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Noam Dar is a man with both ability and charisma in abundance - but sadly, he's unable to display either in a WWE ring right now as the NXT UK Superstar is currently in the UK, where no live wrestling is taking place at all right now.
Not only have NXT UK's tapings been completely suspended - with Glasgow's live events being cancelled last week - but The Scottish Supernova, Noam Dar, also recently became ICW World Heavyweight Champion right before lockdown, and all Insane Championship Wrestling events have now been suspended until 2021.
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Noam Dar, however, is embracing lockdown, and treating it like a "prison mentality" in order to make sure he's ready to go tomorrow if things drastically change. So, that settles the in-ring ability. As for charisma?
Well, the Scottish Supernova brought it in abundance in this exclusive interview with myself.
You can watch our interview with Noam Dar in its entirety below, or read on for a full transcript.
The first thing we need to address is that magnificent beard! For a lot of people that haven't seen you on social media, they might not actually recognise you because the beard has just come out of nowhere. The first thing I need to ask, as everyone will be dying to know, is that staying once you're back in the ring or is it coming off when you get back to competing.
Unfortunately not. This beard is a means to an end and it's part of a lifestyle that I've been living since lockdown began. I've playfully called this period of my life a "prison mentality" experience. When lockdown started, I knew that I had to double down in order to stay focused and not get distracted with all the external stuff that's going on and stay focused on the goals in hand - so this has really helped contribute to the tunnel vision.
I mean, I get one phone call a day, the food here is terrible. I get to go outside and get some yard time but, right now, that's what's working for me and the disregard for the appearance that you see is part of it and I believe that that's synonymous with the opportunity that I have right now is to, rather than try and get through this lockdown as quick as possible, I've decided to get stuck in it and really experience the solitude, and hence as part of it is what you're seeing sticking out of my face right now.
Next: Noam Dar discusses when he thinks NXT UK will return
I like how you're taking that as a kind of method acting approach!
I did mention the beard - but if people don't follow you online, they might not recognise you, but the reason they should be following you online - you recently posted a video demanding competition from NXT UK. You're aware that you can't wrestle at a social distance but you challenged Walter to a contest, The Irish Ace Jordan Devlin to poker, and Tyler Bate to Snakes and Ladders.
Not restricting yourself to NXT UK, if you can challenge anyone in the world to a non- wrestling match, what kind of match are you choosing and who are the challenging?
It would be FIFA, has to be a game of FIFA, and if I have to challenge anyone in the world right now...
Are we talking non-wrestling here or wrestling specifically?
Whatever you want, whatever you want.
I'm going to challenge The Great Khali to a game of FIFA because I'm actually a FIFA Champion. I had an Up Up Down Down FIFA tournament a few years ago and I beat Apollo Crews, Becky Lynch, Fandango, Sheamus - easily. I feel like that is my area of expertise and if we're keeping the social distancing element to it, then it definitely has to be a game of FIFA versus The Great Khali.
Definitely not the name I expected but, man, I would watch that so I'm sold!
So, going back to the fact that we can't wrestle right now, there's nothing going on NXT UK apart from the fact that we're getting to see the history of the brand and everything which is great, but there are no fresh matches happening. I asked this question to Dave Mastiff and he gave me a brilliant answer about how British wrestling was a few years ago when no-one was watching it.
I need to ask yourself, when do you think you'll see yourself back in the ring and what would you think about the idea of wrestling in the front of no crowd if that was to happen?
It's hard to set a time of when we'll actually be competing back in the ring. Hopefully... Hoping in the next six weeks maybe, that would be an ideal situation.
I'm ready to go tomorrow. Like I said, this whole period of lockdown for me has been just staying focused and being introspective, staying sharp, staying fit, staying healthy. I'm ready to go. Not wrestling in front of a crowd definitely changes it, obviously the crowd adds so much to it and they are completely essential.
The crowd are an essential service to a wrestling show, however it means that you have to be more on the ball. You're not going to be able to get as much of an adrenaline dump. Audiences have emotional influences on people in the ring, sometimes that can take you off your game, sometimes it and help you. A lot of people use the crowd to their benefit. I really like the idea of doing a couple of shows with no audience and just really see who really wants it.
Next: Noam Dar discusses a dream match with Goldberg!
The one thing, you know, we did mention that you seem to be taking the method acting approach through lockdown. Another thing that came up was I recently found out about the Skull Sessions and acting seminars that's been facilitated apparently for I think both the NXT UK and NXT staff -because if you can't work on in-ring stuff, then you might as well work on everything else. Is that something that you've been doing and if so, how has it helped you?
Yeah. We've had a lot of good exercises and programs that we've been doing. WWE have also put us through a Professional Development Series - which is a weekly Zoom meeting, once a week, to do with a lot of outside stuff, not specifically to wrestling - which is so beneficial.
WWE have... Certainly in the time I've been with WWE, coming up to five years, they've always been so well, so committed to developing the talent personally as well as professionally at any given opportunity - and now that that's been offered during lockdown. It's certainly helped give a lot of structure to days and there's a lot of things we've been able to take from it that I know people are going to implement going forward.
Yeah, definitely - and, actually, when I was doing my research, I was like, "I wonder how long Noam Dar's been in WWE," and I noticed it's been five years, and I was like, "Man, that time has flown by! That's absolutely insane!"
