On the Beat With Truth Martini

Truth Martini was one of my first wrestling interviews. Despite being one of the most successful and popular managers in the midwest, Truth gave this rookie several minutes of his time on show night. Flash forward more than a decade, with Truth celebrating 25 years in the business, I Zoom revisited Truth live from his House of Truth wrestling school. That interview is at On the Beat With Truth Martini.

Making his wrestling debut in 1998 while being trained by Al Snow, Truth really gained fame during his lengthy run in Ring of Honor. When his in-ring career was derailed by a neck injury, Truth made an unplanned, but smooth transition to managing. Later he added trainer, another unexpected role, to his resume.

Eventually, he opened The House of Truth Wrestling School in Center Line, Michigan, just north of Detroit and his birthplace Hamtramck. At the House of Truth, students can learn any and every aspect of the wrestling business. Some alumni include Alex Shelley, Danhausen, Jimmy Jacobs and Zach Gowan.

In our interview, Truth discussed all of this, speaking in such a humble and positive manner. At one point, citing his love of wrestling, Truth states he would do this for free. That isn't just cliché interview quote, Truth means it. One example is the lifetime membership to the House of Truth. Once a student pays his fee, he is welcome back any time and many alums, including Shelley, return on a regular basis for more education.

With no planning or training, Truth was thrust into a manager's role, a role he embraced. He excelled in that tole to the point of the legendary Jim Cornette not only praising his work, but guiding him a bit. Similarly, while still active, Truth was invited to teach a class and another new direction came for him.

Were these instances happenstance? Luck? Maybe a little of both, but mostly they were others recognizing something special in Truth. You can't speak to Truth without feeling his aura. 

The thing that impressed me the most about Truth is his positive nature. He didn't let his neck injury keep him down. He praises his students. He is willing, even eager, to discuss wrestling any time.

Truth is one of a kind. There are a lot of wrestling trainers and schools, but there's only one Truth.

For more info on Truth and The House of Truth Wrestling School, go to HotWrestlingSchool.com. Also, check my recurring wrestling coverage her and on TheEveryDayFan.com.

The House of Truth (Martini)

Truth Martini is a wrestler and trainer.  I had been trying to interview Truth for a while.  We had it set up at Motor City Comic Con a few years back, but scheduling conflicts prevented it.  I did get to finally interview him in Chicago.  That interview can be found at On the Beat With Truth Martini.

Truth is an interesting guy.  He came back from a devasting broken neck which left him paralyzed.  He started a managing and training career.  He has been all over the indy wrestling scene.

He is captivating.  He is capable of cutting a great wrestling promo, but he might also drop some deep thoughts on you.  He talks with respect fo the business and the companies.

I have heard great things from the people he has trained.  His House of Truth Wrestling School is based in the Detroit area.  You can get more info on Truth and the school at HOTWrestlingSchool.com.

Truth is on my radar for 2017.  I'd lie to do a catch up interview with him.  If you're reading this, I'm coming for you and that is the Truth!

Truth Martini and me in Berwyn, IL-September 2012.

On the Beat at AAW Wrestling

We were very excited when Tony Rican, match maker at AAW Wrestling, invited us to one of their shows.    A couple weeks ago, we attended the AAW show in Berwyn and had a great time.
We first met Tony many months ago at another independent wrestling show.  We have kept in touch and when the opportunity arose, we took him up on his offer.  Tony's only request was an honest review (good or bad).
My review is simple.  AAW put on a fantastic show.  I would really have to think hard about finding any negatives on this night.
The crowd was large (about 400+) and really into the action, without being out of control.  I didn't see any incidents of poor behavior anywhere.
The card was jammed with 12 matches and none seemed like time-filler.  Every match had a short vignette to explain some history, which really helped.  I never felt lost in any of the fights.  The wrestlers fought hard, moved well, told stories with their actions and really did a great job.
Champion Michael Elgin kept his title in a match with Sami Callahan.  This match is definitely a "Match of the Year" candidate anywhere.  I had to give extra applause to these guys!
After the matches, Tony helped us with interviews with some of the talent.  We hope you enjoy these interviews as much as we enjoyed doing them.
Silas Young is the multi-time champ and one of the cornerstones of AAW.  When you talk about AAW, you start with Silas Young.

Truth Martini is a manager in AAW, along with Ring of Honor (ROH) and XICW in Detroit.  Find out all of the Truth at the Truth Martini Facebook page.

Arik Cannon is one-half of the unorthodox tag-team champs.  You can learn all about him on the Arik Cannon Facebook page.

Jimmy Jacobs is the unique tag team partner of Arik Cannon.  You can see how unique by checking him out on the Jimmy Jacobs Facebook page.

Despite being in a hurry, Christina Von Eerie gave us a couple minutes of her time.  To learn more about the talented, young star, check out the Christina Von Eerie Facebook page.

I really appreciate Tony and all of the great folks at AAW.  The wrestlers we got for interviews represent an interesting cross-section of their roster and we hope to get a lot more in the future.
I hope this is just the beginning of a long relationship with AAW Wrestling and I encourage everyone to check out AAWrestling.com and to go to their live events.