In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Myles Hawkins (@themyleshawkins) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell) to discuss his upcoming match with WWE ID prospect, Cappuccino Jones, at CZW at Wrestivus, his time in CZW so far, Jimmy Lloyd, Rebel Spirit Pro, MCW, his goals, dream opponents, and more. Watch the video in its entirety down below.
You’ve spoken about how big an inspiration Kofi Kingston has been to you. With Kofi now hitting the independent scene, is this a dream match of yours?
“Oh yeah, absolutely. I think I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to wrestle Kofi Kingston, or Xavier Woods, or any of those guys. At a certain point, I was fortunate enough to get extra work and be able to talk to Kofi. Being able to understand that he is the same person that I saw, I was like ‘Okay, this is more of what wrestling is supposed to be.’ You see this person, you understand that I respect you as a wrestler, but I also respect you as a person. Now that we are in the same place, and you are not contractually obligated not to wrestle me, let’s get a match. That’s one of those that selfishly, I know you’re going to be okay. I know you made the right decision, and I respect that decision. But now, I want to wrestle you. Now that I have the opportunity, I want to make this happen.”
Let’s jump right into it, on Saturday, at CZW at Wrestivus, you will be going one-on-one with WWE ID prospect, Cappuccino Jones. What is your mindset heading into this one?
“Honestly, I feel like this is a big proving match for Cappuccino. A few weeks ago, I pinned the WWE Evolve Champion, Aaron Rourke. So, he’s got to show out. I know what I’m bringing into this match, and it’s his time to shine. We met a few years ago doing extra work in Philadelphia, and we were like, ‘Hey, one day, we’ll have this match.’ Of course, he got ID’d and went through that path. I’m excited to see what he has and to finally get in the ring with him.”
Following his match at CZW Backlight, you had some words for Jimmy Lloyd. You told him, “If you expected me to come out there and risk my career for a match with you, you’re dumber than you look.” Where did this come from?
“I don’t understand Jimmy Lloyd. At the end of the day, when I come through the curtain, I look like a superstar. I move like a superstar. I’m damn-near perfect. Then, Jimmy Lloyd comes out, and he looks like he got off his shift at Burger King. We expect him to be an ass-kicker. Like no. If it’s a hot dog-eating contest, I’ve got you 100%. But if it’s anything athletic, I expect you to gas out in the first 30 seconds. If I’m trying to raise the level of the show, I’m trying to say, ‘Hey, we’re doing actual wrestling, we want to be taken seriously.’ Why do I want you on my show? That’s what it stems from. Quality control. The internet loves him for some reason. Like, why? Is it because they understand what it’s like to roll four or five times to get out of bed? Is that what it is? I don’t get it. I don’t understand. When he gets in shape, we will have his match. Until he’s in ring-shape, get off my show.”
What are your hopes for your future at CZW? Are there any titles or any people you have your eyes on?
“Well, my hopes are very weird for CZW. First, I want to bring it back. Really, anywhere that I am, I want to elevate that promotion. If I’m on your show, I want to elevate it to the best that it can possibly be. I think having a roster that shows that, you look up and down the roster and see nothing but stars and credible wrestlers, that says a lot. I want to have that on every show I go to. I want to face the best, be on the show with the best, and go out in the main event and have every match beforehand say you have to work harder. That’s what I strive for. I’d be remiss to say that if I find myself in a match with Eran Ashe for the CZW World Championship, that would be interesting. That’d be fun. There are definitely titles. I’m not shy to take titles; I like titles. Gold is fun for me. But those are things that you want your champion to have credibility when he walks through the door. It starts with your show. If your show has credibility, your champion will also have credibility.”
You will also be taking part in Rebel Spirit Pro’s big event coming up, “Fan Appreciation Night.” What is your mindset heading into this one?
“So, heading into this one, Rebel Spirit was really my introduction to Massachusetts. It’s a place that I hold dear because they took a chance on me. They told me, ‘Hey, we like what you have, and we want to bring you up into a brand new market where people might not know you.’ They allowed me to grow and really work on and hone a lot of the things there. Going back to the fans. The fans at Rebel Spirit accepted me almost immediately, and that’s one of the things where it’s like, ‘Hey, I know we’re having this show, and it’s for the fans, but I have to be there. You guys trusted me and cheered for me and understood everything that I was giving to you. I have to give back.’”
Is there anyone you have your eyes on at Rebel Spirit Pro?
“Absolutely. Maybe not May 16th, but June 13th, I will be challenging for the Rebel Spirit Heavyweight Championship. Spencer Slade and I are going to run it back one more time. I should have beaten Spencer multiple times, but through underhanded tactics, he slid out of the ring, and we’re not going to talk about it. That’s the person I have my eyes on, because after the year that I’ve been building at Rebel Spirit, I don’t think it’s wrong to say that I’m just one win away. With that win being over Spencer, I mean, incredible champion right there. You have to pin a champion to be a champion.”
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t bring up your time at MCW. You are a former MCW Rage Television Champion. What did it mean for you to hold that title?
“That title, it started with Miami Mike, he won it before I did, and the matches he was having. I looked at it like, that is the workhorse championship. At a certain point, the Heavyweight Championship has more prestige, but like the Intercontinental Championship, the workhorse championship was always the midcard title. Once I won it, I wanted to take pride in the fact of the Rage TV Championship, when that match was announced, it was the best match on the show. For almost a year, I believe, I had the mindset of I’m going to steal the show, and this will be the best match. No matter who I contend with, it’s going to be the best match on the show. When the fans started picking up on that, when they started seeing, ‘Oh, we want to see this as the Rage title match because we know it’s going to be a really good match, I had so much pride that after losing the title, I had to tell them that we worked really hard to establish this as the title at MCW. We know the Heavyweight Championship is there, and we know that that is the top prize, but if you hold this, it says that you are the best wrestler, and if you cannot live up to it, you have to let it go.”
Recently, you teamed up with Post Game to compete in trios action against Juni Underwood, Ryan O’Neill, and BK Westbrook at GCW. What was this moment and match like for you to compete at GCW?
“It’s a blast. I’ve crossed paths with Juni so many times. I’ve crossed paths with Ryan a few times. We always went, ‘One day, we’re going to wrestle.’ To not only share the ring with Post Game, who I like, we’ve also been MCW, CZW, all over together. To finally say, ‘Hey, I’m going to tag with you guys,’ that was a blast. But being able to get in there with Juni and Ryan was also a blast. I’ve seen BK’s stuff, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m a fan of yours. I want to wrestle.’ First time meeting him, first time wrestling him. I’d wrestle all five of those guys again. To do it at GCW and to have that spotlight, so much fun.”
Looking ahead for you, what are your future goals?
“I think, in this day and age, if you’re a wrestler and you don’t say some television company. I mean, there are so many opportunities out there. WWE, AEW, TNA, MLW, NWA, take your pick. I think obviously TV is the next step, whether it’s WWE, AEW, TNA, all three. They can all be possibilities. But, that’s definitely the next step.”
Do you have anyone you’d really like to share the ring with?
“I used to have the line where everyone that I want to share the ring with is signed. But, following the releases, I have to say, Kofi and Woods. Those are my guys. I have to do it. I have to throw Kofi and Woods out there.”