Joe Kessler, on what makes a wrestler.

Joe Kessler is a north west based professional wrestler, who has been working his way up the ladder for the last 8 years. His character interchanges from face to heel, but has almost always drawn inspiration from serial killer psychology, horror and music. He's found himself working for dozens of productions up and down the country and in Europe, even one time found himself being booked in a publicity stunt, where he fought with another local wrestler, all the way down curry mile, right on the concrete pavement itself for a shoe company. 

I started off asking Kessler to explain his character to any unknowing readers.

”I describe it as that part of your mind where at the flip of a switch that if you are pushed hard enough, you become something more, something that isn’t expected. Kessler is an idea come to life, a representation of my desire to be recognised. As soon as I am pushed hard enough I let that pain loose and become something more, something bigger, more intense and aggressive.”

He said the anger element of his character drew inspiration from serial killers psychology. “I am a big fan of true crime. I find the psychology side very interesting and I find the switch of how some characters carry themselves very telling, or how fast their demeanour can change its all so interesting. The character Joe Kessler definitely drew inspirations from that.” 

Do you think it's common for wrestlers to use wrestling as an outlet for anger?

“I wouldn't ever say I use it as an outlet for anger. As it is our job to be safe, but I use it as an outlet to be seen and recognized, because that is probably an insecurity that always followed me throughout life. I feel like everyone should have an outlet that makes them feel fulfilled or valued. All it takes is looking in the mirror and believing in the person looking back at you."

How did you initially become interested in wrestling? 

“I have been involved in various forms of combat sports from a very young age, since I was like 9 or 10 years old and I remember I stumbled across wrestling, because my brothers watched it. I remember watching it with them and my first match I watched was Undertaker vs Jeff Hardy in a ladder match on RAW and I was blown away and just hooked from then. Then, I found a wrestling school when I was 21, and then… I just kind of never really looked back.” 

Do you deal with a lot of stereotypes as a wrestler, and do you think there's any truth behind them? 

Kessler mentioned his other job, is sometimes paired with backhanded comments about wrestling. 

“Yeah, I think it's the backhanded comments that can be frustrating at times, because it's putting down what you've worked years and years for. I've traveled up and down the country and to Europe, and to put a lot of time and effort into something, but you just have to ignore the noise and focus on what you are doing and not what others have to say.”

Do you think wrestling has become more respected as it's appearing more in mainstream media? 

“Especially with Netflix showing it, I've also had a few people say to me, they watched unreal (the documentary), which is where you see how it works. They have a lot more respect for what we do. So yeah, I think now it's becoming more mainstream, and is becoming more respected and the more eyes on wrestling is only a good thing." 

Do you have a long-term goal for your wrestling career? 

“I've always wanted to wrestle in America, and all over the world. Its all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life.” 

I asked what Kessler's reputation has been like and how it's developed over his eight year career span. He mentioned that it does usually change from production to production, insinuating you have to be able to adapt your character depending on what kind of show you're working with. Although within atomic, his character has changed and developed over time.

“Initially I was a face, I got injured but then I came back as a heel, but I've gradually just transitioned back to a face again, because everyone seems to just love the look.” 

When you are playing the heel, do you ever struggle with the negative reactions you can get from audiences? 

“No, I don’t take anything personal, the fans know the deal and so do the wrestlers. End of the day we are all there to have a good time and enjoy wrestling. There is a line but I have never dealt with anything that is over the line and I think we all just want to have a good time on the day whether you are a fan or wrestler." 

Do you have a favorite chant?

“I tend to like Kessler's gonna kill you. It's quite a common one with a lot of heavy weights anyway. It always makes me laugh a little bit when they chant that. Yeah, I get it in quite a few places.” 

What's your favourite thing about wrestling? 

“You have the creativity to be whatever you want to be. I feel like so many people come into wrestling not knowing what they want to be but that’s also such a fun thing because you can trial and error so much, I did that. I think when you actually strip it back and take a step back and you realize you can be whatever you want to be in wrestling. You can dress how you want, look how you want, it's all just down to you. I feel that's the beauty of it. And I feel like there's not enough of that going on at the minute” 

How would you define your wrestling style?

“Ruthless, intense, powerful, explosive, yeah, I think they're kind of like the words I'd use to sum it up. You know, I like to smother my opponent really, and make them uncomfortable.” 

If you want to see more of Joe Kessler you can follow him on Instagram at @joekessleruk on instagram.