Otaku Dome had the opportunity to interview Queensland Championship Wrestling star Kolvoski, The Tower of Power, where he is the current reigning Queensland North Heavyweight Champion, we talk about career goals, possibly wresting for WWE and other promotions, and other topics. Our interview can be viewed below:

Kolvoski as Champion.

* 1. First of all thanks for being our first official Pro Wrestler
interview, second I'd like for myself and the readers to know a bit about
who you are and the character you portray in the ring.*

Hello to the people of the internet. I'm currently working the indie
wrestling scene of Australia (Queensland's coast to be exact). My in ring
name is Kovloski 'The Tower of Power'. I've been doing this thing for a few
years and let me tell you, it's the greatest thing ever. From training new
guys, to reffing, to having barbed wire matches, Royal Rumbles, ladder
matches and everything else in between. This has changed my life in the
most positive way possible.

My character these days... well basically, I think the best way to describe
my character is a very silly, self-deluded, power-drunk hipster. I'm not
sure if it's been done before, but it sure as hell is working. I try to
push the limits of what I'm allowed to say and do most of the time. The
company I work for - Queensland Championship Wrestling (QCW) - is a PG
company. A lot of guys feel like it's a restriction because they're not
allowed to do certain things. I think it's fun though. I'm constantly
testing the waters and pushing the envelope and seeing what I can get away
with.  I sort of get the vibe of 'what the hell will this guy do next' from
the audience. I know it's very cliche, but I'm just being myself. Volume
turned way up. It's the easiest way to learn and the most natural you can
be.

*2. I see that you are the current reigning QCW Heavyweight Champion,
what's it like being at the top of the ladder compared to just wrestling
every other day?*

It is an amazing feeling. I am very happy that my hard work has been
rewarded. Something I can put on my resume too.

Firstly, there is a whole lot of pressure that comes with it. Suddenly,
you've got a whole tonne of new responsibilities. You're the guy everyone
is gunning for now. You're the man. I take great pride in wrestling and I
know where I came from. I know how this business works. I'm expected to
represent my company and my peers. I'm expected to be always on the ball.
No botchamania moments - inside and outside of the ring.

I'm trying to be a positive role model for the boys in the back. There is a
lot of ego in this business and sometimes having a prop can turn you into
an asshole. I don't want that. Instead, I now have been taking new
wrestlers in. Becoming a head trainer does your head in, but it's a really
fun experience. From student to teacher, you learn even more. Most people
see it as a burden, I see it as getting another leg up on my competition.
Plus I know how hard it was when I first started. It would've been nice for
a champion to take me under his wing and guide me down the right path. This
business is about give and take. I've taken a lot, now it's time to give
back.

With or without the belt, you need to be a hard worker. I've always tried
to be that. The only difference now is that I'm featured a lot more. The
more you put into this, the more you'll receive. You have to have that
attitude when you are a wrestler. Some guys have a really shitty attitude
and think they're 'superstars'. They won't take the time to help out with
anything. These are the same guys who complain that they are getting no
where in the business. They think that, "just because I don't have the
belt, I can slack off". That's where they're wrong. You pay your dues and
show you deserve it. You don't sit there, waiting and festering because no
one has chosen you. You get off your fucking ass and become the only choice.

*3. Has there ever been a storyline a booker spoke to you about that you
felt uncomfortable with? Do you think wrestlers could make it further in
the business with an open mind? *
Haha, a few things, yes.

I was wrestling a new kid by the name of Leon Lance Gregory Storm. This
would be his third match ever. He fucked up big time in his last match. It
was like he had forgotten how to wrestle. He missed cues, forgot spots,
forgot how to throw a clothesline. It wasn't pretty. He ended up getting
tagged a few times by his opponent - in good measure.

He got put up against me. I got told to just "fuck him up and squash him".
I knew this kid though, and I knew he could wrestle. It was a pretty unfair
thing to call I think. It was his second match after all and everyone makes
mistakes. He knew he had put on a shit-show. Shit like that is what kills a
person's dream. You got to take a step back and realize that your peers
have the same dream as you. Why kill someone's dream because he made a few
mistakes? You learn from your mistakes.

So anyway, I got together with this kid before the show. I told him how it
was to go down. I explained to him why he's in the doghouse. I tried to
give him a different perspective on the situation and I told him what we
were going to do. We ended up having a solid 15 minute match. He had some
outstanding comeback sequences and proved to himself, his peers and the
audience that he can go. He wouldn't have learned anything from a squash
match. And he would've been stuck jobbing until he quit. Who knows, he
could be the guy who makes it big time.

I thought the booker would've been pissed. I came back through the curtain
and just said, "How was that?" I got told I did an excellent job and that
he [the booker] appreciated me having the patience to work with the kid.

That was probably my most recent example. Only happened about a month ago.
There has been other times where I've just fucked up. For example, being
told I need to get on the ropes for a dirty pin to finish the match, but
I've been too far away from the ropes. What do you do, grab the tights
instead? Yep, grab the tights and pray it doesn't bite you in the ass.

