.....Hade Vansen? http://www.challenge.co.uk/wrestling/exclusive-interview-with-hade-vansen.html Exclusive Interview with Hade Vansen Courtesy of Fighting Spirit Magazine and Wrestle Talk TV Hade Vansen is a name that you may not have heard bandied around the fan forums and the wrestling press for some time. However fans of the last decade of the British wrestling scene will certainly remember him as the trail blazing apprentice of Wrestle Talk TV creator Alex Shane, who would eventually beat Shane for the FWA World Heavyweight Title, run off with his ex girl friend Nikita (TNA's Winter) and move to America as one of the first of a new generation of British stars to be signed to the big time. However it was not all as sunny as it may have first appeared for one of England's fastest rising stars. After being signed by WWE in early 2007, things were looking rosy for the London born grappler. But only weeks after finally debuting a promising new heel character on the WWE Smackdown TV show, for a feud with wrestling legend "The Undertaker" rumoured to take him all the way to WrestleMania, Vansen was mysteriously released from his contract. What happened? Until this moment, no one has ever known. However with the hugely anticipated TNA British Boot Camp about to premier on Challenge TV in January 2013, thanks to Wrestle Talk TV and FSM, we get Hade Vansen to exclusively break his silence for the first time ever to Challenge.co.uk, to shed some light on what happened and also to share the experience of hitting the big time and in order to help the British Boot Camp team avoid a fall from grace. FSM: Tell us where you're at these days, and what you've been up to since we last saw The South City Thriller in action on TV. Hade: I've been living in LA for the last few years pursuing the acting thing and generally living the dream....ish. After being at FCW Florida (WWE's training ground) I came out here and haven't really looked back since. FSM: Are we correct in assuming that you have left wrestling behind? Hade: Yes, I told myself that WWE was the last stop, and that I was moving on after I'd had whatever sort of run I was going to get there. FSM: It's pretty rare in wrestling for a wrestler to actually stay retired. What helped you to make that decision? Hade: Well, in almost a decade I'd crammed some pretty exciting times into my career, and achieved some things that I'm truly proud of. But wrestling for me was always part of the journey, not the destination. I'd started acting from a very young age and so I'd say that it was always likely I was going to return to my first love, and that's what I'm doing now. FSM: Are we to assume that you're angling on becoming the next Dwayne Johnson? Hade: Haha, I wouldn't mind having a run like Dwayne's. But to be making a decent living doing what I enjoy is more the sort of thing I'm after. My eventual goal is to move into producing, and I've made some pretty interesting headways in that regard. I'm working on pre production for a project with a company out here, and if I could make a movie that people actually want to go and see I'd be a happy man. FSM: What advice would you give to TNA British Bootcamp stars Spud, Marty Scurll and the Blossom Twins about making it in American wrestling? Hade: I would tell those guys to keep doing what they do. The frustrating thing about working for the big companies is that you assume they signed you because they saw something in you that set you apart from the rest. However, once you get there they'll probably tell you that there is only one way to do things and force that individuality out of you. I firmly believe that they do this because even the company doesn't really know what it wants, so they play the safe bet. Forget safe...be as unique as you can. FSM: What is the biggest mistake you see new guys making to get "heat" in the back and what should they avoid? Hade: One of the things that really sucks about wrestling is the whole 'respect' thing. Obviously you have to pay your dues and show a little deference to those that paved the way, but wrestling seems to have this tiresome inferiority complex with being taken seriously. I would say be polite, make a little effort to get to know those you're working with, and work hard. Just like you would in any job or social situation. If you're shy or just plain ignorant, it can be hard to get up out of the corner of the locker room and go and introduce yourself, but it goes a long way. And really, it's just good manners. FSM: What do you miss most about the wrestling business? Hade: I don't miss the business. At least, the business side of the business if that makes sense. I do miss the travelling, the jokes with the boys, the camaraderie. And most of all I miss being in the ring in front of a live audience. You build the tension in the match to snapping point, you've got ten thousand people in an arena baying for your blood, and then you hit the big finish or the double down or someone takes a death defying bump, and the crowd explodes. That's a rush that is hard to replicate. You get so used to that being a part of your life that it's becomes part of your identity, and without it I think many guys feel quite lost. I think I'm lucky that I have the passion I do for acting, I can still get that fix. It would be hard to accept just fading back into obscurity. If I didn't have the acting it's quite probable I would you still be in the ring. FSM: So tell us Hade, what happened with WWE? You were programmed to go into a feud with the Undertaker leading into Wrestlemania. It all looked so promising and then... Hade: It all went Pete Tong. Yeah, I was as surprised as everyone else. But really, given the nature of the wrestling business it's not that much of a shock. My gimmick was supposed to be an X-Men style super villain, leading a heel stable against Taker, feeding him my guys every week to wear him down until he and I faced off at Mania. I filmed the first vignette and Stephanie and the rest of creative loved it, they aired it and it got over pretty well as far as I recall. I went back on the road the following week to film the next installment and just like that it had been dropped. There was no big explanation behind it? They just told me that they'd decided not to go with the angle. From what I hear old Vince wasn't too impressed with them sending a developmental guy into the main event at Wrestlemania. FSM: You were released shortly after, can you shed some light on that? Hade: Again, I wasn't privy to all the exact details, but I think some of the people who came up with the angle got a little slap on the wrist from the boss. Jettisoning the baggage attached to that slap on the wrist probably seemed like a prudent idea at the time. FSM: You were with the company for nearly two years, what was that like? Hade: Well, for almost a year I was out with a knee injury, but I got to see how things are done at the very top of the tree and it was an interesting experience. I can't say that it is a particularly joyful place to work, but there are some good people there, and I definitely had some great times. And at the end of the day, that's what it all comes down to... TNA British Bootcamp debuts on Tuesday January 1st at 10pm, exclusively on Challenge TV. Wrestle Talk TV can be found directly after TNA IMPACT Wrestling every other Sunday, at 11pm also on Challenge TV. FSM Magazine, is available from all good news agents now.
