In PWPonderings latest exclusive interview, PWPonderings’ own Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) got to chat with Mortar (@IAMMORTAR) and discuss his time in Chaotic Wrestling so far, working with Ricky Smokes, Richard Holliday, Danny Miles, his upcoming match at Fight Life Pro, and so much more. You can watch it in its entirety below.

When and why did you first become a fan of professional wrestling?

“I think I got into wrestling probably around 13 years old. I was at my grandparent’s house, and it was the episode of SmackDown where we saw the angle of Chavo and Rey having the “I Quit” match on a pay-per-view. That was my first memory of wrestling at that specific angle right there. From then on, it was like every Friday night at my grandparent’s house we’d watch it at 8. I got into it a little more around WrestleMania 23 season and started getting into RAW, ECW, and TNA. That’s when I became an actual fan of wrestling. I just enjoyed it and loved what it brought to the table. Being a kid watching it, it was cool stuff.”

Did you have any inspirations you remember watching growing up?

“Rey Mysterio. But I didn’t get to grow up watching him because they did that storyline. It wasn’t until I watched Raw after the Rumble that I saw Shawn Michaels and instantly got hooked. He was the guy who made me realize I could try this.”

When and why did you decide this was what you wanted to do with your life?

“I had originally signed up to the New England Pro Wrestling Academy way back in the day when I was like 15 or 16. I did it for like three months or so, and I left and never went back until I was like 22 years old. I don’t think I was ready mentally to get into any sports like that. I had an attitude issue when I was younger, and I carried myself very differently than I do today. I took a couple of years off to get my life together first before I even decided to go back. I got my stuff situated so I could take a break and have fewer worries. I was a little better off, so I tried it again and I was probably 250 pounds. It was probably the unhealthiest I have ever been. Everything else from there was pretty much history. I got myself in better shape. By the time the pandemic hit, I got down to like 190 pounds. I was 23/24 when I had my first match, and it was right around when I bought my first house.”

What drew you to New England Pro Wrestling Academy?

“I used to go to Chaotic shows when I was a kid. They would promote the school. The main reason behind it was it was close enough to my house. I couldn’t pass up not going. It had a good reputation, and good wrestlers, and the decision was pretty easy to decide to go here. When I came back, I still lived close, and it was right here. So, I figured let’s go for it and try it. So, that’s really the reason I decided to call that school my home.”

During your time training there, did you have anyone who really mentored you and took you under their wing?

“I have 2 wrestling dads. Max Smashmaster and Chase Del Monte. I came back when Brian Fury was still owning the school. However, because of my work schedule, I only went once a week. Those classes were run by Chase and Scott (Max Smashmaster). They are the ones who taught me everything I know. They are my day one. Those two guys are the ones I look up to, and even still to this day, we’re really good friends. I’ll ask them for anything and favors, and they ask me for favors all the time. They’re the ones who take full credit for Mortar. I put the work in to get here, but they were the ones who helped me get to where I needed to get.”

Tell me about the transition from CJ Cruz to Mortar

“Nobody knows the origin of this story. CJ Cruz was a name that I needed to just get out there. It was always CJ something. But I never put any effort into it. It just always started with CJ. It wasn’t until the pandemic that I really sat back and thought I didn’t want to do this anymore around the whole “Me Too” movement and it all just left a sour taste in my mouth. Chaotic started doing tapings at the school, but when I came back, I was 230 pounds. I couldn’t move like I used to and just didn’t feel it anymore. During that era, I made the decision that I was done. I told Smashmaster the next set of tapings would be my last. He looked at me and said, “Shut up, I’ll see you Tuesday.” He brought up the idea of bringing in a more sinister version of me. So, we started doing the tapings, turning me heel a little bit, and then we did the full turn. So Smashmaster said let’s paint my face and make me his little mini-me. Fun fact, my nickname at the school was always MORTAR. So, I figured we’d just go with Mortar. The rest from there was like alright, here we go. What I had to try and learn was who Mortar was. But that’s like the actual story of how he came to be. The Mortar that’s around today is nowhere close to that Mortar in any way shape or form. It’s a complete 180 of who was originally supposed to be Mortar.”

One of your most prolific storylines in Chaotic came with that of Ricky Smokes. What was that whole experience like for you, and what did it mean to you?

“So, Ricky holds a special place in my heart. Before the pandemic, we were teaming. We rode together a lot. We were kids who were just trying to do something. We were always here to just get ourselves to the next spot. We were always two different people, but we had the same birthday, and we wrestled very similarly. So, when we made the split, the pandemic happened, seeing him be who he was, he was ahead of me. So, I always tried to get one up on him. Our story evolved so much. We as people outside of wrestling have changed so much. I still hold him super high in my book. We have a friendly competition. It has grown into a completely different rivalry. I still remember the first time we wrestled in Watertown, and we had a great match. There were tears in my eyes afterward. Then we did the whole thing with the New England title, the triple threat at Cold Fury, it was like one after the other. Every match was a different story from something that we were doing. We were just trying to one-up each other. One way or another we’re always tied to each other.”

