by Daniel Johnson
Photo Courtesy of Christopher Saint
Interviewer’s Note: “The Revolutionary Reverend” Christopher Saint is a Michigan based performer who started to train to become a wrestler in 2007 and has been working for the past five years. Some of the promotions Saint has had the chance to showcase his talents for have been Mr. Chainsaw Productions Wrestling (MCPW), the Universal Wrestling Alliance (UWA) and the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA). Saint currently teams with partner JD Mason in the fearsome combination, The Gospel of Dixie. In May The Gospel of Dixie defeated Main Street Youth consisting of Jake Omen and Scotty Young to become the reigning MCPW Tag Team Champions. This interview was completed on February 2, 2014. In this interview Saint and I focus on his work for MCPW.
Daniel Johnson: I wanted to start with some background questions. How would you describe yourself as a performer in a nutshell?
Christopher Saint: I’m just a performer honestly. I like to go out there and do what needs to be done, whether it is a technical match, or one that involves a little bit of entertainment or comedy thrown in. I basically try to do a little bit of it all. I try to be as diverse as possible.
Daniel Johnson: Where and when were you born and how long have you been wrestling?
Christopher Saint: I was born on January 5, 1988 at Hurley Hospital in Flint, Michigan. I’ve been wrestling for five years.
Daniel Johnson: Who was the first wrestler that really got you interested in wrestling? Have they influenced you at all as a performer?
Christopher Saint: It definitely was The Rock. The way that he carried himself, the energy that he brought into the arena and not only that, through the TV. He was just out of this world when it came to performing. And he definitely has influenced me as a performer. I strive to be as charismatic as him. The energy that he brought into the arena and not only that through the TV was absolutely incredible.
Daniel Johnson: When did you know you wanted to become a wrestler and how did you find a place to get trained?
Christopher Saint: I knew that I wanted to become a wrestler when I really got hooked on wrestling. When I really got sucked into it in the middle of the Attitude Era. I was 10 years old but was determined that I would one day lace up a pair of boots. In January 2007 I got really serious about getting professional training so I found a place to train through talking to an indie wrestler about training at another school. He asked me how much they were charging and told me to wait because he was going to open up a school in six months and it was half the price of the other school so, falling on financial hard times made the training for a discounted price definitely more appealing.
Daniel Johnson: What was a typical day of training like for you and how long was it before you first wrestled in front of an audience?
Christopher Saint: A typical day of training for me was arriving to my trainer’s horse barn at 10 a.m. until about 5 p.m. It was a pretty interesting situation because the barn that we trained in was older and kind of rickety so wind would get through. In the winter it got quite crazy because it was super duper cold. That was a cold ass winter lol. I wrestled in front of a crowd almost immediately when I started training. We would usually train and then after that go to a show. The promoters were cool enough to let me and my buddies wrestle on their shows even though we weren’t necessarily “cleared” at the time.
Daniel Johnson: What were the first promotions you worked for and how long was it before you got involved with Mr. Chainsaw Productions Wrestling (MCPW)?
Christopher Saint: The first promotion I worked for was Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling (XICW) out of Detroit, Michigan. That’s a pretty cool promotion, has an ECW type of vibe. You got guys that mix it up in deathmatch style matches and you got these technical and highflying wrestlers doing their thing too. It is a pretty interesting dynamic. And I was in the business for about three years before l got involved in MCPW. It was always a place I wanted to wrestle at because they were making a pretty big noise on the indie scene. They had some pretty noteworthy people on the roster, a few of which are up in WWE currently making a decent living and definitely living the dream. So it was definitely a goal of mine to get into MCPW from the time I started wrestling.
Daniel Johnson: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the first match you had for MCPW was against Jayden Andrews. What, if anything do you remember about this match?
Christopher Saint: Yes, the first match that I had in MCPW was against Jayden Andrews. What I remember the most about that match are two things. One. I was nervous as hell because I wanted to impress the promoter to get a permanent spot on the roster. I knew that if I didn’t impress him that my chances were pretty much going to be gone. And the second thing I remember is not performing the way that I wanted to perform so I was a little let down by that. But, thankfully the promoter was happy enough with our performance to keep us around. It was a great experience.
