SK Exclusive: Interview with Brian Zane from 'Wrestling With Wregret'

Hello SportsKeeda readers, today we’re bringing you an interview with one of the most popular wrestling YouTuber, none other than, Brian Zane from Wrestling with Wregret.

Aaroh Palkar (AP): So can you please tell our readers about yourself?

Brian Zane: I’m the host of the YouTube channel Wrestling With Wregret, where I take a humorous look at all things pro wrestling. I’ve been running the channel for the last three years as of June. Before beginning WWW, I had been involved in the independent wrestling scene since 2006. I spent one year as a wrestler but was terrible at it, then I made the transition to manager in 2007. I’ve been doing that ever since (along with the occasional announcing gig).

AP: What initiated you into starting "Wrestling with Wregret"?

Brian Zane: Well, I’m a huge fan of online review shows like Nostalgia Critic, Angry Video Game Nerd, Todd In The Shadows, etc. If you are a fan of some kind of genre or medium, whether it be movies, video games, comic books, music, anime, horror…you name it, there is someone reviewing it in a funny manner. But about four years ago I was looking around and realized that nobody was taking that approach with pro wrestling, or at least not doing it well. I have a background in video production and I’ve always fancied myself to be a good creative writer, so I thought, “why don’t I do it myself?”. I had that idea in my head for about a year before I finally decided to run with it.

AP: Nice, so earlier you mentioned that before WWW you were a pro-wrestler, so how did that happen? Did you always want to be a pro-wrestler or was it something that you started getting into as you grew up?

Brian Zane: I didn’t get into pro wrestling until I was around 13 years old, in the spring of 1998. My friend had rented a copy of WCW/nWo World Tour for the N64 and we spent the entire weekend playing it. He wouldn’t go on to follow wrestling but that game got me wondering what this whole WCW thing was all about, so I sought it out on TV, then started watching the WWF alongside it, and from there I was hooked.

I was obsessed with wrestling after that and sought after it anywhere I could. The fantasy of being a wrestler was always there but I never seriously considered it until my freshman year in college, when I learned that “Playboy” Buddy Rose and Col. DeBeers were running a school in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. I started training with them and two years later, I started wrestling for local promotions. I think I needed to train longer, haha.

AP: So, let’s talk a little bit about WWE, Kevin Owens is the new Universal Champion. How does that make you feel?

Brian Zane: I think Owens is absolutely deserving of the championship and it’s great that he won it in such a memorable way. I do think that the title victory has made some wrestling fans do an about-face with their fast-held beliefs, often to comedic effect. They don’t like hand-picked champions and they don’t like Triple H, but they didn’t mind that Triple H hand-picked Kevin Owens as the new champion, they hated the Universal Title but now they like how it looks, that sort of thing. (For the record, my opinion on the belt’s appearance changed BEFORE Owens won it.)

AP: WWE has this habit of playing it really safe, but this time they went ahead with the unexpected. Do you see them taking more chances like these in the future?

Brian Zane: I think their hand was forced in this situation. In fact, I’d say that for the last few years WWE has created their best moments when their plans A, B & C get screwed over due to injuries, suspensions, etc. That being said, what made wrestling so fun to watch the last time it was hot was the unpredictability of everything. Not a lot of people saw the ending to last week’s RAW coming, so more wild stuff that people can’t easily predict is a good thing in my opinion.

AP: What did you think of the Randy Orton/ Brock Lesnar match at SummerSlam? And, the Miz's segment on Talking Smack? Should WWE carry on with these semi shoot-style segments?

Brian Zane: I don’t like when the industry tries to blur the lines to an excessive degree; we saw what happened when Vince Russo was writing for WCW and having wrestlers and announcers using insider terminology left-and-right. I think it’s possible to have compelling storylines that aren’t based on locker room stuff without insulting the fans’ intelligence. I thought the examples you mentioned were very interesting, but too much of it and I feel it would become too meta.

AP: Recently rumours were going around that Daniel Bryan might make his in-ring return, what do you think about that? Considering how bad he has already hurt his neck.

