In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Matt Mako (@TheMattMako) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) to open up about his upcoming match with SHLAK at CZW and Beyond Wrestling’s big joint show this weekend, his match with Gabriel Skye against 4825 this Sunday at ETU, The Expected, Alec Price, Labor Of Love, PRODUCE Wrestling, Jersey Championship Wrestling, Power Pro Lucha, his goals, and so much more. Watch the interview in its entirety down below.

Let’s jump right into it. This Saturday, at CZW and Beyond Wrestling’s big joint show, you’ll challenge SHLAK for the CZW Ultraviolent Championship. What is your mindset heading into this one?

“That’s a good question. I definitely have to be prepared for an environment I don’t find myself in a lot of the time with the rule sets, and the extreme title being on the line. Shlak’s his own person. So, I’m going to have to corral the beast, if you will, if I want to come out on top on Saturday.”

What are you hoping to show fans who know that SHLAK can get ‘ultraviolent’ in his own way, but you can also get to that level in your own way?

“It’s going to be fun. I’ll probably bring my kendo sticks; I’ll leave it at that. I’ll have my kendo sticks. Maybe some other surprises I have up my sleeve. I’ve been thinking about this for a bit now and how I’m going to compete with Shlak for the Ultraviolent Championship. It’s definitely going to be a different side of Matt Mako. It’s emerged in the past, as we were referencing. I’ve had some matches with some more hardcore, extreme, deathmatch-type wrestlers. I just kind of have to go to that place and make it happen on Saturday.”

What does it mean to you to represent Beyond in this show?

“Beyond is a huge part of my story and my career. Really the first place to put me on the map. I had less than maybe 10 matches and found myself at Beyond, wrestling. Which, as we spoke about earlier, is the epitome of wrestling in the Northeast. I kind of found myself maybe a little in over my head at that point in my career. Maybe I wasn’t mentally fully prepared for all that. I think I did well, considering, if you go back and watch a lot of those matches. I’m definitely a different person now. That was a long time ago. My relationship, working with Beyond, has been a little intermittent over the last few years, but there was a time when I was wrestling there, with their weekly shows, maybe, I don’t know, 20 times a year with Uncharted Territory and their monthly shows. It feels right to represent Beyond Wrestling at this event.”

Also, on Sunday, you and Gabriel Skye will be putting the ETU Atlantic Tag Team Championships on the line against 4825, Jaden Newman & Jamesen Shook, at “Show Me Vol. 1.” What is your mindset heading into that match?

“Again, Jamesen and Jaden are also former IWTV Tag Team Champions as well. So, again, a huge task for me and Gabe. I feel like, if you’re watching ETU, The Expected usually find a way to come out on top. I don’t think Sunday is going to be any different.”

You are a part of the big “Expected” group in ETU, where you, Skye, Ikuro Kwon, and Austin Luke have been running roughshod over the promotion. What has it been like to work with them?

“Kwon and Gabe are great. They’re buddies of mine. Austin is just coming back from an injury, so we’re kind of working him back into the fold here. We had an unfortunate incident with Alec Price at the last show. That still kind of stings a little bit. If you’re an IWTV subscriber, go back and check that out. But, as far as Gabe and Kwon go, and Austin, I trust those guys, and it’s been great to work with them over the last few years.”

Recently, Alec Price decided to turn on The Expected and leave the group on his own terms. What went through your head when you saw this?

“I just feel like it’s Alec Price being Alec Price, man. I mentioned the IWTV Title. I have been able to wrestle for it. It was against Price at the H2O building during Season 5 of Uncharted Territory, maybe that’s not the right number, but one of those matches got a little messed up by Krule. But Alec did beat me. He beat me clean at the end of the season there. I respect Alec Price as a wrestler. As a person, he’s a sly dog. I’m not surprised that happened; let’s put it that way.”

Switching gears now, you are also the Labor of Love Citywide Champion. What does this title mean to you?

