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October 26, 2008
Killer Kowalski Memorial Wrestling Show
Irish American Club in Malden, MA

The doors opened at 1:30 pm and the event started at 2. It was standing room only, with almost all chairs filled. The chairs were arranged around the ring in many sections, not just the traditional four sides. There were people of all ages, from young children sitting on their parent’s laps to the very old ones. They were there to honor Killer Kowalski. Speakers included JJ Dillon (former Four Horsemen manager), Ox Baker, Theresa (Kowalski’s widow), and others. While they were speaking, most of the wrestlers and others who were involved in Kowalski’s business stood around the ring, listening quietly.

For the most part, the matches mostly catered to the children in the audience, although “Hurricane” John Walters vs. Idol Stevens and Spike Dudley vs. Justin Credible stood out as more athletic.

During intermission, many of the wrestlers signed autographs and posed for photos *free of charge*.

For more photos, continue to the forum.

Darren Aronofsky’s critically acclaimed film, The Wrestler, has been picked up by Fox Searchlight and is scheduled to debut in theaters across the U.S. on December 19. Word from the press is that “Mickey Rourke is a sure thing for an Academy Award nomination.” The film also stars Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, and Ernest “The Cat” Miller.

On the next episode of Wrestling Respect, I’ll be interviewing one of the film’s associate producers, Evan Ginszburg who brought in many of the wrestlers who were eventually cast in the film.

Everything I’ve heard about the film so far has been high praise. This will be an excellent opportunity to get an inside look and hear from someone very close to the project.

This Friday night, October 17, Hulk Hogan is scheduled to appear on Sheldon Goldberg’s Mouthpiece Wrestling show on Boston’s 1510 The Zone. Hogan will undoubtedly be promoting his TV show, Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling which premiers on CMT this Saturday night, October 18. The Mouthpiece Wrestling show starts at 6 pm and runs ’til 7. If you’re in the Greater Boston area, plan to listen live. If not, subscribe now so that you’ll never miss an episode.

If you haven’t heard Wrestling Respect’s first podcast, in which I interview Mouthpiece Wrestling host and NECW co-owner Sheldon Goldberg, click here to listen now!

Matt Calamare is a Fitchburg, MA-based professional wrestling referee. He currently works shows for New England Championship Wrestling, Showcase Pro Wrestling, and Front Row Wrestling, among other groups. Matt faces a challenge, as he is the only deaf referee (or wrestler) on the local independent pro wrestling scene. Although Matt speaks, his choice was to visit the Golden Touch studio and sit down for an in-person interview, with Misha Derissaint interpreting.

View the Matt Calamare interview clip to give you an idea of how we conducted the interview. I also recorded Misha’s interpretation in higher audio quality for possible future use.

When did you realize that you were into professional wrestling? I imagine you first saw it on TV

A long time ago, when I was small–maybe after 1987–I found WWF on TV. That was around Wrestlemania III time, so I remember when Hulk Hogan wrestled against Andre the Giant. That’s how I got fascinated by it, watching the wrestling. I really wanted to be part of it. Back then, it was hard to imagine hearing and deaf wrestlers being involved together. It didn’t happen then, but around 2001, I was going to a small independent wrestling show. The show was Killer Kowalski’s All Star Wrestling, a fundraiser for NEADS. What does it mean? National Education Assistance for Dog Services. It was a benefit show held in my hometown [Fitchburg, MA]. The guy asked me to operate the camera. And I said, “Sure, I’m willing to do that.” I went to the Wallace Civic Center, an arena in my hometown. So my first experience in wrestling was being the camera man. Directing and doing all that stuff. Did I feel involved as a camera man? No, I was just observing and learning, watching what everyone was doing, their roles. Now I feel satisfied with my role in wrestling. Now that I’m a referee, it’s more challenging and there’s more to get involved with.

I know that you’ve trained not only to referee, but also to wrestle. How many matches have you had?

