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Q U E S T I O N S F O R T H E P R O S:
With Rev. Jacob Clemens
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[Interview conducted by Tony D. on June 27, 2000]
TD: What's your real name, and what gimmicks have/do you use?
JC: My real name's Jacen Cantwell, and my one and only gimmick to
date is Rev. Jacob Clemens, a southern baptist bible-thumper
who's not afraid to bop you one then run screaming!
TD: What height/weight are you?
JC: Last time I was weighed -- I don't do it often, as I'm a manager
and thus don't really need to -- I was approaching 180 lbs. so
that's a reasonable estimate for now. My height is around 5' 10"
or 5' 11" I think.
TD: What circuits do you currently work in?
JC: Presently I'm with Championship Wrestling, out of the Ontario area.
TD: What circuits have you work in?
JC: I got my start in Cutting Edge Wrestling, out of St. John's,
Newfoundland. I miss the people there greatly -- even the arses!
TD: What titles have your wrestlers held?
JC: I've "held" {that is, managed} 1/2 of the CEW Tag Team champions,
Kindman/Buh-Buh Ray Studley {such a confused lad. . .}, plus
currently I manage CWI's Hardcore champ Psycho. Plus, if you want
to count it, I have my own self-appointed "Hardcore Legend"
plastic WWF belt that I used to wear to the ring!
TD: When did you decide to become a wrestler?
JC: About 3 years ago, a friend of mine asked me if I'd be interested
in joining an indie promotion, and I naturally lept at the chance
{but I never lept too far, since I was in a compact car at the time}
A few months later, I met Gord Glynn, the promotor and owner of
CEW, I had a try-out, and voila! Rev. Jacob Clemens was born!!
TD: And how did you get started?
JC: My first try-out was a bit harrowing, because I can't take bumps
{throw myself onto my back} I'm not sure why, but I guess it's a
sort of mental block, and it was enough to keep me from becoming a
wrestler, but not enough to keep me from managing!
TD: Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
JC: Biggest influence? Hmm, maybe such classic managers as Jimmy Hart,
Mr. Fuji, Rev. Slickster, Paul Ellering, Bobby Heenan,
Paul E. Dangerously {for a short time, I even carried my cell phone
to the ring, claiming to be "buying and selling souls on
Satan's Stock Market!"}, and countless others.
TD: Who is your favorite wrestler to work with in the ring?
JC: Being ringside when my man Kindman snatched the CEW Tag Team
title {with an assist from Vince Austin}. My second-greatest
moment was actually reaming off my first successful sermon in
front of that first CEW audience.
TD: Who are/were you trained by? What kind of athletic background do
you have before you became a wrestler?
JC: My wrestling training came from Gord Glynn and Adam Peddle,
primarily. They took me through some moves, showed me how to
get whipped into the turnbuckles and get bodyslammed, but
curiously never showed me how to defend myself. . . As for
former athletic background, none! I used to play floor hockey in
junior high, but my unattractive body during skins-versus-shirts
games made that an unrealistic option.
TD: Who is your favorite wrestler to work with in the ring?
JC: I don't really know anyone in the CWI yet, but Master Kwan Chang
seems to be a really nice guy, in and out of the ring. As for CEW,
I worked best with the likes of Kindman and Jason the Terrible {who I
lampooned as Jacob the Heathenal last summer}
TD: Any major enemies? If so, who, and why?
JC: None that I can name, but Master Kwan Chang may be coming back for
his Hardcore belt sometime soon, so I'd better load up my
HeathenBlaster 2000 with holy water and get myself ready to duel
with evil once more!
TD: In which promotion are you the most over?
JC:
TD: Do you ever consider working in the WWF, WCW or ECW if they are
interested in your talent?
JC: WWF, WCW, ECW -- I'm not picky. If any promotor came up to me and
said "I like your moxie kid!" I'd first ask him to buy a 20
Century dictionary, then sign the contract. ;)
TD: If you had to pick WWF, WCW or ECW, where would you go? And why?
JC: I've heard great things about each -- ECW has performers with high
work ethic; WWF has near-global exposure every week on TV; WCW has
less travelling and an otherwise-sweet pay scale. If I had to
choose, I'd go with ECW I think, because I know one of their new
guys, Chilly Willy, from where he was with United States
Championship Wrestling. Though an offer from either would be
most seriously considered.
TD: Do you have a computer? If so, what do you think of the reporters and
sheet writers on the internet?
JC: I don't have a computer, but I hope to soon remedy that! I'm
subscribed to wrestling-online.com, which gives me all that I
need to know on a daily basis. Plus I receive WWF's official
newsletter on-line, and am a regular reader of WOW Magazine.
TD: Do you have a college degree or any other higher education?
JC: Well. . . ;) I went to several colleges -- Lawrence College
for Journalism, CompuCollege for Microcomputer Applications,
Career academy for Microcomputer Specialist, Cabot Institute for
Commercial Art -- but none of them make me as happy as stepping
in through the ropes and revving up the crowd for a great show
of high-flying, bone-crunching action!!!
TD: Any advice you'd give a wannabe wrestler?
JC: Don't throw your life away by climbing onto your roof to make
yourself like Mick Foley. Best case scenario: you land without
injury and your friends ask you what you're going to do to top
it tomorrow; worst case scenario: Owen Hart. Take your time,
it's not going to happen over night.
Train!!! Train very hard, and work out if you have that option.
The harder you work, the better your first match will look. You
may think it looks easy from your couch, but you have to be in at least
moderate shape to pick someone up into a bodyslam or gorilla press!
TD: Any final comments for the readers?
JC: Praise the Lo'd and pass the chitlins, 'cause the Rev is signin' off!
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