Locked Down With Alexander Hammerstone
HammerMania is running wild, brother!
Alexander Hammerstone has been very busy during the coronavirus pandemic.
He resigned with MLW, securing his future at the home of the renegades for the next few years. He celebrated one full year as MLW National Openweight Champion, breaking the record for longest-reigning titleholder in company history. He was also named as one of the few current wrestlers who Jim Cornette would like to manage.
On top of all that, Hammerstone has more eyes on him than ever before as a result of MLW inking a deal with DAZN, a live and on-demand sports-centric streaming service. In addition to boxing, Bellator MMA, MLB highlight shows and other sports coverage, subscribers will now get a weekly dose of arguably the third top pro wrestling promotion in the United States. As of right now, MLW continues to air on beIN Sports and YouTube, providing unlimited accessibility on a global scale.
In this exclusive interview with The Wrestling Estate, Hammerstone brings fans up to speed with everything that’s been going on since lockdown. (The following has been edited for your reading pleasure. To listen to the full interview, check out Corrigan’s Corner on Team LeftJab on June 29.)
What have you been up to since the world went on pause?
Alexander Hammerstone: “I’ve been doing my best to stay in shape. Gyms in Arizona opened back up two weeks ago so I’ve been able to really train again. I’m also teaching class a couple times a week at the Arizona Pro Wrestling Training Center. Dom Vitalli and Gabriel Gallo have been instrumental in the formative years of my career, so I’ll give them all the credit in the world. They’re running definitely the best training school in Arizona and probably one of the best in the entire Southwest. Besides that, the only thing out of the ordinary is that I’ve been honing my skills on the guitar.”
I don’t know why it’s so much harder for me to write a guitar solo in a major scale but it is. pic.twitter.com/s3iB9bPVag
— Hammerstone (id like to wrestle now please) (@alexhammerstone) June 14, 2020
How did it feel to get back in the ring after months away?
Alexander Hammerstone: “The first night in I was so nervous, like I can’t even remember the last time I was nervous about getting back in the ring and running the ropes. The first bump I took hurt so bad, it jacked up my back. But I got back the feel for things almost instantly. Not to sound cocky, but it’s a nice feeling to remember how good I am at this stuff.”
Aside from MLW, have you been watching any wrestling during all this?
Alexander Hammerstone: “Honestly, not very much. If I hear about a certain match, I’ll watch it. I also had to see what it’s like to watch wrestling without an audience because that’s a trip. In the beginning of the quarantine, in order to keep myself from going crazy, I had to prepare my brain for what we were going through. Like, okay, this is going to be a good thing because it will give my body time to heal and my mind time to rest. So, for the first couple weeks I had to reboot myself from the strenuous athlete mindset.
It worked, too. When I first got back in the gym, I was able to do exercises I haven’t been able to do in years because my joints were too banged up. Of course, with how stupid I am, I’ve already pushed the gas pedal back down to maximum and am already undoing some of the healing. Such is life, such is the nature of pushing for excellence, I suppose.”
You mentioned the shows without crowds and I just can’t get into them. As someone who feeds off an audience, are you able to enjoy these empty arena shows?
Alexander Hammerstone: “They’re definitely not my cup of tea. I’m the type of wrestler who bases what I do off the audience, interacting with them at a high level. Not having an audience takes out that major essence of what pro wrestling is. I mean, I’ve had to wrestle in front of crowds of 10 people and have done matches as part of wrestling school, so if I was in a situation where we had to do it, I’d feel comfortable, but the idea of doing that is not my favorite thing in the world. The fans have the potential to be just as part of the match as the wrestlers.”
My go-to example is The Rock and Hogan at WrestleMania X-8. The crowd is what made that match memorable.
Alexander Hammerstone: “If you watch that match with the volume turned down, it’s kind of a crappy match because pro wrestling isn’t supposed to be who can do the coolest moves or execute a kick the cleanest. Those aspects become important and everybody likes what they like, but that’s not my cup of tea.”
How do you feel MLW has handled content during the pandemic? Do you prefer the vignettes and archived content?
