Tony “The Iceman” Johnson has been dominating the Pittsburgh area and collecting championships for many years now and is now looking to make his name at OWA as he enters the OWA vs Paradigm Pro Heavy Hitters Tournament. Tony won the Ryse Grand Championship by defeating Matt Conard in December of 2019 and defended it against all comers and against all odds until it was stripped away from him by Commander Sterling during the pandemic. He still has his eyes on that championship, which is currently held by Ziggy Haim, but also looks to branch out and has done that in OWA, where he had an amazing match against Ryan Rembradt in his debut at Good Trouble Vol 2. He was kind enough to answer some questions from me about his time at Ryse, his unique podcast, and OWA.
Don: You held the Ryse Grand Championship for quite a long time and had some incredible main event matches during that reign. Were there any matches or moments from that title reign that were especially memorable for you?
Tony: The first moment that stands out to me was winning the Grand Championship. I got to do battle with a longtime and maybe my greatest rival Matt Conard. Also in the same night my bro’s The Mane Event won the tag team championships.
Another moment that was special to me was my handicap match with David Lawless and Dr. Daniel C. Rockingham in March 2020. This was the last match I would have for 15 months. Having the story of overcoming the odds inside the ring, and the top brass pressure from Sterling made that a great memory.
Don: You then had the championship striped from you by Commander Sterling, and were not able to regain it in the 4-way match at Ryse Returns. What is next for you in Ryse? Would you like to go after the title or get revenge on Commander Sterling possibly with a match against MV Young or David Lawless? Also, how did it feel to be back wrestling for Ryse, especially with the kind of crowd that they had that day?
Tony: As far as Ryse goes, I always have my eye on the Grand Championship. I have one of the most impressive singles run in company history, so if I could defeat one of the individuals associated with Sterling and regain the championship I never lost it would be a win win for me.
Returning to Ryse after 15 months felt amazing. Some of the people on the roster, I hadn’t seen since the last show in 2020, so it felt like a family reunion. The crowd was insane, some familiar faces and some first time fans. It was as exciting for me as it looked to be for them.
Don: You had a long time out of the ring during the pandemic. How did you stay in ring shape, so that you were able to come back as good or better then ever upon your return?
Tony: For my personal conditioning, I was fortunate that I had just started a long term kettlebell program called simple and sinister which I could do anywhere. When the gyms I was lucky enough to still train. In addition to that program, I also did yoga about 3-4 days a week which gave me body control and mobility. Lastly, I stuck to my roots of pro wrestling training by doing calisthenics. Hindu pushups, Squats, pull-ups, and walking 1-2 miles per day.
Don: You had a great match at OWA on their Good Trouble Vol 2 show against Ryan Rembrandt. That was one of my favorite shows so far this year, as every match was fantastic. How did you get involved with OWA and what was that experience like?
Tony: PB Smooth threw my name in the mix. I believe a few other wrestlers vouched for me, but PB got my name in the door.
Working with OWA has been a great experience thus far. I’ve felt very comfortable with the staff and other talent and look forward to working with them in the future.
Don: You are entered in the Heavyhitters tournament presented by OWA and Paradigm Pro. I would assume this is a tournament unlike anything that you have been involved in before. How are you preparing for this and is there anyone in the tournament that you would really like to be in the ring with?
Tony: For a tournament that leads into a 10 person match after the first round matchup is new, but tournaments in general are not new to me. I love the atmosphere of competing more than once, and having the chance to square up with people you don’t usually cross paths with.
I’m preparing for this like I normally would, focusing on my body through strength and conditioning, my mind through cold exposure and breath work, and knowing in my spirt that I’m going to do everything I can do to win.
Don: Your podcast is very different than what other wrestlers are putting out. Can you tell us a little bit about it, how you came up with the idea, and what you have learned doing it?
Tony: My podcast called Sidemissions came about while I was in a personal development course called Go For Your Win. In the midst of the course, we were asked to identify skills that would help us achieve our “win” in life. Content creation was one of those skills. So in the middle of a workout, I got the idea for what I wanted my podcast to be. Part research and facts and part experimentation. I figured there would be an endearing quality to hearing someone who is not an expert in these topics look for more info on them and try it themselves.
The biggest thing I learned so far is you can go further than your preconceived limits. On my cold exposure sidemission, I got into 39 degree water, while it was 25 degrees outside. Even with all of the cold training I had done up to that point I still had doubts, but once I got into the water and began to focus on my breath, my experience was easier than the story I was telling myself beforehand.
You can check out Tony when OWA & Paradigm Pro present Heavy Hitters 3 on Saturday September 11. It will air live on IWTV at 7pm. Tony has a very tough first round opponent in Alex Kane. Some of the other very interesting first round matches are Joshua Bishop vs Jake Something, Freddie Hudson vs Cole Radrick, AKIRA vs Matt Makowski, along with many others.
You can find Tony on Twitter at @IcemanTonyJ and check out his podcast Sidemissions wherever you listen to your podcasts.