What Should I Be | Transcript

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW

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Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:00:06): Welcome everyone. My name is Gary Gordon, and I am the Founder of What Should I Be, and we're here today with James Coller, who is doing something quite unique. He is a Professional Wrestler, or on his way to becoming a big name professional wrestler, eventually someday.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:00:25): Indie guys, they would say.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:00:26): What is it called?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:00:27): Indie.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:00:28): Indie?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:00:29): As in independent wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:00:30): Oh, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:00:31): That's what most people start out on.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:00:33): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:00:33): Unless they're incredible when they first start. Then they go straight to the big time.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:00:38): Okay. So, we're going to be talking to James about what he does as a professional wrestler in the early part of his career actually, because he's only -- how old are you now?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:00:51): I'm twenty-two.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:00:52): Twenty-two. So, he's on his way. When did you start, by the way?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:00:57): I started when I was twenty. February of 2011.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:01:04): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:01:04): Yeah. '11.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:01:05): So you started when you were twenty, and so you've been into it for two years. So this will be a great insight for people who are, you know, watching the matches on TV, thinking it looks really cool, saying to themselves: "I might want to look into doing that. How does somebody get into that?" And those are all the things we're going to be talking about today with James. So, first of all, I'd like to just start out and let James introduce himself as far as, you know, who he is, what he's been doing, how he, you know, got here today, and he can talk about how we know each other if he feels like it, but it's a little bit of an odd situation. But James, go ahead, take the mic for just a few seconds, and then I'll take you through the rest of the questions.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:01:49): Well, as you said, my name is James Coller. My moniker is Hot Shot. I act like a cocky guy, which I can be sometimes. Me and Gary actually met through my real job, which I'm not going to disclose to you, but we met through there. He comes in regularly, so yeah, we started talking about it and this is how this came to be. I got into wrestling actually when I was eight years old. I thought it was the wrestling I'm doing now - the professional wrestling -, which it wasn't, and I liked it anyway, so kept doing it until I was about nineteen. Took some time off. I was like: "You know what?" I'm going to the pro. I always wanted to. I'm going to do it." Started doing it, it fit in my schedule better, and here I am today.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:02:35): Now, when you say you were doing wrestling starting at eight, was that in like middle school type of thing or elementary school.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:02:45): It's what my town calls - I am from Pitman. I will disclose that. I'm from Pitman. They have what they call the Midget Program. They call it the football, wrestling - all the little league programs are called like the Midget Program. I started there when I was eight because my football coach, my first year of football, really pushed it. And I was like: "All right, wrestling. It's what I see on TV. Yes, I've been watching it since I was born. I'm finally going to get to do it," and then I was like: "There's mats. No ropes. No turn bubbles. Where are all the big buff Hulk Hogan-looking guys?"

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:03:21): So you thought, when you saw this wrestling offered, that it was going to be like what we see on TV.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:03:29): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:03:30): And it wasn't.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:03:31): No, it was what you see for college. Like the Olympics.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:03:35): And high school.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:03:35): And what you see there. Yeah.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:03:36): Okay. Right. Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:03:36): It's what you see there. I actually stuck with that for a long time. I still do it. I go back to my high school. I practice with them. I should be going there sometime this upcoming week and helping them out. So, yeah, it's been a blast.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:03:51): Now, what was it about regular wrestling that, let's say, as an alternative, that you said, "You know, that's not what I want." Why was it professional wrestling that really stirred in your heart as far as what you wanted to follow?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:04:08): I've always been someone that likes to entertain people. Even when I'm at work, I'm dancing around, having fun. I just like to have a blast. So, when I thought it was the entertaining, the sports entertainment wrestling, I was like: "Oh, no, this is fun. This is my chance to go out there and entertain." But then when I realized it wasn't, I was like: "All right, this is a team sport, but it's also a single sport." You go out there one-on-one with the guy, but you also have a team behind you.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:04:38): In regular wresting.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:04:39): In regular wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:04:40): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:04:41): Like in high school, you have a team. You have fourteen weight classes, I think it is. Each person in that weight class has a job to do. If you're 103-pounder doesn't pin like he's supposed to and only wins by a point, now it's on the rest of the team to make up the points he would've gotten for pinning the guy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:04:58): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:04:59): So, it was--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:05:00): And it's not really - and correct me if I'm wrong, but it's not an entertainment thing. It's an athletic thing.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:05:07): It's an athletic thing. It is a very athletic thing. If I would say so, the only thing that would rank more brutal than wrestling to me it would be hockey. Hockey is really brutal, but wrestling you take a beating. I mean I broke my nose my first year in. It wasn't really a break. It's broken right across the cartilage, so it comes off the (Unclear 5:26.7). But I mean my nose was bleeding like crazy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:05:30): Now, do you think the training that you got in doing wrestling early on help you in any way, or really not?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:05:40): It actually helped a lot, because, one, a lot of the moves are similar. You do do a lot of amateur wrestling in professional wrestling if you're one of those types of guys, but also, when you're learning how to bump, as they call it, it's good to have a feeling for a mat or whatever. I mean it also gets you in great athletics. I mean I'm a guy and I could do a split. Not most guys can do a split. I mean I used to go out every match before high school, step on the line, do a split, throw off the guy that I'm wresting, because he's like: "What's going on?" I get back up. The ref blows the whistle. I'm taking him down because the guy's thrown off. But yeah, the athleticism really helped out. I mean I went up to college one year. Before I started doing this, I wrestled there. I had a decent year, but yeah, it really helps to have some kind of background in either football, wrestling - some kind of sport, except for soccer. Soccer I can't really see.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:06:43): Not baseball, right? Or would baseball be okay?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:06:48): Baseball would be okay. I mean I don't really see the similarities with wrestling with baseball. I mean there are baseball players that have come and did gimmicks for wrestling companies, but other than that I can't really see.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:07:02): Now, do most of the other wrestlers that you know at the level that you're at right now - do you know did they happen to also come from a wrestling background, or what kind of backgrounds did they come from?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:07:17): A lot of guys do come from an amateur background. If you look at Kurt Angle, who is a big time guy, he's been in WWE, TNA. He was the 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist. He won it with a broken neck. He's one of the guys that really came from that amateur background. There's a guy now that is starting to rise up the roster in WWE named Dolph Ziggler. He has an amateur background too. A lot of guys have an amateur background. Scott Steiner and Rick Steiner. They were legit wrestlers from Michigan, and that was their gimmick when they came in. So, a lot of guys that have that background actually rise to a lot of success.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:07:59): Now, you said WWE.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:08:01): WWE, yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:08:03): That's what it is.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:08:03): It is not. What happened was it was WWWF - Worldwide Wresting Federation - when it first started.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:08:10): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:08:11): Then it went to World Wrestling Federation. They just got rid of the 'wide'. Then World Wildlife Foundation sued them for the same initial use.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:08:20): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:08:21): So then they changed it to World Wresting Entertainment. And as far as I know now it's just WWE. They got rid of the word wrestling and all that because they want to be entertainment.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:08:31): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:08:32): That was the last time I heard. They might have not did that, but they were planning on it.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:08:35): Now, are there any other organizations like that? In other words, like if I was a person your age and I'm looking to get up there, is there only one, you know, organization, or are there multiple ones you can go?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:08:49): There's another one that has TV. WWE has Monday Night RAW, Friday Night SmackDown. Now they have Wednesday Night Main Event and Saturday Morning Slam, which are spaced for kids. But TNA - Total Nonstop Action.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:09:05): What is it?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:09:06): TNA.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:09:07): TNA. Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:09:08): Total Nonstop Action.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:09:09): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:09:10): It's founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father, Jerry Jarrett. They opened that up and it's kind of like how WCW was back in the day with WWE when they compete. But it's not on the level as WWE. I mean they do have their weekly TV show. They do do house shows and they go overseas, but it's not on the level of, I guess you would say, showmanship. WWE has all this pyrotechnics and fancy lights. I mean they have fancy lights and they have some pyrotechnics, but it's not on as big a scale.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:09:48): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:09:48): But they're still one of the bigger companies to work for.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:09:52): So, if I'm going to go see Hulk Hogan--

