Meet professional wrestling star Ben Bishop
Ben Bishop talks to Pak Gazette Digital about how he got started in professional wrestling, excelling, and his upcoming Awesome Championship Wrestling match.
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“Big Trouble” Ben Bishop is usually the tallest man in the room. He stands at a disturbingly tall “6-foot-12” and has an incredible punch in the ring that has made him one of the best independent wrestlers on the scene today.
Bishop is a former college basketball player at the University of Vermont who decided to try professional wrestling once he finished his college career. He explained to Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview that he wasn’t “in love” with basketball despite loving the team aspect of the sport and Vermont. He stayed active playing Australian rules football.
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It wasn’t until he attended an independent show that professional wrestling piqued his interest.
“I went to an independent wrestling show just as a fan, not even thinking about getting into wrestling, and some wrestlers approached me and the next day I started training,” he said. “And that was it, and now, seven years later, here I am. The transition wasn’t very difficult as far as the physical aspect goes. With basketball, I was always working on my footwork, moving my body in space.
Ben Bishop excites Richard Holliday in Awesome Championship Wrestling. (Jay Vogel)
“I think that’s the biggest obstacle for a lot of people who get into wrestling if they don’t have an athletic background: just learning how to move your body in space. And then, of course, there’s a lot more that goes into it as far as the psychology of professional wrestling, what happens in the ring, when to do certain things, all of that. But I learned the physicality and athleticism of wrestling pretty quickly. So basketball was definitely a big help.”
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Bishop said his trick is inspired by Kurt Russell’s character in the movie “Big Trouble in Little China.”
“Sometimes I think it’s harder to explain who I am. Sometimes I wonder who I am every day,” he told Pak Gazette Digital. “Ben Bishop is just me. I’m just me when I’m 11. When I first got into wrestling, I decided who I wanted to be in wrestling. There are a million big guys and I’m a legit ‘6-foot-12.’ That’s part of my gimmick: ‘6-foot-12, 15% of a metric ton.’ bad. That’s not me. I’m pretty fun-loving. I don’t take myself too seriously. I thought about it and I was really inspired a lot by the movie ‘Big Trouble in Little China.’
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Ben Bishop offers support to Richard Holliday in Awesome Championship Wrestling. (Jay Vogel)
“I think Kurt Russell’s character, Jack Burton, in that movie encapsulates ‘Big Trouble’ Ben Bishop. What am I doing here? Not taking myself too seriously, an anti-hero type character. I love having a good time, promoting myself on social media (comedy skits), but you know, when it comes to in-ring business, I do things and everyone’s in big trouble, as cheesy as that sounds. But that’s who I am. I always say what you see is what you get. with Ben Bishop. I don’t hide nothing. I have no ulterior motives, or anything like that. I love wrestling, I love having a good time and I love combining the two.
Bishop has been on the independent circuit for a few years, but has apparently been having fun in Awesome Championship Wrestling (ACW) as he offered support to “The Most Marketable Man” Richard Holliday.
He said he joined ACW after connecting with the duo known as The Now, Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins. He is scheduled to have a match at ACW Reckoning at the MJN Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, next week. He will also return to Holliday’s corner for his match against Andrade.
“Richard Holliday and I have decided that we will unite in Awesome Championship Wrestling because we believe in our hearts, other people believe it too, including WWE Superstar Matt Cardona, we are two of the best on the independent circuit right now, bar none,” he said. “We’re the two guys who look at us the most. That’s the nature of professional wrestling: looking at you, looking at the product and the people in the seats. And we’re two of the best at it on the independent circuit.
Ben Bishop gives the business to Killer Kross in Awesome Championship Wrestling. (Jay Vogel)
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“Unfortunately, at the last show, things didn’t go our way in March. Killer Kross found a way to take the ACW title. All’s fair in love and war in pro wrestling. It is what it is. We’re moving forward. In about two weeks, Holliday has a big match against Andrade and I have a big match against Foxx Vinyer. We’re both looking to get back on the right track. Foxx is an incredible competitor. I mean he’s been around for a long time. He’s a staple on the wrestling scene. Northeastern wrestling, but I’m a staple all over the damn country. I know Foxx is going to bring it, but I’m going to do it a lot harder.”
