World Wrestling Network presents
Jeff Peterson Cup X
Friday, December 14, 2012 - 8 PM Bell Time
Saturday, December 15, 2012 - 6 PM Bell Time
The Orpheum
1915 E. 7th Avenue
Ybor City, FL
The tenth annual and final Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup.
The event was established to honor the memory of independent wrestler "All American" Jeff Peterson who died at age 21 after a two-year battle with leukemia.
It is a standard 16-man single-elimination tournament intended to showcase the top junior heavyweight wrestlers from independent promotions throughout the United States and Japan.
Many top independent wrestlers have participated in the event with former winners including Reckless Youth (2003), Justice (2004), Chris Sabin (2005), Milano Collection AT (2006), Chris Hero (2007), Erick Stevens (2008), Davey Richards (2009), Sami Callihan (2010) and AR Fox (2011)
Jimmy- Welcome
readers to the first of hopefully many explosive and ground breaking
interviews via social networking for Perspectives of the Common Fan. I
have with me my good friend and professional wrestler Cruz of Los Ben Dejos. How are you today sir?
Cruz- I'm good man. How are you doing?
Jimmy- Great man, can't complain here. Appreciate you taking the
time to stop by and talk about the upcoming Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup X
iPPV airing over at WWNLive.com on December 14th and 15th. What can
viewers expect to see at each of those events?
Cruz- Everyone
that attends or tunes in via WWNLive.com are going to be treated to the
best wrestlers the independent scene has to offer. the JPC has always
been about showcasing up and coming talent whilst honoring Jeff
Peterson, who lost his battle with leukemia. Its grown into this sort of
launching pad for talent all over the world, and this year it will be
no different.
Jimmy- Awesome,
and each night only is only $9.99 for the Live Viewing or $14.99 for
Live AND On-Demand so you can watch it again and again. Bell times are 8
PM on Friday and 6 PM on Saturday correct?
Cruz- That's
correct. For those who live in Florida, I implore you to come out to
The Orpheum in Ybor on both nights. Not only is it the LAST JPC ever,
it's also acting as a fundraiser for Nathan Dobbs who has medical bills
that need to be taken care of. ALL proceeds, from the gate to the iPPV
buys go to him and his family.
Jimmy- It's
always great to see organizations come together and give back like
that. Sounds like a great show and this is an event has never seemed to
be short on talent. The likes of Chris Sabin and Chris Hero won some of
the earlier events and more recently some break-out talent like Sami
Callihan in 2010 and AR Fox in 2011 took the cup. Like you said with
this being the last year of the event it would seem that it's even more
important to support those causes now. How did you come about finding out that being on the show?
Cruz- I
rolled over from a terrible nights sleep and saw a text from Jay, the
other half of our amazeballs team, that just said "We're in this years
JPC"... I pretty much laid there for a few minutes until I actually
grasped what he sent. It's pretty surreal. Internally, it's always been
on my so called "wrestling bucket list". We were part of the event last
year, but just for a tag team battle royal. While grateful for the
opportunity, that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to actually be IN the
tournament and sharing the ring with these amazing talents. Now its
finally happening, and its the last one ever, so it makes it even more
special in my eyes.
Jimmy- Hell of a way to correct a bad night's sleep I would say! Well congrats to both of your for the opportunity and I'm sure your match will be one that can't be missed. Has any of the actual card been revealed yet? If not you can of course give that news here for the wrestling world to see... Just an idea. One to ponder over for the next few seconds at least.
Cruz- Not at all! I don't think all of the entrants have been revealed as of yet either. I honestly prefer it that way though. You've got international standouts like Samuray del Sol, AR Fox and Jonathan Gresham mixing it up with amazing local talent like Mike Cruz, Eddie Rios, Greek God Papadon, Lince Dorado, and John Silver. The possibilities for amazing matches are endless. This is a rare occasion for Los Ben Dejos because we are actually splitting up for just this weekend to test our mettle against these amazing athletes. Sometimes you get the stigma of "oh, they're just tag guys".. Now we get the chance to prove to the world that we can go; singles or otherwise.
Jimmy- Yeah I think it's gotta be something you and Jay Rios have got to be clamoring for since you started. iPPV is
definitely becoming a huge part of wrestling and I think WWNLive
personally has done it better than anyone else over the last year or
two. And this isn't your first stint on iPPV either correct? I believe
Los Ben Dejos were on an Evolve or Dragon Gate USA show this year as
well but the event just slipped my mind. I know, I'm a failure.
Cruz- That's
correct. We actually were part of DGUSA's Mercury Rising 2012 card in
Miami, FL which was shown on iPPV. It was an awesome experience to be
part of such a great show with one of the most talented locker rooms in
the world.
Jimmy- Ah,
that's right. I remember watching that and being like "Holy Crap, I
know them!". I can't imagine what that must've felt like either.
DGUSA has certainly made a pretty big jump with putting their shows on
iPPV and doing a great job with the quality as well. Not to dive too
deep behind the curtain but what was that experience like being with
that group of guys? And ladies for that matter.
Cruz- I believe they've set the bar for iPPV's and they've done a great job. As far as the locker room goes, it was business as usual. We've been fortunate enough to have been able to share locker rooms with upstarts and bonafied legends before, and it's always a treat. Being there doesn't make us feel bigger than what we are, but at the same time, we were there for a reason. The DGUSA locker room welcomed us with open arms when they didn't really have to, considering we aren't part of their main roster. Im grateful for that. It's all been a positive experience so far.
