Photo credit: @grenwail

In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) sits down with Paris Van Dale (@theparisvandale) to discuss a whole bunch of topics. Van Dale talks about her time in Chaotic Wrestling so far, working with Dante Drago, the upcoming All Out War match, working Beyond Wrestling’s biggest show in history, Limitless Wrestling, Ashley Vox, and so much more. Check out the full interview in its entirety below.

When and why did you get into pro wrestling as a kid and what made you want to choose this as a career path?

“I have two older brothers who were both big wrestling fans. It was always on in the house so I had no choice but to get into it. I don’t have many memories without wrestling in the house. As far as what made me want to be a wrestler, the first person who made me think this was something I wanted to do was AJ Lee. I was 11 or 12 then, so I didn’t have any concept of independent wrestling or wrestling schools. At that point, it was just something in the back of my mind that I thought would be cool. I’d say that probably several years later, I finally made the transition from a dream to a goal when I watched Sasha vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. That match made me realize I really wanted to do this.”

What was it like working with Armani Kayos to form The Higher Society which was one of your first big stories in wrestling?

“I feel like Higher Society just came naturally to us. We are really good friends. As we were getting more show-ready, we were toying with the idea of becoming a team. We had a couple practice matches and our trainers liked our dynamic together. So, we brought it to shows. The formation of Higher Society was really just based on our real-life friendship.”

What was it like when you and Armani finally broke up?

“I feel like when we first made the decision to go our separate ways, it was sad and scary. All I had known in wrestling up to that point was teaming with him. It was very nerve-wracking to make the decision to part ways, but at that point, Higher Society in Chaotic didn’t really have any sort of direction. The stories ended, so we were at the point of Where do we go from here? We didn’t want to go straight back to tag matches. There were no plans for us to even challenge for the tag titles. So, we sort of toyed with the idea of adding a third, but we didn’t really think that made sense. Higher Society was so great because of the two of us and how close we were. So, we’re not going to go anywhere together, we may as well go our separate ways and see what we can accomplish on our own.”

You had the longest reign in history, with the Chaotic Wrestling Pan-Optic Championship. What was it like winning the title and going on to hold it for as long as you did (roughly 510 days)?

“That whole reign and era of Paris Van Dale meant so much to me. I don’t even think I can put it into words. Chaotic was the first indie show I went to as just as a fan. So to go from that to training, to doing ring crew, all I ever wanted was to just be a consistent person on this roster. I was happy with that, but then to go on, and be trusted not only to be a champion in the company but to be the longest-reigning Pan-Optic Champion, I’m so grateful for that. I’m proud of so many moments in that title reign. That just makes me so happy to think about. Seeing my growth with the title, and seeing how far I came being the champion made me really grateful.”

What has it been like working with Dante Drago in Chaotic as of late?

“I’m having so much fun working with him. Our match was honestly supposed to be just a one-off thing. Chase asked me who I wanted to wrestle, and I just said anyone from Create A Pro. Dante ended up being available, so he was the special chosen one. The idea of playing mind games, and him asking me out on a date was proposed. It was his debut and he never wrestled in Chaotic before. Chaotic is a tough crowd for newcomers. I could not have predicted how much the crowd was into our dynamic. It’s still up there for one of my favorite matches of the year in general. Dante is so talented and so creative. A lot of wrestling comes naturally to him. It’s been really fun to just team alongside him and get to see how his mind works. It’s helped me a lot with how I approach matches, ideas, and creativity in the short time we’ve been teaming. I’m having a great time. Who knows when it will end but hopefully not anytime soon.”

Looking ahead, you’ll be teaming with Dante Drago, Aaron Rourke, Armani Kayos, and Tyree Taylor to take on God’s Greatest Creations in an All Out “Holy” War on Friday night for Chaotic Wrestling. What are your thoughts heading into this match?

