In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Darian Bengston (@DarianBengston) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) to talk the upcoming Jersey J-Cup, Eli Knight, Tim Bosby, ACTION Wrestling, his upcoming match with Nicole Matthews, and so much more. You can watch the entire hour and change interview below, or read the highlights.

Back in December, you defeated Eli Knight to qualify for the 2026 Jersey J-Cup. What was it like to work with Knight and earn your shot at the J-Cup and the JCW World Championship?

“It was great for a couple of reasons. He was talking crazy to me. He was talking so crazily to me. He wanted to make his little video talking about how I was going to have to clean my a** because he was going to beat the sh*t out of me. Crazy. I felt a type of way. That’s how people think about me. I had the four-way match prior in JCW, me, Bryan Keith, Billings, and DeReiss, and it’s like ‘it’s these guys, and Darian,’ or ‘it’s Eli Knight, and Darian.’ They’re out of their mind. There isn’t anybody who can talk like me, kick a** like me, trip these boys out like me. There’s nobody. Whatever in your mind that you think, I’m really about to show you how wrong you are thinking that you can step to me in this way. So, I think off the top, so many people were talking. Then, it comes to the point where we meet in the ring. I said everything that I said in the promo. Eli Knight, as we all know, is a freak of nature and unbelievably talented. He’s young as hell, resilient as hell. On paper, he’s a better wrestler than me. But, like we know, you can’t just look at it as being a wrestler. That has its limitations. I beat Eli Knight because of who I am and because of the influence that came behind me. I put him away with the Makabe lock, which nobody other than me has ever gotten out of. To work with Eli, and to be pushed to my limits in that way, where I know I won’t be able to beat him by just being an athlete, this was someone I really had to game-plan for. Open up my eyes… They want to keep leaving me these openings, where it’s like mine for the taking as long as I can see. Daniel Makabe was a wrestling genius; Chris Hero was a wrestling genius; the definition of being a genius is not hitting a target 100% every single time. It’s hitting the target that nobody ever saw. At JCW, nobody wants to look at me and see that I’m the target that nobody sees. What Eli did was show out and had an amazing match, but what it really did was show everyone that I am on this level.  We see what’s going on with Eli; he’s great. He’s not worried about losing to me; he’s doing okay. It’s been a really stellar experience. People always said that once Darian starts wrestling names, it’s a wrap for him. Now the names want to wrestle Darian. I’m very happy with where I’m at and what JCW has afforded me in this process.”

The bracket is stacked. Your first-round match on Friday night sees you go one-on-one with Judas Icarus. What’s your mindset heading into that one?

“Speaking of the Jersey J-Cup, I’m winning the first round. I’m winning the whole tournament, if I’m being so for real. Maybe like two years ago, at the first-ever ASE show, I used to wear gold grills. I lost them at the first-ever ASE show. I’ve been desolate ever since. My goal is to win the J-Cup so I can buy a new set of gold teeth. A month from now, when you see me with these brand new golds, just know, it’s because I kicked Judas Icarus’s ass, and I kicked everyone else’s ass, Billie Starkz, whoever wants some. But, except for if I am in round 2 with my best friend, Adam Priest, he’ll be spared, we’re going to hug, and we’ll win the J-Cup together. But if there’s someone like Jonathan Gresham who’s the premier technical wrestler in North America, he’s got a problem, because I’m so much more than just that. On a personal level, I’ll never be him. I’ll never be as good as him. I’ll never be the technical wrestling surgeon, super, doctor, mastermind that he is. But, I’m me. I really believe in that. Being willing to do different things and be available to the other options that surround you, the game plan is the person. Wrestling is the medium. If your message isn’t popping enough, I’m going to blow right through you. That’s how I feel about the J-Cup, and that’s how I feel about being a technical wrestler…I’m thinking about his (Icarus) feet. I’m thinking about like yo… why do you not wear shoes? The number of times I’ve hurt my feet wrestling in boots, like, that’s what I’m saying. You got that out there, bro. Do you think I won’t pop a toe in my mouth? If it means winning. You think I won’t tickle you, bro. My thing going into this match, with Ick, as previously stated, if you pay attention to the JCW product, you understand that we have a situation with the Fawkescatcher. There’s some malevolent entity that is getting involved in JCW business, and making things harder that nobody has an answer to. We have this “WhoDunnit” show announced, and I feel like I might be the Sherlock Holmes in JCW. I’m going to get to the bottom of this. But before I figure out that mystery, I’m going to find out the mystery of Ick’s toes being out. If I catch ringworm from wrestling Judas Icarus, I’m pissed. I’m going to do what I have to do to win. If I have to suck on his toe, if I have to tickle him to get the tap out, that’s what I’m doing. I’m not afraid of that. I’m really with it. That goes for everyone in it… This bracket is crazy. We have DeReiss and Oro in the first round, Gresh and Priest. Gresham has come back, an amazing comeback, an amazing story. I love that for him. But to lose the first round to Priest is going to suck. It’s going to suck. But it happens like that. This tournament is very exciting, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Should you be able to get past Icarus, you will have either Adam Priest or Jonathan Gresham standing before you in the Quarter Finals. What is your mindset on potentially facing one of them?

