In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) sits down with former AEW talent and current independent wrestling star Bear Bronson (@bearbronsonBC). Bronson talks about his deathmatch with Slade at GCW, his return to the independent wrestling scene, what’s next for him, and so much more. Watch it in its entirety down below.

You’re coming off your first-ever deathmatch with Slade at GCW: Cage Of Survival 4. What was the match like for you, and how did the whole thing come about?

“Spoiler alert: I’m alive. Many people may not know this, but I have been a Deathmatch fan for my entire life. I got into it at a pretty young age, and it’s something I’ve always kept on the down low, especially when I started training to be a wrestler and all this stuff, because… It’s very much like taboo in the wrestling world, I feel. I like to relate it to, in the movie world, the movie industry, all these production companies, whatever, they f**king hate Terrifier. They hate the people who made it. They hate how f**king great it’s doing. It’s made ridiculous amounts of money because people love it. You know, you can look at these movie critics who are like ‘oh it’s f**king senseless gore’ and all. But, whatever they’re doing, f**king great, it’s a great movie. I love it, I love Terrifier, and it’s very much like I could feel like that could be related so much to deathmatch wrestling. I’m so happy I never dipped my toes into it before now because I’ve just had an entire career of growing and learning. I’m not perfect, but perfecting my craft. I’m very happy I went into this match as a more mature adult. Rather than a very young, impressionable kid, you know? Going into it, the nerves were all-time high, dude, all-time high. I knew very much what I wanted it to be. It was very much like go big or go home. GCW and Brett gave me such a big opportunity. I learned when I got there that we were on first, so I was like great, not only am I on the f**king biggest show of the year, arguably, I’m f**king starting the thing off. I’m like, ‘all right, well, it doesn’t really get much bigger than this for an opportunity.’ I came up with all these ideas that I really wanted to do, and they didn’t say no to anything. I was given a lot of trust because if I sucked and I sh*t the bed, that would have been a really piss poor start to a really huge show. So, I’m very grateful that I was trusted with that. I think the most satisfying part of the entire thing was how much it shocked people. I did not go in with the thought of like, I wanna have the best death match ever. I just wanted to have fun. Be a mark for myself a little bit, because we all need that every now and then. That’s why we went off the scissor lift, my idea. That was me just wanting a cool moment that I, if I were a teenager in the crowd, I would have been jumping up and down screaming, and that’s a moment that I wanted. We’re very lucky. We’re okay. Both Slade and I are okay. Our backs are mutilated, but that’s all on the surface. Internally, fantastic. That’s great, considering in January, Christmas time, I was in the hospital. New Year’s Eve, I mean, I was in the hospital. for my lower back. I do have four herniated discs in my back. One of them is severe. And, I’m feeling fantastic. I even told my PT people, I was like, ‘Hey, I’m fine. Like, I’m good.’ They’re like, ‘really?’ I was like, yeah. I see them every day, almost every day. I got lucky. We got lucky. I think a big part of that was that we just went in full force. No half-assing, no half-committing. Slade, that’s a dog, you know? So he does everything full force, and I had to match that energy. I could not go into this like, ‘I hope I don’t get hurt.’ Nah, man. Like, f**k it. Let’s go. Very, very happy with it. I look at it as one of the most satisfying and the most fun moments of my entire career. Did it come at a cost? Yeah, not really a huge cost. I’m still walking. I’m still great. My wounds are healing really well. So I thank genetics for that, I guess. And yeah, man, what a bloodbath. That was insane. Slade and I were both kind of taken aback at how much people loved it. We knew what we wanted to do. We were like, yeah, this would be a hot way to start off the show. I didn’t know it would be really tough to follow sort of thing, but I have the utmost respect for the GCW roster and how hard they go all the time. So I did really feel that pressure of like, if I want to be here, I’ve got to earn it. I don’t believe coming out of AEW and whatever, that’s not enough. I wasn’t a huge star in AEW, so to me this is like starting over, and it all worked out.”

How did you prepare for the match, and how did it all come about?

