The Kaiju dishes out on wrestling being universal, what he’d be in pizza form, his defining moment in wrestling, Dan Moloney’s chop, and more.
“Fade the Kayfabe” is a wrestling interview series that aims to give other fans an outside-the-ring perspective of wrestling talent and personalities that Hannah Bee personally believes in. Open to getting interviews from across the globe, “Fade the Kayfabe” hopes that it can introduce fans to their next favorites whilst learning something new with their current ones!
With the current uncertainties that the whole world is facing, it’s hard to imagine what will happen in the industry when all of this is done. Hell, it’s even hard to look at the days ahead personally, especially when you need to face the realities of it head-on as a healthcare front liner.
Which is why I find it awe-inspiring to see that despite everything, everyone is still donning the future tense mindset – from fans, to talent, and promotions alike! The scene is still buzzing with life, with people all over the world coming up with innovations and ideas for the present and the future of professional wrestling.
Speaking of the future, let’s look into one of BritWres’ undeniable stars, in which I know will kill it once everyone’s safe to go back!
I swear, I think I discovered most of my new favorites when I first watched GOOD Wrestling last year.
(c) Hannah Bee/GOOD Wrestling
“Be Average With Each Other” was a memorable thing for me as it was the first fully-blind show I went to – I didn’t watch it with anyone I know, and I honestly had no idea who most of the people in the card were. It got announced as a mystery show a few days before, too!
Leaving that show, though, I found myself as a new fan of Warren Banks.
He entered his #1 Contendership match against Brendan White with such swagger that he commanded your attention. I had no idea what was happening or what the context was between these two but everything about him – from his stature to his aura, even! – demanded to keep your eyes on him… on their bout.
Without anything to anchor to, I still cheered for him to win… and he did.
His future is as high as his dropkicks could go, I said to myself after their grueling match.
Hannah Bee: I’m afraid this needs to be asked – what’s currently keeping you occupied during the quarantine period?
Warren Banks: The usual suspects really. Podcasts, gaming, comic books, etc. I’ve been watching a lot of old AJPW (All Japan Pro Wrestling) lately which has been lots of fun.
I tweeted about practicing mindfulness, which has been very difficult. I’ve always struggled with being present so I’m taking the time to try and improve that.
Because I’m working from home my days are occupied. I exercise and stretch in my garden during my lunch break which is nice too.
Truthfully I haven’t gone anywhere near as stir crazy as I thought I would but I grew up an only child so I’ve mastered the art of enjoying my own company.
Bee: I have been told that one’s pizza choices is a good representation of their personality. (Please don’t fact check that!) With all the pizza in the world at your disposal, what kind do you think describes Warren Banks best? Are you a classic Pizza Hut pepperoni or more of a home-made treat with the expensive prosciutto? Why do you think so?
WB: Ooooh boy. I’m guilty of buying one of those fancy Pizza Express pizzas from Tesco with ham, mushroom, and olives on it. I’ll then grab some BBQ chicken chunks and throw some chili oil on top before putting it in the oven. Once it’s done I’ll put some black pepper on it and go town. Any pizza with lots of meat and a kick to it is what Warren would go for.
I think it suits because I’m kinda meaty, and have a kick (several, really) to me as well.
I cannot write about Warren Banks without mentioning that chop incident in Pro Wrestling East’s debut show, sorry not sorry!
Anyways, it’s worth noting that the shows I frequent are usually very protective of their fans, especially in the Philippines. Not their fault, especially as they are just looking into it in a safety perspective. This is why I always get taken aback (in a good way!) whenever wrestlers willingly let the crowd interact with them directly during a match.
That’s the reason that when Dan Moloney threw Warren Banks into the side of our crowd during their match, I did not know what the hell I should do.
Not gonna lie, the internal panic set in when Banks sat on my leg.
Then I heard Dan talking trash, signalling a chop.
The only thing that ran into my mind was to put my chin up.
So I did.
Even with a massive cushion in the form of Banks, it still did hurt, if it wasn’t evident on my face there! They were such great examples for the rest of the roster that, for most of the matches that night, I was in the splash zone. Glad I already knew how to duck after that.
Bee: Forgive me for being a bit self-serving, but I still can’t forget you getting chopped by Dan Maloney at “Lethal Leap Year“! Feeling that chop, although indirectly, definitely steered me off trying anything. What inspires you to pursue wrestling and to actually stick and improve in it despite all the downsides?
WB: We laughed about that so hard after the match. Dan commented on your face after the chop and the fact that the impact clearly traveled through me and into you. Glad it didn’t do any lasting damage!
