Max Caster on working with AEW, making beats, music goals, Shook Crew, Create-A Pro Wrestling Academy & more
As seen on multiple episodes of All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite and Dark this year, "Platinum" Max Caster made a lot of people take notice in June 2020. But Caster had logged television appearances prior to this, and the New York native already had people buzzing as a long-time associate of Curt Hawkins and Pat Buck's Create-A-Pro Wrestling Academy. Notably his list of pre-AEW matches include bouts alongside Buck, Hawkins, MJF, Ace Austin, Tony Nese, Alex Reynolds, Tommy Dreamer, Fallah Bahh, and Anthony Greene.
In-ring talent aside, one of the things that makes "Platinum" Max Caster stand out from other performers is his musical pedigree. He posts a weekly "Freestyle Friday" video, his Shook Crew ring entrances often include a musical performance, and he is also the beat-maker behind the ring entrances of multiple wrestlers.
I had the pleasure of interviewing "Platinum" Max Caster on July 2, 2020 via Zoom about his recent AEW appearances, musical aspirations, Create-A-Pro and plenty. The full interview -- which includes a great story involving Neil deGrasse Tyson -- is embedded below, while part of the conversation has been transcribed for Sportskeeda.
More on "Platinum" Max Caster can be found online by visiting www.twitter.com/CasterShow.
On appearing within AEW programming in 2020
"Platinum" Max Caster: The atmosphere in the back and the locker room is very welcoming, something that I've never experienced going to another TV wrestling show. AEW, they say they're a lot of things and I do give them credit for following through on just trying to be different and trying to change the culture of wrestling itself. I give them a lot of credit for welcoming me in and giving me the opportunity to even put out a song. I did that on my own for the couple of matches that I did for them.
When I went and walked into the locker room, guys were like, "Hey, I saw your video. Great job." I'm like, "Awesome! Thank you!" I'd bet if that happened any other place nobody would have said anything, so I really do appreciate it.
On melding together music and wrestling
"Platinum" Max Caster: Sometimes you need that hook to bring people in, and that's what I do with the music. I love making music, I love putting out these songs. It's so, so fun to just tear somebody apart and then I have to see them in the ring. I know in their mind they know how good that song was and how bad I just ripped them apart. That's just gonna make them wrestle harder and that's what I want.
I want a true competition, I want people to fight me in the ring, I want people to be upset with me. It gets them off their game. So bringing that rap into the wrestling thing, the best decision I could've made. The best decision is putting it out there, I'm the guy who puts out a freestyle on social media every Friday. I'm the guy who makes diss tracks. I'm the guy who when I get a big match opportunity, I'm gonna go out of my way to get that match a lot of hype behind it. That's just kind of the deal with "Platinum Max" now.
On doing theme songs for other wrestlers
"Platinum" Max Caster: I made Bobby Orlando's song, he has a great theme song now. I think I did mostly Shook Crew. I did one for MJF, which he likes but he is never going to use for whatever reason. I hate his music, ever since he started using that song, I really do hate it and that's why I made him. He didn't even ask. I'm like, "Dude, here's a song." He goes, "That's great, I'll never use it." (laughs) I wanna say that's it [from Create-A-Pro] off the top of my head.
Everyone knows that I offer my musical abilities to make entrance songs. But I've been doing them for guys here and there. I did one for Beyond Wrestling, for Anthony Greene's YouTube channel. I did one for this guy Love, Doug. He wanted a cover of "Love Gun" by KISS and I somehow pulled that off. I'm doing them for other people but not so much Create-A-Pro. Everyone's still in love with their punk, thrash, metal intros, maybe we can step it up for those guys. (laughs)
On whether he wants pursue both wrestling and music full-time and long-term
"Platinum" Max Caster: My goal this year, before everything shut down, was to try and move into the music performance business. Even if it's just open mics or showcases, that was my main goal this year. Being in wrestling for now over six years, you get burned out. Going into this year I was very burned out. I was injured, I just got out of surgery, that was my goal for this year.
Now, having a lot of time off and time to think and heal and become a better person, I do think that I can do both. Right now, the wrestling is popping off a little bit. People are hitting me up with more requests or more opportunities for me to do things. The music goes hand in hand with that. So right now the music is living within the wrestling world, but I would love to do something on my own. I'm always writing songs that people will never hear.
During the whole shutdown, quarantine thing when there was no wrestling, when Create-A-Pro wasn't open, I had nowhere to go, I was writing songs. So now I'm in the process of finishing those songs and hopefully I'll put them out and hopefully people will like them and relate to my emotions.
But right now people are just going to have to relate to me dissing people, because it's wrestling, and I'm cool with that. I really like the songs we make, the Shook Crew, the "Platinum" Max songs, and I honestly feel there's no better rapper-athlete than me right now. So I feel like I could do it all.