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:09:54): You go to TNA. He's actually with TNA right now.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:08:58): I thought you were going to say it the other way.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:09:59): No, he's with TNA.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:10:01): And why would he go with TNA? Any thoughts on that?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:10:06): I really don't know.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:10:07): Okay. So it's TNA and WWE.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:10:11): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:10:11): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:10:12): They're the two big companies, and then you got a lot of independent companies that are higher above the rest of them. Like Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). DJ Hyde runs it. He has a big company. He took it over when it was big, and it's still big today. They travel overseas. They do all kinds of things.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:10:34): So, if somebody is fourteen, fifteen, twelve, ten - whatever - and they're thinking about maybe getting into this eventually, you're saying that you think that it would be very useful if they had some sort of either wrestling, football--

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:10:53): Some kind of athletic background.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:10:54): Some sort of athletic background. But would wrestling be the best?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:11:00): Wrestling would definitely be the best because if you can go in there -- what we call a shoot is what amateur wrestling is. That's a shoot. Like if you go in there and grab someone's leg and take them down--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:11:10): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:11:11): --that's a shoot. That means it was planned. You just did it without them knowing. If you can do that, it's a good thing. I mean you don't want to do it all the time when you're in your matches on TV or on a show, or whatever, but if you can do that, because if someone does it to you, you can stop it, or you know, make it look good, or do something.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:11:32): Now, when you do you matches, are they fully scripted, or are they partially scripted? Am I asking for the secrets behind the industry here or something?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:11:45): I mean most people know. It's not scripted fully. Some people like to script it fully. Go from beginning to end. Some people like to do it: "Oh, here's the beginning. Here's the end. That's it." Some people do beginning, middle, end. I mean some people just go end. Like it depends on the person you're working with, as we call it working.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:07): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:08): Because it's a business. You're working.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:10): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:10): I mean you're entertaining. You're working.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:11): You're not there to beat somebody.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:13): You're not to really kick the crap out of them unless they make you mad and you lose your temper, which does happen.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:19): That does happen.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:20): It does happen. Actually, a situation like that happened at the first show I went to when I first started training.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:25): Really?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:26): Yes, I'm not allowed to disclose what happened.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:28): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:29): A situation did happen in the locker room, where somebody did legit get kicked in the face because someone got pissed off at them.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:39): So, it's good if I have wrestling. It's not fully scripted most of the time?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:46): It depends on who you're wrestling with. If you have a new guy that is a high flyer, he may try to script everything.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:53): What does a high flyer mean?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:12:54): A guy that like to jump off the ropes, spring off the ropes - do all that fancy stuff.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:12:58): He's going to probably want it scripted?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:13:00): He'll probably got to script more than usual people do.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:13:04): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:13:05): Which is a good thing because it's kind of better for that so that you know what's coming. Guys like me, I'll go out there and I'll be like: "Okay, this is what I want to do in the beginning. This is what I want to do at the end. And that's it." I mean we'll fill in the middle while we're out there. We'll talk.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:13:19): Really?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:13:19): We talk in the ring.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:13:21): Like go over here. Jump on me, because people can't here you.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:13:23): People can't hear us if you're loud enough when you're bumping or you're holding a move and you're yelling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:13:28): What kinds of things are you saying to the other guy? Like if I was the other guy and you wanted to do something right now with me, like what would you say under your breath or whatever?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:13:39): If I had you in a headlock, what I would do is I would crank the headlock and bring you up towards my face, and kind of turn in and like say in your ear, like: "Throw me off. I'll hit the ropes. You know, take the shoulder block."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:13:51): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:13:52): Something like that.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:13:52): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:13:53): Something like that. Some people will make it like, in the submission move, they'll say it real quick. Like: "Yo, get out. Take over." Stuff like that.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:02): Okay. So, this pro wrestling is truly putting on a show.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:12): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:13): It's not where--

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:17): It's very athletic. There's still the risk of getting hurt.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:19): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:19): You have to be--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:20): I get that.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:20): You have to be athletic for it. I mean it's not like you can walk off the street and be like: "I'm going to go wrestle on a show tonight."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:27): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:27): I'm going to go get some tights. You know, put them on. You know, wear some wrestling shoes and some knee pads, and go tape my wrist up, and I'm going to get in the ring and I'm going to wrestle. You can't do that.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:38): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:38): You have to be trained. You have to be.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:40): Okay. But it's scripted. It's for entertainment. And before each match, you know who the outcome winner is?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:52): Based off what the promoter wants, yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:54): Okay. So, you're really not there to get hurt or be hurt--

