Insight with Chris Van Vliet - TJP is making double since leaving WWE, Cruiserweight Classic, dream opponent

Episode Date: July 18, 2019

TJ Perkins chats with Chris Van Vliet in Las Vegas, NV. He talks about how he wasn't under contract when he won the WWE Cruiserweight title, he says he is making almost double since leaving WWE, he lists his dream opponent, being micro managed on 205 Live and much more. Audio equipment provided by Samson Technologies: bit.ly/CVVSamson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's up, y'all? It's Druski, and I've teamed up with Mountain Dew to produce a hilarious new basketball podcast called The Do Zone with Drewski. Learn the backstories of your favorite ballers and celebrities like Jamal Murray. Did you have like a favorite team? Was it the Raptors at the time or no?

Was the Raptors even started around that time? Come on, bro. I ain't that old, fam. You're talking like I'm 50. Taylor, Rokes, Asian Wilson, and many more. You won't want to miss this. Listen to the Doozone with Drusky on Apple Podcast, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts.

It's Chrysalamania, brother. That's a great question. Look at you, man. Look at the powerful question. Woo! This is the Chris Van Vleet Show. Chris Van Vleet show. Ladies and gentlemen,

Chris Van Vleet! Yeah, this is the Chris Van Vleet show, which I guess makes me Chris Van Fleet. And yes, that's how you pronounce it. Van Fleet. I know it's spelled funny, but it's Van Fleet. So wherever, and however you're listening to this, thank you.

You guys have really been enjoying the audio-only. version of these interviews on the podcast, which makes me think I should have done this a while ago, like years ago. But as the old saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. Second best time is now. Let that sink in. Apply that to your life in whatever way might be most applicable. This chat with TJP or TJ Pizzle, as I've been calling him, is fascinating. And you learn a lot about him that you probably had no idea about, like how he was wrestling as a kid. He's been wrestling like for 20 years and he's 35. How he actually wasn't under contract when he won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

A lot of good stuff. But before we get to that, the CVV show is brought to you by Green Road CBD products. And I know there's a lot of CBD companies out there, but simply put, Green Roads produces the highest quality pharmacist formulated CBD products on the market, period. They're obsessed with using only the best ingredients, which in turn gives you. the best products. Greenroads has been a game changer for me in terms of helping with inflammation after the gym, with their muscle and joint relief cream, and their CBD oil really helps with stress. So use my code, Chris 15 to get 15% off your order at greenroadsworld.com. Chris 15 for 15% off at greenroadsworld.com. Also thanks to Samson Technologies for the pro

podcasting pack that we are speaking on right now. The mics, the mic stands, the cables, the mixer, the headphones, it all makes this sound as good as it does. So check out sampsonTech.com to see their full lineup. And with that said, please enjoy my conversation with the very talented TjP. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this because you just told me off camera that you haven't slept in two days. No, no. I like your alligator move there.

This is how you sync the audio. No, I don't see off camera. Usually I get to, I do that. And I'm like, I always think alligator. Oh, yeah, yeah. You came straight from the airport to our hotel to make this happy. You're going to go straight from here to Starcast, to sign. You're a busy man.

A poor man's rock, I think. Okay. Every time I make a new Instagram post or a video, I'm thinking, all right, it's like I'm like the rock updating people all my life, except for I'm not like a billionaire. I'm probably not going to run for president someday like it. You think Rock's going to run for president? I should.

He'd win, hands down. You'd have your vote? You'd have my vote. Yeah, of course. Sure. Yeah, just on how cool of a guy he is alone. Yeah? I mean, I don't know, after four years if he tanks it, I'd be like, oh, I didn't really want to vote for him.