Alexander Hammerstone: “Despite everything I just said, I want to wrestle. If MLW said tomorrow we’re doing a taping, I’d be 100% game for it. I understand his (MLW CEO Court Bauer’s) stance and think it’s very respectable for him to come out and say we’re not going to anything that can potentially put anyone in danger. Obviously, we’re seeing some backlash with some of the major companies having issues with people testing positive for the virus. We were very lucky because our last taping happened the Thursday or Friday before lockdown started. We had a couple weeks of fresh television still in the tank before we switched over to the Pulp Fusion and MLW Anthology. It’s cool because it gives people something new to watch.”
Let’s talk about MLW signing with DAZN. What does that mean for you and your fellow wrestlers?
Alexander Hammerstone: “It’s an exciting moment. It’s one more facet, one more avenue to get more eyes on the product. The only problem with MLW is people haven’t watched it yet. Usually when people watch it, they become fans of it. DAZN can bring more eyes to the product and keep growing the brand.”
I’d argue that as the problem because MLW’s main appeal is its accessibility and how everyone can watch on YouTube. From your understanding, will being on DAZN change that?
Alexander Hammerstone: “I’m honestly not sure. To your point about being on YouTube, people still will go ‘I don’t know where to watch it.’ It’s amazing to me because people say they don’t watch because they don’t have beIN. I tell them it’s on YouTube and then they say they just want to watch it on their TV. It’s like, okay (laughs).”
Did the DAZN deal play a factor in you resigning with MLW?
Alexander Hammerstone: “I didn’t even know about it until after the fact, so it was a nice little bonus. There were several factors in why I resigned, which I explained in my public statement. I have a lot of freedom with the company and a lot of opportunity to have big-time matches. I also didn’t want to give up the freedom to work overseas in Japan. I want to do my best and put my best foot forward and MLW is the best place for me to do that. It was refreshing and comforting to know that despite everything going on, they know they want me there at the tail end of this and as a priority over other guys who might end up as free agents in the short-term future.”
Have you been keeping up with Richard Holliday and Gino Medina?
Alexander Hammerstone: “Richard and I keep in touch almost daily. We also have weekly Zoom calls and are pretty close. Gino has kind of drifted off doing his own thing. It’s not very Dynastic of him. Maybe he’s getting too busy with his mamacitas.”
You may have already responded to Jim Cornette’s comments about you, and if so, I apologize. But how do you feel knowing he holds you in such high regard?
Alexander Hammerstone: “It’s super flattering. Despite however anybody feels about Jim Cornette, you can’t argue that he’s a great wrestling mind. As somebody who got to work with him first hand, he’s a genius. You give him an inch and he’ll stretch it for miles with ideas. As soon as he heard the name of my finish – the Nightmare Pendulum – he spat out the catchphrase “When the pendulum swings, the nightmare begins.” I was blown away. That sounds like a stupid little example, but he’s super smart when it comes to wrestling. I grew up super influenced by him. He’s a very polarizing character, but I’m still flattered by what he said.
There’s a lot of guys at MLW who benefited from working with him to some degree. I had the privilege of doing a little bit more than some of the guys, getting to work hands on with him and bounce ideas off him. I’m very confident in what I’m doing and my vision and what I’m trying to create. At the same time, I try to gauge who to listen to, who to learn from and when to soak up information. He respected the fact that when he told me an idea, I was able to take it, make it my own and present it on television as opposed to ignoring what he said and doing whatever I wanted, which is what a lot of guys do.”
When the pandemic ends and things go somewhat back to normal, what’s the first thing you want to do?
Alexander Hammerstone: “I have unfinished business with Mance Warner. He got one of my best friends, MJF, out of the company. You know, this quarantine has really put things into perspective. I’ve decided no more modest goals. I’m not going to be shy about my ambitions. I’m gunning for everything I want. I’m putting it out into the universe – I want the world title. I don’t care who I have to go through to get it. I want to be top dog. I want HammerMania to run wild for years to come, baby.”
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