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:14:59): No.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:14:59): --really.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:15:00): No.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:15:00): Even though it might happen.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:15:02): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:15:02): It's not meant that way because you're not trying to beat the other guy, so to go crazy, because you know who the winner is. You're there to entertain.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:15:12): What I've always been taught from when I started was we're there to suspend belief.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:15:17): Oh, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:15:18): We were there to suspend a belief of that wrestling is fake, because in our eyes it's not because we're still going out there. We're still getting hit in the face. We're still getting kicked in the gut. We're still getting hit with chairs or, if you do those kinds of matches, you know, you're still get slammed on your back. You know, whether the ring is padded or not padded, or whatever, you're still getting slammed. And we're there to suspend a belief that, you know, we're kicking the crap out of the other guy. If I get slammed on the floor in a gym, obviously it's going to hurt. You know what I mean? I can't fake that. Like there's no faking the emotions that we're feeling in the ring. When our faces show pain, we're actually in pain. We may not be in as much pain as we're making it look, but we're still in somewhat discomfort. I mean you get somebody pulling your legs back in a Boston crab, you're still going to feel it in your lower back, whether, you know, he's cranking on it real hard or he's just easing it in.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:16:15): Now, you're using various terms like Boston crab and these other things that I'm hearing.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:16:19): They're just different moves.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:16:21): Do you have like on your Facebook page any information about like these moves, or do you educate the people on any of this stuff? Or where would somebody get information about those moves?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:16:32): Pretty much just watching wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:16:35): But how would they know that's a Boston crab, aside from maybe the commenter saying?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:16:39): That's how. That's the only way really. For fans, that's the only way to learn. I mean I know most of the terms because I watched wrestling since I was born. I mean I was born in 1990. I've been watching it since, at least, '91. I would say.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:16:53): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:16:55): I mean it's the only way to really learn; is by watching wrestling. Like I still watch wrestling all the time.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:17:00): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:17:00): I'll tune into Monday Night RAW. I'll tune into SmackDown. I'll tune into TNA. I'll watch as much wrestling as I can to do homework, as I call it. I call it my homework.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:17:08): What are you trying to learn?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:17:10): You learn different ways of doing things. Like nobody does everything the same. Like if you watch Shawn Michaels, he'll do a flying forearm and then kip-up. Where you watch somebody like maybe Brian Kendrick, who's another guy that's been in both companies, you know, doing a flying forearm, but he won't kip-up. He just gets up regularly. You know, there are different things that you want to maybe steal from them when you're watching, or borrow, as some people call it, but you--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:17:40): You put it into your act.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:17:42): You put it into your act and make it your own.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:17:44): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:17:44): You never want to have the same thing. Like Shawn Michaels does a super kick, as it's called. He calls it the Sweet Chin Music. When his finisher really came about in WWF, when he was starting to become a big star, he would go in the corner, he would stomp his foot, and keep stomping his foot, and it would repeatedly get faster, and then he'd kick the guy in the chin. Sweet Chin Music.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:18:05): That was his thing.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:18:08): I do the super kick as a finish. That's what it's called. It's called a finish. It's a move that most people shouldn't be kicking out of. If they kicked out of it, you should be really angry, unless you're told to have them kick out.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:18:22): What is kick out mean?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:18:24): When they're pinning you - like one, two, three -, kick out before the three count.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:18:27): Oh, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:18:29): I do it. I go in the corner, but I don't stomp my leg. I act like I have a match, and I strike it on my leg like it's lit. And I aim it up the guy's face and I'll blow it out, and then do the super kick. So, different people have different ways of doing it. I mean Randy Orton stunned Kurt Angle's finish. Since Kurt Angle is not in WWE, he's in TNA, Randy Orton stunned his finish plenty of time.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:18:56): So, if I'm a young person or whatever and I'm looking to maybe get into this - maybe I'm thirty -, what's the oldest somebody could get into this? If they were getting new, like they never did it before.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:19:11): If you're athletic, I mean--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:19:13): Yeah.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:19:15): Right now WWE is on this thing. They're not hiring anybody older than thirty. But I mean they go against it, but that is like their cut off kind of. But I mean the best bet is start when you're younger.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:19:26): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:19:26): I mean the older you are the harder it's going to be for you to heal up. Like me, if I go through a table, I may be sore for the next day, maybe two days.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:19:35): A table.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:19:35): A table. Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:19:36): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:19:37): One of those folding tables.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:19:38): Yes.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:19:39): But if someone that, say, is thirty years old goes through a table, he may feel it for the next week. I mean your body starts deteriorating when you get older, and this does take a toll on our bodies. Every time we bump in that ring, it's a shock to our body.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:19:53): Now, if I was going to be doing this as a career, how many years might I be able to do it for?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:19:58): Hogan's still doing it.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:20:00): What is he, in his fifties? Or sixties?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:20:02): I think he's in his sixties. I actually went to a TNA pay per view.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:20:06): I can't imagine looking like him at that age. It's insane.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:20:09): At October of 2011, I believe it was. Yeah, 2011. We went to TNA Bound for Glory, in Philly, and it was Hogan versus Sting. And they actually wrestled. And Hogan has a bad back. Bad hip. Bad knee. And he bumped. He bumped. No one thought he would bump in his whole match. They thought it was just going to be Sting taking it everything, and he bumped, and everybody was shocked, because that really does take a toll on your body.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:20:40): Can you describe a bump, or the bump that he took?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:20:43): What a bump is is when you fall. Like if someone gives me a shoulder block and I fall - I go down to the mat -, it's a bump.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:20:50): That's a bump.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:20:51): If someone goes and body slam’s me, I'm taking a bump. If I'm taking a hip toss, I'm taking a bump.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:20:55): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:20:56): It's pretty much any time you go down to the mat. You bump.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:20:58): So, Hulk Hogan got bumped.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:21:00): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:21:01): And that hurt.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:21:02): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:21:03): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:21:03): I mean it doesn't hurt bad, but I mean it still takes a toll on your body because it's sending jolts through your body. When I took my first bump, my first day of training ever, my whole body went numb the first one. It went completely numb. I was like: "What? Am I okay? What's going on?" I was like: "All right, I'm going to take another one," because I was told to take another one from my trainer, and I took another one. The feeling came back. I was like: "Oh, okay." Must have just been the shock from the first time of having the fall and, you know, do all that.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:21:33): So, now, when you were younger and you're doing this wrestling, you kind of knew that you wanted to eventually maybe get into the professional wrestling and that you were kind of like doing something that, you know, when you were younger because that's all they had. Correct?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:21:46): I mean me and my friends used the backyard and wrestled with each other.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:21:49): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:21:49): And do stuff that we saw on TV. I mean it wasn't anything big.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:21:53): And at what age? What age were you doing that?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:21:55): Probably since I was eight.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:21:56): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:0021:57): I mean we were just fooling around. We weren't doing anything real. I mean I was usually doing the stuff I was learning at, you know, practice for wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:22:04): And at what age did you, since you started doing it at twenty, like how long before you actually started doing it did you say, "I'm ready to start; I want to go that route"? I'm ready to do it.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:22:17): What do you mean?

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:22:17): In other words, I want to get into doing profession wrestling. Not wrestling in high school and college type of stuff.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:22:23): What had happened was is I went away to a school called (Unclear 22:25.8) and Mechanical Trades. I went up there for one year. Freshmen can't leave campus or any of that, so you know, you're there for wrestling. Like you didn't have to work. Most people weren't working while you're there.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:22:40): So this was a wrestling school?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:22:42): This was a wrestling. This was a regular college. This was a trade school.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:22:46): A trade school.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:22:46): That had a wrestling program, like a high school wrestling program.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:22:49): Oh, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:22:50): Like a college program.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:22:51): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:22:51): So I was wrestling there, and it's a really good school. Any underprivileged kids should go there. I mean it's a great school. I'll probably get into that side of my stuff later, but it's a great school. I mean I liked it, but the fact was I wasn't too happy there, which is why I left.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:23:08): But it was regular wrestling.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:23:09): It was regular wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:23:10): Like high school or college.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:23:11): Like high school - college wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:23:12): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:23:12): So I went there, and I was wrestling for them. I took fourth in the state at 197. Weighed in at 184. That was before I left. I had left before my first year was up because I wasn't happy. I was getting into a lot of fights and a lot of arguments. I was just like: "It's not worth the misery." So I came back and I went to Gloucester County. Like I said, I live in Pitman, so nobody. You could come find me if you want. So I went to Gloucester County and I was going to wrestle for them there, but I had happened to get my job. With the job, there was no way they were going to work around practice, work around meets, and all that stuff. So I was like: "All right, I got to find something else. I'm not going to stop wrestling. I'm always going to wrestle."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:23:56): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:23:56): This is my thing. This is what I'm good at. It's the best thing I've ever done. I'm going to wrestle in some way. I was like: "Hmm, maybe I could find a school. Maybe I can finally find a school." I'm like: "Okay, I'm going to do professional wrestling now. I'm going to do this. I've always been talking about it. I'm going to do it."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:24:14): Now, what did that mean? I'm going to do it. Like what did you need to do? Or how did you go after it or whatever?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:24:20): I actually just went on Facebook and started adding people that I knew were involved with professional wrestling. I first talk to the owner of CZW. I was going to go there.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:24:29): Hold on. Say this again. You spoke to the owner--

