Insight with Chris Van Vliet - BDE: From YouTuber To TNA Wrestler! Dream Matches, Buying a $20,000 Ticket To WWE

Episode Date: February 10, 2026

BDE (@itsbrandonde) is a YouTuber and professional wrestler signed with TNA. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Albuquerque, NM to discuss his success on YouTube and how that led to him making his pro wrestling debut, competing at TNA Bound For Glory 2025 and signing a contract, overcoming criticism from fans, why he spent $20,000 on a ticket to the WWE Royal Rumble, when he realized BDE has another meaning, dream matches, a possible NXT appearance, his goal to win the X Division Championship and more! Please support our sponsors: HELIX SLEEP: Flash sale! Go to https://helixsleep.com/cvv for 27% off sitewide! BEAM: Go to https://shopbeam.com/INSIGHT and use code INSIGHT for up to 40% off Beam’s Dream Powder DELETEME: Use the code INSIGHT to get 20% off your DeleteMe plan at https://joindeleteme.com/INSIGHT PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/cvv SEAT GEEK: Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/CVV Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount NORDVPN: Exclusive deal! https://nordvpn.com/cvv Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! PRIZEPICKS: Download the PrizePicks app today and use code INSIGHT to get $50 bonus credit in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup! For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://chrisvanvliet.com If you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast or Spotify? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests. Follow CVV on social media: Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris. Look at you, man. What timeline are we in? Congratulations on everything. Thank you, Chris. I appreciate that. It's funny. You and I go way back, right?

You were making thumbnails for my channel while you were still having a very successful YouTube channel of your own, but to see your growth over these last five, six years has been crazy. Man, if you would have told me five years ago that I'd be wrestling, I would say you're crazy. Was this ever the goal? It was something I always wanted to do, but I wasn't sure. how to get into it or if it was even possible for me. But once I started training back again in 2024, I believe, I was hooked. I was like, I got to keep doing it.

And then I had my first match. And then I was definitely hooked after that. Here's the thing. A lot of wrestling fans watch it and go, oh, I'd love to do that one day. I dream of doing that one day. And then they never take the steps towards doing it. What for you went from I'm a fan of this to I'm going to give this a try?

Surprisingly, it was just because my friends at the time, wanted to go to training. So they wanted to train to be wrestlers. And it was something that I was interested in. I wanted to see what a bump felt like because I was watching it for a decade at this point. So I was like, well, if I'm going to watch and it critique it, I got to at least try it. So I start going as a referee because I was like, I won't be a wrestler. I took like one bump. And my trainer at the time was like, you're not a ref. It's not happening. So then it all just kind of fell into place after that. How'd that first bump feel? It was pretty jarring. It was pretty jarring. My neck was hurting. I had a headache. It was bad. It was bad.

What kind of appreciation do you have now for the men and women who do this for a living now that you're doing it? I mean, the appreciation goes deep when it comes to bumping, you know, athleticism. There are certain moves that you think you can do. But then you get in the ring and try it. You stand on the top rope. You're like, oh, I don't know. That's a little tough. I don't know about that. It's funny because people online love to play Monday morning quarterback, right? Oh, I would have done this, or they should have done that. So many of them have never taken a bump, right? So now that you've gone in there and you've done it, you know what it feels like. You know how it should be.

And it completely changes everything for you. Yeah, it changes how you think. It changes how, like, it changes the moves you want to do for your own moves. It changes how you watch wrestling, too. Like after getting into the business and wrestling for, you know, I've only been wrestling for a but now it goes from when I watch wrestling, it used to be as a viewer. Now I'm like studying.

So it's a lot different. So congrats on signing with TNA. Thank you very much. That's a dream come true. How did that come together? I think it was the bound for glory match, the Call Your Shot Gauntlet, and then after that it was the turning point match with AJ,

and then I heard about it from Carlos in the back. He pulled me to the side, and he said, I want to offer you a contract. And I was happy as hell. man. I was like, I actually hugged them. I was like, can I hug you? How did you even get on their radar? Because it's one thing to be wrestling on the Indies, which is where you started, but then to have your chance to debut at Bound for Glory. And dude, debuting at Bound for Glory is huge. That's their biggest show.

What an opportunity. You know, I'm forever grateful for that. But I think it all came to be because T&A wrestling has this, you know, creator program, you could call it. So we were coming out to Slammerversary and like doing vlogs and filming. So we're meeting people and getting accustomed. And I think Sammy Callahan put in a good word and just the Bound for Gory match happened. I don't know how it happened, but it happened. What were you feeling before you went out? What were you thinking backstage?

I was nervous as hell. That was the most amount of people like I've ever been in the ring in front of before. So even though I didn't have a whole lot to do, I just wanted to. to make sure that everything looked good. I wanted to make sure that, you know, content creators were put in a good light, you're stepping into wrestling. Yeah, because it's difficult, right? Because you're already cast in a certain light of like, oh, you're just a YouTuber. You're just a content creator. And then people I think are already painting you in a certain light. You won't be able to do this because you didn't come from this. Do you feel like you have to

like overcome that? Yes and no. There's a certain chip on my shoulder that I feel like I need to prove, but at the same time, I don't mind being called a YouTuber. Like, that was my first dream job when I was a kid. So being called a YouTuber doesn't bother me, but I also want to prove that just because I'm a YouTuber doesn't mean I can't be a wrestler either. Look at the two jobs you have. Right? Right. YouTuber, pro wrestler. I'm living the dream. I can't lie. It's insane. It's insane. Don't you have your own ring? Or you guys share a ring? I have an 18 by 18 at my office space.