But I would want to vote for him. So where did you just fly in from? I just came in from Washington. I came from Seattle. Yeah, I was up there for prestige wrestling. I was looking forward to that date on my schedule for a little while. And then Starcasts Day, which I've been looking forward to. and then my tour rolls on tomorrow to smash wrestling in Toronto,

which is another place I've been looking forward to. It's crazy. My hometown. The Indies didn't used to be like this before. I haven't been on the Indies in, God, 10 years maybe, 2011 or so. It's almost a decade, and it didn't used to be this cool. What changed so much with the Indies? Well, there didn't used to be this many good people on it.

They're both in and out of the ring, because, like, everybody's, A, really, good. So that's pretty crazy. I'm learning, like, you know, a lot of, there's a lot of new faces. And for once, I'm not the young guy in the room. For 20 years, I was the young guy in the room. But now I'm learning of all these really new, really good people. And everybody's, like, more family-oriented outside of it. Like, there's a lot more positivity. And it's not, he kind of used to be the Wild West, you know, it was kind of the jungle, like guys that eat each other, you know, like that sort of thing. And there's, there's not that same type of competition. It's like healthy growth, I think. Yeah. And there's a lot of tent pole, you know,

banners to work for, you know, there's a lot of different companies. It didn't used to be that way. I mean, you had your PWGs or Jersey All-Pro's and stuff kind of back in the day. There was like one in each corner of the country, so to speak, but now it's like there, it feels like there's stuff spread all over the place, and I think it's a terrific time. It's amazing. How much did being in WWE help you get more indie bookings? I don't know. It's weird because, like, I didn't, I've been off not doing the Indies for so long. I don't know at any time if I would have taken the time to just kind of do it for six months or something. Because in 2011, or 10 or 11, I went into Lucha Libre USA.

It was a show on MTV, and I did a couple seasons of that. And then straight from that, I went into Ring of Honor for a year or two, then straight from Ring of Honor to TNA for three or four years. and then I had only a few months gap before than WWE for the last three years. And so I don't know at any one time if I would have stopped like if it would have like

because as this transition was coming out I missed all of this. So I don't know if I like I would have been busy or not. I'm sure it helps out. You're just building momentum too. The thing is though a lot of people like they think of me as the wrestler I was like before WWW in a lot of ways.

Not that like they tune that out. out, but like, I don't get a lot of people that are, like, excited just to put the words WW Superstar on, like, a flyer. Like, they, they're, they're trying to get the me that they saw in like New Japan before that that wasn't around when their company started or something like that. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, that's kind of a breath of fresh here, because I don't, I don't take stock of myself very much.

I'm not like a big fan of me. So I didn't know if, like, you know, if that type of stuff. mattered and it's been so long some of those places like 20 years goes by so fast and some of those some people maybe i just thought maybe didn't know anything about my work but it's crazy to think we're we're the same age yeah and it's crazy to think that you've been doing this for 20 years yeah this will be year 21 i've been doing anything for 20 years and that like you've been doing this career for 20 years yeah i sometimes i'll tell people i ask them like if they've loved anything for 20 years like And most people, they don't spend 20 years of their life doing any one thing at all.

So it's weird to me. I can't really, I can't remember what life was like before packing a bag and going to an airport, you know, every week. So that's weird. Have you ever thought of, like, Vegas is not exactly the best location to wrestle indies within the U.S. Have you ever thought of relocating? Well, you know. Because this is home for you now. Yeah, yeah.

And that's only in recent years. But I do have a home in Los Angeles. So all my family is still there. So I split my time back and forth. I'm only three hours away from where I grew up, which is in Riverside, just outside of L.A. Wrestling out there is great. Wrestling out there is a lot slower.

And I don't know. I just, you know, as long as I have an airport. And again, like the way that the Indies and everything is it's not just like mainstream wrestling, but even with the Indies, like if you can travel and you can get there, like the business models are a lot better for some of these places. so guys are doing a lot better.