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:24:32): Of CZW.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:24:32): CZW.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:24:35): Combat Zone Wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:24:35): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:24:35): I mentioned them earlier.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:24:39): All these initials are difficult.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:24:40): I'm sorry.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:24:41): It's okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:24:43): Then I was talking to one of the announcers that were affiliated with them that was also affiliated with another company that had a school, which was NWA Force Once. So, I was like: "All right, I'll give them a shot," because it wasn't over the bridge, and the car I had at the time my dad didn't want me driving over the bridge and all that stuff, because CZW's school is in Philly. I was like: "Oh, I'll give them a-- I'll go down there." So I went down there. That's where I started training. I trained there for a year. A little over.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:09): Now, you call it a school.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:11): It's a school. They teach you how to do this. They teach you how to do a hip toss, how to take a hip toss, how bump.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:16): Professional wrestling.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:16): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:17): Is it like a curriculum? Is it just as a training facility?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:22): It's kind of what your trainers want to teach you.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:27): Now, how do they charge for something like that for you to go to it?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:30): This school I went to first charge a hundred dollars a month.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:34): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:36): Some schools charge more. I know CZW charges more, but his is you pay as you go. You know, you pay up until you pay off the amount that he has set.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:47): And what does that usually look like?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:49): CZW I believe is twenty-five hundred.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:51): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:53): Like if you give him fifty bucks one month, okay, now you're down to $2,450.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:25:57): I got you.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:25:58): So, like you pay until you pay off. Like some of his students are just paying off. They've been going there for three years.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:26:05): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:26:05): When really it's only a two-year thing. So, different schools, different things.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:26:11): How many days a week do you go, or can you go?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:26:14): Force One, when I was going there, was two days a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, like if I had off on a Tuesday, I was definitely down there. If I had an early shift on Thursday, I was definitely down there. Or if I had both days off, I was definitely down there.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:26:28): Could you just go whenever you were available, or did you have to make an appointment?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:26:32): That's the set training schedule. We had two different trainers at the time. The beginning two trainers were RV1. He was the trainer on Tuesdays. Then Sami Callihan originally was the trainer on Thursdays. Or the owner would train, and then the other veterans, as we call them - the guys that have been around for a good bit of time -, would come down and train on Thursdays if Sami couldn't make it, because Sami was a bigger guy at the time. He still is. I mean he's been looked at by WWE and all that. So, you go down those two days and that's when you're supposed to be training. If you couldn't make it, you know, you text the owner. Be like: "Hey, I can't make it this night or I can't make it that night."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:27:20): And how many hours is a training session?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:27:23): Till we're done.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:27:24): Like roughly.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:27:27): I mean--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:27:27): Two hours. An hour. Four hours.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:27:28): Two/three hours I would say.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:27:30): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:27:32): If there are not a lot of people there it's usually shorter. We used to go out and eat, so it would take a little longer. Like afterwards we'd go out to the Applebee's or something to eat.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:27:41): Is it a private training or group training?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:27:43): We actually trained in like a sport and complex type deal thing. It's called Spontaneous Sports. People would be playing like soccer, basketball, and we have the ring in the corner and we'd be working out in the ring. Yeah, it wasn't anything like we had our own building and like no one could see us. Like everybody could see us.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:02): So if somebody wanted to do this, they find a school.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:07): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:07): And they might look it up on the Internet under what?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:11): Pro wrestling school or pro wrestling academy. Something like that.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:14): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:15): In our area, there is a couple. There's the Monster Factory, which is run by Larry Sharpe. There's New Moon Rising, which I don't know who runs. Monster Factory is in Paulsboro.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:28): Oh, so they're local here.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:29): New Moon is in Deptford. OTW - Old Time Wrestling - is in Williamstown. Force One was in Egg Harbor. CZW is in Philly, right by the old Asylum Arena. So, they're local.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:46): Yeah.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:46): I mean--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:46): The thing that I'm getting out of what you're saying is it's not like it's in Manhattan.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:51): Oh, no.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:51): It's not like in Philadelphia.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:53): Don't get me wrong. There are schools in New York.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:54): Yeah.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:54): You know, there's companies in New York. There are companies in Jersey.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:58): But you don't have to go there.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:28:59): Yeah, you go to your local ones. I mean you want to be able to go--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:29:01): You should be able to find something.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:29:02): Yeah, you should be able to find something no matter where you are. I know CZW has a second academy over in the Midwest. I believe in Indiana, which the trainer is Drake Younger. He's been around for a while. He's a great guy. He's starting to get stuff together. He's looking real good right now. So, there are a lot of schools around and there are a lot of companies, especially in Jersey alone. Like there's a lot.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:29:33): So, is a fee of twenty-five hundred dollars an average fee, or are there some that are less and some that are more?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:29:40): Some schools are less, like mine was a hundred dollars a month for a year.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:29:44): For one year.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:29:44): Yes, twelve hundred.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:29:45): And what happens if you think you need to go longer?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:29:48): You just keep going. I mean once that year is over you just don't have to pay anymore. You just go.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:29:51): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:29:52): Because now you're a graduated student of that school, and now you get free ring time.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:29:58): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:00): So, yeah.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:01): And what would an expensive one cost?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:04): Twenty-five hundred was an expensive one. I believe Monster Factory is an expensive one.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:09): Still around the same twenty-five hundred dollars?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:11): I'm not sure what the Monster Factory charges actually.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:13): Could it go to five thousand?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:15): It could go as high as they really want.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:17): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:17): I mean Monster Factory actually has a background to it with training some of the bigger guys that are known like Bam Bam Bigelow, Big Show, and a couple other guys. So, I mean it could go as high as they keep rising it up.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:30): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:30): I mean there's really no cap on it.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:32): So, you join this thing and you're training.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:37): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:38): How long after you start training do you potentially have the possibility of actually getting a match?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:47): When your trainers tell you you're ready.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:48): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:30:49): With me it was a different case; is because I had a falling out with that first company, so I stopped going there. And I was at the point where I felt, you know, I've learned everything I could going to training. I've learned pretty much everything I need to go out there and do a match. I mean like I'm at the point where doing matches in front of crowds, whether it's two people, two thousand people - no matter amount -, it's better for me to be out there, learning this way. So I kind of just started doing it without anybody's approval.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:31:23): How did you do that? In other words, how do you go about getting a match?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:31:26): I contacted different promoters.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:31:29): And where do you find them?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:31:32): You know, you find them on Facebook. Like once you have a wrestling -- like I have a wrestling Facebook. It's just all wrestling. My Facebook is all wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:31:40): Okay, so that's Facebook.com/HotShotJamesColler.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:31:45): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:31:45): Okay. And that's James Coller.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:31:49): Yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:31:50): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:31:50): Not Collar, Coller.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:31:52): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:31:53): I just -- well, from the people I was adding in professional wresting, different promoters were popping up. Different promotions pages were popping up. And you know, you just send him a message. Say: "Hey, you know, I'm a young guy. I'm just starting out. I'm ready to start doing shows. You know, you think you can put me on for something?" Whether you're out there just getting beat-up or you're in a battle where you get eliminated first, or whatever, I mean I drove two hours, back in October, just to do a battle (Unclear 31:15.4) for ten minutes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:32:16): Now, when you did that, your first one or your first few, should you expect to have to do it for free? Should you expect to get paid something?