Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Apr 18, 2014 19:08:25 GMT -6
www.clothesline.eu/interviews/exclusive-interview-with-joe-e-legend-part-1-health-and-pain-in-pro-wrestling
Joe E. Legend is a 44-year-old Canadian professional wrestler who lives in Germany. Mainstream wrestling fans might know him from his short time in WWE where he worked under the name of Just Joe in the year of 2000. He also worked for TNA and in Japan.
Clothesline.eu writer Maik Hanke talked to him on the phone. This marks the starting point of a profound interview series. The first two parts treat health related issues in wrestling.
Why do you live in Hannover in Germany and how long have you been here?
I live here because I married a German. I met my wife when I was over here working for the CWA in `98. Moved here after I left WWE and then again after I left TNA. Now I live here, got my wife, got my kids. So, I’m pretty content being in Germany.
How is life as a wrestler in Germany?
Well, for Germany itself it is difficult, it’s just not enough – I mean years ago with CWA, they had the long terms: You would do six weeks of Hannover, and five weeks in Bremen, and a couple of weeks here and there. But those days are kind of gone, so it’s more a weekend business. So, I get more work outside of Germany and around Europe mostly than I do in Germany. The product itself in the place I work in Germany is pretty good but there’s not enough of it to maintain a fulltime job just in Germany in wrestling. Fortunately, the EU made it a lot easier to travel around Europe and pick up the other bookings.
How long are you on the road in these days?
It varies. When I go to South Africa it’s usually for a couple of weeks, two or three weeks, I go to Japan three weeks or a month. But mostly it’s a lot of weekend stuff just because it’s hard to get people to come out and spend a full evening of wrestling in the middle of the week. They got work or they got kids to get to school the next day. So, it’s most weekends if anything.
Would you still be able to work the program you did five or ten years ago?
Yeah, absolutely! The thing is, if I go on tour, my first day I feel sour. But once you get into the routine, you get into the rhythm of it you feel fine. At the end of the trip, I am feeling awesome. I just did 20 days in England and then I came home and took the family to Turkey for two weeks for vacation. When I came back for another match I still felt good but I was feeling it a little bit more. Once I’m in my rhythm I feel great. But because it’s majority weekends you’ll end up hurting more because you have two days on when you get into the rhythm. Then you have at least four days off when you kind of calm down. Now you got to get used to it all over again. You can’t maintain being used to it without having a ring to bump around in every day.
How do you get used to it?
I wish I can describe it. (laughs) When you’re in the ring you kind of understand it. When you’re in the ring you know how your bumps feel, you know how your body moves, you have your cardio, you are able to get your heart get right up and down at the right time and you’re just able to kind of feel it. You get a certain ring cardio which is very different from just about any other cardio out there. It’s just a matter of getting into that zone. Obviously, I am 44, it’s a little bit harder than it was at 24. But once I’m in my rhythm I’m good. It’s just a matter of maintaining a steady work schedule to keep your rhythm going.
How hard is wrestling on the body?
How is your body after all these years in the ring?
You know, I have certain injuries and stuff. You know where your weak spots are. You work against them and you play your strengths and downplay your weaknesses. And when you’re in with pros it’s not really an issue. When I got my sternum broken I the doctor that I saw the next day told me I was supposed to take eight weeks off to let it heal. I could start lifting weights after two more weeks. And then I could get into the ring after another two weeks. And then I could possibly start working again. It was near Christmas, so I took one week off and went back to work. So I was still broken and in a mess. I was working mostly three way dances and four way matches and I was in with a bunch of pros. I just told the guys ‘Look, obviously I’m injured, so stay away from me and we will work around it.’ I mean I could have been killed if I took a stiff shot to the sternum because it was already broken. Essentially, I could have stabbed myself in the heart with bone. But you work around your injuries. I was fortunate enough to work with pros who were very helpful to me.
Why didn’t you take a longer break?
Christmas was coming up. My kids, you know – I want to pay for a nice Christmas for them, nice gifts and a nice Christmas time. So I put myself through that. A lot of people say they die for their kids – I mean it.
Do you have any permanent damages?
My right knee. I got injured in a match with Wade Barrett before he got signed with WWE. It was not his fault. It was just an atomic drop. I came down flat on my feet and my knee tweaked out sideways. It’s awful and hurt. But I hold no blame on him whatsoever. It would have happened if I would have done that move with anybody. Two weeks after that I was meant to go to Japan for a month for really good money. And I couldn’t afford taking the time off and go get a surgery and get everything fixed up. I learned how to tape my knee correctly, got a big brace for it and went to Japan. I think in not getting it repaired I have some permanent damage. But I’ve learned how to tape it and work around it and it hasn’t been an issue.
Can you tell us in general, how hard is wrestling on the body?