“I’ll start from when I met them in Philadelphia. The GCW Philadelphia show. I knew, like coming out of AEW, I had all these things in my head that I wanted to do. I told my wife, my family, like there are all these things that I’m going to pursue and all these things I want to do. But doing a deathmatch, that’s for me. I need to do that for the fan in me. I need to reconnect with the fan in me. I’ve lost touch with the fan in me for a while. I needed to do that for myself. So they understood. They were very nervous, but they understood. So I had gone to GCW in Philly and met with them, and everyone was super cool and super respectful. But they, you know, it was a little random that like this random AEW guy was coming in like, ‘yeah, I want to do this.’ They were like, ‘okay, alright, yeah. We’ll figure something out. We’ll keep in touch.’ That’s it, it was as brief as that. It wasn’t like this drawn-out thing. It was a very brief, brief conversation. Then, I had gotten a text like months later, probably felt like months later, but it was really like a month or not even two months later. They were like, ‘yeah, we want to do the match at Cage of Survival.’ And I was like, ‘oh, f**k. Okay.’ It was against Slade. I was like, ‘Okay, man, let’s go.’ That was cool. I’m very lucky. I had a lot of people vouching for me, which I’m very grateful for. I think that helped a lot. Again, very brief. We didn’t talk about all these ideas and all this stuff. It was just gonna do the match at Cage of Survival. Sent them my promo picture. The graphic came out. I did not think they were even gonna push this match. I thought it was just gonna be like an added in sort of thing, like an unannounced until the day of sort of thing. Then they came out with the graphic of just me making my Deathmatch debut. I was like, ‘all right, cool. That’s f**king awesome.’ I didn’t expect any of this. Then the match graphic came out, and I’m like, ‘okay.’ So basically, the point I’m making is just there was not a lot of conversation going into this. I was just very excited, and I was like, I just feel like this is all up to me and Slade, really. Slade’s very, I won’t get into it, but he’s very open. It felt very much like this match is gonna be what I want it to be. If I wanna phone it in, it’s gonna be phoned in. If I want it to be, ‘that was a good job, Bear. That was an impressive match. Good for you.’ Then yeah, it would have been that. But the match was what I wanted it to be. I wanted it to take everybody by surprise. So that’s what we did. I showed up the day of and told everyone my ideas. I kind of just went to them and I was like, ‘hey, can I run my ideas by you guys?’ And they were like, ‘yeah.’ didn’t say no to anything. I’m sure if I had to guess there were people probably looking at me like is this guy in over his head you know like or is you know whatever but I just felt very comfortable like I felt very comfortable. Everyone there was super nice, super open, felt excited for me, which was really cool, even all the deathmatch guys there, I got to meet a lot that I’ve never met in person. Otis Cogar, I met The Bev, that guy was a f**king sweetheart. All these guys were very welcoming. Before my match, Tremont hyped me up. Right before my entrance, while Slade was making his entrance, Alec Price had gotten in my face, nose to nose, and gave me the most insane, intense pump-up speech I’ve ever heard in my life. It was like he didn’t actually smack me in the face, but it felt like his words were smacking me in the face. Because that’s just him. Alec is just a f**king intense dude. He gave me a shot in the arm right before I went out, like verbally. So, uh, I was, I was very lucky to have all this support, uh, cause I could have sh*t the bed, you know? And then all these guys would have been like, Oh f**k, there goes that, you know? But thankfully, that didn’t happen. So, it was a lot of pressure, but it felt, it was just, everything had kind of just built and like to the day of the day of, it was just like, okay, here it is. And then, yeah. And it was so much fun.”

What was it like working with someone you have a lot of history with at GCW, with Slade in your first-ever deathmatch?

