In PWPonderings latest exclusive interview, deathmatch wrestling icon, “The Bulldozer,” Matt Tremont (@Tremont07GCW) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell) to discuss his huge month of April, including a tag match with Bear Bronson against Otis Cogar & Krule, his upcoming GCW Ultraviolent Championship match with Otis Cogar, his rivalry with VNDL48, the extreme moment in Hartford, CT, working with Gangrel at Hybrid Wrestling & PWU, and his three-way tag match at Death Vegas Invitational with Nick Gage, and so much more. Watch it in its entirety below.

You have a very busy month of April coming up. It all starts this weekend when you team up with Bear Bronson to face off with Otis Cogar and Krule this Saturday. What is your mindset heading into this one?

“A lot of emotions. Obviously, this is the big go-home show leading into The Collective and the week of events that GCW is hosting. The last time I was in Los Angeles on February 14^th, if memory serves me correctly, I was one-on-one with Krule in the middle of the ring. In the opening spot is where I got hurt. Now, almost two months later, we’re back in there again. So, it’s bittersweet for me. I’m looking forward to it. The last impression I wanted to leave on the Los Angeles crowd is me curled up in a ball, holding my legs and tending to my back. But I’m feeling a lot better now. Rehabbing, stretching as much as I can. I’ve been with back stuff for a long time. It’s what happens when you’re taking a lot of the big bumps that I have had for the year. Big bumps off the cage of death, falling off tractor-trailers, and just the constant flow of big bumps, even in the ring. All that took its toll. It was a big wake-up call for me, too. Since then, I’ve been trying to get back to 100%. The doctor said losing some weight will help take some of the pressure off my back, hip, and hamstrings. I’ve actually lost quite a bit of weight in the past two months. This is probably the best I’ve felt and looked in years. I’m very excited for this match. I love tagging with Bear. I’m pretty sure we’re undefeated in GCW in all the times we’ve tagged. He and I have formed a bond and a friendship, individually and collectively, together, we’ve done a lot of great things. He’s an outstanding talent in the business. Any time I get to work with Bear, whether against him or with him, it’s great. Now the chase continues with Otis Cogar, fighting for that Ultraviolent Championship. As I said, the last time I was with LA was with Krule. This time, we’ll get to dance for real this time.”

Krule is someone you have a ton of history with, becoming the Killdozer and working with him a mere couple of years back. What has it been like to work with someone like Krule?

“Krule is a fantastic big man, great character. Once he found that mask, it just transcended wrestling. When you see someone of the height and stature that he is, once the monster’s in gimmick, it’s definitely a sight to see. We had that cinematic match. We’ve been telling stories for quite some time. Now, we get to do that in the GCW universe. But yeah, the cinematic match was a lot of fun that we did a few years ago. That allowed me to tell the story of putting the mask on and teaming with Krule. Just a lot of good times and good stories told. Again, someone, collectively and individually against each other, we can continue to do that again this Saturday. Krule’s fantastic. He’s everywhere for a reason. He’s one of the top big guys, maybe the top big guy in the sport. I always enjoy going in there and doing the thing with him.

You’ve been embroiled in quite the story with VNDL48, specifically Otis Cogar. What has it been like to work with them?

“I think the first singles match we (Matt & Otis) had was back in 2022, I believe. Just in the three to four-year span, you can see, the three of them as a unit, as a family, went from jump street, already good. Being able to work with all of them and see the progression of all of them, specifically Otis, I probably worked with him the most the last few years, especially the last year in GCW. He’s gotten into tremendous shape. The ‘Evil Incarnate’ looks like a killer. And, there’s a reason why he’s the Ultraviolent Champion. The company sees something in him, and his work has translated in the ring. They’re doing great work. In the midst of the Bulldozer vs. VNDL48, there’s probably no other trio of people I’ve really enjoyed working with over the last few years, especially with this story we’re telling in GCW. He’s tremendous. He’s doing great work. I think we’ll be able to cap off this story. We’ve had some very violent matches and moments. To my knowledge, I could be wrong, but we’re the only Steel Cage match going on Mania Week, with all the other shows going on. My goal is to have the most violent match of the week with all the great talent and shows going on. I can speak for Otis, as well. We’re going in there to have the most violent match that week, tell a great story, and cap off the big blow off of this angle we’ve been walking towards.”

