Category Archives: Interviews

Lex Luger purges his demons with “Wrestling with the Devil”

With his bodybuilder physique and natural athletic abilities, Lex Luger was a dominant force in the world of professional wrestling throughout the ’90s. From winning the World Heavyweight Championship and other major titles in World Championship Wrestling as The Total Package to being part of historical feuds with the likes of Yokozuna and Bret Hart in the World Wrestling Federation, it seemed that Luger was unstoppable. But while he was destroying his opponents in the ring, he was heading down more self-destructive paths in his personal life involving indulgences such as drugs, alcohol, women and other recreational excesses that often come with professional success. While much of his rapid downfall has already been publicly documented, we finally get to hear all the dark details directly from Luger in Wrestling with the Devil: The True Story of a World Champion Professional Wrestler – His Reign, Ruin, and Redemption. In this book Luger reveals his recollection of his greatest triumphs and worst tragedies, focusing on his wrestling career, rise to fame and the eventual downward spiral that left him physically and emotionally crippled. Amid a flurry of public appearances and book signings, Luger takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his life, career and recovery.

I have to say I was surprisingly impressed with Wrestling with the Devil. You don’t shy away from any touchy subjects, and I’m sure it was difficult to condense so many years of your life into a relatively short book. How did you decide which parts of your life needed be told in this book?

It hits some highlights and lowlights. We just went chronologically and put as much as we could in there. The publisher wanted about 200 pages, so we had to trim it down from there. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. The reason we did the book was Evangelical, so we were very pleased with how they handled the first part of the book and just really laserbeamed it out at the end with the gospel.

Why was it important for you to include more about your faith towards the end of the book rather than start with that?

Well, I didn’t have any faith. I was just retelling my story as it was and bringing you along with me. That was how they wanted to do it, so if somebody who was lost like I was for 47 years of my life – I was basically an atheist who believed in evolution and science – could read the book and come along with the wrestling story and my personal story, then we’d drive them towards the gospel at the end.

It’s also interesting to hear how you came up with the name Lex Luger and the Torture Rack as your finishing move. When you talk about how that came to be your signature maneuver you refer to the guy who suggested it simply as “a technician”. Was there a conscious reason for not providing this wrestler’s name or was it just a detail you were unable to recall?

It was Dusty Rhodes. Well, it was kind of a conglomeration of different guys; they saw I could do it in the ring, they thought I looked great and they thought that should be my finish. It wasn’t one individual, and it wasn’t a unique move that had never been done before.

Yeah, you mention Dusty Rhodes and some of the other people that were involved in coming up with the Torture Rack name, but the person who actually suggested it to the group is simply referred to as “a technician”.

It started out as the back breaker, but I think it was the announcers that actually started calling it the Torture Rack. They embellished upon it, so it kind of evolved. That’s just how things work in wrestling.

The wrestling industry tends to be a fertile breeding ground for dark stories like the ones you tell in this book. Do you think you would have gone down the same paths in life had you stuck with football or gone into some other profession?

I’m sure my life would have been somewhat different. But as far as the paths I was choosing and the seeds I was sowing and being separated from God, which I didn’t realize I was because I was lost, that wouldn’t have been any different whether I had stayed with football or was a Wall Street guy with a lot of money at a young age. The same thing would have happened because I was a lost individual. I’ll never know that because God had me on the path I was on.

You were one of the first big bodybuilder types to get into wrestling, which you also acknowledge in the book. You’re critics have always said you didn’t pay your dues like some of the guys who came before you, but even you point out that the first wrestling show you attended was the first one in which you competed. Given the criticism you’ve received over the years, how did you feel about addressing that topic in the book?

Well, I really don’t feel that I need to address it. Everybody’s welcome to their opinions. I was what I was and I focused on what I was good at, which was looking good in the ring. I always stayed in shape, worked out and kept myself tan, so those were my selling points and my calling card. That’s what I did to the best of my ability and I probably can’t change any of the opinions about my career – it was what it was.

I definitely came in at a great time. They were looking for those types of individuals with the height, the size and the physique. Coming out of football was definitely a great career move at the time because wrestling was phenomenal for 15 years. The things I did outside of the ring, living a double life and not making good decisions, had nothing to do with wrestling, what was done in the ring or the fans. That was phenomenal. I had a great time with that. It’s a fun business.

The wrestling industry has changed a good bit since your career peaked and it has a significantly cleaner image now. What are your thoughts on the way wrestling is presented and perceived now as opposed to when you were still in the business?

It gets better all the time, it’s evolving all the time. It’s a worldwide entertainment industry. It’s global and it’s incredible. When I look at WrestleMania now, it’s incredible how much it’s progressed and grown just in the past ten years. The things the guys do in the ring, it’s always getting better, I think.