“You know, it’s funny, I do have, like, when I went to GCW to pitch stuff myself, I did have my list of people. Slade was absolutely on that list. And I’m looking back, I’m like, man, I’m so happy with him. I feel like he was the perfect opponent to do this with. Slade and I just have that bond. Listen, in real life, Slade really is his character; he doesn’t have many friends, but I just happen to be one of them. We just have that bond, and we both have that same attitude where we just feel much differently than other people. We’re the type of guys that when we go out there and have matches, I can see myself, I can see the other workers on the show up against the wall watching the match going like, why? Why are they doing that? And I’m like, you’re a f**king p*ssy, dude. That’s to me like, I don’t know. Slade and I just have that different, just that ‘it’s still real to me, damn it’ attitude. It is f**king real to us, man. I like to think I’m a very respectful and professional guy. But, when the bell rings, dude, like, it’s real to me. Slade and I just both are, every time we work together we are just on the same page. Like outside the ring, we just have that bond. I have a lot of great bonds with other people, but like Slade’s that guy, that when the bell rings, I think we do legit hate each other, which is weird. Every time we wrestle or fight, I should say, it really does feel like I hate this m*therf*cker and he hates me, you know? Then the match is over and he’s pulling me up and we’re telling each other that we love each other and like f**king just, then we’re so happy and we’re hugging and all that stuff. But when that bell rings, dude, it’s weird. It’s just different. I don’t have that with anybody else in wrestling. But I do have that with Slade. It’s a very special thing because it makes a lot of special things happen. But it’s like, at the same time, too, there’s that trust. You know, I do think Slade should really get his flowers for what he brings out of people, including me. A lot of people went really insane for us going off the scissor lift, but what people aren’t really talking about is that I was the one in full control. Slade had zero control over how that spot went. He just trusted me, you know? I feel like that is something that should not be overlooked. It’s one thing for me because I’m the one holding the guy, and like, we’re going off and we’re just while in midair, I am just, I’m in midair making sure he lands safe and I land safe and all this stuff. He just has to hope for the best and hope ‘this guy doesn’t kill me.’ I don’t think that’s something that should be overlooked. Slade and I did things to each other in that ring that I don’t think we would be comfortable doing with other people. I think he and I just have that. Because I think if anybody else wanted to do that lift spot with him, I think he would have said, No, I’ve never heard him say no to anything ever. But I don’t know. I don’t think he’d be as comfortable. With him and me, we can’t miss. I am going to pull the curtain back a little bit, and I probably will have, if other workers listen to this, they probably will hate that I’m doing this, but I don’t care. I think a huge part of that is because every match that Slade and I have, including that death match, we don’t call anything. When I work with Slade, we don’t call much in the back. Like, yes, the lift spot was planned. The obvious, you know? Yeah. But I think we called it how we started, the lift spot, end of the finish, everything else was in the ring. So I think it’s like, to pull that off, you do have to put yourself in this mode, like this different animal mindset. We do that to at Create A Pro. We don’t call everything. I’ll see you out there, and whatever happens happens. You know? And you can’t do that with many other people because, you know, a lot of workers today, and I’m not knocking it. I’m really not. But I hate when vets are like, ‘Oh, just call it in there,’ whatever. Most of the time, those matches suck. I love calling stuff A to Z if someone wants to do that. It’s about being a good worker and making sure everyone’s comfortable. But a lot of guys, there are a lot of guys that are very uncomfortable with that. Slade and I, actually, I’ll even say this. If you want to see a bad Bear Bronson versus Slade match, we’ll call everything A to Z. Everything A to Z. And it will be bad. It will not be a good match. But we haven’t done that, but that’s really the case. With Slade, I’m able to feel it, and if something pops into my head, let’s do it. But you’ve got to be out there in the ring in front of the crowd. You can’t do that in the back. I’m really diving a little deep here into that stuff, and a lot of people won’t be happy about that. I don’t give a fuck. But… I think that really is what adds to Slade and I’s chemistry.

You were also announced for a future deathmatch at an upcoming ICW show in August. What’s your mindset heading into that?

“I think the only thing that I really am trying to make specific coming out of this match is that I don’t want to be labeled as anything. I’m really, I’m so happy that people are welcoming me into the death match world. But I really would just prefer to be welcomed back into the indie wrestling world in general. To me, the whole point of doing that death match coming out of AEW is that I don’t want a label ever again. I don’t want to be put in a box. I don’t want to be labeled as, oh, a guy that only does this stuff or only does that stuff. The whole point was to show people, like, I am way more than what you’ve seen in the last few years. Way, way more. I think Veda Scott put it together really well on commentary, where they were saying like, ‘Bear Bronson wants to show that he can go with anybody, any style in any environment.’ I really appreciated them for that. That is my point, you know. I don’t want to be like labeled I also think it’s disrespectful to be labeled as a deathmatch guy when you have these absolute warriors like John Wayne Murdoch, The Bev, The Cogars, the Reed Bentley’s, the Lil Sicko’s, but the guys that live this life and bleeed everything month, every weekend. These guys are rolling around in glass every weekend for your entertainment. Not only do I not want to be labeled as a deathmatch guy, but I think it’s disrespectful to them. I’ll pull back the curtain again. I had told John Wayne Murdoch, because he had a lot of very nice things to say after the match, that I really took to heart, because that’s somebody that I respect. Wholeheartedly. I told him, I was like, ‘man, I had all the respect in the world for you guys before, but now doing a death match and feeling that glass and feeling all that blood. I told him, I have no idea how you guys do that every weekend.’ That’s a different type of tough. I like to think I’m a tough guy. I am not that tough. That is a different type of tough. Those guys, the John Wayne Murdochs, all those guys are f**king built different. They’re cut from an entirely different cloth that I’m not even gonna pretend I’m like the same as them. I did give my all, but it was one match, you know? These guys, like Ricky Shane Page, and all those guys, that’s their art. I’m blessed to have given my take on it. And do I plan on doing more in the future? Yeah, I would love to, but to be labeled a deathmatch guy just doesn’t feel right. Especially, it feels disrespectful to them. Because I have all the respect in the world for these guys. I’ll even say this, they’re some of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. To where I’m like, man, if I had the choice of what locker room I’d want to be in every weekend, it’s with deathmatch guys who are just f**king down to earth and cool as f**k. So with that said, you asked about ICW. Yeah. You know what? It’s like to me, it’s all about doing everything I want to do. ICW is a cool place, man. That’s another place where I’m like with the f**king the chains and everything. It’s also like a good chunk of time until that show on August 2nd, so at least it’s not next weekend, and I can recover. It’s a good chunk of time. That might make me sound like a ***, but again, I’ll go back to I am not these guys, those guys are, again, they’re built differently. That’s something like Dr. Redacted, I’ve known for a long time. That’s somebody I’ve always wanted to mix it up with, deathmatch or not, even if it’s just a regular match. Honestly, that’s somebody I’ve always wanted to mix it up with. Hoodfoot’s sick. That’s another guy where I’m like, ‘yeah, let’s do it,’ and I’ve not heard of the Nathan, this Nathan guy. But I’ve heard nothing but great things. So I’m like, cool, man. Let’s do it. That’s just another one where it’s like, you know, I’ve known Danny Demanto for a really long time, and I’m like, let’s make it happen now that we can. Let’s make it happen. Put me in the chains, you know? So that’s exciting.”

