Formerly known as Curt Hawkins in the WWE, Brian Myers has been a valuable mainstay in the independent wrestling scene over the past nine months. With a packed in-ring schedule, a brand new YouTube series and a wrestling school that he runs, Brian certainly as a lot to be proud of. I met up with him after House of Hardcore 8 for an informative and fun chat about all the big things he’s been up to.
Alex Obert: What did you take out of House of Hardcore 8?
Brian Myers: Probably the most fun and most unpredictable good time that any wrestling fan could ever have at a show. I have a blast doing this because I love it. It’s my job and all that, but sometimes these shows are so fun and exciting, I almost wish I could go back in time and somehow be sixteen and go to these shows. It reminds me of how much fun ECW was when I went to the shows live as a kid.
Alex Obert: Seeing as though you faced him in the opening match tonight, what are your thoughts on having PJ Black (formerly Justin Gabriel) back on the independent scene with you?
Brian Myers: I think it’s great. I’ve probably wrestled him more than anyone else in my entire life, WWE live events and NXT and Superstars and FCW. It never ended. Another surprise, much like Del Rio last time. And the fans got into it too. It was cool.
Alex Obert: What did you think of Justin Roberts and his promo?
Brian Myers: It was interesting. It’s cool to see him step into the indies like that and have a good time, I think he needed that.
Alex Obert: And of course, the biggest surprise of the night. What was your reaction when you saw Rey Mysterio out there?
Brian Myers: Rey Mysterio is hands down the greatest luchador of all time. If you want to dispute that, tweet me. I don’t think anyone else is comparable. He’s the most successful, he’s the most talented, he is an absolutely special performer. I think it’s a huge loss for WWE and a huge gain for all of us wrestlers that get to be around him and have him on our shows and learn from him and work with him. It’s just a win.
Alex Obert: The man behind House of Hardcore is Tommy Dreamer and he has been a huge part of your career.
Brian Myers: Honestly, I owe a lot to Tommy because he’s the one that got me my job with the WWE in the first place. He saw Zack and I when we were green as can be, but he saw something in us and stayed in contact with us and helped us out tremendously. Mikey Whipwreck and Tommy Dreamer are the two guys that I owe the most to in this business.
Alex Obert: So what’s life like now that you don’t have the hectic WWE schedule?
Brian Myers: To be honest, my schedule is more hectic because I’m actually wrestling. I was sitting home doing nothing. That made me miserable and now I’m super happy and busy and wrestling every weekend, multiple times a weekend. I’m all over the country and the world. I’m thrilled.
Alex Obert: What led to you cutting your hair?
Brian Myers: I had gotten hurt in the WWE and needed knee surgery, it was the first time that I had to stop wrestling due to a real injury in eight years. It was the first time that I really got hurt. I had the surgery and when I came back, I wanted to be different. Reks had quit and everything had just kind of happened at one time. I wanted to come back and be different, but I never really came back. (laughs) I enjoy it in real life, but I miss it in the ring , so I’ve gotten it pretty long again. It’s a great compromise.
Alex Obert: You brought up the fact that Tyler Reks left the WWE, what did you think of the Magic Mike gimmick that you two were given at the very end of his career?
Brian Myers: They gave us something to go with and I don’t think either one of us was thrilled with it, but we weren’t gonna not do it. We gave it our all and tried our best. We were getting private dance lessons to prepare for it. A lot of work went into it, then I think he realized the business wasn’t for him and he got out. So it was just out of my hands for sure.
Alex Obert: How is your wrestling school, Create A Pro Wrestling Academy, going?
Brian Myers: I love it. It’s a blast. It’s not work because I love to do it. I go every day and it’s like my own little wrestling playground.
Alex Obert: What was inspiration behind you opening it?
Brian Myers: It was something that I was always going to do because I love the business and I never want to stop being around it. It happened a little sooner than I thought because I was just sitting home doing nothing. I wasn’t going to rot there and die, so I became proactive and got something going. I’m glad I did now because all the hard work was finding the building and setting it up, now it’s just fun.
Alex Obert: Can you fill in readers on your new YouTube show, Making Towns?
Brian Myers: It’s on every week. I can’t say what day it comes out because that’s up to my editor. I don’t edit it, I’m a caveman and I can’t do any of that stuff. But I get the footage and it’s a real inside look as to what I do every single weekend, where I go and what I do. I encourage everyone to check it out. I wish more people knew about it because I think it’s really fun show and it’s a special look into the life of a wrestler.