What did it mean to you to win the Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship from Ricky Smokes and get to represent New England?

“Because I was such a fan of Chaotic when I was younger, winning that title meant so much more to me. It meant more to me than the match itself, because of the lineage of that belt, if you’re a champion, it doesn’t get easier. Now that you have that belt, you’re trusted to do something with that and make it memorable. Having that match with Rick, winning the title from him, was almost fitting. That’s the story people wanted. But to have Rick there just made it so much easier. To have that match with Rick, had it been how it was, I wouldn’t have asked for a different opponent. He does hold a special place in my heart and I hope nothing but the best for him. If there’s anyone from this area I want to see make it in wrestling, it’s Rick. He’s the one guy who has to make it out of here and do something. He’s such an incredible worker and he cares.”

More recently, you had a fun storyline with Richard Holliday, upon his return to Chaotic. What was that experience like for you?

“The wrestler in me says screw that guy. The person in me loves Richard Holliday. He’s someone who cares. He always wants to make sure there’s a story and a reason we’re doing stuff. It was almost perfect when we started working with each other. We both were at a point in our career where we looked at each other and just tried to figure out what we were doing. Every match we’ve just been trying to continue to one-up each other. Everything he’s gone through, the fact that he went through all of that, came back and is on the greatest run he’s ever been on, hats off to him. He’s someone else I think deserves the world too. He’s such a nice guy. He does the drives, and he deserves that. He’s another one I hope nothing but the best.”

At the next Chaotic Show on October 25^th, you’ll be meeting Danny Miles in a “Parking Lot Brawl” match. What has it been like working with Miles, and what can we expect from this fight?

“Our rivalry was weird. It started a while ago. Probably 2 and a half years ago for the New England title. I didn’t get to know him until after the pandemic. He was someone I teamed with when I first started being Mortar outside of Chaotic. We were the tag champs at APW. The rivalry with Danny is something that comes out of nowhere. It’s never something that’s in the books, but it always pops up. Lately, it’s been popping up for a while when he was the heavyweight champion. I love Danny. He’s kind of like me. We’re very giving with our bodies, as long as it’s safe, but we also know how to cut the bs out too.”

On Sunday, you’ll be taking part in the Soul Survivor match at Fight Life Pro. What can we expect and what’s your mindset heading into that match?

“So, the match if I’m correct starts at an 8-man tag. The winning team has to wrestle each other in a fatal four-way. I’ve never been part of it. I think last year at that show I was in a six-man tag with Ricky and Brad against Miracle Gen and Ichiban. I’ve been wanting to go against Ashley Vox for so long. Just because she’s one of the only people I haven’t checked off my list from pre-Pandemic. But everyone else in that match I’ve already wrestled at least once or twice. Fight Life is different, which is what I like. It’s not your normal indie show where they put match graphics up and tell us to go do our thing. It’s taken very seriously, and everything we do matters and has a purpose. I think that’s why Fight Life has had success.”

You also own your own construction company on top of wrestling. How do you juggle between the two?

“Because I have my own business it’s easy for wrestling. But I have to play my cards right because at the end of the day wrestling doesn’t pay my bills. My real job does. When I opened up my own business and started doing my own thing, wrestling became easier because I was able to travel. The hardest thing with juggling both is when you work 40 hours a week, you’re almost guaranteed a paycheck. They know that whatever day they get their check, they are getting paid. With running your own business it’s not like that. The only person is making money is me. If I don’t try or engage in advertising, there’s no money coming in. Trying to balance both can be a headache. I also need to make sure days I can take off. The biggest plus is I own a small business, not a big company. It does make it easier being a smaller business because I can control where all the money goes. But sometimes I have to remind myself that although wrestling is fun, it’s not paying the bills right now.”

Looking ahead, what are your future goals? Are there any opponents you’d like to square off with that you haven’t had the chance to yet?

“The goal is to obviously get signed. I’ve never been that kind of guy to set the goal so high. I’m always trying to figure out what’s next in my career. When it comes to wrestling, my goal is to get somewhere on a TV basis, whether it’s to do a Ring of Honor or TNA. Just something like that. It doesn’t have to be something major. Some kind of TV aspect company is a goal for right now. I’ve been for this for a while now, but I’d love to work with Manders. He’s such a good dude and we have the same style, I fly around a little more than he does. But we both have that brute fighting style. I’d love to check that one off my list for sure. Manders for sure is definitely on that list.”