Deathmatch wrestling gets a negative connotation sometimes. What’s your take on all the negative stuff you may see on X, or other social media?

“I think you can see that very rigid mindset in all different types of wrestling, it’s not just deathmatch wrestling, and what’s funny is, like you said, you like a little bit of everything, I like a lot of bit of everything. What I mean by that is like you know the things that people say about deathmatch wrestling, ‘that’s not wrestling’, whatever, dude. I’ll tell you this, one of my favorite styles of wrestling is lucha. You’ll see it all the time. You’ll see these luchadors from AAA and CMLL, and people will sh*t all over and be like, ‘oh, they’re just doing stunts. They’re not wrestling. It’s all f**king choreographed bullsh*t.’ And, ‘oh, they’re just doing their big moves, move to move to move, no psychology and all that stuff.’ And I’m over here like, ‘yeah, bro, I f**king love it. It’s f**king awesome.’ One of my favorite wrestlers on the planet is Beast Mortos. You’ll see guys all the time that are like ‘these guys just do these flipping moves and you know they have no psychology, they don’t get wrestling, you know’ whatever. I’m like I think it’s sick that the child in the crowd’s going ape right now. I just think that you’ll see a lot of insecurities in wrestling when you see a wrestler who looks at all these things that they know personally they can’t do. So they, their instinct is to shit on it and say, that’s not wrestling. I don’t know about that. You know? I think it’s really important to make sure wrestling can be seen in many, many different lights. If you’re style is like old school, like telling a story in the ring using like making everything matter and you know stuff like that old school, I’ve coined it my me and Richard Holliday joke about this, I’ve coined it the pro style. And listen, that’s great. That’s the foundation of the art form, right? So when that’s done right, that can make magic happen. But I do really think there’s more than one way to tell stories. Listen, call me whatever. I don’t care. I think Slade and I told a story. It was a very gruesome, bloody story. Was it a convoluted story? No. But I do think we did tell one. Again, this is something that I relate to movies. The Shawshank Redemption is a very different movie from The Transporter. You can’t watch movies like Forrest Gump all the time. Yeah. Like, Forrest Gump’s a classic. We all love Forrest Gump. Who doesn’t love Forrest Gump? But, you know what? It’s nice sometimes to just turn on Terrifier III or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I relate wrestling very much to movies in that aspect. There’s gotta be different genres. Sometimes I wanna laugh. Sometimes I wanna cry. Sometimes I wanna see gore. Sorry, that makes me weird. But sometimes I wanna see a killer stalking people and with their iconic weapon. Yeah. That’s coming from someone who loves movies.”

Do you think we’ll see you in the deathmatch scene going forward more often for years to come?

“It’s hard to span out years to come, just because I’m very, I’m always focused on what’s now or what’s very next. So I do have long-term goals, of course. But it’s one of those things that, like, I kind of just let things play out as they do and just make sure I’m staying proactive, staying hungry, staying motivated. Some things are in your control, some things are out of your control. Sometimes I feel like wrestling is definitely the type of thing where things just kind of come out of the blue sometimes. I think just being open to that too, and just whatever happens happens, but I’ll let you know, like I’m going to keep going, I’m going to keep striving, you know? So I’m absolutely open to doing more of those with the people. I have my list of people I really want to work. My main thing, and this isn’t just death matches, this is matches in general. I want everything I do to feel special. Everything. Even if it’s, you know, a Create A Pro show in front of 50 people. I want that to be special. Or if it’s GCW at the terminal, or if it’s Beyond Wrestling in a food market, one of the coolest food markets I’ve ever seen. But if it’s there, I want to make sure I make that special, you know? So I think that’s just, I kind of have that mindset with everything, not just Deathmatch Wrestling.”

