This weekend Casanova Valentine finds himself in one of the biggest death match tournaments in professional wrestling. With Combat Zone Wrestling’s annual death match tournament taking place on Saturday, Valentine looks to add his name among Tournament of Death winners such as “Sick” Nick Mondo, Drake Younger, and Danny Havoc. Other competitors in this year’s TOD include 2016’s winner Rickey Shane Page, Mance Warner, and last year’s finalist Conor Claxton.
Since his professional wrestling career started in 2014, Casanova Valentine has wrestled for local New York promotions such as Five Borough Wrestling, Fighting Spirit Wrestling, and New York Wrestling Connection. But it wasn’t wrestling for these companies that got him a huge buzz, it was his self promoted Death Match shows.
After a brief hiatus from the ring, Valentine started booking and promoting his own shows, which combined art, live music and death match performances. An urban bar located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn named Tender Trap became the home location for these shows. Valentine created the flyers for the shows under his artist name MC Death Bear and also wrestled no ring death matches as Casanova Valentine. The first Death Match show was on August 17, 2016 as he took on local wrestler and former FBW rival Joe Ettell. Valentine went on to face death match legends such a Masada and Matt Tremont. His underground no ring death matches created such a buzz that wrestlers started to come to him wanting to be on the show. He then started to book opening matches. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chuck Taylor opened Death Match 7, while Joey Janela vs. Chris Dickinson opened Death Match 8.
I recently got to speak to Casanova Valentine to discuss the upcoming CZW Tournament of Death and his future plans in the business.
Pro Wrestling Ponderings: When did you become a fan of professional wrestling?
Casanova Valentine: Since I could remember, since my earliest memories. As a kid I remember watching Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior and just completely loving it. Yeah, my entire life.
What were your favorite wrestlers growing up?
Definitely Hulk Hogan. People can say a lot about Hulk Hogan now but I’m a fan of art over artist. I don’t care about what Terry does in his personal life, I just care about what Hulk Hogan does in the ring. Hulk Hogan is definitely my favorite wrestler, still, to this day. Hulk Hogan is number one but probably number two is Ox Baker; from the 70’s, cause he’s the ultimate heel.
When did you become a fan of death match wrestling?
When I was a kid I discovered ECW. From there I was like what the fuck is this? I remember Psicosis and Rey Mysterio in a death match, but it wasn’t a death match. Their death match was a 10 count. I remember seeing that it was like 2 in the morning on MSG Network and being like “what the fuck is this?” Then from there I discovered FMW, and then started trading tapes. So probably 9.
When did you decide to become a professional wrestler?
I always wanted to be a pro wrestler but I’m from upstate New York and I didn’t even know how to go about it. There’s no schools in upstate at the time so I didn’t know how to do it. In high school I was a backyard wrestler. In college I backyard wrestled too, there’s a college league. I moved to New York and I was dating a girl at the time. She always told me how dumb it was. I always knew I could do it cause I was an athlete in high school and college. I knew I could do the facials, I knew I’ll be good at it. After we broke up I was just like fuck it, I’m gonna do it. I looked up wrestling schools and found New York Wrestling Connection in Deer Park, Long Island. I just went. I just fucking took the train and went. At the time I was just bouncing bars so I was like, my life is not going anywhere. I got nothing interesting going on. I have no college education. There’s nothing to stride for right now, I’m just stagnant. So I was like why not give it a go, I have no reason not to try. So then I just found NYWC and just started training.
Who were your trainers at NYWC?
My main trainers were Alex Reynolds and Tony Nese. Francis Kipland Stevens trained me on the floor, to chain wrestle. Most hands on was probably Dimitrios Papadon and Stockade. If I had to attribute my training to one person in particular, probably Stockade. We have similar builds and styles. Nese is amazing, but his in ring style is no where close to mine, so getting advice from Stockade did more for my career.
Who have been some of your favorite opponents?
Definitely G-Raver and SHLAK, I think are my top opponents. It was fun to do G-Raver cause he’s a different body type than me, cause I’ve been doing a lot of big hoss fights, bar/brawl hoss fights, so it was nice to do a different dynamic with that. Then SHLAK cause I’m a huge fan of SHLAK. It’s nice to just get that brawl out cause I cut good promos, he looks crazy and it was a good match up.
Talking about SHLAK, he was just added to your match at CZW’s Tournament of Death, so it is now a four way elimination match between you, SHLAK, Stockade and Jimmy Lloyd. Besides your first round opponents, who would you like to face at Tournament of Death?
Brandon Kirk. I’d like to beat Brandon Kirk up.
What does it mean to you to be in Tournament of Death?
