Fresh
Linen Scent: The Clean Sheet Volume 1,
Issue 12
By
@olskoololfool
Welcome to the wrestling
“newsletter” with no rumors or dirt: only fun, “what-ifs?” and positives...The
Clean Sheet! A rotating series of
mini-features here will highlight all sorts of things in the world of pro wrestling:
people making change in the sport, charity and fund-raising efforts, trail
blazers of the present, the faces of the future, a bit of fantasy-booking and
much more! So breathe deeply, relax and
inhale the wonderful scent of fresh linen: this is The Clean Sheet!
This issue has two Forward
Fives with two of the best technicians in the game today: Robert Martyr and Darius Carter. We’ll also make a quick stop by the Soapbox
for a bit of explanation and hopefully, motivation. Let’s get this started!
Forward Five with …
Robert Martyr
Robert Martyr is young,
experienced, passionate and proficient.
The “Mat Bully” already has 6 years of experience under his belt and is
ready for much, much more…his way. He comes
off to many as brash and outspoken, yet always backs up his strong words with
strong actions. Those actions are making
big waves and smart promoters are grabbing their surfboards; Martyr has been
seen on Paradigm Pro, MLW, No Peace Underground, Ignite, and will debut on
February 12th for ACTION. Now, here’s
his take on the Forward Five…
1) Please sum up your wrestling persona in one
sentence.
ROBERT MARTYR: “I don’t
have a persona, what you see is what you get. But if you want to try to
understand me, you can consider this: I’m the bastardization of everything
wrestling is ‘supposed’ to be.”
2) What would you like to immediately change in
the world of pro wrestling?
ROBERT MARTYR: “In a
world where people react because they’re supposed to, I aim for the opposite. I
wish there was more of an emphasis on wrestling. I believe less is more to an
outstanding degree. Sometimes you can
get the most out of a little. And with
the new crop of wrestlers genuinely hungry to change the game ‘Pure’ or not. We need to aim to get non-wrestling fans to
be fans of wrestling. That’s how you grow
this business. That’s all I’ll say about
that.”
3) What change(s) are you actively pursuing in
the world of pro wrestling?
ROBERT MARTYR: “The
Purity of Pro Wrestling. The fact that
it’s called Pure is a disgrace. It
should just be WRESTLING. We shouldn’t
have to clarify it to be pure. That’s
where everything went wrong. Don’t get
me wrong, I actively study and respect all other styles. Whether that be King’s Road, Puroresu,
Mexican Lucha Libre, British World of Sport, French Catch, Shoot Style and much
more. I don’t like this standard that I
have to live up to be considered a Pure wrestler. I don’t need to be cordial; I don’t need to
dress a certain way and I don’t have to be as some would say ‘honorable’ to be
considered that. My work speaks for
itself. I represent the flag; I wave it
high. But I do it my way. My honor, my tradition is expressed on the
mat alone. I also want to normalize
hunger: what I mean by that is 20 years ago, specifically the early 2000’s,
there was just this different level of aggression & ability. I want that out of every match. That’s my goal.”
4) Who do you think deserves a shout-out/praise
in the world of pro wrestling?
ROBERT MARTYR: “I can
list a couple people, but I’ll never ever stop singing his praises. I genuinely think hands down the best wrestler
on the planet is Jonathan Gresham. I
don’t think there’s a single soul that is better than him in ring at the
moment. Fred Yehi is another guy who I
genuinely think still doesn’t get talked about enough, which baffles me. But people like: Mr. Grim, Alex Kane, Joshua
Wavra, Daniel Garcia, Jordan Blade, Tyson Dux, Jordon Breaks, Sonico, Sugar
Dunkerton, Timmy Lou Retton, AKIRA, YOYA, Eli Knight, Daniel Starling, Janai Kai,
Freddie Hudson, the list goes on and on.”
5) The dreaded and super annoying question #5:
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
ROBERT MARTYR: “In 5
years I’ll be 10 years in the business at 24 years old. I hope to be one of the top professional
wrestlers not only nationally but internationally, across all major countries.