How was your wife, Gabby Forza’s, reaction to your first deathmatch?

“Well, she was there, she was there with me the whole day. She’s my angel. Super supportive, so happy for me, she was like shaking the whole day. I could see her trying her best to hide it, but her anxiety was like, you know, cause she’s with me all day. We’re looking at all the weapons we’re going to use on the floor, the back, and stuff like that. She’s like, looking at me with that really nervous smile. And I’m like, I just kept telling her all day. I promise it’s going to be okay. I promise it’s going to be okay. And afterwards, when she saw the blood all over me was a very scary sight, but she did well. When I was fine and not like hurt, hurt, she was great. She’s watched the match back. I think more times than I have. She loves it. Being there live for it, she said it was one of the most unbelievable experiences she’s ever seen, or felt, I should say. I think just watching it back, she really likes to relive it, knowing that I’m okay. She’s not chewing her nails down to the bone during it. So, she was a really huge part of that. And all the death match wrestlers that came to me and said, ‘yo, the shower’s going to suck,; they were right. Thankfully, I had Gabby there to help me. She helped me wash up. And I think that was a worse experience for her than the match because, man, I was struggling. That sh*t sucked. That sucked so bad. Way worse than the match for sure.”

What has it been like for you seeing Forza grow into the wrestler she is now?

“Crazy. Crazy, man. She really is a trailblazer. And I can’t believe we’ve gotten to a point where… I actually feel like she’s a better wrestler than I in a lot of aspects. She’s a lot smarter, too, in some aspects. Because we’ll talk about stuff all the time. And whether we’re watching our own matches or watching other people’s matches, she’ll say something like, I feel like this would have been better if it was executed like this. And in my head, I’m like, yeah, you’re right. She’s super humble. She still looks at herself like a first-year rookie, which is not the case at all. She has progressed so insanely much over these last three years. I was not that good three years in, not even close. The journey has been extremely satisfying, extremely satisfying. And she, one of the things that heavily inspired me, was that she did everything her own way. No one like does take advice really well but she’s also really good at navigating like I want to make sure I’m enjoying what I’m doing and she has and everything she’s done has been super authentic and like just authentic to her I mean and she performs how she wants to and She portrays herself and carries herself with her character the way that she wants to. And that’s something that heavily inspired me. Because I was like, I want to do that again. I want to show the world who I think I should be. Because she’s doing it and succeeding. So she’s a really, really huge part of that. It’s mind-blowing, dude. It’s mind-blowing. Even just talent comes to me all the time. Other workers, other people are like, ‘yo, how is she this good? Like this quick?’ Like, I don’t know. I really couldn’t tell you. And it makes me so proud. That is like the one person I really trained from scratch. Because I am a trainer at Create A Pro Wrestling Academy, I am there for a lot of people’s journeys. But I can’t take credit for people’s, like, growth and success. I won’t take credit for Gabby’s either. But she really is the one that I train from, like, scratch, scratch. So, like, that’s just, to me, like, seeing that growth from day one to now is just super amazing. Super satisfying, super rewarding, I should say. And man, she just, such a go-getter, such a go-getter. You know, this is something I’m gonna say. There are a lot of people you’ll look at in wrestling, and you’ll say, Why aren’t they somewhere bigger? Why aren’t they out there more? Why aren’t they more places? Whatever, there’s always a reason. Gabby’s just one of those people who eliminates all those like all obstacles, and all those like she just does everything right. She has the right mind, the right attitude, the right work, and is just such a go-getter.”

When and why did you first get into professional wrestling from a fan standpoint?

