In the latest exclusive interview for PWPonderings, Jordan Cruz (@JordanCruzPro) sits down to discuss his career with Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell), including his time at Prestige Wrestling so far, aligning with Alan Angels, Duke Hudson, what’s next for him, and so much more. You can watch it in its entirety below.

When and why did you first get into professional wrestling?

“My story is probably pretty similar to a lot of the indie guys out here. I started watching at a pretty young age, and for one reason or another, it just connected to me. I remember I was always one of the smaller guys growing up. I was a bit of a late bloomer in terms of physical and the size, you see today. I wasn’t really like that back then. So, I always resonated with Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, RVD, and some of the more underdog-type wrestlers. Even like Kurt Angle, who was not always as big as some of his opponents, but his strength and his intensity it didn’t matter. Those guys resonated with me. It didn’t take me long to become a junkie. I watched everything I could get my hands on. Raw, SmackDown, TNA, YouTube watching backyard wrestling. Whatever it was, I’d find it, you know? It was a long journey. Once I got out of high school, I ended up enlisting in the Marine Corps, and I have always been thinking about wrestling. Then, before you know it I got stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA, and once I got out here I realized, California, Hollywood, that’s the entertainment capital of the world. If there’s any place to give it a shot, it’s out here. So, I looked up some wrestling schools, and what a sense of irony is that one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, Rey Mysterio, was doing an indie show out here at SoCal Pro. That’s how I found out about SoCal, and that’s where I actually got my start, and that’s where I showed up for my first day of training. From here on out, this is my story.”

What made you decide that you wanted to start training, and this was what you wanted to do with your life?

“It gets to a point in time in everyone’s life where you grow up with these dreams, whether it’s to be a pro wrestler, rockstar, athlete, doctor, and you get to that point and ask yourself, is it really realistic. A lot of people find a more realistic goal. That’s kind of what society tells us to do. I just didn’t let myself cave into that. You only get one shot at this? So, why not try? It doesn’t mean you have to do it forever. I could potentially, at that time, decide I don’t like it. Even if I just go for one day, at least I tried. That’s what you have to do with any goal: take it day by day. Here I am, almost eight years later. I still have the same fire, motivation, and it’s been great. It’s been so tough. It’s given me some of the toughest moments of my life, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s also given me some of the best moments of my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful for pro wrestling. It’s my outlet. It’s almost a security blanket. I don’t know what I’d do without it. We all have those moments where we may feel a little burned out, a little tired, and could use some time off. The next day, I wake up, and what am I thinking about again? Pro wrestling. So yeah, I’m addicted to it, I love it, and it’s my thing.”

At Prestige Wrestling’s “Nothing To Lose” in April, you defeated Bodhi Young Prodigy in dominating fashion. What was that like for you?

“I have a decent amount of history with Bodhi. We’ve wrestled each other five or six times now, but that was the first ever singles match. I knew him and he knew me. There was no feeling-out process, and there was no surprise factor. The only surprise really is why the hell would anyone book him against me? What else did you expect to happen? I know we keep talking about all these underdogs. I love Rey Mysterio, and Bodhi does have some of those qualities. But I wasn’t going to play with my food. I wasn’t going to give him a chance. All I did in the year before Prestige stopped working with me was dominate. I dominated everyone, and what did it get me? A year off from Prestige. I think everyone was afraid. Bodhi was the only one dumb enough to take the match. I did what I had to do. It’s nothing personal, it’s just business. I learned the hard way you can’t have too many feelings in pro wrestling, or you get let down. It’s a business mentality at Prestige through and through. I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to earn my keep.”

At the end of Prestige Wrestling’s “Nothing To Lose,” you aligned with Alan Angels and helped him defeat Calvin Tankman. Why did you do that?

“To make a statement. I’ll keep Alan and my personal agreement private. All you guys need to know is we’re not friends. We don’t have to be friends. All we have to do is work well together. I know what I’m capable of and what I can deliver as an individual, and so does he. Together, I don’t see how anyone will stop us. Look, this is a mutually beneficial agreement. He gets to be Prestige Champion, I get to make the statements that I’ve been destined to make for quite a few years now. I’ve been working for Prestige for almost three or four years, I’m ready to take the next step. At Alan’s side, I’m going to do exactly that.”

