Interview with Alex Creed

In the FWO of 2005, “The Mecca” Alex Creed was on top of the World. He was the reigning Internet Champion, had numerous endorsements outside the Wrestling industry, and was one of the crown jewels of the promotion.

In 2009, his first match back was against Tom Seena.

“Tom Seena,” Alex said with a smile. “In retrospect I kinda feel bad for him. Like most wrestlers, he was just trying to get into the FWO. He saw an opportunity to earn a spot by knocking off the Internet Champ, or even make a good showing. He did neither.”

“That match did nothing for either of us, and part of the blame lies with the FWO. I told everyone that if they wanted a title shot, all they had to do was ask me for one. I left an open contract with my now-former agent. No one stepped up. Not one person came to him for that shot. That left the door open for Tom to spin a story and get his chance.”

But Keith Scott Zimmerman was the former champ. Didn’t he deserve a shot?

“Of course he did. He told everyone that would listen that he should have a title shot. But he never came to me. I was the FWO Internet Champion. I don’t chase down challengers – they come to me. That’s one of the perks of being Champ. If Keith really wanted his shot, all he had to do was ask me. He never did.”

He made the most of his chance when he did get it. He beat you for the title in short order.

“As much as I might hate on the guy, my hat’s off to him. I’d done some corporate restructuring at Mecca Incorporated and had too much on my plate. I was emotional, angry, and stupid. I don’t hate on Keith for beating me. I hate on me for being stupid.”

You did eventually get your rematch against him. No gimmicks this time around. He managed to retain his title.

“Say what you want about KSZ, but the man can wrestle. He also knows when to bend a rule, and when to break it. It doesn’t matter if the fifteen thousand fans in the building see it – if the ref misses it, it never happened. No excuses, he beat me. I’ll work my way back up the ladder. It’s not like I’ll never hold a title again. The cream always rises to the top.”

Spoken like a true champion. You seem to be a champion everywhere you go. You were a two-time World Light Heavyweight Champion in FURY Pro, a MMA promotion that you really brought to prominence. What was it like coming back from that style of fighting?

“It was rough making the transition back to professional wrestling after fighting in Mixed Martial Arts for the past three years. There’s a different mindset in MMA, and it can be tough to get out of. This is the FWO, and the W stands for Wrestling. I could beat anyone in the FWO, if I really wanted to, by using my MMA training. Ninety percent of the guys on the roster wouldn’t know how to get out of my Thai clinch, and the ten percent who did know how probably wouldn’t be able to. They’d sit there for five minutes while I dragged them around and drove my knee into their chest and face. But this is professional wrestling. Those are the rules I’ve agreed to play by, and when I get my feet back under me, I’ll dominate here even more than the first time around.”

Will you have your feet back under you in time for your Cyberslam match? With the stipulations being Last Man Standing, can you really afford to go in and be off your game?

“Obviously having the match as Last Man Standing was not my idea. That was all Dave. With that stip in play, the deck is way stacked against me. This is the same Crucifix who dove off the top of the FanTron to splash Deacon. That’s, what, thirty feet? Deacon moved out of the way and Crucifix caught nothing but ground. And he still got up after that! This is the guy I have to beat so badly that he can’t answer the referee’s ten count! No pressure!”

How do you see the match going?

“It all depends on who shows up against me. If it’s David Cross, I have to deal with a suicidal high risk taker with a strong submission game. He’s a guy who will do whatever he can to hurt you, and he doesn’t care if he gets hurt in the process. The match with Deacon? He didn’t even hesitate when he dove off the FanTron. It would have hurt him as much as it did Deacon, but he didn’t care.”

And if it isn’t David Cross who shows up?

“If I have to face Crucifix, I’m facing a guy who has been practicing martial arts almost as long as I’ve been alive. When I first saw his Golden Phoenix style, I thought it was like Shaolin Kung Fu. Lots of acrobatic performances, showy stunts, things like that. It wasn’t until I spent some time at their temple in Japan that I saw the real style.”

The real style?

“Dave called it The Way. That’s all he said about it. It was very direct, very destructive.”

Did you ever see him practice ‘The Way’?

“Only once. It was late 2004. I’d just been signed by Disney, and David and myself met some girls and went out to this club I know to celebrate. I wasn’t drinking, but the ladies wanted to do shots with someone so Dave volunteered. A few tables over, these guys started raising a stink. They started making trouble, wanting to show how tough they were by punching out a guy who wrestles on TV.”

“I knew the bouncers, so as soon as they heard the idiots making trouble they were thrown out. The girls weren’t in much of a celebratory mood so the bouncers snuck us out the back. Unfortunately the idiots caught up with us in the alley and were still in a mood to fight. There were five of them, and the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight with them. I didn’t know how Disney would react to their new poster boy being arrested in a back alley brawl. Still, they were adamant to throw hands so I got ready to oblige them.”

“That’s when Dave put a hand on my chest and said ‘I got this.’ I knew he could probably take all five guys by himself, but I still got ready to back him up if he needed it. Instead, he looked at his fist, really focusing on it, and then punched a hole in the brick wall. Literally. If I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have believed it. I found out later that he called that punch the ‘Satsujinken’ or Murder Fist. “

Sounds like an accurate description.

“That’s what I thought. After the drunks scattered, I tried to make a joke to lighten up the mood. I did my best Bruce Lee imitation from Enter the Dragon and said ‘Walls don’t hit back.’ Dave, he looked at me, real funny like, and said ‘After that punch, no one hits back.’ That’s what I potentially have to look forward to at Cyberslam.”

You must be concerned.

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I don’t expect to win. For all his skill, for all his insanity, I’m still the Mecca. I’ll find a way to beat him, and I’ll beat him. The ‘Violent Messiah’ is going to be the first rung on the ladder that’ll take me to the World Title.”

Alex gave me a look, a half smile, and for a second he looked very much like his father – Kodiak Vic Creed.

“If Crucifix has a problem with that, there’s two things he can do about it: Nothing and Like it.”

Spoken like a future Hall of Famer.