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:32:25): It's called paying your dues. You shouldn't expect to be getting any kind of money.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:32:29): Nothing.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:32:30): Nothing.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:32:30): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:32:30): You shouldn't expect it. If they give it to you, great. Whether it's five bucks, a buck, whatever.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:32:37): And how long does that 'pay your dues'?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:32:41): Until really you're being asked by the fans to come back I would say. If it's called getting over, or if you're a bad guy, it would be, you know, you're getting heat. If you're somebody that can walk out and you're a heel, which is the bad guy, you can walk out there and you're instantly getting booed--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:33:04): That's not good.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:33:04): --because the fans know. That's good when you're a bad guy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:33:07): Oh. You know, I'm saying. Initially I said that's bad, but then I'm like, well, maybe not.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:33:13): That's good when you're a bad guy to get booed, because you're doing your job. You're making the fans--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:33:16): They care about something.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:33:17): The fans hate you. You want the fans to hate you.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:33:20): Really?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:33:20): You want them to loath you.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:33:23): Really?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:33:23): You want them to think that if they have a girl there, you're going to come up and take their girl. Like you want that. You want them in the palm of your hands, where they're just booing you because they despise you or because you did something that they don't like. Like the last show I was on, I came out to Ice Ice Baby. Now, some people won't view it as a cocky song, but I do. I think it is, because he's pretty much saying, like: "I'm the best at everything."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:33:48): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:33:49): So, I came out to that and before I even got out everybody was booing. Everybody was booing me. I was like: "Oh, I didn't even do anything yet."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:33:56): And you're happy.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:33:57): And I'm happy! I'm like: "Yes, I'm getting booed! Woo-hoo," because I'm a bad guy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:34:00): I love it. I love it.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:34:02): So, I walk out and the first thing I do is the kid has his hand out for a high-five, and I'm like: "Hello," and I fake him out.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:34:08): Oh, to get them to hate you more.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:34:11): They hate me more.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:34:12): That's so hysterical.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:34:13): It doesn't help that we were in my rival town. I mean and I get announced from my actual town. So I was in my rival town, so that was probably why they were booing me right off the bat, but still, it worked, and I wore my colors - my town's colors. And you know, it's stuff like that that not a lot of people think of.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:34:31): Now, do they ever like you? Alternatively. Like would you ever get to the point where you think people would go, "Yay"?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:34:40): It depends on the company you're working for. I mean if the promoter comes to you and says, "Hey, you're working heel tonight," you're working as a bad guy. And if you're usually a bad guy and the promoter comes: "Hey, I need you to work as a good guy tonight," you're like: "All right," and then you just try to go out there and you play with the fans. You know, actually slap their hands and stuff like that. Like my original trainer Sami. He was doing the heel thing for so long.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:35:06): Heel thing. I apologize.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:35:07): He was being a bad guy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:35:09): Oh, being a bad guy.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:35:09): For so long, and so long, and so long. It started to get over. And eventually, since the fans were starting to like him as a bad guy, it turned him into a good guy with him still doing his bad guy stuff.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:35:22): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:35:23): So he got turned by the fans, and now, you know, you play off that for a couple months, and then you do something that the fans don't like and now you're back to being a bad guy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:35:30): That's so great.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:35:30): I mean stuff like that. There are a lot of people like that, that just get turned. Right now The Miz. The Miz got turned because he has a couple movies coming out next year and stuff like that, so they turned him to a good guy, when he's been a bad guy almost his whole career. I mean it's just stuff like that that makes you a commodity. If you can work either way or if you can go out there and get them to cheer you or boo you with the simplest thing, you know, that's something a company will look at. Something a company will say, "Hey, if we bring this guy in, he's going to make the heat or he's going to make them cheer, and the crowd is going to be really into it, and it's going to make the match look so much better," because if you can get the crowd into it, it sounds better. It looks better. You know, that's what it's all about. It's all about having the fans go home happy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:21): Now, how long have you been getting paid now?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:36:27): I don't get paid.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:27): You don't get paid.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:36:29): There's one promoter that offers me like gas money. I usually don't take it from him.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:34): Why?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 0036:36): As a courtesy. I don't take it because I don't want the guys thinking: "Hey, he's the new guy. Why is he getting money?" Money that might/should be going to them.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:43): So two years is still a new guy.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:36:46): I haven't been on shows for two years.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:48): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:36:49): Let's correct that. I've been training for two years.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:52): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:36:52): I've only been doing shows since July.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:55): Oh.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:36:56): June/July. June. June.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:36:58): And now it's November.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:36:59): Now it's November.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:37:00): Okay. Just finished Thanksgiving.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:37:04): Yes, I don't have any shows coming up right now. Anybody interested in booking me, contact, you know? www.Facebook.com/HotShotJamesColler. You know, awesome. I'm willing to travel.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:37:16): So, you're doing it for nothing.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:37:18): I'm doing it for nothing, and to me, I really don't want anything from it.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:37:22): Not yet.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:37:23): Well, I mean if it happens.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:37:24): Never?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:37:24): If it happens to come to it and someone goes: "Hey, you know, you're a name." Like I've become big or something. Yeah, I may expect a little money, but really I just do it because I want to wrestle.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:37:36): Okay. Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:37:37): I just love wrestling.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:37:38): So it's like a guy going out and playing golf. You're just going out, wrestling.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:37:41): Yeah. I mean yes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:37:43): At least you don't have to pay. Like they got to pay the green fee. You don't have to pay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:37:47): Yeah, I mean Dr. Tom Prichard -- I did Dr. Tom Prichard's seminar in Staten Island back in October. Great guy. He used to be the Developmental Territory Trainer for WWE. So he knows what he's talking about. You know, he's been around forever. He said, "It's cool if you just want to go out there and be a guy, you know, that just does this on the weekends," but he's like: "It's even better if you want to be a guy that wants to go to WWE." I'm like: "Yeah, I had the dream of going to WWE. I have the dream of maybe wrestling for TNA. Doing something like that, but I'm not expecting it." I'm not going to get my hopes up.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:38:27): Because you're happy anyhow.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:38:29): I'm happy just doing it. I mean it's a dream of mine. I'm living my dream.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:28:32): Okay. Now, let's say somebody wanted to get to WWE.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:38:38): Don't get me wrong. I do want to get there.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:38:40): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:38:41): I want to get there. It's just I'm not going to get my hopes up. I'm not going to, because say something happens where I blow out my back or blow out my knee and I can't do it anymore. Now my hopes are up and now I'm crushed.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:38:55): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:38:55): Now I don't want to do my rehabilitation. I don't want to do any of that. I don't want to get myself back, you know? I don't want to be that person.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:39:04): What is -- in other words, from where you're at now, let's say you said to yourself, "I want to join the WWE," how much longer of a road is it?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:39:17): A lot longer. It could be - it depends. I mean--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:39:02): Since they don't want to hire somebody at thirty and you're twenty-two, so it can't be twenty years. I mean is it realistic to think that you could be there in five years?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:39:34): I mean it really depends on like your training and how hard you train, and how hard you attack it. Sami Callihan. He's been looked at by WWE recently. I believe he started doing this when he was eighteen. He has a wrestling background just like I do.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:39:50): How old is he?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:39:51): Right now I think he's twenty-three, twenty-four.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:39:53): Oh, man. Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:39:54): So he's been doing it for like six years, but like it takes a while because you got to hone your craft. Even if you get signed, you may get sent to developmental territory to learn more, but the thing is about wrestling you can never stop learning. There's always a different way of doing something, or a different way of showing something, or some new move that just popped up or something like that. So, I mean you can never stop learning wrestling. When you stop learning wrestling is when you should get out of wrestling. That's not just the way I felt or I feel. That's something I've been told. So, you know, you always want to learn. There's always something you can learn.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:40:34): And the reason to want to keep learning it is--

