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THE TWILIGHT YEARS - ALEX COLON CHASING HIS JAPANESE DREAM AFTER PANDEMIC

In any other profession, 35 is no age to be reflecting on the end of your career.

And yet this is where Alex Colon finds himself.

The New Jersey-born deathmatch wrestling star has enjoyed a global career of 14 years competing in America, Japan, Germany and England. He has trophy cabinet featuring championships in companies such as Combat Zone Wrestling, Desastre Total Ultraviolento, H20 Wrestling: Hardcore Hustle Organization and more.

“I have pretty much accomplished all the goals I set for myself and am currently on the tail end of my career,” he says ruefully.

“I am making new goals, hoping for an end to this pandemic so I can once again chase my dream in Japan.”

The Japanese wrestling scene is a glorious, rich, star-packed, versatile market. It is the second biggest wrestling market after America.

Japan is not where old wrestlers go to die. It is the place where they go to rediscover their passion for wrestling, to measure themselves against the very best, to enjoy a career re-birth.

Colon toured in Japan twice with Game Changer Wrestling in August 2019 and February 2020. He also wrestled for Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS and Dove Pro Wrestling while in the country. He knows the country. He knows the Japanese audience.

But why does Japan mean so much to Colon? What is the big deal?

“I do feel like American deathmatch is currently the best, but the landscape in Japan is more fertile for deathmatches in terms of being able to hone the craft,” Colon says.

“It is more regular as well, being able to work in a deathmatch environment from all levels of violence and on a grander stage.”

Most Japanese wrestling companies adopt a touring system. Whereas mainstream companies in America will produce a weekly TV show, such as World Wrestling Entertainment’s Raw and SmackDown shows, Japanese companies will run a series of smaller shows with multi-man tag team matches leading to big championship matches in a larger venue at the end of a tour. All the stars. All the action. All the time.

Colon has a specific opponent in mind to face in Japan. Young deathmatch star and current holder of the King Of FREEDOM World Championship; Toru Sugiura.

Sugiura, 30, burst into mainstream deathmatch wrestling in 2020 with his fantastic King Of FREEDOM World Championship reign. He has held the championship since October 2019, managing sixth successful defences. With one more defence, he will break the record for the most defences in a single reign.

Many consider Sugiura to be the best deathmatch wrestler on the planet.

Colon recently caused certain amount of controversy when he said exactly that; Sugiura was currently best deathmatch wrestler in the world.

“Toru, although a young upstart, has had some of the best deathmatches this year,” he says.

“In Japan, it is very uncommon to give a younger talent your main belt without there being some type of ‘X’ factor.”

And the King Of FREEDOM World Championship is exactly what is on Colon’s mind. As a foreigner, known as a gaijin in Japan, he knows the honour of challenging for a Japanese championship.

He wants that honour.

“A match I would like to see would be me versus Toru, or even Toru versus any GCW guy, for the King Of FREEDOM World Championship,” Colon says.

“Wrestling for a Japanese belt in Japan as a gaijin is very uncommon, not too many foreigners get the chance to wrestle for one.

“I would like to be one of the few to do so.”

While Colon endorses Sugiura personally, he just wants to see deathmatch wrestling blossom. He wants to see a larger appreciation for the genre.

Deathmatch wrestling is not without its controversy. Its detractors label it as mindless gore and violence without psychology or storytelling. Deathmatch wrestlers can be perceived as lesser than their coworkers.

“What prompted that tweet was just my distain for lists on who is better, who is number one and so forth,” Colon reasons.

“I feel like sometimes, instead of appreciating someone’s body of work as good or okay or bad, we tend to number things and call people the best and the worst.

“There is so much talent out here in deathmatches. I feel any guy could be number one on any day.

“At the end of the day, I was once a fan and understand you can get caught up in your personal favourites and the favourites of those around your inner circle.”

Colon has faced Takeda in two one-on-one matches for GCW, once in America in September 2018 and in Japan in August 2019. He has also teamed with and against Takeda.

 

“Takeda is a perfect balance of crazy and wrestling know-how. Almost every deathmatch wrestler in every country can agree he is the best,” he says.

Colon faced Kasai in a one-on-one match for GCW in February 2019. He teamed against Kasai and Takeda in August 2019 in Japan.

“Jun Kasai has been doing deathmatches for 20 years and at a high level since the beginning,” Colon says.

“He is still a top talent and star, which could make him the best ever in terms of deathmatches.”

Of GCW’s two tours in Japan’s, Kasai’s match against GCW wrestler G-Raver in August 2019 was Colon’s favourite.

“They blended great wrestling and deathmatch elements to really put on a classic. True craftsman applying their trade,” he says.

As for his own matches on GCW’s Japanese tours, he picked his tag team match with Danny Havoc against Isami Kodaka and Toshiyuki Sakuda in February.

“My favourite match I was in was probably me and Danny Havoc versus Sakuda and Kodaka. The match just felt good and we all gelled really well,” Colon says.

Havoc passed away in May this year, less than two months after his wife unexpectedly died of heart failure. He was 34.

This is Alex Colon: 35 years old and reflecting on the looming end of his career. He is one year older than Havoc was when he passed away.

This is his dream. These are his twilight years.

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