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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Interview with NWA Wildside's Dagon Briggs
December 9, 2003 by Nick Mayberry


1) First of all, thank you for agreeing to do this interview. I want to start off by asking, how did Dagon Briggs get involved in professional wrestling, and was he fan growing up??

I was a fan from birth no doubt. As far as breaking-in, I first went to the WCW Power Plant when I was 18. Needless to say I got my stuff handed to me in a few days and I was sent back home. From there I started checking out local Florida based independents. Around August of 1998 I started training,and I had my first match in October; and it was all over for this biz from then on!

2) Getting into the business as a "smaller" competitor,were you treated or looked upon any different than the "bigger" wrestlers??

No; I think I came in at a good time as far as that goes. But this is show biz,everybody is here to be the man.So I wasn't just bothered about my size.Don't forget,show biz is highschool.It's all up to who you know,who trained you,where you were trained,and pretty much a milion other things that don't always equal talent.

3) So many people often ask me this about you: How did you get the name "Dagon Briggs"?

I was born a Briggs,and due to the German background I felt I should just stick with the chemistry.So I found a German name-list and came upon the name "Dagon".

4) You've had the opportunity to work with some great talents in the business; who are your favorite people to work with,and in your opinion,what has been your best match?

Favorite in-ring,I`d say David Young no doubt. Justice, Christian York, Raven, The Lost Boys, Wade O`Really. I could just keep going and going. If I had to pick a best match I`d have to have a toss-up between Wade O`Really in a SpookCity-Death-Match and Raven,in of course,a Ravens-Rules-Match.

5) You've worked for many promotions as well.If you would,tell us some of the promotions that you have worked for,and who are your favorite promoters to work with/for?

Jeez...I could name off 100 indies I`ve worked for.But as far as ones I enjoyed,any NWA group is great to me. Just being a part of the history that company has is worth it to me. I`ve worked with/for the NWA since October 13th,2001.I used to work for Ron Niemi's IPW Florida. It was a great experience and I loved the work I got while I was there. But being a Communist-Independent, I had to move on.

As far as the rest of Florida goes,HCW[Ft.Lauderdale],SCW [Orlando] and FIP [St.Pete] have been having solid shows,and I enjoy working with those groups.I must say this though,Bill Behrens [NWA Wildside Owner] is one cool cat,and definitely one of the best promoters/bookers I`ve been able to work with.All in all I`ve gone as far north as Nashville, and as far west as Texas and going further and doing more is a must!

6) Usually when I mention the name Dagon Briggs,tag team wrestling is discussed.You've been part of quite a few successful tag teams (even holding the NWA-Florida Tag Titles on several occasions).For the people who don't know,what teams have you been a part of ??

The first tag team I was in was SpookCity [with Wade O`Really,Ashe Corvan,Francois Powers and Se7en].It was more of a "cliq", but we've tagged many times. The second being The Freak Foundation [with OG Scarface].Next came Wrongful-Death [with Al Bino / Naphtali],and then Straight-Edge/Cutting-Edge [with Jacey North].The fifth team being The SpookCity Thugs [with Leon Scott].Still to this day Spook City is THE most entertaining cliq to hit the South-East,period! The Freak Foundation was a great idea, and I was happy to be asked to be apart of it. From the time I started working with OG we won titles and made noise. Wrongful Death were my best title runs to this day. Me and Naphtali brought back some prestige and competition having both the NWA-FL and IPW Tag Titles. We pretty much wrestled every major tag-team in the indys at that time, from Da Hit Squad to The Backseat Boys,to York and Matthews to Insane Dragon and Deranged.Like I said,we had our run and I`m thankful.

Then Jacey North and I came up with Straight-Edge,but due to CM Punk being the only "straight edge" person on the planet and him having a cow (over the name),we were asked to change the name. Which was no biggie,considering we only used it once; but Cutting Edge no doubt was where I learned all of what I call my real tag team thinking.Before then, tag-teams to me were double-moves and basic stuff like that.But with Jacey we wanted to be more,so we made a point of working and learning how to be the best tag team we could be,and we still do; although we don't work together as often as we`d like to. These days I have been working with a Funk (Dory Jr) Student named Leon Scott as The SpookCity Thugs. We wore tag titles for over 6 months in Central Florida,and I enjoy working with Leon and his woman (Tiziana). It allows me to share the little bit of stuff I know with good people who want to learn.