And like individual wrestlers are like being able to like, you know, kind of brand themselves and be in command of their own business better than they were before. Like everybody's full on entrepreneurs now. So, you know, as long as it's not like, like when I started in 1998, it was like you had to write down directions on like a piece of paper. Yes. And you literally had to drive to all your shows because they weren't interconnected in that way. There's no social media.

you had no idea of other wrestlers on the other coast, you just word of mouth. And maybe if you got a VHS tape of them, maybe. Because I remember being in L.A. and hearing about like Amazing Red or like Loki, but you didn't even know what they looked like. In my head, Amazing Red was like a six foot tall, lean, like crazy athlete. And in real life, he's like Ray Mysterio Jr., but Sorda Rican. And like...

I haven't heard that before. And he's an amazing athlete. And so, you know, but it was like the legend of people would grow. You know, same thing with like Loki and then, you know. So at that time, it was different. You really did have to get in the car and car hop and get around. That's how I used to have to do it when I was, you know, 13, 14. I just hop in the back of cars and drive wherever I could get Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego,

you know, Vegas, Bay Area, whatever. How would these promoters be okay with bringing on someone who's 13th? 13, 14 years old. Oh man, it was a Wild West back then. If you could get in the ring, then they'll let you do it. Yeah, that's- You look like a kid now. What did you look like at 13?

Like an infant? Like a kid, yeah. I had to wear a mask, you know, at the start. That helped out a lot. But, you know, I mean, if you were good, they let you do it. But keep in mind, this is at a time when, like, you know, if you rub people the wrong way, then they kicked your ass. If, like, if, like, you didn't get along with somebody, then they just kicked your ass.

Like, it was just, that was the way wrestling was at that time. Now, if we see that, it's crazy because the world is a lot more progressive and protective now. So, like, we kind of shun those people, and maybe that's even worse in some ways. I don't know. But, like, at that time, there was, like, no rules. Like, it was more passively governed. So, you know, you could do that. I guess, you know, the strong survive in that way.

So if you can handle it, then you can make it work. Now it's a lot more streamlined of assistance. Sure. After doing this for 15-ish-plus years before WWE called, did you think, like, it's not going to happen? Because obviously, that's the goal when you're a wrestler. You want to work for WWE. I didn't, I mean, it wasn't really on my bucket list anymore.

Like, even at the time that I did it, I didn't think I was, like when we did the tournament, I didn't think I was going to stay for WW. Like, they didn't, they hadn't offered me anything. I thought I'd maybe do a round and leave or something like that. And I wanted to kind of, I just got out of TNA. I kind of wanted to just go back to Japan, go back to Mexico. My heart is really in those places, especially Mexico, because I came up in Mutual Libre. So like, I really wanted to do that. So I wasn't really even thinking about WWW. I just knew the tournament would be like this generation's Jacob. I had the foresight to see that at least that would be kind of an important moment in time.

Because coming out of T&A, I started to see how the X Division, like when I was in in like 04, 05, 06, for like teenagers that were just getting into wrestling, I would meet them, you know, again, like 10 years later. So then, you know, I would see them again in like 2016, 2015 or something like that. I'd do a meet and greet or something like. And they would talk about us. me, Alex Shelley, guys like that, the way that, like, we used to, like, look up to, like, Guerrero and, like, those guys in WCW because it was, like, Ray, you know, and it was weird, but to them that's what that was.

So then I started to kind of take stock of, like, certain landmarks in history and, like, how that affects people. So when I saw the tournament, I was like, okay, this is going to be something important, but after that, I don't know. I kind of had my fill of WWE doing some dark matches when I was like 21 and I spent some time in FCW. I walked on there. I was in UPW when I was like a young young teen with Sina.

Like I was in Sina's class. Wow. The prototype, of course. Yeah, the prototype with the crew cut and everything. And Victoria was there. So that was enough for me. Like I had wrestled in front of a W.W. Crowd and a W.W. ring and stuff and walked through that curtain.

