wrestling / Columns

411 Interviews: Ares of CHIKARA Wrestling

September 14, 2011 | Posted by TJ Hawke

Ares is currently a wrestler for Chikara Pro. In Chikara, Ares was a tag team champion with Claudio Castagnoli, and he won the 2010 King of Trios with Claudio and Tursas. Ares and Claudio, as Swiss Money Holding, won the westside Xtreme wrestling tag team championship 3 times, and Ares won wXw Heavyweight Championship 2 times. Ares will be competing for Chikara this weekend.

On September 17th, in Brockton, MA, Ares will take on Sara Del Ray. The whole card for the show is HERE.

On September 18th, in Manhattan, NY, Ares will take on Marshe Rockett. The whole card for that show is HERE.

TJ Hawke: At the upcoming big weekend for Chikara, you are scheduled to face Sara Del Ray in MA, and Marshe Rockett in NYC. How do you feel about these matchups? Chikara has labeled your match with Del Ray as “Time for a Reckoning.” Do you have anything you want to say to your opponents?

Ares: I have nothing to say to either of them. They both know me and I had dealt with both of them before, just, until recently, on different sides of conflicts.

First, let’s talk about Sara Del Rey. I have taken her under my wings, when she was unhappiest. I revived her career in Chikara. I gave her purpose. She was an important element in the BDK, but looking back, I don’t think she ever understood her importance. I don’t think she was ever committed to the greater cause of the BDK. Instead of becoming the small part everybody has to be in a group, she always wanted more. Sara is selfish and Sara is delusional. She thinks she is more important as an individual than the whole Bruderschaft… That’s my fault though, I should have seen the signs and steered her back on the right track. Just be assured, I won’t make the same mistake a second time, and will show her where the real power and strength lay. Within the Bruderschaft of course. Going to war against us has always been a bad idea, and it is also a bad idea for Sara Del Rey…

Considering Marshe Rockett, I don’t even want to lose much time thinking about him. He’s in my way too often for the unimportant part he is in Chikara. I have more important things to attend to. So I will defeat him as swiftly and effectively as possible!


TJ: After a few sporadic appearances for Chikara over the years, you joined the promotion full time at the 2009 season finale when you and Claudio Castagnoli officially started the Bruderschaft Des Kreuzes. When you started full-time with Chikara, did you imagine that it would take off like it did, and did you imagine it would last this long? What have been your favorite parts of the angle?

Ares: I thought it was big, but even I didn’t expect it to blow up that much. In the first few months we had a ton of momentum, and it was just a lot of fun to be part of it. Everything was very well executed in my eyes, and the fan reaction was accordingly. And it was great of course, to be re-united with my longtime friend and partner, Claudio, for the first time since we both live in the USA.

My favorite part was definitely the official “coming out” of the Bruderschaft at the Season Finale in ‘09. There was a great energy in the building, and it was great to be part of such a huge angle (and cliffhanger)!

TJ: Some wrestling fans may not know this, but you and Claudio were a tag team in Europe since 2001 called Swiss Money Holding. What have been some of the differences between you and Claudio’s original run as a team compared to your run in Chikara? How do you think your Chikara run measures up against your first run together?

Ares: Claudio has always been a better wrestler than me, but back in our Swiss Money Holding (SMH) days, the difference was definitely not as big as it is today. He is the best partner I could have ever wished for, and I love stepping in the ring with him, because he is just that talented and dedicated. Back as SMH, we both wrestled basically every weekend together in all of Europe. We never had to communicate in the ring; one always knew exactly what the other was thinking. Nowadays, he wrestles 3 or 4 times a week, while I am his partner only once a month. We still have some of that silent understanding, but I have to work much harder to be able to keep up with him!

TJ: Wrestling fans also may not know, but you are married to a professional wrestler, Allison Danger, who co-runs Shimmer Athletes with Dave Prazak. If you don’t mind me asking, how have you two been doing with raising a family, while both being professional wrestlers? How do you like living in America full-time now, and what other independent promotions have you been working for?

Ares: She is my soul-mate, and I think us both being involved in wrestling is only good for our relationship. It’s really hard to be a professional wrestler and have a partner that is an “outsider”, because wrestling is just so weird and time-consuming. However she and I, we always understand 100% what the other one is going through, and we’re able to help each other getting through the hard times and all. We complement each other perfectly, and I think that’s why our family works so great.

I love living in America, it has always been a dream of mine. I have worked for mostly regional promotions in the Carolinas (when living on the East Coast), and here in Las Vegas. One of the more known companies here in the west I have worked for is NWA Hollywood.

TJ: Allison Danger’s brother is of course current ROH wrestler, Steve Corino. Steve’s son, Colby is an aspiring wrestler as well. Have you worked with Colby at all? Would you be interested in doing some sort of big family angle with all the Corino wrestlers?

Ares: Other than on the beach in North Carolina a few years ago, I haven’t wrestled with Colby yet. His father is incredibly talented and has a vast knowledge about anything considering professional wrestling. With that premise, how could Colby be any bad? But I know he works hard and wants to make a name for himself, and he is doing great so far. If he really wants to, the sky is the limit for him, I believe!

And of course it would be GREAT to have some sort of family feud. A few years ago, Steve, Allison and I were together in a match, and it was one of the funniest times I had inside a wrestling ring!

TJ: For this section of the interview, I was hoping that you could share your thoughts on some of your prominent matches:

wXw 16 Carat Tournament 2007: The whole tournament

Ares: That was a crazy 3 days. It was arguably my heydays in Europe, and I got to wrestle great names almost every weekend. I have wrestled the then up-and-coming dutch wrestler Tommy End, Nigel McGuinness, and on the last day El Generico and Chris Hero. The latter was one of my best matches in my career. It’s always been special wrestling against Chris, as he was such an influential part of my wrestling. The match was over 35 minutes long, and it was also one of the most intense matches for me. I didn’t finish victorious, but it was still a fantastic weekend for me.

King of Trios 2010: The whole tournament

Ares: My first big tournament and continuous wrestling weekend in the States. It was great being a part of it, again with all sorts of different matches. We had comedy, we had strong style, and the finale was a typical “Chikara-match”. With the right winners this time!

Reality is Relative 2010: Ares & Claudio Castagnoli(c) vs. Jigsaw and Quackenbush (for the CCdP)

Ares: I don’t like to talk about that match for obvious reasons…

TJ: Thanks Ares for taking the time to do the interview. Is there anything else you would like to plug (Twitter, Facebook, email, booking, etc)?

Ares: Thank you and all the fans for their interest in me. Come see me it any show I’m on, especially of course the next Chikara shows on September 17th in Brockton, MA, and the following day, September 18th in Manhattan, NY!

If you want to read my day to day ramblings (mostly wrestling-unrelated), follow me on Twitter, @areswrestler. And if you want to get in touch with me the “old” way, send me an email at [email protected]

Thanks everybody for reading!

You can send me feedback on Twitter or through email: [email protected]

If you are in the wrestling business and would like to be interviewed, you can contact me on either twitter or email.

Also, check out my past interviews, DVD & PPV reviews, movie reviews, and other stuff at my Road to Mania Blog

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