TNA world heavyweight champion Magnus spoke to D Kaushik about wrestling being a mentally taxing job, requiring ample amount of patience and self control
A chat with wrestlers is interesting for more than one reason. You get to discover the gentle soul within the giant, scary physique and you tend to realise that kicking and throwing people in the ring isn’t the best job in the world.
Magnus, the current TNA world heavyweight champion spoke to us over the phone and was beaming with excitement when he announced that he soon is going to be a father. “To sustain in a profession which is mentally and physically demanding, you need a lot of motivation and inspiration. This inspiration changes from time to time. Presently, what’s driving me to push my boundaries and perform my best is that soon I will have a family to take care of and the baby will be like my guiding force,” said Magnus, who made his IMPACT Wrestling debut in 2008 as an amazing athlete in top physical shape.
After capturing the World Tag Team Championship, Magnus set his sight on dominating TNA as a singles competitor. After climbing the ladder of competition, Magnus was selected to become a member of the Main Event Mafia alongside Sting, Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe. His success in the Main Event Mafia catapulted him into the World Title picture and this year Magnus made history by defeating Jeff Hardy. TNA recognises Magnus as the first English-born world heavyweight champion in wrestling history. He has also wrestled in Japan, for the Pro Wrestling Noah promotion. Sony Six is the broadcast partner for TNA and it plans to have 500 hours of programming each year keeping in mind the huge sports market potential in the country.
While most of us think that maintaining physical fitness is the prime challenge faced by those in the wrestling business, truth is something different.
“It requires mental stamina to deal with the pressure of expectations. With wrestling going live on TV, you are always thinking about how to better your performance. You not only have to defeat your competitors but beat your own records. The pressure undoubtedly is enormous. But one learns to deal with it over time. You have to learn to control yourself and set limits,” said Magnus and shared that the best thing that he loves about his job is to make people scream, yell and cry with his performance.
“When you work hard and you realise that you can take people around you on an emotional journey, it is good. Fans reaction is encouraging and it helps me in giving my best every time I am in the ring,” said Magnus.
How you present yourself and your body language in the wrestling ring contributes a lot to your popularity. May be that is why we can see most wrestlers paying attention to body art and coming up with bizarre names and titles.
Magnus says that fighting is not just a physical game, it requires a lot of mental planning too. “You have to take note of everything around. The game is not just about winning or losing but about presenting yourself. You have to take note of the camera positions and angles and develop an understanding with the technicians. The best thing that happened to me was knowing a production crew. It helped me learn the basics and know about important angles,” he shared.
The wrestler had been to India and is completely in awe of people and our culture. “I liked the work ethics of Indian people. They are really hardworking and passionate about what they do. Exploring India was discovering a complete new world. I visited Pune and when I was in India it was typically hot and dry but people were so charming that the entire experience was superb. I am looking forward to visit some more parts of the country,” he ended.