“In a similar vein as what I said earlier, for me personally, since I’m from Philadelphia and I feel like Philly has always been known as a great wrestling city, to be honest, I’m a little jealous of the fans in Massachusetts; I shouldn’t say the fans, but the wrestlers. Maybe North Carolina, DPW. I want to help make Labor of Love, or again, any promotion I work at, Destination Wrestling. That’s the place you want to work if you’re a wrestler, or that’s the place you want to go and see the shows if you’re a fan. One of the best ways for me to do that is to be the champion, put on great matches, great title defenses against top-tier opponents, and just continue to build momentum for the company. I know it’s not the greatest name for a company. The owner, Billy Avery, literally started it as a labor of love, in the city of Brotherly Love, if you will. It’s definitely become something a bit more than that now, you know? He keeps himself busy. He has some help too, running the company. It’s become a top-tier company in the Northeast. It doesn’t have the X/Twitter presence, so it doesn’t get the same kind of clout a lot of companies do, but they book top-tier talent from across the world, and the shows are just always a great time.”

You have also become a bit of a mainstay at one of the hottest new promotions around today, PRODUCE. What has it been like to work there and put on some of the tremendous matches that we’ve seen from you?

“PRODUCE, as we discussed earlier, has hit the ground running. Very ambitious schedule. They’ve already had shows internationally, in Montreal, Canada. It seems like their home is New York, specifically the Brooklyn area. Again, it’s great; with them, it’s an independent that also books. There’s a lot of contracted talent on the show, which is awesome for the fans. On the other side of the coin, those people are then wrestling to see independent wrestlers. Indie wrestlers get to wrestle this top-tier talent, and maybe get exposed to new fans who maybe never heard of them prior. They’re tuning in to see Thekla or the Dogs. A lot of people are going to be in LA this Thursday for the PRODUCE show. Lio Rush. Jon Gresham. Those are some of the guys from the last show. I think they’ll be in LA Thursday, as well. It’s been great. I’ve been doing pretty well there. Big win at the DEAN show against Tim Bosby, and then I picked up a win last week against the big, 6-foot-9 Pat Sawyer. That was a good one.”

You will be teaming with Violence Is Forever in six-man tag action at PRODUCE on Thursday, October 22nd. What is your mindset heading into this one?

“I mean, of the three people we’re wrestling against, I have wins over two of them in singles matches. I wrestled Angel at the last Bloodsport, in Vegas, and I just mentioned Bosby a couple of weeks ago. Have not been in the ring with Joe yet. Essentially, this is a Team Karl Malenko Dojo vs. the Josh Barnett Dojo. We’re having a trios match to figure out which is superior. Later in the night, the boss men will go at it in a singles match. It should be a great night in LA.”

This past weekend, you took part in the big Jersey Championship Wrestling Tag Team Turmoil match that was followed by a historic announcement that JCW will be creating JCW Tag Team Championships. What went through your mind hearing that, and is this a goal of yours?

“Well, you know, unfortunately, we came up short with my partner Ray Jaz. It was great getting to tag with Ray. He’s a phenomenal athlete and a great wrestler. We have styles that complement each other very well. As I said, we didn’t come out on top for tag team turmoil. But I think JCW is overdue for some tag belts. So, I was really happy to hear the announcement, and I’m excited for what’s to come for the tag team division at Jersey Championship Wrestling.”

Also, Power Pro Lucha has been putting on some great shows this year. What has it been like to take part in Power Pro Lucha?

