This week on The Cut Pro Wrestling Podcast Mike Bennett joins the show!! Join us as he discusses his return to Ring Of Honor, his time in IMPACT, his WWE run, working with Maria and much more.

Check it out here: 

How his goal changed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhaxytTwiIg

It’s one of those things where, you know, you chase a dream for so long. And then you have tunnel vision about getting to that dream getting to that dream. And for me, it was always WWE or bust. That’s what I dreamed up. That’s what I wanted to do. And I was fortunate enough that along that journey, I worked for Ring of Honor, I worked for New Japan, I worked for impact. And along that journey, I discovered that the dream that I wanted wasn’t what I thought I wanted. It was something entirely different. I wanted to be a pro wrestler I want I thought I wanted to be a sports entertainer. I did it and then went now this isn’t for me. I like the sport of pro wrestling.

Was he a wrestling fan growing up:

So  I was always a fan. And then I kind of fell out of love with wrestling like around seven or eight years old like I was a Hulkamaniac get all that crazy stuff kind of fell out of love with it. And then around the attitude error. All my friends were watching. And so I had to tune in. So I tuned in and I fell in love like stone cold and DX and Kane and Undertaker. But then my dad actually took me to see Monday Night Raw taping in Worcester, Massachusetts. And I was there when Mick Foley won the world title for the first time.

On training to be a pro wrestler:

So I went on and did like some sort of a search engine. I mean, it was like 2000 at the time 2001 when I started training, so I was looking on online, but it’s not like what we have now where you can find us amounts of things, you know, you have to be somewhat savvy, but still understand and like so I was just looking up wrestling schools nonstop. And in my area because I wasn’t going to travel outside of Massachusetts, I was only 15. So I found a school that was willing to take me if my parents, you know, signed a waiver saying I was allowed to. And I found a school in New Bedford Massachusetts is called Yankee pro wrestling. It’s now top row pro wrestling, or top row promotion, sorry. And they started training me a little. But along that journey, I wasn’t even thinking a year in training with them. I met Bob Evans, and he had a school. And so I started training with Bob Evans. And that’s when my training really started taking off. Bob started introducing me to the right, people started teaching me the right way. And so it was really Bob Evans, who kind of gave me that kickstart in my career.

Best advice given by his trainer, Bob Evans:

You know, so for the first I don’t want to say it was a year because it wasn’t even a year but for the sake of the story, what’s the first year of my training at Yankee Pro, I was learning the stuff I was learning how to follow up. I was learning how to hit the ropes, all that stuff. I was learning different moves. But I wasn’t learning why to do everything. I wasn’t learning the story of a match. I wasn’t learning the psychology of a match. I wasn’t learning how to get the fans to interact the most with you during the match. Bob kind of took my raw ability, if you will. And he showed me what you do to really draw the fans and why you do this, why you do that? kind of like the ABCs of professional wrestling is what Bob really taught me.

How his first day of training was:

You know, it’s, I don’t know who said this. So I don’t want to get it wrong, but I think it was Booker T. So I want to give him credit for it. He said when he stepped foot in the ring, it was a place that he had never been, but he felt like he had always been. And that’s exactly how I felt when I first stepped in the ring. I had never been there. But it felt like home to me. It felt like Yep, this is where you want to be. And I picked it up pretty quickly. I picked up how to bump. I picked up how to run the ropes. You know, I picked it up pretty quickly. And I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I was kind of watching tough enough at home and then taking bumps in my backyard on a cardboard box the way they were teaching and tough enough. So maybe I had like a leg up in the game. But yeah, it just always felt like home to me stepping in a ring.

On his first match:

Funny story about my first match. I don’t remember most of it because I was completely unconscious. I was knocked out. The guy I was wrestling picked me up for a powerbomb I didn’t know how to take. I got halfway up and he dropped me right on my head. And I finished the match somehow. But I don’t remember it at all. I have little little tiny like portions of it that I have memories of. But it’s all like this entire dream sequence. The only time I remember after that is waking up or I was conscious. But I came to a hospital because my dad took me to my first show. And then when I got into the car for him to drive me home, I was speaking gibberish asking him if it was Christmas, what year it was blah, blah, blah. So he was like, yeah, we’ve got to take you to the hospital. So that’s my first recollection of waking up in the hospital being like, what happened to that match whatsoever.

