While you wrestle around the world, at various stages you’ve been based in the UK and the US. What are the comparative pros and cons of each?
It varies as to what kind of region you’re wrestling in. Recently I’ve been doing a lot of European stuff so flying from London to Madrid or Cologne is much easier than any time I was flying to London last year living in New York. Definitely the benefit of living in the States was that it allowed me to do all the South American stuff and the stuff I did in Mexico. It’s still a six-hour flight from the east coast to the west coast so every time I was doing PWG, I was still on a long flight, but being based in the States for that period of my career made a big difference. It had got to the point where I was flying to America every weekend from the UK and then by the time I got back and readjusted I was just flying back to the States. In that same regard, now I’m based in London I’m making the most of how accessible Europe is… and being a European citizen as well.
Is jetlag a problem with your schedule and what are your tips for dealing with it?
I’ve been very lucky: to most people jetlag comes from disrupting your schedule and your conventional sleep pattern. I’ve been wrestling since I left university, so the only kind of routine I’ve had is the chaos of being a pro wrestler! I’m quite good at adjusting to time zones: for me it’s just purely a case of what time the flight is and then the schedule after [arriving]. If I’m flying to California on the morning of a PWG show and I’m not able to sleep on the flight and I’m going straight to the venue, then I’m going to be much more tired than if I’m able to sleep for the majority of the flight and then feel somewhat human. My advice is definitely to bear in mind what you’re doing. If you’re able to get a flight that will get you in in the morning or afternoon, then generally try to sleep on that flight. If you’re arriving the night before and event and you’ll be able to get some sleep there, then try to stay awake on the flight as much as possible.
Are there any tips for wrestling when you are exhausted or it just part of the job?
One of the best attributes as a pro wrestler is being able to perform at the highest level expected while still sleep-deprived, undernourished and generally going a bit stir crazy! The benefit of something like wrestling is we’re getting the adrenaline rush and doing something we’re passionate about. Definitely I used to be invincible, I’d fly in on the morning of almost every international show that I do and it wouldn’t affect me. Now that I’m 30, it feels a little bit more real. But you have to be aware that to be a successful wrestler, travelling the world, you’re expected to perform at such a high level and you have to anticipate being exhausted all the time. You do get into a routine and wrestling on the independent circuit that’s predominately Thursday to Sunday then I just try to rest up as much as possible on off-time and you kind of reset. Then just about the time you start to feel human again, it’s time to start flying!
What are the differences in travelling with New Japan?
I find it quite liberating, especially travel-wise. You’re travelling as a company. The only time that’s Japan’s been exhausting has been when I’ve been travelling in for one-off big shows because my schedule’s been busy, but when you’re doing full tours of Japan you’ll fly in at least a day before the tour begins. Usually you’ll begin in Tokyo, so there’s minimal travel. And then the company’s so well-organised, the tours are mapped out logistically in a way that makes life very easy. You’re only really travelling a few hours each day, you’re generally staying in the same town that the event was in. The buses have got reclining seats, power outlets and are comfortable. The company takes care of all hotels. If the journey’s overly long then you’ll get a plane or a shinkansen bullet train. So I find it relaxing being in Japan, even to the point where something like the G-1 Climax that’s supposed to be really exhausting, I was coming to it from having been flying three or four times a week for every match I was doing, so it’s kind of relaxing just to be in one [country].
Do the earlier finishes on Japanese shows make a difference?
Massively. Pro wrestling gives you such a ridiculous emotional and physical exhaustion. When you’re moving up the card and main eventing [in the West], I’ve had to wrestle so many matches finishing after midnight, go straight to an airport, fly, arrive, go straight to the next venue. Once you’re on that schedule, which I was doing almost every weekend for a couple of years, in comparison Japanese companies are so well-organised. Events are compact and they don’t over-run; they’re generally over by 9pm so you can still get back to the hotel, shower, have a meal, still feel somewhat like a human and get a good amount of sleep. I feel most energised and relaxed when I’m in Japan, by far.
On Japanese tours you tend to work tag and six-man matches until the last couple of shows. Does that really bring any physical benefits?
I think that’s been mapped out because of the format of Japanese wrestling where singles matches are built to and are a special attraction. With Japanese wrestling being much more physical, [it helps] if you can protect and prepare the guys for those big matches at the end of tours. Even though you are in a comfortable bus and it’s organised, you are still travelling every day, so it can still be tiring, so the environment of sharing the workload of tag matches definitely does help.
One of the selling points of the Japanese schedule is that you work hard nearly every night for a few weeks, but then get a week or two to recover? Is that as beneficial as it sounds?
For the Japanese wrestlers or the foreign wrestlers who are only doing New Japan, that would definitely be a big advantage. I’m making the most of all the opportunities I’m getting to travel, even outside of the wrestling aspect, just getting to see so many different companies that I’d have been very unlikely to have experienced [so I’m wrestling between tours]. But it might get to the point where I’m taking time off between tours: I think that is key to not only wrestle for a long period but to a high standard. That’s my objective, I’m not really interested in wrestling for the sake of it or half-assing it. Obviously, I’m hopefully going to evolve and adapt as I become older, but I look at someone like Minoru Suzuki who’s been wrestling 30 years and if anything is having one of the best years of his career so I think for him being able to the touring format has been a big factor in being able to rest up and train: it’s difficult to go and get into a proper training routine when you’re just in a blur of travel.
What are your tips for surviving long-distance flights?