“To be honest with you, I only have like half of that mindset, because Priest is going to win. Gresham, we’ll get to it eventually. I haven’t wrestled Adam in a while, and I don’t really want to. I love him too much. That hurts. Can two people advance? If we refuse to fight, can we just go to the next round together? The Lemon Pepper Princes will be the 2026 J-Cup winners and the 2026 JCW World Champions. We’re co-holding the belt. That’s all I know. That’s the only future I can see. I don’t see anyone else in the tournament really messing with us. Mad Dog’s not in it, so I’m safe. I feel like I’m not worried, though, because I got Priest. I’m good. I got Priest, I have the move that can’t be broken out of, unless you’re Darian Bengston, who am I worried about in this tournament? Who’s beating me in this tournament? I don’t know if anyone in this tournament has beaten me in a singles match. I’m feeling confident.”

This is a two-night tournament, which could see you wrestle in four matches against some very tough opponents. How do you stay ready for this?

“It helps when you’re as booked and busy as I am. It helps when you wrestle frequently. Any wrestler can tell you, there’s no replacement for in-ring condition than in-ring condition. Nothing will prepare you to get ready for matches and tournaments other than wrestling. You can do the stair-stepper all day, lift weights all day, I don’t care. Unless you’re wrestling, you will not have the gas tank, and you will not have the special awareness IQ you need to go far in the tournament. That’s a simple ask. Other than that, the game plan is super important. I’m going to go in there and beat your a**. I think being unpredictable, having a game plan, and not seeing every opponent the same way is a huge part of it. I’ll tell you to your face, I’ll put it on Twitter, if you even thought about going into a tournament and having all the same matches, you’re stupid. You’re stupid, I’m a better wrestler than you, your shawty likes me more than she likes you, and I get more money. I don’t know what to tell you at that point. I don’t think anyone has ever come away from a tournament and said, ‘Man, he had a game plan from Round 1, and he stuck to it.’ You have to be able to adapt. You have to be awake and interacting with your environment.”

2025 ended hugely for you, as you ended the historic reign of Tim Bosby to become the new ACTION Wrestling World Champion. What was this moment like for you, and how important was not only the moment but also working with someone as talented as Tim Bosby?

“It was massive. I was one of Tim’s first opponents in Chattanooga years ago. I was there when he beat Warhorse for the title. The thing that’s really crazy about this was that I think two or three days after Tim won the ACTION World Title, I suffered a life-threatening injury. I suffered a blood clot in my calf. At the time, I had been the TWE Undisputed Champion for almost 600 days. It hurt so bad to have to walk away and give everything up. I didn’t know what my health situation was going to be, if I was going to be able to wrestle again, or if I was going to live. It was just like drowning and seeing everything float further and further up. Tim’s star was rising. It wasn’t like jealousy; it was just me seeing the hole that I left, and everyone else was able to fill it. It was a really scary feeling that they didn’t really need me anymore. I don’t think I have a place. All of these great, young wrestlers have stepped up and put on for the Southeast in a very special way. So, I felt very lost for that year coming back. To have to beat Tim, who was the guy in the southeast and had beaten Adam Priest, and had beaten all these champions of the past, and with Dylan by his side, someone I thought was my friend and my mentor, to totally turn his back, the moment was just so perfect. It was almost a year since I got injured to kind of come back on top of the mountain. I had some real beef with Matt Griffin. I hated his a**. I really, truly did not like this man. Despite that, to become a top star of his, to become his champion, to sit at the top of my territory, and say it’s my turn to run with the ball. That’s as storybook, fairy tale as it gets, and it’s only the start. Knowing that I was taking this baton from Tim was actually like this huge responsibility that weighs on my shoulders. I have to put on as he did. Tim was getting on the road, moving, and showing new communities our ACTION World Championship the way it deserves to be shown. That’s why at the end of this month I’ll be wrestling at Dusk Pro in Vancouver, defending the ACTION World Championship against Nicole Matthews, who, in my opinion, is the best wrestler in Canada. So, I’m not saying that that’s an accomplishable or easy task, but if I’m going to live up to what Tim did before me, that’s what I’m going to have to do.”