Only a few. Three to four. I don’t remember exactly. Three to five? That was challenging because of the communication. My first match was after my second year, in my hometown. It was in association with the NEADS program. Who runs the program? Dan Frieghttrain. He’s a wrestler too. He helped me get involved with the match. It was a tag team match. It was challenging. Communication between us…sometimes it was very confusing, figuring out who was right. Honestly, it was very awkward. I didn’t know how… They tought me a few moves, maybe 5 or 6 moves, that’s all. But now I’ve trained and learned how to wrestle. I’m deaf. The hearing people already know their match sequences. But deaf people, how do they deal with the communication? Eye contact? You can imagine a deaf person and a hearing person face to face. It would be a big challenge. I’ve been faced with many communication challenges. I use physical movements. For example, when we’re doing an Irish Whip into the ropes, I can feel a stronger squeeze on my wrist signaling it’s my turn. With that company, right now we’re not sure. They’re told me it’s fine, and have allowed me to take my time about wrestling.

Because it was so confusing–wrestling–is that why you decided on being a referee?

Yes. I’m more comfortable, more prepared than I was when I was wrestling. There’s so many names and wrestling moves. How do I know what’s next? It’s just confusing. When they give me a powerslam to the mat, you have to call moves and other moves and it’s hard to follow and too hard for me to remember.

Who do you admire in the wrestling business?

Honestly, there are so many. But one guy I look up to is Tommy Dreamer. He’s from ECW. I like his hardcore style. Another wrestler I admire, who made me want to get involved in wrestling, is Hulk Hogan. Both of those two, I admire a lot.

But not a specific referee?

Hmmm. I know a referee I admire in WWE. His name is Mike Chioda. He’s been there many, many years.

You can explain all the steps you went through toward becoming a referee?

There aren’t a lot of steps, but… The first thing you have to do is learn the rules. There are many different moves for different kinds of matches. You have to focus on a one on one match. I’m more comfortable doing that because I know the rules for that kind of match. The second kind of match is a tag team match. I have no problem with that either. They take turns tagging in and out in the corner. But there are many other different types of matches with different rules, and sometimes I get confused. But I get good advice from one of my hearing friends who’s also a wrestler. He’ll come to me and give me advice and make sure I’m doing things right. Then I can go on and do what he suggested.

Was there an interpreter at any of the training sessions?

No interpreter. I prefer to take a challenge without an interpreter. Why? I want them to learn what deaf communication is like. I want them to get used to other types of communication like learning to write back and forth. I want them to get used to that so they can understand my way and who I am.

Are you still in the process of training?

Right now I’m in the real world. I’m in the ring now. Many companies are hiring me. I feel like I’m really motivated and getting involved. Training? I’m still training to wrestle but that’s a different story.

Is training to be a referee similar to training to be a wrestler?

Yes, it’s the same. Why? It depends on how talented you are and what skills you have. If you’re not especially good in the ring, you can become a referee. You can get a chance to do both and get the experience of both. It took a long time to develop the skills to be good.

Do you want to get into talking about the progression of learning the wrestling moves and how challenging it was?

Honestly, it’s a lot to explain. It’s a lot. I’ve seen a lot myself, learning about the moves. Do you know how many move names there are? There’s so many. Way too many. It’s a big challenge for me. Trying to learn which moves are right, trying to position myself to do the moves correctly. It’s not easy. It’s not easy.

Have you developed a new respect for what the athletes and the referees go through?

A lot of stuff, yes. I can’t even. Honestly, I really… I have a lot of respect for a lot of people. I have many friends–too many to name–but they were very good people to me.

Did you ever think it was too physical and feel like giving up?

No. Never. If I had given up, I wouldn’t have become involved. I’m still involved and I like the challenge, every day.

What are some physical injuries that you’ve sustained?

I’ve been injured a few times. In my second match, my ankle was broken. I jumped and landed wrong and broke my ankle. I had to go to the hospital for that. Now I know how to handle it. I’ve had bruises on my arms from training.

As someone who is deaf, how are you able to communicate with the wrestlers while you’re refereeing?

I don’t need to communicate with them. Because backstage, we discuss beforehand what we’re doing. We know the finish, so we don’t have to communicate in the ring. When the match is over, I use my hands to communicate the decision and they both get it.

And you use your voice too, to count.

Yes, always to count. The pin… Not like yelling, “No, no choke!”

What advice might you give to other deaf people who might be thinking about getting into the wrestling business.

My advice is, to whoever wants to get involved out there like I’m involved, is to try out the training school. See what you can do. And if you feel like you have the skills, try your best, you know. That’s all you need to do. Try your best.

Tell me about your refereeing schedule. About how many events have you worked? Where are you working now and how often?