Sting has been a big part of your story and wrote the foreword to the book. There’s still always speculation about him finally making the jump to WWE and if he will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He seems to be pretty happy at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at the moment, but what are your thoughts on Sting and how his career has turned out?

He is very happy in TNA and, as a wrestling fan, I’d love to see him finish out his career in WWE. I think a match against the Undertaker or Triple H, or if Shawn Michaels came out of retirement or something like that, would be incredible. No one does it better than WWE – they’re the mack daddy mega wrestling company and he’s never been there. As a wrestling fan, I think it would be very cool. I don’t think he’s against ever doing that – I don’t want to speak for him – but it would be great to see. I’d love to see that.

You inducted Sting into the TNA Hall of Fame last year. If he were to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, what do you think the chances are that he’d ask you to do the induction honors again?

I might be biased, but I’d love to be considered. But that’d be up to Sting. It would definitely be an honor. I’ll throw my hat in the ring for that. I’d love to do that, I really would.

I saw you at a fan fest a few years ago and at that time you had difficulty even signing an autograph. According to your book, you’ve made some significant improvements since then. How are you feeling these days?

Fabulous. I mean, when you’re given the prognosis of being paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of your life, and you need 24-hour care to do the simplest things, I’m very thankful for what I can do. There are still things I can’t do, but I’m always hopeful and my health is great. Thank you for asking.

Any chance we might see you in the ring for one last match?

I sure hope not! I enjoy watching the young guys get in there, but I can’t see me getting back in there. I definitely don’t plan on doing that.

What was your last actual match?

My last official match would have been a tag match with Buff Bagwell in WCW. I did a couple of things after that on the independent circuit, but I very rarely ever got in the ring in any official capacity.

Do you still check out indie wrestling shows at all?

Sometimes. I love to mingle with the fans and watch the shows. I go with Harley Race every once in a while because he does them for charitable causes. I love getting to hang out with Harley. And some of the local ones around Georgia I’ll do just to give something back to the fans and possibly have a few extra fans show up and support the young wrestlers. I don’t do it a lot, but when I do it I enjoy it.

Cru Jones and Shaun Banks, two of Georgia’s top indie talents, were in the commercial you shot for the book. Have you worked with them in any capacity, or have you helped train any other indie wrestlers?

Not them in particular, but I do love to work with the younger guys in the industry and some of the retired guys, as well. I’m definitely looking to help the new guys and help them get off on the right foot, for sure. Scott Hall also lives in the Atlanta area and I have his son Cody come by my condo and we hang out and go to a gym called Hard Knox where we’ve got some young guys starting to work a little bit. We have some fun with that. Why not?

Lex Luger coming August 2013 from Tyndale House Publishers on Vimeo.

It’s great to see the improvements Scott Hall and Jake “The Snake” Roberts have made in their lives since moving to Georgia and working with “Diamond” Dallas Page.

Yeah, he lives right down the street from me! I’m thrilled that he’s in town. He’s a great guy.

Have you tried his DDP Yoga?

I do it every morning!

Now that your book is out, do you have any plans to work on a second book or anything like that?

No plans right now. I’m just basking in the glow of this one being completed. I’m very pleased with the way it turned out. I’ve been doing some book signings and appearance, which you can keep up with at www.lexlugerbook.com.

www.lexlugerbook.com

From DiamondStarHalo jewelry to Turnin’ TriXXX, Jen Belgard conjures macabre magic

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For those looking for jewelry, flasks and other accessories that keep things classy while adding a bit of macabre flair, you’re likely to find just what you’re looking for at Diamond*Star*Halo. From earrings to belt buckles, the ornate creations of Jen Belgard maintain a rococo style while incorporating pop culture icons such as monsters, Muppets and circus performers. But jewelry making isn’t Belgard’s only creative endeavor as she is also involved with a baton-twirling group known as Turnin’ TriXXX and is co-owner of the Atlanta-based boutique known as Libertine. More recently, she has turned her tricks to a darker group of performers known as the Baphomettes, an alluring collection of demonic dames. Regardless of which form her creativity takes, Belgard has been a constant supporter of Monstrosity Championship Wrestling for more than a year. When MCW returns to Club Famous this Friday, there will be several DSH creations available as raffle prizes. As Belgard prepares for her own birthday celebration, she talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about her wares.

For someone just discovering Diamond*Star*Halo, how would you describe your creations? What inspires you aesthetically and how do you choose which form each piece will take on?

Diamond*Star*Halo was born from my love of haunting fairy tales, sideshows, horror/occult art and culture, vintage jewelry and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a collection of accessories for people looking for something out of the ordinary. I like my accessories to set me apart from the crowd. I couldn’t find the things I was looking for so I willed them into being.

