Source: The Miami Herald
”In wrestling, one of your best attributes is how patient you are because nothing happens over night,” Kaz said, “and I knew I had something to offer this company. I knew with patience and time it would happen. So, it’s been very up and down for me, but right now it’s climbing both professionally and personally. I’m really feeling great and positive about everything.”
Formerly known as the Future, Kaz experienced the ups and downs on this roller-coaster ride.
”My roles in TNA have taken a pretty dramatic turn, more so than probably almost anybody,” he said. “I left the company briefly in 2005 to explore other avenues which I thought would better me, but it was one of those life lessons of something I had to find out for myself that actually helped me grow a lot as a human being.”
Kaz, 30, signed with WWE in 2005 and worked for Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental territory. He became the first former TNA X Division champ to list on WWE’s active roster. He made his WWE television debut on Velocity, defeating Nunzio. He remained undefeated throughout July and into August. He beat Scotty 2 Hotty, Funaki and Paul London.
On Aug. 15, Kaz announced on his website he left WWE. Apparently, WWE’s writers still did not know who he was after over a month in the company.
Kaz returned to TNA in July 2006.
“The company welcomed me back with open arms, but there’s an old folklore in wrestling, where you have to re-pay your dues. I was put with a group with Raven, and we were given an angle and given something to do but not used a whole lot, and that was something I totally understood. It was one of those things.”
At TNA’s Turning Point PPV in December at Universal Studios Orlando, Kaz teamed with Booker T with Sharmell against Christian Cage and Robert Roode with Ms. Brooks.
”It was awesome,” he said. “You had the two established veterans in Christian and Booker T, who have been there and done that, and the two hungry, young lions in Bobby and I who wanted to prove that someday we can be in that position. I think it was a great dynamic between the four of us, and I think the crowd thought so also.
“I’ve seen how things work on the other side of the fence which has made me not take this for granted which I might have before I left. I definitely did take a lot of stuff for granted, but being on the other side of the fence and seeing how that works is very beneficial to me as a person and a wrestler.”
Movies directed Kaz to pro wrestling at any early age.
”It caught my attention when I was 7-years-old,” he said. “It was a combination of everything I liked — cartoons, action, adventure, storytelling, drama, bright colors.
“I was first turned on by watching Rocky III and seeing Hulk Hogan and then going to the video store, when they had videos, and seeing Hulk Hogan on the cover of this thing called WrestleMania with Mr. T.
‘I thought, `Wow, it’s Clubber Lang and Thunderlips.’ So I rented it, put it in, and I was instantly hooked. ‘Wow, pro wrestling.’ My dad was a fan back in the days of Gorgeous George and guys like that. It hooked me in like nothing ever has in my life.”
Kaz grew up in Yucca Valley, a small town in San Bernardino County, Calif.
“It was one of those towns where everybody knows everybody else’s business.”
A graduate of Yucca Valley High School, Kaz always had an interest in sports.
”I played little league growing up and basketball. I kind of excelled at baseball,” he said. “In high school, I got into football. I did everything but wrestle in high school. The main reason was because I honestly didn’t think [high school wrestling] had anything to do with the wrestling I liked, and I was very small.”
Kaz eventually decided to launch a pro wrestling career. Just how do you become a pro wrestler? Ask one of the best.
”I took a recommendation from Bret Hart who actually suggested Killer Kowalski’s school, which is in Malden, Massachusetts,” Kaz said. “I was here [California], and it was there [Massachusetts]. It would be a cross-country trip, but that was enough advice for me coming from a guy like Bret Hart to go there.”
Triple H, Big John Studd, Perry Saturn, John Kronus, Chyna, Damien Kane, Chris Nowinski, A-Train, April Hunter, Roxxi Laveaux and Kenny Dykstra are others who have trained under the guidance of the legendary Kowalski.
”So I saved my money for a year working,” Kaz said, “and then I moved out there, made the trip, drove all the way cross-country. That’s where I was trained.”
Prior, Kaz confronted his parents about his career move.
”Obviously, they thought it was a little bit nuts, but they knew I had a passion for it because it was something I loved since I was a little kid,” he said. ‘They thought, `Ah, he’ll grow out of it,’ but I never did, and I still haven’t grown out of it. Since I took that first step and did it, they have supported me 100 percent, and they still to this day support me in everything I do in wrestling.”
Kaz began training with Kowalski in 1998 and debuted after one month’s training. Eight months in, Kazarian returned to Southern California and began wrestling on the independent circuit for the Empire Wrestling Federation.
In 2000, Kazarian joined Ultimate Pro Wrestling in California, and in March 2001, he formed a tag team with Nova (Simon Dean) known as Evolution. He traveled to Japan as part of the UPW roster in 2002, where he faced Steve Corino.
Kaz toured Australia and New Zealand with the now defunct World Wrestling All-Stars promotion in May 2003. He met some important people, leading to a job offer from TNA.
