Zay Washington Is The Chosen One
Did you see The Chosen One at The Collective?
The Wrestling Estate has given me the opportunity to connect with many wrestling professionals.
That is why sporadically throughout 2021, I will be bringing several exclusive interviews to readers with wrestling personalities all over the world.
My latest interview is with one of the up-and-coming independent wrestling stars in the United States: “The Chosen One” Zay Washington. Over the course of this interview we discuss Zay’s influences, wrestling on Southern indies, as well as his career-making performance at this year’s GCW Collective Weekend!
How are you doing and how are you coping with COVID?
Zay Washington: “I’ve been doing good and of course the whole COVID-19 thing sucks. It literally put a pause on everything for a little bit, but the best thing I’ve been doing is taking it one day at a time.”
What were your earliest memories of wrestling and made you want to become a wrestler?
Zay Washington: “From what I remember, the earliest moment I can think of is around 2006. I was told by my parents that I watched it way before that, but that’s the year that really sticks out to me for some reason. What made me want to become a wrestler is that it was something different. Where I’m from its either basketball or football and I looked at it as a way out. You know, as a kid you watch wrestling just to watch it, but that wasn’t me. I was for real a student of the art. Literally, from the time I was 10 I didn’t have a bedroom. My bedroom was a wrestling room and it’s funny because I would go in there every day and wrestle with teddy bears and friends. That’s how invested I was in the sport and that’s also how I knew that I wanted to be a wrestler.”
I saw you first entered a wrestling ring at 13 years old! Were you scared getting into wrestling that young or did it instantly feel like home?
Zay Washington: “Well, when I started training, I was 11 years old and had my first match at 13. I wasn’t so much scared because I felt like I had put in the work and I belonged in the ring. But it was a lot of me being nervous. I would wonder about stuff like what if I get hurt? Or what if I can’t go to school in the next two days? Stuff like that kind of made me nervous. But, as far as being scared, I wasn’t so much scared. The town I started in was also the town I grew up in. So yeah, it did feel like home, but the nervousness just came from me overthinking if I would hurt myself or hurt somebody else.”
In terms of your training, where did you train and who were your main influences when learning your craft?
Zay Washington: “I was trained in a small town in Trenton, TN, under the company Tennessee Independent Wrestling Federation (TIWF). As far as having a main influence, I would have to say the guys that trained me were a big influence on the style I work.”
What was the inspiration behind your persona “The Chosen One?”
Zay Washington: “What inspired me to use that name was my Granny. She would always tell me that I was chosen and I understood what she was saying, but it never clicked in my head. Then after she passed away it started hitting me because I was struggling trying to find myself in the wrestling business. I felt like I was just another guy in tights, and something as simple as just being “The Chosen One” I felt like pushed me as a person and my character to a whole different level. When I say I’m “The Chosen One,” that’s not me saying or thinking I’m better than anybody. I just feel like, as a young black male, where I come from, wrestling was meant for me and it’s my way out the trap, so they say.”
Speaking of which, you have wrestled in several independent promotions over the last few years including TIWF and IYW in Tennessee, AHCW and CCW in Missouri, as well as many others. What is it like wrestling in front of different audiences in different states?
Zay Washington: “I feel like I learned at the right time. That Tennessee a.k.a. Memphis style of wrestling doesn’t work everywhere. And that’s not me disrespecting any Tennessee or Memphis wrestler at all because they paved the way. But I have tried it before – it just didn’t work for me. So, when I started hitting the road, I had a different style than what most people my size did at that time. I was a lot heavier than I am now. So, me doing all the flips and everything caught everybody by surprise and I think that’s what really opened a lot of doors up for me. Because I was like 5’9, 250 pounds, but moved like a cruiserweight. To answer your question about wrestling in front of different audiences, it’s one of those things right now that if they don’t know me, it’ll be the small pop and stare. But usually after the match, there’s a lot of people that remember my name.”
From there, you eventually began wrestling for Paradigm Pro Wrestling based in Indiana. What led to you being approached by PPW?
Zay Washington: “Well, I approached them first. I was told about the company by a good friend of mine Blake Christian. So, I had got in touch with them and we had decided on a date for me to come in. When I went there, I had a chip on my shoulder because I felt like I needed to prove myself to the fans and workers. I have also got so much love for PPW. They were the first bigger indie company to give me an opportunity. So, for that, I’m very thankful.”
Throughout 2019 and into 2020 you took part in several scramble and multi-man matches for PPW with many other hungry young wrestlers. Is it exciting mixing it up with new talents each time?
Zay Washington: “Most definitely! I like a challenge and the mindset I have is everyone is there for a reason so that should make everybody step their game up. So, I always find it fun to mix it up with different talent.”
In January 2020 at So Far Gone, you had your first singles match in PPW against another upcoming star Tre Lamar. How did it feel getting the opportunity to wrestle someone like Tre and what were your thoughts on the match?
Zay Washington: “I was very excited to step in the ring with Tre Lamar. I didn’t know him personally, but I heard a lot of good things about him. It was just one of those things when we got in the ring, it clicked. For us not knowing each other and it being our first time in the ring with one another, I just knew the audience was in for a treat.”
Following on from this, you took part in a crazy multi-man ladder match at Pawcade for the MidwestTerritory.com Championship! What were your expectations for that match?
Zay Washington: “My expectations were to get the win. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. But I also felt like by doing that match, I made a bigger name for myself. I earned the respect of everyone who was is in the match and a couple of guys in the back.”
This nicely leads into the events where many more people saw your work for the first time: GCW’s The Collective 2020. What was running through your mind when you got the call that you were appearing at The Collective?
Zay Washington: “Man, I was extremely humble to get the call. There was a lot going through my mind the previous month and a half. I knew if I really wanted to get my name out there, this was the perfect place and also the perfect time in my career to do it. So far that weekend has been the best wrestling weekend of my career.”
The first show you wrestled at was the ground-breaking For the Culture event, which celebrated the black community. Were you proud to be part of that show?
Zay Washington: “Of course! With everything going on in the world, we fight for change and it was something new. An all African American show, I have never heard of anything like that. When I got the text, it was a no brainer! Really, I was a last-minute call. I got the text like two nights before the show and when I got the layout of what was going on, I was all game.”
Two nights later, you wrestled for PPW in the Calvin Tankman 9-Person Invitational Scramble. This match was nuts! Did you feel sore after all the crazy action, including your dive from the balcony?
Zay Washington: “Yes! I was really sore! I felt it in my knees and my back. The funny thing about the balcony dive was I was planning on doing something different when I got up there, but I realized how far of a jump it was. You can’t tell in the video, but my legs were shaking and everything. All in all, I really enjoyed it. The seven-hour drive on the way back kinda sucked, but other than that I had a blast!”
You are still at the beginning of your career, but you have already achieved so much! What has been the highlight of your career to date?
Zay Washington: “For starters, I would have to say this year’s Collective. The things I have done in Texas for Hybrid School of Wrestling. The little things I’ve done with Soar Championship Wrestling. I felt like those were some good opportunities and highlights for me. Lastly, I would have to say the name I have made for myself around Tennessee and other Southern areas.”
What does the future hold for Zay Washington?
Zay Washington: “What I see in the future is for me to constantly get better! Doing different shows and making Zay Washington a household name. Not just in the U.S., but around the world! Hopefully it takes me to one of the biggest wrestling companies: WWE, AEW, NJPW, etc.”
Finally, where can people reach out to you on social media and see more of your work?
Zay Washington: “Email me @zaywashington3447@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter, on Instagram and on Facebook.”
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