We initially spoke to Bobby Vegas back in July 2017 for one of our "Six Step Process" features (which you can read here). As one of our favourite guests, we figured it was about time we did a follow-up interview with him.
When we last spoke to you, you had not long competed for SLAM Wrestling at the MCM Comic Con at the NEC in Birmingham and had captured their Intercounties Championship at the event. Fill us in, what's happened with you since then?
That feels like about eight years ago, which means it was probably two years ago… A lot has gone on since then; I've been focusing on my training and conditioning with From the ground Up school of wrestling up in Leicester, and also with VPW down in Basingstoke, which is run by UK Kid while continuing to work for SLAM and other promotions. I've been privileged to work for James Mason on his Superstars of Wrestling shows, I've debuted for AMP up in Coventry, I've worked the holiday camps and various other shows all over the place and I've also dipped my toe back into the world of stand-up comedy once or twice, because I'm not busy enough already! Oh, and I lost the Intercounties Championship. Sad times.
I've seen a few videos circulating recently setting yourself up as a darker, horror style character. What can you tell us about that?
That character is called Plague, and it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely ADORE being Bobby. My first instinct in entertainment is always to be funny, which comes from my background as a stand-up, and Bobby allows me to do that, or to be a menacing villain with the same character if I want. Bobby Vegas is a very flexible concept and he can be adapted depending on what show he’s on or what kind of match it is.
However, what Bobby Vegas definitely does not do is to make people afraid or uncomfortable. He can make people boo all day long, but he’s never going to freak anybody out, and that’s a concept that I’ve always found really interesting and wanted to explore. I’m a very visual person and I really enjoy editing my own promos together, and I know what I personally find freaky, and like most wrestlers I’m pretty hard to freak out. So I figure if I put together a character and a presentation that I find a bit scary, then it’s going to be pretty horrific to the average joe who comes to a wrestling show.
I’ve always said I have less interest in getting people to cheer for me at a wrestling show, and I don’t even know why that is, I just find the negative reaction to my character(s) far more interesting, and if they’re cheering for my opponent as a result, then I’m doing my job. They’re still cheering for my work, they just don’t know it! What I’m hoping to do with Plague is to scare people, because I don’t think that happens in wrestling very often. It might not work, who knows, but he’s one of eight or nine characters rattling around in my head and I want to give him a whirl.
What upcoming shows are you booked on that you're most excited for?
Definitely SLAM on June 23rd as that’s when I’ll debut Plague. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done on the character so far in terms of video packages, and I’m hoping I can accurately reflect my vision for the character in my in-ring character as well. I’ve seen people try horror characters before but they don’t consider how that character should move, how they would wrestle, what their facial expressions would be etc. so I’m really challenging myself to get this right and present a truly unique, terrifying character.
As a fan of wrestling, has there been any shows that you've been a part of in the last year that have made you proud to be a part of?
As a fan, my favourite show was with AMP up in Coventry, which was Bobby Vegas vs Arcade in the opening match. Arcade is a video-game based character in a mask, and being a massive fan of videogames myself I think that’s the kind of character I would be interested in watching if I had time to get to more wrestling shows! The lifelong videogame nerd in me was really excited about that match, and I was also really proud of it from a wrestling perspective as we were originally told to go for 8 minutes, but at the last minute we were then told to stretch it as long as possible as the headliner was stuck in traffic. I think we ended up going for 15 or so and we still got the required reactions. Working on the fly like that is a skill that I really want to master and I was really happy with how that night panned out.
Who've you enjoyed working with the most since we last spoke?
I think probably Rob Holte. We worked together on a Superstars of Wrestling show a few weeks ago. He’s a lot more experienced than me, and that’s exactly who I need to be working with after only a couple of years in wrestling. We had fun working together in a solid opening match and I’m really looking forward to working with him again in the future. He’s taught me a lot.
I also need to mention Joel Redman and James Mason who were on that run of shows. I didn’t work with Joel Redman apart from in Rumble matches, but he’s such a consummate professional and so knowledgeable, it was a privilege just to be in the same locker room and absorb some of that knowledge. He’s what every wrestler should aspire to be like.
James Mason was generous enough to offer me a spot in his shows in the first place, and he gave me a lot of great advice following my matches. I’ve become a better wrestler because of those shows and I’ll always be grateful to him for giving me that opportunity. Anybody who has a chance to pick James Mason’s brain for five minutes should definitely take advantage; he’s so generous in sharing knowledge and he really wants to help everyone as much as he can.
Finally, same as before, what does the future hold for Bobby Vegas?
I’ve got a few exciting shows coming up and then of course there’s some stuff on the camps over the summer, apart from that I’m going to do what any smart person in their second or third year of wrestling on shows should be doing: train hard, work on my weaknesses and listen to everyone with more experience with advice to give.
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