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:40:37): To move on. I mean--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:30:38): To move on in what? To become a better showman?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:40:43): I mean eventually people are going to expect the big guys to start jumping off the top rope or something like that. Like you need to learn everything you can learn.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:40:50): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:40:52): You always want to have something in your arsenal that you can pull out every once in a while to get the fans shocked. You know what I mean? You don't want to always be jumping off the top rope with the light drop, and then, you know, doing a standing leg drop, and everything you're doing is just a leg drop, a leg drop, a leg drop. Or how some people think John Cena just does five moves, which is true. He pretty much does just five moves, but he does sometimes throw different stuff in. He usually does -- you know, they go for a clothesline shoulder block, shoulder block, shoulder block, shoulder block. You know, five-knuckle shuffle up, finisher. Woo-hoo! But I mean he does those things because that's what gets his pop, which is the crowd reaction. The crowd loves seeing those and they know what's coming.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:41:33): What's going to make the WWE look at you and say, "We're interested"?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:41:42): With my size, since I'm a smaller guy, I mean I'm only 5'8". I'm about 210 pounds. I'm a small guy to them. For me, it's to learn some of the flying stuff or have a different look, or aggression and stuff like that. Like Sami - he's my size. He's more muscular than I am I would say, but his aggression. His showmanship of making something that could look really, really soft look hard and like fierce, and look almost like it's a shoot. Like he's really kicking their head off with a clothesliner. Doing a corner boot, and it looks like he's kicking his face off.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:42:26): Now, do the schools teach you that part of it?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:42:31): It's really based on you. Like if you're doing a practice match at like your school or you're training, then you want to do it like it's a real match. You want to have the same facials. You want to have the expressions. You want to go out there and scream, and yell, and do everything you would do in a regular match in front of a crowd in the school. So, this way, you know, you're used to it. If not, you're going to go out there and be flat. If you're flat that's not good. My last match, I was the first match after intermission, right before the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship Match. It was for an NWA company. We were crowning the title that rules all over all the different NWAs around the country. So, you know, my match's sole purpose pretty much was to get the crowd back into the show. Now, they were in, during intermission, having fun, seeing the superstars. You know, getting autographs. Buying the merchandise and all that, which I do have merchandise for sale. Cheap plug. But you know, they were all doing that and they're not really thinking about the wrestling anymore or any of that. So, they get back in their seats and they're dead. There's no reaction. You know, our match starts. Our match is to build them back up subtlety. Not too much, but enough that when the world title match comes out now, now they're hot. Now they're going nuts. You know, they're having a great time with it and all that. I mean every match has its purpose and, you know, everything has some kind of meaning for it. The way I live is if it doesn't have a meaning, why do it?