You’ll be defending the ACTION Wrestling World Championship against Nicole Matthews on Sunday, February 22^nd at Dusk Pro in Vancouver. What does it mean to you to get to defend that title against her?

“Everything. I hate Nicole Matthews. I hate her guts. The reason I hate her guts is that last year at WrestleMania week, I just came back from my injury, I come back, I’m in Las Vegas, at GrapHouse, and she strolls into my city, and she beat my ass. Not only in front of the city I’m champion of, but in front of the promoter, in front of the company I was champion of. She embarrassed me. So, what I’m going to do. I’m going to show up in her town, where her school is, where her students are, and I’m going to embarrass her. So, this match with Nicole Matthews for the ACTION World Title is of the utmost importance, because one of her most famous rivalries of all time was with Daniel Makabe, who’s from Vancouver. This is something that’s written in the stars. There are a lot of matches. Judas Icarus is a match that’s written in the stars because of the relationship with Makabe. Matthews is right there on that list and even more personal to me because of the way she’s embarrassed me. So, that match means everything. If I don’t come out of that match still the ACTION World Champion, I might burn the boots, because I got my shot immediately, and I’m fumbling? It’s not impossible; it’s happened before. The reigns before Tim Bosby were not long. Bobby Flaco had it for one defense, Warhorse had it for one defense, stuff happens, titles change hands. It’s not like I have a year to kick back. No, I’m fighting for my life and fighting for this championship. Nicole Matthews is as tall an order as I can ask for. Looking through the J-Cup, Judas Icarus, who is very familiar to Nicole Matthews, all of this is scouting for this next title defense. I won’t lose the J-Cup, but if I do, I don’t think everyone will be like ‘Darian’s washed up,’ or ‘it’s over for him.’ If I go up to Canada and get mopped for a second time, I’m done. Nicole Matthews, when I see you, I’m messing you up. I promise, shawty.”

With 2026 just truly getting underway, do you have any future opponents you’d like to share the ring with?

“Definitely. We’re running the Makabe tour. I got Ick, I got Nicole, give me Spencer, give me Travis Williams, give me Timothy Thatcher. If we want to run a technician guy give me Sabre. He kicked Dan straight in the face. I owe him one for that. I don’t know if you’ve seen Sabre vs. Makabe, but he kicked him like a disrespect, and folded him. I owe him for that one. I want to wrestle EFFY really bad. To me, EFFY is the greatest independent wrestler, maybe ever. I love EFFY, I love everything EFFY does. I really want EFFY. I want to go back to the UK. I have a list of names that I started with on Day 1, and we all have grown so much. Isaiah Broner is doing amazing work; he’s someone I want to work with. I want to work with B3CCA, who I think is one of the most talented wrestlers on the independents. Brooke Havok, I have to beat her a** crazy. She’s owed a** beating. I have a lot of names on my list. Gresham, we’ll get to eventually, but Priest is going to beat his a**. One other big one, Jeremy Wyatt. I want Jeremy Wyatt. I want Tom Lawlor when he’s healthy, but those are some big ones. I don’t want to wrestle Jordan Blade. I don’t want to wrestle Ryan Clancy; he sucks.”

Looking ahead for you, what are your biggest goals?

“My future goals are for everyone to know that the Southeast is where the true hoopers exist. We are the most talented territory. I hate to break it to y’all, and really re-putting us on the map. It’d be crazy for me to say putting us on the map because AJ Styles was the king of Georgia for a long time. But reminding people. It was not long ago when AC Mack told people we had something to say. Somehow, everyone forgot it. Reminding people that this is where it’s at is a huge passion for me and something I’m going to make happen. There are so many other talented wrestlers from my region that I’m willing to make that. Being a fan, watching Southeast first was a really huge moment. To be able to rekindle that, there’s so much going on in the southeast. PWF with Colby Corino, BoJack, ASE with Darius Lockheart, ACTION Wrestling, there is Memphis, where Tim is the man, TWE Chattanooga, Florida, this region is so rich with this talent. But this region is so disconnected, I think that’s the construct of the independent wrestling scene above us. It’s a really big goal for me to highlight that and reshape some stuff in an image that benefits us. Just continue to influence the culture, getting back on my international flow, being able to connect with people from across the globe, is super important to me. And yeah, just making money because I’m better than most of these people out here. I deserve to be cutting a check. A lot of people wouldn’t be cutting a check if it wasn’t for Darian Bengston, and that’s real, no matter how you feel about it, so yeah. That’s all. Protect trans lives and southeast first.”