Former TNA star Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker) recently took some time to participate in an interview. Lail reveals his strong connection to his faith, his growth, and development as a character and his aspirations to compete in other promotions. He discusses his time and TNA, what else is in store for him in 2015. Check out the complete interview below.
Who would you say were your influences either in the ring or out that have helped to shape you as a person and your character?
Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker): “The person that would be outside of the ring would be totally outside of the wrestling world. That would be my father. My father is the one that supported me since day one when I was 11 years old. We were out playing backyard wrestling with my friend’s stuff. He was the one that always taught me to follow my dreams and never called them stupid. My dad said you can do whatever you want as long as you set your mind to it. He always instilled that in me.
As far as in the ring, my number one supporter and someone that has helped me a lot has been Ken Anderson. Ken has been another guy that since 2006/2007 where I did a WWE extra spot. I was with Ken doing a little spoof of Shawn Michaels blast from the past and he did a great job. When he got to TNA, he took me under his wing. He really believed in me and always told me I could do bigger and better things. Ken really gave me feedback and said I could do better. The character stuff was something I really appreciated. It was something I looked up to. He’s one of my best friends in the business.”
Anyone that follows Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker) on Twitter can see a strong connection to your faith. How does this help guide you as it applies to wrestling?
Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker): “My faith is something that is important to me. I was brought up and it was never something that was forced on me. But it was something I did on my own and it’s my choice. It’s really just one of those things that whether you believe in God or a higher power or even just being a spiritual person to me all things happen for a reason.
Whatever life brings me I realize it’s not the end of the world. It’s not my last day here on earth. There are bigger and better plans for me. The thing is you can’t sit home and expect people to come knocking at your door. My faith really helps me realize that you better go on out there and get it. Just keep a positive attitude about life. One of the people I look up to most is Christ. He was a role model for me. Christ was and is a positive influence in my life.
The things he taught, the way he walked and I just tried to model myself after that, just being a good person and to work hard to get things.
I don’t really get offended by religious angles. When Vince McMahon said he challenged God to a wrestling match, some people might have been offended by it. It doesn’t offend me at all. I think bringing religion into wrestling is a really touchy situation. It doesn’t mean a lot of people have to believe in it. The subject may turn a lot of people off of it and offend a lot of people. But to me, everyone’s got their own beliefs and respect and their own way of life.
I personally believe you have to keep religion out of the wrestling business. Now me posting stuff on Facebook or Twitter, that’s different. Those are my views and if someone doesn’t like I don’t force it on anyone. If they don’t like it they can unfollow me. There are things that you have to keep out of the entertainment business. That religion and other things are really really touchy to kind of hit on.”
Formerly serving in the U.S Marine Corps & defending your country, what has the experience taught you about putting life in perspective?
Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker): “That was the toughest moment thus far in my life is going through Marine Corp Boot Camp. Going through combat and being overseas and being away from my family and friends for 7 months? When you add not knowing if I was going to make it home alive. Its one of those things where it really taught me that you have to work hard to achieve anything.
When I was in the Marine Corp, I had goals and I set out to obtain them. I reached many of them. It also made me cherish life a little bit more. When one door closes for instance leaving IMPACT Wrestling it wasn’t the end of my world. I wasn’t in Iraq. I knew that the next day was going to continue. By just being in the Marine Corp and respect for being able to wake up another day and being able to live. This along with my dream regardless of whether it was with IMPACT Wrestling or WWE, ROH or any wrestling promotion. Life goes on.”
Describe your training under Abel Adams and what you’ve walked away from that experience.
Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker): “I met Abel Adams in 200. He’s the one that gave me a chance to step in the ring. I actually spoke with him the other day. We’re always talking about the next step in life. He was one of those guys that was hard on me. Abel taught me respect for the business and respect for those that came before me. He also taught med etiquette which I think is lost in some of today’s professional wrestling.
Abel was another one of those father figures. One of the best friends in my life that believed in me and still believe in me. It was one of those that were instilled in me. He was just another person who said you’ve got the goods, you’ve got the look. Abel said you’ve got what it takes and I think you can go far. I was 18 years old when he started training me in 2001. He took me on the road and that’s one guy that I owe a lot to. Able drove a lot of the times and I was pretty fortunate because I didn’t have a lot of money. He was one of those guys that I respect thoroughly.”
After competing on the independents for almost 10 years, you signed with TNA. How did the experience come about?
Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker): “I started in 2001. In September 2002 I went to Bootcamp. So for a whole year, I didn’t wrestle at all until right about the Summer of 2003. For the most part, when I was in the Marine Corp, I was stationed at Camp in North Carolina. I would travel home every weekend unless I was deployed to work shows. I’d drive 5 hours to my home town, get into a car with Abel and wherever the show was and go. Whether it was in Florida or Georgia, Alabama we were looking at sometimes 25 hour round trips. This was just to get me from one show to another.
In 2006, when I got out (of the Marine Corp) I really picked up what I call full time working with the NWA. I was doing stuff all over the states. It was worldwide. I did some in South America. That’s the truth, I joined IMPACT in 2010. We’re looking at 8 years.
I think my time in the Marine Corp slowed down my progress. Luckily for the most part, being in the Marine Corp I saw some good shows working with some good guys but obviously, there is talent out there.
You have to work with people that are better than you in order to get better.
When I got out in 2006, that’s really when I started with NWA Anarchy. It really started to work with those guys down there. I really came into my own and learned. Whether it was the TV product, hard cam or working with guys that were way better than me. I learned psychology and how to tell a story. So the Marine Corp time hindered me a little bit but the thing was I was still able to make shows and not miss a whole 4 years of slowing my dream even more.”
You’ve worked in programs with Jeff Jarrett, Samoa Joe, James Storm & Samuel Shaw. Describe each program and how it helped Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker) progress as a wrestler & character.
Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker): “I think the Jeff Jarrett stuff was really when Murphy and I were in his corner. It was during the big MMA deal with Kurt Angle. I would take a couple of German Suplex’s from Kurt but working security was more just standing and watching Jeff while he was cutting promos. When it came to working with promos and listening and how he talked to the people and how he built his opponent up that was a learning experience.
Unfortunately, Joe and I worked some house shows together but we didn’t really have any big feuds. I was always upset about that. Crimson had to have a pretty lengthy feud with Joe. Any time I stepped in the ring with Joe that’s the guy that you know he’s an amazing talent in the ring.
He knows he was in and out of the ring. Joe knows all about character facials and people love him. Obviously from his Ring of Honor days to now and in NXT which I am so happy to see him in. I think that’s where he belongs. The guy is a machine. He was always very helpful when it came to having a young guy like me. Joe helped build that character and getting your moves set. It was about placing the moves where they belong. He helped with not having me doing 30 different moves but less is more kind of thing.
Working with James was awesome. You know tag team-wise, I’m a huge tag team fan.
We always wanted to take a tag team. For it to be two guys like when you look at some of the true tag teams back in the day. For example either a Brain Busters and Rock n Roll Express. Two guys that weren’t individuals but were a team. They worked as a team and that’s what James and I wanted to do. He was a beer drinker and I was a modern-day Viking and I would beat my head on a turnbuckle but I think we fed well off of each other.
Then we finally got the deal to do the feud. The feud was done right. I think that was one of those feuds that I needed to catapult me as a singles star and have people say ah this guy is actually competitive. He can actually make a run for the heavyweight title. Some things weren’t done right after that. It wasn’t my fault and it wasn’t James’ fault. For the most part, working with James was a really good learning experience. He has been there since day one. James knew what the fans wanted to see and he taught me that. He was very open to ideas. I think we taught each other. I think always good when two guys can get in there and put their differences aside and can tell a good story.
And the Samuel Shaw feud, other than the James Storm one was one of the favorites of mine.
I talked to another interview the other day. It was about how we had these two young guys. We had this creepy guy gimmick that Sam took, molded into his own. Then you had Gunner who for the most part never really talked. Unfortunately, he was never given the microphones so people don’t know about my promo skills whatsoever. Tt’s not my fault but that’s another story. (chuckles)
The good thing is we took this and I’ve done some acting as well.
We did this six weeks’ worth of vignettes where he was in a padded cell and all this other stuff. I loved it. It was character development and I think the fans really got to see another side of the Gunner character. Somebody who actually cared, you know a little bit different. We can’t just have a guy that goes out and bashes his head and wants to kill everybody all the time. There is no dimension to that to me. Triple H back in the day, the man, he’s still one of the greatest but he’s still had a different side to him.
The Shaw feud was one of my favorites. They gave us ideas and we went with the writers about really hoping that doesn’t do all the whole thing. Once we did the little turn we had two guys that wanted to go out there and show that they could. Much like we did in Bethlehem, PA in December of last year. Unfortunately, it was the only match we ever did.
I thought there was so much more opportunity with the Sam Shaw and Gunner character even though the girl (Brittany) left IMPACT Wrestling. It affected the storyline. Don’t understand why we still couldn’t have gone on with it. But Sam’s one of my favorite people to work with because he’s young and he wants to get it. Unfortunately, he’s not with IMPACT anymore. But you can see that he’s one of those guys that he’ll be around somewhere.”
Being married to someone in the business has its challenges, I’m sure. How does it help you both deal with the challenges of the business?
Leaving a promotion can lend itself to more freedom. What has your departure from TNA meant for Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker) personally & professionally?
Chad Lail (Jaxson Ryker): “I really enjoyed working for the company. I’ve been with them since 09’. Terry Taylor helped me get my foot in the door with me and Murphy and working the security deal. I will definitely miss the guys that I worked with. It goes the same way and that they will miss me. We’ve talked with a handful of them and I really think it was the best. After six years, there were times where I felt I was underutilized. Even though I worked with James Storm and I did the main event with Magnus, even after the Sam Shaw stuff I was put on the back burner for some odd reason and didn’t do anything wrong.
After six years, I was to the point where I was stressed out a lot. I’m 33 you know and I don’t want my youth soaked up. I feel like I have something more to offer to somebody whether Impact calls me back in a couple of months or WWE or Ring of Honor whoever it is, I know that me as a person I have a lot to offer. I think it was what was best for business.
There is no bad blood. It was a mutual agreement and I thank them for the opportunities of having me in the IMPACT ring.
But I have bigger and better goals and I think that since I was 5 I wanted that Wrestlemania moment. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to compete in the WWE ring and I’m not getting any younger. It’s still in the back of my mind, hey, I want to compete in a WWE ring or NXT has an amazing product right now down there. So I feel like I could wrestle on Impact and I’m looking forward to the future.
I think it is more of a hearsay rumor (about 30-year old’s not wanted in the WWE).
I think everyone goes through a developmental tryout now and I think that’s fair. They want to condition. They want a different athlete now. Wrestling is totally different from what it was back in the ’80s and ’90s when I was growing up. Its guys are balls to the wall now. So now you have guys working 15 and 20-minute matches and stuff like that it’s not just body slams anymore its everything.
I think it’s awesome that wrestling is getting more into the athletic look. I’m 240(ibs), I’d be happy at 225 if I got a job with WWE if they said hey, we want you to get ripped. I think 33 is a good age. They are looking for stars and they are building their own stars which I love. They are taking their young talent and not taking guys that were formally with another company and putting them in the spotlight and putting their young talent on the back burner. I don’t want to drop any names but we know what’s happening over there. So I look forward to the opportunity to it as well.”
