This is Draven UnScripted with another special interview with 
the man known as PRIMAL representing Knokx Pro. Here we have a golden opportunity to know the man behind the beast as well as get an up close with a student from “The Harvard of Pro Wrestling” in Knokx Pro.
1. Tell me about your first time seeing a pro wrestling match? Do you remember who you saw that made you realize that this is what you wanted to do?
P: Like most people I grew up watching wrestling but it never really grasped me as something I would like to do until I was much older. It wasn’t until one of the seasons of Tough Enough was on MTV that Professional Wrestling really caught my attention. I was watching these people go through training and I thought to myself, I can do this! So I started looking for places to train.
2.Who was your inspiration in wanting to get into Pro Wrestling?
P: I always liked Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. But like I said, it was until I was older that I really wanted to get into the Business and by that time it was Triple H, The Rock and guys like Kurt Angle and Brock Leaner because they come from an amateur wrestling background like myself.
3. You served in the military & of course we appreciate your service, Did you trained before you enlisted or after you left the army? How long did you serve our nation?
P: Thank You, I really appreciate the support of the American people! I was a Medic and an 18yr veteran with The Army and California National Guard. I didn’t start training until I was 10 years in.
4. You were training to be a pro wrestler while you were still serving the Army & National Guard?
P: Yes I was.
5. Choosing a training facility is a hard decision, Did you train with anyone before going to Knokx Pro?
P: I actually started training under the Ballards and Aaron Aguilera at UPW. Due to military obligations and deployments it was hard to train steady after my first few months with them.
6. Now that you’re able to get time to train while in the military, who did you train with at that time?
P: Same as my last answer but I picked UPW because there were quite a few big names that came out of there
7. Did you have a chance to compete while being trained by UPW before they closed?
P: No. Unfortunately I never did get to do anything for UPW besides backstage support.
8. What is it about Knokx Pro, that made you decide that this was the school for you?
P: I had met Gangrel doing Indies in Central and Nor. Cal. And heard about a new training center they were going to open but I was living in Fresno at the time. I knew he’d be a great trainer and then heard about Rikishi, Black Pearl and at the time, Orlando Jordan were the trainers as well so I knew I had to get there as soon as I moved back to So Cal.
9. Being under the tutelage of WWE Legends Gangrel & Rikishi along side Veteran The Black Pearl, how has their training been influential to you & other students at the Knokx academy?
P: They go far beyond teaching drills moves and holds. They teach you aspects of the business that many talents unfortunately, don’t learn until it’s too late or they have already be taken advantage of. They teach you all aspects of the Wrestling Business.
10. Total years you’ve been in the biz including training back in UPW?P: 9 years11. While training with Knokx, how long did you train before having your 1st pro match?
P: The day after my initial meeting and in ring evaluation with Black Pearl.
12. Tell me about how the creation of Primal came to be?
P: Well I started out with a military gimmick, go with what you know. But I wanted to be a little more than that. So as I was figuring out my character I needed a name. So while my wife and I were driving from Fresno to visit our families, we were having a discussion about character names. She would always tease me about acting like a gorilla so I went off topic and told her about a version of Optimus Prime were he was a gorilla called Optimus Primal. She jumped at that and said she liked the sound of that. I told her I couldn’t steal a well known character name but she said no, just Primal. So I kept it. The character has evolved from just a military gimmick and has gone from that to the native American PRIMAL warrior to my current incarnation of a primeval barbaric warrior. A sort of hybrid of all the others. It’s always a work in progress.
13. Just recently the former Miroslav Petrov now Alexander Rusev made his long awaited debut on the WWE’s Royal Rumble to rave reviews from fans, how does it feel seeing another Knokx Pro star make it?
P: It’s awesome. Especially seeing the excitement and how proud all of the trainers are of their former student. In turn, he is now a new example of where we students could go under the trainers guidance. They all take great pride in their student’s achievements.
14. Seeing Rusev make his debut, do you aspire to get into WWE or possible TNA? Or are you ok of making an impact in the indies?