So I was like, by the time the Cruiserie Class came around, I was like, Like, I don't care if I have this necessarily. You know, but it just felt like the right thing at the right time. And Regal is one that really kind of talked me into it. So I didn't really think about staying necessarily. I didn't even have a, I wasn't even under contract when I won the title. Really? Yeah, I could have went like Medusa on it.

When they booked you for the Cruise Way Classic, did they specifically tell you, we're bringing you in and you're going to win? Not when they brought me in, but after round one, they asked me who I wanted to wrestle in the finals. So I knew then that I was going to go to the end. And do you pick Grand Metall League? They gave me a choice between him or Zach. And I chose Zach. Sorry.

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry, Dorado. But I think they thought about it in like a style. stylistic sort of way. And, like, Zach and I are really alike. That's why I chose that. And I'm good friends with Zach.

I'm good friends with Meta League, too. So I really couldn't have gone wrong. But I think to them, it was like, it wasn't just going to be two catch wrestling guys together. Zach was eliminated relatively early for the skill set that he has. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I don't know that they, for guys that are pure and traditional in the sense that he is for our style, Like, I don't know if the WW system understands how to showcase that. Yeah.

So in Zach's case, there's sometimes I felt for him because I was like they would put him in positions where not that he was a fish out of water, but they didn't give him the type of stage, I think, to show how awesome he really is. But in my case, like, I have a different flavor to the way I approach it. So, you know, it gets dressed up a little differently. and then I think they really liked the match, you know, styles make fights. So I think they just liked the match with me and Meta League. But, you know, doing two almost half-hour matches 10 minutes apart from each other with two guys with serious language and style barriers. This is a little bit taxing, but. I'm always so fascinated how you're able to call a match with someone who doesn't speak English.

Well, I mean, I spent so much time in the places where they came from, you know, like when I was in, you know, like, when I was in. in CMLL, I wasn't going to say Metaleek was just a kid in the gym, but I don't think he'd even started yet. But I came up and spent time in the system that created him. So I know, like, I know him. Like, I know, I could, like, be him in my head when we're in there. And same thing with, with, um, with Cota, you know, and especially with how much time he spent in New Japan recently. And like, they have a system of the way they do things and there's a certain tempo to it. And they were the first team that drafted me. So I grew up in that system.

So same thing. I could just feel where his mind is going to go. So I think in a way, not that it was intended like this, but I think cosmically I was kind of built to be there on that night. Because that sort of position, I don't think anybody else could have done it as well because I was able to be there for both guys. And I think I was able to get the best out of them for those two matches, especially back to back.

WWU has often been criticized for taking someone who has an exciting style like yours and watering it down. Do you feel like that happened? In some ways, yes, in some ways, no. The system itself doesn't seek to do that. But I think sometimes you run into certain producers at will. Like, it's more of an individual thing. I don't think it's a systematic thing. Like our 205 producer was sort of like that.

like he would lean to gravitate towards some others so some guys would get a lot of leeway some guys wouldn't and then that limits a lot of guys and then a few guys that he kind of handpicks for his brass ring they flourish obviously because their starting line is like right in front of the brass ring and then other guys starting line is way back behind the finish that's where you were that sometimes that's where I was yeah I remember having I had a match with Grant Mentaleek in LA once and and and you know they said he you can't let him come off the road more than once. You can't let him exit the ring more than once. And I was like, his name is the king of the ropes. Yeah. You're literally paying him to do those things. And not, I mean, he's, he's probably the most talented high flyer the company's ever had. And I have to go in the next room and tell him he can't use the ropes. Like, that's how it would be on some nights. But then I would watch other matches are doing Spanish flies off the guardrail and like four dives and all kinds of stuff. And I'm like, all right, well, I guess we'll make the best of the tools he gave us. But yeah, so it's not a system thing.

I just think it's an individual thing. Some guys perceive the business a certain way, so they'll call it a certain way, or they play favorites or whatever, just like anywhere in life, you know. But you just, you deal with it and you get through it as best you can. After being in the business now for 20 plus years, do you still have dream matches? or have you wrestled everyone you want? I mostly wrestled everybody I want, but I mean, I was asked this recently.