“Power Pro is one of my favorite companies to watch. Amazing wrestling, unique stories, can’t really get around the fact that it’s heavily influenced by the former Chikara Pro. That’s kind of where I started, at Chikara. I started training at the Wrestle Factory, under the Wrestle Factory coaches, and Chikara has always meant a lot to me. I’ve said this on many interviews/podcasts; don’t mind saying it again, but Chikara is what influenced me to become a professional wrestler. It was sort of my introduction to independent professional wrestling. I didn’t realize indie wrestling could be like that until I saw Chikara Pro. My mind was just blown away. The influence that company had on me and in my life means a lot. To have something like it now, still going, like Power Pro, I’m so proud of those guys for even trying. Running a professional wrestling company is no easy task. Kind of like I was saying earlier with Labor of Love, it’s very much like that for a lot of companies. Power Pro also just hit the ground running when it comes to production and the quality of their presentation; they have a very awesome venue in Center City, West Philly. Again, the venue is just amazing. The graphics are amongst the best. In terms of video packages, the company is barely two years old; I think it’ll be two years old coming up. So, it hasn’t been around very long, and again, they have a presentation that’s better than a lot of companies ever even have. So, Power Pro is a place where I think I was there for their first show, the inaugural event. Something happened, and I haven’t really been used since. It’s, if you’re in the Philadelphia area and you’re into colorful characters, pro wrestling in a slightly different way, comic book, story-telling, whatever you want to call it, Power Pro Lucha is the place for you. I’m, admittedly, a bit of a nerd. I love that kind of stuff. It’s a hybrid of a bit of everything. Combat sports, wrestling, sci-fi, just the creative- there’s no limit to the amount of creativity they have. Anything can happen. I love Power Pro and love that it’s in Philadelphia.”

Looking ahead, what are your future goals?

“I want to keep building the scene in Philadelphia, as I mentioned. I want companies like Labor of Love, or even Power Pro, if I get to work there again, to be Destination Wrestling. Similar to Deadlock, so famous for being such a revolutionary company, such a special place to wrestle. You’ve got places on the West Coast, like West Coast Pro, DEFY, there was Prestige for a little bit, some of these top-tier independent companies. I want people to name those companies, along with the companies I just mentioned, but be based out of Philadelphia. The local scene is becoming a spot where guys can get a lot of reps and a lot of eyes on them. That’s one of my goals. Especially, to bring it up again, when Chikara closed, there’s not a whole lot of wrestling in the Philadelphia area for a city that has always been known, I guess, a lot of that comes from the ECW Arena and the history there. But, again, keeping that going. I think CZW, to their credit, has a long history in Philadelphia, and sort of, many, many years ago, was one of the top-tier companies when ECW went the way of WWE and everything. So yeah, building the scene in Philly, and on a slightly more personal level, I’d love to work towards becoming a roster member on Ring of Honor or AEW. More on the independent scene, that IWTV title. I’ve never stopped thinking about it. I think those are my main goals right now. I’m not getting any younger. I’ve thought about this a lot. I want to leave independent wrestling better than I found it. I think that’s a noble quest, if you will. It makes me feel good about continuing to work with these young guys, and continuing to, whatever it is, sacrifice my time and energy to keep working towards this, as much as I love it. I have two sons and a wife; it’s my anniversary today. But, to that end, I don’t think it’s out of the question that Matt Mako could be a Pure Champion one day. Things like that are still top of the line for me. For me, it’s always been about balance. I will admit, I don’t get to work as much as some of the younger guys. But I try to get myself out there as much as I can, and put myself at places that are top-tier like Beyond. I’m trying to elevate the companies that I already work for so that they can help me, as well, like JCW, ETU, Labor of Love, and PRODUCE. I’m pretty happy with my workload and everything I’m doing. I’m definitely down to travel more, but again, I have to balance family life as well, while continuing to pursue those other goals I talked about.”

Any future opponents you’d like to face off with?

“I mean, as far as some of the new faces, the guys that are the new workhorses, if you will. The JuleZees, the Flying Ryans, these people are all sort of connected to my area and the academies that I train at, like Catch Point and the Worldwide Dojo. These are places I’ve trained, and I’ve known these guys for a long time. They’re out there killing it. Sal Mistretta. Sturdy Sal. Juni Underwood. These are some of the younger guys who are really kicking ass right now. It’s great to see. In terms of people coming up, those are the ones I want the most. In terms of, I can just name you a whole bunch of people at Ring of Honor and AEW I want to wrestle. Half I probably already have. I can’t think of anyone, necessarily, that I’d like to wrestle right now, in terms of recently released, at least. I’d love a rematch with Moriarty; I’d love to get my hands on Yuta again. Yada yada yada, doesn’t every indie wrestler? But yeah, that’s just me.”