That's where I film all my content. What kind of sentence is that? I have a ring at my office space. Oh, yeah. We do a whole bunch of content in there. I got my boys in there, you know, Brett and Jaron. I got Malik in there too. And we got the ring.

So we all train. We all practice. All of it. It's like a whole facility. So it's one thing to go in, take a bump and like, okay, this is what it feels like. It's another thing to go. I'm going to chase after I imagine the initial goal was I'm going to have a match.

So talk to me about that transition of first day working and learning how to wrestle to actually having a match. First day is tough, man. Like just learning the fundamentals is it takes weeks, if not months to hammer down. You know you've trained before. Yeah. So like going from that to having a match, like I'm still learning. You know, I'm still shaking the green, as people say, you know. So I don't know how to put it into words necessarily besides it's freaking hard.

It's freaking hard. What do you think is the hardest part about it? Footwork, timing, especially. Like, I feel like I'm still learning my timing when to go, like when the urgency is, when to speed up, when to slow down. Like, you always hear when you think you're going slow, go slower, you know. So I think my timing for sure. I think that, I mean, I trained when I was 20.

So we're going way back here. But I remember one of the most surprised. things was the next day, I was just hurting in places I'd never hurt before. And like running the ropes, I had a bruise on my lat that stayed for days. And it's funny, this idea of like you get calloused up to it. And like, it's a funny thing to hear, but it's true. Right. You get calloused up to this idea of like, are your body's just used to being in these car crashes every day? And it's like, it takes a while to get that callous. And sometimes like things still hurt, you know, like hitting the ropes in training is a lot different than hitting the ropes in a match. Your adrenaline is going in a match,

so you don't necessarily feel it. But in training, you feel every single rope hit, every bump, everything. How did this debut match with AJ Francis come together? Honestly, I, you know, that's above my pay grade. I just get booked in these matches. I just get surprised every time. But I think it just came together because the Bound for Glory spot that we had, you know, eliminating him from the call your shot gauntlet. And I think it just led to that. And, you know, we have a lot of history from the Indies as well. So I think that was just a way of seeing how I could hang in a one-on-one.

Yeah, your very first wrestling match was with AJ Francis. And this wasn't just an appearance where you were in there for 30 seconds or a minute. It's a 15-minute match. 15-minute match, no D-Q. Yeah. So how did that initial match get put together? I think I was like three, four months back into, training at this point. And AJ wanted to have a match. And I didn't feel ready, truthfully.

I was like, I just got back. Like, I had a little bit of training in 2019. So it was really just sharpening up the skills again. But I still didn't feel ready. But he felt that I was ready. He went to Sammy, got it put together. And then we had the match. And after that, I did, I felt more ready than I thought after actually having wrestled the first match. Have you watched that match back? I've watched that match so many times, so many times. What do you think? I'm honestly proud of it. Like, there's, when I look back at it now, there's things that I'm like, okay, I could

do that better, I could do that better. But for a first match, I think we went out there and killed it. The choke slam into the cutter. So smooth. Dude, that bump is nasty. Let me tell you, dude. He chokeslam me from the top of the turnbuckle through a table. And still to this day, that's the word.

bump I've ever taken. But it was so smooth how you reversed that choke slam into the cutter, like, look like you've been doing it for years. Thank you. The cutter is my favorite move to do. You're just growing up watching wrestling, it's one of the smoothest moves. I knew I wanted to implement it in some way. So I appreciate the compliment.

The end of that match is wild, right? The way that that match ends. You can't really prepare for a spot like that. So what are you thinking in that much? moment. You know, in the moment, I'm just like, I know this is going to suck, but I think it'll, I think it'll be worth it because, you know, like we were talking about earlier, YouTubers have this kind of like stigma to him. So I wanted to go out there and prove that like, I can hang or like I can, I take this seriously, you know. And I think you have to give a ton of credit to AJ Francis.

You got to give him his flowers. He is so good at making his opponents look great. He does not get enough credit. He really doesn't. I completely agree. And like, I think it's a testament to him how great your debut match was because he took care of you so much in that match. He did. He did. He's an absolute pro. He's one of the best storytellers in the business, in my opinion. Like, for a match to be that good, I've never had a match. I got to give him credit to AJ, all credit. Also, a guy that big doesn't need to be bumping the way he does. Man, he bumps for everybody. He makes everybody look great. He's selfless when it comes to actually telling a story in the ring. It's crazy. So pretty crazy that you went from playing as someone like Nick Namath,

Dolph Ziegler, in a 2K game. Now you can have a match with him. Yeah, I don't appreciate him. I'm plugging my switch, but at the same time, I am excited for the match. Everyone knows, like, if you've been watching me for a while, Nick is the reason I got into wrestling. The very first wrestling match that I remember watching was it had Nick Nemouth in it and I've been a fan of them ever since so So what's your earliest memory of wrestling? My earliest memory of wrestling was actually like here comes the pain the video game But I love that you were introduced to wrestling from video games yeah like I had Friends at the time they would always play and I'm like what is this game? I thought it was just like a regular like Fighter game like Street Fighter or something like that so that was my first like impression of

of wrestling that I remember. Funny story, actually, I was on a cruise not too long ago, and my aunt was telling me that I actually used to watch wrestling with her all the time when I was a baby and, like, as a toddler or whatever, and I would pop for, you know, all the people like Stone Cold, the Rock, all that. But I don't remember that at all. No memory of it. But my first, like, memory watching wrestling was Nick versus Kobe Kingston for the intercondo

change. Oh, man. And both of those guys can, they can go. Dude, I was amazed. Ever since then, I became a fan, ever since then. Now that you're in TNA, what are the goals in TNA? I want to win a championship. That is definitely why I'm here, you know?