“I am really excited to be a part of this match. All Out War has been a staple at Breaking Point for the last three or four years now. I remember watching Shannon LeVangie jump off the balcony at All Out War. There’s always a bunch of crazy moments in these matches. I’m very excited to create my own crazy All Out War moment this year. My team is pretty stacked. You got me, Dante, and Armani, who I’m so excited to get to team with him again. It’s the first time in Chaotic in like three years. I’ve wrestled Aaron Rourke a bunch, and I love wrestling him. He’s another one of my good friends outside of wrestling. This is the first time I’m teaming with him. Then there’s Ty. He’s a very well-rounded competitor. He’s agile, hits hard, and he’s someone I’m glad to have on our team. Then GGC, they’ve been running rampant at Chaotic now for the past year or so. We’re going to take them down. We got this.”

Earlier in the year you had the chance to wrestle at Beyond Wrestling’s “Shamrock Slam.” This was the biggest event in Beyond’s history. What was it like being a part of this show and teaming with Shannon LeVangie and Ava Everett?

“It was crazy. The crowd was the most people I’ve ever wrestled in front of. I’m very lucky I was able to do that with two people I’m very good friends with Shannon LeVangie and Ava Everett. I was very nervous, but having them there calmed me down. There were so many people to the point where we couldn’t hear anything. I could see people reacting, clapping, chanting but I couldn’t hear anything. There was one point during intros when Shannon and I looked at each other and just thought about how crazy this was. This was an unforgettable night and something I will look back on and always be very fortunate to have been allowed to be able to be on the show. That was also a very last-minute booking I got. I’m very grateful I was given the chance to be a part of that, and I hope Beyond runs something like that again next year because I would love to do it again.”

This past Saturday, you got to go one-on-one with Kristara at Beyond Wrestling’s “Pop Culture” event. What was this match like for you?

“I actually wrestled Kristara once before on Wrestling Open and I loved that match. I was excited when I found out I was wrestling her again. I loved the Cambridge venue as well. For whatever reason, I always love the smaller more intimate venues. I always think those are fun to perform in. It was short, but I really enjoyed that match. Any time I get the chance to wrestle Kristara I’ll do it. Now, we’re tied at one win a piece in the two matches we’ve had so far. I would have won if it wasn’t for Lauren (the ring announcer) but whatever. I feel like we have to have the tiebreaker now.”

Looking ahead for you in Beyond, what are your goals?

“I feel like I’m just starting to make my way on to Beyond. I would like to have a singles match on a bigger Beyond show such as Americanrana or Heavy Lies The Crown. That’s probably what’s next for me. I’m doing my thing on Wrestling Open teaming with Tiara James. It’s fairly new but I’m excited to see where that goes. I’d love to really start being on my own in a more main card Beyond show.”

What has it been like teaming with Tiara James in a very newly formed team?

“So, it’s very new. We haven’t really worked together a lot. We don’t frequent the same shows so we haven’t really hit our stride yet. I feel like we have to find our groove of where we want to go as a team. We can really go anywhere. We tagged once at the Beyond beach show. I feel like we’re going to have really great outfits. I feel like that’s where we’ll bond. We have very similar styles. This isn’t a bad thing, but I feel like we’ll have to work to find our chemistry because we do come from two different schools and we haven’t worked together a ton. We’ll have to work to find our in-ring chemistry as far as moves go, but style we’re pretty in sync with.”

What was it like working with Shannon LeVangie and forming the Bratz?

“That was another Wrestling Open creation. We’ve wrestled each other a ton. I think I wrestled her the most out of anyone in my four years in wrestling. We wrestled each other over 20 times and it doesn’t even feel like that much. The numbers don’t lie. We have very good chemistry as far as opponents. Learning that we’d be put together as a team, I was curious how our chemistry would be there. Like yes, we’re friends and wrestled each other a lot, but sometimes that doesn’t always mix how you think it would. Our chemistry translated. That was so much fun, it was a little tricky because our styles aesthetically were cohesive but we were two different people. We tried different types of gear, and that was our one big issue. We settled on the BRATZ formation. We started with the name and it worked because we’re bratty. That worked for my aesthetic and Shannon is the troublemaker which could translate to bratty as well. She was thinking of getting a red-flame gear and I got matching gear to match her. It was difficult to find that common ground aesthetic-wise, but chemistry it was very easy. I hope when Shannon gets back we can experiment more with the Brats because it did get cut short.”

