WF: I am happy to present another talent to the German-speaking fans. We share a few passions wrestling and interviews. Thank you for doing this, Jeremy 😊
JP: I am truly delighted to get to share my story with your audience and sincerely thank you for inviting me for this interview. I hope it will be as entertaining as it is enlightening.
WF: I noticed you trough a ‚backstage incident‘ which was uploaded by Hannibal. What do you remember about this ‚fight‘ in the locker room between Devon and Lanny Poffo? We know now that it was planned – did you and how did the scene present itself to you?
JP: I only knew that something was going to happen but wasn’t given the specific details. One of the lesser known aspects of what took place was that Lanny had gotten legitimately upset at Hannibal in the ring because Hannibal tore Lanny’s shirt and it was the only one he had with him since the airline he was traveling with had lost his luggage.
WF: You are from Canada, can you tell us how you got into wrestling?
JP: I first discovered it when I was really young and saw a match on TV between Bret Hart and Blake Beverly. I never missed an episode ever since and knew it was what I wanted to make my living doing. After graduating from high school I immediately enrolled in wrestling school and made my in-ring debut 7 months later.
WF: You were trained by Jacques Rougeau, please tell us about him, what kind of trainer is he, are you still in contact and how significant is he for todays Canadian wrestling industry? How did you meet?
JP: Jacques was an excellent trainer, it’s safe to say that I would not be the performer I am today were it not for him. I always had a great relationship with him and he always thought very highly of me and my abilities as a wrestler. I haven’t spoken to him in years but hope to reconnect with him down the line. When it comes to talent in Quebec, Jacques has trained some of the very best so his impact on our scene is still present to this day. I was fortunate to have been recommended to his school by another wrestler named Pauly Platinum, then after 7 months of training I was wrestling my first match.
WF: Did you ever get the chance to train with the Hart Family or visit the dungeon? The Harts are surely the biggest and most famous of (wrestling) families in Canada, right?
JP: Nope, never had the chance as the original dungeon was long gone by that time. I did have the chance to wrestle Harry Smith/Davey Boy Smith Jr. on a few occasions and have been good friends with TJ Wilson/Tyson Kidd for over a decade now.
WF: You have an athletic body – I´m sure you do other sports?
JP: I’ve always been involved in sports in some way, shape or form. I played baseball for 16 years, hockey for 15 years, did multiple events in track & field, fencing and even boxing. This is all in addition to going to the gym and working on building my body as well. I’m very proud of being athletic and agile while also being muscular and imposing and most important of all, having been drug and steroid-free my entire life.
WF: A little while back you had a tryout with WWE and William watched your match, against someone you know, very closely. What was the feedback, how did the day go, can you tell us a little about the progress?
JP: Any time you get the opportunity to get watched by the top company in the industry it is nothing short of a blessing. I had called the WWE office many times and convinced them to give me a look. I worked extremely hard to get that chance on my own merits without having any friends do any favors on my behalf. I went in with the mentality to get hired at all costs. I was paired with Tyson Dux who I had previously had outstanding matches with so I felt as though the stars were aligning in my favor. Once the match was done Mr. Regal said that he felt my footwork needed work and recommended taking boxing classes to improve it, which I did 2 days later. I received fantastic reviews from Regal, Matt Striker and Steve Lombardi for my promos but ultimately Regal felt my footwork would hold me back in the long run.
WF: Is WWE something you consider, a possible dream? Are you in contact?
JP: Anything is possible but aside from the people I interview for my podcast who work there, I’m not in contact with them.
WF: Did Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have any influence in your tryout, your development? I heard about that and very much like to hear more, would you tell us? You knew each other before?
JP: Nope neither one or the other, I had WWE tryouts before either of them. Kevin and I both trained at Jacques Rougeau’s wrestling school but there was only a 2 week overlap of the end of his time there and the start of mine. I had 3 matches with Kevin, never a 1 on 1 which I think is a travesty in itself, and 1 tag match ironically teaming with Kevin against Zayn and Sexxxy Eddy. Zayn went into business for himself when they were looking for someone to have a dark match against Alberto Del Rio. Jamie Noble asked him for his opinion on who should get the match, he was just trying to get the match for himself which is understandable. Then Billy Kidman suggested me for the match and he proceeded to say he didn’t know me that well but felt I wouldn’t be a good choice. This was all done less than 10 feet away from me so I heard it all. Kevin later told me that Rami(Zayn) admitted to him that he did it because he felt I was too “outlandish“ and didn’t want to see me get the opportunity.
WF: Hannibal also has his experiences with Owens. Is there something like envy among the boys from Canada or are these just disagreements? Why does he call you a liar?
JP: So Kevin and Hannibal have issues that preceed my time at Rougeau’s school while they were both there. I can’t speak on it because I wasn’t there and I don’t jump to conclusions based on only one side of a story. Kevin calling me a liar is just a flagrant moment of ignorance on his part where Hannibal posted a video of me talking about when Kevin and I were going to fight. Kevin tweeted something saying he didn’t watch the clip but that he feels that I am a liar. The resounding feedback from everyone who knows both of us was that Kevin himself tells the exact same story the same way. When it comes down to it, people in general don’t scrutinize things that they want to believe to be true. I would think Kevin has bigger things to worry about than me and Hannibal…although it does surprise me to see he and I still occupy enough headspace to generate a response from the former Universal Champion.
WF: How does a talk with Johnny Ace go – I guess the pressure is huge especially when you are asked the tough questions. Can you tell us what kind of questions he asks and how it was for you?