What have been your thoughts on working with VNDL48’s Christian Napier lately, seeing him burst onto the scene?

“I met Christian a few years before. I knew of him. I’ve seen his potential very early on. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he got to GCW. He’s doing tremendous old-school heel work. He’s yapping, talking out of the mouth, generating heat, and the crowd hates him. That’s what’s going to sell tickets, get people to watch the streams, and get people in the building. It’s probably the highlight of my year so far, that match that we had in Atlantic City. I really pushed for that to work with him. The one thing I think he needed at the time was a big singles match in the eyes of the fans to see what he could do. He went in there and took the big bumps, gave it back, dished it. He did tremendously. I’m very happy with that match and the story that we told. That match and story is a pivotal part of the overall arc and story that we’ve been trying to tell with myself and VNDL48. He’s done great. He’s young and has his whole career ahead of him. Right place, right time, right people, and he’s doing all of that right now in GCW with the Cogars.”

You were involved in probably one of the greatest moments I’ve seen in quite some time back in Hartford, CT, when VNDL48 brutally attacked you. What was it like putting this together?

“Obviously, GCW and Brett have been very good. When I got injured in February, he was still working with me, allowing me to do stuff on the shows. Obviously, not wrestling as much, but still allowing me to do stuff on the shows to continue to tell this story. Getting to Hartford, we needed to do something violent and make a moment out of this. That’s what we were able to put together. Everyone, all parties involved, executed it great. It really took the story to another level. We got the purpose that we want to get across, and it was definitely a big exclamation point moment in the story that I’ve been telling with VNDL48. At the end of the day, I’ve been working against the Cogars, not just in GCW but everywhere for like four or five years now. As far as storytelling, promos, and getting across the character stuff. They are tremendous at that. I will work with any three of them, any day of the week. I really enjoyed the story that we’ve told so far, leading up to the big Collective WrestleMania week in Vegas. I’m definitely looking forward to it and working with them again… Even right when I got hurt, everyone was very willing to work with me and see what I could do. I think we all kind of knew at one point we would get to the rematch, the best that we can, but we really needed to have that violent moment to really take the story to the next notch. I’ve done similar moments and segments before, probably not to this level of violence as we did. But I just remember getting to Hartford early that day. Bret, I, and everyone involved and we’re all pitching ideas and putting everything together. It was just everything that we talked about, even the pre-tapes we shot with Bear and Gabby, just everything went well and was executed as best as we could. I thought we knocked it out of the ballpark. It needed to be violent. It needed to be uncomfortable. It really needed to solidify that VNDL48 are the top three guys and the top family running things in GCW, and for them to go to the violent lengths they did to put me down, I think they did just that. I think we hit one out of the ballpark with this one.”

Did you see the moment in Hartford, CT, being as big as it was for GCW when you were planning it?

“Not too, for lack of a better word, not to be cocky or anything, but I just knew that Harford was the perfect spot to do it. That crowd is great every time we go there. As I said, if we execute this the way we need to execute this, and execute me, this will go over well. We hit it on all cylinders, and we did our job that night to advance the story and get to the next chapter we have to tell. All parties were happy with it, even me, being drenched in blood. I was on Cloud 9 because the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling is still my favorite. Being able to do segments or moments like that, not everything has to be a full match all the time. We need stuff like these moments that fans can look back on and reflect on, like ‘Do you remember when VNDL48 messed up Tremont in Hartford?’ I think it’s a memorable one. I think it’s one of the most violent moments in the history of GCW, and that says a lot. I’m just happy across the board with it. I remember a lot of people hit me up, asking if I was okay. I just knew going into it, I think there were four boxes of light tubes, and I just remember telling them unleash hell, and don’t leave a single light tube in any of those boxes. I knew what I was getting myself into, and they did as well. We need to get this across as violently and as uncomfortably as we can, and we did just that.”

You’re the first ever GCW Ultraviolent Champion, which you won at Hammerstein in January of 2025 and proudly defended against so many incredible talents. What did this title win and reign mean to you?

