Interview with Devon Divine
Interviewed by Angel DuBois on 4/18/00


Angel: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, Devon.
Devon: No problem, Angel, but I would appreciate it if we could hurry along, because it’s almost 4:20.
A: So, Devon, what’s your real name?
D: John Anthony Dickson Johnson
A: How old are you?
D: I’m 21 years old.
A: Are you married, have any kids?
D: Sorry, ladies, but I’m married to my beautiful wife, Rachael.  I’m trying to talk her into having twenty kids.
A: What made you choose to go into wrestling?
D: Wrestling has been a life long dream of mine.
A: How did you start out in the business?
D: Well, back in November of 1998, I started training with Mike Shaw AKA Bastion Booger in Marquette, Michigan.
A: And what made you choose Shaw’s school over the others?
D: For three reasons, a) the cost was reasonable, probably the least expensive of the most accredited schools in the nation. B) it was only a two hour drive from where I lived.  C) I liked Mike Shaw’s training techniques.
A: What were those techniques?
D: Mike allows us to try out moves that we like and critiques them so that we can improve as opposed to other schools that make you run through useless drills for hours on hours.  He also discusses the fine points of in ring psychology and the theory of working a match.
A: Are you still training with Bastion Booger now?
D: Yes I am, I try to get to practice at least once a week.
A: Besides Booger,  who would you say has helped you out the most in the business? 
D: Easy question, that’s ‘The All Star’ Steve Sabo.  He’s always been there to help me with wrestling and life in general.
A: Who do you try to mold yourself after?
D: In the personality department, I try to mold myself after Rob Van Damm, and as for style, I try to emulate Chris Benoit.
A: When, and with whom did you wrestle your first match?
D: My first match was for Pete Sischo, with UPW on July 11, 1999.  Pete booked a fellow student and I in a tag match against Steve Sabo and Jim Elway, who were also trained by Mike Shaw.
A: How many matches have you wrestled in your career?
D: I’ve wrestled 43 matches in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
A: Which was your favorite match?
D: In January of 2000, Steve Sabo and myself worked each other one on one for the first time.  It was a match we had been waiting to do for eleven months.  We both worked a good match with great ease.  It was the best match I’ve ever worked.
A: Do you usually wrestle as a heel or a face in your matches?
D: I wrestle as both, depending on what the promoter wants, I enjoy both equally.
A: What type of style do you use in wrestling?
D: I wrestle as a mat technician with some high spots mixed in.
A: What’s your trademark move?
D: The Sinton Bomb, contrary to some beliefs, I was the first to use this in the Upper Peninsula.
A: Is this your finishing move?
D: No, I use the Tornado DDT as my finisher for two reasons.  1) I wanted a finisher that I could use on anybody, and 2) it has the name of my high school mascot, the Centerville Tornadoes.
A: Who were your wrestling heroes when you were a kid?
D: Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan. Shawn reminded me a lot of myself in many ways.  Hogan, well, I was the perfect age to be a Hulkamaniac.
A: What is your favorite match to watch of all time?
D: I enjoy watching the classic battle of Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat from WrestleMania 3. 
A: Who do you enjoy watching now?
D: Rob Van Damm, Sabu, Chris Benoit, Tazz, and Steve Sabo.
A: What are your short term goals in the business?
D: To find a promoter who will consistently book me while not destroying my character.
A: What is your ultimate goal?
D: To work Steve Sabo in the main event at WrestleMania for the heavy weight title.
A: Devon, I’m going to give you a list of names, I’d like you to comment on them; 
	Bastion Booger: I am what I am in the wrestling business today because of him.  He’s given up a lot of his personal time to ensure that I become the best worker that I can possibly be.  I hope that one day he will be proud that he was the one who trained me.
	Steve Sabo: He’s my best friend in and outside of the business, I could talk for hours about how much he’s helped me.
	Bruno Bianco: We lived together, partied and fought with each other like brothers.
	Peter B. Beautiful: A good friend, the first person to book me, push me, and give me a title.  He’s always been honest with me even though he’s gay. Ha ha ha.
	Doomsday: One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and I think that he has a lot of talent to be a great worker on TV someday.
	Marlo King: She stuck with me when no one else did.
	Billy McNeil & Scarlet: Simply, my life and career were better before I  met them.
A: Overall, how would you describe your experience in the wrestling business?
D: I’ve learned not to let a couple of people ruin the fun, but to appreciate all of the rewards the business has to offer.
A: Well, Devon, it’s 4:19 so I guess this wraps up the interview, thank you.
D: No problem, Angel.  Hey, Sabo, got a minute?!












Editor's note: The following interview with Judge Jesse was conducted by Tim
Larson via e-mail on March 9, 2000.

Judge Jesse
March 9, 2000
20 Questions

1. How and when did you get in the wrestling business?
I responded to an ad in The Wrestler magazine in 1991 for The Hart Bros. camp
in Calgary. Keith was the owner of that camp, and Chris Jericho, Lance Storm
and Ed Langley were the trainers. At the time, if you were under 6 feet, 220
lbs, it was hard to get work. In 1993, I came across Mid American Wrestling
out of Milwaukee. After one pro match, I "retired." I came back after seeing
the success of such smaller guys like Rey Jr, Chris Jericho, etc., in 1997
and have been wrestling regularly ever since, mostly with Badger State
Wrestling. I had met owner Mike Thompson in my short stint in MAW, and MAW
owner Carmine DiSpirito recommended him to me.

