Terrale Tempo Interview

Indy Mayhem Show 84

Guest: Terrale Tempo

Original Air Date: 08/26/2015

Listen or watch here

Eamon: I am very excited for this interview.  One of the good things – and I think we know it’s kind of preachy here on the Indy Mayhem Show, is when you go to indy shows definitely keep your eyes for new talents and people that catch your eye.  And, this is a guy that’s really caught my eye lately.  And, I’m very excited to have him on.  Making his way up in the Texas independent wrestling scene, and he’s definitely one to watch – ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the Indy Mayhem Show this week Terrale Tempo.  Terrale, how are you this evening?

Tempo: Oh, man.  I’m doing good.  Thank you for having me on the show again. 

Eamon: No problem.  Absolutely.  I guess the best way to start this off, and the way we kind of start it off with most of our guests to break the ice in a sense is, let us know what’s your first memory of watching professional wrestling?

Tempo: My first memory – this is going to sound a little corny, a little crazy.  I can’t remember much but I know I was in my car seat.  I know my parents were getting ready to leave so they called my older sister to come in and get me.  When she came to get me, my older sister and brother, they were wrestling fans anyway.  I couldn’t tell you what match she was watching, but she was watching wrestling.  And that’s, I believe, one of my first memories.  I can just – ever since then I can’t ever not remember wrestling not being in my life.  If you want to go to one where I clearly remember it, is Shawn Michaels when he beat Bret Hart and the boyhood dream.  That one sticks in my head. 

Eamon: Awesome.  From what I can tell at least, maybe from your siblings and stuff like that, wrestling was a thing that was kind of nurtured by your family in a sense?

Tempo: Yes.  I wouldn’t say my parents were too much into it, but definitely all my brothers and sisters are mostly into it.  But, my elder sister and my two older brothers were the ones that kind of got us into it.  I’ve been watching it, like I said, my whole life.  I can’t think of a time that wrestling wasn’t in it. 

Eamon: Awesome.  Very cool.  So, to transition from that, when did you sort of have the inkling of wanting to become a professional wrestler and start doing this?

Tempo: I always knew I wanted to do it, man.  But, you know, you always have people telling you, “You can’t do that.”  So, you start thinking.  But, I know when I was 14 I really started looking into schools and then I started training.  It would really be like football practice, and lift the weights, but then I would start doing it myself afterwards, always in the summer.  Definitely, I would say when I was 14 I kind of knew I could not live without trying this at least.  You know what I mean?

Eamon: Definitely.  And, if I have it right, was your first wrestling training with Rudy Boy Gonzalez down in San Antonio? 

Tempo: Yes.  It was June, 2013 was my first day.  That was my first time training with Rudy Boy.

Eamon: So, what was that like going into it, I guess, on your first day?  Did you have any sort of expectations going into training? 

Tempo: One funny thing was I know not to eat Chipotle before I go to training now.  That was the first thing I did wrong.  But it was just, it wasn’t too much expectation. I just wanted to make sure I got stuff down, and you’re just nervous about it.  I went there the week before and I got to see how the training was operated.  You’re just ready to get in.  Other than that, no man, there was no expectations.  It’s real fundamental.  We learned everything, the basics, everyday things.  I was getting there just thinking, “I’m going to learn the basics.  I’m going to learn the basics.”  That’s kind of how it went. 

Eamon: Specifically also, what’s it like training with Rudy Boy Gonzalez?  For those that don’t know – at least from the stuff I can tell, he has a very good reputation when it comes to producing stars in the State of Texas, guys that are getting out there and wrestling everywhere.  What’s it like specifically training with him?

Tempo: It’s just an everyday thing.  It’s Monday through Thursday.  We’re there from 7:00, well now it’s 6:30 to 9:00.  But, he’s there, and it’s just the basics – the basic psychology is a big thing.  I love it, man.  I was actually supposed to end up going – I was going to go to booker school actually.  But, I ended up meeting Mike Dale in Austin and he referred me to Rudy. And, Rudy was cheaper at the time, too.  I had to start soon.  It just – the opportunity made its way.  Everything Rudy does is so basic.  But, it’s good.  He teaches how not to do too much.  You tell a guy who’s been wrestling a while – you know, you see him in a match and they’re throwing a bad clothesline.  You’re like, “Hey man, you threw a bad clothesline out there.”  They’ll get all offended.  We don’t have a chance to get offended because we get to hear it every day.  We do matches 4 nights a week, and if something looks bad, you’re going to hear about.  If you do something stupid, you’re going to hear about it.  He’ll kick you out of the ring.  And that’s one thing you don’t want to happen is to be kicked out of the ring.  So, everything is just serious. 

Eamon: Definitely.  And, from the stuff I had seen of you most recently, a couple months ago I would say, was kind of going through that.  You were very clean with your work, and you can tell it’s very polished.  You think it’s a lot of that time you spent training that kind of helps with that aspect of just making sure everything looks good in a sense?

Tempo: I’m sorry.  Can you repeat that a little bit?