What’s it like to work alongside Alan Angels and learn under him?

“He’s someone who has been there, done that. He should still be signed today.  He shouldn’t be a free agent. He’s that damn good. Even if you don’t like him, you have to recognize that. He is going to be true to himself no matter what. It doesn’t matter what you think about him. He doesn’t care. He’s going to be himself through and through. What you see is what you get. What you see is a really talented wrestler. What you see is the Prestige champion, he has been for a long time, and he will continue to be for a long time. Again, whether you like it or not, you can’t stop him; nobody can. So, why wouldn’t I want to work with him? That’s a guaranteed spot in the main event every single night.”

On Thursday, May 15^th, Prestige Wrestling holds its next big event, “Conquer The World.” What’s your mindset heading into your tag team match with Alan Angels vs. Sinner & Saint, and what statement will you be trying to make?

“It’s simple, regret. They’re going to regret what they did. They could have walked away. They could have said no, sorry, and taken the high road. Instead, they stabbed Alan in the back like everyone else has. They kicked a dog when he was down. Are those the kind of guys worthy of respect? I don’t think so. I don’t have to respect them, and they don’t have to respect me; I don’t need that. All I need is to drop them both like flies. Plain and simple. That’s the statement. I’m untouchable. I’m untouchable regardless of who you put me in the ring with, especially with Alan by my side. That’s what that means. Look, Sinner & Saint, they’re great. They’re freaking awesome. You can’t take anything away from them. You think I’m just going to lie down and make it easy for them? I don’t care how decorated a tag team you are. I’m a brick wall, and they’re going to run into it the hard way.”

The last time we saw you at Prestige, we saw you have a fun rivalry with JAIDEN. In the last man standing match you had, he managed to get the win. Did that match teach you anything, or did you take JAIDEN too lightly, and what was it like working with him?

“I learned not to take him lightly in our first match. See, we wrestled three times. The first, Prestige ALIVE, that’s where he pulled a fast one on me. That was a grueling match; that was a war. He’s really hard to keep down. That’s why in our second match in my debut at Prestige Roseland, I had the fastest victory in Prestige Roseland history. I dominated him. Why? Because I need this. I need this platform. I need to keep elevating myself. As far as the last man standing goes, he got me. I mean, what can I say? There’s nothing for me to say. Did he pin me? No. Yeah, he knocked me out. That can happen to anyone. But nobody in Prestige has pinned my back to the ground for three seconds in multiple years. That’s the record you should be talking about, not JAIDEN’s victory. He’s one of the most popular wrestlers I’ve ever seen, and I can’t take anything away from him. When you’re standing in the ring and he’s on the way down, I get chills. How could you not? He just has a connection with the audience that any wrestler wants. He has that innate quality to not give up, to keep pushing. He’s as resilient as it gets. He’s tough as nails. I’ll give him all the credit in the world for that. He is able to make it work regardless of who he’s in the ring. Regardless of how big, strong, tough, scary, menacing, it doesn’t matter who it is. He finds a way to even the odds or even get the odds in his favor with his athleticism and never-say-die attitude. From that standpoint, I have to give him all the credit in the world.”

What was it like going to war with Journey Fatu at UGWA?

“It’s that old fun saying that nobody makes you bleed your own blood. Well, he definitely did. There’s something different about that family, about that bloodline. They were made to wrestle. That’s just what he is. He’s just a wrestler. He can do anything. He’s so athletic and powerful and agile for his size, much quicker than you think. He’s a brutal card to draw. He pushed me to my limits and made me realize how far I can push my body. I’ve had several battles with him where he busted me open, he messed me up, and it made it all that much sweeter and much more rewarding when I finally found a way to overcome all of that, to overcome a fractured fibula, blood, sweat, and tears, and I was able to beat him to retain my UGWA championship, which I still have by the way. May 18^th, tag team extravaganza, don’t miss it.”

In April, you also took part in a six-man tag team match at Pandemonium Pro Wrestling against Alan Angels, Fuego Del Sol, and the returning Duke Hanson (fka Duke Hudson). What was that match like for you?

