Entertainment
Ring of Honor’s Cheeseburger reflects on wild career from lap dance attack to working with Jushin Thunder Liger
Cheeseburger has had some amazing experiences (Photos: Ring of Honor)
World Famous CB has already has an incredible journey in wrestling, from getting attacked in the middle of a lap dance to teaming with his hero.
The Ring of Honor fan favourite, who made his name as Cheeseburger become undergoing a character change, has had a rollercoaster nine years since his very first match.
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I just wanted to take it one step at a time, have small goals and achieve those. All these things just happened – a lot of them, you can’t predict in wrestling.
‘A lot of successful wrestling is a lot of look and being in the right place at the right time. I’ve been very fortunate to have so many opportunities in wrestling.’
It’s been a fantastic run thus far for the rising star, who first got hooked on wrestling as a kid before deciding to make the most of his natural athleticism and chase an in-ring career.
‘Nothing can prepare you for the trials of wrestling, the physical and mental aspect. Getting into the ring unlike any other athletic endeavour I’ve ever done before,’ he noted, referencing his experiences with karate and basketball before making the jump to wrestling.
CB teamed with Liger in Japan (Photo: WWE)
Although he grew up watching WWE with his dad, it was the discovery of Japanese wrestling that gave the future Cheeseburger the real spark.
‘People like Jushin Liger, who’s my all-time favourite – Great Muta. They just had so much presentation, so much character,’ he said of his inspirations. ‘When they come out, they draw attention to themselves right away. Just these larger than life characters that live throughout history.’
One part of his own presentation CB had some reservations about was the Cheeseburger stage name, which Charlie Haas first said in front of fans as a backstage in joke caught on with live crowds.
‘The Cheeseburger thing was something that I didn’t really wanna do at the time,’ he admitted, noting that he grew to embrace it as his stock in the business rose.
‘I decided to go full force into it. It was better to go with it and try and embrace it as it became a bigger thing.’
It’s served him well, leading to a career with highlights like facing WWE and ECW legend Bully Ray in a Street Fight at the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, to teaming with his biggest inspiration Liger in Japan.
‘Getting to tag with my hero, my idol, a real life mentor to me, that was absolutely incredible,’ CB smiled. ‘Over the years, he would give me little nuggets of wisdom. Obviously Liger’s such a legend, has a great mind of wrestling.’
Other memories from his time in the business thus far include appearing at 2018 indie supershow All-In – essentially the precursor to All Elite Wrestling – as well as the Jericho Cruise and an awkward lap dance leading to a gore from legendary star Rhino back in 2013.
It’s been a wild ride (Photo: Ring of Honor)
The ROH moment took place when Cheeseburger joined Truth Martini and the Hoopla Hotties – Seleziya Sparx and now-NXT star Scarlett Bordeaux – in the ring, and he got offered a dance by the two ladies.
‘The Hoopla Hotties were giving me a lap dance essentially. I was like, man, I hope no one I know in real life sees this,’ he laughed. ‘Somehow, I ended up in my underwear in the segment…
‘My pants are around my ankles, I’m in my underwear, I’m hopping towards the Hoopla Hotties. Rhino comes around from behind, I turn around and while my pants are around my ankles, Rhino gores me in my underwear and I get taken on a stretcher.’
With the buzz he first attracted as a loveable underdog, there could be a place for CB in WWE one day, although the ROH-contracted star is content where he is and admitted joining Vince McMahon’s company was never his goal in wrestling.
World Famous CB will part of Backyard Wrestling (Photo: GCW)
‘For me, my dream was never WWE. It was always going to Japan and wrestling in Japan in any capacity,’ he explained, noting he wants to return there in the near future.
‘I always watched WWE when I was a kid but when I found Japanese wrestling, my mind was opened to everything else that was out there. My mind was truly blown that what wrestling could be.’
Later today (July 4), World Famous CB will face Nasty Leroy at GCW: Backyard Wrestling 4, and for any fans making the smart decision to tune in, it’ll be a reminder of the joy of this wild business.
‘They can aspect absolute craziness,’ he laughed, nodding towards the main event pitting Paca Loco and KC Kwik with some big indie names reprising their early backyard wrestling alter egos.
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‘It’s a Buried Alive match so that should tell you everything you need to know about how crazy this show’s gonna be.’
Looking to the future, CB wants to emulate the longevity of his idols, and carve out his own legacy in wrestling.
‘I hope to do this until I get old and I can’t,’ he admitted, explaining how his in-ring work sets him up well for that. ‘It’s not a car crash style of wrestling where my body’s gonna be super broken down by the time I’m 30.
‘I think I can do this for a long time with the style I currently perform at.’
*Tune into GCW’s Backyard Wrestling live on FITE at 8pm tonight (July 4).
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