“Initially, the win came out of nowhere. I didn’t think it was going to be something on my bingo card at the beginning of last year. Then, the reign starts, and it continues. We get to four months in, six months in, eight months in, a year, a little over a year. I think I had 25+ title defenses, and I worked with the best of the best. Some of the matches that stick out to me the most were against Arez in Los Angeles, one of my favorite title defenses was against Terry Yaki in Hartford last year, and then I think the one that people talk about the most and means a lot to Bear and me was Bear Bronson and me at Homecoming last August. For us personally, that was many years in the making. Very happy with the reign overall. All the matches involved, and I feel like I was putting forth some of my best work I have ever had in my career in that time.”

One of the most memorable matches, for me, was you vs. Bear Bronson from last year. What is it like to see everything he’s been doing since becoming a free agent, and what has it been like working with him?

“Pulling the curtain back a little bit, we’ve known each other for some time. Well, before he first got into GCW. I remember when he was first getting started in the business, he was working the independent scene, and we never had the chance to work. I remember him and Gabby came to one of the GCW Philly shows and started to show face. He was looking for an opportunity at GCW, and I don’t remember verbatim, but I told him an opportunity was going to come his way soon; I just felt it. I know he wanted to dip his toes into the deathmatch stuff. It’s something he’s always wanted to do. I knew it would be a matter of time once he got to GCW, we’d be dancing in that ring together, as soon as he could. The Homecoming match last year was tremendous. It was a good 20-25 minute Deathmatch in front of the Ruckus crowd in Atlantic City. We had chemistry right from the get-go, never even working with each other. I’m very happy with that match. It was an emotional match, a physically demanding match, and we both put a lot into that match. He’s doing great things on the independent scene. I know he’s on his way back from his first Japan tour, and it looked like he did some great things over there. Doing TV stuff with TNA. Bear’s doing his thing. The sky is the limit for him. He’s always going to be successful. He gets it. He knows what he’s doing. He’s a great talent, whether it’s a deathmatch or not. I enjoy working with him, tagging with him, and we’re going to have some fun this weekend in Los Angeles.”

Later this month, at WrestleMania weekend’s big event, “The Immortal Clusterf*ck,” you will be challenging Otis Cogar for the GCW Ultraviolent Championship in your match, in a Hardcore Kingdom Steel Cage match. What is your mindset heading into this one?

“It’s the big one. It’s what pro wrestling 101 is. It’s the chase. It’s the babyface chasing the heel. All the work we’ve put in, all the violent matches and moments, this is the crescendo to everything. In Vegas, there will be a lot of eyes on it, a lot of people watching it. Of the multiple GCW events, this is the last one of the week that caps it off. There are only two matches on this show. We open up with the big Steel Cage match, and then it’s the Clusterf*ck itself. So, you’re coming for these two matches to end your independent WrestleMania part of The Collective and all the wrestling going on that week. The goal is to make it the most violent match of the week. There are a lot of great hardcore deathmatches on multiple shows. But, I’m confident Otis and I will go in there and tell the violent story, tell the right story that we need to do, and send everyone home happy on a very busy week for a lot of professional wrestlers. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to getting to Vegas and showing everybody. I’m not even sure myself what the Hardcore Kingdom Steel Cage match will be, but making things memorable as far as moments and matches, and we hope to make this Steel Cage match another one of those.”

You will also be working with Gangrel on Wednesday, April 15th, to kick off the weekend at Hybrid Wrestling x PWU. What’s your mindset heading into this one?

“Working with a legend like Gangrel definitely wasn’t on my bingo card, not this year if ever. I appreciate PWU & Hybrid for reaching out and thinking of me to work with someone of the caliber of Gangrel. I’m really looking forward to that match. I’m thankful that I’ve gotten to work with a lot of big names over the years, and to add Gangrel to the list is pretty cool.”

You’ll also be wrestling at the Death Vegas Invitational, teaming up with Nick Gage against El Desperado & Jun Kasai, and Masashi Takeda & Rina Yamashita. How excited are you for this one?