“Yeah, so there was never… There was never a time in my life when I didn’t like wrestling. I was always obsessed. I couldn’t really imagine myself doing anything else with my life. I always wanted to be involved in some way. Kevin Owens is one who made me feel like I could do it because growing up, I was always a fat kid. My favorites were like Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Batista, Triple H, and I don’t look like any of those guys. Even now I’m definitely the strongest I’ve ever been and like have the most muscle I ever have but I’m not even close to like body guy or any of that stuff so I would say like people like Kevin Owens I really credit to like that’s the guy where like I became a huge fan of him and I was like I want to be just like him. Specifically, his Ring of Honor days at the time, where I was like, he makes me feel like I could do this. Then later on, you know, learning more about wrestling that I had not watched and like learning about guys like Takeshi Morishima and like, you know, big boys that can go, you know, that hit hard and, you know, guys I feel like I could relate to on a physical level. And that to me, like, was the pivotal moment where I had started wrestling. And then, you know what? I cherish my entire career from day one, but it took a long time. For me to find out who I actually am. Because I came into the business as a very shy kid who had no idea who I was, who I wanted to be. And I’d chosen Bear as a name because my mom has always called me Bear since I was a baby. No one in my actual life ever really calls me Joe. They all call me Bear. So I was like, okay, well, there’s something there. And they’re my favorite animal. So it’s more like a bear spirit thing. It’s funny because if you look at my family, you would think, like looking at me, you’d think like, oh, his family must be all like heavyset people. They’re all extremely fit people. My mom and everyone fit. But my mom and my younger brother are like exceptionally fit. Like, I don’t match. My body does not match like my family’s, like, you know, how they look. So it’s really funny. But I had just come into the business, just wanting to learn every single day. It took a really long time, but it was all worth it. I look at years in the business where like I was doing really well, like I consider 2019 a really good year. But I look back and I’m like, man, like I’ll watch some of those matches and I’ll watch who I’ll watch myself perform. And I’m like, he still was very unsure of himself, the confidence is not there. It’s funny because like I’m now like I’m going on eleven years in wrestling I think and when people are like I’ll have students at Create A Pro they’ll be like when did you feel like you started to get it And I was like, well, I’m in my eleventh year and I think I started to get it after ten years or like I know exactly who I am. I know exactly who I want to be. That took me like ten years. It was all worth it; it’s all a giant learning experience. Everything with AEW was a giant learning experience. I’m grateful for it all, but I’m always like what’s next, what’s next, you know I don’t really reminisce on the past too much with wrestling, so to me it’s just like I’m always just looking forward.”

What drew you to Create A Pro compared to other schools?

“I think what drew me to it was that it had just opened that year, and I think because the school opened up in March of 2014, and I joined July 1st of 2014. So everyone was fresh. Everyone was new. I went to watch a class. And before I even started, I was like, no, I’m getting in there. So I signed up and I got in and never, ever looked back ever. Wrestling is just something I’ve always been full force on. I’ve said this in a lot of other interviews, but my parents are always very they’re super supportive. But they were like, you’re not going to treat this like a hobby. Like you’re not going to be partying with your friends on the weekend. You’re going to be out there whether you’re booked or not. Get in the cars. Go meet people. Go. You’ve got to make this like it is a full-time job. And I was like, yeah, no problem. You know, so. I was always very comfortable with that. And then as the years went on, I was traveling more and more, and eventually things just started to work out, you know?”

You started as a bodyguard for MJF and wound up winning the Create A Pro Championship in 2018. What has this evolution been like for you?

“Well, I mean, Max and I have been best friends now for since since we both started training. And I think you’ll see it a lot in wrestling schools. Not that like Create A Pro’s really not clicky at all. It’s everyone’s big family. But you’ll see people gravitate towards each other. And I think Max and I, when we joined the school, were the youngest. Not by far, but by a substantial amount. So I think we just related to each other better because we were both eighteen. And we just, you know, we went, we attacked it together. I think it was just a good way for us to start out. And we knew that wouldn’t last forever because we’re two totally different people. I think it was just a comfortable way to, like, kind of get into things, and you know, Max took off and like we all saw that coming like he’s somebody that just like got it from day one, because he really is who he is in real life, is his character. He’s somebody that I talk to every day. He’s somebody I love getting advice from, as far as like business moves and like what to do next and stuff like that. He’s always given me very sound advice. I’m very grateful to have him as a friend, and we still to this day like to bounce things off each other. He even asked me my opinion on stuff, which is cool, you know, because who am I besides a friend? Max is somebody, like I believe we hated each other the first day, yeah, and then once we finally talked to each other, it was like ‘Oh, you’re pretty cool.’ Oh, you’re pretty cool too. And then we instantly became like best friends. I would say not even just with Max, but like the entire Create A Pro family, like there’s, we call them, we joke, we call them seasons. So I believe right now we’re in season eleven. It’s like a TV series. We were in season. So like every season, like every season has those that stayed and like grown with us, and like everyone has their own journeys, and like we all help each other. And it’s a really beautiful thing, you know. Yeah, it’s a big, giant family that we all push each other to work hard, and everyone, like, it’s a good, positive, like, you know, there is like a standard of like, you know, we all, we all work hard and stuff like that, but it’s like very, we all want each other to grow and be better.”

What was it like working with Johnny Clash to become the Create A Pro Champion for the first time in your career?