“Ironic, isn’t it? Almost like there was some kind of recruitment process that may have happened after that match (with Alan Angels). That was a fight, that was a wind sprint of a match. You blinked and it was over. That’s just how it goes sometimes. It was really cool to work with Fuego Del Sol. At least I got to work with him one time before his shift in energy. I wrestled against Alan several times, and the proof is in the pudding. I know exactly how good he is, which is why I want to work with him so bad. Of course, the return to indie wrestling for Duke Hudson. It was really cool to be a part of that. Every time we got to go at it, it got cut short. We left a lot on the table. Somehow, someway, he was able to get the win specifically over me, and that doesn’t sit right. So, I do want the rematch, and I will be very vocal about that. I want to see what he and I can do and who’s really better. No teams, no gimmicks, just him and me. (About Duke) Wrestlers have more than one flavor that they can potentially provide. Whether it’s WWE, they have a particular flavor they deliver, AEW has their flavor, New Japan has their flavor, the indies are everything. That’s what makes it so beautiful. You can be who you want to be, you can be what you want to be, and you can do what you want to do. I’m excited to see Duke Hudson’s version of Duke Hudson and what he’s going to bring to the table now that he’s a free agent.”

In June, you’ll be making your debut for 2econd Wrestling and returning to Epic Pro. What are you looking forward to the most about those two shows?

“When it comes to 2econd Wrestling and going to Illinois, it’s uncharted waters for me. I’ve only ever been in the Chicago airport. I’ve never stepped foot outside of it. New territory unlocked, new level unlocked. In the beginning, we talked about my splashes on the West Coast. I’m tired of being just a West Coast guy. Without meaning to sound ungrateful, I want more. I want to be a guy in the Midwest, in the south, on the east coast, in the northeast, in the southeast, everywhere, in other countries. I keep scratching and climbing and knocking on doors. 2econd Wrestling was one of the doors that opened and answered for me. I’m very appreciative of that, and they’re not going to regret their decision to bring me in because I’m going to bring my best efforts. As far as Epic Pro, it’s the other side of the coin. Familiarity. Epic Pro has been a bit of a home for me. It’s a place where if you go down my resume at Epic Pro, it’s a pretty dang good one. Going to war with the likes of Royce Isaacs, Shane Haste, Tom Lawlor, Kevin Blackwood, and more. Now we can add Alpha Zo to that list. I feel like he and I have been married this year with how much we’ve been in the ring together. We’re paired together for good reason. We have a lot of similarities. We have a similar style, similar intensity, a similar attitude, and you’re going to see that play out in the ring. We bring the best out of each other because he thinks he’s better than I, and I think I’m better than him. We both want to prove that. In doing so, you deliver the goods and deliver the banger matches that the fans and the audience want to see because neither one of us wants to give up.”

What’s next for you? Do you have any future goals or future opponents you’d like to share the ring with?

“This is always interesting. I’m in a place in my career where I’m taking it as it comes. Not to say that I’m not goal-oriented, because I do have my goals. But I’m not focusing on the macros, I’m focusing on the micros. My goals right now are to get in the best shape humanly possible for myself and be the best version of myself in the ring every night. Find a way to deliver every single night. I compete against myself and against the locker room to have the hardest-hitting, physical, best contest. I feel when you do that, and then you also are outside of the ring, be as helpful as possible, promote the show, help out before and after, show face on the places you want to be, and keep knocking on all the doors otherwise. If you do all of those things, the big goals, whether it’s getting signed or wrestling in another country, or wrestling on one of the larger indie shows that you’ve seen over the years and want to be a part of, that’s going to happen when you do the groundwork. That’s where I’m at. I’m at the base level of the house right now. I’m not worried about things, I’m just taking it day-by-day, getting better day-by-day, and I know that the rewards are going to come in.”

Any last message?

“If you haven’t seen me before, then hopefully this interview has provided some insight into who I am. I’m a wrestling fan, super passionate about my craft. I take it seriously and try to treat myself like a professional in all aspects of the business, through the training, film study, diet, work ethic in the ring, and in the gym. When you see me wrestle, you will know I leave nothing behind. I give 100% of myself whether I’m in the ring for three minutes or 30. You’ll get the same effort, it doesn’t matter how tired I am or how big or small the event, or my opponent might be. It’s all the same. I aim to impress, entertain, and earn the respect of everyone who watches me. Again, I give everything I have.”