You’ve been a supporter of MCW since Wrestling with Pop Culture’s first anniversary last March, with your items being big prizes in the MCW raffles. Why do you think DSH and MCW complement each other so well?

I watched wrestling as a kid. It always struck me as a sideshow soap opera. What’s not to love? The storylines, the over-the-top costumes and antics of wrestlers like Andre the Giant, Ric Flair, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and “Macho Man” Randy Savage drew me in. Adding monsters to the mix makes it all the more amazing. DSH and MCW make perfect sense to me.

Aside from DSH, you also have creative outlets with Turnin’ TriXXX, the Baphomettes and Libertine. There is a thread of similarity between each of these entities, as well as your other endeavors. Which parts of your personality would you say are on display with each of these endeavors?

They really aren’t so different. The common thread is my unwillingness to give up the things I love just because I’ve grown up. I will always let my imagination run away with me. I will always twirl my baton to punk rock and metal. I will always wear costumes, too much makeup and even more hair. Be it Diamond*Star*Halo, Turnin’ TriXXX, the Baphomettes or Libertine these things hold true.

The Baphomettes recently made an appearance at MCW, escorting the mysterious Angel of Death to the ring. What is your connection to this rookie wrestler and what can we expect from him at future MCW events?

Professor Morté asked the Baphomettes to escort the Angel of Death to the ring. Unfortunately, he is not a worthy recipient of the powers bestowed upon the Baphomettes. We have no allegiance to that wrestler.

What does the future hold for DSH, Turnin’ TriXXX, the Baphomettes and any of your other projects? Any new creations or performances coming up?

I have a constant stream of ideas of Diamond*Star*Halo. Something new debuts all the time. Locally, you can find DSH at Junkman’s Daughter, the Oakland Cemetery gift shop, Cherry Blossom Salon, Mysteria Antiques & Oddities, Rutabaga Boutique & Salon and of course, Libertine. DSH is also available online at www.diamondstarhalo.com and a limited selection is available at www.sourpussclothing.com. Turnin’ TriXXX is on hiatus until Halloween. We can’t let the cat of of the bag on those plans quite yet. The Baphomettes have several collaborations and performances coming up. We recently joined the fabulous Blast-Off Burlesque on stage as they presented Taboo-La-La at the Plaza Theatre. We look forward to working with them several more times this year. (Hint, hint: look for their upcoming show in September!) We are also in talks with our fiercely talented friends, the Little Five Points Rock Star Orchestra for a show this summer. More details to come!

“Turbo” Trey Canard is on track to reclaim previous Supercross success

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Being a lifelong dirt biker, “Turbo” Trey Canard‘s motocross career has been filled with tragedy and triumph. Having dedicated his career to his father, who lost his life building a practice track for Ice-Trey when Canard was 13 years old, Canard made his Supercross debut in 2008, winning the East Coast Lites Championship in his rookie year. Adding to the numerous amateur championships he had previously won, Canard was sidelined with an injury in 2009 only to rebound in 2010 by winning the 250 AMA Pro Motocross Championship and receiving the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Rising Star Award. His next two seasons were once again plagued with injuries, with a broken back taking him out of action in 2012. Never one to be discouraged, Canard goes into today’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross race at Cowboys Stadium tied for third place in the points standings before returning to the Georgia Dome on Feb. 23 in hopes of reclaiming the East Coast success he had earlier in his career. But before he does all that, Canard takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the hardships and victories that have made his career such an intriguing story.

Your Supercross career reads much like a storybook with you overcoming various personal tragedies and professional obstacles, yet always remaining on track and moving forward. How much would you say things have changed for you since you first got into this sport?

It has been a bit of a storybook or movie with a lot of adversity. It’s been a neat career for me with some really good times and very bad times. I’m really thankful for all of it. I think it’s really molded me into the person that I’m striving to be.

You started riding at a very young age. What was it that drove to get into motocross?

My older brother and my dad actually rode bikes themselves and it was what we did as a family. We all went out on weekends and rode and had a good time. That was where it all started was just enjoying that time together with family. It was just what we all enjoyed doing.

Does your brother still ride motocross?

I have an older brother and a younger brother. My younger brother doesn’t ride too much; he plays basketball and football. But my older brother still rides when he can get off work and still enjoys it. He just does it for fun, but he works for a production company that helps produce some of the events I’m in. So I see him here and there and he comes to quite a few of the races.

You haven’t had the best of luck the past few season, but you’re off to a great start this season, currently ranked third in the Supercross standings. What might you attribute this strong resurgence to?

Yeah, I’m tied for third right now. It’s been a pretty amazing year for me. I’ll be in Arlington Feb. 16 and we race straight up until Easter weekend, then there are a few more after that. But it’s really going great. It’s awesome because I’m tied for third in points and I’m really thankful for that. Hopefully I’ll continue to do well.

