Post by Michael Coello on Jan 14, 2007 17:01:42 GMT -5
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Chris Sabin Interview
TNA, Ultimate X, and the Final Fantasy origins of his name.
by Jon Robinson
January 12, 2007 - How big of a gamer is TNA star Chris Sabin? Final Fantasy players only need to look at his name to find out.
"I took the name Sabin from the old Final Fantasy 3 on Super Nintendo," the wrestler told me over the phone when I asked him about the Square title. "It was my favorite game growing up and I just thought that character was cool. I loved his blitzes and always made sure he was in my party."
But Sabin's gaming obsession didn't end on the SNES. He's part of a TNA crew that plays Xbox Live just about every off day. A crew that's made up of Sabin, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, and A.J. Styles.
"I play Gears of War and Halo 2 a lot," says Sabin. "I just got Tony Hawk's Project 8, so I've been playing that a lot lately."
Sabin is anxiously awaiting word on Midway's TNA game, and from what he's seen so far, he's impressed. "If they do it like they said, model it like the old No Mercy games in terms of the controls, I think that's what everyone wants to play."
This Sunday, though, play time is over for Sabin as he wrestles for the X-Division title, facing Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn in a match that could easily step up and steal the show at Final Resolution.
"I've been a baby face for the past three years at TNA, and I love that I'm getting the opportunity to go heel, the opportunity to do something different," says Sabin. "I was due for a change."
And it's a change that could see Sabin elevated even beyond the X-Division, as this 24-year-old recently turned in one of the best matches of 2006 at Bound For Glory against Senshi, and continues to improve with experience.
Some call Chris Sabin The Future. Looks like The Future is now for TNA.
IGN Sports: If I walked up to you on the street, are you more of the fan friendly guy or the new cocky heel?
Chris Sabin: I'm more like the fan friendly guy, but for some reason I think I'm able to show a lot more personality being the heel. I've been watching all kinds of bad guy stuff, any type of heel matches to see what people have done, see where I can take my character next.
IGN Sports: What is it about the X-Division that helps differentiate TNA?
Chris Sabin: You're not going to see the action from the X-Division anywhere else. It makes us different. It makes us stand out. I think it's one of our main selling points. There's a lot more freedom in our matches to be able to do stuff, to take more risks than you'd see in other matches, and that's what makes it special. The fast pace, the bodies flying across the ring, you never know what to expect.
IGN Sports: You started in TNA at such a young age, how were you able to advance so quickly to the point where only a few years in, you're one of the main players on the roster?
Chris Sabin: I started TNA when I was only 21, and I was so lucky to be given the chance to start out on such a big stage. I think one of the big things about wrestlers today, most of the wrestlers who are good professional wrestlers grew up wrestling fans. They've been a fan their whole life, so there is just something in your brain that just clicks. You've seen what the legends have done and it gives you an edge in the business.
IGN Sports: Who were your favorite wrestlers to watch growing up?
Chris Sabin: When I was a kid I loved Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. As I got older, I liked Bret Hart a lot, then when WCW started bringing out the cruiserweights when I was in high school, I loved watching guys like Malenko, Silver King, Guerrero, and all those guys. Once I saw guys like that, that's when I knew that was the way I wanted to wrestle.
IGN Sports: In high school, is that when you realized you wanted to be a wrestler?
Chris Sabin: I knew I wanted to be a wrestler ever since I was a little kid. In high school, I did some amateur wrestling, but I wasn't really good at it or anything. [laughs] Pro wrestling fits me a lot better.
IGN Sports: The risks involved in the Ultimate X matches are so severe. What did you think the first time you were dangling from that chord? Did you think they were crazy for proposing this type of match?
Chris Sabin: We thought it was pretty crazy and we were a little nervous about it. The day before the first one, it was me, Frankie Kazarian, and Michael Shane at the time, and we were supposed to do a three-way match. We showed up the day before and they had everything setup. The way you see it now, they have these big light trusses hooked on the outside of the ringpost, but the original idea was to have these poles that were pretty thin, and these poles were stuck into the ringposts. So when we got there, they had the poles up and they had the cables going across the ring attached to the poles. Frankie climbs up the ladder to hang on them, it's the first time we'll see how they're going to feel, and all four poles just bent right in and he ended up standing back on the mat. [laughs] It was pretty nerve racking at first because they were struggling to figure out what to do. Finally they used the light trusses and the next day they got it up, but we didn't even get the chance to check out the structure. We were like, hopefully it stays up there. They got it up so last minute. It was pretty scary going up there without knowing what it was like to hang from that high.