Oh, very! Harder than most sports I would say, even though it’s kind of a pseudo sport. Because there is no off-season. Now, because it’s a weekend gig it’s a little bit easier. A lot of the younger talent really beat the crap out of themselves on Saturday and Sunday and then they have a whole week to get well before they start again. But, you know, back in my day when we were doing weeks and weeks and weeks on end you’re just beating your body up. Your body has just no time to repair itself. I think that’s why you had a lot of deaths in the past bunch of years from guys on pills because you’re hurting all the time. You take a little something to take the edge off and then your body gets used to it, and then you take two and then you take three. And guys like Test die from pills and stuff like that. And I think it all starts with just trying to avoid the pain.
What is your opinion on pills?
They scare the crap out of me. I haven’t even had a drink since I was 20. I don’t even drink. I’m a sissy when it comes to pills and drugs and stuff like that. I’m kind of straight edge – without the money-making gimmick that CM Punk has (laughs). But by all means, I hurt more because I don’t take anything aside from whatever is over the counter like Aspirin or something like that. But I think a lot of guys – because the business shot up and got so popular, especially in the late nineties, guys were working all the time in a very physical style because ECW kind of brought in that, you know, hit everybody with chairs and all that stuff. So, guys were taking that stuff to just take the edge off, because ultimately, how much is a good night’s sleep worth to you? Back in the day, their bodies took more abuse than a lot of other sports where you get a week or an off-season to recuperate. Wrestling doesn’t have that.
Why does wrestling not have that? Wouldn’t it be practicable?
From a performer’s standpoint, that would be awesome (laughs). But from the promoter’s standpoint, you’re just trying to make the most money off of these guys who have a limited shelf life. Most wrestlers retire close to my age. So, you want to try and get as many matches, tickets, t-shirts and action figures sold as you can of this guy’s character. And you don’t want to build up all storylines and then disappear.
Wouldn’t people maybe be more interested when wrestling finally starts again after the off-season?
It very well could happen. I mean the interesting thing is they could pull it off but I don’t see them doing it, just because everybody is going to follow Vince McMahon’s business plan. Vince at one point made himself a billionaire. He completely overtook the industry, bought everybody out of consequence, WCW and ECW specifically; AWA, he pretty much bought all their rights. The NWA just isn’t what it once was. Vince took control of everything. If I was starting a business model I would be looking at the most successful guy. That’s Vince. And Vince runs a fulltime schedule. If I’m starting a company and if I’m doing something different, I’m gonna have my company running and take my summer off. Vince is gonna run all through the summer and take all my audience away for three months. And then I got to try to win them all back afterwards. The whole industry would have to agree on having off-season. From a business standpoint it just makes more sense to me to keep running.
Joe E. Legend is a 44-year-old Canadian professional wrestler who lives in Germany. Mainstream wrestling fans might know him from his short time in WWE where he worked under the name of Just Joe in the year of 2000. He also worked for TNA and in Japan.
Clothesline.eu writer Maik Hanke talked to him on the phone. This marks the starting point of a profound interview series. The first two parts treat health related issues in wrestling.
Why do you live in Hannover in Germany and how long have you been here?
I live here because I married a German. I met my wife when I was over here working for the CWA in `98. Moved here after I left WWE and then again after I left TNA. Now I live here, got my wife, got my kids. So, I’m pretty content being in Germany.
How is life as a wrestler in Germany?
Well, for Germany itself it is difficult, it’s just not enough – I mean years ago with CWA, they had the long terms: You would do six weeks of Hannover, and five weeks in Bremen, and a couple of weeks here and there. But those days are kind of gone, so it’s more a weekend business. So, I get more work outside of Germany and around Europe mostly than I do in Germany. The product itself in the place I work in Germany is pretty good but there’s not enough of it to maintain a fulltime job just in Germany in wrestling. Fortunately, the EU made it a lot easier to travel around Europe and pick up the other bookings.
How long are you on the road in these days?
It varies. When I go to South Africa it’s usually for a couple of weeks, two or three weeks, I go to Japan three weeks or a month. But mostly it’s a lot of weekend stuff just because it’s hard to get people to come out and spend a full evening of wrestling in the middle of the week. They got work or they got kids to get to school the next day. So, it’s most weekends if anything.
Would you still be able to work the program you did five or ten years ago?
Yeah, absolutely! The thing is, if I go on tour, my first day I feel sour. But once you get into the routine, you get into the rhythm of it you feel fine. At the end of the trip, I am feeling awesome. I just did 20 days in England and then I came home and took the family to Turkey for two weeks for vacation. When I came back for another match I still felt good but I was feeling it a little bit more. Once I’m in my rhythm I feel great. But because it’s majority weekends you’ll end up hurting more because you have two days on when you get into the rhythm. Then you have at least four days off when you kind of calm down. Now you got to get used to it all over again. You can’t maintain being used to it without having a ring to bump around in every day.
How do you get used to it?