Given the success you’ve had so far this season, how are you approaching your upcoming races in Arlington, Atlanta and so on? Are you going to just stick to doing things the way you’ve been doing them since that seems to be working well for you?

I’m really excited to get back on the East Coast and getting into the domes and that whole atmosphere. In domes, the dirt really stays a lot better. Out in California we’re in baseball stadiums that aren’t covered, so their are elements like rain and mud and the dirt is a little bit harder because the sun hits it all the time. I also like Southern hospitality and the great group of people that comes to watch. I’ll also be going back home to Oklahoma during the week, so that will be a good change of pace for me. But as far as the races go, I’m just going to go in there and do my best and let that be the result for me. Hopefully I won’t get too discouraged if I don’t do well. So I’m just going to do my best and hope it all ends well.

Are there other particular riders that you would consider to be your rivals this season?

We’re all fairly close in points and everything. Davi Millsaps has really surprised a lot of guys and taken the series by storm. I don’t really have any rivals. I just go out there and race as hard as I can and shake hands afterwards.

www.treycanard.com

Wrestling with Pop Culture has two pairs of tickets to this Saturday’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross event (including the pre-show pit party) at the Georgia Dome. Comment below with the name of your all-time favorite motorcycle rider to be entered to win a pair of tickets and pit passes. Winners will be chosen by 5 p.m. EST Feb. 22.

Madusa can still crush cars with the best of them in Monster Jam

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For the past 12 years, Madusa has been a female standout in the man’s world of monster truck driving. But with an illustrious 18-year wrestling career prior to that, and a reputation for being a Harley-riding gearhead, the transition from wrestling to Monster Jam was a natural one. On Feb. 16 she returns to the Georgia Dome, where she has developed a reputation for being one of the most entertaining freestyle drivers with car-crushing abilities that rival any other driver. As she navigated the streets of Atlanta on Valentine’s Day (threatening to kick my ass for missing a couple of turns), Madusa called Wrestling with Pop Culture to discuss the current state of women’s wrestling, how Monster Jam compares to wrestling and the chances that she might someday return to the ring (even making a joke about the infamous World Championship Wrestling Monday Nitro incident where she dropped the World Wrestling Federation Women’s Championship into a garbage can in 1995).

You’re about a month and a half into the 2013 season. How has this year been treating you thus far?

Like every year, our first quarter is the busiest with January, February and March, ending March 23 with the World Finals in Las Vegas. That has turned into a three-day circus celebration of entertainment. Their motto is “It’s all about the fans,” and fans are important. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for the fans. However, there are some long days at the World Finals. Before you even race you are worn out from signing autographs. After that, you have a week or so off and you just wait to see if you’re booked for some international shows. We travel all over the world now, so it’s a lot like wrestling.

The World Finals sound a lot like WrestleMania.

Yes, it is a lot like WrestleMania.

Speaking of WrestleMania, about a year ago you put out a challenge to Beth Phoenix for the WWE Women’s Championship belt you still possess. Now that she’s out of WWE, has there been any additional talks about that?

We tweeted back and forth a few times and I wish her the best. It’s a shame that they let such a great talent go. She looks good, can wrestle and can cut a promo, and that’s hard to find anymore. It was a bad day for pro wrestling when she left. I do still have the title. They never stripped it from me or yanked it from me and we never had a match for it. It is what it is. I’m still the champion, always was, always will be.

Since WWE no longer acknowledges the Women’s Championship, having replaced it with the Divas Championship, what are the chances that you might actually defend your title in a WWE ring someday?

That Divas Division is like going to a candy store and picking out your favorite lollipop. Which flavor do I get to suck on next? That’s nothing against the girls personally. Everyone loves what they do and it’s entertaining. Vince [McMahon] is a marketing genius, so he’s doing something right with those chicks and they don’t mind doing it. So, whatever works. But I would like to go in there and clean house. I don’t want to get back into wrestling long term and get out there and bump on the mat all the time. I already did that. But to make cameo appearances every once in a while and shake things up? Yeah!

It was recently announced that Trish Stratus will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. What are your thoughts on her induction as a female wrestler?

I think the Hall of Fame is a genius idea – another money-making machine. How they choose, why they choose or the order that they choose, I have no idea. Who cares? If someone lives up to a wrestling persona, then they go into the Hall of Fame. Why shouldn’t anybody that’s wrestled before be in it? That’s how I feel. I don’t care what order they go in if it’s somebody important that made a dent in pro wrestling.

Have there ever been any talks of you being inducted into the Hall of Fame?

They haven’t contacted me about the Hall of Fame, but they have contacted me a couple of times since I retired in 2001 about coming back. But who knows? Maybe they’re just waiting for the right time to induct me. I can see my intro now, my dear. I would call Waste Management and every truck around and I would bring every garbage can there is. I think you know what I mean.

