Widely regarded as one of the most versatile performers on the New Zealand scene today, “The Deal” Dal Knox is also one of the most talented. Originally hailing from Taranaki, Knox debuted in Wellington’s NZWPW promotion, where he and “Silencer” Jean Miracle teamed together as the Naki Phullas.

Knox made the transition from Wellington to Auckland in 2005, debuting in Auckland’s IPW promotion in July. Winner of the 2005 Armageddon Cup, Knox kicked his IPW career off with a bang.

Knox’s hard-hitting in-ring style, and his brutal finishing move “The Knox Out,” combine with his natural charisma to ensure he is one of the most popular wrestlers on the New Zealand scene today. His reputation spans the length of the country and transcends gimmicks and stereotypes.

Knox took time out to speak to NZPWI’s Kirsty Quested on Wednesday evening, discussing his move from NZWPW to IPW, his ambitions within the industry, the upcoming IPW Genesis show and much more.

Entire interview Size: 2.8Mb File Type: Windows Media v9

In terms of versatility, few New Zealand competitors come close to my guest at this time. From NZWPW to IPW, his athleticism and intensity have captured New Zealand audiences nationwide. He is the master of the Knox Out; he is “The Deal”, Dal Knox.

Kirsty: Kia Ora!

Dal: Kia Ora!

Dal, you joined the IPW ranks in July of 2005, and you’d been on the NZWPW roster before that.

Correct.

So what prompted your move up north?

I originally left Wellington to go over to Sydney, and I was training over there for a little while with the AWF – that’s a Sydney-based promotion out west – and before I could even get booked on the card, work opportunities lured me up here. It was either – I had the opportunity of moving to Christchurch or Auckland, and I chose Auckland because there was already an established fed up here. The massive lure was working with all the talent up here in IPW, so that was pretty much what brought me here.

Just going back to WPW, you kind of made your name in the Naki Phullas, working with “Silencer” Jean Miracle. How long had you guys tagged for?

We tagged for approximately, just over a year. The original Naki Phullas consisted of myself and Gold, and then “Silencer” Jean Miracle, as we all know is Gold’s brother, jumped on the bandwagon and we started terrorising the whole Wellington scene. We were the number one heel group…

Oh aye?

… so that’s basically how that got started, WPW needed a strong heel group, and we all had big mouths, so we laid it on the line and went out there and terrorised the crowd.

Can you give us your thoughts on teaming up with Jean Miracle again at Capital Punishment last year, in 2006?

Actually it was a lot of fun to get back in the ring with him. There were a lot of double team moves that we brought out, that we used to ply in our trade down there in NZWPW. We’ve developed a really strong friendship over the years, kind of a brotherly friendship. We know what each other’s thinking and we know what we’re trying to get over, and the story we’re trying to tell in the ring. It’s like two minds working as one.

You talk about the close relationship that you guys had, and two minds working as one in the ring… I guess that wouldn’t really apply at the Invitational last year…?

Nooo…. I’ll be honest, the guy caught me off guard. I was pretty fatigued at the time. I give “Silencer” Jean Miracle a lot of credit, because faking that injury, he had me going. He had...

I thought he was for real.

So did I. But no, I give him a lot of credit for being crafty and cerebral about his actions. I admit I was pretty pissed off at the time, when I left the ring. But I got backstage and thought to myself, “nah, very clever Jean.” All I could do was plot my revenge and show him who’s boss – show him who’s the number one Naki Phulla.

Hah – good stuff. So what for you – for Dal Knox – what’s been the biggest difference working in WPW and IPW?

Definitely for me, working a lot more shows. IPW has, without question, a hell of a lot more shows than any other promotion in the whole country. Definitely the talent, the talent up here is a lot more established than it is down there. There’s not much difference when it comes to ability; all the guys down there have the ability. They’ve got a really young roster, up-and-comers, and there’s definitely a lot of potential down there, but as far as psychology in the ring goes, and experience – and that’s the number one thing, experience…

For sure.

… there’s no substitute for experience, and the experienced wrestlers are up here in IPW. Wellington’s probably a little bit off the pace, but with young guys coming through, I’m sure they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. No doubt.

You’ve had some opportunities to work with WPW and KPW over the past couple of years…

Sure, yep.

What’s it been like going back down to the Wellington crowds?

Oh my God it’s been… it’s been like heaven. I never expected the reaction I got when I came down. I was scheduled to have a match against The Machine, and it was the first time I’d ever been back. This was a match at the Wellington High School, and the crowd just popped big time. We even got an IPW chant which was quite surprising.

I just love going back and performing in front of my home crowd. When I originally started, they all knew me as a heel, but it seems like you go away for a little while, and all is forgotten, all is forgiven, they’re just happy to see you. So every time I go down, I give 110% every time, because they deserve it, and that’s what I do.

The Knox Out. That finisher is one helluva powerful move. Can you tell us something about its origins, how you came up with it?

Okay, originally… it was one of those situations where I sat down and thought – God, what can I do, everything has been done. It’s impossible to come up with original stuff. So I started off with a torture rack, from a powerbomb position, head placed between the legs, hoist them up into a torture rack. And originally it was one swing around into a neck-breaker type move. And that looked all right, but it didn’t have the impact I wanted. The crowd didn’t really pop for it like I wanted, so I thought “Okay, I’ll put a little more oomph into it. One, two, maybe three spins.” And then we were actually at NZWPW training, and I did it, I believe it was on Inferno for the first time, and the whole room just went “Ohhhh!” And if you can impress your peers, you can impress anyone. And from that day on, it was Knox Out baby!

