Interviews
Interview with Sam Steel. By P.Staniforth 2006. Sam Steel is one of the stars of ACW, and is looking to take his career to the next level. He's a mysterious man, and this is a very rare chance to hear from him. PETEY) : Thank you for granting this interview. Tell us a little about your childhood. PETEY) : How did you get into the wrestling business? SAM) : I'm going to play the field and wrestle where ever I can, and doing whatever matches I can.
SAM ) : I grew up in Japan until my teenage years, and then I moved to the UK when I was eleven years of age.
PETEY) : When did you first discover wrestling?
SAM) : I first watched New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) when I was about four years old. I was a huge fan of Jushin Liger, Pegasus Kid and the Tiger Mask's, mainly Sayama; and I knew then I wanted to be a wrestler.
SAM) : I was trained at ACW's wrestling academy.
PETEY) : Who trained you to wrestle?
SAM) : Samson and Bull Harley mainly, but I also had the fortune to pick up pointers from DOA, Inferno, Rich 'N' Famous, Kruiz, New Breed, Kid Regis and the other ACW usuals.
PETEY) : What were your first matches like?
SAM) : My first match was on the first TWA show, where I lost to Steve-O Pallo. It was fun and it was a huge step for me at the time, but if I have a "Greatest hits" DVD I don't think my early matches will be on it.
PETEY) : How would you describe yourself as a wrestler for those who may not be familiar with you?
SAM) : I'm a technical wrestler that uses a range of pro-wrestling, amateur wrestling; and Ju-Jitsu techniques.
PETEY) : What is your favourite match that you have been involved in so far, and who have been your favourite opponents?
SAM) : I really enjoyed my matches with Fire Power (Bull Harley & Inferno). There was the TWA match where DOA and myself took a beating from the duo, and then our tables match in Bletchley. Without a doubt, though, my favourite match and opponent would have to be Ferral.
PETEY) : Who are your better friends in the business?
SAM) : I try to get on with everyone I wrestle.
PETEY) : What would you consider your lowest and highest points in wrestling so far?
SAM ) : Highest - Holding the tag team titles with DOA. Lowest - the TWA match VS Ferral and Brendon, enough said.
PETEY) : What do you like to do in your spare time?
SAM) : I'm training in Ju-Jitsu, weight training and I'm a student of the University of Bedfordshire. I'm an avid fan of martial arts movies, heavy metal; and playing the guitar.
PETEY) : I very much relate with the playing guitar, I have for many years now. What five words would you feel describe you best?
SAM) : Traditionalist, Loyal, Mysterious, Competitive and Masked
PETEY) : What are your main ambitions in the future?
SAM) : I want to perfect my wrestling ability, continue working for ACW; but to also spread out further afield to other federations.
PETEY) : What are your thoughts on WWE and TNA, and the UK and USA indy promotions?
SAM) : WWE has got bland since the end of the Monday Night Wars but I still watch it from time to time, TNA are awesome and have some great guys working with them but I don't get the funny-shaped ring. I'm not a big fan of some US indy promotions because all the gimmicks, moves and federations philosophies all seem very same-ish at the moment.
PETEY) : Who do you like to sit down, and watch and learn from?
SAM) : Dynamite Kid, The Undertaker and the original Tiger Mask influence a lot of my moves. I also like Jushin Liger, Great Muta, Great Kabuki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Terry Funk, Kendo Nagasaki and Mick Foley.
PETEY) : Where do you see the direction of wrestling going over the next couple of years?
PETEY) : Imagine that you're a promoter, what kind of show would you be looking to put on?
SAM) : I'd like to give a varied show. Technical, hardcore, strong style and lucha style matches would appear a lot in my shows.
PETEY) : I'm a firm believer in having 'something for everybody' on a show. Where do you think you would be, if not for wrestling?
SAM) : A seedy Sake bar back in Tokyo.
PETEY ) : And to wrap this interview up, is there anything that you'd like to promote, or anyone you'd like to thank?
SAM) : Yes please. First of all, my website, it's www.samsteel-acw.tk, it has information about up-coming bookings, pictures and how to contact me. I would also like to mention the graphic novel "Brodies Law" (http://www.brodieslaw.com/index.html). I met the creators of this amazing series and bought a copy of volume one, which didn't put it down until I finished it.