Back to Monster Jam. Has Madusa been showing up the boys on the tracks this year?

Absolutely. They don’t call me the Queen of Carnage for nothing. This Saturday I’m in Atlanta, which I think is sold out. Isn’t that insane? I think it’s great, though. They have ten, 12, 14, 16 trucks or whatever they’ve got and they have this huge pit party. But it’s a good time. You can’t go to any other entertainment event and get as many pictures and autographs and fan interaction with the talent than you can here.

Last year was Grave Digger‘s 30th anniversary and this year Maximum Destruction celebrates a decade of devastation. When will we be seeing Monster Jam celebrate Madusa’s anniversary?

Yeah, go figure. Let’s talk about this men and women stuff. We got 30 years of Digger and rightfully so for Dennis [Anderson]. He deserves all the recognition he gets. Then we have Max-D, which is ten years. Tom Meents has probably actually been driving for about 20 years, but Max-D has only been around for ten years and he drove Goldberg for the first two years. But Madusa’s been with them for 12 years. Where’s my anniversary? Woman in a man’s business again – first for 18 years, now for 12 years. It’s just unreal.

Have you addressed these concerns with anyone at Monster Jam?

No, but I’m sure my fans would love to have a Madusa anniversary party.

Given the things you’ve already accomplished in wrestling and monster trucks, what else might Madusa want to do?

There’s another niche that I’m into right now that will slowly be revealed to the world. It’s exciting and something new. It doesn’t mean I’m closing the doors on anything else. I just finished some certification degrees and I’ve been into fitness and wellness my whole life. I’m a wellness life coach for cancer patients and I educate people and help people with today’s health fads and healthy choices. It’s just re-educating everybody that we can eat what we want, but better, and there are better and right choices. That’s just a little bit of it.

www.madusa.com

Christian Clark is out for blood and lust in Atlanta Ballet’s “Dracula”

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Christian Clark accurately portrays Dracula's monstrous sophistication. Photo by Charlie McCullers, Atlanta Ballet.

Since choreographer Michael Pink first offered his balletic treatment of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1997, the tale of the ultimate bloodsucker has danced its way across more ballet stages than you can shake a bat at. Through Feb. 16, the Atlanta Ballet exhumes this tale of tragedy and blood lust for the first time in five years. Though he is returning to this dark Valentine’s tradition for the fourth time, this year mark’s Christian Clark’s first time playing the terrifying title role. With Dracula having three alternating casts, Clark also plays the cowboy Quincy Morris, giving him two drastically different perspectives from one night to the next. Having played both roles during the show’s opening days last weekend, Clark talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his conflicting roles in one of literature’s most enduring love stories.

Given the obvious differences between the two characters you portray, how do you prepare for playing each role?

They are very different. The good thing about the two roles is they’re very related to one another. So when I’m not doing Dracula, it’s easy to transition into the other role because throughout the ballet Quincy Morris, alongside Dr. Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker and Arthur, is hunting him. So the story is very interwoven in that way. That change between characters is pretty seamless and not too challenging.

That’s interesting considering the drastically different mindsets of the characters, though I guess they do share the same objects of affection.

This is the fourth time I’ve done this ballet, so I’m pretty familiar with the ins and outs, the intricacies of the music and the whole thing. Had this been my first time doing this production of Dracula, it might have been a bit more challenging. But we’ve done this ballet so many times that I’m very familiar with it.

Have you played these same roles in previous years?

I didn’t do Dracula before. Last time we did it I understudied Dracula. This is the second time I’ve played Quincy, and I’ve done a slew of other characters such as the undead, the holiday couple in Whitby, one of the villagers in Transylvania.

In the years that you’ve been involved with this production, how much does it change from one year to the next?

Christian Clark delves into Draculas more predatory side. Photo by K. Kenney.

Michael Pink, the choreographer, has elaborated a bit more on the little details of each character, so there are minor changes in that way. They did just relight the ballet, so the lighting is actually quite a bit different. I feel Dave Grill’s lighting is just spectacular.

The lighting in this show definitely adds to the spectacle, especially in the scenes with Renfield is in his cell and the effect of light shining through his window.

Grill is a master when it comes to lighting and that all helps you get into character when you feel like all the elements are coming together: the lighting, the makeup, the orchestra. If all the parts aren’t fitting together, it’s a bit hard to find yourself on stage and in character.

Dracula is one of the most reinterpreted stories ever. How does this show and that character compare to other ballet roles you’ve played? Why do you think Dracula is such an enduring story?

