The independent wrestling scene has been revving back up with full momentum in 2021. The pandemic caused all promotions to take a brief hiatus from hosting events and some promotions were not able/decided not to run events until 2021. Those promotions have picked back up or are planning their first event of the year.
The independent scene in California was greatly impacted due to the tight restrictions in the state. Famous B, a talent who established himself on the SoCal circuit and is still a part of it, talked to me about what it was like to see the California scene not producing any wrestling. He stated that for the most part, there was nothing happening and promotions are just now beginning to test the waters.
Yeah, absolutely it did. No doubt. We definitely felt [it] here in SoCal… yeah, it was dead basically. Now, shows are starting to pretty much, you know, test the waters and starting to come back so to speak so [something] I can look forward to as everybody is pretty much. Taking the cuffs off and kind of just seeing what they can do with all the restrictions of course.
Famous B’s name is often associated with the Lucha Underground program. He was with the organization since it’s start in 2014 through it’s final season in 2018. When he was not working on-screen as a manager, he would work a handful of dark matches and occasionally wrestle on the television show.
One of Famous B’s best memories of Lucha Underground was working inside the SCS Warehouse, which is known as “The Temple”. He feels that the setup and direct contact with fans was similar to the original ECW vibe.
It was absolutely amazing. It was incredible. It was, you know, it was nice. Not too small but not too big. It was where you kind of got that intimate feel and once you jam-packed the fans in there — the balcony definitely made it feel unique, the roof on top of Dario Cueto’s office and whatnot gave you a kind of extra, I guess you could say spring to jump off of, make matches more interesting but yeah, the unique places, the ways you could get creative putting matches together definitely gave us an edge in terms of the setup because we were able to do things that most places aren’t able to do just because of the environment, things like that so, yeah, it was awesome. It kind of reminded me of the old ECW feel, the ECW vibe, you know what I mean? It was very cool.
During his in-ring career, Famous B had the opportunity to tour Mexico with The Crash. He shared that it was Konnan who helped him get started in the promotion. Konnan also brought him in to be the commentator for the Heroes Of Lucha Libre program that aired in late 2020.
Famous B praised Konnan for being helpful during his career and never being hesitant to pass along an opportunity.
Konnan’s been responsible for a lot of the bookings that I’ve gotten out there [Mexico] and you know, once I get that opportunity, show up, be a professional and make acquaintances and things like that and make connections and the rest is history from there.
Konnan is awesome. He definitely has been influential throughout my career on several occasions and anytime he sees anything fit for me that I can contribute or that I can be a part of, he doesn’t hesitate to connect me. One of those being the Heroes Of Lucha Libre. I did commentary for the series during the pandemic and you know, he just always looks out and I love working with him and love hanging with him. He’s definitely a cool cat.
Early on in his career, Famous B was a part of the fabric of the Championship Wrestling from Hollywood program. The likes of Scorpio Sky, Cesaro and Colt Cabana to name a few were a part of that show for years alongside Famous B. He spoke about the core group of talent that the program had under their umbrella and how being a part of that grouped helped him further solidify his self-confidence in the business.
Scorpio Sky, Colt Cabana, Adam Pearce, Claudio a.k.a. Cesaro was there for a while, TJP, Brian Cage, Shaun Ricker. Man, the list goes on and on. We had such a good group of guys, you know? Austin Aries came through there. Just so many guys man, just so much good talent and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood was definitely a place where I pretty much gained my — I guess you could say self-confidence in the business. It’s not that I ever had a lack thereof, but it provided me with one of the first experiences where I could — I guess you could say a light bulb kind of clicked. It was just like I knew once I had a series of matches with various individuals such as Austin Aries, I just knew that this was meant for me to be doing. It wasn’t something — or being a professional wrestler isn’t something — it’s not like a job or a hobby or anything like that. It’s who I am. It’s a passion for me and it’s fueled me to do all the things that I’ve done so far and all of the things that I’ll do in the future.
At WrestleMania 37, Bad Bunny teamed with Damian Priest and competed against John Morrison and The Miz. The match was highly praised by WWE talents who saw Bad Bunny in the early stages of his in-ring training. Famous B caught up with Damian Priest over WrestleMania weekend and was able to get some insight from him on what it was like to see the effort Bad Bunny put into training.
One of my good friends is John Morrison of course. Bad Bunny obviously spent a lot of time working with John and when you’re working with a guy of John’s caliber and his skill level and being guided by someone like him, [that] definitely played an important role in — I’m pretty sure that definitely made Bad Bunny’s life a lot easier, you know? Working with a guy like John but, yeah, big ups to him and just everything that he did over the — well actually over the course of his entire run so far. I was having a conversation with Damian Priest over WrestleMania weekend. We’ve actually talked a little bit about Bad Bunny and his experience, from Bad Bunny’s perspective through the lens of Damian Priest and off of Damian Priest’s perspective and things like that and I got a lot of good [insight] about how everything went down and what went on and I’m glad Bad Bunny had the opportunity to do his thing and shine the way he did and I hope that if his schedule permits, he can keep it going and come back for another run.
When asked what is next for him, Famous B stated that he has some things in the works, but he is more than willing to try his hand at becoming an asset for a major company. He listed off several skill sets that he could bring to a company, including his managerial experience that was on full display in Lucha Underground.
Oh absolutely, without question. I’m one of the most skilled individuals that you could find in the business in terms of the fact that I think of myself or call myself a renaissance man in professional wrestling. I do a lot, I do everything. I’m an excellent professional wrestler, I can ring announce, I can commentate, I can manage of course, great promo skills. I mean there’s nothing in the business that I can’t do. I have a very great mind for the business. Not just for myself but for others as well, you know? I kind of get sparks of genius as far as my creativity for myself and for others and just conversing with other like-minded individuals so, there’s nothing that I can’t do. I’m a fantastic asset for any company out there and yeah, I’m pretty excited for what the future holds and I can’t wait to see what happens next. The future is very bright for an individual like me because I conduct myself with professionalism. I always have, I always will. I’m loved everywhere I go in locker rooms I’ve been in. I’m respected by my peers, I’m a great listener when it comes to bosses or producers or agents or whoever it may be and it’s nothing I can’t do, you know? I can pull off anything that’s given, presented to me and I have the utmost confidence in that and I’ve proved it on every single occasion every time I’ve ever performed, so I’m definitely a great asset and the future’s bright.
Famous B last wrestled in 2019 but is still active within wrestling and taking on various roles such as ring announcing and commentating. To keep up with him, he can be found on Twitter @famousb23 and on Instagram @famousb_23.
The full interview with myself and Famous B can be watched via the player at the top of this article or on the Andrew Thompson Interviews YouTube channel.