I feel like if I had to pick a guy in a place, I might pick Ray in Tokyo. Have you ever worked Ray? Once. And it was actually, I think, other than the first AAA appearance he did when he was released, it was like his first other match. We had a little tag match.

And I know Ray a little bit, and I know his son and stuff. His son's going to be really good. His son's a heavyweight. Kind of reminds me of like Tienablos or something like that. But yeah, and I wouldn't have picked that, like, years and years ago. I've always loved Ray, but I never thought about, like, wrestling in, like, a dream match. But now just because of where he is and how timeless he is and how good he is, you know. Like, I just feel like that would be.

And because of the performer I've become, I feel like that would be my dream match. maybe that's still left. Because a lot of guys have already checked off the bucket list. Like Jeff Hardy was on it for a while. I got to do that in T&A, and that was pretty cool. That was awesome. You know, so there's stuff like that that has come and gone, but some of my friends and stuff who, you know,

I've waited to wrestle for a long time, but I think Ray would be up there. Since you're in Vegas for like a day, and you're going to be at Starcast, are you going to be watching Double or Nothing? Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, like, if you like wrestling and you're not watching it, like, I don't.

Do you really like wrestling? Yeah, do you. I feel like you answer your own question. If you ask yourself, do I like wrestling? And you're not going to watch it, of course. You know, they, I joke with my friends that it's like they gave us WCW back. And I say that just because of the time that I came up, like, I'm old enough to have, it was a realistic goal for me to try to go to the first Cruiserate Division.

Because, like, I came up in 98. So, like, what, Jericho was like the Cruiserate champion. And, like, you know, if I was a little older at that time, then it's like, okay, in a couple years of good enough. I might be able to go to actual WCW in the cruiser rate. So like it's exciting to me that there's an alternative like of that capacity that has come back

and you know obviously there's like a lot of you know patterning after that business model and I always thought that that was an amazing time for wrestling and that was an amazing place so you know. But some people some wrestling fans will look at someone saying oh it's WCW as a bad thing because of what WCW became. So it's funny because

when I say, oh, they gave us WCW back, my friends and I joke that it's actually, it is that, but it's flipped. Like, W.W.E is now WCW. Oh, wow. Because of the way the narrative is, you know. And I don't know. It's hard to compare because, like, the world is such a different place now and TV distribution is so different. The business is totally different. But, yeah, that's the second part of the joke is, like, I say they gave us WCW back.

And then my friends chime in and say, yeah, but it's the other way around now. And we're like, yeah, it kind of is. The business has changed so much. And people probably saw the headlines this week that you're making more money on the Indies than you ever did in WWA. Yeah, yeah, I am. I mean, I'm not like... I'm like a billionaire like the rock. No, I wish.

I might double it, but I don't... Wow. I don't know if I'll double it. So it's not like I'm like... I'm like a millionaire overnight or anything. I am making significantly more. And you're your own boss. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's bad. I spend a lot of time at my desk in the office in my house, and that kind of sucks. I became a wrestler, so I wouldn't have to sit at a desk. And now I sit at a desk all day long waiting for the next tour date to come up. So I'm like, God, can I get three or four shows in a row again? Yes, I'm going, you know, in a couple days. But then I'll be home for like a day or two, and I'm like, I'm at my desk.

But you're piggybacking them on the phone and just writing notes and on the whiteboard and stuff like that, which I mean, it's great because if I wasn't busy, I'd be miserable. But, you know, there's a certain part of that. You're miserable anyway because you're like just so busy. But you're piggybacking your dates, one on top of another, right? Yeah, it's a lot. I mean, I have... Like, you're getting promoters to fly you from one booking to the next book and the next book. Yeah.