All the elements of the story are probably why people keep wanting us to do it again. You’ve really got something for everybody. There’s the horrific side of it, and that’s terrifying in some ways. There’s action, adventure, lust, romance, passion – I just think the book and the story have all those elements that make up a truly great and visually-pleasing story to be on stage. Some other classical ballets that we do don’t have all those elements to keep people drawn in. Some girls and older women really like Swan Lake, but you might have a hard time drawing a guy’s attention into a show like that. Whereas in Dracula there really is something for everybody.

One thing I really enjoy about this production is it is one of the more accurate portrayals of the Dracula character from the book. There have been several interpretations, but he is usually portrayed as an almost gentlemanly romantic rather than a monster. How do you go about portraying this character through dance?

Christian Clark gets animalistic in his portrayal of Dracula. Photo by Charlie McCullers, Atlanta Ballet.

Exactly. A lot of the choreography that Michael Pink has done was meant to look almost like an animal. There are times that are meant to mimic a wolf, there are times that are times when our steps imitate a bat, so it’s actually pretty fun because you tap into a very primal side of yourself. I think not having inhibitions out on stage and not being worried about the technical side of each step that you’re doing, but having the source of that feeling coming from those ideas of animalism and brute strength and a lust for blood is interesting.

Dracula runs through this Saturday. What’s next for you?

I’m really excited about David Bintley‘s Carmina Burana. We’re doing Ohad Naharin‘s Minus 16 before that and I’m really excited about that one. Our resident choreographer Helen Pickett has done two pieces that we’re doing this season. One of them is called Prayer of Touch, which I did last year and am really excited to do again. Her other ballet, which I wasn’t in last time, is called Petal and it was one of my favorite things I’ve seen the company do in a long time. Hopefully this go round I might get a chance to do that one.

Captain America is off to a Fortune-ate start this Monster Jam season

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Following a brief stint in the National Football League and the World League of American Football, Chad Fortune spent a fleeting few years in the World Wrestling Federation as one half of Tekno Team 2000 before an equally brief couple of years in World Championship Wrestling. Though his wrestling career was somewhat short-lived, it did give him an opportunity to parlay his athletic talents into a new field, first as the spokesperson for the NWO truck in 1999, then as the driver of the WCW Nitro Machine in 2000. But it wasn’t until 2005 that Fortune found his calling as the very Clark Kent-looking driver got behind the wheel of the Superman truck, where he remained until 2011. Having switched to the Captain America truck last year, Fortune is off to a successful 2013 thus far. He talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about continuing that success in the most heroic manner possible.

You’ve been a monster truck driver for 13 years now, which is much longer than your pro wrestling career was. What was the transition from the ring to the monster truck world like?

You know, it’s amazing where life takes you. I grew up playing football and basketball, went to college and played football, then went on to play a couple of years pro and in Europe. Then I went off into pro wrestling and here I am driving monster trucks. Monster trucks are the best of both worlds of what I was into. With the physical challenge and the one-on-one competition of the racing part of monster trucks, you’re out there trying to prove that you’re the best. Then there’s the freestyle, which is entertainment. You might think you’re just out there driving the truck and going over jumps and stuff, but everybody’s gotten so good at what we do that we have to do it better and more exciting than anybody else, which is what pro wrestling is about. It’s the entertainment side and putting that combination together, you have the highs and lows and wow factors that when you’re about to crash and you make the save, it’s like kicking out of a three count. Then you come back and get bigger air in the end and, for me, you finish your finale on the biggest pile of junk. Then I get out as Captain America with the shield and I pose. It really is the biggest expression of entertainment you can have.

When you first got into driving monster trucks, you had a truck that was made especially for your larger frame. Appropriately enough, it was the WCW Nitro Machine.

Yeah. I’m 6’6″ and about 250 pounds. A lot of the guys seem to be smaller and more compact and fit into the average truck chassis. They’re built small for safety reasons and the roll cages are tight. Being so tall, I don’t fit in any random truck. So they built me a truck specifically with the gauges tucked down underneath the roll cage to give me the maximum space, and the roll cage is spread out a little farther. It’s still very small in there for me, but nevertheless, it’s made for me. It was a WCW truck in the beginning, then it was the Karl Malone truck, the Power Forward. That was the same chassis I had up until last year, when we built a brand new truck. So that truck was about 12 years old when I retired it and it was way out of date.

Last year was your first year driving Captain America. Last year also ended up not being your best year. Do you attribute that to switching trucks at all?

I had a great start last year, but I got rocked pretty good at a show in Houston where I had a pretty bad rollover. That wrenched my neck a little bit and I had some shock issues we were trying to work out. So I started out doing well and around the middle of the season it tapered off to being average. Because it was a new truck, it was landing a bit rough and we had to work out some issues. But we’re good this year. Everything’s been going really well.

Being that you look so much like Superman, especially in that Superman jumpsuit, you seemed like a perfect fit to drive that truck. Why did you decide to switch to the Captain America truck?