Wrestling at such a young age: 

I’m somewhat educated on that part of it. So you know, it really it really just depends on what school you go to. There are a lot of schools that say 18 plus no ifs, ands, or buts. There are some schools that’ll say 16. But you have to have adult supervision, the adult has to sign a waiver. You know, back when I was doing wrestling wasn’t as like, I mean, the world wasn’t as connected as it is now. So you could go and you could do I could be 15 and sign a waiver and you think you’re doing whatever. And you know, you don’t really know what’s going on. And that’s kind of like what I did. But I made a deal with my parents. My parents had to drive me back and forth to New Bedford, which was like 45 minutes from where I lived. And because I didn’t have a car and I didn’t drive, I was still getting my learner’s permit trying to get my license. So my parents drove me, God bless them. They’re they’re the greatest parents in the world. But I had to deal with them. They said, we’re going to drive you to training. We’re going to support this, but you need to promise us you’ll further your education while you pursue this. And I said, Sure. I held my end of the bargain. They held theirs. I went and I got my associates degree in criminal justice. And they said you lived up to your end of the bargain. Thank you. So I owe so much to my parents. They did so much for me.

 On winning his first championship:

Yeah, it’s one of those things where it’s kind of like you solidify yourself where it’s like, I’m here and I’m doing this. I don’t think I ever won my first championship and was like, Oh, this is a great moment because I’ve wanted this championship for, you know, alphabet soup promotion at the time or, you know, XYZ or whatever. But it was one of those moments where I was like, oh, okay, I solidified myself. I’m doing this. This is real. I’m going forward with this. And I know that because there’s also other people that aren’t just me that clearly believe in me, if that makes sense. Like there As a promoter that believes in Me, there’s wrestlers here that believe in me, maybe some fans, so it was more of like a commitment where you’re like, Okay, I’m in this, I’m doing this, and I’m going to go full steam with this.

On being satisfied with an accomplishment:

Yeah, I think so. I think for me, though, I’m one of those people that I’ve never satisfied. I hated myself, but I constantly like even when things are going good, Maria will look at me and be like, can’t you just be happy in this moment?  I’m trying, but I really want to do this next. And she’s like, Yeah, but you just eat what you really wanted to do the time before. So just sit in it and let it be happy. It’s one of those things where I feel like a lot of wrestlers are like that. A lot of entertainers, a lot of people that are just driven are like that. It’s like I got what I wanted. Now, what’s next? What can I do next? It’s kind of we’re kind of sick in that way.

His first run with Ring of Honor:

Yeah, it’s one of those companies that fully supports this and I say this completely honestly and I will back this up to the day I die. Professional wrestling is the way it is right now. Because of Ring of Honor. Ring of Honor completely changed the game from 2002 on it has produced stars, it has produced not only stars but it has changed the way we view wrestling and it’s changed the style of wrestling. It has changed what pro wrestling is. If you look at any company, AWS, New Japan, WWE it is all completely littered with Ring of Honor guys Ring of Honor alum people that have come through that system. It’s just it is the staple I had the privilege of seeing Carrie silken at wrestle con a couple weeks ago, who was the owner of Ring of Honor before Sinclair took over. And like I gave him a big hug because he is the reason I’m here. He’s the reason so many guys’ careers have done what they’ve done. Ring of Honor has kind of set the groundwork for what is going to be popular and what’s going to be quindi in professional wrestling.

Favorite matches: 

You know, um, there was a good amount, but I ended up having this kind of long running feud with Spike Dudley at Taco promotions, he was kind of like he was becoming the trainer there. And I had just moved back from training it OVW. And they kind of put me and him together. And we just constantly had this chemistry and these matches. Now a lot of them were hardcore matches. A lot of them were ladder matches. Table Matches are what toughen me up. And it brought something out of me that had never been brought out of me, there was a lot of blood, there was a lot of violence. But it was one of those things where at that moment in my career, I needed to solidify myself as like, you know, you’re not just this indie wrestler, you’re, you’re this, you’re this staple, you’re this guy that can do every style of wrestling. And it was really important to have a guy who had a name like spike Dudley kind of put his blessing on me and give me these matches and allow me to work with him. And kind of trust me and that situation really meant a lot to me. And it was one of those things. There’s so much emotion to it that I would 100% tell people go watch that at that moment. That was Mike Bennett.

