“I'm heading into my 12th year of this silly crap.”
Wrestling fans know very well who Brandon Bishop is. Some say he’s a loudmouth, an egomaniac, even
a jerk. That all might be true, but
behind the scenes, Bishop is a true professional that has given his adult life
to a business that is known for chewing people up and spitting them out, yet
Bishop still remains a force to be reckoned with.
Getting to know the man behind the attitude and bravado is
tough because they’re one in the same, but what you will find in Brandon Bishop
is someone who has given as much blood, sweat and tears to the business as just
about anyone. The spark was ignited
early on as a child and as an adult some unique business opportunities and an entrepreneurial
spirit continued to fan the flames as Bishop details in the first of a two-part
interview.
“Wrestling hit me in the cheekbone like a sledgehammer when
I was about five years old. I don't have
many vivid memories from those years, but eagerly hiking through the pages of
my mom's red leather bound scrapbook, featuring all the wrestling icons she
grew up watching at Cobo Hall every month or week, that's a memory that even Alzheimer’s
couldn't take away from me,” Bishop remembered.
“My mom would hop the bus in Detroit to the Cobo Hall, and every
time Big Time Wrestling set up their ring, my mom was ringside. Bobo Brazil,
The Original Sheik, Haystacks Calhoun, Whisper Watson, Tex Mackenzie, Irish
Mickey Doyle, Blackjack Mulligan, etc., my mom grew up idolizing these people. I can't even begin to tell you how badly I
wish I could've also witnessed some of those historic events featuring those
legends in the amazing atmosphere. It
had to have been incredible,” Bishop continued.
“So as a child I stumbled upon this magnificent scrapbook
and was transfixed! I had no idea this stuff was even still on TV, or still
existed, all I had was the scrapbook, and those bloodied grimacing faces
and larger than life stories and articles and huge people was all I needed to
become a fan,” Bishop said.
“After that, around the age of six or seven, I stayed up a
little late and popped the button on the 13" black and white TV with
the aluminum foil and screwdriver antenna.
Once the tubes fizzed and warmed up and the picture came in, I learned
all about The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, which played back to
back on The CBC (Canadian Broadcast Channel). I was again hooked on these shows, and began
staying up late every night to catch it, although usually I’d fall asleep by
the end of Laurel and Hardy. But one night I was still wide awake, and
after Laurel and Hardy came a show
called Global Wrestling hosted by
Gordon Solie showing wrestling highlights from all the territories. I lit up
like an inferno and couldn't believe what I saw in my mom's scrapbook was
actually on my little TV. I remember names like Bob Backlund, Billy Graham,
Bruno Sammartino, Dick Murdoch, Dusty Rhodes and the list goes on. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well as
a child, which in turn probably led to my insomnia later in life. Even back then wrestling was ruining my
health and well-being. In 2010, my mom
gave me that scrapbook and I display it proudly to this day,” Bishop declared.
Between his mom’s scrapbook and Global Wrestling, Bishop got to experience a culture of wrestling
that is long gone in today’s environment…a thriving territorial system with
tons of regional stars who all had the ability to connect with the local fans
and those watching on cable TV. It was
these early experiences as a child that planted the seeds for Bishop’s foray
into the business of pro wrestling as an adult as he moved from a fan of the
sport to a jack of all trades. Always
ready to grab the bull by the horns and take a proactive approach, years later,
Bishop turned a scheduling snafu at his job into an opportunity to have his
cake and eat it too.
“I ran a nightclub in Lawton, Oklahoma while I was in the Army. In 2001, I was
commissioned with filling Monday nights at the Asylum Concert Club, which led
to a conflict of interest for me, because, um... that's wrestling night people!
I'm not missing RAW for freakin'
work! So I came up with the idea to show RAW
at The Asylum and get paid to watch it. Genius! Well that idea led
to another idea of getting a few security people, bartenders, sound people
and myself to goof around during commercials in a make shift ring and just
basically do contests and have fun. Later, we came across an actual wrestling
ring, it was in shambles, but it had a frame, ropes and warped plywood and
carpet padding for a floor. I didn't
care. It was the coolest damn thing I've
ever seen at that point. We fixed it up, put hundreds of dollars into it, and a
month or two later, it was usable and not entirely dangerous,” Bishop chuckled.
