The "Hard Way" Podcast by Archer Collins

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of the Hard Way Podcast, host by me, Archer Collins. Today we've got a fantastic line-up of guests, including some names you've heard before and some names that may be new to you. We're going to take a look at what's going on in the world of professional wrestling, try to touch on the latest happenings and the newest news. First, as always, let me say that the Hard Way podcast is brought to you by Squared Circle Apparel.

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I'd like to start off today's show with some big news that just happened this morning, the day we're recording, Wednesday, August 24th. Damian Kaine is stepping down as the General Manager of the Monday Night Metal brand of Alpha Pro Wrestling. This is honestly surprising, seeing as we're coming off a VERY successful first pay-per-view event for APW, which sold out the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That's no small feat for a company just putting together its first big run towards the primetime. According to a statement made by Kaine, he's taken a leading role in an ABC television series, which will pull his attention away from the company and towards those obligations. I want to put a pin in that for a second while I welcome our first guest. He's one of the newest signees to APW, who wasn't on the Showdown pay-per-view card, but still was there in the back working out and training for the event in case he was needed. Everyone, allow me to introduce to you, Christian Guillen!

Hey Archer, how are you it? It's good to be here.

Just so we're clear, Christian is actually IN STUDIO with us right now. No calling in. This is the real thing. You took time out of your busy schedule to come chat with me and it's very much appreciated.

Hey, it's no problem. We got notice yesterday that we had the week off this week, with things calming down a bit since Showdown, along with the news today of Kaine stepping down as the General Manager. I had some time off, so I decided to drop in and start my media tour I guess.

Okay, so we just go word that Kaine stepped down. Did you see it coming? Is the locker room going crazy? Take us backstage right now in the APW world.

Eh, I mean, it's hard for me to say, y'know? I'm still one of the 'new guys' around town, so I'm not in the wild group texts yet. It's also one of those things where, even when you're working out at a gym, maybe with some of the people you're signed with, no one really says anything until they get to know you, y'know? And I mean, look at me. I'm a big guy, right? I come off as a tad intimidating...

Jesus, I'd say that's an understatement. Folks, if you've never seen Christian Guillen in action, I recommend checking out his work in Division. He's a big dude. What's your measurables at right now, Christian?

Yesterday I weighed in at 253 pounds and just a shade under 6 foot 5 barefooted.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. But, even with being such a big guy, you focus a lot on the more technical aspects, right?

Yeah, I think that's fair to say. When I first got into wrestling, I was just going along on the ride with my brother, Guillermo. He was the lucha of the family, with his flips and acrobatic shit. He was crazy athletic. He needed a tag partner, yeah? So I decided I might as well climb into the ring and learn a few things with him, y'know? It just turned out that, even though we're twins, we ended up in vastly different places when it comes to our size and stature. I don't think he ever tipped over two hundred pounds.

Speaking of your brother, Guillermo. I'd like to thank both of you for your sacrifice before we go any further.

Gracias. I know that Guillermo would appreciate that very much.

Again, for the people who may be new to you. New to who Christian Guillen is, you've said before that your brother is one of the driving forces behind what you do. Can you walk us through what happened and, honestly, if you need to stop and move we most certainly can.

Nah, it's fine. So, my brother Guillermo and I joined up in the military shortly after high school. We had been hitting the indy circuit for a little bit in the Southwest, mainly in some of the Texas lucha-branded indys. We were doing well, but not like, gonna make it big time or anything down there. My brother and I had always wanted to join up in the military, so we thought that we could do that and, not just for the defense of our country, but because it could also help our in-ring ability, right? Learning takedowns and striking. But that was secondary to the real cause. Being a first generation Mexican-American, my brother and I wore our pride on our sleeves, y'know? My parents fought tooth and nail so that we could have the opportunities that they didn't, could let us live out the American Dream, right?

Well, we were in the service, moving from base to base, until finally we ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fortunately I got to come home on my two feet, and unfortunately, my brother had to come home in a casket. Shit was tough, y'know? Mi madre had a real tough go of it, yeah? She struggled for a long time, trying to figure out what went wrong or how shit went so sideways. So after that, I decided I needed to find new purpose in life. I needed to do something to honor my brother the right way. So I put all of my time into being a wrestler, just like his dream we would be. Sucks I won't get to live out his dream of us being tag team champions together, though.

Damn man. I'm sorry that you had to go through that, but I'm also proud of you for being able to stick to your brother's dream and end up where you are now. I'm sure that APW is going to treat you well, and I think you're going to perform like a fucking champ on the main stage. If I were on the APW roster, I would definitely watch out because I know you'll be climbing that ladder soon. Thank you so much Christian. Let's get another word from a sponsor before we move onto our next guest...