Draven Blaze — Highlight: Rick Ryder!
February 6th, 2008Draven Blaze returns with a fun interview of indy standout Rick Ryder.
Hotspot with Draven Blaze
Highlight: Rick Ryder!
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A close personal, and professional friend of mine, Rick Ryder was a subjest of mine that I have been waiting to interview. Here is what I truly wanted to know, and what I think the general public should as well.
Draven Blaze (DB): Tell me about your training (where, who, when and for how long before your first match)?
Rick Ryder (RR): Well, after having “the dream” long before wrestlers were getting multi-million dollar contracts, with a little encouragement from a close friend at the time, I began training with the World Famous Wild Samoans in early 2000. After about four months of learning the basics, I was forced to take a leave due to an unfortunate set of circumstances. I returned in early 2001 but was financially unable to continue and graduate. Seemingly the dream was dead until the summer of 2005 when a relative asked me to accompany him to a meeting with Mark and Troy Mest of Deo’s Dungeon in Blandon, PA. I took a few bumps to see if I “still had it” and the dream was alive again. However, once again there was a bump in the road. My father became ill later that year and eventually passed away in April, 2006. In May of 2006, a conversation with indy worker High Voltage who was an acquaintance of mine (we went to the same gym) led me to Summit Hill, PA and Elite Generation Wrestling and the dream was alive and kickin’! My first match came in July of ‘06, and it was a tag team match pitting myself and Nicky Ice, who ironically, was the first person I befriended at the Wild Samoans school years earlier, against Cannonball Stubbs and Solid Sugar with Nicky Ice and me picking up the win.
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DB: You and I have recently been on a road trip to Branford, Conneticut for a wrestling show for Defiant Pro Wrestling. We stopped at Stamford to visit the Titan Towers. I know what went down, but in your own words, please tell how the trip was for you.
RR: The trip was something I’ll never forget if I live to be 100! Where do I start? I guess the first highlight was seeing the WWE flag emerging from the treetops in Stamford and the dead silence that soon followed. Seeing that and getting close up to the building was a rush… such a rush that we had to stop again on the way home! Then there was the little “present” that someone left in the sink at McDonalds… the kid that looked like his mother was scared by a 70’s pornstar mustache… I guess the lowlight of the trip was the rib that was pulled on us by a certain female who shall remain nameless. After our match, we were told that we were scouted by Tom Pritchard and it was said that we “had the goods” ….only to find out a few days later that it was a rib! (thanks alot, nameless female). Then, of course the ride home, where the only thing keeping me awake was the roar of laughter stemming from my Iron Sheik impersonation. Trust me, driving thru the Bronx is no place to be weaving back and forth on the highway! All in all, a cherished memory.
DB: About your trip to CT, you said you made Iron Sheik impersonations, I know it happens alot, but enlighten our viewers what that entails in your Sheiky words:
RR: J*w are f***in piece of shet, no good moothair f**kair (reading it isn’t going to do it justice).
DB: Who has been a role model for you, in wrestling, and what made you decide to go into pro wrestling?
RR: Like I said, I wanted in this business long before PPV and huge contracts. I really try to pattern myself after alot of the stars from the late 70’s and thru the 80’s, both in my wrestling style and in the respect that I have for wrestling and those who made it what it is. Some names that come to mind are Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, of course Ric Flair, mainly guys that had a more technical style. Way too many to mention. But if I have to pick one who was the biggest influence, the nod would have to go to the late “Hotstuff” Eddie Gilbert. The man was arguably the greatest mind in the business.
DB: It’s every wrestler’s dream to make it to WWE or TNA, but what other dreams are there for you in professional wrestling?
RR: Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a dream, but it’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I’ve had a 22 year crush on the lovely Missy Hyatt and one of the goals I had as a younger man was to not only be NWA World Champion, but to hook up with Missy Hyatt!
DB: What are your goals in EGW?
RR: Of course, acquiring championships, but above all, I would like to be thought of as one of the better performers the company has seen.
DB: What do you think about the Rick Ryder that used to be a jobber in old WCW?
RR: I’ve seen a few clips of him on Youtube. He’s nowhere near the calibre of “Outta Town” Snake Brown. You knew Snake was gonna lose, but he made the match entertaining to watch anyway. You didn’t want to go to the kitchen for a drink when Snake Brown was on… Unquestionably, my favorite jobber of all time.
DB: I know we had a conversation about this before, but what was your thoughts on the gimmick of Agent Steel?
RR: For the benefit of those of you scratching your heads, Agent Steel was a jobber for Jim Crockett Promotions in the late 80’s. He wore a black mask and blue and black zebra stripe tights, similar to the greena and black ones I wear. To sum it up, I’d have to say that it was a good gimmick, too bad he wasn’t over.
DB: What, so far, has been the highlight of your wrestling career in the ring?
RR: I’d have to say that the highlight of my career thus far was on March 31, 2007 when I captured my first EGW E Championship from Joey da Bull in front of a sold out hometown crowd in Shenandoah, PA. Up to that point, Joey da Bull had been undefeated in EGW.
There is so much more about this great person/wrestler than meets the eye, and I intend on going back with more questions for Mr. Rick Ryder in the future…
Take care and God bless…
Blaze out!
Draven Blaze
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