Eamon: No problem.  Was the training with Rudy?  From what I can tell your work is very polished.  It’s not just – obviously you have the look and all that stuff, but your work in the ring, it comes off as very professional.  Was that the training with Rudy that attributed to that?

Tempo: Yeah.  Like I said, we’re up there.  We’re there 4 nights a week.  I don’t think people understand how much we train.  And, sometimes we’ll be there Sundays if he calls us out on it.  That’s the way Rudy wants it, and that’s the way it has to be.  You know, Rudy’s big deal is he says he doesn’t train indy guys.  He’s not training you to be an indy guy.  And, what that means is you can definitely be on the indies.  But, he’s training you to be professional – to be on the WWE, the TNA, the ROH.  He’s training you for TV level, so you have to be ready. So, that’s his big thing.

Eamon: What would you say would be the greatest lesson you’ve learned in general – whether it’s in training or through your travels on the road and stuff like that, in wrestling?

Tempo: The greatest lesson?  I love the psychology – knowing you don’t have to do a lot of things, but just knowing how to take people through an emotional roller coaster.  I think that’s the best thing that I’ve learned.  I’ve dealt with all I see from Rudy, everything doesn’t have to be flashy and cool.  You don’t have to do all that stuff, you can do something so simple and people will enjoy it just as much as something over the top. 

Eamon: Like I mentioned, I’ve gotten to see your work a little bit around Texas, but also you recently got to debut for Inspire Pro Wrestling, which I was definitely very excited about.  And, it seemed like you made a very big impression in your Fatal Fourway match that you were in that also involved Scott Summers, who is kind of a veteran here in the State of Texas.  What was it like debuting for Inspire Pro Wrestling?

Tempo: I’ve been hearing about Inspire for – you know, I’ve been in San Antonio for about 2-3 years now.  Inspire’s one of the bigger promotions I’ve been hearing about.  I just hadn’t come across them yet, but then I was still like, “yeah man.”  So we got in contact and then we did it.  We ended up doing it, and Inspire was great.  The fans over there – that’s what I heard about.  I heard the fans are different.  San Antonio fans, Austin fans, they’re all different.  But, they love wrestling over there.  I’m not saying San Antonio doesn’t, but there’s just a different way how they express their love in Austin.  It’s just real cool.  I had a blast.  I didn’t get the job done, but I’ll definitely be back.  Actually, I’m back next month.  I’ll be there to go against Scott Summers 1-on-1, so I’ve got to make up for my loss. 

Eamon: I kind of mentioned it, I remember when I was on commentary, the idea that Austin is kind of notoriously a very hard crowd to impress your first time out.  You seemed to do it evidently.  They were chanting your name afterwards.  It was very clear that they were impressed by you.  Definitely a big thing.  I think that’s a testament to your work, and also the fact that kind of going with what you said about how you can have sort of a simple match as well and you can still get that impression off of people.

Tempo: Yeah.  To me, I’m all about the – I fell in love with wrestling just for the story of it.  To me, it doesn’t have to be a crazy match, but if I can see the story – you know, the smaller guy is trying to beat the bigger guy, or the more athletic guy’s in there with the better wrestler but he’s more athletic so he has to use his athleticism to beat the guy.  I’m just all about the story in it.  And, I think that’s what I can find with fans.  They just have to be invested, and not that there’s nothing wrong with doing it, but it doesn’t take a Shooting Star Press to – you know, that gets them invested in that move you did, but what’s going to get them invested in the whole match and everything you’re doing.  I think that’s where I try to connect with the fans.  I think at Inspire they picked it up well, and it worked out. 

Eamon: Going into some of the regular questions we have on the show, one that we’ve been asking is, what are you watching currently when it comes to wrestling, when it comes to either for recreation or for studying purposes.  Is there anything that you have your eye on specifically?

Tempo: Obviously I watch a lot of WWE.  Before I got down here I was watching a lot of TNA, but that kind of fell off just with the scheduling of it.  WWE, NXT, you know, I watch a lot of indies.  I watch a lot of Texas indies, because I’ll even tell people at Inspire I was back there and I met a lot of wrestlers the first time I meet them, “Yeah.  I kind of know who you are.  I’ve seen your work.”  And, they’re just like, “You’ve seen my work?”  You never know who you’re going to get in the ring against, especially here in Texas.  I think Texas indies is a lot, and old-school WWE matches, some of the newer things, just all around.  I’ll watch Shawn Michaels to get ideas, you know, Ric Flair.  I’ll say mainly WWE, but I watch Lucha Underground for a while.  I really like them.  I’ll watch some of ROH’s stuff, but mainly WWE. 

Eamon: And, going with that as well, going on in your career now, is there any specific goals you have as maybe considering people you want to face – either in Texas or outside?  Any kind of goals in that kind of realm?

Tempo: The list.  Oh, many, I have a list as long.  Just like I said, I sit up there and watch all this stuff.  But, I’m liking that I’m facing Scott Summers.  ACH is definitely probably at the top of my list when it comes to Texas guys I want to get in there with.  I think that would be a real storytelling match right there.  Keith Lee is another guy that I’d like to get in there with.  Alex Reins I’m actually facing on the 5^th in San Antonio at Rudy’s show, so that’s going to be cool.  Ray Rowe, James Claxton, Mike Dell – I can go on and on. I don’t want to leave nobody out. 

