_________________________________________________________________ Q U E S T I O N S F O R T H E P R O S: With Daryck St. Holmes, Esq. _________________________________________________________________ [Interview conducted by Tony D. on August 21, 2000] TD: What's your real name and what gimmicks have/do you use? DSH: my real name is daryck and i wrestle as daryck st holmes, esquire- simply put, pound for pound, the most intelligent wrestler in wrestling today. i revel in my intelligence and choose to rub it in people's faces by utilizing a style that requires forethought, strategy, and planning. TD: What height/weight are you? DSH: i wrestle at 6"1' and weigh in at 18 stone, 6 pounds (look it up). TD: What circuits do you currently wrestle in? DSH: i currently wrestle regularly for mid-american wrestling, nawf, acw, and st paul cw. TD: What circuits have you wrestled in? DSH: in the past i have also worked for rwa in indiana, windy city, and countless one-off indys. TD: What titles have you held? DSH: i have held the maw tag and cruiserweight (rip) and currently hold the spcw light heavywt title but belts have never really meant much to me- just showing the people the most scientific wrestling they've probably seen is what i strive for. TD: When did you decide to become a wrestler? DSH: i got into wrestling in mid 97 after attending indy shows for about a year. i'd been a fan since my early teens but didn't live near any wrestling hotspots. TD: And how did you get started? DSH: i talked a wi promoter into letting me try out and the instructor of that camp took me aside and offered to train me for free. for about a year i rode around as his student picking up work as the spare man on the card. the majority of my training was done in the ring before a show rather than at a camp. once i was ready, carmine despirito came up with the idea for the esquire gimmick and that was that. the scientific part came as i grew into the role. TD: Who has been the biggest influence on your career? DSH: in the early 90s i would sit religiously studying lord steven regal and the way he did things. i figured that would suit the gimmick and struck out to be the most blatant steven regal thief in the business! TD: What has been the greatest moment of your career? DSH: my most memorable moment? to quote dr nick riviera, "the best part was when he gave me the money!" TD: Who are/were you trained by? What kind of athletic background do you have before you became a wrestler? DSH: my athletic background is high school football and some martial arts training. everything now is working out in the gym and studying tapes. i get made fun of because i show up before the show with stick figure diagrams of new holds to try, but who's crying when the final bell rings? TD: Who is your favorite wrestler to work with in the ring? DSH: my favorite opponent in a show is dino bambino- our styles work together beautifully. before the show...well, that's a tossup between skullcrusher and ace steel. very tight stretchfests- true human chess. TD: Any major enemies? If so, who, and why? DSH: i don't bother making enemies. there are people i won't do business with, but the person you screw today may be doing it to you tomorrow, so there you go. TD: In which promotion are you the most over? DSH: i feel i am best recieved up in spcw. perhaps it's the strong awa heritge, but the people really appreciate the intricate style wrestling. other promotions and places my dictate that you alter your style a bit to get over, but what i do in spcw is what I'd like to do every night. TD: Do you ever consider working in the WWF, WCW or ECW if they are interested in your talent? DSH: if any of the big three came sniffing around that would be great, but realistically, they've already got steven regal so what would i do? TD: If you had to pick WWF, WCW or ECW, where would you go and why? DSH: I think i would be at home in ecw because their fans are able to appreciate alternative styles of wrestling- the other two are too many punches and kicks with break-your-neck stuff that i don't want to do. that might not get over with some high flier marks, but if you want to see an out of the ring dive, you get up and get trained and do it yourself- i've got a real job. TD: Do you have a computer? If so, what do you think of the reporters and sheet writers on the internet? DSH: i look at some wrestling sites on the internet- see the message board at wrestlingclassics.com for an education- but alot of the sheets don't impress me too much. too much printing of rumors and speculation in an effort to seem big. they're nice, but i stil wait for my observer every Sat. to get the skinny. TD: Do you have a college degree or any other higher education? DSH: i do have a bachelor's degree in microbiolgy and use that at my day job. i realize that's terse, but nobody pays to hear about your day job! TD: Any advice you'd give a wannabe wrestler? DSH: my advice to woud be wrestlers is simply have a marketable skill before geting trained. the world's got enough bouncers