I had been with Superman for about eight years and I started getting comfortable with the character and relying just on the entertainment. When it was announced that Marvel was coming out with a new truck, I thought it might be something fresh. It was a brand new truck, so I would get a new chassis, a new motor and everything. I had some input into the designs of the truck, so it’s a little bit different truck body. It’s more of a futuristic concept body with LED lights and it’s a really good-looking truck. I saw it as a challenge. Having been Superman for so long, the young fans knew me as Superman. But I’ve retained some fans as Captain America and now I come out with a shield and I wear a star on my chest rather than the S. It’s actually been working out really well. People were a little disappointed at first because I had done Superman for so long, but after they saw the new truck and the stuff I was doing with it, a lot of my fans are excited about what’s going on.

Either way, the superhero theme seems quite fitting considering your background as a wrestler, which is probably the closest thing to a real-life superhero as you’re going to get.

I take it that way. I really want to live up to everything. My training as a wrestler and a football player hasn’t changed. I take it very seriously. The way it feels being in this truck with 1,500 horsepower, it is as close as you can get to being a superhero. You have super strength, you’re crushing cars, you’re flying and you can get these things moving pretty quick. It’s like being a real superhero and it’s a lot of fun.

What have been some of your biggest accomplishments so far this season and what are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?

Our first show was in Tacoma, Washington, where I was a race champion and scored pretty well in freestyle. I’ve been in the top three or four in freestyle at every show since then. There’s a new Ukraine tire out this year with real deep grooves. I’m still running on the older style tire, which is smoother, and it just doesn’t seem like it’s getting the same traction as these other ones and I’m getting beaten in that way. I’m not trying to make excuses, I’ll just have to focus a little harder on the turns and make sure I have the grip. I’m getting ready to go to California for the second show in Anaheim at Angel Stadium. They do things a little bit differently on the West Coast where there’s a figure-eight track. The dirt seems to be a little bit more loose out there, so with the tires I have I do a little bit more skating. I think I’m figuring it out, which is going to be good for this weekend. The following weekend I’m in St. Louis, then the weekend after that I’m in Atlanta. St. Louis is the same style track as Atlanta and it will be a great opportunity to get back in the groove and prepare for Atlanta.

www.monsterjam.com

Thanks to Mick Foley, Christmas is far from “Mizerable” for illustrator Josh Adams

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From his comic book illustrations for DC Comics‘ House of Mystery and IDW Publishing‘s Doctor Who to his design work for Syfy and WWE, Josh Adams is no stranger to to the fantastical realms of superheroes, time traveling and pro wrestling. This Christmas, Adams received an early present when he was asked to illustrate Mick Foley‘s latest children’s book, A Most Mizerable Christmas. Having previously drawn the likes of Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger and Christopher Daniels, you might think that illustrating a book featuring The Miz, CM Punk, Wade Barrett, Sheamus and other WWE superstars and divas would be a simple task. But this book offered a unique challenge in that Adams was creating these wrestlers as children, not in their current incarnations. Being a WWE fan, Adams was definitely up for the challenge and has helped create a new Christmas tale for wrestling fans of all ages. Here, Adams takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the challenges A Most Mizerable Christmas presented and how he was able to effectively execute his artistic finishing maneuvers.

Though you are no stranger to the wrestling world, A Most Mizerable Christmas is your first collaboration with Mick Foley. How did this collaboration come about and how did the process of illustrating Foley’s story work?

This is, indeed, our first collaboration. I wasn’t actually the first artist on the book. It wasn’t until July that I was brought onto the project after difficulty finding the right artist for a project. Jill Thompson recommended me. It was a weird encounter. Jill and I were both guests at Comic-Con International and our tables were down the aisle from each other. Jill came up to my table with a cell phone and asked me what my schedule was like. At first I thought she meant my schedule at the con, but then I realized she meant for an actual gig. I had just finished doing an issue of Doctor Who so I was free. Jill handed me her cell phone and on the other line was Mick Foley. Mick told me he had a lot of work and not a lot of time and wanted to know if I could handle the work. I had to scour the convention floor to find a watercolor set to do samples. It was a MacGyver moment if I ever had one, but that night I was able to finish some samples, email them to Mick, and just three weeks later I was turning in the final pages of A Most Mizerable Christmas. By the time I was brought on to the project there really were only three weeks till the deadline and a lot of art to do, so for my sake everything was already scripted, along with descriptions of what images should correspond with the text. There wasn’t a lot of time for Mick and I to go back and forth with different ideas, but thankfully after I finished a few pages of art, everyone felt we were in step with each other’s expectations.

Drawing WWE wrestlers is nothing new for, you but I believe A Most Mizerable Christmas is the first time you’ve drawn child versions of them. How did that compare to the previous wrestler illustrations you’ve done? How does drawing wrestlers compare to the superhero and fantasy stuff you do?

