An Interview with Vivacious Cosplayer and Professional Wrestler Kylie Morgan

 

An Interview with Vivacious Cosplayer and Professional Wrestler Kylie Morgan

 

Do you think that there is a place for overt femininity in professional wrestling in a world which tends to be more accepting of those who are breaking gender norms rather than conforming to them?

Kylie Morgan: I definitely see several independent wrestlers who are overtly girly. Even myself, I try to be that pretty girl because that’s because that’s what I’m pigeon holed into it. It doesn’t just end there, Kat Von Hesse who celebrates how powerful she is. I would say she’s more feminine than I am. There’s definitely a place for it, along with other versions of it.

 

What does femininity mean to you?

Kylie Morgan: I guess I wouldn’t really consider myself very feminine. I’ve always been more tomboyish. I used to think that it was something along the lines of wearing cute dresses, curly hair, typically feminine traits. Owning who you are in you are as a woman in your body. It’s hard to explain, but, I guess looking passed what society and culture detracts as feminine traits. Looking passed what people say what a women dictates to you. I consider myself more of a tomboy but that doesn’t make me any more or less of a woman.

 

Do you like flowers? Which are you favourite?

Kylie Morgan: Orchids. Hibiscus or pansies.

 

Kylie Morgan's dog interrupts the interview to say "hello".

 

What is your cultural background and how is that significant to you?

Kylie Morgan: I'm born and raised in Calgary. Done a lot of traveling but I always come back to Calgary.

Where did you train in professional wrestling?

Kylie Morgan: I trained with lance storm in 2018. I did the May class. It was a three month intensive bootcamp where you start with bumping, locking up and full matches although I wouldn’t call them full matches now because that’s the best that we could do.

 

Do you have any favourite works of literature?

Kylie Morgan: I’ve never consider myself to be a big reader. I do read non-fiction. There’s a book that I really like and I think it’s titled, How Not to Give A Fuck.

 

I understand that you’re really into cosplay which is influenced by the fiction of videogames. Which videogames are your favourite, and when and why did you start cosplaying?

Kylie Morgan: I’ve been a cosplayer since I was fifteen or so. It’s been building up over the years. I worked with a few notable names in cosplay. I’m trying to transfer that audience over to wrestling and there is a cross-over between cosplaying and wrestling fans.

Does it ever scare you having such a large following?

Kylie Morgan: Sometimes I have to think twice about what I say online. But, no. Not really. I don’t really think about it too much.

 

Favourite foods?

Kylie Morgan: I'm a big fan of pasta and bread which is a big issue when you’re a wrestler. I love Thai food, I love Japanese food, all Japanese food.

 

Favourite professional wrestlers?

Kylie Morgan: I didn’t actually get into wrestling until I was in my twenties. I got into it from my last boyfriend. The Ultimate warrior, and Macho Man. I started really liking Seth Rollins and Sasha Banks and then Charlotte. When I started branching out from WWE I started watching NJPW. Okada and Kenny Omega were definitely my favourites. I like a ton of wrestlers now for different reasons.

Favourite Videogames?

Kylie Morgan: I'm very hard into videogames. I love them! I play a new one almost every month now. It’s been a stable in my life for quite some time as long as I remember. The Final Fantasy series, Silent Hill, rpgs such as Persona. One of my favourite franchises is also Red Dead Redemption. There's this older one called Legend of Dragoon. I could name a bunch!

An Interview with The Toster

 

Interview with The Toster                                                                                             September 9, 2019.

For my first official blog entry/interview I sat down with the Toster via telephone-call. This released to the public, encrypted telephone call allowed for the sharing of vital information regarding professional wrestling in Ontario, a bit of the inner workings of Toste’s life and his pursuits in the world of professional wrestling.

Toste is no stranger to battles, having fought some of his most difficult inside and outside of the ring, nearly dying on a hospital bed, only to arise like a phoenix from the ashes to return to the squared circle professional wrestling ring. He is a true warrior of combat!

Toste grew up to Portuguese immigrant parents who settled in Hamilton, Ontario after he was born at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto in 1984.

I sat down with The Toster for about an hour to discuss his life.

 

What made him decide to become a professional wrestler?:

Toste: Well, Shawn Michaels. I’ve been watching wrestling as a kid and watching Shawn Michaels. I want to make other people want to become professional wrestlers because of me like he did.

 

About his Portuguese upbringing:

Portuguese is actually my first language. I was born at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. We moved from Toronto to Hamilton. My parent’s only speak Portuguese, so whatever English I learned off of Sesame Street or whatever cartoons were in English. So, being Portuguese is no different that being other types of European ethnic backgrounds. There’s plastic on couches, a room that everyone is not allowed to be in, and everyone has a grandma who dresses in black all of the time.

I got my ass kicked a lot when I was a kid and that set me straight. It made me the man I am today.

