Welcome back guys! “The Monster” Diego Piacentini and “The Master” Marco Piva-Dittrich, from Italy, call the US… someone answer…
We want to be famous, so… nobody better than Famous B could have answered!
Famous B, best known today as a wrestler in Lucha Underground, is our guest today.
CH: Why did you become a pro wrestler?
FB: I became a pro wrestler because of a thought I had after attending a WWE Raw at Staples Center in my hometown of Los Angeles, Ca. in 2007. It was there I was given a flyer to train to become a professional wrestler where the thought was triggered and manifested into action. I made the conscious decision to call Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy and train to be the best and that affirmation I gave myself translated into me doing exactly that.
CH: Who were your favourite wrestlers as a child?
FB: I’ve been a fan of Pro Wrestling since the day I laid eyes on a television set so if I had to answer the question of who my favorite wrestler was growing up I’d have to say the answer varies with what generation we was in at that time.
My perception has changed and evolved throughout the years just like the sport has. Between the ages of infant to 6 or 7 my favorites was Macho Man Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, and of course I was a little Hulkamaniac. 8 to teens my favorites was Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Mr. Perfect the more technical guys because at this point I understood the in ring talent better as well as physcology. Early teens my favorites was Rey Mysterio Jr., Eddie Guerrero, and Konnan and late teens my favorite was Triple H without a doubt.
CH: For a wrestler from the Socaval area, with few resources but with a great tradition, it’s always difficult becoming famous without moving to the East Coast. How did you overcome this issue?
FB: I’ve traveled and worked up and down California of course being from Los Angeles, Ca for every promotion there is such as PWG, Lucha Vavoom, Pro Wrestling Revolution, and APW just to name a few and it is a struggle and a challenge considering there is a stigma that the west coast doesn’t produce as good of talent as the east coast does
I just feel you have to work hard, stay humble, and be a master networker in order to overcome. Of course you have to continually train as well and keep your in ring up to par but networking and using your resources is extremely important and I’m not just talking just sending YouTube links of yourself through Facebook or other social sites I’m talking about picking the brains of anyone in the business you know that has a piece of information valuable to you in an effort to obtain contact numbers or email addresses to companies you’re seeking to be hired at and then sending a Professional resume with all of your accomplishments and information. Following up and staying persistent and consistent is relevant as well. Acts like this is what’s got me work in other places on the East Coast and other Countries.
CH: Wrestling in the Socaval area is heavily influenced by Lucha, it’s almost a mix of that style with American wrestling. Would you suggest to an European athlete to train there?
FB: My wrestling style is heavily influenced by Lucha Libre. I’m not a big guy in stature so I definitely gravitated to doing what a lot of guys my size have done and been successful with before me. I was a huge fan of the cruiserweight division once the luchadors arrived on the scene in the mid 90s. I also watched AAA as a kid as well and immediately loved their style of wrestling.
CH: How important was your development at the Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy? What styles of wrestling are most in your blood? What have you learned there as a person?
FB: The great thing about training at Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy is they offered a variety of different techniques to learn from such as American obviously lucha libre, and Japanese strong style. I have learned pieces of all styles and it rounds the worker I am today so I’d like to think of myself as a hybrid wrestler if I had to sum up my in ring abilities. I would suggest to all wrestler to learn different styles from just the one or ones you’re comfortable with, for example if you’re a luchador and only know lucha try to learn American and Japanese strong style and so on. It’s important because you’re opening up the door for you to be able to travel and work anywhere in the world and hold your own.
CH: Three Italian wrestlers have trained at the Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy: Low G, Tyler Blaze and Kid Kazama. Have you ever met them? If you have, what did you think of them?
FB: I never knew Low G , Blaze, and Kazama.
CH:What’s your background? How many times do you train in a week?
FB: My background in terms of training and wrestling is I started training in March 2008. I graduated and had my first professional match in January 2009 and ever since then I been consistently working just about year around every single weekend and doing in ring training just as I did when I was a student once a week for the first five years in addition to gym workouts. The last year I’ve slowed down a bit from dojo training to give my body a rest in an effort to protect the longevity of my body and in replace of that time I’ve become a trainer at Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy.
CH: Do you follow the US indy scene?
FB: I absolutely follow the U.S Indy scene and Pro scene I wouldn’t be a professional if I didn’t. You have to know who everyone is and what they’re doing if you’re in the same business of course because if you didn’t how would you as a worker know and understand how to evolve and present yourself in a manner that will get you work in places you’d like to work for. I follow WWE, TNA, ROH, and others and I have my opinions and perceptions of how their respective companies are from the past up until now.
