Interview conducted by Don Halliwell
Jared Evans is a wrestler who has flown below a lot of people’s radar for too long and he is ready to step out and demand the spotlight. I first became aware of Jared at last year’s Butch v Gore show where he was in a scramble match against Erica Leigh, Devon Monroe, AC Mack, MV Young, Corinne Mink and Russell Rogue, talk about a star-studded match. He then had an incredible match in the main event at the second Polyam Cult Party. Jared is definitely on the rise and I was able to ask him a few questions about his career so far and the Cassandro Cup tournament that he will be in.
I asked Jared about his matches and experience prior to the Butch v Gore match, and he said that he started training in 2013, but didn’t really get formal training until 2014 whenever he was one of the original students at the Create a Pro school. Jared wrestled in the indies in the northeast until 2016, when he decided to take a few years off. He stated that in those early years his only major accomplishment was that he had a really good feud with Sonny Kiss. In 2018, when Jared was stationed in VA, he started wrestling in the area, and that is when he got his big break with the Butch vs Gore match. About that match Jared says “My career wasn’t anything to talk about until after Butch versus Gore, which I am incredibly grateful for, to me that was a prime match to be a part of. I’m thankful for that match every day.”
Another one of the biggest matches of Jared’s career and one of my favorite matches of 2020 was him against Billy Dixon at PolyAm Cult Party 2. About this match Jared says, “Wresting Billy is really great for me because he is one of my best friends in wrestling and definitely outside of wrestling, so we are just able to tell a story between the 2 of us and hit each other as hard as we possibly can, and no one is going to take anything personal.” Jared goes on to say that having not worked for any of MV’s shows before, working in the main event was a little intimidating at first, but it also showed that MV had a lot of trust in him to do this. About being put in the main event Jared said, “I’m not really used to getting any sort of publicity or any kind of rub, so it meant a lot to me and to be able to do that with my best friend was really personal for me.” Jared goes on to say that the match really meant a lot to him especially in a year like 2020, when not a lot of people are wrestling and to be trusted to be on that show and to headline it was pretty special to him.
One of the most anticipated and unique shows of 2020 was Paris is Bumping. On that show Jared Evans took on Eddy McQueen, Erica Leigh and Corrine Mink. Jared said that this was his first no ring match and while he considers himself a creative person, not having a ring was very intimating for him because he had only wrestled in a ring for 6 years and he now had to think outside of the box. Jared stated that you only grow if you are challenged to do something different, so he was embracing the challenge, but without having the ring, ropes, turnbuckles and posts it really made him have to try to be more creative. Paris is Bumping had so many personalities from not only the wrestlers, but also the judges and the performers. When I asked Jared about this he said, “As far as the different personalities in one space it was kind of intimidating because you have people like Faye Jackson, Darius Carter, Billy himself who is a big character, Ashton Starr, who is another really out there guy when he is given the chance to be, so I had to be different and I really thrive on being hated, so I was able to be myself.” Jared goes on to say that there was so many creative minds and many different personalities that it made it a special kind of show.
Jared has been on quite a few LGBTQ+ shows in the past year, including both of Effy’s shows. These shows have been very exciting to watch, so I asked him what it has been like performing on them. Jared said, “The LGBTQ+ shows definitely have a different vibe to them. I definitely feel it’s kinda like our big time to shine.” He goes on to say that he tries to treat every show the same whether they are in front of 5 people or 500 people, but they definitely feel different because we are able to be more of ourselves on these shows. Jared says that when the “gay” performers are put on shows outside of Effy or Billy Dixon’s shows they sometimes feel as if they need to fill the void and be the “gay” wrestler and he can’t speak for anyone else, but he is not the “gay” wrestler. What Jared does is certainly different than what Sonny, Billy or Effy does. They are all different, and they all don’t fit the mold of being the “gay” wrestler. Jared acknowledges that there is lack of representation in regards to shows outside of the specific LGBTQ shows. He goes on to say, “Maybe it needs to be given more time, but I am also very impatient. That’s the New York in me, I’m just Hella impatient.” Jared says that this especially applies to someone like himself who does not necessarily fit the mold of a “gay wrestler”, as he feels like he is so versatile and adaptable that he can fit on any show. Jared likes to think of himself as a chameleon, as he can adapt to anyone’s style and really go out there and have a great match. He states that he would like to see more LGBTQ wrestlers on shows other than Effy or Billy Dixon’s shows. Jared wants to see himself on more shows because people would be surprised when they see him on the brunch, but then also see him on another show doing a hardcore match and realize he can fit into many different molds.
I have really enjoyed all of Jared’s promos, as I feel that they come off very authentic but at the same time are entertaining. When I asked him about his promos, Jared said that when he was first wrestling, he had a gimmick, so in his promos he could really rely on and play off his gimmick, but when Jared came back in 2018, he really struggled to find his voice. Jared has gained a lot more confidence and would have to thank Billy for that because Billy is really good with promos and has acted as his promo coach. He also states that Effy has helped him a lot with giving critiques on his promos. Now that Jared is more himself, just dialed up to 1000, he feels that he is on the right track and more confident but is still trying to get better at getting his point across in less than a minute. In regards to his influences for his promos Jared said that he tries to incorporate everything. He said, “The Italian in me just kind of takes the pasta and throws it at the wall and sees what sticks.” Jared says that some people see some Roddy Piper due to him being a load mouth, or the cocky arrogance of 90s Shawn Michaels, but a lot of it is just him and trying to see what works and what doesn’t work. Jared tries not to model himself after too many people but says that Edge had great promos in 2005 and 2006 that impacted him. His goal is to be the most hated person on the card, and he feels that naturally he comes off hated and being a dick, and maybe that just comes with the perception of being from NYC.
Jared’s next big opportunity to show the world what he can do in the ring and what he is all about is at the Cassandro Cup, which will be airing this Sunday on IWTV. In the first round he will face Ashton Starr and if he wins that match, he will face AC Mack. When I asked Jared who he would like to face if he makes it past Starr, he corrected me to make sure I meant to say, “when he beats Starr.” About the first round match Jared says, “I’m gonna make it past Ashton Starr. Ashton Starr likes to think that he is the biggest star, that he is the star of the show, but it is that arrogance that is going to be his downfall.” Jared said that he would like to face AC Mack, because he owes Mack from the scramble, when AC cheated to beat him. Jared also has had some history with Erica, so he said that he would love to curb stomp her face and get her out of his life for good. Another person that he would really like to face is Edith Surreal, as she has been known as the tournament girl and he feels that it would do a lot for his career if he was able to beat her. About being part of a tournament that is named after Cassandro, Jared says that he became aware of Cassandro pretty early in his career, as he studies all types of wrestling and has gone back and watched a lot of Cassandro’s matches. He says that Cassandro is a real legend and without him knocking down those doors, you would not have people like himself or people like Billy Dixon, Effy and Sonny in wrestling today. He goes on to say that Cassandro may not have been the 1st openly gay wrestler, but he was definitely the most flamboyant and well-known LGBTQ wrestler. “To say that he does not have an impact on me would just be ignorant. Without him none of us would really be here or have any sort or presence in wrestling.” Jared says that being a part of the Cassandro cup is very important because of who Cassandro is and what he represents.
Jared Evans will be part of the Cassandro Cup, along with Ashton Starr, AC Mack, Erica Leigh, Killian McMurphy, Molly McCoy and Edith Surreal. He will also be appearing on Action Wrestling this week and will be on multiple shows on WM weekend. You can find him on twitter at @mrjaredevans which is very entertaining and pick up his shirts at