I wish I can describe it. (laughs) When you’re in the ring you kind of understand it. When you’re in the ring you know how your bumps feel, you know how your body moves, you have your cardio, you are able to get your heart get right up and down at the right time and you’re just able to kind of feel it. You get a certain ring cardio which is very different from just about any other cardio out there. It’s just a matter of getting into that zone. Obviously, I am 44, it’s a little bit harder than it was at 24. But once I’m in my rhythm I’m good. It’s just a matter of maintaining a steady work schedule to keep your rhythm going.
How hard is wrestling on the body?
How is your body after all these years in the ring?
You know, I have certain injuries and stuff. You know where your weak spots are. You work against them and you play your strengths and downplay your weaknesses. And when you’re in with pros it’s not really an issue. When I got my sternum broken I the doctor that I saw the next day told me I was supposed to take eight weeks off to let it heal. I could start lifting weights after two more weeks. And then I could get into the ring after another two weeks. And then I could possibly start working again. It was near Christmas, so I took one week off and went back to work. So I was still broken and in a mess. I was working mostly three way dances and four way matches and I was in with a bunch of pros. I just told the guys ‘Look, obviously I’m injured, so stay away from me and we will work around it.’ I mean I could have been killed if I took a stiff shot to the sternum because it was already broken. Essentially, I could have stabbed myself in the heart with bone. But you work around your injuries. I was fortunate enough to work with pros who were very helpful to me.
Why didn’t you take a longer break?
Christmas was coming up. My kids, you know – I want to pay for a nice Christmas for them, nice gifts and a nice Christmas time. So I put myself through that. A lot of people say they die for their kids – I mean it.
Do you have any permanent damages?
My right knee. I got injured in a match with Wade Barrett before he got signed with WWE. It was not his fault. It was just an atomic drop. I came down flat on my feet and my knee tweaked out sideways. It’s awful and hurt. But I hold no blame on him whatsoever. It would have happened if I would have done that move with anybody. Two weeks after that I was meant to go to Japan for a month for really good money. And I couldn’t afford taking the time off and go get a surgery and get everything fixed up. I learned how to tape my knee correctly, got a big brace for it and went to Japan. I think in not getting it repaired I have some permanent damage. But I’ve learned how to tape it and work around it and it hasn’t been an issue.
Can you tell us in general, how hard is wrestling on the body?
Oh, very! Harder than most sports I would say, even though it’s kind of a pseudo sport. Because there is no off-season. Now, because it’s a weekend gig it’s a little bit easier. A lot of the younger talent really beat the crap out of themselves on Saturday and Sunday and then they have a whole week to get well before they start again. But, you know, back in my day when we were doing weeks and weeks and weeks on end you’re just beating your body up. Your body has just no time to repair itself. I think that’s why you had a lot of deaths in the past bunch of years from guys on pills because you’re hurting all the time. You take a little something to take the edge off and then your body gets used to it, and then you take two and then you take three. And guys like Test die from pills and stuff like that. And I think it all starts with just trying to avoid the pain.
What is your opinion on pills?
They scare the crap out of me. I haven’t even had a drink since I was 20. I don’t even drink. I’m a sissy when it comes to pills and drugs and stuff like that. I’m kind of straight edge – without the money-making gimmick that CM Punk has (laughs). But by all means, I hurt more because I don’t take anything aside from whatever is over the counter like Aspirin or something like that. But I think a lot of guys – because the business shot up and got so popular, especially in the late nineties, guys were working all the time in a very physical style because ECW kind of brought in that, you know, hit everybody with chairs and all that stuff. So, guys were taking that stuff to just take the edge off, because ultimately, how much is a good night’s sleep worth to you? Back in the day, their bodies took more abuse than a lot of other sports where you get a week or an off-season to recuperate. Wrestling doesn’t have that.
Why does wrestling not have that? Wouldn’t it be practicable?
From a performer’s standpoint, that would be awesome (laughs). But from the promoter’s standpoint, you’re just trying to make the most money off of these guys who have a limited shelf life. Most wrestlers retire close to my age. So, you want to try and get as many matches, tickets, t-shirts and action figures sold as you can of this guy’s character. And you don’t want to build up all storylines and then disappear.
Wouldn’t people maybe be more interested when wrestling finally starts again after the off-season?
It very well could happen. I mean the interesting thing is they could pull it off but I don’t see them doing it, just because everybody is going to follow Vince McMahon’s business plan. Vince at one point made himself a billionaire. He completely overtook the industry, bought everybody out of consequence, WCW and ECW specifically; AWA, he pretty much bought all their rights. The NWA just isn’t what it once was. Vince took control of everything. If I was starting a business model I would be looking at the most successful guy. That’s Vince. And Vince runs a fulltime schedule. If I’m starting a company and if I’m doing something different, I’m gonna have my company running and take my summer off. Vince is gonna run all through the summer and take all my audience away for three months. And then I got to try to win them all back afterwards. The whole industry would have to agree on having off-season. From a business standpoint it just makes more sense to me to keep running.