From there, Bishop was hooked and everything he remembered
as a child from the scrapbook to watching wrestling on TV late at night only
served as fodder for the fire. Bishop
was turning his childhood dreams into reality and doing it his own way.
“So in 2001, we started training. We met a couple of guys
with a little experience on the Indy circuit, Jeffery Parker was who we
got the ring from, he was an interesting fellow to say the least, the
personification of Lawton, Oklahoma in my view in those days. He drove an old Limo, had few teeth, golden
balding ponytailed dyed hair, porn star stash and a bad lisp. But I would be lying if I said that he didn't
have a major hand in helping ACW [Asylum Championship Wrestling] and myself,
and in turn 50% of the current circuit including most of IZW, in getting
started. If you follow the timeline backwards, a lot of it leads to that
moment I met Jeffery Parker. Jeff
introduced me to Todd French. Later, I came up with the name "Magnificent"
Ty Magnus and the fun and friendship between us began. He had a few years of
Indy work under his belt and he taught myself and a ragged group of club
employees how to do the basics, and nearly killed us in the process. We were
doing hundreds of bumps on a ring that was barely safe to bump on, but we did
it and kept doing it until we got it. I
learned a lot from guys like Chris Matthews, Se7en, Jef Tiger, John O'Malley,
Angel Williams, The Blonde Bomber, Faith and others. Mostly they just kicked my
ass around the building. We trained for about a year before I started in
ACW and Mid-South in 2002. I think I did
it the right way, not many do these days, but I didn't want to crap the bed too
badly when I debuted in the ring,” Bishop joked.
While running ACW, Bishop learned everything about the
business from the ground up. He already
had the wrestling skillset, but has been evolving ever since, making ACW the
best it can be. “In
my position I'm already creative, performer, marketer, advertising, web
designer, graphic designer, video editor, talent relations, scout, show
director, TV producer, public relations, drama killer, trainer, and manager of
operations... Do I need to be or do anything else? Nah, but making a solid living off of it,
that would be fantastic!”
Through it all,
the humble beginnings, the unique start, the wild road trips, and everything in
between, Bishop has accomplished more than most and come out fairly unscathed
in a business full of landmines at every step.
“I've lost jobs, family and friends due to my love for
pro wrestling. Even at this age it creeps into daily life and throws a seizure
that shakes up everything in a negative manner.
But it's what I do and who I am. I've
been lucky as far as my health and injuries.
I broke a few things here and there, but I’ve only missed two scheduled
matches in 12 years. I've always tried
to be a leader and keep things as fun as possible, but I quickly learned that
just because someone is awesome in front of you, it doesn't mean they're not tearing
you to shreds behind your back. That used to irk me quite a bit, it
doesn't matter how much you pay out, doesn't matter how great the spots
are, or the attendance or how nice you are as a person. People talk smack
and don't know how to stop. So I realized that no matter what I do, I
can't change that, so I stopped caring. Actually it's laughable at this point,
so talk away boys, it all gets back to me eventually. I learned that the
more they bitch, it’s fun to give them more to bitch about,” Bishop said.
More recently, Bishop
has come full circle in his pro wrestling career as he is an integral piece of
Lawton, Oklahoma based IZW, and serves as the Commissioner. With only a few months under his belt in his
return to Impact Zone Wrestling, Bishop has still managed to turn IZW upside
down on its head. “My goals in
wrestling have been met... I made a name for myself in front of thousands of
fans and fellow workers, ACW has left its mark in wrestling history and I'm
proud of 99% of everything I’ve accomplished. My trips to IZW a couple
times a month are quite enough for me these days. I just want to make my own promotion, ACW, as
big and good as it can be, and make the other promotions like IZW as good as I
can help make it. I've already succeeded
in my eyes,” Bishop reflected.
Tune in to Part 2 in the coming weeks where Bishop covers IZW in depth, his relationship with owner and rival Johnny Z and IZW's next iPPV "Evolution" on July 21 on GFL.tv
