The Revamp of The Hero Champ

By: Courtney Wood

 

This Saturday PWX celebrates a momentous milestone as it celebrates its 28th anniversary. It is going to be a night that honors the rich legacy of PWX, culminating with the legendary T-Rantula being inducted into the Circle of Respect. Moreso, the stars of today will continue moving PWX forward by giving fans an evening of riveting wrestling action, concluding the crowning of a new PWX World Heavyweight Champion. After a grueling victory against two top stars, the “Hero Champ” Manic has earned the right to compete for the PWX Heavyweight Championship in the anniversary show’s main event. Interestingly, Manic’s victory was not the only story involving the “Hero Champ”, as he gave fans an impassioned speech that left listeners many intrigued and some suspicious of his true intentions. Before this very important contest, I sat down with Manic to get his thoughts on his championship match and his potential opponent. I also tried to get him to open up about his recent change of attitude and what this could mean for him in the future.

 

Here are Manic’s thoughts:

 

 

 

 

Given your lengthy history of less than honorable actions, it is not difficult to understand why some PWX fans are still skeptical of your change of heart. What would you like to say to those fans?

Every time I lace my boots, up go through the curtain, walk down the ramp and get in the ring, I have the same goals in mind... beat my opponent til he can't get back up, make everybody yell and scream as loud as possible when I win the match and have everybody chant my name. My heart hasn't changed, but I've been humbled by how much this PWX locker room actually gives a shit and wants to be there in front of all of the fans of Pittsburgh indy wrestling. It's not just a hobby or another booking to them, they actually care…they have the same goal that I have and that's to make every fan get on their feet and yell/ boo or cheer and just have fun. Now I don't have to worry about calling out guys for not deserving their spots, so I don't have to be bitter/ angry or nasty that the fans are chanting for a guy who's really an unprofessional disrespectful “twat waffle”. All the PWX shows going forward are all about wrestling and entertainment… like it should be, so my bitterness is gone. I'm very excited for the future and happy to be a part of it, but like I said if other entities/ groups/ factions or teams try to walk in that door and take over the locker room and take advantage of the boys like they have in the past, they're going to have to get past me first and  I'll show them why they call me “Hero Champ” Manic.

 

During your interview on the PWX podcast you told a tremendous story that led you to take up the name “Hero Champ”, for those who are unaware of this, can you please retell that very incredible story here?

One night after a show me and a group of guys stopped off at Denny's to grab some grub before hitting the road. I won my match that night and a bunch of fans were there so I was signing autographs and taking pictures. Then in the waiting area, there was a drunk guy harassing one of my fans and talking about how he has a knife. I sat down next to the dude while the cops got called…I sat there with him until they arrived. He started struggling with the cops, so I went outside and I assisted the officer in taking him down by smashing an elbow in his back and wrenching his arms till he got handcuffed. It went viral with Fox News/Sports Illustrated/ podcasts/ TV shows/ talk shows and radio shows all covering the story. I made appearances everywhere telling the story and that's when all the fans started chanting " Hero Champ ". The name stuck with me ever since.

 

How did it feel to reunite with your former tag partner and best friend, the new PWX 3 Rivers Champion Lestat?

I've known him since kindergarten detention. He's a good dude at heart, but when we're together he also likes to have some “dishonorable” fun from time to time.  He's too good of a person for that life, so I have to cut ties with him every couple years to allow him to be the good dude he is at heart and recharge his positive energy. Even still, I know he's just one snap away, and I am just as close for him. If either one of us needs a partner to go to war, we know the other one is there. We've battled each other over the years, sometimes he wins… sometimes I win (mostly I win #Cheer4Manic). When it comes to my number one choice of who I want standing beside me going into battle, that's my boy. Everybody always likes to call him my sidekick, he's anything but. He's a vicious dude in his own regard, just look at his long line of accomplishments in wrestling and in the karate world. He's won different drinking championships at bars then went to shows and won tag titles with me. This 3 Rivers title isn't his first championship or even his first singles belt, it's just the first one in a long time. I was watching the match backstage and I just couldn't help but be excited for him. He's had really good matches over the past couple months, but that damn Tramp kept screwing him and not in a good way (and she tried trust me she tried). Once he was finally out there under fair circumstances he was able to remind everybody how great he is. I was excited for him. It was such a good match, the fan in me came out and I wanted to celebrate with him for a minute. We're both still on our own paths and I don't see us crossing anytime soon, but if either needs it we know that we're just one snap away. I'm happy for him.

 

If you are victorious at PWX’S massive Anniversary show (on December 3rd 2022), how will you represent Pro Wrestling Express as its World Heavyweight Champion? 

PWX has been around for 28 years and there's no other company in the Greater Pittsburgh area that has as much history as PWX. I've done my research, I've watched tapes of classic shows, I've seen the old posters and have gone over the statistics… I know the history and I'm determined to add my name to the long prestigious list of PWX heavyweight champions. Once I get it… and I will, I'm going to be a fighting champion because like I keep saying it's all about making the fans cheer and what better way to do that than give them some cool ass matches???.. If some dude wants to challenge me to a tables match? Let's do it. I'll Power bomb a dude threw a table. A ladder match? I'll hit a frog splash off the top, then climb back up and get my title. No more having Champions running. I'm a professional wrestler going after a WORLD Heavyweight Championship, I know exactly what I'm getting into. I know the extra nights I'm putting in at the gym aren't going to get any easier, training is going to have to increase and I'm not going to get much sleep. I know I'm going to have a target on my back once that World Heavyweight title is mine, but regardless of who wants to challenge me or what stipulation the match has, I'm going to be standing right there in the middle of the ring every single show waiting for my opponent to walk down the ramp. Every night I'm going to leave it all on the ring to make sure I come out on top still your Heavyweight Champ.

 

Is there anyone in particular that you would like to face in 2023? 

Everyone who ever doubted me and still thinks I don't deserve this… lace up your boots and try to take it from me.

 

Finally, out of the four very talented men competing for the chance to be in the main event and fight for the PWX Heavyweight Championship: “The Metal Assassin” Slice, “High Voltage “Arawn Conners, Superior G and Gus the Gardner, who would you like to face?

All four are talented guys, but I'd love to lock up with Arawn Connors in the main event of the biggest show of the year. But I also could see Superior G pulling off the win. He's a very talented dude who took Conners to the limit last show, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't preparing a little bit more for those two as opposed to Slice and Gus… with all due respect to them.

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Who will walk out of Pro Wrestling Express’s 28th anniversary show with the company’s most coveted championship? Who will win the extremely personal grudge match between former tag team partners O’Riley Chambers and Shadow? Will Keystone Chaos retain their Tag Team Championships or will this be the beginning of Genophage’s genesis? Will “Double D” finally shut the mouth of Derek Wayne in their “Crawford Village Street Fight”? There’s only one way to find out, join us at 2125 Beacon Street McKeesport PA as we celebrate 28 years of PWX.