Brian Zane: In WWE? Not a chance. The company is far too worried about Bryan hurting himself further or straight up dying in the ring, and rightfully so. At this point I expect him to quit WWE as soon as his contract is up and take bookings again, but I would be shocked to see him back in a WWE ring before then.

AP: What do you think needs improvement in today's wrestling product? (WWE, TNA, ROH, etc.)

Brian Zane: In the case of WWE, it goes back to not insulting the intelligence of the fans, instilling some quality control (does this make sense?) and just trying to keep things fresh and unpredictable. I’m afraid I don’t really know enough about TNA or ROH’s situations to know what could be improved upon.

But ROH caters to such a specific type of wrestling fan that there’s only so far they can go in terms of viewership and ratings. If they were to compromise those values in an effort to get better ratings and more money, then it wouldn’t be ROH anymore. So, basically I think ROH should keep doing what they’re doing; it seems to be working out for them.

AP: Which Indy star would you like to see in the WWE or NXT?

Brian Zane: I would love to see Timothy Thatcher get signed. I met him back in 2006 and he was great then, but he’s gotten even better since. I’ve heard that they’ve wanted to sign him for a long time but he has no interest at the moment, which, it’s his prerogative. But if he ever gets the itch to compete for them, the rest of the talent there will have to take notice.

AP: Could you tell us about your favourite wrestlers and favourite matches of all time?

Brian Zane: I’ve always maintained that Brock Lesnar is my favorite of all-time, but I’m basing it more on his work from his first WWE run. Other favorites include Kane, Mick Foley, Undertaker, Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan. Not for their wrestling abilities, but for their characters and the way they worked the crowds. Favorite matches have to include Taker/HBK at Wrestlemania 25, Angle/Lesnar at Wrestlemania 19, and Eddie Guerrero/Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc 97.

AP: If you could change any WWE Storyline, and redo it in your way which one would it be?

Brian Zane: That’s a tough one because I try not to delve too much into fantasy booking, but if I had to go back and change one storyline I would say the Invasion. I still think it could have been done well with the talent they were given, but the one thing I would have changed would have been that the Alliance just beat the piss out of the WWF for the first two months straight, and just never give an inch.

Really establish that this group is taking over and that they are to be taken seriously. The biggest problem with that angle looking back is that the wins and losses were far too even. The Alliance needed to be built up to look like a legitimate threat so the conclusion at Survivor Series wouldn’t have been too obvious.

AP: So, you just released the first episode of the sixth season of WWW, any surprises for us this season?

Brian Zane: I do plan on tackling a lot of the topics that people have been requesting for the last year, including some topics that some fans might not know about! I also intend to do more collaborations with people in the YouTube community (both wrestling and non-wrestling-related), and of course, more cameos from wrestling personalities past and present! I’d love to do at least two music videos in the next year as well, and of course, there are the big Internet Darlings show happening the day before Wrestlemania in Orlando featuring myself, Adam Blampied from WhatCulture, Grim, Steve and Larson, Joe Cronin, JD from NY and more!

AP: Alright we’re down to the final two questions, CM Punk UFC 203, what do you think is the outcome going to be?

Brian Zane: At this point, I couldn’t care less. But if he loses he’ll never hear the end of it. Really he should just pull an Eva Marie and have an announcer say he’s stuck in traffic.

AP: Alright, final question. Where do you see WWW a few years down the line? Do you have any long-term plans for it or would you like to just go with the flow?

Brian Zane: I definitely want the show to be around for a long time. The beauty of pro wrestling is, there’s always going to be new material to talk about because wrestling is always happening. So if I feel like I’m starting to run out of material now, I know that in a couple of months I’ll have new stuff to work with!

We would like to thank Mr. Zane for giving us this opportunity, and we would like to wish him nothing, but the best in his future endeavours.

You can follow Brian Zane by clicking the links below:-

Twitter:- https://twitter.com/zmanbrianzane

Facebook Page:- http://www.facebook.com/wrestlingwithwregret