Ok. Right now, almost every weekend. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Right now I have five companies I travel with. I’m not going to mention all their names. Most often, I go to NECW. I feel very comfortable there. The communication runs smoothly and I’m more satisfied with them. Showcase Pro Wrestling–where I went last night–I’m comfortable there too because they’re a little bit more mature and they know how to run their business. I feel like it’s a good match for me. And I feel comfortable with other companies that contact me that I travel with.

In general, how many referees work on each show?

Two to three.

What determines how many? Is it that one referee would get tired?

There are about eight matches. Imagine my name, “Matt,” is there. Another, “Rich Bass,” and “Zach.” So for the eight or nine matches, split them up among the three of us. It seems more fair to split it up rather than one referee working all those matches. I’ve experienced that too. One referee for all the matches? It’s very tiring. It’s not fair.

Do you want to continue to be a referee? Or do you have higher goals you want to achieve in the buiness?

Well, for me, I have so many goals for myself, but I try to focus on one and a time. Right now, refereeing. It’s challenging, and I like that challenge.

And are you content to work on the local independent scene? Or would you someday like to work with bigger companies like WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor?

Yes, that’s my goal, to get into bigger companies and show what I can do. I’m deaf, so I want the world to know what I can accomplish. I’m sure it would be nice to be involved in a bigger company with TV.

Who are some of the best people you’ve worked with? This could include wrestlers, promoters, owners, office staff, ring announcers, referees, your choice. I want to hear some names.

Ok. There’s so many. Sheldon Goldberg. Why? He’s shown me what experience he has. I feel like I’m very comfortable with that. He shows the wrestling world the right way to run the business. And he has more experience than me so it’s nice to have him as my friend. I’ve made a lot of friends. Also, Rich Bass. He’s a ref. He’s very skilled. He’s very good in NECW. He travels to different places and he helps me. He’s the one who helped me become a referee. I feel very comfortable with him. An owner of NECW, Matt Storm and his brother Kyle Storm. They run shows with Sheldon Goldberg. So I have a lot of friends that I feel very comfortable with.

Have you found that you’re the only deaf person in the local wrestling scene? Or are there others you can communicate with via ASL [American Sign Language]?

Am I the only one? I doubt it. But in Florida, there’s one deaf wrestler who is oral. He has a hearing aid. I remember I met him when he came here from Florida to an NECW show two years ago. I met him and he was deaf but he could talk very well, he was very oral. I felt very inspired, another deaf person involved. So we’ve kept in touch a lot and have become good friends. Now he’s very busy in Florida, wrestling.

His name?

Zach McGuire. That’s the only deaf wrestler I know.

Do you ever get lonely in this business, and can you explain what keeps you determined to continue?

Yes, when I first started out, I was very lonely and a little overwhelmed. I’m still trying to ask, “What do I do? How can I get involved?” Not sitting in the back, lonely, without being involved. I’m more aggressive now. “Can I do this?” I ask people, you know, “Can I get involved?” Can I do this and that, this and that. If the boss asks me to do it, I’ll go do it.

At this point in your career, are you able to make money, or is it just for fun.

I’m doing it for fun. It’s fun because it keeps me up and motivated and having a lot of fun.

You have the unique perspective of being able to watch matches closer than anyone else. And you don’t just watch the matches, you’re involved with them. Who are some of the wrestlers who impress you the most and what exactly about them impresses you?

I have a few names of people who are the best wrestlers. But honestly, there’s too many. All over New England, there are very good wrestlers. You know. Everyone all knows. In, NECW, the other groups, I love them all. They’re all very skilled. No judgement really.

Have you ever made a mistake in the ring that have got you in trouble with the wrestlers or the guys in the back? If so, how stressful was that?

No. They don’t really get mad at me. We discuss things in the back beforehand. Most of the time they say, “You know you’re doing fine. If you make a mistake, it happens. They don’t really get mad about it. It happens often. It’s not only me, a lot of wrestlers make a lot of mistakes. If feel like it’s better to discuss what we’re going to do beforehand, and then…

Who is your all-time favorite wrestler and why?

All-time favorite wrestler? Hmmm. I think the… Obviously there’s too many, but I’ll pick one.

Three?

Three? Ok. No problem. One would be the Undertaker. I like his performance and action. He’s really scary and stuff. I like it. He was my first favorite. The DX group. You know the names. You know who they are. I laugh at them a lot. They keep me entertained. They make my day. And the third, last but not least, Hulk Hogan. He’s famous. He’s been there for many years. I’m really impressed with his character.