Jimmy- That's
fantastic. Nice to hear some positive things about any locker room and
from my conversations with Gabe Sapolsky he really seems to want to push
that iPPV technology envelope and I hope for the sake of everyone out
there looking for any bookings that it works out for them. He seems to
be very hands on as well and is very active in social media, especially
with responding to fan opinions on his product.
Cruz- Definitely.
The wrestling business model has changed with the advent of social
media. There is no other choice but to embrace it. I believe he's done
that very well.
Jimmy- Agreed,
agreed. Now to shift just a bit, do you watch other company's on a
regular basis? I'll keep it positive in this case since it's always easy
to pick apart much of what we see, but if so what gets you to keep
coming back every week? Whether it be WWE, TNA, or anyone else for that
matter.
Cruz- I do. I believe that to be successful in whatever you do in life; you have to prepare for it. In my case, its wrestling. I watch whatever I can get my hands on. Not as much as id like, due to being an adult and actually having to leave the house once in a while, but still. WWE, TNA, ROH, DGUSA, Evolve, NJPW, Zero 1, Mexico, etc, etc. I have tapes and such, but YouTube is a wonderful thing. Anything and everything is on there. I choose to study my craft whenever I can. Its borderline unhealthy sometimes!
Jimmy- Adult
lives?! I call Hogwash on that sir! But alas, that is true for many of
us. This is why time machines or any device that stops time needs to
exist in order for us to be able to fit in everything. I'll start a
Kickstarter Campaign and send you the link. I expect you to tell all
your friends! But yeah that's really the key, any craft requires study
and kudos for doing your homework. I think you've mentioned this before
but correct me if I'm wrong, you always looked up to a WWE Hall of Famer
known as Mr. Wrestlemania?
Cruz- Yeah.
He's definitely one of my "go to" guys to watch. I grew up watching him
and I've always tried to emulate his in ring style. For better or worse!
Cruz and Rios
Jimmy- Not a bad person to emulate my friend, not at all. Wrapping up the wrestling chatter, what are your thoughts on WrestleCon 2013? I thought it was a great idea when it was announced and I'm sure you'd have to be included in way, shape or form. I say if ComiCon exists, why can't WrestleCon? Good times to be had by all I say.
Cruz- I think it's an excellent idea. The world will already have its sight set on the NY/NJ area Wrestlemania weekend and this is a great way to introduce fans who aren't "independent savvy" to product they would have otherwise never known about. Its a win/win for everyone.
Jimmy- Ah,
you're such the tease! But exactly, with that huge market exposure is
the key word and I think that's a hug, epic win for Independent
wrestling in general. So if I want to keep nagging you about your
involvement that weekend, how can I do so?
Cruz- Insert
gratuitous social media plug here! Haha, easy my friend. Hit us up
on ze twitter at @Lucha_Cruz and @Lucha_Rios and/or on our Facebook fan
page: facebook.com/LosBenDejos
I personally tweet way more than I should, and not just about wrestling
but those are the best places to keep tabs on us and to see what we are
up to next.
Jimmy- Awesome.
Spam away readers! While were on the pandering subject, my twitter is
@TheCommonFan. Feel free to complain about this interview or debate me
about what the best video game of all time is. Hint: It's not WWE 13'.
Anything else before we roll on to the after dark portion of the interview my friend?
Jimmy- So now that we're on to the "exclusive" part of this fine interview, I've gotta ask with being in the Christmas spirit, what's the best gift you can remember receiving? You can say our friendship of course, since that's a gift that keeps on giving. But not in a disturbing way or anything.
Cruz- Haha, well, not to sound mushy, but I heart you. ANYWAY, a few years ago when the iPad first came out, I was clamoring for one. And I mean salivating! But as luck would have it, it was super expensive and im an independent wrestler. It was a no go. Long story short, Leva surprised me with one for Christmas and my jaw dropped. It's not because of the actual gift, but because I knew how much she must have sacrificed to A) Find one and Pay for it. When people say "its the thought that counts"; it truly is.
Jimmy- Haha, spending money is hardly a happy face. That's awesome though, I think going back as a kid I loved it when I got either a Batman playset, or the Turtle Sewers playset. Really hard to believe those brands still exist today. It gives me hope for humanity. Recently I've been messing around with Dishonored too... Played it?
Cruz- Yes I have! Its sooo good. I can only play an hour at a time or so due to that adulthood I talked about earlier, but yes, im enjoying it very much. Im trying to play it without killing anyone... it rarely works out that way.
Jimmy- That was one that I wasn't sure if I'd like, since I'm not a huge Fallout or Elder Scrolls fan (I know, I know) but it reminds me a ton much of Bioshock that I'm already digging it. I already killed numerous foes, haha. Too hard to put down. Get a chance to watch much TV? You've gotta be a Walking Dead fan if I think I know you well enough!
Cruz- FOR SHAME!!!!! Anyway, Walking Dead, Dexter and Big Bang Theory. That's all I have time to watch and I enjoy them immensely. Zombies, blood and nerds... that pretty much describes me.
Jimmy- Ditto sir! I need to catch-up on this season's Dexter, I hear it's amazing. And the voice of Miranda from Mass Effect 2 and 3 is a cast member? Can't wait to watch it for sure. So many things to watch, play... *Sigh*. Well I hope you have a great Christmas man, really appreciate having the chance to catch up and chat with you today.
Cruz- Not at all man. Thank you for taking the time to listen... or read my ramblings. Take care!
Jimmy- Later man! For all the readers, this has once again been your Perspective from a Common Fan.
Once again, this event is for a great cause and I'd highly recommend it to any wrestling fan. Check out WWNLive.com for more information on the event and enjoy the tomfoolery Cruz and myself yap about. Many thanks!
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