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:44:13): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:44:13): If it doesn't have a meaning, why do it?

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:44:14): Right. Makes sense.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:44:16): My name, James Coller, is not my real name. I will be honest. It's not my real name. It's partially my real name. It's actually my middle name. James. It's also my uncle's, grandfather's, and great grandfather's middle name, and then Coller is their last name. I got that because right before I started doing this my grandfather passed away. So I was like: "You know what? That's going to be my name," and I stuck with it. I have a tattoo on my arm. It's a paw print with a nineteen in it, and it's for my friend that passed away when I was in sixth grade. Everything I do has a meaning. I use a moniker that is PMFG. It stands for Perfect Meaning for Greatness. It's actually my friend's initials that we used to call him that just passed away in August. He used to call himself Pat Mother F'ing Gorgetti. That was his name. So I used his initials as a moniker. So, I mean everything I do has a meaning. I have the paw print with the nineteen on my tights. I have the nineteen on the wristbands I sell. I have the nineteen’s on everything. He passed away in sixth grade. I was playing football that year, and we had a patch on the jersey. That's where the paw print came from. It's a paw print with a nineteen in it. You know? That jersey goes everywhere with me. It's in my car. You can't miss it. It's on my driver's seat. It goes everywhere with me. I mean everything should have a meaning when you're out there. So, if you go out there and you give a clothesline and it's a big clothesline, and you're not yelling when you hit him, or they're not showing emotion like you didn't hit him hard or anything, like that now has no meaning. Now it meant nothing.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:45:55): I see.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:045:56): Meaning -- there's a lot with wrestling that has to do with meaning.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:46:02): Now, if somebody was to go and say, "You know, I think I'd like to do this. I think I'd like to follow in what I'm hearing James is doing. I'd like to learn. I'd like to maybe get into it. I'd like to try to maybe eventually be a big guy," what advice would you give somebody? Like if you had a young person here in front of you - maybe they're twelve/thirteen years old and maybe they're doing sports and not doing sports in school -, what would the series of advice/recommendations that you might give them be?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:46:45): I probably would be -- I mean I had an opportunity when I was like thirteen, or twelve. When I was real young, around those ages that you just said, a guy on instant messenger saw my profile on AOL instant messenger. I had like wrestling or whatever. I'm a wrestler. Something like that. So he messaged me and said, "Hey, I have a school. You know, you want to do this school," so I had a chance to do it when I was that young. I didn't do it obviously. I didn't start until I was twenty, like you said. But when you're younger, I don't think -- I mean there are guys that started out when they were like sixteen years old.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:47:30): Is it better?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:47:31): It's not necessarily better because I mean--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:47:34): You get burned out quicker?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:47:37): You're more acceptable of getting to the bad parts of wrestling, I would say.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:47:41): What are the bad parts?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:47:42): Like when you're that young, you're looking to follow more than you are to lead. So, like, say, a guy in the locker room is doing some kind of drug. You're going to be like: "Hey, what are you doing? Can I do it too, because I want to be cool," you know, and he's he the head honcho of the locker room. So, now you're trying to follow him to become something. Become somebody or something like that. So, I mean -- and plus, you want to finish school. I have my high school diploma. I don't have a college degree, which, you know, maybe I should. But you know, I don't. But at least I have my high school diploma, and I'm proud of that. I'm the only one in my family to actually graduate from high school.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:48:21): Wow.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:48:21): So, like, to me, that's an accomplishment.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:48:23): Congratulations. Yeah.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:48:24): So, I mean I've come from a hard background. I mean when I was five years old - I didn't find this out when I was five years old, but my mom's a lesbian. I'll go into this. So she used to move us around a lot when I was five years old, when we got kicked out of the apartment we were living in. We would move in with her girlfriend. Then we would get kicked out of there; go to a homeless shelter. Move in with my grandma. And we repeated that cycle a couple times. I'm not sure how many. So, yeah, I lived in a homeless shelter. Now I'm a professional wrestler. It happens. I mean bad stuff happens to everybody. 2007, before districts for high school. I'm a sophomore. I'm wrestling at 145. Yeah, 145. My stepmom has a stroke on Valentines Day that year. I'm at the hospital all day Valentines Day, which is two days before the first day of the tournament. It's a snow day. Our team still practiced. I call my coach up - the one coach I've been close with since I was eight years old, and the one that started me in wrestling and started me in football. I tell him everything. He's just like a father to me. He taught me how to drive. I call him up. I'm like: "Hey coach, you know, my stepmom just had a stroke. I'm not going to make it to practice," and he's worried because he knows my family. So, he's like: "Okay, you know, it's cool." My friend's mom I had called and told her, because I'm real close with my friend's mom. That's like another second family. So, she had called the school the next day, saying, "Hey, you know, he might not be in." You know, telling them the situation. I show up at school. Everybody is like: "What? Huh," because everybody knew already. My town is so small. Everybody finds out. So, I get called into the Vice Principal's office and the Principal and Vice Principal are like: "Hey, you know, Mrs. (Unclear 50:10.1) called and told us about your situation. You know, if you need to leave a class, you know, just tell the teacher I need to leave or whatever." And I show up to practice that night because we're off the next day. So, if you weren't in school that day, you couldn't wrestle for the tournament the following day and the day after, because it's a two-day tournament. I show up to practice. They had my backup ready, thinking, you know, I'm not going to wrestle. I go to practice. The coaches call me into the office. They're like: "Hey, you know, what are you doing here?" I was like: "I'm wrestling tomorrow." He's like: "What?" They're like: "Are you sure? You okay?" I'm like: "Yeah, I'm fine." I'm like: "This is what you remember me doing than sitting at the hospital with her."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:50:47): Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:50:47): So I'm like: "All right, I'm going to wrestle." I go to practice. I beat everybody up. Not everybody, but, you know, I did my thing. And I go to the tournament the next day. I'm wrestling the first round. Wrestling could have been wrestling all season. I've wrestled him like three or four times. He's beaten me every time. Usually by a close margin. I lose 22 to 12. Didn't get tech fall. Didn't get pinned. Tech fall is when they score fifteen points ahead of you, and then that's a tech fall. It's done. Went three rounds with him. The rounds, I believe, are six minutes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:51:22): Wow.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:51:23): So, halfway through the second period -- not each round is six minutes. The whole match is six minutes.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:51:27): Oh, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:51:28): Each round was like two minutes in high school. So, for the first round, I was in it. First period I was in it. You know, head clear. Going it. Second period, my head is starting to twist a little bit. Halfway through I'm done. I'm like: "I don't feel it. Why am I here?" So I was just pretty much just going through the motions and doing what I do. Like after the first minute in the second period, I was like: "Whatever. I don't care." And I mean I cared, but I wasn't in it. My mindset wasn't right. So, I get done the match and I just break down. It's the first time I've broken down. Like my dad was crying the whole time we were at the hospital. It's the first time I break down in front of everybody a Gloucester County Gym. There's over a thousand people there and I'm crying my eyes out. Not because I lost. Not because I lost my match, but because I'm worried about my stepmom.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:52:18): Right. Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:52:20): And this is actually one of the fondest moments I have with a couple of my coaches. You know, I get my stuff back on. They take me over. I'm still crying. I'm in the little private area. And my one coach who's been helping me out since I was a little kid, who was actually in the high school when I first started, was like: "You know, we're proud of you. No one else on this team would've went out there and did this. No one else on this team would have, you know, the courage to go out there with everything that you have going on to go out there and wrestle still." And he's like: "Your team respects you right now. You led this team today." And I was only a sophomore, so I was like: "What?" And I'm still crying. And then my other two coaches, and then the one that taught me how to drive and all that. He comes over and the head coach comes over, and they're like, "You know, we're really proud of you. This is something that you really should hold. You know, you went out there and you didn't give up even though you wanted to. We know you wanted to. We could see it in your face that you wanted to, but you didn't." And he's like: "That's what a leader is." I mean that has nothing to do with professional wrestling. That's just a background story.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:53:25): I'll tell you the thing that I'm taking away that is really part of why I even founded this whole What Should I Be was that I wanted people to be able to find a passion in their life - something that they would love to do -, whether they get paid, whether they don't get paid. You know, that not being the important factor of it. And that's what I'm hearing from you. It's kind of like you're doing this. This is what you love. And I think it's terrific and I commend you for it.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:053:54): This is something that not only keeps me out of trouble. It keeps me from being more lazy than I already am. Don't get me wrong. I am a lazy guy. Everybody is lazy in some way, shape, or form. It's just something that I kind of fell into. I mean I had no intentions of wrestling when I first turned eight years old. I had none. But my football coach was like: "You'd be a really good wrestler." I mean the first year I played football I started on the football team. I was the starter. I've started on the offensive line. I started on defense. After that, I left and went to soccer, but I went back to soccer. Started on soccer my first year of playing soccer for Pitman. And then went back to football. I started again. I was on the starting line. Went to the next level up, which was the last level, when I was in middle school. I played on the same team for three years. Started over a guy who was a year ahead of me. I'm not trying to toot my own horn.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:54:53): You had heart.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:54:54): Yeah, it was really I just fell into it, and it was something that took to me. It was something that I went out there and I did because I believed in what I was doing and I was doing it for a reason, and it was to have fun, to win games. I mean that's what every kid wants to do; is go out there, and have fun and win games. But I mean it was just something that really I just fell into that I happened to be good at.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:55:15): Now, can somebody, like yourself, ever look at this as real - I'm talking really. I'm not saying just pie in the sky. But is it possible to really say, "I want to do this and I want to be able to make a living doing this"?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:55:30): Yeah. Yeah, it's definitely possible. I mean I'm going -- I do this because I love to do it, but I'm also doing it because I want to go to WWE. I want to go to TNA. I want to be making a million dollars a year, like Triple H.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:55:44): Can you?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:55:45): Yeah. I mean it's possible.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:55:47): What do most of the guys, from what you know - I don't know if you have yet the inside scoop with people who are really in the WWE as far as what they make. Do you know that by any chance yet? It's okay if you don't. I just wanted to -- I was just curious if you know.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:56:05): It's up there. I mean certain people are up there, like John Cena obviously makes a lot because he's a big guy.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:56:09): What's a lot? What's a lot?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:56:12): I would say at least six figures. It has to be.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:56:14): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:56:15): At least six.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:56:16): At least.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:56:17): I mean you get paid for what you do. I mean you're traveling. You're doing all this stuff for them, so they pay you good. I mean you may be starting out, but you may still be getting like, you know, a hundred thousand a year. Something like that. I mean you may not be getting that. Don't get me wrong. I may be -- my numbers may be off, but I mean you're still making good enough to live off of I would say. I mean it's obviously -- my job -- I'm not getting paid anywhere close to what they're getting paid a year where I'm working at now.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:56:47): Right. Right.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:56:49): But I mean like you can live off of it. I mean some people are to the level where you can wrestle just on the weekends. Like you're an indie guy. You're wrestling on the weekends, but you don't have to work, because you're getting paid good because you're over; because fans want to see you go to this company, that company. And you know, I mean that's the whole thing of getting over. If you can get over, the more over you are the more you're going to get paid. The more you're seeked, the better it is for you.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:57:20): Seeked by?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:57:22): Companies.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:57:23): By companies.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:57:23): If a company wants to bring you in, that's better for you.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:57:27): And what do you think would make them again? I know I asked this before, but what do you think, again, is going to make them want to seek you?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:57:33): You have to stand out. You have to have something about you that stands out or you have to be that guy that can enhance talent, which is a job guy, which you can go in there and you can work with a guy and he can pretty much beat the crap out of you, but it looks good.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:57:47): Do these schools really teach you how to be unique, or where can you go to learn that?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:57:53): Usually it's an extension of yourself.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:57:55): It's an extension of yourself.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:57:57): Like I said in the beginning thing, my moniker is Hot Shot. I call myself Hot Shot James Coller. I am a cocky guy. I mean I'm not extraordinarily cocky.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:09): You're not annoying.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:10): I'm very confident in myself.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:12): As a wrestler?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:13): As a person.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:14): As a person, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:15): My general personality is I'm very confident.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:17): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:18): And my character for wrestling is just pretty much that ten times.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:23): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:24): I just make it more.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:26): Now, do you have - I think I asked you about this. Do you have a video at all of your wrestling?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:32): If you go on my YouTube, which is Hot Shot James Coller.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:35): So it's YouTube.com/HotShotJamesColler.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:38): Yeah, everything is Hot Shot James Coller.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:58:40): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:58:40): Except for Twitter. Twitter is @James_Coller_19. But if you go on my YouTube, or it should be posted on my Facebook somewhere, I have a matchup. It's one I did in September in (Unclear 58:57.0), New Jersey for NWA Dog. We did a free show for Perfection Auto. I wrestled a man named Wacky Wayne Woo. That's a lot to say.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:59:06): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:59:08): We had a good match. I mean he got the best of me in it, but you know, it happens. And I should have video soon. Somewhat soon.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:59:17): I got to ask you. You say he got the best of you, but didn't you know before you started who was going to win? So, you're kind of leading me on in a different direction now. "He got the best of me."

