In October of last year Without A Cause had its inaugural event. As you arrived there were two homeless youth outside the venue panhandling as fans entered the building. Even though Everett is a small community about thirty minutes north of Seattle, it isn’t a particularly unusual thing to have panhandlers combing the street. They had ripped shirts and pants with enormous holes and looked as though they had slept in a dumpster the night before. This is Tyler ‘The Beefboy’ Elliot.
The evening progresses much as one would expect. The show was fantastic, and we came to a spot on the card for a tag team match. Daddy’s Money a tag team consisting of “King Pin” Johnny Flynn and “Cool Dad” Chris Ross, were without an opposing team to face. The ring announcer polled the audience for anyone who was willing to go in and face these two. Naturally, the audience wasn’t about to volunteer for a good old-fashioned ass whooping.
Then the two panhandlers from outside entered the auditorium. No one had a clue the two young men begging for money outside the venue were the Strays. Indeed, that was the first time this writer and the vast majority of the people at the event were introduced to this incredible wrestling duo.
Since the very first show the Strays, consisting of Tyler Elliot and Judas Icarus, have been regulars at Without A Cause. They have faced opponents such as Extra Talented, Ricky Starks and Aaron Solow, and had the chance to work with Priscilla Kelly who joined them in a match against “Local Celebrity” Steve Migs joined by Eli Surge and “Golden Boy” Travis Williams.
I recently had an opportunity to spend some time getting to interview one half of this spectacular tag team. Tyler Elliot! Tyler hails from North Delta, British Columbia a suburb of Vancouver. In addition to being one-half of the Strays, he is also an accomplished singles wrestler.
For someone who has only been in the business for a short period of time, he’s accomplished a great deal and demonstrated he has more than a knack for professional wrestling! He is a bright young man, well-grounded and engaging. See for yourself. I’m certain you will enjoy getting to know this young man as much as I did.
Philip: Tell us about your first memory of professional wrestling. When did you fall in love with it and the journey from being a fan to being someone who decided to take it a step further and become a professional?
Tyler: My first memory of professional wrestling didn’t happen until I was 13, flipping channels on my tv at 1 a.m. and there was a replay of Friday Night Smackdown, it was a match between Edge and Rey Mysterio. I instantly fell in love with all of it, the lights the colors, the fireworks, the art of it all. At that moment when Edge hit the ring, I was hooked and knew that was exactly what I wanted to do!
Philip: Where did you do your training? How long have you been training and who are you working with? Who have been the main trainers who have helped shape you as a performer?
Tyler: I first broke in under the training of PNW legend Gorgeous Michelle Starr at the young age of 16, after his retirement from training I trained under a legend in the British Columbia scene with Great Kasaki along with Kobra Kai, after a year of training with them I took a leap and started with and currently still train with Artemis Spencer, Nicole Matthews, Billy Suede, and Toni Baroni of ECCW/DEFY fame, I’ve been training for almost 5 years now and working for 3.
Philip: Tell us a little more about training with Artemis Spencer and Nicole Matthews.
Tyler: It’s an amazing man, training with them is something else truly, the way Nicole can build a spot or sequence with ease is crazy, and Arty is so good at explaining the little things, he could pick apart a simple drop down for ten minutes to its greatest detail. They have the best minds for wrestling and it’s an honor to train with them.
Philip: So where did the “Beefboy” moniker come from?
Tyler: Beefboy was an inside joke from training where I would do mock matches and drills as a giant heavy weight that grew to a life of its own.
Philip: Tell me about your very first match. Who was it with, how nervous were you? What has it been like going out into the ring?
Tyler: My first match, like many, was a bit of a gong show, it was on June 2, 2016, for All-Star Wrestling in a town called Chilliwack. Someone had canceled last minute and I got thrown in a match teaming with one of my trainers Kobra Kai and my good friend Matt Xstatic to face a team of “Pain and Suffering” and Flex Pain, the match as well… it was what it was and right after I had to strip down my gear gets changed and ref the next match, and most the rest of the show. So, no real debut high after just really on to the next thing. But man, driving the 45 minutes to that town was the most nervous drive of my life.