“Another thing I didn’t think would be on my bingo card this year would be a New Japan-promoted event with Desperado, me, and Nick Gage tagging for the first time in probably 2-3 years. A crazy three-way tag match that I didn’t think would ever take place. But yeah, those are the three matches I have that week. I’m more than happy with those three. I’m going to give 110% for those three matches. Of all the matches that are going on that week, I’ll try to make them different, and try to make them special, and make sure everyone goes home happy and takes something from one of those three matches that they can remember and that they can talk about. So yeah, I’m looking forward to Vegas and getting violent in Vegas… It’s been quite a few years since we last teamed. I believe a few years back, Nick and I were supposed to tag against Takeda & Kasai. I believe it was the one right before the Pandemic, and that’s why it didn’t happen. I believe it was maybe supposed to be in Florida that year, I’m not sure. But everything happens for a reason. Time and place for everything. For Nick and me, I’m glad it’s happening now, on an even bigger stage. Big show. There’s a crazy amount of good wrestling going on that weekend. Again, not something I had on my bingo card going into this year. So yeah, Gage is one of my guys growing up. Been able to work with him a few times. We only ever had three matches one-on-one almost ten years ago now. To be able to tag with him and be a part of the Hate Club means a lot. So, to be able to go in there again with him, it’s six of the best deathmatch wrestlers in the world. This is going to be crazy. If you can expect anything, it’s craziness and violence personified.”

With the Tournament of Survival now a mere couple of months away, are there any names fans should look out for as a dark horse to win the whole thing?

“It’s getting tougher to call every year now, especially with this line-up that GCW’s putting together for TOS this year. It’s a lot of new faces, it’s a lot of hungry faces, new and up-and-coming talent, which the company and tournament need all the time to stay fresh and get people to stay invested. You have Vipress in there. She’s the new chick on the block, killing it. She’s putting her body on the line and doing good things. She’s a good pick to win the whole tournament. Mr. Danger. He’s been doing his thing for the last year or so in GCW. Another one. High-flying, can do all kinds of craziness. You have Takeda, one of, if not the best Japanese deathmatch wrestler, maybe the best deathmatch wrestler of all time, returning to GCW. Then, you have a newcomer, Nino Extremo. I’ve seen Instagram reels and clips of him online. It looks like the kid is fearless and is 100% all gas, no breaks. I’m looking forward to seeing him live for the first time. Obviously, we’ll see the field play out and get announced over the next month or so. It’s going to be, it could be one of the best all-time TOS line-ups this year for the TOS/Cage of Survival weekend this June when we’re back in Atlantic City. If there’s a weekend to check out, it’s that weekend for sure.”

Looking ahead for you, do you have any future goals for 2026 or beyond?

“I’m extremely thankful that after all of these years, I can keep a pretty full schedule on the independent scene and just stay busy and have a lot of work to look forward to and to make money and take care of the family. That’s always key to begin with. Working as much as I can, full-time with GCW, and starting to work a little bit more elsewhere, which you’ll see a little bit later in the year. Especially down south, in the southeast. So, yeah, just happy to stay busy after 19 years and stay relevant, staying busy. If there are any goals or anything like that, it’s that I could just continue to stay busy, stay relevant in the business, to the people behind the scenes, and the fans. One of my goals is to just do something on television. It’s probably the only thing I haven’t done. I’d like to spend some time in the future. If I can stay healthy and just keep doing my thing, getting my name out there, hopefully, the right opportunity can come my way down the pike at some point. But yeah, I’m just looking forward to coming up this year. Last year was great. This year, starting to, personally and professionally, really come together. I’m really looking forward to everything coming up.”

Do you have any dream opponents that you’d like to share the ring with?

“I guess, as far as people on television that I think realistically could one day happen, maybe like a Darby Allin, or a Jon Moxley, or even a Dustin Rhodes. I’m an old-school wrestling fan and storyteller at heart. I’d love the opportunity to do something with Dustin Rhodes and have a Texas Bull Rope match with him or something like that. At the end of the day, probably not in a match capacity, but to be able to share the ring and do something with Mick Foley, the kid inside of me would be truly fulfilled. He’s many people’s inspiration. He’s my biggest influence overall. I hope at some point in my career that I can just get in the ring and do something with Mick Foley/Cactus Jack. It would just put a big smile on my face, and the 13-year old kid inside of me would be like, ‘Matt, you truly made it.’ It really would be for me. I’m just a kid from South Jersey who just wanted to do hardcore wrestling. I’ve been extremely fortunate to do a lot of things in the business and travel all over the world on someone else’s dime, and win tournaments and titles, and perform in front of some great people. So, it would be very cool and a cherry on top, so to speak.”