Breaking Kayfabe #5 w/Chris Dickinson

Hey yo and welcome to another edition of Breaking Kayfabe. I am as always, Mr. C.C.. On this edition of Breaking Kayfabe, I will be bringing to you this interview with an up and coming indy wrestler who got break in the northeast. He has worked for such promotions as JAPW and EVOLVE. He has hopes of working in other promotions across the United States and the world. He is currently on half of the JAPW Tag Team Champions and one half of the tag team the United States Death Machine, Chris Dickinson.

Mr. C.C.: Thanks for taking time to do this.

Chris: No problem.

Mr. C.C.: The last year of your career has been a big one for you, would you agree that its been the biggest year yet?

Chris: Yeah, without a doubt. I've done a lot of traveling and been fortunate enough to be exposed to a much wider audience through bigger and better bookings but in actuality it's really just the beginning.

Mr. C.C.: With all the traveling you've done, you to always seem comeback to the northeast. Is that to give back to the area that you got your start in?

Chris: Well I live in New York City, so it's my base of operations and most of my bookings are in the northeast anyways. It's definitely a trip working for JAPW which is a company that I followed as a fan since 2000. I really would love to work for CZW and doing EVOLVE has been an interesting experience. As far as ROH goes, I'd love to be over there too and I look foward to hitting everywhere. Northeast is always going to be a big place for indy wrestling.

Mr. C.C.: Where and how did you get into wrestling?

Chris: It's funny... I was hanging out with my girlfriend at my mom's house and she asked my mom when it was that I started saying I was going to be a professional wrestler and my mom claims I was at least five or six years old. So yeah, it's always been a big dream of mine. As far as getting involved, I was about 14 years old when I first walked into the Charity Hall in Bayonne, NJ and attended my first class at the JAPW school they had back then. I picked up the basics pretty quick and eventually JAPW [wrestling school] folded and I bounced around with Magic who was the trainer wherever he would go to train guys. Whenever people asked about my trainers it seems like Magic never gets enough credit in the midst of all the [Ricky] Steamboat, [Harley] Race, and Guido questions I usually get but fact is Magic to this day is like a father to me. He took me under his wing and treated me like a son. He would pick me up three times a week for training when I was still in high school and got me all my first bookings from the time I was 14 to 16. He never asked for anything and I love this man dearly. He's still a close friend and deserves all the credit in the world for training ALOT of cats that you've watched over the years.

Mr. C.C.: Even though some might say you are a veteran with having that many years under your belt, do you still feel like you are not where you want to be with your level of skills in the ring?

Chris: I don't think I'll ever be happy when it comes to that. Anyone in the business that's going anywhere knows you should always be striving to take it to the next level every time you step in the ring. I don't want to be the same wrestler I was the last time I trained let alone wrestled a match. I'm always trying to constantly improve as quickly as possible because I'm so competitive and sometimes I can even be my own worst enemy. Sometimes things just happen naturally but if youre not constantly trying to better your own skills then don't waste your time with professional wrestling.

Mr. C.C.: That mentality of getting better and pushing yourself has allowed you to go places in wrestling you've wanted to go so far?

Chris: I believe so, like I said before when I was 14, 15, 16 years old training and doing small indy shows my goal was to be doing exactly what I'm doing right now. Am I happy? Of course, but in life you get to a certain level no matter what it is and it's up to you to either advance or stay where you're at. It doesn't have to be wrestling, it can be anything. It honestly takes a while for me sometimes to sit back and realize all the cool stuff I've been able to do but I'm usually more consumed with what I need to do to advance than dwelling on the past or the present.

Mr. C.C.: Currently, you are half of the JAPW Tag Team Champions. Now I know that Sami Callihan and yourself were feuding before they teamed you two up. Was becoming JAPW Tag Team Champions something that was going to happen initially when you two started teaming together?

Chris: I really don't think so to be honest. Obviously you should always be striving to be the top guy or guys in this situation and in some honest cases a title means you are doing something right. Sami and I kinda came together out of nowhere after we had a really brutal match at a show that unfortunately was not taped, but it was really one of my best matches and I think he felt the same so we formed the Death Machine out of mutual respect for each other and next thing you know we are the champs. I feel Sami like myself is always trying to improve no matter what it is, he is a super hard worker and always trying to outdo himself whenever possible. We share alot of the same ideas just as much as we are competitive with each other and its truly a pleasure to work with him in any situation.

Mr. C.C.: How did the team name United States Death Machine come about?

Chris: My theme is a song by a band called Austrian Death Machine titled "Get to the Choppa." We both love them, we are a machine, we bring death, and thats the story.

Mr. C.C.: Never heard of that band. But giving yourselves a team name is a throwback to old school days when some teams would do that instead of just using their names you would say?

Chris: Of course. I love old school everything. Sadly on the main stage here in the [United] States, tag teams are a joke nowadays, but on the indies, especially the last few years, I've seen a ton of awesome tag team stuff. I love tag team wrestling in general.

Mr. C.C.: I agree that tag team wrestling in the United States has been lacking. Which tag teams have been some of your favourite teams to compete against and with?

Chris: Well we've only had a few matches so far but I think it would be a lie to say anyone else but the Garden State Gods. The Hit Squad is going to be something else.

Mr. C.C.: I was going to ask about The Hit Squad. How pumped up are you to be going up against a legendary JAPW tag team?

Chris: I'm very excited. Hit Squad were a big reason I got into indy wrestling as much as I did when I was 14. They were on the first real modern indy show I went to and I was hooked on them since then. They were like an institution in the northeast. I have had a picture of them hanging on my wall since I was 14 and that's a shoot. I don't care who calls me a mark. I loved those guys and now I have nothing but respect for them.

Mr. C.C.: Most people in the business start out as marks. So I don't see being one as a bad thing.

Chris: We are all marks. No matter which way you put it, everyone's a mark.

Mr. C.C.: Exactly. Aside from the northeast, where else are you looking to travel and wrestle and in what promotions if you could?

Chris: I would love to go anywhere that wants to have me. But like I said before, ROH is a next step I need to begin to take and PWG would be amazing. The big picture for me is Japan. Its been my main goal since breaking in and personally I would LOVE to work for Pro Wrestling NOAH. They promote the style of wrestling I love the most and I feel I would fit in well there.

Mr. C.C.: Well, I do hope you get those opportunities in the near future. Any upcoming shows that you are a part of that you want mention?

Chris: All of the JAPW stuff is going to be awesome, check them out at JAPW.NET. We are doing joint stuff with CZW too, they always deliver. I think I'll be back at FORCE 1 when they start running. Please do yourselves a favor and check out everything from BEYOND Wrestling, that's my heart and soul right there. Honestly support ALL indy wrestling. There is something out there for everyone and it all deserves your attention.

Mr. C.C.: I agree. Support all indy wrestling. Well, once again thanks for your time and continued success in wrestling.

Chris: Thanks for having me, it was cool talking to you!