Daniel Johnson: What made you decide to portray your current character?
Christopher Saint: The thing that made me decide to portray this character is simply the name that I decided to use. I was trying to think of something that would fit the name and obviously the priest character is the one that fit the most. Also, I’ve been a church goer for a good portion of my life and doing this character gives me an outlet to display my gripes with the religious system.
Daniel Johnson: You have been with MCPW for several years now. How do you feel the company has grown since that time and how do you feel you have grown as a performer?
Christopher Saint: MCPW has always had a great and loyal fan base. And the Battle Ground shows have always been off the chain performance wise and attendance wise. But I have seen the company grow a good relationship with their fanbase. And have been able to see the company expand its coverage. Me personally, I have grown performance wise by listening to the crowd and trying to adhere to what they want. I’m not saying that I’m the best at it but I have definitely payed more attention and feel like I have definitely been more aware of what the crowd wants. And I have also stepped up my in-ring game. Being involved in a company like MCPW you have to do that because if you don’t everyone will let you know from the boys to the back to the fans.
Daniel Johnson: You have perhaps enjoyed your greatest success in MCPW with JD Mason as the tag team, The Gospel of Dixie. How did this team first come about?
Christopher Saint: I used to live with Jerry so we always used to talk about wrestling and the things that we felt we could do as a tag team. When you live with a wrestler things like that just kind of come up lol. But, we talked about it. One time JD’s original partner Johnny Rebel wasn’t available to make a date, and the day that he had the show I was off and didn’t have a show set in place. So I was the natural replacement. Me and JD really felt like we gelled as a team so we’ve been doing it ever since.
Daniel Johnson: Who came up with the name The Gospel of Dixie and what do you think of the name?
Christopher Saint: Actually it was a promoter’s sister. JD and I booked a date that we were going to debut as a team but we didn’t know exactly what we were going to call ourselves. The day of the show we were still racking our brains to find a fitting name. We showed up to the building and as soon as we got there the promoter’s sister made a B line straight to me and JD and pointed to me she said, “You’re a southern priest right?” She pointed at JD and said “You’re a good ol’ boy right? How about The Gospel of Dixie? And you see how the acronym is G.O.D?” We both liked it a lot and decided to run with it.
Daniel Johnson: Speaking of your character what made you decide to take on the kind of persona you do and do fans respond to it all over or is it particularly affective in MCPW?
Christopher Saint: Well, I always had an idea of what I wanted Christopher Saint to be. Ive always kind of saw how some preachers acted and saw how a lot of them shoved religion down people’s throats. So, my character was pretty much made out of spite/to poke fun at those types of people. But yes, fans all over seem to respond to it. No one likes for a man to come out and say they’re better than them and to tell them that they are sinners because of their lifestyle and personal choices. Some people literally feel morally attacked. It is kind of a touchy gimmick lol that’s why I love it.
Daniel Johnson: In May you won the MCPW Tag Team Championship after defeating Jake Omen and Scotty Young. What stands out about this match the most for you?
Christopher Saint: Our mindset going into the match. We only wrestled Main Street Youth (Jake Omen and Scotty Young) one time before this. JD and I have a lot of respect for those two so we wanted to really try and tear the house down with them. We both had mutual respect for each other and both teams were going to do what it took to have a standout match. When we were finished with the match we were all pleased with our performance. It was a pretty rewarding feeling.
Daniel Johnson: As a current MCPW Tag Team Champion holder what would you most like to accomplish before your reign ends?
Christopher Saint: I just want to have great matches with people. I want people in the audience to go away feeling satisfied like, “Damn, that tag team match was insane!” and for my opponents to be like, “Damn, those guys can really go!”
Daniel Johnson: This is a more general question about MCPW, but what if anything do you think makes this promotion unique from other wrestling promotions?
Christopher Saint: The vibe, the way the set-up is, the way the audience is, the level of talent, lol the name! Pretty much everything about MCPW is pretty unique.