Like, I want to win the X Division Championship. Eventually the world title, that's way down the line. I still got to earn my stripes. But, you know, debuted in the call your shot gauntlet. I would absolutely love to win that 100%. That's like goal number one, really. Okay. To win the call your shot gunlet?

Yes, yes. I feel like it would just be poetic, you know, just to debut there and then to eventually win it, that's the goal. What's like the mindset you have towards wrestling now? Because you're not just an observer now. You're in it and you're doing it. What's the mindset you have when you're doing it now? My mindset is honestly the same as content, really. Like, it's different, of course.

Like, you know, one, I just sit behind a desk and one, I'm actually like doing physical activity. But the mindset, I feel like is pretty much the same. You know, with YouTube, you really got to, you got to know your stuff. You got to review your clips. You got to look at your retention. You know, there's so much that goes behind it, so much thought that goes into a video. So I apply the same pressure that I put into content creation into wrestling. It's like, how do I get better each match?

Really, my goal is to get 1% better each match because I'm not chasing perfection, but I do want to get better each time. So you're watching your stuff back. Oh, yeah. I watch everything back. Because you hear a lot of wrestlers that are like, I don't want to watch it back. You hear a lot of actors that are like, once it's done, it's done. I can't change anything.

When you're watching it back, are you looking for ways to get better for the next batch? Yeah. Like, honestly, I don't like watching my match batch for the exact same reason. But I feel like because I came up in the content space and like I always had to watch my videos back to see where the retention dips were and stuff like that, I apply that same logic. It's like, if I don't watch my own. matches back, I feel like I won't progress faster because if there's something I don't like,

if I see it, then I know not to do it again. One of the things I always tell people that want to be content creators, and I'm sure you'll agree with this, other than consistency. I think that's the number one rule. That's hammered in. Right. We won't get to that in a minute. I think it's get used to seeing yourself on camera and also get used to hearing yourself. Like, yes, this is the voice that everybody else hear. They know it sounds different in your ears, but like get used to seeing yourself. Get used to seeing yourself. used to hearing yourself. And I guess for you, that's taken to another level now of like, get used to seeing yourself without a shirt in front of hundreds and thousands of people. That's a change because, you know, I grew up skinny. I'm a skinny guy. Like,

after I started wrestling, I really started going to the gym a lot more. So it's something that I was never like uncomfortable with, but it's taking some time to get used to as well. You could have been a T-shirt wrestler. Yeah, yeah. But could have been like cut off sleeves wrestler. But I felt like if I wore anything like that, I feel like I'd be like hiding something in a way. Like, I feel like me just coming out like a wrestler changes the perception, you know, if that makes sense. Yeah, well, you have great gear. Thank you.

Thank you. I take pride in my gear. I take a lot of pride in my gear. So what went into that? So my, the first gear that I had, I did like a Spider-Man theme to it. Spider-Man is my favorite superhero of all time. Like, it's honestly kind of crazy. I think Spider-Man is the reason, like, I love, like, camera.

and photography. And I think, I mean, honestly, when you think about it, that's my first impression of wrestling. Peter Parker. Yeah, when it comes to, like, macho man being the steel cage, that honestly, that might be the first impression. Bonson saw. Yeah. So I think, like, Peter, wow, this is great. Peter Parker slash Spider-Man. So my first gear was, like, Peter Parker inspired. Then my second gear is, like, Miles Morales inspired. But this gear that I have now, the gold one, that one has a lot of sentimental value. value in it because it's black and gold and it has like silver outlines. So the gold represents the one million plaque and the the two silver outlines represents the my first 100 K plaque from

YouTube and the 100K plaque from vibe. So there's like meaning in my gear. So you're going to have more gear on the way. Do you have ideas for this? So I have there's a gear I have in mind but I don't want to spoil yet. It's definitely going to be inspired from a very popular movie. I think it's a Pixar movie. That's all I'll say about that. Who do you think is the greatest Spider-Man of all time? Oh, my God. Like Spider-Man or Peter Parker?

You tell me. All right. Because I think you could put it in two different categories. Okay. Best Spider-Man, I'd say, is Andrew Garfield. I think he embodies, like, what Spider-Man is. Like, if you've read comics at all, I think he is the closest we've seen to it. I think the best Peter Parker is Toby.

but I think the best mix is Tom. Yeah, but I'll say my favorite Spider-Man movie of all time is into the Spider-verse. The animation is goaded. Oh, my God. And that's such a great story, too. Man, it had me hooked. I even see it when it first came out. I slept on it for like two years.

I finally watch it. I'm like, oh, my God, what have I been doing this whole time? Spider-Man superhero movies, that's something that really inspires you? Yeah, that's something that, like, I'm always, like, looking forward to the next, you know, superhero movie. I check out every single thing. like I'm a big nerd when it comes to that. And I feel like a lot of it goes into my personality too.

Like I feel like a lot of stuff that I've read from comics are just seen in movies goes into like my content. It goes into wrestling. Like comics is really like a part of my life in a big way. Do you remember the first time you watched TNA? Yeah. The first time I watched TNA was actually around when the game came out. The Xbox 360 game, you remember?

Yes. I think actually the first. T&A match that I watched. If I'm not mistaken, I want to say it was Kurt Engel versus Mr. Anderson. Yeah, yeah, the word Kurt did the moonsaw all off the top.

Oh, my God, dude. Off the top of the cage. Insane. Insane. See, after wrestling, we'll never do that. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. Insane.