I have not had experience working for ROH or TNA I just have friends in the companies so my opinion is only based on their television product and hearsay. I have had experience working for WWE a few times as extra talent once in February 2012 and another last year in August 2014 both times I had tryout matches. My two experiences were like night and day.
The first experience as you could imagine there was a lot of nervousness. I didn’t know what to expect and I walked into a multi million dollar juggernaut that was filled with child hood idols of mine that I was meeting for the first time and on the inside I was bursting with joy but as a professional I understood that that’s not the way to come off when you’re there for business so my demeanor was very quiet as I was taking this all in and not knowing what to expect. I did a few tryout matches in which were decent in my opinion. William Regal, Bill DeMott, Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, and others were evaluating talent that day.
I got great feedback from Bill DeMott as he was the one who came to me to ask questions he had in an effort to get to know me better. I also soaked up everything William Regal was saying to all like a sponge advice on the little things in wrestling, the one thing that stood out the most is when he stated in my words he couldn’t believe how the human nature doesn’t take advantage of opportunities for example someone in my position there at that time don’t take initiative enough to approach them and ask questions and learn the maximum instead it’s the opposite for the most part. I remember asking him what are the company needs at that time in terms of what they’re looking for in hiring superstars and he simply replied “Nothing, we have everybody from all walks of life down in developmental” and he spoke highly of one in particular a Samoan who would become known as Roman Reigns after that experience I knew if I ever went back what I would do differently to stand out.
The second time I went in 2014 I went with a different conviction, swag, and overall mindset. I thought heavily on all the things I would do differently from the first to last and I knew I would do great there and stand out. Unfortunately William Regal was not on that tour so I missed him that time but I was eager to display all my qualities to whoever was watching and boy did I I had a couple of fantastic tryout matches that got me fantastic reviews and I utilized what I’ve always heard in the business to my advantage which is less is more. The end result was I was well liked by everyone evaluating but they wanted me to put on more size.
That same week I ended up signing with Lucha Underground.
CH: How did you come up with your ringname?
FB: I came up with my ring name Famous B because I always saw myself as a celebrity before wrestling I wanted to break into the music industry and that was my passion once upon a time so when I got into the wrestling business I said I’d use the name famous and B for my first name Brian.
CH: What effect did your working with Lucha Underground have in other promotions you work for?
FB: I’m not sure if my involvement with Lucha Underground has affected my work with other promotions if anything Lucha Underground inspires me to push myself and work harder than ever before but that’s needed and what my expectation of myself is which is always progress with the times and put myself in a position where I have the opportunity to work other talent that pushes me that’s how I get better as an overall performer.
CH: You won several titles in different promotions: is there one promotion that feels more like “home”?
FB: I have won a lot of Titles here in California and if I had to distinguish what promotion to me feels more like home I couldn’t pinpoint one in particular because they all feel like home. I’m very grateful to be a pro wrestler and I have love for every promotion, promoter, and ring I’ve been in.
My home is my training school Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy but I’ve left home and made other places my home very similar to a kid who leaves his/her parent’s house and goes off to college.
CH: What are your plans for the future?
FB: My plans for the future is to excel in Lucha Underground, train the next generation of wrestlers I come across which is my way of giving back to the business, and travel and showcase my talents in different places I haven’t been yet here in the States and overseas as well. I’d love to conquer Europe and Japan are short term goals of mine.
CH: Is there any specific wrestler of the past that particularly inspires you?
FB: All wrestlers of the past inspire me. I know what it takes to be successful in this business and I have the utmost respect for every man and woman who has come before me.
CH: Your message to people who claim that wrestling is fake.
FB: If I had to say something to people who think wrestling is fake I’d say get in the ring and do it yourself and I guarantee it will change your perception but then again the same people who say that are the ones who never have the courage to train themselves so they rather talk and give their opinions because it’s safer for them.
CH: Say hello to the Italian fans, and thank you Famous B.
FB: I’d like to thank the Italian fans and all other fans who have took the time out to read this interview in an effort to get to know me better. I couldn’t do this without you guys and I truly appreciate each and every one.
Check me out on YouTube, user famousb23; on Twitter @famousb23 and on Facebook look for FamousBFanpage.
Thank you Cheap-Heat for having me!!!
Extremely interesting! Thanks again to Famous B!
This column was written originally for the website where we two are working in Italy. I hope you enjoy that and most important the best has still to come.
Yours sincerely M& M.
