Photo credit: @floodshot_
In an exclusive interview with PWPondering’s Scott Mitchell (@ScottsScoop44), Dante Drago talks about getting his start in professional wrestling, training at Create A Pro, becoming the “Frat Star,” his upcoming shows, and so much more.
Growing up, when and why did you get into professional wrestling in the first place?
“I’m a late wrestling bloomer. I started wrestling in 2018, January 2nd to be exact. My first pay-per-view was the Royal Rumble that Roman won. My friends would always mess around, throw each other into STFs and Boston Crabs, and I picked up the video game, WWE 2K17 and played it non-stop. My dream as a kid was to play second basemen for the New York Yankees, but I sucked at baseball. On top of being an athlete, I always loved movies, writing, acting, and thought to myself that being a wrestler was the best of both worlds. So, I became obsessed with it. I went to a Create A Pro show when I was 16 where the main event was Massage NV vs. Best Friends, and I had the open house, and I signed up right there. I gave it a shot and haven’t looked back.”
At what point did you decide that you wanted to become a professional wrestler?
“The thing with pro wrestling is you never know if it’s for you until you do it. I signed up to train at Create A Pro because I didn’t want to regret not trying. In all honesty, in my head, I thought I would be Create A Pro champion in 2 months, but I realized very quickly that would not be the case. Around the time I got home from college, I was training up at the Xcite Pro Wrestling school, when I got home, I started focusing on the training at Create A Pro, and everything that came with it like dieting, getting in better shape, hopping in cars, getting outside bookings. I didn’t have a ProWrestlingTees or an Instagram, I was always a little insecure that I was a pro wrestler. However, once I embraced it and realized that was a part of who I was, my career started to take off.”
As a Create A Pro fan since the beginning, to the people who may be reading this and not know much about Create A Pro other than that’s where MJF, Caster, or Kris Statlander came from. Why did you choose Create-A-Pro Wrestling Academy?
“It was one of those things that were just meant to be. It was either Create A Pro or nothing. I went to Create A Pro in 2016 and remember being so scared to talk to Brian Myers. For me, the second I was done with that show, it was always Create-A-Pro. There are other great schools in the area, but seeing MJF take off, Shook Crew get over on the indies, the atmosphere and environment it created made me feel like I belonged there. I knew I wanted to succeed there. I love Create A Pro, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it and all the coaches there. Best decision of my life.”
How important is it to you to know you’re not just a Create A Pro wrestler now, you’re also a Create A Pro graduate?
“It’s kind of funny. I graduated from CAP around the same time I graduated college, which is fitting for the Frat Star. When you graduate, that’s just the beginning. When you become a Create A Pro graduate, it means Brian and Pat look at you and say that you have the fundamentals to go out there and make a name for yourself. They don’t just let anyone graduate. Certain individuals who have worked hard understand the business, and that’s when they give you the green light. To me, the Create A Pro graduation was the start of my career. There’s always work to do, you have to keep up with everyone and also push yourself.”
How did you decide to come up with the Frat Star gimmick?
“I was talking to Stephen Azure about this. He says I just came to practice one day and was a different person. There are a lot of things that helped me become who I am today. I guess we’ll start with the birth of the Frat Star. Binghamton University, a sorority held a Greek God body-building competition. My fraternity, shoutout to Phi Kappa Sai, didn’t have anyone to participate in the show. We were going to fold and decide to not do it. I figured I could get in shape, and probably get some girls in the process, so I threw my hat in the ring and said I’d do it. They said cool, go for it. I trained and worked hard. Being on that stage was in my opinion the first time The Frat Star ever came out. The Frat Star name came from… Well, there was a girl I liked, things were going well on a particular night, and at the end of the night, she went with a different individual other than myself. I was pretty upset about this. I ran outside, and my friend named Ariel Jacobs found me. She’s amazing and super, super talented. She called me the Frat Star for the first time. I was like, I’m using that. The next day I had a show at Xcite Wrestling and I used it there and it just stuck.”
When it comes to the character, did you have any inspirations when putting it together?
“In all honesty, a lot of my wrestling comes from my fraternity. My character mannerisms, and how I talk and walk to the ring come from people I’ve known and seen in my fraternity. A lot of philanthropies have been going on and it’s cleaned up its act a lot in the fraternity, which is great to see. “Drago is the best” is something I’ve gotten from my Frat brothers. Going out there, and just having fun is from them. I’ve always loved Chad Gable, he’s someone who I try to be. If I find something, I’ll just try it.”
