The Six-Step Process is a regular interview that will run on this website on a regular basis. Basically we ask the same 6 questions in a kind of “quick-fire” interview with a random top independent talent. This week’s 6-Step is with one of the UK indie scene’s top up-and-comers, Tukay.
1. What got you into wrestling?
Wrestling has always been big with my family. Nan loves it, my uncle's love it, my mum loves it and me and my big brother ADORE it. I grew up only really knowing WCW until around 1999/2000 when I also started watching WWE. I'd heard of (at the time) WWF and whispers of ECW from friends and my uncles. So naturally a lot of my idols are WCW names. To name 1 favourite is hard but I always found myself absorbed by the cruiserweights, namely Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho... but top of that list is Billy Kidman and Dean Malenko. At school however I always pretending to be another two of my favourites - Booker T and Buff Bagwell. But what stuck out and made me love wrestling was variety, characters, and Ric Flairs insane promos! I was picked on a lot at primary school and impersonating these wrestlers helped me be brave enough to stand up for myself.
As far as getting in the business, at the time (2010) I was pursuing a lot of sports and fitness pursuits including boxing, judo and basketball, to raise my athletic profile in order to apply to the WWE, and avoided British wrestling due to a bad experience at an Indy show (it was shocking!) When my best friend to this day kept begging me to go a wrestling school with him. I eventually caved and attended a beginner's seminar with Superstar Carlos or Carl Misery at K-Star in Perry Barr (in protest I might add) and found these guys actual have a clue. 6 months later my friend quit and I carried on making the 2 hour trips every Sunday to go train... and the rest is history!
2. What’s been your favourite experience so far?
So many, I enjoy the travelling and bonding and engaging with fans more than the actual wrestling so all my favourites tend to be out of the ring. One story is about 1 year into being on shows at an AWW show in Wolverhampton Jay Lethal knocked my door and asked if it's ok for him to get changed with me, which when your 20/21 and love TNA is an experience. I guess in terms of actual wrestling i think being with SLAM! with Layton and the Crew from inception to the NEC and sold out theatres has been a rewarding experience!
3. Where has been your favourite place to work so far?
One of slams smaller venues, The Solvay Suites in Oldbury and Cannock's prince of Wales Theatre are a bit of a toss up. Both always fun but with very different energies. Solvay want blood and POW enjoy some good wrestling and fun, but what's for sure is both crowds are RAWKUS and love a bit of wrestling! Honourable mention to the Seagull in Brean also!
4. What would be your dream scenario?
Much like recent scenes in the WWE UKCT and WOS the ideal scenario is getting to the upper echelons of wrestling with my best friends and guys I came up with. The end goal obviously is WWE. Has been since day 1, and I think they way the wrestling world is turning, it's a bigger possibility than it's ever been!
5. Who have been your favourite people to work with?
Honestly, for the sake of crowd reaction id like to say local legend "Rowdy" Rob Long. The guys just got charisma! But on a more serious note for matches that are every thing number 1 spot goes to CJ Rawlings, nothing is better than having a guy as well versed in several styles as yourself (if not more) the possibilities are endless because of the things he can do. In a similar vein, eddy woods and Charles Kelsey are capable of a lot but the size difference means my approach to a match is much different but equally as fun! Also like to take a chance to give honourable mentions to Slade Mercer, now back in his home in new Zealand, and Ultra Marc Massa, 2 guys who were brilliant to work with back when I was starting out, and Layton Cole, who got me on his promotion early on and showed me how to be smooth and improvise and storytell and have presence in the ring!
6. What does the future hold for you?
The future is a job. The scene is hot, I'm having the best matches of my life, having a lot of Fun, training hard. End goal will always be bright lights and cameras. With how big the wrestling is worldwide and the UK being the place to be in wrestling, I have all the tools to successful and there's no reason I shouldn't be.
You can find out more on Tukay over on Twitter and Instagram @ItsTukay and find him on Facebook under "2k/Tukay - Wrestler"
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