With the details going up on SourceWrestling.co.uk today, I figured it was time to say a little more on the gig we have going on in my hometown of Kennoway on the 29th in the Smart Hall, the heart of the town. I usually do the site interviews, by McGill tried his hand on interviewing me – but seeing as I’m Managing Editor of Fan Access/SWA Online, and I’m not one for the ego, I’d rather post it here.

I’ve had a lot of fun in SWA in the past few years and we’ve done a lot of good things from fund raising, to hosting super shows, to giving kids a more creative and productive outlet that’ll help show them that their dreams aren’t unobtainable. But in all our time we haven’t left the west of the country. Until now.

When I was growing up it always felt like you had to jump on a bus and go somewhere else for something to do and as I got older, I had to go further to keep myself busy. If I’m going to leave the world of wrestling, I want to set up a base to bring all the fun and fund raising to Kennoway and hope to branch out to the surrounding area if it’s a success.

Anyway, here’s the interview conducted by Paul McGill for SWA Fan Access – and shamelessly stolen for right here at theredeemed.co.uk.
— -
Homecoming.
By McG

Having a mixed career both in the ring and as a manager within SWA, James Tyler has been an odd one to judge. He’s had his highs and lows in his time, with one of his best highlights being leading the A List to the top with two of it’s members, Wolfgang and Falcon, breaking into the NWA Scottish Heavyweight title ranks and all but one member of the group holding SWA gold. Tyler himself has even gained a title for his CV when he was awarded the T-Division Championship, losing it to Ricky Gibson in November last year.

With his main focus in SWA being his revived managers contract with Falcon and Black Samurai Junior, Tyler has taken a backseat role to tackle other projects, one of which has been to interview Source stars for Sourcelight here on SWA Online. But this time round he’s given up his seat in the interview chair to sit uncomfortably in his workshop as we interrupt some unusual location scouting to fire some questions back on the ‘Captain’.

With the evolution of Source over the past few months we’ve seen the brand break into new venues in Cumbernauld, Newton Means and Rutherglen. Next up is a town in Fife, a far cry from the usual area’s you’re likely to see the SWA banner flying and it’s the sole reason we’ve placed the captain in the hot seat as it’s not just another venue to him, it’s right in the heart of his home town.

So, how close is this venue to where you grew up?
Five minutes. Just five minutes, a quick walk. Smart Hall is right next door to the local church where my parents were both church elders and as such, I spent a lot of time there. There was a summer where I was handed the keys so I could go in and play pool or basketball. I know the place all too well.

How does it feel to be going home?
It feels amazing. When I was growing up I was always the odd one out. Everyone else had careers and ideas and goals, and I did too, but I was always doing something different and strange and bizarre. And no matter how insane one of my ventures was my family and friends back home would support me. So it feels good, not only to be going in front of my home crowd, but to give something back to them. A good nights fun and entertainment.

How insane were the ventures?
Very. Isn’t wrestling insane enough? Everyone expected me to use my qualifications and such to get a high flying career, get into a 9-5 job and settle down and all these years later I’m writing, helping produce online sitcoms, taking part in the development of a play and own a wardrobe full of spandex and other various costumes. Wheres the fun in a normal life?

How did you get started in wrestling?
By accident, in a way. I love wrestling and wanted to know more about it, so I traveled to Sheffield to train with Alan Johson who was running a Hammerlock offshoot training facility there. On that day I got a quick run of the basics and experienced my first time in the ring and after spending a very long and tiring afternoon there I knew that I had to keep going.

Thankfully Peter Murphy got involved in setting up a school in Scotland in 2003 and since then I’ve been training under his guidance. Which has been tough, he’s no pushover and he sets some incredible challenges. The whole team at 52 are brilliant, from Eric Canyon to more recent trainers and contributors such as Damien O’Conor have been wonderful. But tough. Very tough. I was never the physical type growing up so it was a huge culture shock for me to step up the cardio and take quite a bit of impact.

But no one gets turned away at Area 52 and no one will give up on you easily. They will push you, challenge you and shape you into the kind of wrestler you want to be. Even give you opportunities to explore other aspects of the business which is how I got into managing, among other things.