A couple of months ago I got to speak with Jack Tomlinson, and he said that forming VBU with you wasn’t just a tag team and that you guys are best friends in the ring and out. From your eyes, how did forming VBU come to be?
“It’s honestly a pretty simple story. When I got home from school, I wanted to show that I was ready to take over. I was pitching ideas, and one of the ideas that got brought up was putting me with Eric James, being his lackey and whatnot. It was the beginning of the “Larger Than Life” stable. But, one day Caster came up to me and told me and Jack were going to team together. We were never really close when we were training. Jack was always leaps and bounds ahead of me. I was very excited. The first match was fun, and the rest was history. We just spent hours talking about everything. The best part of being friends with Jack is you’re constantly trying to keep up with him because he’s always evolving. That’s what I love. I love the challenges, and love to improve together.”
You had your debut match against the Shook Crew, as VBU. What was it like having your debut match against two of the top talents that Create A Pro has to offer, Bobby Orlando and Bryce Donovan?
“I don’t think Shook Crew took off the way they did when we had that match yet. They were up next at that time. Finally, they just broke through and now they’re both gigantic stars and I couldn’t be happier for Bobby and Bryce. It just seems like VBU and Shook Crew are a destiny match. We’re always intertwined. They’re the ones who helped us get to that level. If we could hold our own against them, we can hold our own against anyone. I have a lot of respect for them. Having that match was amazing. It was just like, wow, we’re these two kids who just became a tag team and went to war with two of the bests.”
What was it like finally winning the Create A Pro Tag Team Championships?
“I didn’t know anything was happening until I got to the venue. It was the biggest shock. It was like okay, we have the belts now, where can we go from here? That was both of our first belts at Create A Pro. I remember for a week straight after I just wouldn’t let go of it. I would go home and watch TV and just have it draped over my lap. It showed that they believed in us and trusted in us to go out there, have great matches, sell tickets, and just keep people invested. I can’t thank Create A Pro enough for that opportunity, and I hope to get back there sooner rather than later.”
You guys got to work with some of the best that the independent wrestling scene has to offer, whether it be Even Stevens, Eric James, or even a wrestling legend in Bully Ray. What was it like getting to work with all of them?
“We’ve done some pretty cool things. How did we do half of this stuff? Starting with the Major Pod match. We wrestled the guy who is running the indies in Matt Cardona, our coach Brian Myers, and one of the top wrestlers to ever come out of Create A Pro, Smart Mark Sterling. How did we get this role? The next show we went to war with the Shook Crew in an insane match. Then we had Bully Ray at Melville which was another insane match. We had Phil Cardigan shaking his butt and it just works. The match we are most proud of is Tyrus and Kevin Kiley Jr. NWA World Heavyweight Champion and Kevin Kiley Jr‘s return match. I think we had the match of the night on that show. It was right around the time when I first started doing the chokeslam stuff too, and that was fun with Tyrus. We just want to go bigger and better. Even Stevens, Midlife Express, and Shook Crew are all great, but we want to show that VBU will be the guys who are on top.”
As someone who has seen a lot of your and Jack’s matches live. I’ve never left a show not being entertained by either one of you. Even in single’s competition this past Saturday you went up against Kaide Lothbrook in Victory Pro Wrestling. How important is it to you to leave fans entertained whether you pick up a win or lose?
“It’s crucial. It’s so crucial. I can preface it with this, I’m very big on what’s going to grab someone’s attention. Recently, a lot has been paddle related. I’m the frat guy with the paddle. The choke slam stuff started at NFW where I am currently the choke slam champion. It’s just taken on a life of its own. I think wrestling needs more guys who are willing to be the butt of the joke. I have no problem doing just that. I want everyone to laugh at me and see how silly I am. At the end of the day, I still want to be taken seriously as a competitor and do a good enough job to try to pick up a win. I think I do a good job at doing that. I want the fans to take with them that even though I can be silly, it’s a fun match, and a match they remember come the end of the night. For me it’s about fan engagement, if I can make my match stand out because of my mannerisms, and move set, I will do just that. I can tell you right now I can go 20 minutes with some of the best on the independents and put on some stellar matches, but to me, and in front of certain crowds, that’s not what I want to do. I want to have moments leaving kids laughing and adults going what an idiot. I’m a competitor at heart and there’s a ton of talent out there, I love the challenge.”