You recently had a match with Mr. Anderson, Mr. Kennedy. Talk to me about that. Man, that, speak about dreams come true, man. Like, just being able to share the ring with people that I grew up watching is something that I never thought would happen. Like, I feel like I'm still, like, having imposter syndrome sometimes. You know, it's like, how am I here?

Yeah, how do you deal with that? Yeah, I think it's just time. Like, over time, it's gotten more normal, but I don't even think I'm still there yet, truthfully. But I think it just comes with time and just, like, Like asking questions too. That's what makes me feel more comfortable because I really want to understand what I'm doing in the ring. So the imposter syndrome fades, the more I ask questions backstage with some of the wrestlers.

When you're backstage at a TNA show surrounded by legends, what are you thinking? The little kid in me is going crazy. I can't lie. Like that's a part of me that I won't hide. Like when I was at Bound for Glory, I was backstage. I really didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Because, you know, I grew up a fan. I'm not afraid to hide it.

But I was like, I got to get a picture with the Hardee's. I have to. You know, if I don't get a picture with the Hardee's right now, my friends would be pissing me. So, yeah, I think just it's, it's, I keep saying it, but it's really a dream come true. I know that Jeff Hardy gave you some advice. What was the advice he said?

The advice he said, paraphrasing really, it was just to be yourself and be authentic. I was asking like, what do you think is the best way to, you know, connect with the audience? And he told me just be authentic, be yourself. And he was like, you're already doing that because you have your content and stuff like that. But that was really the gistive. It was a quick conversation. He was putting his makeup on, so I didn't want to bother him.

But, yeah, he was very kind about that. So, yeah, the authenticity for sure. Have you got any other great pieces of advice from one of the other veterans? Yeah. Eric Young gave me a great piece of advice when it comes to character work. I was telling him about a time on the independence where I had this idea for, you know, bringing out a phone or a GoPro or something like that. And it got turned down.

And I was like, okay, that's fine. Like the other wrestler in the match turned it down. I was like, okay, that's fine. We don't have to do it. I'm okay with that. But Eric was telling me fight for things like that because that's your character. Those are things people remember. So I would say that that's one of the biggest pieces of advice I've learned so far is like double down on it.

Like that's the reason you're here. So show that side of your character. Did you come up with the idea to come out filming yourself like selfie style? Yeah. Like it was kind of like a mix because there was I wanted to do a different thing with my entrance. Like I wanted to like grab the camera and like kind of like show around, do like a selfie style thing. And then Sammy was the one who told me to actually. bring out my phone because he was like, you should live stream it every time you come out.

But certain venues, like, internet's not great or my data's not great. So I just decided, okay, I'll just come out with the phone, record it. And I'm glad I decided to do that instead because I feel like it's a more authentic way for me to connect with the crowd sometimes because I didn't always used to turn to the crowd and, like, show them when I was like making my entrance. But then I heard them, the first time I did it, they reacted really loud. And I was like, oh, okay, I'll do it to the other side. They reacted really loud. And I was like, oh, okay, I'll do it to the other side. They reacted really loud. I was like, all right, I got to keep that. I've got to keep that. And I've gotten some DMs about it. Like, sometimes they'll be like, oh, I saw myself in the videos.

So, and I love that. Like, I'm very community driven. Like, on my YouTube, I have a Reddit page, and it's all community driven. Like, every single post on there is from people who are subscribed to the channel. So anything that gets my community involved, I'm all for. I'm all for it. You know, it's hard to believe that it's already been over a month since John Cena's final match. And I'm grateful to say that I was able to be there in person in D.C. with some amazing tickets from Seatkeek. And I want to give a huge shout out to Seatkeek for sponsoring this episode. With over 35 million downloads, Seatkeek is the number one rated ticketing app. There are more than 70,000 events listed on Seat Geek, including concerts, WWE, sports, festivals, and more. The NFL

playoffs are here. The Super Bowl is right around the corner. Elimination Chamber also around the corner. And the great thing about Seekek is they've got your back. Every ticket is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 so you know you're getting a good deal. Look for the green dots. Green means good. Red means bad. Plus every ticket is backed by their buyer guarantee. And of course, I have a code for you guys. You can use the code CVV for 10% off your next set of tickets at Seek. That's 10% off any tickets with the promo code, CVV, and make sure to click the link in the show notes to download the app and have that code automatically apply to your account so you can use it later.

Big shout out to Seekkeek for sponsoring this episode. The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. Soccer Podcast. My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Clevenberg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the World Cup. Times ticking. I think you can feel the intense. All the guys are wanting to really take their claim, and they want to be on that World Cup roster. There's no doubt about it.

Hosting the World Cup on the home soil comes with its pressures, but we're just really excited just as the people are. The U.S. Soccer Podcast, presented by Henko. Follow and listen on your favorite platform. Have you officially come up with a name for your finisher? Yeah, yeah. So the knee of glory, that's like the running knee, the frog splash. I call it the fall from glory. And now we just named the springboard cutter, the clip cutter.

The clip cutter. Oh, yeah, dude. I was trying to figure out a name for it for a while, but I was like, I'll just leave it until I find something I like. And then it was actually at TNA last week where I came up with it. And I was like, that's staying.

