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Earlier this week, I sat down with Chris Hero in advance of his return to the ring as an active professional wrestling this Friday in San Francisco, CA against Timothy Thatcher for West Coast Pro Wrestling, which will stream live for free on their YouTube channel. Some highlights from the conversation:
Returning to the ring and Traveling Again after the Pandemic paused his career:
"A busy week for me, but I'm very happy to chat with you and maybe get, get some of your listeners and let them know a little bit about West Coast Pro, a little bit about what I've been up to and what I'm going to be up to.
[Travel], especially at first, it was jarring, right? I just I was one of the last holdovers to wear, to wear my mask everywhere. I'm, I don't now. I haven't for a while, but I just was very conscious of my surroundings, where I was going, what I was doing. It was very surreal. I talked about this a little bit earlier today, where I went over to the UK for an NXT UK taping. And, on the the week leading up, we heard about this thing called coronavirus and we're like, okay and I was a little concerned, right? Anytime you hear this kind of stuff, you're like, does not sound good.
And then I had asked some people who you think would be in the know about this kind of thing and was told like, whatever, it should be fine. Just wash your hands, whatever. But I just I couldn't believe how nonchalant people were being in it and I mean with a lot of the world was like that, nobody wants to assume the worst, but I remember coming home from that UK trip and we started seeing people wearing masks at the airport and on the airplane and I was like, man, I really feel I don't know, I just got a bad feeling about this.
And then, sure enough, as soon as we got back it was like another day or two, and then, stuff started shutting down. We got told all of us that were on that UK trip were like, Hey, quarantine at home for ten days, whatever. And then, yeah, it just, It's a very intense time.
We don't need to go through the ins and outs of that. It was just a very tough time. And I lost some people I knew. People I knew lost people that were really important to them. And I just, man, I just could not believe how casual some people were being about it and some people that just, weren't hit by it or weren't hit, didn't have anybody they knew or loved or were hit by it.
I, when shows started running again and people started traveling again, I just was very cautious and I was not interested. Somebody had asked earlier. If there was no pandemic, if I would have taken a leave of absence from the ring and I really don't think I would have, my mindset and my mentality and just my muscle memory is like, all right, what's next?
Let's get onto the next thing. Let's what, where do I fit in? What's the landscape look like? Trying to come up with some interesting ideas. Different things, some outside of the box things. But, I was just floored, man. I didn't want to go anywhere. I didn't want to do anything. It's hard when you're not making money, right?
That's tough. That kind of pressures you. And I know a lot of people return to work earlier than they wanted to because you just have to, right? But once it had been a while and I started to feel a little bit more comfortable, I went up for a signing up there in New York at the Wrestling Universe store. Went up there for a signing. And it was fine. But just, it was a culture shock going back to airports. And just and also I was living in Florida at the time. And... We're in a pandemic and people are dying and people still won't respect personal space and there's people bumping into you and reaching over you and I'm like, man, like this is annoying. Even when there isn't a disease going around, right? I just, so, we packed up and got out of Florida in 2021. We're up in Charlotte now. And then again, just, I would drive when I was doing those ROH tapings. Yeah. I just was like, oh, I'll just drive. It's like a seven hour drive. It's not bad.
I just didn't want to be in close proximity with strangers. So it took me a little while to get back and into traveling and slowly it got more and more normal. And it's just, I don't know, man. I think people have stunted growth when it comes to like travel etiquette now because there's just people everywhere, either rushing over top of you or standing in your way.
It's pretty crazy traveling now. I, it's, maybe I'm just focused on it more but it it's not as easy and casual as it once was. That being said, in the past six months I've done more traveling than I have, in maybe even the last five years because even when I was with NXT, we'd have some travel loops here, there, go to, I started going to the UK a lot, but still, this is between West Coast, between my stuff with AEW I'm really racking up the miles again and I'm just getting, I'm getting more used to it. I'm more comfortable. And I needed, I just needed, And this is selfish to say this, I just needed the perfect thing for me to come back to and a lot of people made a lot of offers some generous offers and some things that would have been and could have been great. But selfishly, I'm like, what, what's in it for me?
What's after for me? What, where do we go from here? Because you only have one comeback match unless you're Terry Funk, right? I'm like, alright, this, when I come back, it's gotta be the perfect thing. And sometimes you can focus so much on something being the perfect situation, the perfect time, that you're just, giving yourself excuses to not do it or to not go or whatever.