WWE Champion CM Punk is apparently a fan of "A Most Mizerable Christmas" artist Josh Adams. Photo by Saori Tsujimoto.

This is certainly the first time I have drawn child versions of professional wrestlers. Outside of children’s book illustration, there aren’t many opportunities that call for that kind of thing. The difficulty with doing the kid versions is that it’s not like drawing real kids. They’re cartoons, all with bubble heads and wearing kid clothes. One of the toughest was CM Punk. Here’s a guy who has piercings, facial hair and tattoos and I can’t illustrate any of them in this book. Drawing the wrestlers as you see them in reality is much easier for me and I’ve had a lot of experience with that. The real fun thing for me is that these men and women are like comic book characters and as a professional and as a fan I can appreciate the relationship that exists between the two. I’ve also found that many wrestlers are comic book fans, as well. My first wrestling-related job was illustrating a comic book for Rob Van Dam and it only grew from there, doing illustrations for Christopher Daniels, Stevie Richards, Daffney, storyboarding those artsy commercials that aired on Syfy for ECW and designing the print ads for SmackDown. My career has become quite inadvertently associated with wrestling, mainly because of my love for wrestling. There was actually one week last year where I was interviewed for Impact Wrestling one day and then the next day bagged by Cody Rhodes on WWE.com.

In much the same way that WWE allows us to escape to a comic book-like reality, Christmas is a magical time of year for most people. What attracted you to doing a Christmas book featuring WWE stars?

Much like a professional wrestler evolves his character over time to keep the product from getting stale, I always like to try different things and change directions when the opportunity presents itself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. When this opportunity presented itself, I had never done anything remotely like it and the style of work I was doing at the time was as photorealistic as you could get. So the transition was drastic. It was even the first time I did a job using watercolor! But I am comfortable when there is a lot of pressure to make the deadline under crazy circumstances. I’ve been to a few signings with Mick and we usually make our way through 300-plus books. The truly amazing and humbling thing is that people are buying this book as a Christmas gift for a child or a loved one. In the end, regardless of the content, how famous the author is, the experience doing the work, nothing affected me more than the fact that people happily paid money without the bat of an eyelash to buy the book as a holiday gift for someone. A friend of mine who is a school teacher bought copies for all the teachers he works with to read to their class. That means a lot to me.

This book is a morality tale that uses WWE personas to illustrate a positive message. But as is often the case with WWE, many of these characters (The Miz and CM Punk in particular) have had some changes in attitude since this book came out. Do you think The Miz may have learned a lesson from being the antagonist in this book? Do you think CM Punk should maybe take a second look at the book to remember the example his character set?

I’d have loved to have seen CM Punk resemble the character in our book on television, but business is business and as much as we fans love to grumble at the TV when we think we could do it better, those guys and girls in the WWE put together an amazing product that is unmatchable these days. Having been backstage at their shows and up to their offices in Stamford, I have seen such a well-oiled machine that makes it really shine at producing live entertainment every week that is both exciting and family friendly. It was cool to see Miz start to resemble the change that we put in the book, though.

In the acknowledgements section of the book, you thank Jerry Lawler, who is an incredible artist in addition to being a wrestler, and Jill Thompson, who has worked with Foley previously. How much would you say these two artists inspired you and how did their art influence the illustrations you did for this book?

"A Most Mizerable Christmas" artist Josh Adams also illustrates the "Doctor Who" comic book. Photo by Patrick Robert.

I’ve known Jerry Lawler for a number of years and he is one of the most amazing people you could have the chance to meet. He’s got such a quick mind. Listening to him on commentary is evidence of that, but then you see his illustrations. I’m a guy who has devoted his life to illustration, and he is a professional wrestler and commentator with a very busy schedule who somehow manages to find time to create beautiful work. It’s like if I decided to hop in the ring one day and work a 40-minute main event-style match on pay-per-view. Jerry just has that creative and ambitious edge that makes him a threat in anything he tries. All the while he is one of the sweetest and most humble guys you could ever meet. Jill Thompson is one of the coolest artists I know. She has a versatility about her work that allows her to traverse genre and tone with ease, and her skills with watercolor are to die for. She very much mentored me through the early stages of this book and helped me find the style for the characters. It couldn’t have been done without her guidance and obviously I never would have had the opportunity if she hadn’t believed I was able to handle it.

Now that this book is out, what other projects do you have out or coming out in the near future?

I have been working on a few issues of Doctor Who for IDW Publishing, which will be out in January and February. Doctor Who is a great series for families. I’ve got a graphic novel that I’m working on and a webcomic series in the works as well, which are both for older audiences. But I have been excited about any opportunity to do more wrestling-related work, as well as more children’s book work.

www.whatwouldjoshdo.com