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.
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.
Particle Don: What got you into deathmatch wrestling?
David: FMW. That stuff was brutal. I found it through YouTube.
Particle Don: Who is your favorite deathmatch wrestler?
David: “Mr. Danger” Mitsuhiro Matsunaga.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Thanks for the interview. It was nice meeting you at Tournament of Death!