 2. Describe Judge Jesse, the wrestler, to us.
Judge Jesse is a wrestler that thinks he is the law as a heel. However, he
can also uphold honor and the law as a babyface. As the saying goes, "You
either hate him or love him."

3. What are your strengths as a wrestler?
That I am easy to work with, and adaptable to almost any style. I can be a
highflyer, I can brawl, and I can and do take crazy bumps.

4. What have been your top athletic accomplishments other than professional
wrestling?
 I haven't had any to speak of. Wrestling's it!

5. Who is your all-time favorite wrestler?
Ron Garvin. He was a no-nonsense type who could have a softhearted side, such
as giving his towels away to fans in the crowd. And of course, he was almost
always the underdog.

6. What is the best match you've ever had?
It's hard to narrow it to one, but a match I had with Eric Hammers in
Milwaukee last year stands out in my mind, because of the tremendous heat,
and it was one of the biggest crowds I had been in front of.

7. What is the first card you ever saw live?
An AWA show in 1988 in Escanaba, Michigan. Sgt. Slaughter, Greg Gagne, and
Madusa were all on the show.

8. What is the best match you ever saw live?
Probably a tag match in 1990 with Sting and Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair and Arn
Anderson, I think. It was Sting's first match in several months after knee
surgery and the crowd was hot.

9. Quick comments
a) Mike Thompson ... Gave me a break after four years of ring rust. He never
gave up on running shows, when others would have folded. Wrestling is his
life.

b) Travis Lee ... He's a nice guy who has improved a lot ring-wise in the
last couple of years.

c) Rey Misterio Jr. ... One of the standards for smaller guys. My favorite
highflyer. He always comes up with something new. I hope he gets and stays
healthy.

d) Dean Malenko ... Another guy that doesn't let size keep him from being a
great wrestler. And his interviews are underrated. I'd love to work him
someday.

e) Ric Flair ... One the best heels ever and a great entertainer. When I
first started watching wrestling, I kept watching, hoping he would lose.

f) Sheriff Johnny Emerald ... He would drive for eight hours knowing there
was a chance he might not be getting paid because he just loves the business.
He puts a lot of effort into his shows.

g) Mike Mercury ... He's got a good head for the business. ACW shows are
always put together well and are not just wrestling cards but events.

h) Dino Bambino ... One of the best highflyers in the indies. He has amazing
balance.

i) Rob Norwood ... I'm surprised his name doesn't come up more often when
people talk about the best indy wrestlers. He's got size, talent and charisma.

j) Judge Jeff Jones ... He doesn't really play to his gimmick. I've been
doing the judge longer than he has.

k) Bruce Hart ... I was going to go to his camp in 1990, but I had trouble
getting the money in time so I wound up going to his brother Keith's camp
later instead. He seemed pretty down to earth.

l) Stealth Suicide ... He and I have had some great matches and a few duds,
but he's always willing to take chances in there.

m) Chris Benoit ... One of the best technicians in the game today. Every move
he does is crisp.

n) Chris Jericho ... Has always had charisma. Training with him was fun, and
he always seemed like just one of the guys, even though he had pro
experience. I haven't spoken to him in years, however.

o) Koko B. Ware ... He's seen it all and a young guy could learn a lot from
him. He's pretty quiet most of the time out of the ring.

p) Tazz ... Not too sure how much success he can have in the WWF, but the
crowds are pretty receptive to him thus far.

q) Crash Holly ... I haven't seen too much of him. He seems ok.

r) WCW ... They seem to be taking themselves too seriously and not having
very much fun.

s) WWF ... They give the fans what they want to see, like it or not.

t) ECW ... They may be closer to what wrestling will be like in the
not-too-distant future.

u) Bret Hart ... One of the all time greats. Every time he steps in the ring,
you have a potential classic.

v) Eric Hammers ... He's very thorough. We've had a lot of great matches.

w) Dynamite Kid ... I caught the tail end of his career with the British
Bulldogs, and they were still one of the best teams I've ever seen.

x) Road Warriors ... They were best when they just stormed the ring and took
people's heads off. Hall of famers, for sure.

y) Shifty ... He seems to be improving all the time, just look at him!

z) Jushin Liger ... I liked watching him in the early 90's and picked up
(stole) a couple things from his matches.

aa) Kenta Kobashi ... I've never seen him.

10. What has been the highlight of your wrestling career so far?
Probably winning the Ultimate Pro Wrestling American title from Stealth
Suicide last summer in Escanaba, Michigan. It was only the second time my
father has seen me wrestle.

11. What has been the low point of your career?
That's a tough one. I don't really have one. I feel lucky every time I step
in the ring, and even luckier when I step out.

12. Who would you really want to wrestle locally and nationally that you
haven't lately?
Locally, Dino Bambino. I ÿ