Daniel Johnson: For readers who have yet to check out MCPW what is one thing you would like them to know that might convince them to check out the company?
Christopher Saint: That MCPW is an amazing company and the level of talent that we have is great. I mean we’ve had wrestling legends like Mick Foley and Goldust involved in our company. We’ve had current WWE superstars work for us and as our heavyweight champion. People like Tyler Black (who now wrestles as Seth Rollins in WWE) and Sami Callihan (who now wrestles as Solomon Crowe in WWE).
Daniel Johnson: Speaking of the talent MCPW has to offer is there anyone in MCPW you have yet to work with that you would like to? If so then who?
Christopher Saint: There’s a lot of people involved in MCPW I would absolutely love to work with. People like Mikey Zeroe, Jake Omen in a one on one, Scotty Young in a singles, Russ Jones and Frankie the Face just to name a few.
Daniel Johnson: I also wanted to ask some more general questions about your career. What, if any short term goals would you like to accomplish within the next year or so?
Christopher Saint: Well as of right now I’m going to be stepping away and taking a little time off to take care of some personal situations. But when I come back I would love to work for companies like AAW, Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) just different good, worthwhile, notable promotions. And definitely work with some of the talent there. I just want to get my name out there.
Daniel Johnson: What do you believe has been the best match you have had to date and what makes this match stand out?
Christopher Saint: At this point I think the best match that I had was in 2010 with the guy that trained me. Everything was just so spot on. We had a great ref and the crowd was definitely emotionally invested in the story we were trying to convey in the ring. It didn’t get recorded though, seems like a lot of the good ones are always unrecorded.
Daniel Johnson: Who is your dream opponent?
Christopher Saint: Wow. That’s a good question. Right now I would have to say Chris Hero (formally Kassius Ohno in WWE). His work is just phenomenal. I don’t know if I could keep up with him, but he’s definitely my dream opponent right now.
Daniel Johnson: What TV shows do you enjoy watching these days?
Christopher Saint: The TV shows that I enjoy nowadays are pretty much the same ones that everyone else enjoys. I love Sons of Anarchy, True Blood, American Horror Story, Dexter and I’m going to get started on Breaking Bad, I hear that show is the bees knees.
Daniel Johnson: What was your favorite movie that came out in the past year?
Christopher Saint: There are a lot of good movies that have come out this year. I haven’t been able to see much of them but World War Z is definitely a good movie and one that is probably my favorite from this year.
Daniel Johnson: What is your favorite food that you tried for the first time this year?
Christopher Saint: I’m a big fan of pomegranates they are super good. Lol didn’t think I’d like them at all.
Daniel Johnson: What is your favorite song to come out this year?
Christopher Saint: Oh man, that’s a pretty tough one. There is a lot of good music that came out this year. Personally I like to stick to older music.
Daniel Johnson: What is the last book you read and would you recommend it?
Christopher Saint: Actually, the last book I read was Bret Hart’s book, My Life in the Cartoon World of Professional Wrestling. That’s definitely a book I would recommend to people. Even if you’re not a wrestling fan.
Daniel Johnson: I had just a few more wrestling questions I wanted to ask. First, what is the weirdest part of being a pro wrestler?
Christopher Saint: The weirdest part for me on being a pro wrestler is the fact that I actually do it. I mean, never in a million years did I think I would be doing this and the fact that I am is absolutely amazing to me. Also, the conversations in the locker room get pretty weird and interesting lol.
Daniel Johnson: Who is one wrestler 25 or younger that you think readers should know about?
Christopher Saint: I honestly can’t boil it down to just one. There are many people that I believe readers should know about such as Kid Hybrid (who now wrestles as Orlando Christopher), Chaz Montana,”Mad Dragon” Hakim Zane, Jake Omen, Jack Verville, Adam Sniper, JD Mason and many, many others. There’s a lot of talent people need to look out for.
Daniel Johnson: Is there anything you would like to add?
Christopher Saint: [Skip].
Check out Christopher Saint in action! In this bout from last year Saint faces the holder of the UWA Heavyweight Championship, DPBK:
Categories: Wrestling Interviews
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