Monday, April 29, 2013

Interview with Dimitri Soliotopoulos

Next in the TNAsylum Gutcheck Challenge interviews is The Real European Dimitri Soliotopoulos.  This Frenchman hopes you will vote for him to advance in the Gutcheck Bracket Challenge.  He is in Bracket 7 which is currently open for voting from April 28-30.

My first question is do you watch TNA and if so how long have you been watching TNA?
I try most of the time to watch TNA when I can. I have watched TNA since they got a TV deal in 2005 with I think a 45 minute weekly show.  It’s great to see how TNA grew up through the years.  I really appreciate the past few weeks the storyline around the Aces & Eights.

What are your thoughts on the new Gutcheck Challenge with the fans voting?
The Gutcheck Challenge is a great opportunity to all the wrestlers to prove and show a great company what they can do in the ring without “connections“.  It gives the fans important decisions for TNA.  For US wrestlers, it’s something interesting to see with the votes, for European or non US wrestlers it’s different, I think for me most of the fans who will vote for me are French and want support a French guy, the same I think for German guys, Portuguese. It’s not really fair for the challenge, but it could be a great thing for TNA if they want to have the European market and to see how popular those wrestlers can be.  Why not a European boot camp after that?


Which wrestler inspired you to become a professional wrestler? 
I wasn't really be inspired by a wrestler to become a pro wrestler, but in my childhood I was really big fan of Macho Man Randy Savage and Scott Hall.

Who trained you to be a wrestler? 
I've been trained in old school European style with French wrestlers from 70’s 80’s like Theo Popoffh and his son Flashboy, Michel Saulnier, Sidi Abdesslam El Alami.

Which promotion do you primarily wrestle for?
I work everywhere in France or around the world, but for the moment I work primarily with ICWA a French company directed by Pierre “Booster“ Fontaine

What is your finishing move called and what exactly is it? 
I have 2 finishing moves, The Spear and The Cross Legged Driver.

For those that have never seen you wrestle what makes you stand out? 
I don't know if it’s the same around the world, but in France most of the guys are dark in their wrestling gears and come into the ring with metal or rap music. I like to listen to funk music, I decided to come to the ring with funk music and have many different colors on my wrestling gears to be different from others. Work differently than others wrestlers too, and have my own wrestling style.  It works in France.


What is your gimmick? 
I don't really have a gimmick, I am just myself. I wrestle under my real name and I know that many will find it strange for a French guy to have a Greek name, but that is why I am a real European.

Is there any wrestler out there that you would compare yourself too? 
Not really, I think to have success you have to be unique, not to be compared to others.


Have you ever had a match with anyone in the Gutcheck Challenge?
No, I have not had a match with anyone in the Gutcheck Challenge, but I know a few of them.

If you could have a match with anyone in TNA who would you choose?
I really appreciate most of the wrestlers in the TNA roster and it could be cool to work with them. They have legendary guys and young talents, but if I could have a match with anyone, it would be Kurt Angle.