As part of a double episode that featured former WWE Strength and Conditioning Coach, Matt Wichlinski, The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling are also joined by former WWE Superstar, Kevin Thorn AKA Mordecai on episode #267. Kevin joins John and Chad to discuss his upcoming charity wrestling event in Noblesville, Indiana on Tuesday May 23rd called “The Arabian Rumble” featuring himself, Billy Gunn and Donovan Dijak (http://www.arabianstable.com/Arabian-Rumble-Tickets-_p_91.html). We also get to chat about how Matt Wichlinski’s Strength Shop and his good friend Billy Gunn have helped him get into the best shape of his career at age 40. Below are some interview highlights:
His upcoming charity event “The Arabian Rumble” in Noblesville, Indiana on Tuesday May 23, 2017:
Everything is coming together. Every day I have a different phone call and for the listeners that are close, the first 500 people that walk in the doors are going to get a free photo op with me and Billy Gunn. Somehow if we can try and squeeze a Volkswagen Bug through the door and me and Billy and are going to try and get in it and take a picture with you (not really). But every dollar and every cent of this deal is going to go to a beautiful young lady that is fighting for her life. As far as I’m concerned all the time that I have put in and everything else has been 100% theirs. At the end of the day it is something that I can say and really look at and see that I gave back and I paid it forward with this and it is definitely fulfilling.
Being in the best shape of his career at age 40:
“This goes back to what I say as “seven degrees of Billy Gunn”. It’s funny we just counted the other day and we’ve been friends for almost seventeen years now and when Matt was at NXT and was the Head Strength Coach there that is when Billy was a trainer. At that time I wasn’t doing much in wrestling and was kind of just following because of Billy and I just kept seeing all these things that Billy was doing in terms of match training and the workouts and I kept sending him messages saying that I can’t believe that you are 49 (now he is 53) and the way he is able to keep up with himself and pushes forward. It was almost like a come to Jesus moment where I was depressed and wasn’t happy with stuff. I always knew my way around a gym and I just needed some kind of motivation. Billy was giving me some of that and he started sending me some of Matt’s workouts and when I started them I saw results and I felt like I was chipping away at something and I was. I was chipping away a big old fat vampire and was slowly becoming a whole new realm of something new and it was awesome. When I’d get these workouts I was told that these NXT guys were doing the same ones so I would continue to push myself to see if I could do them. Since then Billy has left and Matt has left but they have kept my motivation going and Matt has his Strength Shop down in Florida which is awesome too and Billy works out there every day”.
How Billy Gunn has kept such amazing shape and staying in touch with today’s wrestling scene:
“If you look at pictures from like The Smoking Guns era, he’s always been a big old boy and a big athlete. Now he is just insane looking and he just keeps on and keeps on and that is the cool part about him. At 53 years old that is what I want to look at. I’m forty now and that means in thirteen more years I’ve got to maintain what I’ve got right now (which I feel looks pretty good) but maintain it and make it even better to look like him. Also to be able to bump and feed and do everything that you have to do in ring, he is just so athletic and so fast. I just watched his match in The Wrestling Revolver with Joey Ryan and everything he does is with a smile on his face and he is enjoying it. I want to be that guy that is out there to have fun and several years ago I made it a job and hated it, now everything has been fun for me and I’m going to these shows just wanting to have fun and I’m so impressed by these younger guys that are coming up. We’ve got a new crop of guys coming that may take wrestling back to DX / nWo days again and The Monday Night Wars without a Monday Night War because five or six years ago if you went to an independent show with a name on it they may have drawn two or three hundred. Now you are going to shows like at Revolver where they are drawing 2,000 or 2,500 or more. That is unheard of for a local independent. Wrestling is on the move again and that is awesome.
His recent debut in The Wrestling Revolver and the talent pool on the Indie scene:
“The talent that is out there right now is second to none. They are so acrobatic and they all look like little video game characters. Sami Callihan’s thing is wrestling for our generation, by our generations (or something like that) which is true and it is a new breed for lack of a better term and I was a with a new breed a while back but the new breed now is geared towards that. It is suicidal, death defying and instead of having one Sabu we’ve got 50 of them now in a locker room. It takes some getting used to, especially since I always liked the heavyweights but watching these guys that can do all of this crazy stuff, sometimes I have to step back and just take it all in and to just watch it and say they are amazing at what they do. The crowds are eating it up and at the end of the day I only worry of the longevity of them and how long they can do that and take such high risks and still have their bodies hold up. Going back to Wich (Matt Wichlinski) he might be who they want to call and get a good program with a guy like that and who can work around that and strengthen the ligaments and joints that you need to maintain that craziness. The unfortunate part is everybody has a bump card and you are always one bump away from being done so if you can strengthen up and do stuff to add some more life to that act it is the way to go.”
Mordecai making his long awaited in ring return May 26th at AIW:
“The pale rider has been trapped up for a long time and the pale rider was never really fully unleashed the way that it could have been. But when the sky finally opens up over AIW and he gets to ride down in all his glory with cross in hand and reap judgment on all the poor and innocent souls (first named Hornswoggle) that are in his way it is going to be like nothing other. The sins will be cleansed (laughing). It is going to be a long way down crucifix style and he (Swoggle) will definitely be saying his prayers to the almighty when he gets that high up and that is for damn sure.”
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Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