IGN Sports: Once you got up there, what did you think?
Chris Sabin: When you're up there, it's actually a lot higher than you think. If you're standing on ring and look up, it doesn't look too bad. But when you're actually up on the wire, it feels a lot higher than you think. You're almost like, what did I get myself into. [laughs]
IGN Sports: What do you think is the key for TNA to continue its growth as a company? Is it about finding the right mix of new and established stars?
Chris Sabin: I think the key is to use established stars like Kurt Angle to build new stars. I think that's the formula of the business, to build new stars, so you use those well established guys to bring in the viewers, then you use your own home grown talent to produce new stars. That's the way it works.
IGN Sports: What did you think when you heard Kurt Angle was coming to TNA?
Chris Sabin: I thought it was crazy. I couldn't believe it. He was the last guy I expected. They kept it such a big secret, we were just as surprised as the fans.
IGN Sports: I thought your match against Senshi was amazing at Bound For Glory. How come there wasn't a big rematch?
Chris Sabin: Your guess is as good as mine. I really don't know. I wish there was, but that's not what happened.
IGN Sports: What's it like taking that stomp he does from the top rope?
Chris Sabin: It's rough. I thought I was going to poop myself a couple of times. [laughs] It's really rough.
IGN Sports: Do you guys watch the ratings every week to see how TNA is progressing?
Chris Sabin: I check them out every once in a while. I saw we're doing 1's lately and I read the other day that we're beating out UFC, so hopefully that means we can get a second hour soon. That's the next step.
Check out Final Resolution this Sunday on pay-per-view, and be sure to watch iMPACT every Thursday at 9PM EST on Spike TV. For more information on Chris Sabin and TNA, head to www.tnawrestling.com.
Chris Sabin Interview
TNA, Ultimate X, and the Final Fantasy origins of his name.
by Jon Robinson
January 12, 2007 - How big of a gamer is TNA star Chris Sabin? Final Fantasy players only need to look at his name to find out.
"I took the name Sabin from the old Final Fantasy 3 on Super Nintendo," the wrestler told me over the phone when I asked him about the Square title. "It was my favorite game growing up and I just thought that character was cool. I loved his blitzes and always made sure he was in my party."
But Sabin's gaming obsession didn't end on the SNES. He's part of a TNA crew that plays Xbox Live just about every off day. A crew that's made up of Sabin, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, and A.J. Styles.
"I play Gears of War and Halo 2 a lot," says Sabin. "I just got Tony Hawk's Project 8, so I've been playing that a lot lately."
Sabin is anxiously awaiting word on Midway's TNA game, and from what he's seen so far, he's impressed. "If they do it like they said, model it like the old No Mercy games in terms of the controls, I think that's what everyone wants to play."
This Sunday, though, play time is over for Sabin as he wrestles for the X-Division title, facing Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn in a match that could easily step up and steal the show at Final Resolution.
"I've been a baby face for the past three years at TNA, and I love that I'm getting the opportunity to go heel, the opportunity to do something different," says Sabin. "I was due for a change."
And it's a change that could see Sabin elevated even beyond the X-Division, as this 24-year-old recently turned in one of the best matches of 2006 at Bound For Glory against Senshi, and continues to improve with experience.
Some call Chris Sabin The Future. Looks like The Future is now for TNA.
IGN Sports: If I walked up to you on the street, are you more of the fan friendly guy or the new cocky heel?
Chris Sabin: I'm more like the fan friendly guy, but for some reason I think I'm able to show a lot more personality being the heel. I've been watching all kinds of bad guy stuff, any type of heel matches to see what people have done, see where I can take my character next.
IGN Sports: What is it about the X-Division that helps differentiate TNA?
