PHOENIX - 2004
Real
Name: Beth Phoenix Ring Name: The Fabulous Firebird Phoenix Height: 5’8 Weight: 160 Home: Buffalo, NY Years in Wrestling: 3 Current Affiliations: NeoSpirit Pro (Canada) World Xtreme Wrestling (PA) Far North Wrestling (PA) Past Affiliates: Apocalypse Wrestling Federation (Canada) New England Championship Wrestling (Mass) Ultimate Goals: I hope to make it to WWE as well as become one of the best female wrestlers around. Favorite Color: blue Favorite music group: Metallica or Limp Bizkit Favorite Movie: X Men and X Men II
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We are here today with one the bright and rising stars on the Indy scene, she went from Amateur to Pro, she hails from Buffalo, NY, she is the "Fabulous Firebird Phoenix" , Phoenix thank you for taking time out for us this month. BP: You are more than welcome, it's my pleasure Louis Velazquez: Well we are glad to have you here, now Phoenix what got you interested in Pro Wrestling?
BP: I came up with my own name. It
wasn’t so much an influence of Marvel’s popular comic character from
the X-Men as it was the symbolism of me leaving my "normal"
life behind to start my own journey towards my dreams. The BP: I’ve been Phoenix since the
beginning. Louis Velazquez: Consistency, that's the only
thing that allows you to gain a following. What promotions did you work
for and who are you affiliated with currently? BP: I’m affiliated with many
promotions, however, I have put a focus lately on WXW, run by Afa the
Wild Samoan because I believe that they put out a great product. In
addition, they have a tremendous ladies roster. I haven’t found
another promotion yet with that many solid lady wrestlers. BP: I have to spend a lot of time in
the gym not only for the physical benefits but for my mental health as
well. Nothing can relieve stress better than lifting weights. My other
hobbies include piano and painting. I grew up a very bored little kid
and as a result spent a lot of time practicing piano and painting
portraits. BP: I don’t know many Indy wrestlers
that would put their bodies through such incredible abuse without a hope
of someday making a living out of it. I love wrestling at every level
and I think that indy wrestling has a lot to BP: I think that wrestling
incorporates acting into its product quite a bit now. In order to
succeed in modern wrestling, you have to be able to act. Acting away
from wrestling? I wouldn’t pursue it, but if I was offered something,
I would certainly try it. In wrestling the more mainstream notoriety you
gain, the better for your wrestling career. If it would help me get
farther in wrestling, I’d definitely do it. BP: I don’t think today’s workers
are being "forced" to do anything. I think that more
cruiserweights are in wrestling now and a "cruiserweight
style" has definitely saturated the wrestling world. Smaller guys
feel the pressure to do these moves because they can’t always make
themselves seen (make a name for themselves) by their builds. They have
to do something to attract attention to themselves, and high-risk
definitely does that. There is a great audience for this new style of
wrestling which has a tremendous Mexican and Japanese influence. I think
that it’s wonderful because it’s BP: Absolutely. The Indy scene is
becoming more popular because, simply, it provides an alternative to WWE
which has a monopoly on wrestling. I don’t think that Indy wrestling
will ever draw fans AWAY from WWE, but I think it BP: I would like to see wrestlers, at
least on the Indy level, treated better by some promoters. I had a bad
experience with a promotion where I ended up being hurt badly after a
hardcore match. I needed to go to the emergency room badly and this
nameless promoter did not offer to even show me where the hospital was.
To make a long story short, I’m lucky that I had a couple of friends
to help me get fixed up otherwise I would’ve been bleeding my way all
around town looking for a hospital. Stuff like that shouldn’t go on.
We’re all in this together. But…for every bad egg promoter, there
are many professional, caring guys running wrestling shows out there. It
would be nice for others to not have to go through bad experiences like
that. BP: My ultimate goal in life, which
really hasn’t changed much at all, is to never have any "What If’s"
in my life. I want to taste everything, try different things, see
different places and never wonder why I didn’t just give something a
try. I don’t rate my success in life on a money scale. I rate my
success on the wealth that I’ve acquired by keeping an open mind. BP: I train 5 days a week on a 4 day
split. I’ve always been a fan of lifting weights. It’s helped me
keep a lot of weight on my upper body to give me a strength edge over
most other girls. My split goes: Day 1: Chest & Triceps, Day 2: Back
& Biceps, Day 3: Legs Day 4: Shoulders with 40 minutes of cardio and
abs on each day. Day 5 is usually a cardio session in the ring or
running. I get in the ring at least twice a week for some mat wrestling
and learning. Luckily I live near my trainers, the All Knighters so I
really got my money’s worth with their training. They’ve been
working BP: I’ve probably patterned myself after Owen Hart to start with because he was the guy I watched intently growing up. However, I’ve tried very hard to develop a style all my own. I liked Owen’s style and grace. He was really a natural and I work very hard to achieve that "look of effortlessness".
BP: Someone once said something to me
that I carry around everywhere I go, and I’d love to pass this along
to others… So true, good guide to live by,
Phoenix, that you again, this has been a great interview and we will
follow up with you in the coming months and recap on your bright future
in wrestling. |
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