What is your all-time favorite wrestling promotion? Is it WWE?

At the top is TNA. Why? Their wrestlers have more skill. They’re very acrobatic. Honestly, I worked for TNA this past summer, touring with them for three days, setting up the tent. I’m really fascinated by their fast-paced wrestling. It was very nice to see that in real life when I worked with them.

Is your favorite style of wrestling that fast-paced style with the smaller guys? That TNA style?

Really, it doesn’t matter. I prefer…whoever I think is good. I like the learn the different styles rather than one. I feel if I pick one, it’s not enough. I want to learn more about every one of them, the different styles.

With the way you feel about wrestling now, where does the original ECW fit in?

I remember I saw it on TV one night when I was young. I feel like it was too much. The bleeding, chairs, burning on fire, slamming and breaking bones and stuff. It’s like “Aaaah!” [Holds his head like it's too much] I was like, “No no no no no.” I could feel pain in my body. In a few months, I became fascinated by it. I was able to look at it closely and see where the safety was. I was able to figure it out. After ECW had been up and running for a while, I saw a lot of kids who watched it. There was a lot of problems because they were doing back yard wrestling. A lot of people were getting injured. A lot of young kids, because they were influenced by ECW. I want people out there to know, don’t try it at home. I don’t want to see people getting hurt from that.

Ultimately, what is your goal in professional wrestling?

My top goal? Continue working with people in the wrestling business. I want them to feel comfortable.

Being the referee, is one of the responsibilities making the guys in the ring feel comfortable.

Yes, make them feel comfortable. But me being deaf, working with two hearing wrestlers, I want them to be comfortable, yeah.

Can you tell me more about your training? I think people would be interested to know all the physical things that a referee learns.

Where I trained at, I can’t say the name. It’s a private school. I was trained by Chris Blackheart. He trained me to become a ref. Then there was Bob Evans. I trained with him for a very short time, learning wrestling moves. Ref training too. They both have different experience, so I was learning two different styles, not just one. In those days, Bob Evans was performing in the WWF. He showed me what he experienced and what it might mean to me so that I would be able to figure out if I could fit in with that. My other trainer, Chris, he told me about traveling too, but not with the WWF. I’m not exactly sure what his history is. They were both good trainers for me.

Two different facilities?

Different locations, private. Where? In Rhode Island. Whoever is running the place, they’ll tell you where. But I don’t want the fans all showing up there.

If a deaf or hearing person wanted to get involved with wrestling, would you recommend Chris and Bob?

Yes, I would recommend them.

Have you heard about Kyle and Matt Storm’s school?

Yes, I just heard about it. I look forward to going to their school. I plan to go because I’ve been good friends with them for almost two years. I feel comfortable with them so I plan to go and see what it looks like.

Who is the hottest female of all-time in wrestling?

I’m in trouble. I’m just kidding. But really, honestly, hmmm. I’ll give one name. Lita. Why? Because I met her two years ago at a Fitchburg show. She’s really cool because she signs a little bit. She knows the alphabet so it was really amazing to me.

What is your all-time favorite video arcade game?

Well, I don’t play a lot, but I like the Playstation 2. Many games. Whatever. I don’t have any favorites. I just play for fun.

Are you too young to remember going out to the arcade to play?

Yeah, I went many times. They had the old WWF WrestleFest. I always played that.

Do you listen to music?

Yes, I have a hearing aid in my right ear. I only hear 50%. I have no hearing on the other side. So I can hear music well, like rock, rap, and so many more. I like techno a lot.

What was the first CD you ever bought?

My favorite group is AC/DC, Highway To Hell. That’s my favorite. I bought that. That was my first one?

What is your favorite restaurant, and what is your favorite dish to order at that restaurant?

Oh, good question. My favorite is Espresso Pizza [in Fitchburg]. They have good food. The meatball sub is really good. It’s the most famous restaurant in town because it’s been running for 45 years. So it’s really good.

Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?

If you want to become involved in New England wrestling like I’ve done, maybe you can be the second deaf person like me. Come on, join! Train. Figure what you want to do. Do you want to become a ref? A wrestler? Contact me. E-mail me at m_calamare@hotmail.com. You can always contact me on Myspace.

Thank you.

You’re welcome.

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