Eamon: And, we kind of wrap things up, the question we ask everyone on the show – and feel free to take it in any direction you wish because a lot of our guests do.  Since we are a podcast, all about indy wrestling, we like to ask our guests what is, in your opinion, the best thing about independent wrestling and the worst thing about independent wrestling?

Tempo: Should I start off with the bad and then I can make it up with the good? 

Eamon: Sometimes that works out.

Tempo: I think I’ll do that.  I’ll babyface it and I’ll start with the bad and end off with the good.  The bad thing about it, for me – just as a wrestler, and also I think as a fan, is once again I think the psychology has been lost.  Psychology, me and Rudy Boy was actually talking about this last week.  The psychology isn’t just in the match but it’s how you promote your show, and who’s your champion, and what’s going on with your storylines.  All these things, and don’t let politics get involved.  But, I just think psychology is the main thing that’s lost on people.  You need to have a champion.  If you have a champion, have a champion that looks like a champion, that is a champion, that puts on great matches.  To me, I’m not a fan that it’s all about the look.  I’m just saying that you’ve got to know your talent, and I feel like a lot of times – I know a lot of times because I’m in the business, so I know friends get spots and people that’s in a circle get the same spots.  And, it kills the competition because if the same guys are getting the same opportunities and you’ve got hungry guys coming up, how do you get better?  The only way to ever bring up your competition, to bring up everybody else is to bring better competition around you.  You can go back to the Monday Night Wars.  That was a great time in wrestling, but would it have been as great if WCW wasn’t there, or if RAW wasn’t there?  No.  They had to compete against each other so these guys were bringing out the best of the best of the best in each other.  I just believe psychology, politics – guys need to better look the part. I’m not saying you have to be a big, crazy, muscled-up animal.  I’m not saying you have to be something like that.  But, I do believe you should just look like an athlete.  I don’t know how some people can get in the ring.  You’ve got to ask yourself, if you love this sport and I’m going to be in the business, in this sport – however you want to look at it, and I step in the ring and people look at me. How are they going to view the whole entire sport?  The whole entire business of what pro wrestling is?  So, when you get in there I do think you need to be – you know, don’t look like a fan.  Look like you’re a wrester.  Why would somebody pay to see themselves?  They wouldn’t.  That’s just a big thing too.  I think the look is definitely – and, like I said, once again just look like an athlete.  Look like you know what a gym looks like.  That’s one of my big things.  And, I guess to end with a positive note here, indy wrestling is – you know, I only grew up watching WWE, and WCW and things like that, so I always wanted to do that.  But, once I found out what indy wrestling was, and really dug my teeth into it, I fell in love with this business, with wrestling more than I ever thought I did.  I think the best thing about indies is you have the freedom.  One, I can be me.  There’s nobody telling me I’ve got to do this, and I need to wear this.  It’s all me going out there.  So, if I mess up or if I don’t, I have to learn how to correct myself – with help along the way, but it’s all you.  And, then just the emotion you can get with the fans.  Like little things that will cheer up people.  It doesn’t mean those guys don’t really get to talk to the fans like we do, they don’t get to interact with the fans like we do.  But, I think that’s the best thing about it.  It’s the best art form as well.  You can tell so many stories.  And, I can just go on about indy wrestling forever.  But, I think the good thing is you have the freedom and you can just – with the freedom with the fans, freedom with everybody.  You know what I mean?

Eamon:  Definitely.  Awesome.  Very cool.  So, thank you once again Terrale for coming on and sort of sharing your story, and talking with us.  If you’re on social media and people can find you, or if you have any upcoming events where people can check you out, feel free to plug away.

Tempo: You can go ahead and check me out at my Facebook.  It’s going to be Terrale Tempo.  My momma gave me that name, so I love that name. That’s cool.  Also Instagram.  I’m on there.  And, I’m actually getting a Twitter soon.  I’m working on getting the Twitter.  And, people are all like, “How are you working on getting a Twitter?  Just sign up.”  It’s not that easy.  Give me some slack alright.  People yelling at me.  Yeah, tell ‘em man. 

Sorg: Hey, social media’s hard, man.

Tempo: Yeah.  And, once again, was that everything?  Yeah, my Facebook and my Instagram.  And, I’m working on my Twitter as well.

Eamon: And, like you mentioned – that show in San Antonio, Texas for, I think TWA is the promotion, and will you be wrestling out at the Academy?

Tempo: Yeah.  It’s actually AIW.  But, yeah, Texas Academy of Wrestling.  And, it’s going to be at the Good Shepherd Church in San Antonio. 

Eamon: And, also September 13 for Inspire Pro Wrestling you’ll be wrestling Scott Summers as well.  Definitely many opportunities if you’re in Texas to check out Terrale Tempo.  And, I encourage you do, because it’s good to sort of seek out the up-and-coming talent, and from what I can tell, from what I have seen of him so far, I can guarantee you we’ll be impressed.  Once again, thank you very much Terrale for coming on the show.