What’s it like being a member of the Limitless Wrestling locker room and working with everyone there?

“That was another big goal of mine to get to be on a Limitless show. I’ve done the road when I first started, and it was honestly like my first set of matches. I had no idea who I was and was just going through the motions. That happened, whole world shut down, but a big goal of mine was to always get back on a Limitless main card. I remember getting the message at Wrestling Open with Shannon asking if we were available and I was so excited. I create a goal list every year and getting to check off one of my big goals was so cool. That locker room is also so talented, so I feel like so grateful to be able to be in a locker room with so many talented people and be trusted to be on that show. There’s so many incredible talents on that show and there are not really many spots. To be able to be thought of to add something to the show means a lot to me.”

Earlier this year, you and Shannon LeVangie teamed up to face Megan Bayne at Limitless. What was this match like for you both?

“It didn’t go great for us, but when I found out we were going to be wrestling Megan it was really exciting. She was someone I wanted to wrestle with for a while. I think we were her first match back from her tour in Japan. So, to be trusted with that honor to be Megan Bayne’s first match back in America was so cool. No matter how it went in the ring, it was a win for me.”

At the last show, we saw you and Ashley Vox’s rivalry come to a head. Originally it was supposed to be you and a mystery partner vs. Ashley Vox and a mystery partner, which turned out to be Delmie Exo. Delmie proceeded to turn on her long-time friend. How did this all come about?

“As much as I drag her on Twitter, getting to work with Ashley has been such a fun experience. When I first started training, I wanted to wrestle Ashley. That was another big dream match of mine was to wrestle her. Me and Armani got to wrestle the SeaStars twice, and I got to wrestle Delmie a couple of times, but I never got to wrestle her. Being told I was going to start this whole deal with her was very exciting. She said that I didn’t have any friends. Ashley’s great at wrestling but she may not be the brightest because I have a lot of friends. Like I said during the promo, Ashley shouldn’t be too open to trusting people because look what happened. Her sister was tired of the way Ashley was treating her, turned on her, and found a better tag team partner in me. I don’t know if Delmie and I are going to team but we’re definitely in an alliance of sort because we’re tired of Ashley hogging all the spotlight. How many times do I have to beat her? She just has to get over it. It’s fine, you lost. I want the old Ashley Vox. I want the Ashley Vox who wrestled Kris Stat, MJF, and Daniel Garcia, not the one who whined about me having no friends and not respecting her.”

Looking ahead for you, what are your future goals?

“I would definitely like to travel more outside of New England. Recently, I was able to wrestle in Canada which was a super fun experience. I’ve never been outside the country in general, let alone in wrestling. In 2025, I just want to do more of that. Whether it’s outside of the US, or the Midwest, down south, or west coast, I’d like for Paris Van Dale and the brattitude era to expand.”

Do you have any future opponents you’d really like to share the ring with?

“There’s so many talented people in the indies I’ve yet to face. I’d really like to wrestle Maggie Lee, she’s been killing it. I’ve teamed with her, but I’ve never wrestled Zayda Steel. I’d really love to wrestle Kylie Rae, Maya World has been another women’s wrestler I’d love to work with. I’d love to wrestle B3CCA again, it’s been over two years. I’d love to wrestle Aaron Rourke again. I’ve wrestled him, but the last time I did was in 2021 and I’ve changed a lot. I had no concept of who I was. I didn’t have the confidence I do now. I’d love to wrestle Anthony Greene just to test myself and show I’m more confident not just as a human being but also as a wrestler. Megan Bayne, I wrestled her in that handicap match, but I never wrestled her in a singles match. There’s just so many people. I feel like I would like to do more intergender matches in 2025. It’s a different type of match. You have to build a different story and go into it with a different match.”