By Mike Grindle@MikeGrindle
Firstly for those who aren’t yet aware of you, would you tell us a bit about yourself? Sure, I’m Sid Scala – quick, scrappy, crafter little bugger. Been wrestling up and down the country for around 5 years. Known as ‘Savvy’ Sid and more recently ‘The Business’
What was your first experience with pro wrestling? Were you a fan from a young age? When I was six I was lucky enough to be given a bunch of VHS tapes of Wrestlemania 2 – 7 and all the PPVs in between. I’d shown interest when it was on TV and my mum’s co-worker was getting rid of them all. I was fascinated by the colours and the characters. I wore those tapes out.
When did you start to become serious about becoming a pro wrestler? Who trained you and where did you have your first matches? I started training when I was 9 years old… Which is a bit mad when I think about now. From the moment I knew there was a wrestling school I was there every week, training under Johnny Kidd and a bunch of other wrestlers from time to time including Robby Brookside. Most of my training was with SAS wrestling and Don Charles. We used to have sessions with Dave Mastiff, T Bone and Spud (Drake Maverick). My first few matches were in Norfolk at Falling Star Wrestling.
There’s been something of a transition in you persona recently, from the wheeling and dealing, Del-boy Influenced “Savvy” Sid Scala, to the “Business” character you now portray. Talk us through that change and what influenced it. Also have we seen the last of Savvy? I’m not sure if it’s a change or if ‘The Business’ is my Cactus Jack… ‘Savvy’ Sid will do absolutely anything to be successful. ‘The Business’ Sid Scala will do absolutely anything to be successful. One works on the market, the other works in the stock market. Basically, they are two sides of the same coin, The Business is a darker representation of the same ideas. The influence for the change came when speaking to Progress Wrestling about something that could work for a global audience. Have we seen the last of ‘Savvy’? That’s up to the fans. Right now there are many places that are always very welcoming. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Savvy just yet.
You recently made your debut for the promotion Progress wrestling. How was that experience for you? Will we be seeing more of you at Progress in the future Incredible. Progress had been a huge goal for me since it started. Being a Londoner and seeing the growth of the promotion has been a huge motivator over the past few years. Above all it was great for me to be able to showcase a completely different side to what I usually do. When I did my first entrance in February, I knew it felt right. I believe you’ll be seeing ‘The Business’ in Progress again soon.
You got the chance to work with Vader a couple of year back, what was that like for you? It was a long day at the office… but without that experience I wouldn’t be where I am today. I could write an essay on what happened that day. If people want the full story on Vader’s last UK appearance, 2 days after his match with Will Ospraey, where the first thing he said to me is “brother I can’t stand up” – check out Flash Morgan’s Wrestling Friends episode 50.
What match are you most proud of and who has been your favourite opponent? My matches against Joseph Conners are some of my favourites. And more recently my Progress Debut against Danny Duggan. Matches where I woke up feeling broken but I am extremely proud of the stories we told.
What are your plans going forward over the next few years? Wrestling in the UK has never had a more exciting future than right now. There are so many projects on the horizon which will bring a new level of exposure to the scene. My plans are to be as involved as I possibly can be in the next few years of UK wrestling expanding.
Finally is there anything in particular you’d like to promote? Always! For all social media, it’s @sidscala And if you’d like to support – sidscala.bigcartel.com
Lastly if you want to train to be a wrestler, check out @HustleWresGym
Special thanks to Sid Scala for taking the time to talk to us.
A special thank you to @Ringsideperspective & http://olisandler.co.uk
Also thanks to https://www.facebook.com/BeyondGorilla/
