Wrestling
Interview with Rainman
By Jay Doring
Jan 7, 2004, 19:41

The independent wrestling scene, more than ever before, is teeming with elite talent, consistently putting on spectacular matches all around the country and overseas. Because of this crowded talent pool, certain excellent wrestlers often get overlooked and lack the hype they deserve. One such wrestler that deserves more hype and is destined to break out in the new year is the 2003 NWA Wildside Wrestler of the Year, "The Soul Assassin" Rainman. Before making his debut for Ring of Honor January 10th in Wilmington, Ohio against familiar foes Caprice Coleman, Jimmy Rave and Todd Sexton, the former World Television champion was gracious enough to discuss his career with the Paradise City Ninjas' Jay Doring.

Jay: Were you a fan of wrestling growing up? Did you
ever picture yourself as a wrestler?

Rainman: I have watched wrestling ever since I can remember. I
grew up in Virginia so I got to watch NWA, Continental, World Class, UWF, stuff like that. I never thought I would be a wrestler but I always wanted to be. I told some people when I was younger
that I would be.

Jay: Before breaking into wrestling, you began a career in rap. How did you break into the rap music scene, and why did you choose to concentrate on wrestling instead?

Rainman: When I was about 10 years old or so I started rapping, but I never let anyone hear. My older brother stumbled on me practicing one day and liked it. So he started doing whatever he could to try to get me a record deal. He got me in studios and booked shows for me and stuff like that. It was all about who you knew though, and I didn't really know anyone. I did have fun though, but once I got into wrestling, I just knew that was what I wanted to do instead of music. I still love music though.

Jay: Where did you receive your wrestling training, and what was the experience like?

Rainman: I trained at a place called "Good Ol' Days" in Atlanta, Georgia. It was tough man. I ran and bumped until I couldn't anymore. But it was good because I learned a lot.

Jay: How did you break in to NWA Wildside?

Rainman: Jimmy Rave actually put in a good word for me and M1 a little while after he got into Wildside. M1 went up
one Friday Night and had a tryout match. I think
either the next TV Taping or the one after that we had
our debut match on TV.

Jay: Your debut match for Wildside was a tag match
against Total Destruction (Sean Royal and Rusty Riddle) which was a particularly brutal squash. What are your feelings on that match?

Rainman: It wasn't bad at all. Yeah, it was a squash match, but it looked worse than it was. People thought we actually got the crap beaten out of us, but in all actuallity it was cool. Our whole offense consisted of one move I think and it was all downhill from
there.

Jay: You first gained attention in Wildside as part of the Blackout tag team with Murder One, what was it like working with him?

Rainman: We had an awesome run. I learned a lot just by being in the same ring as him. He trained me, so it was a good learning experience for me to be able to watch everything up close.

Jay: You first gained major attention as a singles star in Wildside during the Holy Wars match at Freedom Fight 2002, where you began your feud with Rick Michaels by busting him open with barbed wire knux, resulting in one of the goriest bladejobs in indy wrestling history. What was going through your mind when it was clear the blood was getting out of control?

Rainman: As soon as he started bleeding, it was pouring all over
the place within seconds. I was like "holy shit!" I turned around for about two seconds, and when I looked back at him he was already covered in blood. I kept asking him if he was okay. After a few minutes though, I realized he was fine and we just kept going.

Jay: Around this time, you also joined Jeff G. Bailey's NWA Elite heel stable. What are your thoughts on the Elite angle (one of the longest-running heel stables in major indy wrestling
history)?

Rainman: I love being a part of the Elite. They were always the most hated people on the roster. There is nothing like being a part of that. Jeff is a genius on the microphone. He could get a room of nuns to throw curse words at him with the quickness. We work well together too, which is always a big plus.

Jay: Back to the Michaels feud, which of your series
of matches (Stairway to Hell, Barbed Wire at Fright Night 2002, Dark City Death match at the 2002 Anniversary show) do you feel was the strongest?

Rainman: They were all strong as hell. But, if I had to pick one it would be the Dark City Death Match. We just beat the shit outta each other. To me, it told a good story, which was easy to do with Rick because he could make a broomstick look like a million bucks.

Jay: Your singles push continued at Christmas Chaos
2002, where you won the TV title in the finals of a tournament against Tony Mamaluke. What are your thoughts on that program, and its abrupt ending?