Time with Impact:

You know, as far as like, everyone always has their talks about impact at that time because of the management and I get it. I’ve been outspoken about the management at that point with money and stuff like that. But at its core, everyone really cared about the product we were putting on, from talent to management to John Gaborik. to David Lagana. To Billy Corgan, everyone really cared about what we were putting out there. And I think the biggest part was the talent. The talent all felt like we had something special so regardless of what was going on, monetarily, or what was going on in management, or all the crap that you were hearing online, you always heard like, oh, morale is really down and impact it was never really doubt we all rally behind each other we all rally behind Drew McIntyre we all rally behind Bobby Lashley we all rally behind EC three and myself and, and the Hardy Boys and and just Eli Drake and all these people. We knew we had something special. So we rally behind each other because we wanted to get that product out. So I have extremely fond memories I could have done without the BS of the money and the political game and all that crap. But at the end of the day, now, hands down one of the best.

Working with his wife Maria:

You know that she’s very important. What we’re doing, made this decision where Okay, she joined me in 2011 given it almost 10 years of this Mike Maria, together kind of presentation. Now we’re trying to see what we can do on our own. What can Mike Bennett do on his own? I know what Maria Callas can do on our own, she’s incredibly talented. And plus, she’s starting to slowly transition into this, this backstage role of taking over the women of the women’s division and Ring of Honor. And really focusing on that because in her head, she’s like, there will be a time Well, I will come on the screen and I will be needed on the screen. But in her head, she really is just focused on helping out the younger talent, the younger girls get to achieve what they want to achieve. And she knows that what’s best for me right now is to go and wrestle and just be Mike Bennett, the wrestler not offended and Maria the act. So that’s kind of where we’re at before it was pivotal. We were team sexy, we were Mike and Maria, we were doing everything and that is like all those memories so fondly, but there will be a time where we come back together. Obviously we’re married. We see each other every single day of our lives. But as far as a presentation on camera, we’re kind of taking it into two separate directions it’ll always be there everyone will always tell that when there’s Maria there’s Mike when there’s Mike there’s Maria but as far as what we’re doing now it’s kind of different.

Positives with his WWE run

I got to travel. Imagine I rested in Saudi Arabia, like I never thought that I would be. I got to do a European tour, WrestleMania I got two nice things. But for me, the biggest thing was and again this is going to sound like a slight at WWE and I know there are going to be some fans that take it that way. But it’s not getting to WWE taught me what I didn’t want in this industry. It taught me that. Okay, this company is for some people. It’s not for me. I want to be a pro wrestler. I want to focus on the sport of pro wrestling. I want to actually wrestle when I can. I want to have 15 2030 minute matches. I’m not looking to Be a television superstar. I want to be Mike Bennett, the pro wrestler, because at the end of the day, that’s why I got into the industry.

On the positives of being released from WWE:

Yeah, you know, so it was kind of like it was one of those catch 20 twos because we got fired in the middle of a pandemic, which as a dad is terrifying, because you’re now unemployed. And it wasn’t just me, it was my wife. So now as a family, you’re unemployed. And your first thought is I have to provide, I have to provide for my children, no matter what, money’s not coming in anymore. What do I have to do? But as you start to get away from that, and get away from that scariness of it, you start to learn like, oh, okay, I still know what I’m doing. I had a career before this, I will have a career After this, I’m going to be just fine. And then you start to get excited when you start going to shows and you go to Ring of Honor, and you have matches, and your first thought is okay, well, I got to make sure we don’t do this, this and this, because so and so said, we can’t do this, this and this. And it’s written so we and you go Wait, no, you can have creative freedom. Wait. So you mean if I do this move, I’m not going to get yelled at the minute I walk through the gorilla position, all my god and the whole world just starts to open up and you start to get very excited about it. So for me, if I didn’t have kids getting fired, probably I probably wouldn’t light up. I’m so excited. Originally, I was like, Oh, god, I’m terrified. But then as you start to progress, and you start to come out of that fog, and that haze, you go, this is kind of awesome. I love this.

