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Mark Sterling Interview

Posted: Dec 2nd 2008 By: Angel Drake/www.phoenixrisingezine.com

I wanted to start off by saying thank you for taking the time to do this interview for us. I know you are a busy man so I?ll try to make it fun for you. So let?s get to it.

I thought I would start by giving you a little background information on us. Phoenix Rising rose from the ashes of Industrial Mafia Promotions a little over a year ago. It?s owned by me and two other women and until recently we dealt mostly with music and movies. Now if you would please tell us a little about yourself. Like where you were born, who trained you, how long have you been wrestling, etc?

I was born in Washington, D.C. My dad was in the Army, so I grew up all over the country and even lived in Germany a few times. I was originally trained by Michael Strider, and I broke into the business in April of 2001. I have never stopped training. I have trained at Harley Race's Academy since 2003, trained at countless camps instructed by the top names in wrestling, and I have trained in different schools all over the Midwest and Mid-South area. I have been wrestling now for over 7 years.

When wrestling first started, it wasn?t scripted and there were no story lines. It was just two guys fighting for the love of it. Nowadays it?s a lot different. If you could go and wrestle back, then would you? Why or why not?

Well, I wrestled in high school, which is the form of wrestling you are talking about, just pure grappling. I wouldn't want to go back and do that. Nowadays, you have a clear cut bad guy who gets the fans riled up. That is my favorite part of wrestling, getting people so mad and under their skin that they really hate you.

I read some of your old interviews before I watched some of your matches. I was shocked at the contrast between your appearance and your ?persona?. You have such a sweet, innocent face, and your ?persona? is so harsh and out spoken. Do you think that this contrast gets into your opponents head and throws them off a bit? Why or why not?

I don't think my face is that sweet and innocent anymore. When I was clean cut, I would agree with you but now with the beard and long hair, I think I look a bit more sinister. But yeah, I just had an opponent who admitted to me that he was totally freaked out when he started wrestling me and my insane personality showed up. LOL

In the July 10, 2008 edition of the ?University Daily Kansan?, you said ?People write you off as being white trash, but they don?t realize that a lot of wrestlers are really intelligent and hard working people.? Do you think that this perception is due, at least in part, to how professional wrestlers and wrestling is depicted on TV? Why or why not?

Well, yeah. Wrestling on TV can get pretty lame, so someone who is high class might watch it and think wrestling fans must be white trash to enjoy it. However a lot of times wrestling can be very exciting and dramatic, even more so than movies and the NFL. People just don't want to give it a chance because of all the steroid controversy and the fact it is, to an extent, scripted.

From all the things I?ve read about you, you seem to really love wrestling. What made you get into it in the first place and what motivates you to stay in it?

I didn't want to work a 9 to 5 job, and just be another face in the crowd. All my life I never wanted to conform to what everyone else does, that is, just to settle down into a mediocre life. I mean, working Monday through Friday, get married, have kids, and just be in a rut for 60 years of the doing same old boring thing.

I watched wrestling since I was five, and always wanted to do it. Even when I did amateur wrestling in high school I still tried to showboat and have a personality. I always lifted weights through high school and college, keeping myself in cosmetic shape so I would look good in a wrestling ring. Once I found out that you can go to wrestling school, work your way through the independents and maybe get into the WWF/WWE, I jumped at the chance.
I think I'm motivated to stay in it because it is my dream to be in the WWE and I will follow my dream as far as I possibly can. On the Indies, I want to have the match that makes people want more and I want to be the best I can be, so I always try to have the match that people will remember. The more I hone my craft here on the independent level, the more prepared (I hope) I will be if I ever get a WWE shot.

Anybody ho watches wrestling knows there is a lot of pain and risk involved. Does one have to like or have a high threshold for pain in order to do well as a wrestler?

I don't think you have to physically have a high threshold for pain. It?s mentally being able to work through the pain. It?s being able to wake up each morning with a stiff back and sore neck and still make it to work, the gym, your next booking, etc.

In his interview with us Mike Sydal said he trains with you once a week. Are you actually training him or do you just work out with him? And if you are training him what is more gratifying: training someone and seeing them progress or having your own match and doing well?