I just... You start to question yourself like, man, is there going to be something that I'm going to be satisfied with? Is it possible? What does the landscape look like and where do I fit in? And gosh, it just happened. Serendipitously that, I went out, Rachel and I went out to West Coast Pro, she had a match.
I had a seminar and I did a signing and I mingled and I, was in a locker room and talking with people and I just, you just felt really good vibes and then stayed in touch with the promoter, Scott Bergani and just, we had a bit of a long distance kind of relationship back and forth where we're like, Hey, we weren't talking every day, but every couple of weeks we'd touch base and see what he's up to and wish him luck on his shows.
He'd ask me where my head was at and that, it's just happened where I offered my services to come in and help produce the show help handle things behind the scenes, help run the locker room. And he thought, he wanted to do it. And. I was very flattered that I was able to get it done and go out there and, I'm learning on the fly, there's a lot of stuff I know how to do, but there's still certain things that take a lot of time to, to just really get down.
But in going out there, building relationships with all the talent, the people behind the scenes, working side by side with Scott and Vinnie and Levi man, it just, This will be my 9th show for West Coast Pro this Friday. And it's gone by in a flash. It's just, It's, yeah, it just eventually the perfect scenario in my head was created and Thatcher, what a perfect opponent to, to come back and have a match with and just, I really feel at home up there in San Francisco with the crew and in front of that crowd and just the locker room, I just, I can't speak highly enough of all of it.
So it's just, it's going to be an emotional one this Friday. Because it's three and a half years of buildup, and a lot of torment and turmoil, personally, professionally, and it's just I get to go back there and do the thing I love. I get to do the thing that I've, the only thing I've known as an adult for 25 plus years.
So I'm just I'm really excited. I'm nervous. I'm stressed, but I'm excited and it's a good energy."
Deciding to return for WCPW and not chase a bigger payday for the first Chris Hero return bout:
"Oh, man, and it's tough when you're struggling financially and there's some money to be had it's really tough.
It's really tough. I'm very fortunate to have Rachel and myself, we really take care and support each other. And just, like I mentioned to you before we started this, some personal stuff going on with my mom. It was just, it was hard. And I did have various support from just a whole bunch of people all over the world, but, friends and acquaintances and such, but it just it was very tough.
I just know that I You know, I spent my entire adult life doing this and doing it in a way that felt right. Every time I made one of the decisions, whether it was to signed my first contract with Ring of Honor or it was to extend my contract with Ring of Honor when I, we had spoken with WWE and then to go to WWE the first time and then the different companies that I worked for after I got released the first time and then the offer to come back, like, All of those things I believed in.
I felt like, all right, this is it. Wherever we go from here is whatever. But at this moment, I'm just, I'm really bought in on this. I think this is the best thing, right? So just having these different offers and I just knew that wrestling is so what I'm looking for. It. Turns over so quickly and you can have a comeback match this weekend and you can be gone by next weekend.
There's bigger news. There's bigger people. There's more things. There's more exciting things or you could have the best match on a show to kick it off. And then by the end of the night, people don't even remember your match because there's so much going on, right? So Cool. I just was like I want to do something that means something and means something to people, the people that have supported me throughout all this.
I don't want to just come in and do one thing and then, oh, there it is. You only get to come back once. I said that earlier. So I just wouldn't have felt right. And then also What's the follow up, where am I going to be mentally and physically to follow up on this thing to be able to do it more regularly because, once you're back, so I didn't want to, I didn't want to waste that, I didn't want to just come back, and then, oh, I'm back, and now I'm just on shows, and, I'm in this match with this guy, and whatever, and then a couple weeks later, it's just a distant memory so I just, even if, This match comes this weekend and it comes and it goes and the people that see it like it and people that don't see it Don't feel compelled to watch it or whatever if it's not super memorable.
That's okay because I know What myself and what the rest of the West Coast crew have put into this and it's not just about this match It's about the relationships that I've built with the talent I said this before the people behind the scenes whether it's you know People run in production people putting up the ring people trainees at the school like I said, it just feels it feels like home to me right now and being able to work with all these people And get to know them and let them get to know me and how I look at things and how I see things and when I come through with a great idea and then when I come through with something that I end up looking back on and going, Hey, I, I gave you bad advice.