By then, I hope to be 50lbs heavier and probably in the best shape of my
life. I hope by then there’s no more
proving myself. Only building my legacy
with every single match. Consistently wrestling the best, consistently setting
the bar higher and higher. And I
genuinely hope wrestling would that I’d be wrestling full time and have a
reputation in Mexico, The UK & of course Japan. That’s all I can ask for.”
The Soapbox: The TRUE Invisible Hand in Pro Wrestling
If you follow me on
Twitter, you may have seen me riff on the “Invisible Hand”. It’s a term that’s been used by Don Callis:
friend, confidant and co-conspirator of the AEW Champion Kenny Omega. Through this term, Don infers that for many
years he’s been pulling strings behind the scenes, jockeying for position and
manipulating if need be for the sake of Omega.
While that may be the case in their particular situation, I’ve decided
to put a spin on that concept.
The TRUE “Invisible Hand”
in wrestling is…
Us.
All of us.
Everyone who watches a
program. Everyone who buys a shirt. Everyone who sponsors a show, donates to an
IndieGoGo or GoFundMe. Every tweet and
retweet. Every fan, supporter, ticket
taker, ring crew member, photographer, in-ring and away-from-ring talent…the
list is almost endless.
Every. Single. One. Of.
Us.
You may not believe it
with the product that is presented sometimes, but you help make the machine run. Act accordingly… support your favorites in
some manner. Don’t be a gatekeeper if
you want wrestling to grow. Help others
discover wrestling because now, maybe more than ever before, pro wrestling is
for everyone.
Every. Single.
One. Of. Us.
Forward Five with
… Darius Carter
2021 is off to a solid start
for the “All Father”: he’s captured the Pro Wrestling Magic Dark Arts title and
won a disturbing Texas deathmatch at Camp Leapfrog against Brad Rush. Vicious and methodical, the veteran Darius is
always a tall challenge to whomever is across the ring from him. Let’s get to his vision for pro wrestling in
this Forward Five.
1) Please sum up your
wrestling persona in one sentence.
DARIUS CARTER: “A
debonair businessman with ruthless ambition, looking to carve his own legacy in
this sport.”
2) What would you like to
immediately change in the world of pro wrestling?
DARIUS CARTER: “This has
many answers, one being the behind-the-scenes clutter in the industry that
permeates to the viewing audience. The business needs a deep cleaning &
fine-tuning to once again be optimal. It starts from the inside, spreads out
& comes back unto. This is what's needed now for the sport to thrive in the
future.”
3) What change(s) are you
actively pursuing in the world of pro wrestling?
DARIUS CARTER: “I'm
pursuing the exact change I'd like to see in wrestling. What wrestling needs.
To get the focus back on what's happening IN the ring, to respect this sport
again & contribute to its growth. To reintroduce authenticity with that
larger-than-life showmanship, that intangible that made wrestling the Great
Enigma of the world. No more forced imitations, no more spoon-feeding
mediocrity. We need to go back to move forward; know & respect our history
to create history. That's my mission.”
4) Who do you think
deserves a shout-out/praise in the world of pro wrestling?
DARIUS CARTER: “Places
such as Brii Combination Wrestling (BCW), Warriors of Wrestling (WOW), Pro
Wrestling Magic, ACE (American Championship Entertainment), Forza Lucha, there
are so many places that gave me the floor to then take the stage. Gratitude is
critical to me, always remember & pay back.”
5) The dreaded and super
annoying question #5: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
DARIUS CARTER: “On TV.
Somewhere, with some promotion, on some channel. That's where I'll be.”
Hey all you wonderful
wrestlers/promotions! If you have
events/fundraisers that you would like to see highlighted in the Good Hands
section or are an athlete/company who would like to take on the Forward Five
mini-interview, please reach out to me at either @olskoololfool on Twitter or
by e-mail, olskoololfool@gmail.com