P: Of course we all strive the reach the big time, but I’m also realistic. There’s a great deal of competition out there and we are literally a dime a dozen. You have to hope and work for the best but be prepared to only reach a certain level. On the other hand, that’s why I chose KNOKXPRO over other training sites. It was the only place I went into and was welcomed as family. I received guidance as soon as I sat down to discuss my future. No punches were pulled and I was given very real options as to what can become a reality in this business given my background, age and other factors but we are also looking to change the game.
15. Do you get an opportunity to catch other promotions events in So Cal? If so, has there been any other So Cal Stars besides Knokx pro talent you would like to meet in the ring?
P: Once in while. I haven’t caught another show in a while but always keep up with the talents on social media. There’s too many to name. Some of them I will meet up with in Territory League. I’ll gladly go head to head with anybody.
16. If the fans don’t know, what can you tell the fans about Territory League? The style of matches, you’re involvement, etc?
P: I have to say, my first TL experience, either seeing or being in one, was The February 9th show at The Avalon. I made my debut there as part of The San Francisco Bay City Union led by Caesar Black. I was in the tag match with myself and Kratos vs. Rikishi and “Grand Master Sexay” Brian Lawler. Very fun but very brutal, we tore the house down. TL is an awesome concept pitting 2 teams from different cities against each other in various types of matches including Lucha, Tag, Women’s, Cruiserweight and Heavyweight. Each team is locked in The C2 cages and the opponents aren’t released until their match starts. Awesome stuff.
17. Talk about being part of team San Francisco with your Knokx Pro Manager Cesar Black & the team.
P: The San Francisco team is very talented with some of the best workers out there. Kratos and Sheik Khan Abadi I’ve know from working Central and Nor cal. I had the honor of meeting Dylan Drake just before the event and is a very cool person. Caesar Black and I have been a strong team since the my first day at Knokx Pro and is one of my main mentors in my wrestling career. Ms. Mariah Moreno couldn’t make it unfortunately but we had Ms. Melissa Coates come and dominate our Women’s division. It was a pleasure meeting her since I used to read all about her when I was younger In Flex and Muscle and Fitness magazines. So sitting, talking and wrestling with someone I idolized was an awesome experience.
18. Have u held any championships & if so how many?
P: I have not had the privilege of holding any titles, yet! I’m sure that is going to change soon. With all of my travels it was hard to become established at any one promotion.
19. Who would you say is your biggest rival currently with Knokx Pro? Who would you like to eventually face?
P: I would say two rivals at Knokx Pro would be Psycho Stu and Vito. I’ve knocked heads with them before but they keep coming back. I would like to face off with The Samoan dynasty; Black Pearl, Rikishi, and above all, “The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu.
20. Have you had the opportunity to try out or have a dark match for WWE or TNA?
P: I have not had the opportunity for dark matches or tryouts yet. I’m sure my time will come though.
21. Do you have anything to say to your fans & fans in general of Knokx Pro?
P: For all the fans out there, just keep an eye out for Primal in 2014. Big things are happening in both Knokx Pro and Territory League and everyone involved in those companies and looking to bring something new and exciting as well as breathe new life in wrestling. Everything we do is for the fans and make sure they get the best show possible. If they’re willing to spend hard earned money to be entertained, then we are going to give them the best damn show ever. With each show we have the feedback & we hear from the fans if that was the best show they’ve seen then at the next show, they ask how it’s possible to top the last show. Every show we raise the bar for ourselves and keep giving back to the fans. It’s very awesome and very humbling to hear how you have touched the lives of so many people and entertain them and give them something to look forward to.
I want to thank Primal for this chance to get to know more about this amazing star from Knokx Pro. Whether he was serving our country or kicking ass in the ring, Primal is definitely a special individual who gives everything he has to us, the fans & again all I can say is Thank you for serving our country, Thank you for living your dream & sharing your talents with us in the ring.
If you would like to follow Primal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrimalKnokxPro
Also don’t forget to see Primal & the rest of the stars from Knokx Pro as they’ll be on hand this Sunday for Territory league at the Avalon in Hollywood:
http://socaluncensored.com/event/territory-league-in-hollywood-ca-2/
Until next time, this is Mike Draven….signing off.
