Tyson Dean takes it to "Hard Luck" Harrison at MGCW's first TV taping. Photo courtesy MGCW

 

By Jonathan Williams

With live shows every month or so and monthly TV tapings airing on Saturdays on SBN TV, Mid Georgia Championship Wrestling is quickly becoming one of the most active indie wrestling promotions in the Atlanta area. And even though he hasn’t even been wrestling for a year yet, one of the most promising wrestlers on the MGCW roster is Tyson Dean. With the managerial acumen of “Screamin'” Marty Freeman, Dean has had some impressive showings in MGCW as of late, most notably in the tournament to crown the first MGCW Television Champion. After two impressive victories at last month’s TV tapings, Dean looks to continue advancing in the TV title tournament, which comes to a conclusion at June’s Bash at the Bridge event. In the meantime, Dean will be part of this weekend’s Saturday Night Wrestling event at Stockbridge High School, as well as MGCW’s next set of TV tapings at People TV on Sunday. As he prepares for these two big events, Dean takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about getting into the wrestling business and his goal of becoming MGCW’s first Television Champion.

Over the past few months, you’ve really started to make a name for yourself in MGCW. Have you wrestled in other promotions or do you mostly just work for MGCW?

I’ve primarily worked for MGCW. We did a little bit of stuff with Platinum Championship Wrestling a few months ago, when Andy Anderson and Shane Marx [had a feud]. I’ve done a few tag matches, worked with Renegade Championship Wrestling up in Chatsworth and Championship Wrestling Overload down in Milledgeville, but that was really more of just a ringside thing with Andy Anderson than me actually working there.

Did you train with MGCW or did you get your start elsewhere?

Andy and I have known each other for around 20 years now. I ran into him at a show MGCW was putting on and got to talking and he knew that I had a background in boxing and Sambo. I had been a wrestling fan since I was a kid, so he opened the door for me and asked if I wanted to come over and train with them. That’s how I got started.

So has Andy Anderson been the only person to train you?

I’ve done work with Andy and we’ve done a little bit of work with Tommy Rich. The athletic part’s the easy part, but to get the insight of a guy who’s been around that long, that was really cool getting to work with him.

You’re currently competing in the tournament to become the first MGCW Television Champion, and have had a good showing thus far. What would it mean to you to become the first MGCW TV Champion?

Oh, it’d mean everything, especially since it comes so close to the end of my first full year as a pro wrestler. It would be awesome to cap it off by becoming the first MGCW TV Champion.

How would you say that title compares to the MGCW Heavyweight Championship currently held by your friend Andy Anderson?

I think it will be a good stepping stone for the guys on the rise. It will mean a lot because it will primarily be defended at the TV tapings. So for a guy like me who is less than a year in, it would be an awesome stepping stone to one day maybe having a run at the heavyweight title.

You have two shows coming up this weekend. You’ll be competing in the TV title tournament again on Sunday, but do you have a match at the show on Saturday?

There are a couple of names that have been thrown out there, but no one has been confirmed for Saturday yet. The names that I’ve heard are guys that I’m really trying to get in the ring with. They’re guys that I’ve seen work live and seen video of and I think it’s something I’m going to have an awesome time with and the people there should really be entertained by it.

You also recently employed “Screamin'” Marty Freeman as your manager. What role does he play in your career at the moment?

I had seen Marty at the Platinum shows and got to talking to him and just always liked his ring presence and how he handles his guys. He’s just gold on the mic and seeing him pick up and say a lot of things for me better than I could ever say them myself, that’s why I really value Marty.

Everywhere else I’ve seen him work, he and his wrestlers use some pretty dirty tactics. But with you he seems to take a different approach. Why is that?

What he told me when I approached him about being my manager was that there was a short list of guys in MGCW that he’d be interested in managing and I was at the top of that list. He thought it would be something that would be new for him, but something that we’d definitely both benefit from.

Who do you anticipate being your biggest challenge in the TV title tournament?

Mr. X. He’s like me – new to the sport, hungry and a big strong guy. He moves well for a guy his size and I think it will be a good match should we get matches up.

MGCW’s Saturday Night Wrestling. $5-$10. 8 p.m. May 21. Stockbridge High School, 1151 Old Conyers Road, Stockbridge, Ga. 770-474-8747.  

MGCW TV tapings. Free. 3 p.m. May 22. People TV, 190 14th Street NW, Atlanta, Ga. 404-873-6712, www.mgcwnow.com.