I had the chance to catch up with Iceberg Slim, he wrestles on the US Indy circuit and his personal friend is Abdullah The Butcher, and with a guy like Abby as your friend then there is no wonder Iceberg is such a blood thirsty individual.
I would just like to thank Iceberg Slim for taking time out of his busy schedule and talking to me.
No problem at all Craig.
So Iceberg, how would you class your wrestling style? Hardcore, Heavyweight, Technical etc
I would have to say a combination of Hardcore, Heavyweight and Technical. I mean in order to be a success in this biz, you can’t limit yourself to one style. You have to know a little bit about all three. But for the majority of my career I’d have to say I’ve been Hardcore.
Ok, who were your idols growing up?
Abdullah the Butcher, Bruiser Brody, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Terry Funk. These were the guys that could really captivate you when they were in the ring.
So apart from them, what persuaded you to pursue a career in wrestling?
Honestly I got bored with my life one day. I decided I needed something new and challenging so I turned to wrestling. It turned out to be the greatest decision I’ve ever made. No regrets at all.
For the readers that aren’t familiar with you, could you please give them a bit of background on your early career…
Well I began my career here in the state of Georgia. I was trained by a guy named Homicide. He is currently 1/2 of the NWA Wildside Tag Team Champions and if not for him I wouldn’t have come as far as I have. Then I wrestled in Alabama a couple times. Then I was introduced to Abdullah, which turned out to be a blessing in itself. He really took me under his wing and really moulded me into my current style. Earlier this year I travelled to Puerto Rico to do battle with not only Abdullah but also Caribbean wrestling legend Carlos Colon. I was teamed up with the legendary One Man Gang in those battles. It’s been quite a ride so far.
I believe you will be working in Japan for the first time, for the W.I.N.G. promotion. Is this a tour and what are you looking forwarded to the most?
It is true, I am headed to Japan for the W.I.N.G. promotion. I’m headed there in a week actually. Yet again this was a great opportunity that I never dreamed possible. This first shot is not a tour it is a one show appearance to get the fans acquainted with me. I’m supposed to return back there in December for a two-week tour. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is the respectful nature in which the Japanese people treat the business. I just think it will be a great experience.
Do you have any desire to work for either WWF or WCW, and if so, what is the likelihood of you being employed by them?
Who wouldn’t want the chance to work for the McMahon family?! I don’t think the possibility is very high that I would ever work there but this is wrestling biz and stranger things have happened.
With the merger of WWF/WCW and now ECW, what position does this leave independent wrestlers like you?
I think it leaves us in a pretty good position. Simply because I believe the old territories will come back which in turn could make all of us a lot of money.
Who would you like to go one-on-one with, and whom would you most like to team up with?
I would have really loved to gone one on one with Bruiser Brody. I think we could have done good business together. Terry Funk as well. Either of those 2 would have been great. And I would take either as a partner.
I’d just like to move on to a more controversial subject now. What are your views on backyard wrestling and what message does it give people about wrestling?
I believe Backyard Wrestling should be against the law! When these kids get hurt they blame it on Pro Wrestling. Well pro wrestling didn’t hurt them. Backyard Wrestling did!!! I blame the parents, they are the ones that give the young kids the idea to wrestle at home, because that’s where they wrestle. So to answer your question, I hate Backyard Wrestling!
What do you considered your greatest achievement(s)?
Wrestling in front of 11,850 people in San Juan Puerto Rico against Carlos Colon and Abby. That is it hands down.
Finally, could I please thank you for your time, wish you all the best, and hope that I can interview you again in the future.
Thank you Craig, and I’ll be more than happy to sit down and do this again.
You can see a previous interview with Iceberg Slim (conducted by Aaron): Here.