JP: Johnny has a lot on his plate and I don’t doubt he gets tons of local extras bothering him all the time at tv. In addition to having to regulate the actual contracted talent. Johnny is there to weed out the weak and separate the men from the boys. I spoke to him man to man like he was anyone else. I’m confident in my abilities and I’m not going to melt like these other indy wrestlers who have weaknesses and insecurities. I know I’m one of the most well-rounded and complete performers in the business today, so big Johnny is really not someone that worries me. Basically he has an eye for talent and he tells it like it is. Some people can’t handle the truth, some people melt under pressure, I’m not that person and if you can’t deal with these things then maybe life on the road 300+ days a year working for a top entertainment company isn’t for you and you should stick to being a weekend warrior.
WF: Not only do you give interviews but also liked to interview others. Can you name some interviewees and do you have an interesting story of something happening before or after an interview, maybe an unforgettable moment?
JP: I’ve been a journalist since 2004, I studied it in college and have been involved in numerous publications. I have interviewed many top stars in professional wrestling, far too many to name but you can see many of them on the JOFO In The Ring YouTube channel, which you should all subscribe to as well. My first interview is by far my most memorable as it was with Chris Jericho back in 2005. This was done to promote his upcoming Fozzy concert here in Montreal. The interview was over the phone, then after the concert I gave one of his band members a copy of the article I wrote and Chris invited me backstage to hang out with him and the band. He gave me the best advice I ever received about wrestling, and I do hope to interview him again some day.
WF: You mostly wrestled in Canada, are there other countries you would like to perform and wrestle in?
JP: All of them! I want to fight the best every country has to offer! If you’re a promoter anywhere in the world bringing me in to work for you is the best decision you can make! Contact me on Twitter @JeremyProphet and let’s talk business
WF: You´ve been active for over 15 years now, do you have personal highlights, favourite matches or feuds?
JP: Wrestling on Smackdown in 2010, never getting any injury or concussion, defeating Rey Mysterio, Jack Evans and Speedball Mike Bailey to win the IWS World Championship, wrestling other top stars like Bobby Lashley, Scott Steiner, Jindal Mahal, too many to name really.
WF: You also wrestled under names like “Spiderman“ and “Black Dynamite“, I very much like the second one. How did you get to those names and did you actually wrestle in a Spiderman costume?
JP: Yeah I played Spiderman on 2 occasions, first for Jacques Rougeau’s promotion back when I started, then I was one of the many wrestlers to play the role for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling in 2013-2014. The gimmick seems to always find a way back to me.
WF: Did the colour of your skin ever matter or brought problems? How much racism is there in Canada and in the wrestling business in general – what are your experiences?
JP: It has never stopped being a problem much like in the world today in general. I’ve faced numerous racial obstacles specifically here in Quebec, Canada where I don’t fit the mold of the typical white french-speaking person. I deal with a lot of nearsighted promoters who are hesitant about having me as a good guy because they feel their audience just doesn’t like black people. They project their own insecurities onto others. There’s a lot of ignorance and bias on the part of the French media that covers Quebec wrestling and choose to conveniently omit my accomplishments whenever they can and it is definitely racially motivated. If you look at Canadian wrestling there are not many black wrestlers in its history, I’m definitely one of the most accomplished in history, but the narrative is often spun away from the truth especially in the French media where they would rather showcase people with far less attributes and longevity than I…but who look more conventionally Quebecois. The most ridiculous part in all of this is that I am just as much white as I am black, my grandmother was a French Canadian, I am a very proud Canadian! Yet the lack of support and flagrant discrimination shown by my own province is just as deplorable as ever. Thankfully the fans can see through the bias spins the media portrays and they have always had my back. I do this for the people, not to impress the bias, bigoted, and discriminatory media of Quebec who aren’t even the paying customer in the grand scheme of things here in wrestling.
WF: I also heard a story surrounding Koko B. Ware and would like it if you could tell the fans! 😊
JP: Yeah I wrestled WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware, there are a lot of fun twists and turns that happened in that match but the long and short of it was that I was told he refused to put me over…oh well. Anyways in the match, which took place in a boxing ring, I went for a top rope moonsault, Koko was supposed to get out of the way but never did. It was a very soft landing for me, but he was rather shaken up. I still don’t know why he didn’t move…He ended up finishing the match and really, I had no issue with him. I was just disappointed that someone at his stage of life didn’t want to help out the younger generation.
WF: The Covid19 pandemic still has a lock on the world, how is the situation in Canada? Are the numbers as high as other countries? How restricted is living over there right now and how is the situation with the vaccines?
JP: Numbers are down here in Quebec and we’re slowly reopening, there has been no wrestling for over a year with the only exception being 1 TV taping done by the IWS which I was a part of. Some parts of Canada are not doing as good so it’s a different situation in each province. Vaccines are rolling out so hopefully things will get better. This has been the only break longer than 3 weeks I have ever had in wrestling since I’ve never taken time off or been forced out due to any injury. I do like the fact that I’ve been able to expand my worldwide notoriety exponentially during this time, to the point where more people know of me now than when I was wrestling every week.
WF: For bookings how does one best contact you?
JP: on Twitter @JeremyProphet or by email jeremyprophet77@gmail.com you can book me for matches, interviews, commentary, and you will always get 100% entertainment.
WF: Jeremy, thank you so much for your time and I hope to personally meet you someday!
JP: Likewise, I would love to go to Germany for a 2nd time and to wrestle there for a first time, so promoters contact me and let’s do some good business. Guten Tag!