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Name: “The Next Level” Jon Davis
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 255 1/2
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Pro Debut:June, 2002
Website/Myspace: www.myspace.com/nxtlvl817
Tournament History: none
Where have you seen him: Full Impact Pro (member of Dark City Fight Club w/Kory Chavis), Pro Wrestling Riot (member of 911 Inc.), UXW, BANG!, Pro Wrestling Fusion (FL), AWA World-1 South, All Agression Pro, D1PW (FL), GEAR (FL), I Believe In Wrestling (FL), SCW (FL), FPWA (FL), CCW (FL)
Championships held: Current AWA Florida Heavyweight champion, former CCW Heavyweight, former SCW Heavyweight, former BANG! Hardcore champion.

Alan Wojcik: What went through your mind when the Peterson Cup Committee notified you about being part of the 2008 event?

Jon Davis: I honestly am a bit excited for the opportunity as I feel its a top level tourney with some of if not the BEST wrestlers in the world. As far as what went through my mind? This is my chance to put my name on the list of one of the best wrestlers in the world, its my chance to make an impact on a national scale, my chance to dominate.

Alan Wojcik: Your Myspace profile lists watching Summerslam 1992 as the moment you decided to become a professional wrestler. What was it about the event and the sport that made you choose a career so young in life?

Jon Davis: Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog. Something about that match pulled me in. Granted I grew up watching the business my entire life, but that did it for me. It showcased the sport of pro wrestling and had everyone on their feet. And the respect that the entire stadium showed the two athletes after the match was emotional to say the least. I decided at that moment that I would one day leave my mark on this business as they did and that’s how I started down the path I’m on now.

Alan Wojcik: Describe the training you received under former NWA World Heavyweight champion Dory Funk Jr. at the BANG! facility of Ocala, FL compared to “Rock N Roll” Chris Turner.

Jon Davis: Chris Turner is a guy not a lot of people may be familiar with. He’s been around for a while, but was one of those guys that kind of flew under the radar. Training with him was great. We were in this brick building with a aluminum roof that was like a million degrees every single day, yet I would be in there for 3 to 5 hours every single day. He taught me so much about respecting the business and how to represent myself. He was a very good trainer who encouraged me to come with new and different offensive and defensive moves and to constantly try to evolve. He also instills in you that you can go only as far as you take your self, but to get there you have to do work. He is still my mentor to this day. What can I say about Dory Funk Jr. that has not already been said? Coach has a tremendous career with matches against the all time greats in this business. He taught me a lot about the technical aspect, as well as precision and toughness. He told me to know everyone I wrestle better than they know me. That is why if there is footage out there on any one I may ever have to wrestle, I have probably seen in 3 times already. He gave me so much in the time that I had with him as he has seen everthing you can in wrestling. I learned so much by just having conversations with him and even more by getting into the ring. The man is a legend and deserves every accolade that he gets and even more that he hasn’t received yet.

Alan Wojcik: This past Wrestlemania weekend in Orlando wasn’t your best weekend ever. You and “the Marquee” Bruce Santee fought the Heartbreak Express (Sean & Phil Davis) in a Triple Death Match Challenge where 1st fall was a Double Dog Collar Chain match, 2nd fall was a Double Barb Wire Baseball Bat match and it ended with a Anything Goes match. What do you remember of this match and would you perform under these conditions again if asked by a promoter?

Jon Davis: Wow. First, let me preface this by saying that Bruce, Sean and Phil are 3 of the toughest men I have met in my life. What they can do in the ring and the sheer carnage they can cause can be matched by very few if any. I remember going into this match and thinking that it was going to get ugly and not knowing how right I was. That match saw chains, barbed wire bats, chairs, tables, hub caps, trash cans, trash can lids, frying pans, light tubes, thumbtacks and fire balls. That match also saw the back of my scalp get peeled back about 4 inches. It was an intensely brutal match that sent me to the hospital, put me out for almost a month with 13 staples in my head and more than likely shortend my life by about a year or so. But would I do it again? Absolutely.

Alan Wojcik: In FIP the DCFC have been in several violent matches with the duo of Joey Machete & Shawn Murphy (Black Market). How do they differ from the Express besides their fashion choices?

Jon Davis: Black Market and Heartbreak are very similar. Very, very similar. They are both highly decorated, veteran teams with a very smash mouth style. Neither team knows how to quit and you CAN NOT under any circumstance keep them down. You may get a victory, but its not over until they say it is.

Alan Wojcik: You and Kory Chavis have become a well polished tag team in recent months. Is it natural in-ring chemistry, great scouting your opponents or the influence of 911 Inc. boss “Hardcore Giant” Ron Niemi that have you two in the top names in Florida?

Jon Davis: I think it is a little bit of both. Kory and I think alike which is very scary when we have not been a team for too long and are not related. A lot of times a simple look let’s one of us know what the other is thinking. Take that and put it under the guidance of Ron Niemi who has taken everyone he has ever been affiliated with to the top, and you have a deadly combination my friend. 9-1-1.

Alan Wojcik: In the Pro Wrestling Fusion promotion you are listed as being part of the Bruiserweight division. Try and describe how wrestlers like you, Vordell Walker and Bruce Santee fit into that category.

Jon Davis: The best way to describe a bruiserweight is like this: you have heavyweight wrestlers who do what they can to try and win. Then there are those who are content with nothing less than mayhem. The latter my friend, is a bruiserweight.

Alan Wojcik: This past “I Believe In Wrestling” event saw some established Florida names skip the event due to some backstage politics. If you wish to explain, what is it about the promotion that is causing such an uproar?

Jon Davis: I believe in friendship. I believe in honesty. I believe in loyalty. But most of all, I believe in wrestling.

Alan Wojcik: Already announced for this year’s Peterson Cup is a man you have a past with, namely the current FIP World champion Erick Stevens. Do you think he is the only obstacle in your way to joining the names listed on the JPC trophy?

Jon Davis: Erick is easily the biggest obstacle in my way by far. We have beaten the crap out of each other on numerous occasions. He is a very tough and surprisingly cunning competitor. FIP champion or no FIP champion, every one in the tournament is a stepping stone. Erick may require a bigger step, but make no mistake- he still is just a stone in my path to victory.

For event information on the September 26-27, 2008 event log onto the official website http://jpc2008.com