stop coming due to money being owed to them. Till this day, he has only paid $50 and still tells others he paid $100. He has refused to pay because there are “multiple owners”.
TF: Multiple owners?
Bo: That is the excuse I have been told he has used to Gabe.
TF: Since having financial issues with APW, has he ran into any other problems when it comes to pay with any workers?
Bo: I have heard stories of him being short with pay in recent months. In recent shows I have been paid the contracted price me and Gary discussed, but last night I was shorted $30 dollars and was told to return at 2am once he had gone to the ATM. Four hours later my girlfriend returned to get the money that was owed, and she quotes, “Tell Bo I have nothing for him.” Keep in mind that I don’t live in Newhall, I live 35 minutes away. So for 4 hours we waited and still did not get what was agreed.
TF: Do you know of any other workers who are owed money? And if you still haven’t been paid as of this interview, will you continue to work for Gary?
Bo: I do not know for a fact that any other workers are owed at this time. But I have cut business agreements when it comes to Gary Yap at this time.
TF: So now that you are finished working with Gary Yap at the moment, what are your plans and goals in wrestling?
Bo: I have slowed down in the last year when it comes to traveling or working shows. Whether it was Battleground or EPWW, they were both held in Newhall which was very easy for me to accept bookings. As far as my wrestling future goes I have some bookings lined up. Just because Gary and I had a falling out, it has nothing to do with my future in wrestling. It’s in my blood and I will continue to work. Newhall or not.
TF: Any last words before we wrap this up?
Bo: I just want to state that I have dealt with many wrestling promoters. Some good, some bad, over the 11 years of my career, but my one tattoo can sum up my feelings more than anything in business. “Trust Nothing.” When I asked Gary if I would be getting my 30 dollars he owed me he told me “It’s 30 bucks. Get over it.” No matter what the dollar amount is, this is called PROFESSIONAL wrestling. And when it comes time for “The Boss” to respectively pay his workers being told to get over it is utterly unprofessional.
I am not the first, and I will not be the last to leave due to having some sort of issue when it comes to working for Gary. And having him “suspend” me and “write me out of the storylines” just like he did others, does not tell the real reasons why I left. People deserve to know the truth, and what a better place to do it then SoCalUncensored 😉