 Morale in the Ring Of Honor Locker Room:

You know, it’s it’s one of those things where at the very first start of it, your kind of like, this is weird, there’s no crowd, but then you start to kind of maneuver and navigate your way through these matches, and you learn like, okay, this is how I have to have this match. And this is how I have to do this. And if I just do this, I can keep the match interesting this way. And I shouldn’t do this, because then it’ll be too quiet. And I’ll come across as awkward. So you start to really navigate like pro wrestlers do in front of a crowd, you navigate with what works and what doesn’t work. And I just feel like even in the locker room, the guys are, there’s a lot of guys that are just so happy to be working right now. And there’s like, so many people are out of jobs, and so many people aren’t working. And for me, I know, I’m like, I’ll wrestle in front of nobody, if it means I have consistent work coming in, I don’t care. I think I’m talented enough to put on a good match in front of 20,000 people or put it in front of nobody. So I think it’s just one of those things where you just tighten up, you adapt, because you have to adapt.

 ON ROH’s reputation on being the best ring action:

You can, it’s one of those things where it’s like, I love Ring of Honor, because it goes back to the sport of pro wrestling. And that’s what we’re focused on. It’s hard hitting, it’s high flying. It’s math based. It’s It’s It’s It’s violence based, it’s technical based, it’s everything but at the end of the day, it always brings you back to Ring of Honor and PCO is correct. When we have these tapings. When we’re in the bubble, people go all out, they go balls to the wall, nobody pulls punches. Nobody does anything. Everyone does it. Like there’s 20,000 people there and it’s just it’s it’s inspiring.

 On the most enjoyable time of his career: 

You know, it’s there so many times that it’s hard to just pinpoint one so many things shaped and molded me so many times I’ve been with my friends they got to travel the world. But that first run and Ring of Honor is hard to beat man when I was there the first time and you had guys like El Generico. Kevin Steen, the Briscoes, the Young Bucks, AJ Styles, The Bullet Club, me and Dave and as the kingdom Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly Bobby fish, like the list of guys that just goes on and on. And we were the up and comers being like no, we’re about to take over this industry. Looking back at that time now. And not only that, but all of us got to go and do Japan together and like it’s just one of those moments where I look back and I’m like, that’s gonna be a time in pro wrestling a lot of people talk about

On performing in front of the Japanese crowd:

You know it’s one of those things where the American crowd they like their mix of entertainment like they like their mix of haha, they like some entertainment aspect to it Japanese crowd again very sport based they like their wrestling very sport based and so it’s like they clap out of respect you don’t get like the chance that you might I mean there’s still chance for the guys and their names but you’re not gonna get like the the the asshole Chan you’re not gonna you know like that you’ll get it at wb you’re not going to get the watch and you get very much like respect for everything you do. You run a spot, you settle down the crowd claps for you. As the match starts to go they might cheer for one guy might cheer for the other guy, then they’ll settle down. They just react entirely differently.

 Who he looked up to growing up:

Oh, man that’s a tough one. When I was a kid growing up anything Stone Cold was in I loved but again, one of the craziest matches I ever watched was watching Mick Foley and the undertaker in Hell in a Cell and see and take or throw him off the cell that made me fall in love with Mick Foley and as a kid your love your your taste in wrestling is totally different than when you’re actually in the industry. So like for me it was always that chaos that mass amounts of chaos I love seeing Stone Cold get in there and just beat the living crap out of like 10 guys stun them all and then just leave like that’s what I loved when I was growing up now as I got older I fell in love with watching like Edge have matches and Christian have matches and Shawn Michaels versus the undertaker like real technical, real quality wrestling stuff. But like but I still love the carnage the carnage is still so much fun to me.

 Having majority of his career on demand through different streaming channels:

Not until you set it right now, which is really nice. It’s cool that I get to take my kids to watch me whenever they want, if they want. But no, I didn’t really think about that. But that’s pretty awesome to think about that. Like at a click of a finger. You can be like here’s daddy when he was 25 years daddy when he was 32. You know he was cool at one point.