Matt Bentley is currently employed by TNA, and is a member of their X Division. He is a former multi-time X Division Champion, and is cousins with Shawn Michaels. Bentley has thrown down the challenge for the X Division to face him in the return of The Ultimate X Match at the October 23 Bound For Glory Pay-Per-View.
Q: How long have you been involved in the business?
A: I have been involved in the wrestling business since late 1999, so almost 6 years.
Q: Why did you enter the pro-wrestling industry?
A: Wrestling was always something that I loved since the first time that I watched it. I went to college to play baseball, but it was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to pursue a wrestling career. Of course having a relative in the business was also another reason.
Q: Where did you receive your training to become a pro-wrestler?
A: I trained in San Antonio, TX at the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy.
Q: What do you like the most about being in the business?
A: I really like that I get to travel and see different places. If it weren't for wrestling I would have never gone to Japan.
Q: How much attention do you pay to the pro-wrestling media and Internet pro-wrestling fans?
A: I check out the sites every once in a while, but I don't pay too much attention to it.
Q: Which persona appeals to you the most: Face, Heel, or Tweener?
A: Definitely Heel, it really seems easy for me to get people to hate me.
Q: What is your gimmick?
A: Basically a cocky young guy who doesn't care what other people think.
Q: Which do you feel has been your best match so far?
A: One of my best matches would be the street fight that I had with Paul London in Ring Of Honor, and the other would be the very first Ultimate X match.
Q: Which has been your favorite match so far?
A: The same two I just mentioned, the street fight and Ultimate X.
Q: Whom would you like to wrestle, that you have not yet done so?
A: Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho.
Q: You have been a part of promotions that have come and gone, such as WCW, ECW, and FMW. If either company had given you creative control, what would you have done differently?
A: I just wouldn't have spent as much money as they did. In WCW they were handing out guaranteed contracts and guys were just not showing up to work because they were getting paid no matter what.
Q: Do you think that either company would still be here today if you had been at the helm?
A: Probably not, if Paul Heyman can't keep a company alive I don't know who could have. In ECW it was just a matter of money. They didn't have a money backer with enough money to keep the company alive.
Q: How much of a boost do you think TNA will receive from being on SpikeTV?
A: It will get a huge boost. Being on national TV gives you the opportunity to reach a much broader audience.
Q: Do you think that we are far from seeing Monday Night Wars II: TNA iMPACT vs. WWE RAW?
A: That could definitely be a possibility down the road. If Spike gets behind TNA the possibilities are endless.
Q: When you worked for WWE, you were used as an enhancement talent. Do you think that WWE would have benefited financially if they would have pushed you as at least a midcarder, as TNA is doing?
A: Definitely, I think the opportunity to do an angle with Shawn and myself could have definitely drawn some money.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: Relax, and play music.
Q: You have taken your knowledge and experience within the pro-wrestling industry and put it to use as a trainer at the FXE (Federation X Entertainment) training facility in Orlando, Fl. How will the FXE training facility differ from other academies and schools?
A: At FXE we really put everything into training our students the way they need to get trained. We don't just take their money and wish them good luck. They get the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the business. The Dudley's usually come down about once a week and train and offer advice to the guys that you can't get anywhere else. If anyone is interested in joining the FXE training program please contact FXE at aj@fxewrestling.com
Q: What is your long-term goal in the business?
A: To make a lot of money.
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Matt Bentley. In 2003, I began running my own website, World Wrestling Optimum, which consisted of news, articles, and interviews, including this one.
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