I like that. That's a tough move. Not only is it a tough move to pull off athletically, but that's a tough move because you've got so many other people all around the world doing different versions of that move. Like Will Osprey goes like 40 feet in the air

when he does that room. He gets height, Javon, too. Javon. Javon goes inside. insane huh yeah Cody does the move yep yes what makes yours a little bit different I think what makes mind different is it's definitely inspired off of them you know 100% I'm not hiding that at all but I think what makes mind different is the name even though the move is the same I just think that the name makes it stand out a little bit more because you know we cut clips for a living

you know with content so I like to think that the names help it stand out just a little bit it. So talk to me about this idea of like you're saying we're cutting clips now. You're at the point where you have other people working on your team. What's the BDE team look like? So my team is very small. I like to keep it small. Right now I have my editor and creative director. His name is Big Red. Shot out Big Red. And then I have Michael. He's my creative director. He helps, you know, ideation, thumbnails, clips, all of it. And then I also have Ben. He's a lot. He's, is my cameraman as well. Where does the idea for a video even come from?

Honestly, it all starts with just what I click it. Like, is this a video that I would watch? When I was younger, I used to think about like content gaps, basically. Like, is there a video that isn't out there that I want to make that nobody else is making, but I really want to watch? So I just try and create what I would find entertaining or what my young. younger self would find entertaining. So if the video idea doesn't really hit, I won't make it. Or like even even as far into the video process, like if I have the idea, cool, but if I don't

have the title or thumbnail, I will not make the video. Titles and thumbnails are like crucial, right? They're the most important thing. When you have a video titled, I bought a $20,000 seat to Royal Rumble. Like, yeah, I'd click on that. Yeah, like that. And that was a risk. That was a really big risk because I've never like I've spent a lot of money on videos. So you actually bought a $20,000 ticket? It wasn't like a sponsor said I dropped $20,000 in my own money. That was that was the biggest risk I've ever taken like when the video guy, I think it got four million views. So you made your money back with that video. So I mean that it paid off. Yeah. But what are you thinking when you, when you hit okay. I was doing it. On one hand, I was excited because I was like I've never sat that

close at a wrestling show before. So I was like, either way, it's going to be awesome. But I was like, I really hope the ROI is going to be there. It all came about because I was playing video games Brent and we were just chilling and we were like, you know, we want to go to this event. And he was like, why don't we just get tickets? And I was like, hold on. That's a good idea. So then I call like my business manager and I was like, hey, I kind of want to drop $20,000. He was on a ticket. What do you think about this? He was like, what are the plans to make that back?

I was like, oh, we'll do streams. We'll do whatever we got to do. I don't know. We'll make it back. And we ended up doing streams to make it back. So, like, the video, before we even filmed it, like, we had already made some of it back. But it was still a big risk. I've never dropped that much money in my life.

What was the exact amount of money for that ticket? Do you remember? The ticket itself was like 18,000, but playing tickets. two it made it i think i think i think the total came out to like 22 000 i think yeah it was gross it was gross but i mean look at the seats you had the view you had it was so worth it and i think like that video changed the trajectory of my content because before it was very gaming focused and it was very um like wrestling topic focus like with the reddit but i feel like after that then it showed a little bit more of our personalities.

And I think people, not necessarily they didn't want to see gaming anymore, but I think they wanted to see more of me. I've heard other creators talk about if you can't nail down a title and if you can't think about what that thumbnail will look like, you shouldn't make the video.

I fully agree with that because you can have the greatest video of all time, but nobody will know if they don't click. Right. So like, if I have the idea in mine, I'm like, sweet. I think it's a banger. If the thumbnail's there, cool.

title I can kind of be a little more iffy about, but the thumbnail has to be there. It has to. And if the click through is, let's say, 5% for a video versus 10% for a video, I think a lot of people go, oh, 5% to 10% not that big of a deal. It's twice as many people clicking through. And I think a lot in those ways of like, that's the difference between 10,000 views and 20,000 views or 100,000 views and 200,000, a million and 2 million and so on and so on. And it's these little incremental changes. People don't realize how much a thumbnail matters. Oh, it's the most important thing. Because there was one time, um, I changed the thumbnail of my video. It was like a four year old video, but I was like,

this video has potential. So I was like, and it got decent views in the past. And I was like, I'll just change it. See what happens. Because I heard a story about like Mr. Beast changing his thumbnail and he like doubled his views. So I was like, okay, I'll try it. Whatever. Um, so I changed the thumbnail on the video. It literally got 400,000 more views. Like you can see exactly where I changed the thumbnail. it spiked like crazy. And it was an old video. Like it had been up for like three years already.

So I'm like, it just goes to show how much the thumbnail matters. So when you were thinking about titles and thumbnails, what are kind of some do's and don'ts? I like to keep my titles relatively short. Like I don't like to go above 60 characters. I would even say 50 because like some devices, it gets cut off.

So I like, I like for a viewer to be able to know exactly what the video is. And especially with, the thumbnails too, like, I don't like repeating myself in the thumbnail and in the title. That's a great point because there's now two opportunities to have more text, right? So if you have a little bit of text on your thumbnail, that shouldn't repeat what's in your title. Exactly. My best piece of advice that I give other creators when they make thumbnails is if you can, if I can tell what your video is about without having to read the title, you have a great thumbnail.

So, Maven put out a video talking about the best YouTubers turned wrestlers. Logan Paul was number one. I think that makes a lot of sense. I think that. I'll take that. I'll take that. As long as I'm not five. What a list to be on.

I'm proud to be on that list, honestly. And that high up, I take. Yeah, the Maven is just crushing it, right? His channel's going crazy. He's going to hit a million subscribers issue. I couldn't be happier for Maven and the work that him and Zach are doing. But like, it's funny also because Maven's the inverse of that. Maven's the wrestler turned YouTuber, right?