It hasn’t really hit me yet to be honest. It still hasn’t hit me at Zack Sabre did one of my shows. It won’t be until after I’m watching the DVD of it, that I’m like “oh fuck, I did TOD.” Right now I’m not even stressed. I’m not even uncomfortable. I’m not even worried. I’m just gonna go do it.
What would be a dream match of yours?
Sabu. Sabu is my favorite wrestler. I grew up with Hulk Hogan but when I got more mature, in ECW it was always Sabu. So that’s definitely my number one match. Sabu and Papa Shango. I’d like to wrestle Papa Shango, just cause I fucking love Papa Shango.
Who would you like to wrestle at one of your upcoming Death Match events?
I would like to wrestle Low Life Louie. Low Life Louie is probably the number one death match wrestler in Brooklyn. He fought Abdullah the Butcher and Terry Funk. He was the first Brooklyn death match guy, so I think it should definitely happen at some point. It should be Casanova vs. Low Life because he’s the legend in the neighborhood, and if I’m gonna be the new face for Brooklyn death match, I think we should fight at some point. I think the story is already there. It’s compelling.
What have been one of your favorite matches that you’ve been apart of?
I’m not sure. I’m trying to think what my best performance is. Probably me versus Jeff Cannonball. It’s not the most popular one of my death matches, but I think overall it was the best match. It didn’t have the same energy, the crowd wasn’t as big as me versus Matt Tremont, but I think I gave a lot in that match. I think that one is underrated.
What are some wrestling goals that you have?
TOD was one of them so that’s cool. Honestly I just wanna get hired to NXT for 6 months, let go, and then I could just say I worked in WWE. And Japan, I would like to go to Japan, if at all possible. Even if it’s just like a 6 week tour.
What does the future hold for Casanova Valentine?
I’m either gonna get my shit together, get in really good shape, start a serious indie run, get signed to NXT within two years. I’m on a Dean Ambrose system where I do death matches, I’m getting noticed, but I can actually work, I just have to get in shape. Or I’m just gonna keep doing a ton of drugs, get a lot fatter, and burn out like GG Allin. So it’s a coin flip at this point.
Do you have anything upcoming that you would like to plug?
June 23rd, Other Half, the brewery I work for, is hosting the Green City Festival. I’m working with New York Wrestling Connection to promote Casanova Valentine’s Bodyslamming Jamboree, which I’m pretty proud of. It’s the first show since Joey Janela’s Spring Break where there’s a wrestler’s name in it. It’s just because I work here, it’s not because I’m special. I help putting it all together. TOD is this Saturday. Then that match. I haven’t announced it anywhere yet, so you’re the first to find out. It’s gonna be a Brooklyn Street Fight, me versus Bull James. I got a bunch of different talent coming in for that. We’re gonna do a Battle Royal on the show, which is kinda fun. I just wanna make it silly, it’s not gonna be death matches, it’s just gonna be light hearted. It’s all a beer drinking community. I got that, then on July 7th I’m wrestling Reed Bentley of the Rejects at Vicious Outcast Wrestling in West Virginia. Then on July 21st I return to No Limits Wrestling in Canada. This is also an exclusive, I’m gonna be wrestling for their death match championship belt. I can’t say against who yet, but SHLAK is gonna be on the card, so we’ll see what’s gonna happen there. I haven’t announced this yet either, cause I’m kinda ashamed of it, July 17th I’m wrestling in the Gathering of the Juggalos in Ohio. I’m not a big ICP fan but it’s too weird of an opportunity, and I was like fuck it, I’ll do it. I got a bunch of interesting stuff coming up. Hopefully Death Match 10 will be in August but I’ve just been so busy. After Death Match 10, I’m gonna keep them on YouTube for free always, but I’m gonna do a download where you can download all the matches, plus all this extra bonus stuff, plus alternate commentary where I’m just gonna fuck around. Then I’m gonna do a closing reception show, cause I’ve always considered them art shows. I’m gonna have all the photographers that ever took photos put all their photos up. We’ll have a projector playing all the matches. I’m gonna sell a zine with all the flyers I drew and all the photos. It’s gonna be a cool little art show and I don’t have to fight anybody. It’ll be a fun, easy thing. That’s the weird thing about these shows is I either, I party with them and have fun or I’m so fucked up I’m like, guys I gotta go home immediately. I got a couple of things in the works, and also in the fall I’m hoping to launch a promotion. I haven’t talked a lot about it yet cause I’m still getting funds and everything together. It will be called New Fear City. That’s something I’m trying to get together. I already have the venue locked, already have talent in mind, I’m just trying to put it all together. I’m making hype videos, I’m gonna start dropping them in July. New Fear City, I’m really proud of that too haha.
