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SLEEPRKIDSWORLD.COM
INTERVIEW WITH JESSLE
I wanted to try a "different" kind of interview this time around, and I was intrigued by a woman into punk and metal wrestling for an independent video/internet company so I thought I'd give interviewing Jessle a try. A few words about the company: Sleeperkid's World specializes in pro and semi-pro matches with women who like to wrestle other women. There's nothing about the company's website or their videos that would be deemed "pornographic" as each woman is dressed in one piece or two piece swimwear when they wrestle their matches. Jessle has been a member of this company for quite some time and has wreslted in at least fifteen matches, probably more. I couldn't get any pictures of her to add to this interview because the sitemaster owns the rights; if you want to see her work visit the link at bottom..
When did you first become interested in wrestling other women? Was it from watching TV or movies or was it from personal experiences in your life? What were the circumstances that made you decide to pursue this interest?
My interest is wrestling in general. I've trained for nearly two years with WCW's head trainer Sarge, and learned to wrestle pretty much anyone. I generally wrestle other women because that's who I can get my hands on. As far as what made me want to be a pro wrestler... I'm not really sure. I know I've been a WCW and WWF fan since I was about 9 years old, and in 2002 I felt like my life was at a crossroads. Wrestling seemed like the way to go, so I left college and moved to Georgia.
Most of the people who read the zine are unfamiliar with sleeperkidsworld.com, the site where your matches can be previewed and where information on how to order them can be found. Can you describe the site and its history?
The site is basically an on-line version of what's generally known as an "Outlaw league". We have a stable of really good girls and we have matches where we can. We've only managed to get ito a ring once, but that doesn't mean we haven't had some great pro matches in SleeperKid's apartment. As far as the history goes... I don't really know a ton, but I believe Sleeperkid started just asa fan site that posted matches from all over the world, and eventually progressed to shooting his own.
How did you first hook up with Sleeperkid and start filming matches for his site? How long have you been wrestling for his site and hat kind of matches have you done? Would you say it's a comfortable atmosphere for you to work in?
Sleeperkid is a friend of a friend actually. I was hanging out with said mutual friend one day and he mentioned a friend of his was doing a wrestling site and would I be interested. Sleeperkid and I chatted on the phone and I ended up shooting a match between my self and Tabby somewhere around February I think.. so I've been there maybe a year and a half. Its definately a comfortable atmosphere... we're all friends after the cameras go off... we see PPVs together and go to shows and hang out and whatnot. It's a lot of fun.
Describe the first time you wrestled a match. How was it set up? Did you have the chance to choose your opponent or were things arranged based on what fans wanted to see? What sort of experience was it to actually do the match?
The first match I ever had was against a girl named Theresa who was also training with Sarge. I had been traiing about a month tops and I was terrified. I lost, and the match was terrible, but there were only maybe 10 people there to see. Doing matches is a good way to train though, and so I had maybe one a week until we did a good one maybe 9 months later.
Since your first match, how many have you done in all? Can you cite a few that have been the most memorable?
I can't even guess how many matches I've done. Mostmemorable would probably be the match I had against Bambi for Superior Wrestling in Georgia. The crowd loved it, and when we got backt ot he locker room Dave Taylor (WCW's Blue Bloods) congratulated me and said it was a good match. Sarge was so prou he was grinning from ear to ear. It was a really great feeling. As far as Sleeperkids matches, the ring bout against Little Jeannie was intense. I managed to re-break my nose ten minutes or so before the match was over. That was a rough ten minutes! *laughs* The match against Lady Victoria was great too.
What music do you listen to the most? What are your favorite bands/albums? Do you get many opportunities to attend live performances where you live? If so, are there any interesting stories to tell from the shows you've been to?
I listen to a range of stuff... I used to go to a lot of death metal shows, but I've kinda dropped out of that scene. I love older punk stuff like the Last and the Adverts. I have 3 band tattoos... The Adicts, TV Smith, and Bauhaus, so I guess they get permanent mention. The Midnight Creeps are probably the best current band I've seen. I go to a lot of shows wherever I live, plus I work as a stagehand and in nightclubs so I see a lot of shows/ meet a lot of bands that way. There are so many interesting sories from shows I've been to I wouldn't know where to begin.
When you were going to death metal shows, were you an active zine reader? Which ones did you read the most?