Philip: Indies or WWE? And why?
Tyler: For myself, it will always be the indies, there’s nothing more real, more raw than it. The interaction, the art, and execution just can’t be truly appreciated. Of course, WWE is phenomenal and is the true final level of this industry, but I know where I want to be right now and for the foreseeable future.
Philip: You’ve had a great chance to work with some fantastic talent. Who are your top three you’ve been able to work with and name three people you haven’t worked with but would like to meet in the ring?
Tyler: I’ve been so lucky to work with so many people in such a short time, the top three I’ve worked with are easy. 1. Rocket Randy Tyler, a true legend in the PNW territory and a technician at that, 2. Judas Icarus, my tag partner, and really close friend, he’s hit me harder than anyone I know. 3. Cremator Von Slasher, one of the owners of my home company VIPW, he has helped me grow as a character inside the ring and as a human outside of it and I will forever be thankful.
Philip: Who do you fanboy out for? What makes them your favorite(s).
Tyler: Easy any day of the week Edge, his entrance music is always on at the gym for me, I constantly go back and watch his old stuff. He’s still the man for me and always will be!
Philip: What promotions are you hoping to work for in the near future?
Tyler: Two big goals for me in the future are Smash Wrestling in Ontario Canada and DEFY Wrestling in Seattle, both are big goals I hope to achieve in the next year or so.
Philip: What kinds of things would we find Tyler doing when he isn’t in the ring?
Tyler: Man, when I’m not in a ring I’m either training or working, haha, but when you can get me outside of all that I love to hike, mountains, trails, valleys, I love it. The air, the views the natural high that comes with the time is in my mind the best escape from the real world.
Philip: Do you have a day job like so many others on the indie scene? What do you do? (you don’t need to get really specific here if you want to keep this private.)
Tyler: I currently work for a small batch Beer company in Canada, it’s all long term to eventually go to school and make my own beer down the road, have my own brewery and all that.
Philip: Craft beer? That’s an interesting business. Have you considered how you can bring wrestling and beer together? The Brew Championship?
Tyler: I always thought about that, what about a Piledriver Pilsner? Maybe a Lariat Lager? So many good options and I’d never been against the idea of bringing my two loves together.
Philip: Like many wrestlers, I imagine you hit the road a lot! When you are on the road, by yourself or with others, what is on your go-to playlist?
Tyler: I’m lucky that when I’m on the road nine times out of ten I have Icky with me and he handles the music, never anything specific. It flies from Adele to Darius Rucker and from Lil Wayne to Mac Miller, never get bored with all those options!
Philip: What do your family and friends all think of the wrestling thing? Do they come to your shows?
Tyler: (Laughter)… No, they don’t. They’re mostly indifferent. I’m the black sheep of the family 100%!
Philip: The black sheep of the family? Tell us what that means in your family? Are you the one everyone rolls their eyes at? (laughter)
Tyler: Kind of? (laughter) I don’t want to say my family is cookie cutter, but they are the ideal family. Good jobs, good home all the above. They worked really hard to get there. And to them someone throwing their life and body away to pursue something as outlandish as professional wrestling is ludicrous.
Philip: You are one half of the tag team The Strays! It seems like you are getting some traction, making an appearance at WAC and Prestige. I’m pretty sure you’ve done some shows up north. How did The Strays come about?
Tyler: A bond, an understanding, we were both picking up momentum at shows we were doing and had a respect for each other’s work and ability. We both agreed it would be worth trying our hand at a team seeing how it went, Icky had a brainchild of a character and a name and I ran with it. Hours of back and forth and ring time later we figured it out and gave it a shot. Things went well and we haven’t looked back.
Philip: What is your favorite move? What is a move you don’t know yet but would love to master?
Tyler: My favorite move is this weird thing I do that I call a “Fisherman twist” it’s a hook of a fisherman suplex then bringing them to my shoulders and hitting a leg hook Death Valley driver. A move I would love to learn would definitely be diving headbutt. I love that move and always have.
Philip: Who are three wrestlers on the independent scene you believe to be fantastic and haven’t gotten the attention you think they should?