Rainman: Tony Mamaluke was another easy person to work with. It was a totally different style than the guys I worked with in the past. I got to show a different side instead of just sticking with what I usually did. Even though it ended fast, it was cool because it didn't take anything away from either of us. The way it was booked both of us still came out strong at the end of it.

Jay: You made your way up north to CZW as part of the
NWA Wildside Invasion angle, working matches against Danny Rose and Nick Mondo. What are your thoughts on the Viking Hall/Philly crowds, and were you disappointed with the booking of yourself and the Wildside contingent in general?

Rainman: Working at Viking Hall was something I had been wanting to do for a loooong time. Combat Zone was a good exerience. It exposed me to a totally different type of crowd. I liked the Philly crowd because when you fucked up, they let you know it, but everything that you did that was good, they showed nothing but respect. Much love for Philly and Combat Zone. I wouldn't say I was disappointed at all. I appreciated it all. The only thing I would say that disappointed me was that I only went twice. I would have loved to go up more.

Jay: Back to Wildside, and arguably one of the most well-booked feuds of 2003 was your TV title program against Jeremy V. What are your thoughts on Jeremy and the way that feud turned out?

Rainman: I definitely thought that was booked awesome as well. Both of us came out strong in that one. V and I had lots of fun with our angle. I think we did everything possible for us to do. He is like the ultimate babyface, man. He could get over anywhere, so how could he not make you look good?

Jay: The highest-profile match of your career came in October of this year at Fright Night, where you defeated AJ Styles in what was originally supposed to be an NWA World title match. Thoughts on that match, and did you feel any extra pressure heading into it?

Rainman: I won't lie man, I was nervous as hell. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing that I went in the ring with AJ Styles and stunk it up. I thought the match was awesome though. When AJ was at Wildside we did a few tag matches against each other, so I had always wanted to work with him one on one. Much respect for AJ. Even though it was supposed to be a title match, it didn't really matter to me. I was just glad to get the opportunity to be in the ring
with him. It would've been a great honor to actually wrestle for the NWA World Title though. Never know, maybe I will get a chance one day.

Jay: Did Jeff Jarrett ever really intend to defend the NWA title at Fright Night? What exactly went down?

Rainman: I have heard different stories so I don't really know. All I know was that it was supposed to be a title match. The Thursday before Fright Night was when I had heard that Jarrett had beat AJ for the belt. But it was cool though. We still went in and had a great match.

Jay: Your TV title reign ended at the January 3rd TV taping at the hands of Caprice Coleman. Thoughts on that feud?

Rainman: I loved it. The storyline was awesome. Who better to feud with over the belt than the person who never lost it? Caprice had been someone whom I had been working with ever since we started on Wildside TV. So it all made sense at the end. Caprice is one hell of an athlete.

Jay: How did you get in touch with Ring of Honor?

Rainman: I emailed Gabe one day and told him that I was really interested in working for Ring of Honor. Some of the guys like Jimmy and AJ also put in some good words for me. That was pretty cool of them also. Next thing you know, Bill Behrens was telling me that I was
booked.

Jay: Who are your favorite opponents to work with?

Rainman: I have been fortunate enough to be able to enjoy everyone who I have worked with in the past, for various reasons. It would be hard to pick favorites. But if I had to pick it would probably be Jeremy V.

Jay: Do you have any particularly memorable road stories?

Rainman: I have lots of them, but I am a firm believer of what happens on the road, stays on the road. But our road trips get wild as hell so I gotta be careful about what stories are told. Ha Ha!!!

Jay: Who are your dream opponents, people you'd especially like to work with?

Rainman: I would really like to work with Homicide. I think we could do some pretty good stuff. Definitely some more stuff with AJ. Im also a Jody Fleisch fan so I would like to do some stuff with him if he decides to come out of retirement. I worked with Trent Acid a little bit but never a match. I would like to work more with him as well.

Jay: What are your future goals as a wrestler?

Rainman: I just wanna have fun man. I would be sweet to make it to WWE or something like that but if I never do, it's cool. Wrestling is something I have fun with, so my goal would be to learn as much as I can, have fun doing it, and go out with a bang.

Jay: Thank you for agreeing to this interview Rainman, it was a real privilege and I really appreciate it.

Thanks for taking the time man. It has been my
pleasure.

Videos featuring Rainman and other NWA Wildside stars, as well as television syndication and event listings for Wildside TV can be found at Wildside's Official Site

Comments, questions and other general feedback for this interview can be sent here


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