7) You made an appearance on NWA-TNA's Xplosion program,where you wrestled Low-Ki. What was that experience like,and when will Dagon Briggs be back on NWA-TNA??

SpookCity makes its shocking return the first show in February.The "experience" was cool,and I am in love with working on TV based products.To me it was nice because at the time Low Ki was an NWA World Tag Team Champion, so the match got a little more hype.Mike Tenay is one of the coolest guys I`ve met commentary-wise,and he really does like the "new/unknown" guys.He pushed the crap out of me on the air,which he didn't have to do,so I`d say over-all it was a good time.

I got a good match-up and they took care of me commentary-wise and none of my match got cut for TV.But I`m looking forward to February; hopefully this time I`ll spark some more interest!?!

8) You worked on NWA's 53rd Anniversary Show,facing off with Naohiro Hoshikawa of Zero One.What was that experience like,and is it difficult to work with the style (and sometimes language barrier) of overseas wrestlers?

Working Naohiro was one of the coolest things I`ve done in the biz period.Pretty much he spoke no English,so I got to deal with a translator for the first time in my life.But hon-estly we barely used him at all.We let the language of wrestling take over.Style-wise,I pretty much got into wrestling watching Super-J and WAR tapes,so I had tried to prepare somewhat.I love the Japanese style,it's real and stiff and believable,not all talk and what you're wearing. If it wasn't for that match,SpookCity wouldn't be overseas via the Zero-One Battle of the Belts DVD/VHS.

9) Earlier this year you were part of the second annual HCW Incredible 8 Tournament.You defeated Hack Meyers and "Bad" Ron Brown before losing in the final round to "Reckless Youth" Tom Carter.What was that like for you?

The promoter of HCW is very good people and has put on solid shows everytime I have worked for him.As far as that last I8T,it was a blast.Hack and I have banged heads a few times before; same with that Ron Brown kid. Both those matches were good stuff, but nothing was stopping me from getting into the ring with "Reckless".Tom is a pro-and-a-half, and no matter winning or losing against him it was great learning for me (from him).The next Incredible 8 is mine though!!!

10) What are Dagon Briggs' future goals in the wrestling business?

Just to stay happy and healthy!! I hate setting goals.I do the best I can with what I get.

11) You have some incredible wrestling related stories.Are there any that you would like to share (that can be printed - and won't be in the future Dagon Briggs autobiography)??

Once apon a time I took a choke-slam off of the top-rope.Needless to say I received a concussion.So pretty much I`m laying there completely out,they have me rolled off out- side the ring,and I wake up.So you know me,I have to get up and get back into the ring right? Needless to say I have this all on film.Well,I get back in the ring for about 5 seconds, I give the camera a bit of a "Dagon" look and just as soon as I do,I fall straight on my face.

I was down for the count,and the only thing I really remember for over the next hour was that I didn't want to be carried out.I remember parts of the rest of the night in the locker-room.People would ask me if I knew what happened and sometimes I did,then sometimes I didn't even know where I was! So a word to the wise: Don't take a choke-slam off the top! But that doesn't mean I won't!

12) Word association time (first thing that pops into your head):

*NWA-TNA: X-Division
*Raven: Legend in the making
*Wrongful Death: Reverse Double DVD
*Jacey North: Bling, Bling!
*Reckless Youth: Great Opponent
*Indy Wrestling: In a slump
*Captain Planet: Blue Mullet!
*HCW: I-8-3,I-8-3,I-8-3!
*Fluff Dupp: most underrated manager on the indy scene today!
*NWA Wildside: Matt Stryker stunk out the locker room,via a #2 in the bathroom (which is a huge no-no!)....


13) I want to thank you very much for allowing me to do this interview.Is there anything else you want to tell the people of OWW who read this interview??

Visit the following: www.dagonbriggs.com, www.fluffdupp.com, www.jaceynorth.com, www.spookyboutique.com, www.scwflorida.com, www.fullimpactpro.com, and last but not least, www.nwa-wildside.com.

Thanks for the interview, and thank you to whoever reads this!!
If I forgot someone, I'm blaming it on that choke-slam off the top!!!


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