CaZXL and nZo recently spoke with Wrestlezone’s Dominic DeAngelo ahead of their appearances at Northeast Wrestling’s trio of events this weekend. CazXL (aka Big Cass) started off the call previewing his match with AEW’s Jon Moxley, who he’ll face on Saturday night in Norwich, Connecticut. CaZXL first had a run-in with Moxley at a Northeast Wrestling show at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey a couple months back:
“Me and him went to war for the main event and he, unfortunately for me, he won but I think it kind of got me back in the ring, kind of got me back going where I need in the right direction so yeah, I wrestled him one time only.”
CaZ went on to talk about who his influences in wrestling were, noting that he had typical favorites like Bret Hart and Steve Austin but began following bigger guys like Kevin Nash once he started getting taller. He
“Well growing up I was a Bret Hart fan and then a Steve Austin fan, but then I grew to be the size that I am so I watched a lot of Undertaker and Kevin Nash so those are my two biggest influences. And yeah, throughout development or whatever you want to call it nowadays and FCW and NXT they had a lot of different coaches, guest coaches come through, but I think the most valuable experience for me was when The Undertaker came in. He’d take time to watch my matches with me and critique. I even got a chance to get in the ring with him last year before WrestleMania in Austin, Texas, just preparing for my comeback, and he was preparing for a potential WrestleMania match which he ended up having with John Cena. Getting in the ring with him was an awesome, awesome experience so yeah, I’d say the biggest influence would be the Undertaker and Kevin Nash.”
CaZ went on to say that his new path on the indies allows him to work a new style and show how good he is in the ring, and that he’s also coming back with a new attitude. The former Big Cass says he saw a lot of the comments about his wrestling career being over after his health issues last year, and he’s coming back fearless and with a new fire.
“Yeah, I think that in matches that I had before I definitely, my mindset going in was more the “fee-fi-fo-fum” big man, kill, destroy everybody, but now on the indies I have a chance to show more of my athleticism and what I can do cause I’m not a braggadocios kind of guy, but I will say this: for a guy my size I can fuckin’ move. So yeah, I’m excited you know, going forward to be able to show that off to the independent wrestling audience. So a guy my size definitely can take people by surprise when I do some of the things that I can do.
I think I was very down after my WWE release. Then after suffering the seizure and seeing people’s comments on Twitter and people really really digging into me and hearing things and articles written about me, it really lit a fire under me. It motivated me to a whole different level to where now, I had a near death experience, I’m not afraid of fuckin’ death anymore. I’m really not afraid of anything to be honest with you, so I’m coming back with a whole different attitude like, you’re really just going to have to kill me in order to stop me. That’s really what you’re going to have to do so I’m just kind of more of a ‘fuck you’ attitude towards everybody out there that wrote me off and buried me and laughed at me and said he’s done with professional wrestling. That motivated me, lit a fire under me and now I’m coming back with a vengeance and like I said, I’ll reiterate it—you’re literally going to have to kill me in order to stop me, so good luck to everybody out there cause that’s what you’re going to have to do. I don’t think anybody out there has the balls to fuckin’ do it.”
nZo: “Hell no they don’t!”
(Transcription credit should go to @DominicDeAngelo of WrestleZone)
You can listen to the entire interview below and purchase tickets to the big Northeast Wrestling shows this weekend by going here or watch the shows on Highspots Wrestling Network by going here.
The Free AgentZ will take on the following schedule this weekend:
8/16 (Poughkeepsie, NY)
nZo vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
CaZXL vs. Thrillride
8/17 (Norwich, CT)
CaZXL (w/ nZo) vs. Jon Moxley
8/18 (Scranton, PA)
CaZXL (w/ nZo) vs. Wrecking Ball Legursky