The reason I wrestle is 100% selfish. It makes me happy. Like, genuine, warm in the belly, a smile on the face, struggling to sleep because you’re still so buzzed, happy. Anything to do with wrestling makes me happy. Debates over entrance music, cool clips of chain wrestling, acrobatic in-ring stuff, whatever, all of it makes me happy.
In regards to sticking at it and trying to improve? Personally I want to be able to take pride in what I do. I want to improve because we’re only able to do this for a limited time, and I don’t want to get to the end of the road and wonder “what if I’d put in that little bit more effort to learn this or that?”.
The other part of that answer is that I owe it to the fans and professional wrestling as a whole. People are parting with hard-earned money to come and watch you. You owe it to them to give them the best “you” that you’re capable of giving on that day.
There are downsides but ultimately, everything has a downside to it. I’m just glad the upside more than makes up for it.
The reason I wrestle is 100% selfish. It makes me happy.
Bee: With you making a name for yourself for years now, what is your career’s defining moment in your opinion?
WB: Truthfully, I’m not sure if that’s happened yet. I’ve had a lot of fun in the last 9 months, debuting at Riptide, Resurgence, Schadengraps, having a pre-show Progress match, challenging for the 24/7 Championship at ATTACK! and other cool stuff.
They’ve all meant a lot to me and I’m not sure if I can pick any one of them as an “I HAVE ARRIVED” moment, you know? More like, they all add up to a sort of gradual arrival. Like, I quietly entered the room, and some people have turned around and been like “Oh hey, when did Warren get here? It’s nice to see him around, cool”.
If someone had a gun to my pizza and told me to choose though, I’d say ATTACK. Cathays is such a nice intimate venue, and people are close to you and the ring. I came through the curtain, was doing my usual “man I’m so hype and kaiju and stuff” thing, and that immediately dropped when I heard and saw the reaction. It was my debut and everyone was so loud, welcoming and supportive. If you watch the footage back, you see me take a step back and say “oh wow”. It was nuts.
…they all add up to a sort of gradual arrival.
Bee: With you believing that wrestling is universal, do you consider yourself doing well in representing your culture and your roots to the world?
WB: I think so, yeah. I believe wrestling is universal, in that it can connect with you regardless of what you know about the people you’re watching, or if you can understand the commentary and so on.
In regards to representing my culture and roots, that is an extremely good question and a difficult one to answer (in a good way).
I guess I’ve never thought about it. It’s a weird one. I’m super proud of where I’m from and stuff, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt the need to utilize it in a way that can be consumed by a wrestling audience if that makes sense?
I’ve done parts of promos in Hausa, but that’s about it. I represent by simply being me, I guess.
Bee: You usually switch your gears (and your cool bandannas) up that it seems like I haven’t seen you wear the same one twice! If you needed to choose, would you rather stick with the tights or the trunks?
WB: Bandannas are cool!
I’m working on expanding the wardrobe. I’m cool with either. I had the trunks for months before getting the courage to wear them, and the reaction was positive so I’ll definitely be investing in more sets.
If I had to choose one to stick to though, it’d be trunks.
Bee: With the pandemic currently putting the entirety of professional wrestling on hold, what do you think can you contribute on it’s resurgence once all of this is over?
WB: Truthfully I’m not 100% sure. I’ve been trying to figure out my place, and I felt like I was starting to get a grasp on it all when everything shut down.
I can’t know what I’ll do or how I’ll feel when everything starts up again. Ideas come and go, some stick around, some don’t. Truthfully, I’m more focused on fixing the gaps in my game than trying to blaze ahead. I don’t want to get a big opportunity and then be woefully unprepared once it arrives, which I feel has happened to me in varying degrees a few times.
I want to keep doing what I’m doing, having fun, eating pizza, and spearing everything.
I’ll deal with the future when I get there, but for now, the Kaiju wants to work on being as polished and technically sound as he can be 🙂
With everything going on at the moment, the only thing we have is hope. On that note… here’s to hoping we could see this meaty hard hitter of a wrestler again soon!
Comments and reactions? I can’t wait to hear them over at @BeeHeynah or at @HBRambles! Consider supporting ya girl and buy her a coffee (only if you want to!). Hope you enjoyed reading it!
Thank you very much once again to Warren Banks – I meant what I said months ago about you being peng but I didn’t expect that you’re gonna be very lovely to me too!
See more of Warren Banks’ face!
A merch store? In this Economy? Couldn’t be Banks. (His shirt looks lush!)
If there are any issues with my photo crediting, please contact me and I’d correct it as soon as I could!
Hannah Bee Rambles 