SK Exclusive: Interview with Brian Zane from 'Wrestling With Wregret'
Hello SportsKeeda readers, today we’re bringing you an interview with one of the most popular wrestling YouTuber, none other than, Brian Zane from Wrestling with Wregret.
Aaroh Palkar (AP): So can you please tell our readers about yourself?
Brian Zane: I’m the host of the YouTube channel Wrestling With Wregret, where I take a humorous look at all things pro wrestling. I’ve been running the channel for the last three years as of June. Before beginning WWW, I had been involved in the independent wrestling scene since 2006. I spent one year as a wrestler but was terrible at it, then I made the transition to manager in 2007. I’ve been doing that ever since (along with the occasional announcing gig).
AP: What initiated you into starting "Wrestling with Wregret"?
Brian Zane: Well, I’m a huge fan of online review shows like Nostalgia Critic, Angry Video Game Nerd, Todd In The Shadows, etc. If you are a fan of some kind of genre or medium, whether it be movies, video games, comic books, music, anime, horror…you name it, there is someone reviewing it in a funny manner. But about four years ago I was looking around and realized that nobody was taking that approach with pro wrestling, or at least not doing it well. I have a background in video production and I’ve always fancied myself to be a good creative writer, so I thought, “why don’t I do it myself?”. I had that idea in my head for about a year before I finally decided to run with it.
AP: Nice, so earlier you mentioned that before WWW you were a pro-wrestler, so how did that happen? Did you always want to be a pro-wrestler or was it something that you started getting into as you grew up?
Brian Zane: I didn’t get into pro wrestling until I was around 13 years old, in the spring of 1998. My friend had rented a copy of WCW/nWo World Tour for the N64 and we spent the entire weekend playing it. He wouldn’t go on to follow wrestling but that game got me wondering what this whole WCW thing was all about, so I sought it out on TV, then started watching the WWF alongside it, and from there I was hooked.
I was obsessed with wrestling after that and sought after it anywhere I could. The fantasy of being a wrestler was always there but I never seriously considered it until my freshman year in college, when I learned that “Playboy” Buddy Rose and Col. DeBeers were running a school in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. I started training with them and two years later, I started wrestling for local promotions. I think I needed to train longer, haha.
AP: So, let’s talk a little bit about WWE, Kevin Owens is the new Universal Champion. How does that make you feel?
Brian Zane: I think Owens is absolutely deserving of the championship and it’s great that he won it in such a memorable way. I do think that the title victory has made some wrestling fans do an about-face with their fast-held beliefs, often to comedic effect. They don’t like hand-picked champions and they don’t like Triple H, but they didn’t mind that Triple H hand-picked Kevin Owens as the new champion, they hated the Universal Title but now they like how it looks, that sort of thing. (For the record, my opinion on the belt’s appearance changed BEFORE Owens won it.)
AP: WWE has this habit of playing it really safe, but this time they went ahead with the unexpected. Do you see them taking more chances like these in the future?
Brian Zane: I think their hand was forced in this situation. In fact, I’d say that for the last few years WWE has created their best moments when their plans A, B & C get screwed over due to injuries, suspensions, etc. That being said, what made wrestling so fun to watch the last time it was hot was the unpredictability of everything. Not a lot of people saw the ending to last week’s RAW coming, so more wild stuff that people can’t easily predict is a good thing in my opinion.
AP: What did you think of the Randy Orton/ Brock Lesnar match at SummerSlam? And, the Miz's segment on Talking Smack? Should WWE carry on with these semi shoot-style segments?
Brian Zane: I don’t like when the industry tries to blur the lines to an excessive degree; we saw what happened when Vince Russo was writing for WCW and having wrestlers and announcers using insider terminology left-and-right. I think it’s possible to have compelling storylines that aren’t based on locker room stuff without insulting the fans’ intelligence. I thought the examples you mentioned were very interesting, but too much of it and I feel it would become too meta.
AP: Recently rumours were going around that Daniel Bryan might make his in-ring return, what do you think about that? Considering how bad he has already hurt his neck.
Brian Zane: In WWE? Not a chance. The company is far too worried about Bryan hurting himself further or straight up dying in the ring, and rightfully so. At this point I expect him to quit WWE as soon as his contract is up and take bookings again, but I would be shocked to see him back in a WWE ring before then.