A brand-new Conversations With Love is LIVE!
On a special edition of CWL, we chat with one of the stars of the National Wrestling Alliance, Royce Isaacs! Tune in for our exclusive interview as we chat with the former NWA Tag Team Champion about not only his time with the promotion but more, including:
- His favourite shows on Netflix
- What draws him to the True Crime genre
- The last time he wrestled in Canada
- His favourite hockey team
- Fitting in with the NWA
- Filming in front of a consistent studio audience
- Singles versus tag team wrestling
- Growing up as an athlete
- Making the move into professional wrestling
- His unique introduction to independent wrestling
- Interesting moments in his first match
- Developing a well-rounded in-ring style
- Working in a haunted venue
- How much freedom the NWA affords him
- Billy Corgan’s involvement with the NWA
- If he’d rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck
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Please credit Spencer Love of the WCSN for any transcription usage.
Conversations With Love 61: A Conversation With Royce Isaacs
Highlights:
Fitting in with the NWA:
“I think that on both my side and the NWA’s side, it was one of those things where I work well in that environment and I’ll say that a lot of the guys at NWA, they look like wrestlers and they wrestle like wrestlers and it’s a good setting for people that are like that. I think that there are some people that are really gimmick-heavy, there’s some people that are less so, there’s some people that, like I don’t have a very gimmicky gimmick, but I do feel that I show a lot of personality and it’s fun to be part of the NWA where I get to show off quite a bit of that and that’s something that’s embraced.”
“I just think that the NWA’s been a really good fit so far, it’s been really cool to have studio wrestling on such a big stage, and I think being part of a product that is legitimately that different and unique and interesting has been really cool. I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s been quite a wild ride but I’m loving it so far.”
Filming in a consistent studio setting:
“It’s been really cool. One of the things, too, is a lot of those fans come in from all over. Even though it’s a lot of the same people, it’s actually a pretty diverse fan base. I think, obviously we were planning on branching out a little bit and doing some other stuff and then the madness has all kind of come over the world unfortunately now and there’s things bigger than wrestling that everyone’s dealing with, but I would assume at some point the NWA, once things are back to normal we’re going to be doing some different stuff and getting out there a little bit.”
“But, at the same time, I 100% agree with you. It’s been really crucial to our growth to have this crowd that’s really, really into the product, and they care about all the storylines, and they’re not just like “oh, NWA Powerrr, what is that?’ They’re like ‘oh, NWA Powerrr is my jam, and I know all the little intricacies,’ and it’s like they’re actively a part of the show in a very positive way.”
His unique introduction to independent wrestling:
“So, I went to a Lucha Libre and Laughs show. They still run shows in Denver, Colorado. Nick Gossert is the promoter there, and he does an amazing job. Back when I saw it, I mean, they weren’t drawing a crazy crowd, and the wrestling was not of the highest quality, but there was something about it and being in that live setting, that I was like ‘oh yeah!’ Like, everything that I thought was confirmed. This is something that I want to be involved in.
“So, I talked to (Nick) afterwards and he recommended a place in Denver to train: The Butcher Shop and Lonnie Valdez was the head trainer there at the time, he started training me. So, I started training maybe two days after the show, but Lucha Libre and Laughs, now, talk about growth, they sell out the Oriental Theatre, 600+, wall-to-wall. It’s a nuts show, with stand-up comedy and wrestling. If you’re in Denver, or you’re in town visiting and there’s a Lucha Libre and Laughs show that’s going on, I super, super recommend going and seeing it because it’s one of the most fun, crazy extravagant live shows. And, it’s a good date night, too.
“But yeah, I started training at The Butcher Shop literally the next week which was just - at the time, it was like a big storage trailer in Commerce City in Colorado in this terrible neighbourhood. I remember this guy, Bubba, bless his heart. Bubba was awesome, but like I thought he was like an assistant trainer, but I think he was just like living in the Butcher Shop at the time. I pulled up, and he was like ‘someone just stole my truck, like, just now from out front.’ Commerce City is one of the few neighbourhoods that’s not great in Colorado still in the Denver area. At this point, it might be better, but this is 2014 and literally, a car had gotten stolen right from out front of (the Butcher Shop).
“I was like ‘okay, cool, I’m just going to park my car and I’m going to go in here for hours and train. Hopefully, nothing happens to it.’”
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