You're the YouTuber turned wrestler. What did it mean to hear those things from Maven? It meant a lot too because he gave some good constructive criticism in there. Like, I don't shy away from it. I tell people all the time, especially backstage at TNA, I'm like, please, if you see anything, let me know. And I was glad Maven did the same. Like, I forgot exactly what he said. I think it was about my strikes, actually.

Like, I think he watched, I think my fifth match ever and my strikes didn't look great. And he was, and I think there was something like that and like a little bit of a timing thing. But everything he said was valid. And I've been working on that consistently. So I love constructive criticism. Yeah, what's your relationship like with criticism, whether it's helpful or maybe it's hurtful. What's your relationship like with that? I invite it because at the same, like, even if it's not, you know,

negative, I feel like there's some truth in it to an extent, right? If it's overly negative, I think you can tell the difference. You know, you can tell the difference between someone who's hating and someone who is just giving their opinion, right? And I don't mind someone critiquing me or giving me constructive criticism because, you know, I'm not, I'm only a year in, you know, so there's things that I need to get better at. There's things I still need to improve on. I think the only thing is, it's like if I wouldn't trade places with the person, then I'll just take it with a grain of salt

versus then taking it like for, you know, you know what I'm saying? Oh, I know. There's that quote that I love, never take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from or something like that. Yeah, yeah.

Or like, don't take advice from someone you wouldn't trade places with. Yeah, something like that. It's so true, right? One of the most difficult things about the position that you're in is you're learning this in front of everybody. Right. It's in front of everybody to see all of your successes, but at the same time, all of your

stumbles along the way. And there's a bit more of a spotlight on you because you have over a million subscribers. So it's difficult when you're having your first and second and third and 20th matches. It's a lot different from some person who doesn't have that type of YouTube following, having their first bunch of matches. So like, I feel like you're under the microscope a little bit more. Yeah, I do feel like I have a little less grace. But at the same time, it's a good way putting it. Yeah, but I don't mind it either because at the same time I get it. Like, it's like anytime, like I remember, you know, the first time any celebrity steps into the ring, you do kind of critique them a little bit more than you normally would

because they come from somewhere else. But that doesn't mean they can't learn and adapt. Like, I'm here with TNA full time. So I plan on getting better every single time I'm in the ring. So if you're here with TNA full time now, what does that do to your full-time content creating job? So the content is still going to stay the same. Like, I would say since full time with TNA, the content is not necessarily on the back burner, but it's not my primary focus anymore.

Like, my primary focus is getting the gym, studying, practice and promos, all that. You know, like, this is the main goal now. Because I feel like with content after I hit a million subscribers, that was like my real, like, last goal for YouTube. Yeah. It's something that I'll still do. I tell my viewers all the time, I'll be making content until I'm old and gray. Like, my mom gave me my first camera when I was like nine years old. I used to make like family movies, skits with my friends.

It's just, that's just something I enjoy doing. Like, it was a hobby before it was a job. So I'm always going to be making content. Your mom gave you your first camera when you were nine. Mm-hmm. Funny enough, it's actually on YouTube. It's like 17 years old. We were, we were just chilling early in the morning.

And I couldn't flare my nostrils. And see, I don't know. a why, but she was roasting me for it. She was like, I'm getting the camera. We're filming it. So we filmed this video. And it was like probably like 15 seconds long, nothing crazy. She uploaded it to YouTube. And then after that, she was like, I actually got a new camera. So you can have this one. I was like, say less. And this was around the time where like I Carly was out like on Nickelodeon. That was like my favorite show at the time. So I was like, and that's 100% of the reason I'm a contact creator, 100%. Because of I Carly. Because of I Carly.

100%. So I was like, this is perfect. I get to do what? I see on TV and all that. And so I just started taking pictures with it. I would take videos with it. I used that camera so much that it just stopped working. It just died out. So I think one of the biggest questions that people who don't know you are going to ask is who is BDE.

So who are you? Where are you from? Where'd you grow up? So I was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. I didn't spend much time there. I ended up moving to California. I moved back to Jersey, moved to Albany, Georgia, moved to Atlanta.

I moved around a lot. Why were you moving so much? You know, I think it was just because my dad got like different jobs. He would, you know, jump around. My mom got different jobs to jump around. And then when I moved back to New Jersey, my grandma ended up buying a house in Albany, Georgia, because that's where she was born.

So she wanted all of us to go with her. And my mom wanted to stay. I think that's how the story goes. And my grandma was like, if you come with us, the house is yours. So my mom was like, okay, bet. So we ended up moving. And I, truthfully, I didn't like it that much in Albany, Georgia. It just like, I think it was just because I moved so much.

I felt like I didn't really have like a stable, you know, foundation when it came to, like, friends and stuff like that. So once I moved to Atlanta, that's where, like, I discovered who I was, like, or to an extent because I was a kid. But, like, that's where I started my content for real. Like, that was, Atlanta is where I started making YouTube videos. Like, that's where I started my acting classes. That's where I made most of my friends.

Like every friend that I have in Atlanta, I still talk to today. But then I end up moving out of Atlanta, moved back to Albany. I moved so much. It's nuts. But if I didn't move out of Atlanta, I don't think I'd even be here. Because I was doing content in Atlanta, but my focus was acting. but once I moved to back to Albany, then there wasn't really like anything else to do.

Like it's a very small town. It's like you got to eat, go to the roller rink, and that's about it. You know, go to the movies and that's really it. So I was just bored out of my mind. I was like, all right, well, I'm just going to make content all day.