Chris Sabin: You're not going to see the action from the X-Division anywhere else. It makes us different. It makes us stand out. I think it's one of our main selling points. There's a lot more freedom in our matches to be able to do stuff, to take more risks than you'd see in other matches, and that's what makes it special. The fast pace, the bodies flying across the ring, you never know what to expect.
IGN Sports: You started in TNA at such a young age, how were you able to advance so quickly to the point where only a few years in, you're one of the main players on the roster?
Chris Sabin: I started TNA when I was only 21, and I was so lucky to be given the chance to start out on such a big stage. I think one of the big things about wrestlers today, most of the wrestlers who are good professional wrestlers grew up wrestling fans. They've been a fan their whole life, so there is just something in your brain that just clicks. You've seen what the legends have done and it gives you an edge in the business.
IGN Sports: Who were your favorite wrestlers to watch growing up?
Chris Sabin: When I was a kid I loved Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. As I got older, I liked Bret Hart a lot, then when WCW started bringing out the cruiserweights when I was in high school, I loved watching guys like Malenko, Silver King, Guerrero, and all those guys. Once I saw guys like that, that's when I knew that was the way I wanted to wrestle.
IGN Sports: In high school, is that when you realized you wanted to be a wrestler?
Chris Sabin: I knew I wanted to be a wrestler ever since I was a little kid. In high school, I did some amateur wrestling, but I wasn't really good at it or anything. [laughs] Pro wrestling fits me a lot better.
IGN Sports: The risks involved in the Ultimate X matches are so severe. What did you think the first time you were dangling from that chord? Did you think they were crazy for proposing this type of match?
Chris Sabin: We thought it was pretty crazy and we were a little nervous about it. The day before the first one, it was me, Frankie Kazarian, and Michael Shane at the time, and we were supposed to do a three-way match. We showed up the day before and they had everything setup. The way you see it now, they have these big light trusses hooked on the outside of the ringpost, but the original idea was to have these poles that were pretty thin, and these poles were stuck into the ringposts. So when we got there, they had the poles up and they had the cables going across the ring attached to the poles. Frankie climbs up the ladder to hang on them, it's the first time we'll see how they're going to feel, and all four poles just bent right in and he ended up standing back on the mat. [laughs] It was pretty nerve racking at first because they were struggling to figure out what to do. Finally they used the light trusses and the next day they got it up, but we didn't even get the chance to check out the structure. We were like, hopefully it stays up there. They got it up so last minute. It was pretty scary going up there without knowing what it was like to hang from that high.
IGN Sports: Once you got up there, what did you think?
Chris Sabin: When you're up there, it's actually a lot higher than you think. If you're standing on ring and look up, it doesn't look too bad. But when you're actually up on the wire, it feels a lot higher than you think. You're almost like, what did I get myself into. [laughs]
IGN Sports: What do you think is the key for TNA to continue its growth as a company? Is it about finding the right mix of new and established stars?
Chris Sabin: I think the key is to use established stars like Kurt Angle to build new stars. I think that's the formula of the business, to build new stars, so you use those well established guys to bring in the viewers, then you use your own home grown talent to produce new stars. That's the way it works.
IGN Sports: What did you think when you heard Kurt Angle was coming to TNA?
Chris Sabin: I thought it was crazy. I couldn't believe it. He was the last guy I expected. They kept it such a big secret, we were just as surprised as the fans.
IGN Sports: I thought your match against Senshi was amazing at Bound For Glory. How come there wasn't a big rematch?
Chris Sabin: Your guess is as good as mine. I really don't know. I wish there was, but that's not what happened.
IGN Sports: What's it like taking that stomp he does from the top rope?
Chris Sabin: It's rough. I thought I was going to poop myself a couple of times. [laughs] It's really rough.
IGN Sports: Do you guys watch the ratings every week to see how TNA is progressing?
Chris Sabin: I check them out every once in a while. I saw we're doing 1's lately and I read the other day that we're beating out UFC, so hopefully that means we can get a second hour soon. That's the next step.
Check out Final Resolution this Sunday on pay-per-view, and be sure to watch iMPACT every Thursday at 9PM EST on Spike TV. For more information on Chris Sabin and TNA, head to www.tnawrestling.com.