It's almost like I was telling, like some of my friends that are still in WWE, I was telling them it's like I'm still doing. house show loops. I just don't do TV every week. So it's it. Because like I was one of the cruiserates. I was lucky enough to do a lot of how show loops because of where I was like coming in and, you know, there's only so many cruiser rates spots for those. So I did a lot of those for a while for for the raw brands. And so some of them like my friends that are like on like how show loops, I'll tell them. I'm like, guys, it's like I'm just doing house show loops. But I'm just not at TV on Monday. That's all. Did your release come as a surprise to you? No, I had thought about leaving as far back as maybe November, December.

I was kind of asking my friends, like, different situations, and I kind of wanted to maybe... We got a knock at the door. They're definitely going to come in. I'm going to hold on. We're good right now. Thank you. It's okay. Should have put up the do not disturb sign. We'll leave that in. Why not?

Housekeeping? She wants... She wants to know how it was. No, I thought about leaving maybe as far back as November, December. I had asked some of my friends and stuff, like different places. And there was just a lot of things I was unhappy not being able to do. And I felt like it wasn't a commodity to Vince anymore. I knocked on his door a year ago in London.

And I remember telling him just because I always had a good one-on-one relationship with him. I knocked on his door and talked to him anytime I wanted to. I think most people are just afraid of his door. He's a great guy. His door kind of sucks for people, if they're like the intimidated type. But I'm not like that, and I always had a good relationship with him. So I knocked on his door, and I told him, I don't feel like, as I am right now, I'm a commodity to you. And he asked me, how can we use you better?

And I told him, well, I'll show you. And I spent the year making my own appearances, doing like Filipino events. and red carpets and charity work and stuff like that. I would do interviews and like for different media outlets. I worked out with Mani Pachiao and just different stuff like that. Went to awards gala and different things. And I did a lot of research on like the demographics of like my community and like put together like little packages and got with influencer groups to see like

so that Vince could see like their impact just as a community and like what they do for like boxing for manny and stuff like that and groups that would do like say like if you go to a golden state warriors game and it's like Filipino heritage night or something like that and it's like first you know however many people through the door get a special warriors shirt with like the Filipino sun on it like groups like that were like like all linking up with me and like hey let's let's show wb and let's show Vince what we can do yeah I told him this this is what my value is to you you know when I came in Hunter had me positioned as a Filipino superstar and I had a community.

They reached out to me. Like overnight, I got like half a million followers on social media. And, like, I think even to this day, maybe, like, none of the cruise rates even caught up to that. Just I had the perfect platform that was unique to me. But when we got to Raw, I was separated from that. So I told him I wanted to get back to that. And he said, great. We tried to think of ideas to get me on a platform where it would work for, I think it was Raw.

and they just didn't, just too many guys and they didn't see where it would be a good fit. And so, you know, there was a lot of stuff, you know, because of the way WW is, it's restrictive. So I was like, you know, I couldn't do influencer work, couldn't take sponsorships, couldn't do stuff that was now available to me through my community and stuff like that. Couldn't start, like, my own merch line or whatever.

Like, I wanted to start a streetwear line and just a lot of stuff that I couldn't do. And so I was starting to think maybe I'd be happier if I just went back to Japan or went back to Mexico and did my own thing for a while. So maybe like November, December, I started thinking about it. And then over the next like several months, they sort of like they kind of knew that I was ready to quit. But I would never really quit on anybody because I just don't believe in that. So once it got to the point where they're like, look, we don't want to waste your time and we don't want you to sit on the bench. It was that we just kind of had that conversation. It was like, so it wasn't really a surprise, but it wasn't like, I didn't like kick a door and say, I'm out of here.

Like, you know, I would never do that. But they kind of knew that maybe it was time to go. You are like a massive star in the Philippines. I think people need to realize this. Like your fan base, your Filipino fan base is huge. What's the difference? Like when you go over there, how different is it? Um, I mean, uh, it's weird.