I got nothing else to do. So yeah, content creator first, wrestler second. Do you still want to act? Yeah, it's something that I definitely want to do. I think it still goes hand in hand with wrestling because like um you know with promos and you know backstay segments there's acting elements in there so it's something i's definitely still want to do for sure where do you call home these days uh day in ohio now that's i've i've lived in dayton almost as long as i've lived

in atlanta which is crazy to think about what brought you to dayton so erin at the time he was living in day and we wanted to start vibe and he was living there and me and dalt were living in in Georgia, but we both at the time felt like we wanted to move. And I had like a hurricane that hit not too long ago. And it took my internet out for 45 days. So it just stopped my content. 45 days. 45 days.

And this was like when I was like in the content grind. Like this was when I think the new game, I just came out. So I had to go to like my old college and like they let me still upload videos there. They're a saint for that. But after that happened, I was like, I have to move. I have to move. So we ended up moving to Dane to start Vibe. And I just stayed there ever since.

I have my house there now. So I don't think I'm leaving anytime soon. You did a video showcasing the different ways to sell a stunner. Yeah, yeah. And I love this because I think the Montez-Ford sell is so underrated. Dude, he's so good. It makes no sense. Oh, my God.

I think there's so many people who can sell a stunner well. Those are some of my favorite videos to make, too. And hopefully I get to make more with some of the T&A talent eventually. But the way he's like, he's like just, I don't know, like frozen and then kind of just falls over. People don't realize that bump sucks too. Because like, the way he falls over, he's like falling like all on his shoulder. I'm like, yo, maybe I shouldn't have done that. What's the video you made that was most surprising of the reaction you got?

What do you mean? Like, oh my gosh, this video blew up. I had no idea. Oh, just surprised that it took off. Yeah. I mean, truthfully, I was surprised at how well the Rumble video did, like the $20,000 one. Like, I had a feeling it would do well, but I didn't think it would do as well as it did. Like it, like I was telling you earlier, it changed the trajectory of the channel.

Like, if I don't, if I didn't make more vlogs, they, I don't think people would have been very happy. So we talked about consistency earlier. And I think that that is like the number one key, really just in whatever you're chasing after in life. But if you want to be a content creator, you want to be a podcast or it's, like be consistent. How much has consistency changed your life in your career? I mean, consistency, I know people are tired of hearing it, but I really think that's like the backbone of content or anything that you want to do in life, really. Like, consistency is, consistency is there when motivation is not, you know, like that discipline to just keep going. Like, there's, there's times

that I film a video and I do not feel like filming it. You know, I'm just not in the mood for it. I didn't wake up on the right side of the bed that day. But at the end of the day, that's the job. You know, same with wrestling, too. It's like consistency is the only way you're going to get better. Like those reps is the only way you're going to get better. So consistency is key. Yeah, and it's interesting because people don't think about creating content like a job. And I think that if you treat it like a hobby, it will end up being a hobby. You treat it like a job, it'll be a job. But when you wake up and you have a nine to five Monday to Friday job, it doesn't, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how you. It doesn't matter how

you feel you got to go you got to go and clock in and do your job for the day and i think that sometimes with content it's like well do i i'll make it tomorrow or i'll put it off till next week and i feel like when you put that off a day a day turns into a week turns into a month and next thing you know you're not doing it anymore exactly like that's like that's something that's a habit i try not to fall into like there's sometimes a bit okay i i really don't feel good i'm gonna film it tomorrow right but if i say that then i have to film it tomorrow because you can't you can't complacent. You just can't. You just can't. I would love to see a match between you. BDE versus Leon Slater. Oh, my God. That's a dream match. Oh, my God. Don't even get me started, bro. That's something

I'm looking forward to. That's on the bucket list for sure, especially for this year. I think, it could happen. I think it could happen too. Like, think about he's just unbelievable. And he's young. What is he? 21 still? That makes no sense, bro. That makes no sense. He's got his whole career ahead of Pretty crazy. Right? Yeah. Let me tell you about a dream match right here. Okay.

Me versus Leon versus Javan. That's something that's in there. I need that match one day. With the partnership that TNA has with WWE and NXT, is that another goal for you to wrestle in NXT? Yeah, that would be sweet. Obviously, my main focus is TNA, but if the opportunity ever rolls around, I'm definitely down.

I'm a team player. Whatever TNA wrestling needs me to do, I'm there for. So you know BDE can stand for a lot of things. Yep. For you, it stands for Brandon does everything. At what point did you realize there was another meaning? Yeah. So when I hit 100,000, my name didn't even fit on the plaque because it was just so many

characters. It was too long. Like the G and everything didn't fit. So at that point, that's when I realized, I'm like, okay, this name is hell long. So around like, I think it was like 2021 or 222, I was like, I want to shorten it. but I was like, if I change it to anything else, I feel like it would just be too jarring. So I was like, I'll just shorten it. And then I don't even think I realized what the acronym would be.

And I looked at it, I'm like, if I change it, this is either going to be really bad or people are going to just forgive it after time. So I hesitated on changing it for like two weeks. And I was like, I really got to change it. I got to shorten it. So I sat on it because I realized what it also met. Pause. Because there's a lot of people that are seeing BDE in TNA for the first time going,

what? Yeah, yeah. But you know what? I kind of like that, though, because it's like, it's a little bit of a curiosity. It's like, and I've even heard people like, I'll tell them what it is. And I'm like, sure. So at the same time, I kind of like it. It gives that curiosity gap.

What was the original idea behind Brandon does everything? What was the everything you were doing? So at the time, before I was making wrestling content on my channel, I was doing like, Call duty, Minecraft. Like, I was even making like Happy Wheels videos. Like, I just wanted to do everything. But as I learned more about the platform, that's not really how it works or it used to back in the day.