“Oh, man, it feels like an eternity ago. I think that’s when, like, or even before that, I feel like that era was my first bit of confidence. I think I remember like my first like real singles as Bear Bronson, and like to where I started getting comfortable was against Delroy Alexander. And then the next show against Ryback. It was almost like a vote of confidence by Brian and Pat to where like, yeah, he’ll be fine. Put him with a pro and he’ll be fine. And that was cool. And those were moments that I think just boosted my confidence as a very insecure, self-conscious guy who just had a dream. And things progressed, I’d say, from there. So that’s what led to winning the title and becoming like a top guy at Create A Pro. It kind of gives you that confidence to, like, okay, let me go take on the world of wrestling. You know, let me go like branch out and try, and it gives you that little boost, the little, the little boost of confidence. So, very good memories, you know? It’s hard, though. Cause when I look back, I’m like, it’s just a kid. But now, like, you know, and then working with Johnny too, and I’m still friends with Johnny to this day, and we have our own group chat. It’s fun. And, we’ve always believed in each other.”

What was it like when you first signed with AEW and got to work in that locker room?

“It was very exciting. It’s what we dream of, you know, so like I finally had gotten a piece of paper that I would sign, and it was life-changing. To me, that went from, dream to oh, shit, this is real. I’m signing a contract. This is crazy. I would say that was a big evolution from working indie to now TV. Whole different animal, you know? A lot of ups and downs, a lot of good, a lot of bad, but working with AEW was huge. That was four or five years of substantial growth. I had learned so much in that period of time. I look back on it very fondly. I’m very grateful, and it prepared me for what’s next. That was something where I look back on and I’m like grateful. I do think there are a lot of things I’ve learned there that I take with me, you know, which is always a very good thing in wrestling. I learned a lot of lessons, too. Learned a lot of good lessons. So overall, I look back on it very fondly.”

Was there any mentors that you developed over your time there whether backstage agents or just people you worked with?

“Oh, sure. There are plenty of people that I love there. Off the top of my head, someone who’s extremely smart and honest, brutally honest, but like a professional, is QT Marshall. As time went on, there, then Pat Buck came on board, and he’s always, you know, he’s always been a mentor to me. So he’s somebody I could always go to and, you know, be honest with and give it to me straight. Then there are people that I just genuinely love. I love Jerry Lynn. I’m so grateful I got to meet an idol and like become friends with them and talk to them and learn from them, and just such a sweetheart of a person. There were plenty of people. I’ll just start rounding them off like Jerry Lynn, Christopher Daniels, Scotty 2 Hotty, Scott Garland, absolute gem of a guy. Getting to work with Dustin Rhodes in Texas was such a surreal experience for me. That is a match I feel like we had a six-man with him in the Von Erichs, where I feel like I was like, man, I learned a lot today. That is one I’m gonna carry with me for a long time. I just made so many friends there. I made a lot of friends there. It’s where I met Jacked Jameson, who’s still very much my friend. I’m so proud of him and what he’s doing with the Frat House. I do feel like that gimmick really does fit him perfectly. I just want to see him thrive. He started on very green, and he’s just a sponge, man. He’s a sponge. He just is somebody who genuinely wants to get better. And he’s just a great guy. I love him. So, happy to see him thriving. And I’m sure there are plenty of people I’ll miss. I’ve talked to a lot of people who are just genuinely happy for me and what I’m doing. Plenty of people from AEW have hit me up and been like, dude, you’re killing it. And I’m like, I don’t deserve this love. This is crazy. Like great, like real uplifting stuff.“

What was your mindset when you found out you got released from AEW?

“Yeah, I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t very, like, not, I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I wasn’t really sad at all. I saw this coming for a while now. The really cool thing about AEW and Tony Khan is that they let us do indies. So, the really cool part about that is I got to get a head start. and reestablish relationships and network and prepare, because I just saw the writing on the wall months ago, you know? So I was just like, all right, I know when my deal’s up, and I have a feeling I know where this is going. I do think there was one week I was a little bitter where I tweeted some stuff I probably shouldn’t have. I felt like I was being ignored and all this stuff. So, I would say that was probably not one of my proudest moments. But we all slip. I don’t care. It’s not something I regret. A tweet’s a tweet. F**king cry about it. I did really see this coming, and when the person from the office, I won’t name his name, had called me while I was driving to Wrestling Open, he was like, ‘Hey, how are you doing? I’m like, ‘great.’ He’s like, ‘hey, I just want to say I’m so proud of you for what you’re doing, but I wanted to let you know your contract’s up this week, and we’re not going to renew.’ I had laughed on the other end of the phone, and I was like, ‘yeah, I figured,’ and like we shared a laugh, and then the rest of the phone call was very uplifting. It’s all good vibes, man. I had even said to them, to make sure everyone knows, like, it’s no hard feelings. Things happen the way they did, you know, but. man, like it’s a big company. It’s a really big company. And I tweeted this the other day, and I really do stand by it. Will Ospreay has said in a very recent interview, Like, dude, it’s TV, man. It’s a top two company in the world. You can’t just be good. You have to be the best if you want to be put up. If you want to come aboard, you’ve got to be the best of the best. That’s the type of guy I want to be, you know? I don’t want to just trickle into a company. I want to make a big impact with my legacy and the legacy I want to create. I had taken what he said to heart, and I’ve gotten a lot of really great advice from guys like Mike Santana, who I just feel like his mindset heavily inspired me like crazy. He’s a guy where I’m like, I want to be that. I want to be what Santana is doing right now. Just attacking the world of wrestling and everything he wants to do his way. That’s who I want to be.”

