B+ Player Radio's Gary Mastriano and I recently sat down with Anthony Bowens —an incredible young athlete who's worked—and is working—for various noteworthy promotions around the country, including Pro Wrestling Syndicate and Right Coast Pro. We immediately struck up a report with Anthony, who is totally open and absolutely humble about his life and work as a professional wrestler. I first asked if Anthony was part of Pro Wrestling Syndicate's debut at Starland Ballroom in August of 2015, to which he replies: "No I was actually down at NXT. I mean not as a fan, I was booked."
I asked Anthony what he had on tap for that evening —PWS Wrestle Bowl on November 20 th . He told us he would be competing in a "Suicidal Six-Way" with the eponymous championship title on the line. In addition to the random assortment of characters a match like that attracts, Anthony is competing against his former friend and partner, Bobby Wayward. Anthony tells us that he, Bobby Wayward, and A.C. Gamble were once the Untouchables but—as we saw last month—tempers heated to a boil and the faction combusted from within. I asked Anthony what drove him to the breaking point at which he decided �enough was enough.' He says, "It's just been months, and months, and months of pent up frustration. I personally would've loved to keep the Untouchables together. I think the three of us—or at one time four of us—could have done a lot of things here. But Bobby's a little selfish, as you can see, and I had enough."
Gary asks Anthony if he's going for a championship victory , or if he's out for revenge against Bobby Wayward. Anthony says, "That's a good question. I'd love to have that belt around my waist, but I think choking Bobby is a little bit higher on my priority list." Gary asks what it's like to wrestle the Drunken Swashbuckler , with an inquiry into what he's drinking in the ring. Anthony guesses it might be rum, but says the Drunken Swashbuckler is a liability to work with. For those who do not know, the �Swashbuckler went on to win the match and the Suicidal Six Way Championship .
I asked Anthony to take us back and describe his roots in the wrestling business. At 24 years old, Anthony is a three year veteran working with Pro Wrestling Syndicate, Right Coast Pro, House of Glory, and a promotion in Pennsylvania . Anthony Bowens is an incredibly well-built performer, so we ask about his work-out routine and dietary habits. "I don't really do anything specific," he tells us. "I just try and switch it up—I think it's called muscle confusion ? The diet is the hardest part. I'm terrible with it. I guess I do have a good metabolism because last night I had cake and ice cream at 3 AM." Gary asks if he has any restrictions on the day of a match. Anthony says that he tries to stay away from anything too fattening because he wants to look the best he can, adding: "Until the show's over with. Then I pig out."
I asked Anthony what wrestlers inspired him as a child. He says that Jeff Hardy was his earliest influence: "I was very very shy, I was a very quiet kid. Jeff was that charismatic enigma. Fearless and everything, and I wanted to be that. As I got older I got more into Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit." Anthony says he spent his 21 st Birthday LIVE at TLC . He says there was a moment wherein Randy Orton hit Bad News Barrett with an RKO through a table and posed. "I was in awe," he said. "My buddy next to me just said: �Do it. You should do it.'"
With 8 o'clock approaching and bell time just moments away, we begin to bring things to a close with Anthony Bowens. I ask him where he sees himself in six months , and question whether he has his sights set on a singles' championship. Anthony continues to be humble as possible, saying he's currently focused on establishing himself as a singles competitor: "I want to go out and have the best matches I can, then I'll worry about the rest." Things come to a close and—with the holiday season here at last—we ask Anthony to name his favorite Christmas Movie of all time. Without more than a few seconds hesitation he says "Christmas Story ," because he remembers watching it as a kid with his dad. After the tape shut off, we decided that a full-length interview is definitely in order, so stay tuned for that in the near future.
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