Like, there's a following there, but like, there's a following in a lot of different places, you know, um, I, I, I don't know, like, I must have, like, had FaceTime at the right time with WWE fans at a time when it was like, because, you know, it goes in up and down trends. And, and you see it. You go to, like, house shows and stuff. And, like, when I first got in, I would do, like, house shows or, like, show up at TVs. And there's, like, a thousand people waiting outside the arena hours before the show. And I was getting a lot of FaceTime at that time, so I became synonymous with what they viewed as part of WWE. And then later on, you know, maybe like six months, eight months later, you would go to shows and there'd be like 30 people outside. So you kind of see like, okay, now is kind of a downtrend for like their like interactivity, I guess, you know. And so I would get recognized in different places. But in the Philippines, it's like, I mean, I would go board a flight. like I boarded a flight to go back to L.A. And they asked if I could come off.

I thought I was in trouble or something. And I came out and all the gate agents from all over the Manila airport I gathered to take pictures of me. You put that on Instagram. I saw that. So that was like most of the things I thought was normal. Like people maybe catch up and be in a hotel or something like that. I mean, it's not like I'm packing out.

Like Manny has thousands of people following them everywhere it goes. But like that one particular moment was a little bit. That was like, okay, this one's a little crazy. Like, this one maybe gives me a different sense of how they perceive me because I've never had that happen before because that's weird. But, I mean, it was really cool that they take me in because there's a lot of Filipino artists in different platforms, you know, musicians and athletes. There's other pro wrestlers, too. Not a lot, but there's a few. But they don't latch onto the community that much.

You know, we all looked up to Dave. We all looked up to Batisa, but he doesn't claim it as. as directly as maybe I do. So a lot of times the community maybe doesn't realize that there are like some of us representing in different ways. So I always made it a point to represent them as much as I could so that I could help build that bridge. And hopefully other people would follow suit.

So other Filipino Americans or Filipinos of, you know, any kind of mix or anything will represent and do the same thing and kind of, you know, motivate the community. If you were to break it down, what's the biggest difference in wrestling in Ring of Honor versus TNA versus WWA?

Well, probably the micromanagement level. There's a lot of micromanagement on the WWE level. So it feels more like you're shooting a live movie or something like that, you know? Yeah. Like a one-take movie is like how it feels. Because at any one-one, time from the start of your day till the end of it you kind of have like half a dozen

people following you in some way either on a headset or physically and they're telling you what what to do and when so that that's how it is like the moment you walk through the door it's like you have three or four people telling you to tape this and then as you're taping it there's three or four people behind the camera telling you like like directing you as you're doing it and then when you when you're gonna go to the ring like there's three or four people sending you off through the curtain. Then when you're out there, you know, all the camera guys are signaling you with their hands

and the referees telling you. Like, you're kind of viewing your, you're almost like a fan of your own match because it's not yours anymore. It's a crazy level of micromanagement there. But other places, you have a little bit more freedom. And then that changes. Each place is a little bit more different. Ring of Honor has such a pure feel to it, you know, like a lot of wrestlers, wrestlers gravitate there because it has such a pure feel to it.

I always felt like impact and TNA was like kind of like the ECW supplement because a lot of the guys had a lot of fun there and it's always been great camaraderie there and it's sort of a wild card. Like there's not a lot of micromanagement, but it's, yeah, it could be kind of crazy sometimes. So you're obviously busier than ever making. a lot of money now with independent wrestling. What else do you have going on? Well, you've got your apparel company. Yeah, yeah. So I have... If you move your necklace, we can all see it. There it is. Detination kick. Yeah. I wasn't really big on branding my name because I'm not that

big on me. And I wanted to start a streetwear thing, so I started this. You were in your name around your neck, though. Yeah. Well, this was given to me by a fan, actually, outside of Staples Center. So I've always kind of felt like this was a thing that I was like a keepsake of some sort. But so, you know, I have this and I have another fashion line that's coming out through loop to five. It's a social media platform that I'm on. I'm co-writing two horror movies. We're going to start off with shorts, but hopefully we can make them into feature length. Are you going to be in them too?