The one thing I need to ask, I know you're active on social media, but I don't know if this is something that you might have seen going round. Someone posted a photo before of a custom WWE Championship with a Star of David on it, saying the dream for them would be to see Noam Dar vs Goldberg at a WWE event in Israel! Did you see that, and what would your reaction to that be?
I haven't seen that! I have... There's been a bunch of comments and tweets and such joking about me vs. Goldberg and I'm completely down for that.
I believe that I would have the homefield advantage there having been born in Israel and I think Bill Goldberg would have a run for his money. I know he's not... I know he's not living a prison lifestyle like I'm living right now - so if we do it the second after lockdown, I know he's not ready.
I think the one thing this has to lead to right now before that is a beard growing competition between yourself and Goldberg, or a FIFA competition and the match in Israel can be the rubber match if he gets one of the wins there!
Here we go!
Next: Noam Dar discusses Vince McMahon
The other thing... I mentioned social media, so many comments go about, particularly in wrestling journalism, people always talk about things there about how certain people react backstage to things.
One of the biggest stories that's came out about Noam Dar was you saying "Alicia Fox" and how much Vince McMahon loved you saying "Alicia Fox". Can you confirm, is that true? Do you know if Vince McMahon was a fan of the way you spoke?
As far as I'm aware, that is very true. I had a lot of friends that would be in the production meetings and stuff, and apparently he would do an impression of it, so I haven't heard the impression of me.
I think that he might be scared to do an impression of me in front of me in case I beat him up. Because everyone knows I'm a bit of a ticket backstage...
I wish! But I know that there was a lot... There was a lot of fun... That whole storyline with Alicia, and working with Alicia, was a massive learning experience. I hadn't done anything like that over my, at that point, 10-years career and to be able to use a whole different set of tools and do something completely different that I wasn't used to was a real good experience.
I absolutely loved that but the one thing I will say, there's one very selfish reason that I like the fact that you're in NXT UK right now rather than still being over on RAW, and that is because - as you might be able to hear - I'm Glaswegian and I got to see you lift the ICW World Heavyweight Championship a couple of months ago.
So I need to ask you, if WWE and ICW signed off on Noam Dar defending the ICW World Championship in the main event of a WWE show in Glasgow, you can defend it against anyone you want - ICW or WWE - who are you picking to defend it against? And it can't be The Great Khali.
Well, the interview's over! Next question, next question!
That's a difficult question. I love the idea of defending the ICW Title on a WWE show, certainly in the main event, but I also love the idea even more of - if I'm doing that and put my title on the line, then I deserve a chance to also win something.
So in that case I would like to do myself vs Walter, NXT UK Championship vs ICW Championship, winner takes all.
I'm a gambling man! The odds may not be my favour, but I like a gamble, I like a punt on the horses and I certainly like a punt on myself, but that's the match I'm making in that fantasy situation.
Yet again, you can chuck in your chicken leg eating competition beforehand as well, and hope he gets too full to move about. You'll be sorted!
Soften him up! Soften him up!
That sounds like the perfect main event as well for a TakeOver: Glasgow if that ever happens in the future, I'll just chuck that in there!
Next: Noam Dar discusses the prison lifestyle
We mentioned a wee bit of a fantasy book in there. You've already called out The Great Khali and we've mentioned Goldberg, we've mentioned Vince McMahon and we've mentioned Walter.
This is a question I've asked Sheamus and I feel like you're the perfect person to ask it back to because his answer was very much related to the Scottish football, so we can do a match with Noam Dar and a footballer of your choice, past or present, against any other WWE Superstar and any other footballer. Who do you want to get in the ring with for that star-studded tag team match?
So if we're having a match and I'm going to have to choose...
I think I might choose Vinnie Jones, right? I know that sounds random, so random, but it might be to to do with the fact that I watched Mean Machine a couple of weeks ago.
Like I said, living the prison life, I'm only allowed to ingest entertainment that is in a prison format so I've watched Mean Machine, The Longest Yard and Prison Break on repeat. That's it.
Vinnie Jones is a hard man and I reckon he would show up when you need him. And it also keeps a lot of negative sectarianism out of it. Unfortunately, a lot of the fun fantasy questions I've had in the past have led to waking up to abuse from people on Twitter, so as much as it is a good laugh, I'm going to say Vinnie Jones, and it would definitely have to be against.. Who did he pick?
He picked Virgil van Dijk.
Right, okay. I thought he would. That's a good choice but 100% Vinnie Jones could batter Virgil van Dijk.
Vinnie Jones has appeared at a WWE event as well, I don't think Virgil van Dijk has so he definitely has that homefield advantage we spoke about earlier.
I'm going to sneak in one last question. I like to be controversial. I'll sneak in this wee final one. You don't need to answer it if you don't want, because it might cause some upset. You're living the prison lifestyle. What are you having for dinner?
Tonight? Same as every night. Baked beans on toast. That's it.
Sometimes... Sometimes if I've been on good behaviour, I get a wee bit of ketchup on the top.
Thanks so much, man. It's been an absolute pleasure chatting to you.
Likewise!
Thank you so much to Noam Dar for taking the time, and to WWE United Kingdom for setting up the interview.
