David Russell Interview

David Russell and Nick Gage at Tournament of Death
David Russell and Nick Gage at Tournament of Death 14

The first time I met David in person was when I entered the Tournament of Death 14 parking lot. He recognized me and said what’s up before I even found a spot to park!

David is from New Jersey and has met countless wrestlers over the years. He currently runs the Deathmatch Russell Podcast.


Deathmatch Russell Podcast
Deathmatch Russell Podcast


Particle Don: What initially got you into wrestling?

David: I’d watch WWF wrestling on Saturday mornings as a kid! When I really got into it I was 9 years old.

I was in attendance at WrestleMania 5 and was five seats away from Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura doing commentary!My dad took me. He was a big fan of wrestling back in the 80’s.

I grew up with wrestling. I was always aware of it because Iron Mike Sharpe ran a wrestling school in my New Jersey hometown.

Particle Don: Who was your favorite wrestler while growing up?

David: I always liked Hulk Hogan and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. As far as bad guys, I was a big fan of Rick Rude.

David Russell and Jake "The Snake" Roberts
David Russell and Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Particle Don: What got you into deathmatch wrestling?

David: FMW. That stuff was brutal. I found it through YouTube.

Atsushi Onita in a FMW deathmatch
Atsushi Onita in a FMW deathmatch

Particle Don: Who is your favorite deathmatch wrestler?

David: “Mr. Danger” Mitsuhiro Matsunaga.

Mr. Danger Mitsuhiro Matsunaga
Mr. Danger

Particle Don: How long have you been ging to CZW shows?

David: For a while. I’ve been to a few of them so far.

Particle Don: What was your first deathmatch show?

David: This year’s (2015) Tournament of Death will be my first deathmatch show.

Particle Don: What federation would you like to see live that you haven’t already?

David: IWA Mid-South. My friend Jeremy Nickerson goes to a lot of their shows.

It would be a far drive for me though, living in New Jersey. I might be able to catch one of their shows next summer.

David with wrestling announcer and Price is Right contestant Larry Legend!
David with wrestling announcer and Price is Right contestant Larry Legend

Particle Don: What’s your dream match?

David: Dusty Rhodes vs. Nick Gage.

Particle Don: Where did you hear about Particle Don?

David: Twitter.

Particle Don: What’s your favorite Particle Don song?

David: Drake Younger’s theme.

Particle Don: Throughout wrestling history, what has been your favorite entrance theme?

David: Dusty Rhodes. He would bleed buckets back in the day.

David is lucky to have a picture with Dusty Rhodes
David has a picture with Dusty Rhodes

Particle Don: What is your favorite band?

David: Dave Matthews.

Particle Don: What’s your favorite wrestling promotion?

David: Combat Zone Wrestling. I also follow Ring of Honor.

The first time I watched Jamie Noble and CM Punk was in ROH. It’s cool to see a lot of these former indy guys in WWE these days.

I like to read a lot of wrestling news and results online. Beyond Wrestling is another good federation out of Rhode Island.

Particle Don: What are you looking forward to with deathmatch wrestling in 2015?

David: On Point Wrestling is putting on a deathmatch tournament sometime in 2015, maybe in August. I think a few guys from IWA Mid-South are going to be there.

On Point also has a show coming up in June with Nate Hatred. I think Scot Summers is coming back in July or August to fight Nick Gage.

Scot Summers is from the Texas promotion ACW, but he wrestles everywhere, including On Point Wrestling.
Scot Summers photo courtesy of ACW

My girl and I are going to camp in Delaware for a few days when we go to Tournament of Death, so that will be fun too!

Particle Don: Who is your pick to win TOD?

David: I predict that Nick Gage is going to go through everybody in TOD.

Hopefully. It could be Matt Tremont, though. He’s a tough guy and a pretty good wrestler. He’s got “it”!

I think Conor Claxton will have a breakout performance this year. He has come a long way.

Even though he’s not in the actual tournament, Devon Moore will have an outstanding showing as well.

Particle Don: Any closing comments?

David: Check out Game Changer Wrestling. They’re another great local promotion that I follow. Also, I’m friends with Chris Candito’s family!

David with Tim Donst
David with Tim Donst

David Russell with Rickey Shane Page
Here he is with Rickey Shane Page

Thanks for the interview. It was nice meeting you at Tournament of Death!

David took this picture during TOD 14
David took this picture during TOD 14

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