First off, thanks Noam for taking the time to answer some questions for us today, I hope you're well at the moment.
So Noam, tell the readers a bit about yourself, where did you grow up, who were your favourite wrestlers while growing up?
I moved over to Ayr, Scotland from Israel when I was around 5 and have lived in
Ayr ever since. I was always aware of wrestling when growing up but never had
the means to indulge in regular viewing until I was around 11. In terms of
favourites, I missed the era of The Rock, Austin and alot of those guys, the
first guy I saw was Eddie Guerrero and he has always been the source of my
initial aspirations to perhaps be a wrestler. I loved so many guys for various
reasons so it be hard to name any more.
When you finally made the choice to go from being a fan to actually being a wrestler, how did you go about it?
Not as directly as I would have liked in retrospect, sure I was obsessed with
wrestling but I never thought of it as a possible career path, it always remained a childhood and teenage fantasy and I accepted it as that. However when I was 14 one of my friends who was a few years older started training at the Scottish Professional Wrestling Academy and suggested that I tagged along with him every Sunday . He eventually fell away from it and obviously I was hooked. It was like discovering a whole new world, within a few months I went from watching wrestling in sheer awe, spending hours daydreaming about being all my favourites to being given an environment to learn to be a wrestler, 50 minutes from home, with endless possibilities, it overwhelmed me.
What did your friends & family think when you told them you were going into the business?
My family are very supportive in anything I want to do and knew how much I was
infatuated with wrestling at the time so they just kind of accepted it, much like if I had started after school netball or curling. My friends didn't really get it was an actual school with possibilities of a profession, they thought I was just bouncing on someone elses trampoline every Sunday and they all knew how much of a wrestling geek I was so they didn't take much notice and I made little noise about it.
Who was it who trained you and any words you want to say about them?
I was trained by Ross Watson (Kid Fite) and Adrian McCallum (Lionheart).
I think the reason that they are both great teachers is they are realists in terms of what they are trying to show at each specific time. They both continue to help me tremendously and Ross especially is having continuous success with his school at the moment which is testament to his abilities.
So tell us Noam, what was your training like?
Great! I think I enjoyed it so much and a reason I still try to attend as much
as possible is because of the mix of different aspects they focus on. Sure, some
sessions I didn't enjoy as much as others but I was learning something every time
even if it was indirectly. We were lucky that we received so many guest seminars
from such a wide array of international talent each of whom stepped our training
up to the next necessary level. I honestly believe, much like footballers, people should always try to train regardless of the level of success they have attained, the best athletes in the world train everyday.
Was there ever a point you thought you wanted to get out?
No. Any time I suffered any grievances I had such a good circle of friends who I
looked up to and still do that helped me overcome those doubts.
Onto some of your matches, the first time I got to see you live was at Dragon Gate's show in Nottingham in 2011, what was it like for you to be on that card with all those great workers and how do you feel your match went?
I first met the Dragon Gate guys in 2009 during their first European tour on the
Barcelona leg. Back then I was still very green and hadn't been on a show or
even exposed to such a professionally sound stable of guys. Each of them exuded
professionalism to the point it seemed majestic. That opened my eyes to the company and since then I became a huge admirer. The show in 2011 was my main goal for the year and was extremely humbling to receive the spot, I loved the match and again learned tremendously from just being around and watching those guys.
Is Dragon Gate over in Japan something you aspire to go for in your career?
Yes.
You are young really working in the business, how do you find it with the older guys on the British circuit even if they are in their 20's?
I've always been "old" for my age and sometimes I forget the uniqueness of my
situation due to my age. I'm lucky in a sense that I have so many great guys
that look out for me and help me a tonne. In the same respect some guys who
maybe treat me like an 18 year old, or even when I was younger it was sometimes
worse, it doesn't bother me because its their prerogative, I think age is
irrelevant in wrestling.
What do you consider the best match you have worked so far in your career?