But now it's like you got to pick a niche and stick with it. But so I changed the name to Brandon does everything because I wanted to just film anything I wanted to. And I made one wrestling video and it bypassed every single other video I ever made. And I was like, okay, well, I'll also make other. videos too. I was making other videos. It got like 100 views at the time. And then I made another wrestling video, a thousand views, two thousand views. I'm like, okay, I think I'm going to move over here. What's your advice for someone who's watching this right now and hasn't made their first dollar on

YouTube? Or it's $100 in Google Adsense pays you out, right? So they haven't made that enough money to cash out on Google AdSense. What's your advice for them if they want to turn this into a part-time job, then eventually a full-time job? My advice. It may be unpopular, but if you're doing it for the money, then you shouldn't do it. Because I've seen, I used to say all the time that content is for everybody. Everybody can make videos. I used to say that all the time. But after years of like helping people with their channels and seeing how they operate,

seeing the ones who are driven by money versus the ones who would do it even if it was like, even if you didn't get paid for it. The ones that always succeed are the ones who would do it if it was for. free. Like, even if I didn't make any money off of YouTube, I'd still be doing it. Maybe I wouldn't do it as much. Maybe, you know, my focus would be elsewhere, but I'd still be doing it. So I think if you're doing it for money, you're kind of doing it for the wrong reason. There's nothing wrong with wanting to get paid from it. But if that's the end all, be all, I think you'll burn out. And I think that the audience can see right through it. If you're not being authentic, if you're just

making videos and the topics of them seem to be like, oh, you're clearly just doing this to try to make money off of it. I feel like the audience instantly can sniff that out. Yes, that's exactly how I was going to word it. The audience could sniff out when you're not being authentic. And it's like that. Like, I've seen people just leave a video. There was like, I don't really feel like he's selling the truth or I don't really know. But yeah, I don't know. There's even if they, even if the viewer doesn't realize it like, they realize it in their subconscious. Yeah, yeah. As you sit here right now, you've had 24 professional wrestling matches. compare for me match one versus your most recent match.

Oh, okay. Match one, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Match one, I was literally just listening. I'm just following along. Had you planned out the whole match, or were you calling some of it out there? I had ideas, but like the finish of the match was my idea, but AJ put it together. Like, I was telling him that I didn't want to, I mean, I don't think I was getting. going to win anyway. But I was telling him I didn't want to win. Like, I really didn't want that.

I wanted to lose on the way in because I, like, as a viewer, I feel like I wouldn't be that thrilled if it makes no sense for me to be AJ Francis. It made, it made absolutely no sense, right? So my, my only thing was it was like, if I'm going to lose, I want to go out looking like, like I just sold my ass off, you know what I'm saying? You did. You know, like, it's funny, Funny thing about that, too, in that match, Daniel the ref, he comes up to me. He's like, after I go through the table, he's like, you know, just lay here for a second, let AJ, you know, celebrate do his thing. I said, you ain't got to worry about that.

I'll be right here. I'm telling you. But from the match, my most recent match, I feel like I have a better understanding of structure and where to put moves. I'm still learning, of course, but I feel like I have a better idea of, how to put a match together. Like, like with the match with AJ, like, all right, this speaks to the level of like the difference. The first match with AJ, I wrote the whole thing out on my phone because I was like,

I don't want to forget anything. I want to have it downpack. But now I go in knowing what my opponent is going to do. And I think about what moves go well with each other. Like what move will go well with my move and stuff like that. When you're writing it out on your phone, is it just move, move, move, move, move? or is there like notes of like after this move, you know, sell or? Yeah, it's like, it's like little beats for me to remember.

So it's like moves, how I want to sell or like what emotion I want to portray. Like I really think about the story. Like obviously moves matter. People, you know, that's why people are there. They like to see, you know, the moves and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, most people just remember the moments in the story. So every single match that I go into, you know, I'm, I'm never the vet in the match. So it's not my call at the end of the day

to put the match together. But I don't like walking into a match with no ideas. Like, I would hate that. I think psychology is so overlooked by people who haven't been in there, haven't done it, haven't wrestled a match. What's your relationship with psychology now that you're doing it? That's the part I'm still learning. Like, I don't even know if I could speak on psychology that well

besides just like knowing when to slow down, knowing, like, asking why. I think that's my biggest thing I always try and do is like, why are we doing this? Why does this get a reaction? Why, why, why? That's always the question. So that's how I think about psychology with where I'm at right now.

Hopefully, as I have more matches, that answer will sharpen up a little bit. But yeah. Well, I want to acknowledge you. So many people dream about doing this, but never actually do it. You had your debut match. Then you debuted for TNA at Bound for Glory. now you're a TNA stars you sit in front of me right now.

Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. You're doing the thing that so many people dream of doing, and I can't wait to see what's next for you. And I've known you for years, and to see your progress over those years has been incredible. Thank you, bro.

Honestly, I'm going to give you your flower, too, because you've been absolutely killing it in the space. And I'm happy to see everybody give you your flowers. You should have heard the reaction backstage when they showed you on TV. Really? Yes, you've got a pop. You got to pop. I swear.

swear like everyone is just happy to see you and it's because you're the nicest guy in this freaking community man oh man thank you of course congrats again i will ask you the question i end every interview with gratitude's huge for me i know it is for you as well brandon as we sit here right now what are three things that you're grateful for i'm grateful for this contract um i'm grateful to have the opportunity to showcase what i can do um i'm grateful to be alive i love it congrats man thank you Chris. Appreciate you. Thank you for having me. Of course. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock,

but there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley? How did they go from top of the rock? I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of them? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Alley.

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