I also wanted to talk about your time with NFW and Xcite Wrestling, being a regular at both of these places. You’re also the first ever NFW Tag Team Champion, alongside Jack Tomlinson, what’s it like wrestling at both of these places and achieving all you have so far?
“Wrestling at Xcite means a lot to me. They gave me my original shot. My debut match is considered as the peak of our fraternity in my fraternity. Getting that platform, doing the best I can, and just to still be wrestling there and being one of the more loved characters there, means the world to me. I told myself I will be Xcite Heavyweight Champion, and I won’t leave until I do just that. As for NFW, Jack and I were day ones. We were pre-show on the first show and we told ourselves nobody would ever top us. To have those belts, to have our faith, and to know that we are the guys in NFW, means the absolute world to us. We felt there was no other choice but us to usher in tag team wrestling in NFW. There’s nobody else who can put this company on the map like us. At the time, VBU was just getting started. That was our first match in front of a crowd. It all paid off, and having that moment was so special and makes me emotional to even talk about it. It was that special.”
You’ve been somewhat of a regular at Blitzkrieg Pro as well. How has your time been there, so far?
“Blitzkreig Pro is a promotion I put my notice on immediately, it’s where I felt my type of wrestling could succeed. I wanted to put my foot in the door. I love that locker room, there are a lot of CAP guys as well as New England stars there as well. I did ring crews there for two years to just get on the show. Eventually, I got a shot and think I knocked it out of the park. At Wrestival, I earned a #1 Contendership match. It didn’t go the way I had planned. I wish it had a lot more done with it. If anything, it just made me hungrier there. I want to succeed and be the guy there. Bobby Orlando was the Bedlam Champion for a long time, now he is at the top of the mountain on the east coast, and I want next. I’m not doing this to have fun on the weekends, I’m doing this because I want to be the best and recognized as such.”
I know previously you had said you have a surprise coming up on April 29th, is there anything you can say about that?
“I can’t say anything yet. It’s a match that Jack and I have been clamoring for, for years. This team has been on two of my New Year’s resolutions. I have the utmost respect for both of these guys, and we will go in there and kill it. When the match gets announced, just understand how excited I am, how thrilled I am, and how good this match will be.”
The date of April 29th got me thinking of WrestlePro’s next show, Anarchy. The Iron Savages have been running things over there, holding onto the WrestlePro Tag Team Championships for the better part of a year now. Have you ever faced off with the Iron Savages before, and how has your relationship with Bronson been at Create A Pro?
“Bronson was on the first show I went to when I signed up for CAP. He’s always been one of those guys who’s just been killing it. CAP goes through cycles where there are different guys on top. For a very long time, it was MJF, then it was Kris Stat, then it was Bronson, Caster, and now it’s Bryce and Bobby. Bronson was the guy who everyone knew was the man and who everyone knew was the nicest guy in the world. But he is also ferocious, and intense, and cared so much about wrestling and CAP. He’s an amazing role model and teacher and I have not one bad thing to say about him. He’s genuinely one of the best people I’ve met in wrestling, in the ring and out.”
With arguably one of the biggest shows in Create A Pro history coming up, Homecoming, what are your thoughts heading into the biggest show of the year?
“It doesn’t matter what match we’re in. VBU had our titles stolen and we’ve been spiraling ever since. At Homecoming, we’re gonna right the biggest wrong in Jack and mine’s careers and prove that VBU is at the top of the tag division at Create A Pro.”
Looking ahead, what’s next for you?
“Well, my catchphrase is the party is just getting started. In all honesty, as 2022 wound down, 2023 looked like it would be the year. I’m working hard, training hard, watching more wrestling than ever, and getting more and more confident. I want to take over. Wrestling too me is so much fun, and it’s such a privilege to be able to perform in front of anyone who buys a ticket at any wrestling show. Whether it’s on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, who cares? If you’re paying your money and giving us your time, then I want to do everything I can to make you remember me, make you happy you bought a ticket, and make you want to see us again. I’m building my social media, trying to get as many bookings as possible. 2023 will be a year of more for Dante Drago.”
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