There was another time where I was billed for a 15 minute main. I was up
against a Mexican named 'El Cheekay Grande'. About three minutes in, he's
whipped me into the corner and all I heard was "mtodingoiffekfkiq". I think
he was chewing on his mask or something. No idea what the hell he said. I
see this leg come up and try to kick my face, then it just drops and his
whole body drops. And I'm just in the corner going, "what the hell is going
on". And our senior referee looks at me and shrugs his shoulders. I tried
not to crack up laughing, actually. That ref is just a brick wall, hard to
get an emotion out of him. The referee checks on him and calls the match
off because he's hurt his leg.

I was really really pissed off. I shouldn't have been. But I felt ripped
off. I was just thinking, "I have been doing this for 12 hours today, and
when I finally get to wrestle, the match gets thrown." So in Scott
Steiner-esque style I yell, "Give me a fuckin' mic". Whoops. I want a
match, I'm pissed off.

Luckily there was a plan B that night. Gave the crowd a title match
main-event. The booker was pretty pleased with me. Not so much the other
guy. But as long as your intentions are good, I've found that usually you
won't step on anyone's toes.

You need to bring your own ideas to the table. The booker might be
thinking, "Oh shit, I hope no one knows that I have no idea how to end this
match." Don't be afraid to give suggestions. But you need to be careful. If
you're getting paid $500 to do a splash off the top rope and you fuck it
up. You better get your ass up there and make sure you do it right.

So yes, definitely keep an open mind. Respect the booker's job. He knows
what's in store for you down the track. He knows the pay-off. There is
always a pay-off.

*4. What have your experiences been like playing the babyface and/or heel.
Which do you normally prefer?*

Very positive. I've gotten the reaction I wanted from the get go playing
the heel. It's just nowadays, I'm sort of in between. The last show I was
at, I was booked as the face. It was a really really amazing experience. I
was in a champion vs. champion match. I was up against a guy from Noosa
named Ricky Rembrandt. Great technical wrestler. Even better brawler. This
guy was usually the face though. So we just got told we were switching.
Just as a little temperature check, nothing permanent. That was so much
fun. I think we both learned a lot from that experience.

I'd say though, I much prefer being the heel. But, I think maybe down the
line the inevitable turn is coming. The audience wants it. I just got to
play puppet-master and wait for a good opportunity. As long as I'm in
there, I'll make the most of what I have to work with, good or bad.

* 5. How did development of your character come about?*

Alright! I'll try my very best to explain my character's development.

When I started training, my trainer would call me 'Kovloff'. He said I
reminded him of some russian guy he knew or something. I had really long
hair, a big untamed beard and a very hair chest. I became a Russian bear.
We changed the name to Kovloski and I was billed as some ruthless, no
nonsense, ass kicking machine. This was pretty one dimensional, and I
personally got a little bored with it. Plus, I couldn't do a Russian accent
to save my life. I started just to poke around and have my own fun. I
always use to watch wrestling and see a fan get called out by the heel. I
use to think how awesome that would've been to be that fan. Their night
just got made by a wrestler calling them an asshole. So, I decided to just
do that, interact with the crowd as much as possible.

It went from just teasing people and stirring them as much as possible to
moments where I'd be covered in sweat and then, purposely lay on the
douche-bag in the crowd that had been heckling me all night. I'd try to
just stir any reaction I could out of them.
You'd work a kid in a batman shirt, yelling at him "Batman's parents are
dead. I hope your parents die too, you little piece of dog shit", the poor
kid would cry, then my opponent, sporting a batman tattoo would come out
and kick my ass. The kid would then grow a set and start flipping me off.
They'd come out of their shells. I started to really love that aspect of
wrestling. But it just didn't suit the 'Russian Bear' gimmick my promoter
outlined for me.

Eventually, I just said "Balls to this shit". I went and got a really neat,
short haircut. I trimmed the beard down to almost nothing. I got a new set
of tights and a whole new attitude. I didn't tell anyone about my new look.
I just arrived at the venue and most of the boys couldn't believe it. That
night I was suppose to work a tag-match with my partner, 'The Choff' (a
very muscular, cocky, sexy beast). Debuting our newly formed partnership
named: Choffloski. It was also The Choff's birthday, and lucky old me got
an invitation to his in-ring party. That night I also debuted the new and
improved Kovloski. It wasn't a subtle change at all. I went from Russian to
silly hipster. The Russian Bear to The Tower of Power. And yes, every
single person in the audience was apart of that segment.

I'd do all the classic heel stuff. Fight dirty, talk like an asshole, act
like an asshole, aim for cheap heat. It was working for a while, but then I
got billed in the "Gold Rush Rumble" (our version of the WWE's Royal
Rumble). I ended up winning the damn thing and started to get cheered.
Nothing had changed except the fact I was the number one contender for our
humble, wrestling championship. Eventually, I started coming out to half
boos and half cheers. No matter what I did, some section of the crowd would
be laughing and cheering for me. I even ended up stealing the belt from our
top guy, and still got cheered.