 

On Toste’s favourite food:

Toast with butter [Toste laughed.]

Portuguese dish alcatra. It’s like a cow-meat roasted that is really good, the way it’s made with mashed potatoes. Whenever I bring that to lunch from construction to security, everyone comes to the lunch room and says “Oh! What are you eating? That smells so good!”

[Here’s the recipe if you would like to try it yourself! https://www.farmgirlgourmet.com/2012/03/alcatra-portuguese-pot-roast-in-slow.html

 

His training:

Due to covid-19 my training has been half-assed. When I’m in the zone my training consists of doing a light jog three days a week. I also do boxing at least three days a week, and I do weight lifting five days a week.

On wrestling training:

The way it started I stayed in high-school in grade 13 so I could wrestle. An opponent during an amateur wrestling match did an illegal throw which resulted in me gaining a hairline fracture in neck. It was almost broken. Sitting at home I couldn’t wrestle. I was depressed and pissed off! I then started searching for pro wrestling schools. And then I found Ron Hutchinson’s wrestling school. I wanted to see if he could get in there and I had money saved up from working part time gigs. I paid the down payment, and [TNA/IMPACT Knock-Out] Taylor Wilde was in his class. I was the top male student while she was the top female student. After three months [the program was three months long] the school closed down and Taylor Wilde went to Rob Fuego’s Squared Circle and I went to Ringmasters Pro Wrestling owned by Ted Herbert.

I had a lot of respect for Ted. I would do my thing and he would pull me aside and tell me do it more like this. He would tweak my moves a little bit on everything. Good advice with ring psychology. Me and Lionel grew close because he was my type of style for wrestling. The first time I got in the ring with him Ted’s face just lit up. He couldn’t wait to see us wrestle at our first show together.

 

Favourite videogames:

Loved videogames. Own every console out there! Working several jobs plus having a little girl it is really hard to find the time to play videogames.

 

The importance of proper nutrition and supplementation:

The supplements that I use include creatine, sometimes a bit too much creatine but it adds a lot of strength. Protein shakes and then I take multi-vitamins throughout the day.

 

How he got in the fantastic shape that he’s in today:

After cancer, I had to get back into shape. The whole cancer thing, me almost losing my life made me change my diet and made me change my training. When Norman Smiley and Steve Keirn [Doink the Clown] said to me “You’re a great wrestler amazing entertainer, but really needed to put on more size!” That was my main goal. Diet really is 80 percent of your gains.

[Toste trained at Florida Championship Wrestling which was a fairly recent developmental territory owned by World Wrestling Entertainment.]

 

About the CWO championship:

My entire indie wrestling career I was always the small guy and no matter how good I was no one gave me the proper shot at what I could become. CWO doesn’t care about size, anyone can become champion if you’re a hard worker. I also got beefed up when I was small. Holding that CWO championship reminds me of the hard work and dedication that I put in throughout my life. To hold that CWO championship belt around my waist and shoulder feels good. It feels like I finally accomplished something, and I’m hoping to win more titles out there!

Inspirational matches:

Shawn Michaels' WWF iron-man match with Bret Hart. And then the Razor Ramon versus Shawn Michaels ladder match as well.

 

Interview #1. Mark Chetcuti interviews, Mark 'The Myth' Chetcuti

Mark: Well, this should be interesting, it looks like you will have the turn the light inward and interview yourself today.

The Myth: I am prepared to do so. You see, I live in a world of duality, a split of pro wrestling personality. 

Mark: I see... Interesting... Have you talked to your psychiatrist about this?

The Myth: Why heavens no! He will think that I am a mad man!

Mark: Interesting once more. Let's ask some tough questions.

The Myth: Okay. I hope that none of these questions are about calculus, for that is much too tough and difficult for me to answer.

Mark: ..................

Mark: When did you want to become a professional wrestler?

The Myth: When I was a young boy living in the city of Brampton. I saw Shawn Michael's boyhood dream angle come true then grew upset with the World Wrestling Entertainment company because that was my dream at the time. 

Mark: You realize that professional wrestlers are highly trained combatants of the ring, the squared circle. What makes you any different?

The Myth: I trained at several pro wrestling schools for several years.

Mark: Fascinating. Which championships have you held?

The Myth: None yet, but I am still trying.

Picture of Mark 'The Myth' Chetcuti

 

Remembering, Trinidad's Ted Herbert. 

I was one of Ted's students. So were Toste, Taylor Kaydeen, Jack Rushton, Diablo Diego, Mike Garcia, Deannaconda, Atool 'F Fear', 'Big' Steve Brown, Stephan Elias, Will 'Powers' Hunter, Lionel Knight, Sharon from AAA Mexico, and James Preston Rogers of hollywood acting.

Back then, we formed RINGMASTERS PRO WRESTLING School, which was located in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

To be continued.