Tyler: Easily the first is Sonico, he’s the man, another is a guy by the name Cole Radrick, I watch his stuff all the time and he’s the man. Another is the Voros twins, they’re really starting to pick up steam and I can’t wait to see them take over the wrestling world, true world-class wrestlers that work harder than anyone.
Philip: Tell us something about yourself people (other than friends and family) don’t know about but you feel comfortable sharing.
Tyler: I am slightly color blind and can’t tell the difference between neon green and yellow, both look kind of yellowish to me.
Philip: Who are your biggest supporters?
Tyler: Man, I’ve got so many supporters, obviously, my mind immediately goes to Liiza Hall who has helped me through my most ‘want to give up’ times. Rae and Cremator Von Slasher have given me the world and I will forever owe them, without the two of them I probably wouldn’t be on the level I am today. There’s a lot more I am very lucky that I could probably write a book about the people that care about me and have supported me. But those three stand out above and beyond.
One of the great things about being an observer of the local professional wrestling scene, is you get to know some genuinely talented and promising performers. Tyler Elliot was one of those people who caught my eye. He has a growing fan base and every month it seems to gain more notice. You can see the momentum beginning to take off for him.
In just a few days after this article is published, he will be facing CZW Hall of Fame inductee, B-Boy. He is getting the kind of matches that are giving him an opportunity to show everyone what some of us have already seen… real talent and a bright future. It’s an exciting thing to see someone emerging, growing and coming into their own. Those of us lucky enough to see Tyler Elliot in the ring are seeing the foundation of something incredible happening. The feeling is almost infectious. There is little doubt in this writer’s opinion, people well beyond the borders of the Pacific Northwest region are going to see this young man do great things!
Quotes:
“Beefboy is one of the most under-rated tag guys in the area. The way he is able to get the crowd behind him as part of the Strays is unique and is a testament on how he, along with Judas Icarus, “gets it.” – Max Zaleski, Owner/Promoter of Without A Cause
“I’ve seen crazy progression! He’s the worst greenhorn because he’s already so good!” -“O.G.B.” Jordie Taylor, Professional Wrestler
“Tyler is one of the most motivated people I’ve ever seen. You can see how hungry he is – working with lots of different companies as lots of different personas. He’s experimenting, he’s growing, he’s adapting, he’s learning. He’s sought instruction from multiple teachers and multiple schools in the PNW. He’s well rounded, fun to watch, and incredibly easy to work with. I find him incredibly inspiring, not just because of his work ethic, but because of his positivism. He’s one of the kindest people I’ve met, and I’ve been honored to watch him grow into the wrestler and person he is.” – Aubrey Edwards, Referee at WAC and AEW
“Ty has an obvious passion for wrestling. You can tell by how hard he works and his dedication to training inside and outside of the ring. It’s what made us become extremely close friends and he deserves nothing but success.” ‘Golden Boy’ Travis Williams, Professional Wrestler
“I’ve known Tyler since I was 15, we started training around the same time and have been really good friends ever since. He has always had a hardcore passion for wrestling: whether it’s knowing every name to any move you could think of, or going to every training session possible and getting better at his craft. Tyler works harder than anyone I know, and soon enough i think he is going to be traveling everywhere!” – Liiza Hall, Professional Wrestler
Matches (some he wrestled under the name Elliot Tyler):
Tyler Elliot in VI Pro Wrestling Island Battle Royal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynzF-rGg1Sw
Monsters of Mayhem vs. Van City Triad (Tyler Elliot and Jordie Taylor) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1TWztjmvdw
El Haviko vs. Tyler Elliot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpdczFKe_fQ
Van City Triad (Tyler Elliot and Jordie Taylor) vs Vörös Twins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULznambVG0U
Travis Williams, Eli Surge & Steve Migs vs. The Strays (Tyler Elliot & Judas Icarus) and Priscilla Kelly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNkSa9DQ-Y
Living That Beefy Lifestyle Promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KygErRPGu5c
Tyler Elliot vs. Bambi Hall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mr0Vt8gIiE
Steve Migs & Al Jepsen vs. The Strays (Tyler Elliot & Judas Icarus) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzbfS-kq-Y
