1. Who is Shaka? Can you give us a career overview please? Shaka is somewhat of an anomaly; no one knows who I am, where I'm from or what my motives are. My intents and purposes aren't revealed until I express them at my own leisure, which is usually in the ring and in deed moreso than in speech. I let my actions speak for me. I'm the proverbial 'Wild Card' that no one expects to come up in a hand, but when I do, a lot of unpredictable things happen. 2. Why the name Shaka? Shaka was given to me by one of the promoters I dealt with when I started in the business. The minute they saw me with all my tattoo, piercings and my hair, they knew they had someone who would stand out. So, as my namesake stood out from his contemporaries, I stood out from mine as I continue to do so. 3. Can you tell us more about your problems with Kris Krude? What and why? Details please? I wouldn't exactly call them problems per ce; That was a bed of Krude's making. He was disgruntled with how he was being treated when we were on the Philly circuit and lost patience. He thought that he would instantly take the scene by storm over night, and it just wasn't happening. When we won the CWF Tag titles, it was probably the worse thing that could happen to us. The success just went to his head. After the Philly scene floundered, we went our separate ways; He disappeared for roughly 2 years and I moved on to other territories to conquer, which is what I'm still doing at this moment despite his presence in Maximum Championship Wrestling. It's true that I lost the MCW U.S. title to him 2 months ago, but I went down to NWA Va and became 1/3 of the 6 man tag champions with Ron Pharoah and Prince Malik a week later. Ironically, he lost the U.S. title on the same night we won the 6 man title. Karma works in interesting ways, does it not? Now if you look at it another way, I also have the longest title reign in MCW history out of all the champions. I'll get the U. S. title back, but I'm not stopping there. 4. Can you tell us more about Maximum Championship Wrestling? Maximum Championship is a year old now. The majority of the locker room is young but it's hungry. prior to Krude coming in, I was in the middle of a rivalry with the current U.S. champion, Chris Nightmare. At the time, he had just lost the Heavyweight title after having won it 4 months prior while he simultaneously the Cruiserweight champion. He reminds me of myself in a lot of ways, and we have a mutual respect for each other. There is much room for growth in the promotion with the proper guidance, and my impact there as well as any other promotion can also be beneficial. 5. What is it like to work for the NWA? It's amazing what impact those 3 letters have; granted, the era that made it great may be gone, but it's far from forgotten. I grew up wishing I could get there and for a long time, I thought it would be impossible. If you were to tell me a year ago that I'd would be invited to wrestle for the same titles that men like Nikita Koloff, the Road Warriors and Dusty Rhodes once wore, I would never believe you. Now I sit before you with a piece of history. I can't wait to return to the NWA and make more of an impact there. I think it's still possible to rebuild an organization such as the NWA in this lifetime, but it will take time, patience and a great deal of faith. I like to think that now is the time to set things in motion for a new beginning. Vince McMahon's dream can only last but so long. 6. Name association, please respond to the following names: Brickwall Bradley - former partner, student and friend. Once he humbles and puts himself into perspective, he can reach his full potential. Mike Quakenbush - inspiration. Very innovative and insightful. I was actually invited to CHIKARA several times. Eventually I'll get there. Low Ki - Another great warrior. We actually started around the same time. Intensity personified and highly focused. In many ways we are parallel. I love watching him work and he's been influential to me as well. He wanted Japan and was at the right place at the right time. Kris Krude - an abomination and shell of his former self. His potential is overshadowed by his ego and selfishness. 7. Why the "Did you know" section on your internet site? There was a great deal of confusion early on about my name and my purpose. I wanted to clarify things. After some research, I discovered that my one namesake actually had more history behind than even I had imagined, so decided to share the information. The rest pertains to the varied backgrounds I had studied throughout my life. I wanted to make it known that I'm more than just a name. 8. What do you know about The Netherlands? And about our Dutch wrestling scene? I've recently discovered that wrestling is getting more attention over here. I have always wondered what I was like to wrestle in Europe, but back in America, no exposure was ever covered. Everyone was always talking about Japan, Mexico and for a little time, Puerto Rico. I was aware that certain martial arts disciplines such as Muay Thai was and is very popular in the Netherlands, but not wrestling. At this rate, Western Europe may very well become the next international hotspot for wrestling, and I would be honored and privileged to be part of that. 9. What will it take to get you to perform over here? Not much prodding at all. I love to travel. Mundane factors such as finances would be the one stifling matter to prevent me from taking the Netherlands by storm. 10. Do you have a big video/DVD collection wrestling wise? What do you like to watch? Also non wrestling stuff... My video collection is primarily matches of Jushin Liger and the Great Muta, two of my biggest influences. I actually have one Muta's first matches from the Florida territory on DVD, and you can see the differences from now and then, but he's still one of the best. I have some of my own matches throughout my career that study, because I am my own worst critic. I also have videos of promotions such as New Japan, Osaka Pro, FMW and Toryumon. I enjoy watching Hayabusa and Ultimo Dragon's matches. I catch something different every time. I have some UFC matches I occasionally study for submissions. Very insightful things. Outside of wrestling, I've been collecting Japanese movies such as Ringu and Battle Royale. I've been looking for David Lynch's Lost Highways and just recently watched Takashi Miike's Gozu. Since I like David Lynch, I also enjoy Rammstein. I have their Lichtspielhaus DVD and their Live Aus Berlin video. I'm very big on Wumpscut and KMFDM, too (Ja, ich bin sprachen sie Klein Deutch!) As you can see, I stay as far from mainstream as possible... 11. Can you tell us more about The Book of the Void? (laughs) The Book of the Void is the last book in Miyamoto Musashi's Go Rin No Sho, The Book of Five Rings. It is a reference for the unexplainable element in martial arts. Musashi was ahead of his time in swordplay, very unconventional, much like myself, and the Void seemed more attracted to the other four elements, because they're more tangible. 12. Can you tell us more about KYDA? KYDA was the first promotion in the Virginia area that worked in. In a way, it was a doorway to get into NWA Va. Despite not having been there for a while, the impression I left is still evident, and eventually I'll return to enforce it. 13. You have some mentions of Hinduïsm and Buddhism on your site... are you into that? Buddhism is a non violent religion as far as I know... how does this go together with wrestling? I was exposed to a great deal of Eastern culture and philosophy long before wrestling. I lived in Asia for a time and some things stay with you for the rest of your life. I've studied the Bhagavad Gita since I was a child and little did I know the part it would play later on in life. Karma again. I actually enjoy reading about Zen Buddhism; it shows that humor and religion can go hand in hand when you least expect and that life isn't always serious. Technically, Hinduism and Buddhism are non-violent, but isn't ironic that Asian martial arts were taught by monks? My own involvement in that element is actually a system from Vietnam, and from that I learned that fighting in its own way can be spiritual. I have to admit that I have had my own enlightening moments from conflict. 14. What can we expect from you in 2005? Expect to see me extend my reach and make presence felt in more areas. Expect more titles to be won and the name Shaka to be heard on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as the year progresses. 15. Famous last words... Kein Mitleid Fur Die Mehreit, the funeral is about to begin... |