I train him in the art of pro wrestling, yes, but we also do go to the same gym and lift weights. I think both are gratifying so I can't say one is more gratifying than the other to be fair. Mike just did a promo in St Louis a few weeks ago that I was amazed by, so as his trainer, I was so proud of him. On the same hand, when I wrestle and have a great match, I feel a great sense of accomplishment, almost like I am at peace with myself for a moment. So both are great, but neither feeling is "better" than the other.

Every wrestling fan has a moment or story that got them ?hooked? on wrestling. For me it was the first time I watched ?Mean Mark Callous? wrestle. What was it for you?

Probably just the first time I saw Hulk Hogan. I was five years old and had just come back from Germany with my family and wrestling was all over US television. I think what got me hooked was just seeing pro-wrestling for the first time. I was a big fan of He-Man, you know, I had all the toys and watched the cartoons. So Hogan being a huge blond guy kind of made me think he was He-Man. However, the thing that actually made me believe that I could actually be a pro wrestler was watching Matt and Jeff Hardy. I was amazed by their style back in 1998 and when I went to their official website and read of all their struggles and hard work on the independents, I was inspired to follow in their footsteps of working on the Indies to make it to the big time.

Picture this: You have just been signed to a contract with the WWE and they tell you that you have 100% creative control. Describe your character for me. For example, what would your name be, what image would you have, etc.?

I'd like to be a Marilyn Manson/Heath Ledger's Joker type of character. Just off the wall insane. Charismatic, evil but with a hint of dark humor. Name wise, probably just Mark Sterling but something along the lines of ?The Mad Scientist" or something like that.

It?s common knowledge that both of the ?big companies? are having problems with their ratings. What would you suggest to help up the ratings?

Hard to say, but it is just lack of interest in wrestling across the board. In the 80's, you had Hogan. In the late 90's, the Rock and Stone Cold. Today?s wrestling is just missing that breakout, cross-over character that makes the average fan tune in. Like my brother, he never watches wrestling but in 1999 he would tune in to watch the Rock, you know?

This is the part where I ask the more personal/get to know you questions. I hope they aren?t too personal for you.

Sometimes in the entertainment field, including the WWE, there are stalkers/over- zealous fans. Have you encountered anything like this in the Indies?

Yeah, lol. A few. I just ignore them after a while.

Everybody has had at least one embarrassing moment in their life. Would you tell us one of yours?

I have one that is too personal to tell here but farting in class in high school was always fun. LOL

In your MySpace profile you said that you have an odd sense of humor and then right after that you say ?pink donut?. What is the story behind that?

I can't tell you because I think you would lose every subscription to your magazine if you printed it.

Some people have a secret ?passion/interest.? For example, I absolutely LOVE muscle cars. Do you have one? If so what?

Video games. I can?t get enough of them. I've bought twelve games this month alone for my three systems: PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. Video games make me gay (happy). LMAO

Anybody who is honest will say that they have at least one personality flaw. For example, they have a short temper. Do you have one? If so what is it?

Ha, yeah. I have a ridiculously short temper. I'm always almost getting fired from my hospital job for blowing up at the all dumb shit that happens at my work.

There is a phrase ?Birds of a feather flock together.? What kind of ?birds? do you flock with?

Um, other pro wrestlers, who else? Especially ones that are motivated to get better, ones who like cartoons and video games, and make me laugh. (and laugh at my dumb jokes)

Most people have personality quirks that you would never guess they had in a million years. For example, I?m very shy when I meet someone face to face for the first time. Do you have one? If so what is it?

This goes back to the pink donut but I got a really bizarre sense of humor. Like, my favorite shows are Family Guy and South Park and you know how f'd up those shows are. Like, I can talk non-stop about porn, sex, women, etc, without flinching or any shame.

If you were to come into a huge amount of money what would be the first thing you would buy and why?

A strip club. Non-stop babes wanting my junk, LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Have you ever found a cartoon/video game character attractive? If so who?

Ha, yup. Way too many. Rogue from X men, Jessica Rabbit, Harley Quinn on the Batman cartoon..... I should probably stop.

To wrap this up is there anything you would like to shamelessly advertise or say to the fans?

Buy my shirt!!!!

Tags: Mark Sterling