I, I said this, but I, looking back on it, it's this, and, people seeing me just learn as we go, I don't have it all figured out. I have some things figured out and I have a passion And I'm inspired to, to know as much as I can and do as much as I can. But even if, this is a flop this weekend and, um, just, I, knowing that I've done it with these people and with this crowd it's still just incredibly special for me.
And it's also not, we get so wrapped up into what we're doing individually. The matches that we have, the shows that we put on, the finishes we do, the, this, that, and the other, at the end of the day, it's not about us, it's about the ripple that we make and the people that we influence along the way, the conversations we have with people, the people that we inspire the people that watch this match I'm in on Friday that aren't even In wrestling in the wrestling business, but something sparks them from that show and they decide to take their life in a different direction and either go to a wrestling school or go out to more local shows and just to be able to influence people in that way of a positive, encouraging way like that's super, super important for me and it's important for all of us to think like I look at a guy like Titus Alexander.
It's such a bummer because he and Vinnie Massaro are like the lifeblood of West Coast Pro, but they're both going to be in Japan, right? If you're going to miss it, you better f**king miss it for something good, right? Yeah, very much yeah, and Titus... came to Oakland as an extra for Collision.
He got his ass beat by Will Hobbs, another NorCal guy. And then the next day he hopped on a plane and made his debut for pro wrestling Noah. So just seeing a kid like that grew up in the business, getting to work with him and being just even a small part of his journey. It's really special.
Starboy Charlie. He's another one that kind of grew up in and around the business and he's our champion right now and to just be a part of his story. The kids at the wrestling school that are still trying to figure it out haven't even had a match yet. I just, I'm invested in all of them.
And their careers and their progress, personal and professional. So it just felt right to do this at West Coast. And even not having done it, zero regrets whatsoever. It's just, I said in the tweet earlier today that I'm going to do my best to make this as special for as many people as possible.
And that means, the people I work with, the people that I'm going to work for, the audience. Transcribed the people that I've called on to be a part of this promotion wise, a video was released today by Joseph Montesilio, and he's exceptional. IQ Wrestler did a music video that's going to be released.
Haru Ogawa. designed our show t shirt. Brian Zane from Wrestling with Regret. He's going to come to San Francisco and he's going to, record bits of the show and he's going to put out a video to be able to involve all of these people with something that's really important and special to me.
And to know that they're all like on board and they're all excited. Like it's just, yeah, it's more than just a comeback match. It's it's just an entire experience."
Personal Goals for the return:
"If I don't throw up, that'll be good. No, I'm just it's, do I still have it? I feel like I have it. Everybody thinks they have it until they don't have it, right? Figuring that, being able to gauge and take the temperature on, on how I hang in there with a f**kin thoroughbred like Tim Thatcher, gosh.
I picked a good one for myself, right?
I was gonna say, if you want an easy night, this is not a good first easy night back. This is someone who's gonna... Push you outside of your comfort zone for sure. Yeah, but it's a, it's a bit of the, how do I hang in the ring? Like, how do I perform in front of a live audience?
How how am I throughout the day? Because I'm still producing this show, right? I got to format this show. I gotta throughout the show, give time cues. I'm going to have some assistance, but There's still a lot on my plate and, the different merchandise and stuff that we put that we're going to put out for this it's just a lot of heavy lifting that day and just see how I do on stride.
I think, as long as the fans are happy with the results, with how the match goes I, I think I'll be satisfied. It's gosh, they, the fans are the fans for West Coast Pro. They're just really electric, man. They're really they're smart but they're not too, they're not like overly critical.
They really have a soft spot for their locals, their hometown people. But at the same time, when somebody comes in with a reputation, they give them a, they give them a quote unquote hero's welcome. When we have a legend like Kenta Kobashi or Manami Toyota, they show out and give them all the respect and appreciation that they deserve.
So I can't speak highly enough about the audience that attends West Coast. So I just hope to do them proud. I hope to do Scott proud for having faith in me and believing in me throughout this. Yeah, and then it's alright, what's next? Am I gonna, am I gonna keep doing this? Is it one and done?
That's all to be determined. But yeah, that's my, my, my view of success right now is just, every, everybody enjoying themselves, everybody having a good time and I don't throw up in the ring."
To purchase tickets to the event, click here or CLICK HERE for WCPW's YouTube channel, where the entire show will stream live Friday for free.
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