Alex Obert: So your original YouTube show in 2011 was moreso something where you wanted to try it out and see what happened?
Brian Myers: That was a suggestion by Zack because he just started his show. I tried to go with it, but I don’t know how to edit and stuff. I was having a real hard time with that. And also, Zach was being really funny and I was trying to be controversial. Being funny is fine, but being controversial is going to get me nowhere. (laughs) And so I pulled the plug on it real quick.
Alex Obert: What did it mean to you that Zack recently had a special moment in the ring by being in the Royal Rumble?
Brian Myers: I hope the world of him, I’m always pushing for him. He deserves it. He’s a great guy. I don’t think we’d be anywhere without each other. We were very fortunate to find each other and go through this business together. I’m thrilled to see him and I’m glad to see he got the reaction that he got. I always hope for the best.
Alex Obert: Prior to the current format of NXT, you were a staple on season five of the original format. What was that like for you?
Brian Myers: I loved it. It was hands-off and we got to do whatever we wanted and it was a blast. A lot of true fans always say really nice things about it, so I know it wasn’t only us thinking that. The office didn’t watch it and they didn’t care. It was an afterthought and so much good stuff slipped under the radar.
Alex Obert: Do you wish you could be a part of NXT as it currently is?
Brian Myers: Nah, everything happens for a reason. I don’t need to think like that.
Alex Obert: One of the big things associated with you is your WWE entrance theme by Disciple. What you think of that?
Brian Myers: Zack and I had Generic Theme Number 10 and we thought it sucked. We actually asked to at least have a cool song. They came back with that and we thought it was great. An original and cool song, that’s all we wanted. We were very fortunate for that.
Alex Obert: What’s on your iPod?
Brian Myers: It’s a mess, my iPod is just all over the place. I listen to a lot of country and Kanye West. It goes all over the place, so I really can’t say there’s one thing.
Alex Obert: When traveling to shows, what do you like to listen to?
Brian Myers: Strictly wrestling podcasts because when I’m by myself, I like to have it going. I feel like I’m in a conversation with somebody when I’m listening to the stories. (laughs) But I don’t listen to music when I drive.
Alex Obert: Which one is your favorite right now?
Brian Myers: Cabana is always my favorite, he’s the original.
Alex Obert: Aside from Art of Wrestling, are there any wrestling podcasts that stick out more than others?
Brian Myers: I enjoy Austin’s and I enjoy Jericho’s. Sometimes it just clicks where it’s a really awesome one, but sometimes I think it’s going to be really awesome and it’s just kind of boring. So I guess you just never know.
Alex Obert: What did you think about the fact that CM Punk told his story on Art of Wrestling?
Brian Myers: The guy wanted to speak his mind. He was kept from doing that for so long, so it was bound to happen.
Alex Obert: What was the first concert that you ever attended?
Brian Myers: I want to say that my parents dragged me to a Jimmy Buffett concert when I was little.
Alex Obert: What was the best concert that you ever went to?
Brian Myers: Me and Fandango and Alex Reynolds went to Guns N’ Roses a couple years ago and got absolutely hammered. From what I remember, it was a good time.
Alex Obert: What was your favorite match that you were in and your favorite match that you weren’t in?
Brian Myers: My favorite match of all time is Summerslam ’91, Mr. Perfect/Bret Hart for the IC title. My favorite match that I was in, maybe it hasn’t happened yet. I have a lot that are real dear to me, but I don’t think I can pick just one.
Alex Obert: Were you at Summerslam 2002 with Zack?
Brian Myers: Yeah, I was there. But I wasn’t with him, we didn’t know each other yet. There’s a ton of that though like Survivor Series 2002 and Summerslam 1998.
Alex Obert: Before we wrap up, what is the biggest life lesson wrestling has taught you?
Brian Myers: There’s so many, you can relate a lot of things to wrestling. To me, you gotta believe in yourself because there’s so many haters. Just be true to yourself and always try your best. I go to every show, whether it’s twenty people or two thousand like tonight and I give you the same effort because I love it that much. If one person was disappointed with my performance, I would be devastated. I hold it dear to my heart and I love it. I love it probably too much.
Alex Obert: In closing, how can readers check you out and stay in touch with you?
Brian Myers: I wrestle literally every weekend, multiple times a weekend. I’m always on Twitter where I post Making Towns and where I might be appearing and things like that.
Alex Obert: Thank you so much for your time.
Brian Myers: Cool, man. Thank you!
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[…] at Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore VIII event last weekend. The full interview is available at this link. Below are […]