EIGHT QUESTIONS WITH...RING OF HONORS KYLE OREILLY (FSM 95; July 2013)

FSM: Can you tell us a bit about how you trained to be a wrestler?
Kyle O'Reilly: I trained back in British Columbia, in Canada. After I left high school, I knew that professional wrestling was something I wanted to pursue, and I managed to find a training facility that coincided with a local independent promotion. I started training, and helping out at shows, just doing whatever I could to learn, absorb and get better.
I trained under a few different guys. Michelle Star was the owner of the school, but there was also Aaron Idol - who is a blind wrestler, and one of the best guys I've ever been in the ring with - and Scotty Mac. They're all terrific workers, and it was great experience.

Before training to be a wrestler, were you interested in any martial arts, or other sports?
I grew up playing all sorts of sports, like American football, rugby, hockey and lacrosse, so I had a very athletic upbringing. I was always a fan of martial arts, and did a little bit of karate as a young kid, but it was only when I got involved more in wrestling that I became more interested in them. It was the same for MMA, too, as it was becoming super-popular around that time, so I tried my hand with kickboxing and jiu-jitsu, and found that my body mechanics and movement increased as a result, which could only translate well into the wrestling ring. In short, I patterned my wrestling style around martial arts with an MMA influence. That really helped me.

In the UK, there are still schools that won't let you train in the ring until you've proven to have basic cardiovascular conditioning, and the desire to gut it out. Was that a feature of your own training?
When I first started, we'd do some amateur wrestling, which I'd also done a bit of in high school. That said, it wasn't a huge part of the curriculum, unfortunately. That's the way it is over here; a lot of guys who open schools don't have any sort of athletic background or amateur wrestling experience. I think that if you're going to be a professional wrestler, you should definitely have some feel for being an amateur beforehand. Those skills translate well into the business of pro wrestling, because you're going to be able to hold your own in the ring if somebody is trying to mess with you.
Having those basic fundamentals is necessary in my opinion, because that's the way it used to be. Guys weren't smartened up to the business until they'd been beaten up, but decided to keep coming back. I think we should definitely go back to those roots.

When you were starting out, were there any aspects of wrestling you found really difficult to perfect?
I've always felt really comfortable in the ring, and felt the movements and everything came naturally to me, but I do look back at my old matches and realise I had no idea what I was doing at all. That's moreso from a psychology standpoint, and putting matches together. Of course, I do think I still have lots of work to do, such as with my character development, and certain aspects of my selling. You're always trying to evolve and take criticism as a wrestler. You never stop learning.

How much of your matches do you like to plan out?
I find now that I'm more experienced that I plan a lot less than before. When I first started, I was so paranoid that I'd plan out every detail. For example, if I was thinking about chain wrestling, I'd go over every single little step my feet would take! Now I'll be working guys for the first time who have these unique moves, and they want to show you how to move your arm certain ways in order to take them. It's not realistic, or practical.
I'm an easy-going guy, but there are times when people say they're okay to take some moves, but when it comes time to perform in the ring, they can't do it. I think it can be important to keep it basic.

When you're wrestling somebody who has years more experience than you, do you do anything differently in order to absorb as much as possible from them?
I think that when you're wrestling somebody with a lot more experience, it's definitely a case of keeping your mouth shut and your ears open. Listen to them, see what they want to do, and don't have an ego about yourself, because you're always learning from these guys. I didn't really start grasping the craft of professional wrestling until I began wrestling guys who had more experience, and were better than me. That's the way that you're going to improve as a worker: wrestling guys who have more knowledge, and have been to more places.
One guy I could use as an example is Jay Lethal. Every time I wrestle Jay, I feel that I've just become a better wrestler. It's like, these guys do a lot of little subtle things you might not even notice at the time, but you think about them after, and they help with your muscle memory, and stuff like that. You pick those things up, and find that listening and paying attention goes a long way to helping you out.

Your matches are almost always very intense. Do you do anything to prepare psychologically before you go to the ring?
Not really, but I guess it's all relative. You can be intimidated, or get nervous, which is a good thing; if you're not getting even a little nervous, what's the point? You hear of so many wrestlers from all different eras say that, but it's true, and it keeps you in check. I know what I have to do, and I just tell myself, "Listen, man, you can do this. You've done this before!" It just gives you that motivation.
I've got my own certain routine, such as stretching and superstitious stuff that I've done since I was a kid playing sports. It's my warm-up, and wouldn't feel right to go without it, but other than that I don't go around kicking walls or slapping myself (laughs).

Is there one piece of advice you received as a rookie wrestler still rings true with you today?
I think if you want to take yourself, as well as the wrestling business seriously, you really have to make a sacrifice and go for it. Be willing to ask people for advice; people want to go out of their way to help a young guy out, and make a difference, so you have to show that drive and determination to ask. That's what happened with me, and that's what I'd do for other people.
Also, if you have to get in your car and drive 40 hours, or even live somewhere else to go to a certain wrestling school, then that's what you have to do. None of these guys in the business made it to the top just by sitting on their ass, so be willing to learn and believe that hard work does pay off.