”Getting good exposure on the independent scene in California was big for me,” he said, “and then coming to TNA in 2003 by meeting Scott D’Amore, Jeremy Borash and Jeff Jarrett overseas on a European tour was huge. That really put me on the map.
“In the last couple of months being given the opportunity to be in the ring with guys like Christian Cage and Kurt Angle has really helped me elevate my game.”
A very energetic crowd helped ignite Kaz, Booker T, Christian Cage and Robert Roode in their tag team battle at the Turning Point PPV in Orlando.
”There’s nothing like a good crowd,” he said. “Sometimes in Orlando, they’re nuts. Definitely when we’re on the road anywhere else that doesn’t see us live all the time, they’re incredible. They’re very responsive. They’re very enthused and happy to be a part of what TNA is doing.”
Kaz continues wrestling on the indie scene and internationally as the TNA schedule permits.
”Because of the exposure that TNA helps you get, you’re often booked on independent wrestling, when you’re not here for TNA,” he said. “I was in Germany. I was home for two days. I was in Canada. I was [in Orlando]. My schedule varies, but it can get hectic, and for the most part, it is pretty demanding, but that’s the life I chose, the life I love.”
What would he be doing if he did not enjoy his current occupation?
‘I’ve often, honest to God, thought because there were times a couple of years ago where I’d step outside myself and go, `Is this it five, 10, 15 years down the road?’ You can’t wrestle forever obviously, and I’ve thought about it, but I can’t picture myself behind a desk.
“I’ve always been attracted to big grand things, maybe because I came from such a small town. I definitely think something in the entertainment field, whether it be acting or music, I play bass guitar. I love being in the forefront of something which is really contradictory to my personality because I am really shy. Maybe something in the stunt industry, entertainment industry, something definitely dealing with sports and physicality.”
With change a common theme on the Presidential campaign trail, Kaz is in favor of change, a specific change in the wrestling industry.
”I think about that a lot,” he said. “There’s a lot I would change, and there’s a lot I wouldn’t change. I would definitely try to change the bad political side of the business because every business from your ma and pa business to the biggest business has politics, and it’s a necessary evil. You have to have it.
“I’m not speaking about TNA. I’m speaking from what I’ve seen elsewhere and in general. I’d change some of the bad politics and some of the bad management that creates these bad politics, and I guess that has to start at the top.
“I’m not talking about changing a top position but changing how you run your company. The reason a wrestling company is so successful is because they have this business plan that works, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all their employees are happy. I don’t think it’s possible to, but I wish I could change the bad political side of pro wrestling.
“Pro wrestling is such a small thing in the grand scheme of things. I mean it’s in every business, top to bottom.”
Advice for those seeking to become a pro wrestler.
“Pro wrestling, still to this day, does not get the credit or its due for how tough it is on you not only physically but emotionally, spiritually, financially, everything.
“If you want to succeed in pro wrestling, you have to absolutely dedicate your life to pro wrestling. My life, as I live it today, is 100 percent different than my life, if I lived it not as a pro wrestler. The way I sleep, the way I eat, the way I workout, the way I think, the way I judge, the way I am judged are all because of pro wrestling.
“Some people go work 9-5. They come home. They have their life. My job is my life, and I think if you ask every pro wrestler who works a full schedule, they will tell you the exact same thing. Pro wrestling dictates who we are and how we live our lives, and I don’t think there is anyway around that.
“I don’t know of many businesses with the exception of pro sports that do that. My life is lived that way because of pro wrestling. So if you want to do this for a living, you have to absolutely dedicate your entire self — mind, body and spirit — to the game of pro wrestling and be prepared to suffer more failures than successes.”
Kaz tackles the recent negative stereotypes of pro wrestling in a positive way.
“Especially lately, there’s been such a bad stigma attached to pro wrestling because of the media. Not generalizing but a lot of different people in the media have pointed out the drug abuse, the steroid abuse, the stuff that happened with Chris [Benoit].
“In my opinion, that’s what sells. That’s what people want to see. That’s just in general.
“What people see on the news are earthquakes and murders, and it’s very rare you hear about this guy who donated this to charity. This guy adopted four kids. This guy donated $1 million to help these people build a home.
“I just want people to know there is so much positive that goes on in pro wrestling that’s not brought to the forefront, especially through the mainstream media. In our company [TNA], there is such a family atmosphere, a feeling of unity, a group of 50 to 100 people working toward one goal. It’s just never brought to the forefront.
‘That’s life. Everything is focused on bad, especially lately with pro wrestling. Before, pro wrestling always kind of got a `ha, ha’ here and there. Until people have been around it and have seen what these guys go through and what the people who run the company go through and the mental toughness you have to have, it’s unmatchable.
“There is a lot more positive in pro wrestling than is thought.”
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