You get told, "any reaction is a good reaction". Apart of me sees this as
failing as a heel, but another part me sees it as just being respected and
appreciated. At least they're reacting. I'd rather have that than coming
out to crickets.

I know our usuals will cheer me and everyone else will hate me. If you're
forcing yourself upon the audience, and it feels unnatural, they aren't
going to click with you. Their reaction will be forced as well. However, if
you act natural and really believe in what you're doing or saying, you're
going to get a more pure and natural reaction from the audience. You can't
let them start telling you what to do though, you're still the puppet
master.

These days, I try just to go with the flow. I'm still learning and finding
a character that I'm super comfortable with. I've been trying a corporate
Tower of Power gimmick -  where I've became the General Manager of
Festivities. It's still got some work to do. I'm just trying to keep it
fresh and familiar.

*6. Have any major promotions such as WWE, TNA, ROH, etc contacted you yet?
Do you plan on contacting them via tryout, etc?*

Oh nah, not yet anyway haha. That's the goal for every young wrestler,
right. Go big or go home.

It'd be pretty fantastic if I could wrestle for any of those top,
well-known promotions. I'm not sure I'm at that caliber yet. I've got the
tools of the trade, I've learned a bit of the trade, I just have to get a
bit more experience first. There is still a lot of things I want to try out
and do for starters. In between the experimenting different holds, moves
and characters, I'm just making sure I put on top notch matches.

Firstly, I would like to get a bit of international experience. I think
that is a huge plus when it comes to getting noticed. It shows you're
ambitious and can work different styles. It also shows how willing and how
far you'll willing to take this thing. I've heard murmurs of videos tapes
of myself being sent out around the world. My promoter tells me, "Just say
the word and it's all you." I like the enthusiasm and encouragement. I just
don't think I'm ready. First impressions can last.

However, in saying that, I believe there is a huge global try-out around
the corner for the WWE. I think in 2015 they should be in my neck of the
woods. I'd be pretty silly to turn down a try-out. Not expecting anything
out of it, just would be fun to see where I'm at. Like lifting weights, you
just might want to see what your max is. That's what I'd like to do. Just
see how they run things. It might be as close as I get, but hell, I'd be in
a proper WWE ring getting my ass kicked. Something we've all dreamed about
doing since forever.

My trainer, on the other hand, is taking his chances this year and doing a
loop of the states. He's had a bit of experience with TNA and knows a lot
of the people. It's pretty amazing. The wrestling community is so small and
tight. You'll hear stories about famous WWE wrestlers, who before they
became that, just sleeping on your promoters couch or something. Shit like
that should humble you as a wrestler. Anyway, I think he's doing a quick
circuit of the US. I think he's going to do something for TNA and see what
comes of it. I wish him all the best. He's leading the way for us, so let's
all hope.

*7. What do you like to do for fun or down time when not in the ring?*

I don't get much down time. I'm at our training center most of the time.
But on those rare days off, I play video games. I was into the indie games
for a while but, I got a PS4 and a 3DS for Christmas, so that's blown that
out of the window. I also muck around a bit and playing music. I've played
drums for a yew years and that's really fun. Anyone can play the drums -
much like wrestling.

Of course, I love watching wrestling. I love watching the old 60s-70s
wrestling. That stuff is brilliant. People are so caught up in how many
flips they can pull off, or how fast they can throw a punch, or trying to
copy a popular wrestler move-for-move. Nah man, you gotta sit down and see
where it came from. That's when you really start to appreciate wrestling.
But don't get me wrong, I stay up to date with everything. I'm apart of
this massive online wrestling forum. Most of the people there act like they
know how the business works. They'll know it's all fake. They just don't
know how to do it. It's really funny. It's good that some of the magic is
still there.

*8. What are your current career plans?*

I'm going to try and go as far as I can with this.  I was thinking of doing
a UK tour with some of my other wrestling buddies. It's all a bit
wishy-washy at the moment. I think the key is to get some international
experience. Getting a taste for different styles helps you learn and become
a world-class wrestler.

I'd love to go to Japan and wrestle. Those guys are nuts. Pure awesomeness.
I heard Puerto Rico is the place to be at the moment. A lot of the most
talented workers are trying to make a name for themselves there.

But right now, locally, I'm treating everything I do as just practice. Some
guys think we have training then a show. Nope. You have training, then a
training session in front of a live crowd. You need to start thinking like
that if you want to go on to bigger things. It's all about experimenting.
Seeing what sticks and not being afraid to change everything you do. Some
guys I know have stuck to the same thing their whole careers because
they're too stubborn. The wrong attitude in this business will kill your
dream.

I think the plan is for QCW to start hammering out more shows at a higher
quality. And to start traveling around a whole bunch more. Oh, and I would
love some more people to join into the wrestling business. If you were that
kid sitting, all alone in front of the TV  wondering, "How can I do this
one day?", just give it a try. You'd be surprise how it can change your
life.

If you want to have a look at some of our stuff, just check out our
Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/QCW-NQ/412376335465466

I've got a Facebook page too:

https://www.facebook.com/qcwtowerofpower

Don't be afraid to say hi and ask me anything.

Thank you very much.