Was there ever any talk about you doing any singles work for AEW or was it really not an idea they had there?

“So this is full honesty. I had only gotten singles work when my partner was injured early on. I had a brief stint where I got to work with Darby Allin on AEW: Elevation, so that’s a moment I look back on so fondly. There was a short little stint where I got to do those singles matches. It was awesome. The next one was where we were doing those Orlando tapings, and we were there all day just to wrestle once. So I’d pitched to them like, ‘Hey, I would love to wrestle twice and do singles if you have openings.’ And they were like, ‘yeah, sure.’ I got to work one of my favorite matches I’ve ever had in AEW. Probably my favorite match is with Eddie Kingston. We’ve got to be the main event at one of those AEW: Dark tapings. That’s a match I’m like, ‘man, I’m so lucky I got to do that.’ I don’t know when or if I’ll ever get to wrestle Eddie again. I hope so. But that was where I got to wrestle Eddie Kingston. So, I’m very grateful. But other than that, the thing is, like, yeah, I had pitched a lot. I pitched a lot to do singles, but it’s not their fault, man. It’s a big company. Big company. They have a lot of guys on the roster. And, like, listen… They’re not sitting at home thinking, ‘What can we do with Bear Bronson?’ You know? On the grand scheme of things, I’m low. I’m down here. I don’t blame them one bit. That’s where I think it’s my duty, and it’s my responsibility to go out and make myself a bigger deal so that maybe later on I can be portrayed the way I want to. But like you can’t as a performer, you can’t just sit and cry and go, it’s their fault, you know? I just think I look at guys like Santana, and that’s who I want to be.”

You have a lot of exciting stuff coming up on the independent wrestling scene. While you never left the indie scene, it certainly seems different now. So, what does it feel like to be back full-time on the indies?

“Yeah, way different. Way, way different. I’m more excited and motivated than ever. I feel like I’m at the top of my game. I did start off the year pretty rough with my back. Last year at AEW: All Out on the pre-show against The Acclaimed, I almost broke my leg. That was really scary. We had done the backpack cannonball into the corner where The Acclaimed had moved out of the way, and my leg completely, completely bent. I’m very lucky I didn’t break my leg, but that was something I had to recover from pretty hard. Then, my back injury was pretty rough. I had opted to not get surgery. I don’t talk about this publicly very often, but every single day, I’m working on it, every day. It’s like how I’m feeling in a match on the weekend, all depends on how much work I put in towards PT during the week. And usually I’m putting a lot of work in. So, man, I’m just more excited than ever.”

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

“Oh, man. Yeah, I got plenty of goals. Plenty of goals in different areas of wrestling. I want to travel a lot more. I want to wrestle more in the UK. I’ve never been to Japan, never been to Mexico. I want to wrestle everybody. You know, I mentioned Santana a bunch. That’s one of the top of my list. Plenty, plenty of people, you know? And I feel like I’m not in a mode of like, Where do you want to be signed next? It’s like, I’m not really thinking about that, to be honest. Like, whatever comes, comes, and that’s cool. I’m focused on right now and attacking the world of wrestling. If something comes my way and is put on the table in front of me, cool. I can’t wait for that to happen. But you know what? It’s not. I think that’s up to me I think I think it’s up to me to go attack the world of wrestling, do everything I want to do. Professional wrestling is very much you get out what you put in. I think this is kind of the same thing, you know? I’m just very excited for whatever is next, and I have my list of my goals, but very excited.“

Do you have any final message for anyone reading this?

“Yeah. So first my social media, on Instagram is bearbronson_, and my Twitter is bearbronsonBC. On my Pro Wrestling Tees store, I have brand new designs that are f**king awesome, and you should definitely check them out. I’m personally very excited for them. Follow me on social media. You’ll find out where I’m wrestling next. I keep it all updated. I try my best to post every day. My message to anybody watching, whether it’s fans or wrestlers and whatever it is you’re pursuing in your life, my message is the message that was bestowed upon me from guys like Santana and Frankie Kazarian: bet on yourself. If you are fully confident and if you feel like you deserve more, don’t sit and talk about it. Go do it. Bet on yourself. Don’t put yourself in a box. That’s my message.“