It’s without a doubt one of the best places to learn the craft which is a huge reason why WWE’s VP of talent came and had a peek at some of our best guys.

We’ve seen you taking time off to focus once again on Falcon’s management. So, what was it that brought you back into the game for Fife?
Source is all about opportunities, and how could I refuse an opportunity to wrestle in front of my home town?

In honesty, for the most part SWA and Source have been focused on one side of Scotland which has worked well for us but now we’re testing the waters in a new territory. And that’s exciting. We’ve built a solid and lasting reputation and now we have a chance to go to a strange new world. To seek out new venues and new opportunities. To boldly go where so SWA bookings have gone before. Which is a massive opportunity for everyone to get out of their comfort zone and go somewhere new. It’s up to everyone booked for that show to represent SWA and make the fans in attendance want to come back which is a huge challenge to everyone on the card from the breakouts such as Andy Anderson and Mark Sweeney, to the solidified stars like Scott Renwick and Falcon.

In a way, to me, it feels like the first Rebirth all over again. And that’s hard to not be a part of.

Can you tell us your opponent on the night?
It’s someone who means a lot to me, and despite knowing each other and training together for years, someone who I’ve never actually faced in a singles match. He’s also one of the best technical wrestlers I’ve met, and despite having some questionable taste in wrestling wear, is someone i’d be honoured to face; William Grange.

Here we have someone who’s just a great wrestler, and someone who has grown in leaps and bounds since I first met him. I’ve watched him wrestle not only in SWA, but travelled with him to other places to see him explore his wrestling talent and personality. He’s grown into a personality that people love to hate and has more than enough talent to back up his arrogance. I think he’d be a phenomenal challenge for me to take on in my home crowd.

Will you be back at Falcon’s side when he faces Mark Sweeney on the same night?
I won’t be at his side on the night, but I’ll be watching and cheering him on. He’s one of the most talented and funniest guys I’ve met in the wrestling world and it’s always a pleasure to watch him at work. The fact that he’s been given Fergal Devitt as an opponent on May 15th is testiment to how good he actually is.

From the first day I met Falcon, I knew there was a special quality in him and despite us having our moments of, you now, being bitter and twisted enemies, I’ve always felt he’s someone who could take the wrestling world in his hands and do whatever he wanted with it. I’ve always had faith in him and I know that he’ll not be a pushover for Devitt, and I also know how thrilled he is to take on the world class athlete.

Who do you have your money on?
Falcon, of course. Devitt is a huge name, the word huge doesn’t do him justice. I’ve been in the ring with him in the first Battlezone and I’ve seen first hand some of the hardest guys I’ve met be n fear of the man. He’s that damn good. But Falcon has overcome a lot of challenges in his career s far, the Battlezone where he came in second and lasted the distance to become NWA Scottish Heavyweight champion proved how he can step up to the plate.

He’s held the British Junior Heavyweight title before, I think he has what it takes to step up and take his place alongside Conscience, Johnny Moss and Gary Steele and become the British Heavyweight Champion.

Looking back on your career, what do you feel are your best moments?
The A List, without a doubt. Even though we weren’t exactly making friends it was a chance for all of us to really make a mark on SWA. With Wolfgang , BT Gun and Falcon breaking into the top of the mountain by gaining Scottish Heavyweight title runs, Gunn and Micken gaining tag title victories, the T-Division run I had and of course, introducing Lolita, Lady L and Burnistoun actress Louise Stewart into the world of wrestling… it was wonderful.

You even had you own show!
Yes! The A List event was a lot of fun, with us sitting at ringside and manipulating a show we’d put together. That was the night I came up with A List Rules, which was certainly somethng that I got a lot of boo’s and hisses for, but wrestling Dunbar was a lot of fun and making up the rules as I went along was the only way I could take down such a profoundly wonderful technical wrestler.His talents are amazing and it’s great seeing him breaking out with a new energy.

So with all that behind you, are you confident you can challenge Grange?
We’ll see… I just hope that with my family in attendance and my daughter cheering me on, I can do my home town proud.

For more information, head to sourcewrestling.co.uk.

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