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:59:27): I was trying to suspend a belief.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:59:28): Oh, okay. Okay. Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:59:30): Yes, I knew.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:59:32): All right. I don't want to kill the ideal, but--

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:59:35): If you go and watch the match, go and watch the match. You'll see what I mean when I say he got the best of me.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:59:43): Okay. Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:59:44): By how I play off what happens and how I act after it, and all that. So, yeah, you got to go and watch the match.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 00:59:52): I think I have a slightly new appreciation for this.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 00:59:55): I'll explain it to you when we're off the air because I don't want to give it away. I want people to go and watch this match.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:00): Sure.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:00:02): Actually, I am -- I have forty-four followers on Twitter. Forty-four right now.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:07): Forty-four. Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:00:10): I want to get to one hundred soon.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:11): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:00:12): That's a lot. I mean I only need six more for fifty, so I need fifty-six. But if I get to a hundred from this, I will give the hundredth follower a free bracelet and a free 8"x10" that I have.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:30): Autographed?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:00:31): Yeah, I'll sign it obviously. The bracelets I have one on right here. They're orange and black. They just say, "Hot Shot James Coller."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:36): Oh, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:00:37): Nineteen on them. I will send them out to you. You know, when I see the hundredth follower, I'll, you know, get your information.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:44): I think you should give the next fifty-six people a bracelet and a signed picture.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:00:50): I don't have that many.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:51): Well, you have to go get them!

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:00:53): I have that many. They cost money.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:00:55): All right. Well, sell them. Say, I'll tell you what. The next fifty-six people can buy them.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:01:00): Well, yeah, they can buy them obviously. I mean my 8"x10" are eight dollars a piece with a free autograph obviously.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:01:07): With a free autograph.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:01:08): I have 4"x6", which are on sale for four.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:01:10): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:01:11): With a free autograph. And the bracelets are on sale for three. There is a combo. Actually, the 8"x10" are six.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:01:18): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:01:18): I'm sorry. I gave you the combo price. The combo is an 8"x10" and a bracelet for eight. Obviously I would have to add shipping.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:01:28): So do you have any final words of advice for someone who might want to be getting into this? Things that they might want to either avoid. Things that they might need to do that maybe you didn't do. Things that you did that they should also do. Just a few final thoughts on how somebody could better improve their chances on getting to be where you are and higher if they wanted to get into this.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:01:58): Let's see. If you're going to get into this, the one thing you do should obviously find a school. Find a school. You know, you got to learn. You got to train. You can never stop learning. Watch a lot of wrestling. A lot of tapes, whether it's amateur or pro. Any wrestling. MMA I would stay away from because, you know, that's full contact. I mean you could still watch it, but I mean--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:02:22): It's not the same.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:02:24): It's not the same. I mean a lot of guys do have an MMA background, but they're trained to do the MMA stuff, but in the professional wrestling way. You want to watch as much wrestling as possible. You want to find the school. If you feel you're getting screwed by somebody, you know, eliminate yourself from that.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:02:42): What would be an indication of that?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:02:44): Like me, my parents had bought my wrestling boots. My first pair of boots, which I still wear, they bought it for me to show support because they were really weren't supporting me at first. So, you know, I had my boots and I kept getting crap for them by the guys I was training with. You know, I was getting shit for it for no reason. I'm sorry to curse. I didn't mean to.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:03:06): That's okay. But why?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:03:08): Because--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:03:10): Making fun of you, in other words?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:03:12): At the time, I owed my training a hundred bucks still.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:03:16): Oh, okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:03:17): So they're giving me crap for getting the boots already and you know--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:03:19): And not paying us.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:03:20): --you don't need them yet. And like, to me, it was just I was getting hassled about it so often. I was like: "You know what? This is just screwing up my training," so I felt I was getting screwed. And there was another student there. I hate to go into this, but there was another student there, where he pretty much was getting ahead by getting down on his knees, as I'll say. And I was getting screwed over because of so. I won't do that for nobody. I won't get on my knees and lower myself for nobody. So, I felt like I was getting screwed, so I was like: "You know what? I'm done," and I haven't been back there since.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:03:58): Any other bits of advice for somebody to want to do it?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:04:01): Just train your butt off. Either do it or don't do it. Don't halfheartedly go in it and be like, "You know, I'm going to wrestle. Oh, I don't feel like going today, or I don't feel like going tomorrow. I don't feel like going this day. Oh, I'm not going to go the next month."

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:04:17): Are there matches? Like once you decide, you're in the training. You go through the training. And now you want to do matches, even though you're not getting paid necessarily, but is it easy to find matches that you can get into?

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:04:29): No.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:04:30): It's not easy.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:04:32): My last match was November 2nd. We are filming this on--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:04:37): The 24th.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:04:37): The 24th. I haven't had a match since then. So far, from June to this month, I've had a match maybe once or twice every month.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:04:45): Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:04:46): It's hard to find. I mean like if you work a show and you find somebody, like when I went and did that -- I drove two hours to do that ten-minute battle roll. The only reason I was on that battle roll is because I impressed somebody that I was on a show with before and he's like: "Hey, come up and do the battle roll for us." So, like you got to use your contacts.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:05:06): So you got to work it.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:05:06): You got to work. It's hard work.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:05:10): You got to be a hustler. You got to go after it.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:05:12): As a promoter buddy of mine says, and he told me to do this when I told I was going to be on this podcast, he said, "Whore it out." Whore yourself out. You want everybody to know who you are. You want everybody to see your look. You want everybody to know everything. You know? You want yourself out there. You want to whore yourself to the point you can't whore yourself no more, and that's not physically possible because you can always keep whoring yourself. So, you know, whore it out, as he would say. So, even with this.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:05:41): I don't know if I'd use those words, but I understand what you're saying.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:05:43): Once this is up, I'm going to--

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:05:46): Promote it.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:05:47): I'm going to promote it.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:05:47): Yeah.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:05:47): I'm going to put it out there and keep putting it out there.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:05:50): My goal, and I hope everybody enjoyed this today, you know, is so that if somebody was thinking about following and maybe getting into the arena of maybe becoming a professional wrestler, you know, what's it about, how to get started, how old. You know, what you need to do, and I think we covered most of that today, and I really thank you.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:06:08): You can always contact me for more advice.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:06:11): Really? Okay.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:06:12): I'll put this out there. My Facebook, again, is Facebook.com/HotShotJamesColler. My Twitter is @James_Coller_19. My email - I'll give you my email, even for bookers. If you hear this and you're interested in booking me, whether it's heel, face, whatever, I'm down for anything. Traveling is fine - is HotShotJamesColler@gmail.com.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:06:35): And I will be putting a lot of that information into the website for you to accompany the audio broadcast. And so, this way, I'm going to put some pictures, and maybe some links to some video things just to try to give some people some further information about this. So, James, if you find any maybe YouTube videos that you think would be of interest and benefit to somebody who's looking at doing this that you want to send me a link over to, or just anything like that, anything that I can present to people to educate them further about this as a thing that somebody can do with their lives that's really the objective with this. So, again, I thank you very much for stopping by today.

'Hot Shot' James Coller (Interviewee: 01:07:26): No problem.

Gary Gordon (Interviewer: 01:07:26): And everything, again, will be on the website, and we hope that that will provide you with everything that you were looking for. And that's it for now, and we will be back with another interview coming up shortly. Bye-bye.