Figuring out when your flight is and what the time difference is when you’re getting in. Right now, flying from Japan to London I usually arrive around seven or eight in the morning and by the time I’m at the hotel I’m checking in at 10am so I generally try to stay up as much as possible before the flight and not have a particularly great night of sleep so that I can sleep as much as possible on the plane and then I’m kind of adjusted to it being the morning of that day and try to make it through as much of the day and get an early night. Then you end up waking up earlier than you’d want but after a couple of days you’re going through to waking up at a more respectable hour.
Also, finding what you’re comfortable with on on the plane. I can sleep relatively well if I’ve got a window seat and I’m propped up against that. Some people don’t like being stuck in and they’ll get an aisle seat, but I end up getting driven insane getting hit by the drinks cart or inevitably every time you want to go to sleep, somebody will want to go to the bathroom. So it’s finding out how you can deal with it best. And I recommend getting a good neck pillow even though you’ll end up losing 17 a year and being driven insane! I always try to get a good neck pillow, an eye mask and a good pair of noise cancelling headphones as well — even if you’re not listening to music or watching films, they just kind of take some of the background noise out. You just get to the point when you’re travelling to this level that your body just makes the most of any opportunity to nap.
What are the logistics of packing for short and long tours?
I’m consider myself quite organised, so I’ll take as many sets of workout clothes and casual clothes for as many days as there are shows so I’ve always got a clean set of everything. For long tours, then I’ll bring as many sets of wrestling gear as there are matches and then I’ll do laundry on the off days: usually in Japan it’s three or four days on at most. Really, I take the same amount of stuff with me on a two or three week tour as I do a long weekend: I’d much rather do laundry and keeping everything organised. America and Japan are really convenient for hotels usually having laundry machines and in the UK you’re never too far away from a laundrette, though to be honest I think for me being a Brit, travel in the UK is easier because it’s so much smaller and with me living in London I can do a show for Progress in Manchester and I’m at home in bed before midnight. I use the trains when I’m here because it’s so much more stress-free and convenient. I think bringing the right amount of clean clothes for a tour is important: to be social and polite and make sure you’ve got clean ring gear and smell nice is always an attribute that will be appreciated.
There’s an old saying about how wrestlers should never check their bags into the hold on a flight. Is there any truth to that?
It depends on where you’re going. I’ve flown almost every weekend for nearly 10 years and I’ve only had my luggage lost a couple of times. It’s usually on international flights where you’ve got a couple of connections and one of them has been delayed. Anytime my luggage has been lost, I could almost anticipate it. If you’re flying domestically in the States or within Europe then it’s keeping the things you need the most [on hand]: I keep my ring jacket, trunks and kick pads in a duffel bag in my hand luggage. For international flights if you’re flying in a day early, I don’t think you need to worry too much. But it depends on how specific your ring gear is — otherwise you can always borrow a pair of trunks off someone.
How easy is it to eat well when you’re wrestling round the world, particularly as you’re vegan?
Now more than ever, having a smartphone makes thing so much more convenient. I use HappyCow which is a really great app that’s a bit like Yelp but show you where vegan restaurants are, vegetarian restaurants, health food stores, supermarkets. Generally, I try to find my way to a supermarket on the way to shows to pick up supplies. The UK’s a little bit more difficult as most restaurants shut early but at this point I can get home after most shows. America’s very convenient for meals: you can always eat somewhere late at night. Japan restaurants also open quite late. It depends on how fussy and stubborn you are: if I only went to convenience places nearby, then options might be limited. But one of the things I enjoy, especially since becoming vegan, is getting into a town, researching a couple of places, going for a walk around the city to see a bit of it and then trying some different food from each place.
How important is it to learn the language when you tour a country regularly?
It’s down to how you want to interject yourself over there. In Japan, for example, most people are able to speak some basic English, so it’s not essential, particularly as a tourist. But if you’re going to work in a country, just even being able to have silly, jovial conversations with people and being able to make little jokes, it not only makes a good impression but gives you the benefit of being able to interact with people out of the realm [of wrestling]. Being able to speak even broken Japanese is appreciated by the guys and it’s nice to be able to order your own food or ask simple questions, especially in some parts of rural Japan where English is less spoken. For me as a vegan, being able to check if there’s fish stock in something or if there are some vegan options, having that little bit of Japanese helps. I’m terrible with languages but I’ve put a lot of effort in being able to speak to the level of a small child! They at least humour me: I don’t know how impressed they [really] are but they make me feel like I’m doing OK.
How long do you think it’s possible for someone to keep up the type of schedule you have wrestling on three or four continents?
I feel like there was something really energising [in my schedule] over the last couple of years: one weekend I flew from New York to England for a Rev Pro show, came back and then did something in the States and then went straight to South America. There’s something invigorating about going to these countries: I’m from the Isle of Sheppey in Kent and to be doing that in one weekend for work is something I never would have expected, so it’s motivating and energising. But the thing I feel the most beaten up about is being on planes: I’m not at the point where I can ask for business class seats, so flying economy multiple times a week and, while not a big guy, I’m still six foot so you get worn out. And as much as I don’t get jet lag and I’m good at adjusting to time zones, there are still some weekends where you’re pushing yourself and sleeping at best only a couple of hours each night for four days in a row.
I’ve been conscious that I don’t want to do that just for the sake of being able to boast or to get those experiences but take years off my career. A big part of me moving back to London was so I can interject myself more into the European scene: living in the States I was able to do all the things I did in North America and South America and that made it easier flying from, say, New York to Peru, but as I start to do much more in Japan, outside that the prospect of just flying an hour in Europe having had a decent night’s sleep is something [attractive] and will definitely allow me to wrestle at a higher level.