They asked if I would, but I don't know. I acted when I was a little kid. My mom wanted me to be an actor. I had a screen actor's guild card and everything. But I just would read for some movies. I did some commercials and I was like, my heart wasn't in it. So I don't know if I'd be any good at it now,

but maybe they asked if I would. But right now I'm having fun just writing it and putting concepts down on paper. Can you give us the premise of one of your horror films? Well, one I actually wrote when I was like 19 because I had a coach that did, he wrote a lot for TV and movies. He told me he was like, it's a good practice to get into, because you know, you never know like what you might get into later in life if you have an opportunity to produce something.

So I had written a couple things. One of them was one I'm working on now. And the premise, I wrote it because I would do these trips where I drive, when I was like 16, I first could start driving myself. I would do these shows in San Francisco. And I'd drive all the way from L.A. to San Francisco. It's a six-hour drive. So I would drive up. And I remember a few times I would drive up, get there just in time to get dressed and wrestle.

And then I don't have any other plan but to just get back in the car and go home. Sure. So I'd be in the car six hours. I'd be in the ring for 13 minutes. And then I would change and get back in the car for six hours and then go home. So you'd be driving on the five overnight and it's nothing, you know. So I had written this concept of a guy that his personal purgatory was actually that road. and it just goes on forever.

And eventually there's nobody else on the road with him. He doesn't know when he ended up on it. And he's trying to piece together like when his life ended and how he ended up there and how he can get off this road that never ends. This is deep. Yeah. So that was one concept that I had that I'm working on. And then the other one I wanted to make, like, because I'm a big horror movie guy.

Yeah, so Jason. Yeah. mask here? Yeah, I got this slasher-type hockey mask to commemorate Canada. These are all landmarks of my career and places I've been. So the other one, I wanted to do kind of a monster movie. So I wanted to do one on the Oswang in Filipino folklore. It's kind of like our werewolf, vampire, ghoul, witch type thing.

So the premise for that is like a group of travelers, foreign travelers. Some are Filipino. Some are mixed, and the group is split up in a regional airport delay in the Philippines, which if you've traveled out of the country and you've been to regional airports, especially in Asia, like, some of those towns are like archaic, you know. Yeah. So then like, so insert local folklore monster there to terrorize them. So that's the loose premise of how that would kind of get them there.

You really are the poor man's rock. I mean that in the best possible way. Did we say that on camera? Was that off camera? That's what you said on camera. Did we say at the start? Yeah, I feel like the poor man's rock sometimes. I got my hands on all these different things.

Rock's producing movies. Yeah, but I just, I'm not a billionaire like him. He's not a billionaire yet. He should be. I'm sure he will be one day. Yeah. Where can people find you? Well, I only got, I guess now I have three social.

media. That's right. Yeah. But everything is under at mega TjP. And then Dead Nation Kick, the social media is under that. You can find updates for my brand line. And then Detnationkick.com has the actual online shop. Everything is up there for order now. There should be updates pretty soon. I'm going to do, I'm working on curating a women's line for it and some other summer items. and has my touring schedule on detonationkick.com. So you can find pretty much everything that's coming up through at Mega TjP on almost anything you click on or detonationkick.com. All right, CVV with TjP.

Thank you. Thanks, brother. There it is. CVV and TjP. And T.J. Perkins is just crushing on the indie scene. It's amazing that he's making almost twice as much as he was. in WWE working for himself now. What a talented guy who can work with like pretty much anyone, any style.

Big thanks to Green Roads and make sure you use the code Chris 15 to get 15% off your order at Green Roadsworld.com. Also thanks to Samson Technologies for providing us with the equipment to make the Chris Vanfleet show possible. And I really like that quote from the start of the show. So I'm going to say it one more time just so, you know, it sticks with you today. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Boom!

Have a great day. 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. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.