The Dragon Gate bonus match in 2011 is definitely one, purely for the environment
and how much I made that my goal for 2011. It also showed me how much work I will have to put in the reach a level to be considered for that platform. I'm the worst for answering this questions cause I've enjoyed many of my matches for so many different reasons, maybe matches I hated would have been more interesting, haha!
Below: Here is the match Noam speaks about above, one on one with Daniel Robert from Dragon Gate UK's 22/10/11 show in Nottingham
The last time I got to see you live was at SWE's Speed King tournament where you faced The Rockstar Spud, now leading up to this match you were the subject of one of his infamous youtube videos, what did you think of this video and what are your thoughts of the 'Baby Jesus of British Wrestling'?
His obvious talent aside, I think the reason Spud is successful and admired is he understands what's necessary to create genuine interest for any situation he desires. There's a difference between capitalising on already existing heat and creating heat, genuine enough to make people interested in it, irrelevant of small details that so many well thought "storylines" rely on. This effective simplicity garners interest out with a specific circle and in turn opens British wrestling to a bigger market.
On the subject of Spud, what's your take on his 'beef' with Marty Scrull?
They both wear horrendous vests, I assume that's the main cause of dispute.
You have wrestled for many promotions here in the UK but I want to ask, you was part of the debut PROGRESS Wrestling show back in March, talk us through your experiences of that day and the what was you thinking when you got the "deep fried Mars bars" chants?
From the way they deal with their talent to their production everything is given
100% effort and respect. Its so refreshing to see all aspects of a company
working towards the same cause, especially on a debut show. This focus and commitment is already made PROGRESS a top company within Europe for fans and workers alike and their already obvious success is a tribute to their hard work.
"Deep fried Mars bars" is definitely a favourite. Its apparently as synonymous with Scotland as haggis and heroine. Both make wonderful chants.
Who on the British circuit would you like to wrestle who you haven't already?
I want to work pretty much everybody I haven't and would love to work those who
I have again! I learn from every match and in my opinion no experience is a worthless experience.
And, is there a promotion in the UK you haven't worked for that you'd like to?
Very much the same as above. Any promoter that commits their self properly to
producing professional shows is always a preferred company to work for.
In July of this year, you will be facing TNA superstar AJ Styles, what did you think when you were first told you would be wrestling AJ?
The whole anticipation and secrecy to the announcement was completely legitimate, only a few people knew AJ Styles was coming to Pro Wrestling Elite, I however, was not one of them. The announcement as it happened was exactly how I found out and my reaction was genuine, I had no inclination it was going to be such a big name. Given my age and how I got into watching wrestling relatively late, AJ Styles was the first guy that captivated my passion for any wrestling out with the WWE. I was very much a fan of entertainment aspect until then, AJ made me a fan of the sport and has been a massive influence ever since.
I'm overwhelmed that I'm going to have the opportunity to step in the ring with him and I completely understand how monumental the match can be for me, I'm sick with nerves but I cannot wait.
Below: This is the moment Noam & everyone else there that night found out he was going to be facing AJ Styles
We have some reader questions, Peter Blackham would like to know, what was it like being the final 1PW Openweight champion before they went under again and how did you feel reading the All or Nothing book about 1PW?
I think its a shame what happened to the company and the negative effect its had on former fans. It was good to be given the belt but in all honesty by that time the company was already on a downward spiral so the belt became meaningless even though I was honoured to receive it.
I have no intention of reading the book but I'm sure it has some very truthful
insights mixed with bitter people spitting on its grave, the same people who
when it benefited them were 1PW mascots.
To close, we'll do some word association; just tell me the first thing you think of for each of these names:
'Lionheart' Adrian McCullum
Believe.
Marty Scrull
Big Ron.
Zack Sabre Jr.
Armbars and Barcelona.
Kris Travis
Never heard of em pal!
Mark Haskins
SAFE.
Rockstar Spud
Loud noises.
1PW
It'll be alright on the night
Thanks for your time Noam, and good luck with your future career.
Follow Noam on twitter @NoamDar
Below: Noam Dar vs. Zack Sabre Jr. From Pro Wrestling Elite (21/10/11)
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