I actually didn't read a lot of zines at the time... the main reason I was going to so many shows was that I lived and worked a 5 minute walk from the main venue in Worcester, MA (the Palladium). I knew some of the staff and occaisionally the bands that were playing so I'd get guest listed pretty frequently.
What are your other interests? Which of these have you dedicated yourself to? Are you in a band or would you ever consider joining one in the future?
My other interests aside from wrestling are mostly music I go to a ton of shows, plus I've recently moved to LA, so there's a lot going on. I'm not in a band, and sinceI'm mostly tone deaf and arhythmic I wouldn't consider joining one... being in a talent-less hack of a band makes everyone sad the world over.
Why do you think there is such an extensive male audience for female wrestling and boxing matches, at nightclubs, on videos and on the internet? Do you believe there is or could be an equally extensive female audience for this?
I think women are socialized away from being fans of "violent" sports... or sports in general for that matter. Its hard to say if there would be a wider female audience if society were different There is a pretty significant female fan base out there though, I think people just tend to ignore it beause women are supposed to be prim and proper and not get into that sort of thing. I think that's likely why there's such a call for female combat sports... Its out of theususal, and it allows women to show they're just as good if not better than the boys. People like to see that.
Concerning the above question, where do you think the concept of sexism comes into this? What would you say to those who would condemn this type of thing and exploitative and/or degrading to women?
I think as far as sexism goes, its really more the societal unconscious stemming from hundreds of years of church opression and similar influences. As to those who would condemn this as being exploitative... I'm not really sure where they're coming from. I wrestle because I think it's fun, andits something I love to do. I'm not sure how that's exploitation. Wrestling is hard. Its a very difficult life style to be involved in, and I don'tthink anyone would be here if he or she wasn't committed 100%. Furthermore, that rings a little closer to sexism as I've never heard anyone say that about men's wrestling... so it implies that its ok for the men and not the women.
Were you ever in a situation where you had to explain you don't see female wrestling as degrading to women?
I can't think of one off the top of my head... usually when I tell people I wrestle they just ask "Aren't you a bit small?" People don't seem to realize Trish Stratus is only 5'2", and I'm actually pretty much the same height and weight as Lita.
On the other hand, most people who are entertained by female wrestling and boxing traditionally expect women of one aesthetic: the "Barbie doll hardbody" to coin a phrase. What is your opinion of this? Do you think that there would be an audience for females in this sport who don't fit this mold, or offer different kinds of aesthetic attractiveness?
I don't think that's true at all. Look at the enourmous popularity of Chyna, or even Lita in WWF. These are definately women with a different flavor who are admired for their ability and beauty both. I think Lita's shoulder piece is even bigger than mine! People will be attracted to whatever appeals to them, andjudging by the large numbers of fans of
barbie girls out side the ring I'm sure inside they have a huge majority of fans, but that doesn't mean people don't like any other aesthetic.
Have you had any fans ask for a custom match you didn't want to do? How often does this happen?
Occaisionally we get match requests that are blatantly sexual, and a few that are downright mysogynist. Its pretty rare though, most people are interestedin the actual wrestling, and Sleeperkid is great about filtering out the idiots. We have never shot a match both girls weren't totally comfortable with.
Which of these personalities do you believe you would beat in a fight: Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne, Juliya Chernetsky, Christina Aguilera? Describe the most appealing scenario and which of you do you think would win? Do you think singers or actresses would make better opponents?
*laughs* I'm positive I could beat them all.. possibly at once provided their security guards woould stay out of it. (though I'm not sure who Julia Chernetsky is) I don't think its fair to call any of those girls singers.
Do you see yourself doing this five years from now? Where do you see yourself in other endeavors?
In five years I'll either be wrestling pretty consistently in Japan, or I'll be focusing on touring as a roadie. Either way at that point I finally get to move back to NYC.
Anything you would like to end the interview with?
WWF has crossed theline as far as appropriate story lines and behavior goes several timesof late, but thatdoesn't mean all wrestling is awful. There are a lot of dedicated men and women out thee who really just want to put on a good show. Indy leagues and TNANWA are probably our best hope, so if you love wrestling support them. Also, Thanks to Sarge for changing mylife, and if you get a chance chek out the Midnight Creeps from Providence. All the awesomeness of the Plasmatics, with none of the dead singers.
www.sleeperkidsworld.com
- Dave Wolff |
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