Oh yeah.  So just going back to the origins of it, can you tell us about the first poor soul that had to endure it, while it was still a work in progress?

Yep. His name was D-Hoya. I actually received a championship match down there, and I pulled it out with one spin. It didn’t really do a lot for anybody, it was supposed to be my finisher, no-one realised it was a finisher, something had to be done, there needed to be more impact. The move is 100% visual stimulation and by golly, it hurts like hell. I’ve never had it done on me, thankfully, but I’d say I’d scream like a girl, just like everyone else does when I put it on them.

Speaking of moves that have been done, but not put on somebody else, have you heard any of the comparisons to Petey Williams’ Canadian Destroyer?

Yeah, there have been comparisons…

Just in terms of the “holy shit!” reaction…

… I’ll never forget the first time I did it in IPW, I did it on Link van Haggard, and it was at the Lynfield YMCA, and everyone just went “ohhhh!”

You’ve had a very intense series of matches with the Economist lately.

Mmm…

Would you say that he ranks up there as one of your more difficult opponents?

Ah look, there’s no question about it. The Economist, he’s the type of guy that will pick a body part, and he’ll just keep hammering and hammering until you either can’t take it anymore, or… you just about physically throw up in the ring. I recently came off a rib injury; it was sustained in an Economist match. I was at the point where I couldn’t breathe, he just kept on working the body part to the point where I actually had to give up in one of the matches; I had to submit. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a quitter, but when the pain’s too intense, when the numbers outweigh the odds, things like that happen.

Going back to the capability of The Economist, he’s done it all. He’s an Armageddon Cup Champion; he’s an IPW Champion, and definitely one of the toughest opponents. And probably one of the stiffest workers I’ve ever come across.

Really, he’s pretty stiff eh?

Oh, very. When he does things – he calls himself the King of Fighters, and that’s exactly what he is. You look at him, and you think “what a nerd,” but you get in the ring with him and the guy is one of the most intense individuals I’ve ever been in the ring with. He’s off the hook, man.

What can fans expect from the upcoming “Loser Leaves IPW” match this week on Ignition?

That match for me, absolutely… is a dog war. It’s an absolute war. It’s not a pretty match, it’s a brawl, and that’s all there is to it. I can’t say anything more about it; it’s a brawl, it’s not pretty, it’s brutal, I woke up with lumps all over my head the next day. Facing the toughest, stiffest individual… and look, I don’t want to lose my job, he doesn’t want to lose his job, something’s gotta give. Everybody watch on Friday, and you’ll see what I mean.

Looking forward to it.

Oh yeah.

Speaking of Ignition, it’s been a great coup for IPW to land that TV slot. What’s the locker room morale been like in IPW since the TV debut?

Morale’s been absolutely huge, I mean I’ve always said that if you don’t have TV you don’t have a lot. The exposure’s higher than it’s ever been, guys are working harder in the gym. Everyone wants the look, everyone wants top exposure, everyone wants to look good for the camera. Performances have gone up, and they’re gonna go up and up and up, and morale is absolutely at its peak at the moment. Everyone just cannot wait to get out there, show what they’ve got in front of the cameras, show New Zealand what they’ve got, show them what we do best.

You’re scheduled to take on Davey Deluxeo, Jordan Invincible and Jon E. King at Genesis.

That’s right.

Huge 6-man match, after you guys clashed with them at Armageddon, what do you and Alexander and Roger Ventura bring to the table at Genesis?

OK well let’s face it: I’m the good looking one. “Lyte Playa” Roger Ventura, obviously my best friend, he brings a lot of high risk aerial – nothing that no-one hasn’t seen, they all know what Roger’s got. He’s got the goods, he’s a former IPW Champion. You’ve got the “Samoan Silverback” Alexander: this guy brings raw strength, class, ability… everything that guy does in the ring, he does with purpose, precision. And then of course you’ve got “The Deal” Dal Knox, I mean – what a team! “The Deal” Dal Knox isn’t going to take a backwards step, he’s out for one thing and one thing only, and that’s to Knox some big mouth – whether it be Davey, Jordan, Jon E. King, it doesn’t matter who – as long as “The Deal” gets to Knox someone out, he’ll go home happy. Lyte Playa, Deal Dal Knox, Alexander the Great, we’ll go out, we’ll go get some chicken, and some Kool Aid as Lyte Playa says, we’ll go have a whale of a time knowing that we’re winners, because that’s what we do and that’s who we are.

Hooyah! Tell us about PWA’s Rise Of The Warriors, in which you and Deluxeo will be competing?

Right, OK – I understand that’s a tournament situation, and apparently I’m taking on the Canberra champion. All I know is that I get to beat up Australians…

Well that’s always good, that’s gotta be good.

… and it’s not Australians in particular, but if you’re going to beat someone up, wouldn’t you want it to be in Australia? The last time I went over there, the last time the Deal when over there, he wasn’t expecting what he got. These guys came with hellfire and brimstone, and now the Deal knows what to expect, he’s going over there with the same damn force, the same attitude, and that attitude is crush, kill, destroy! And also – kill.

[pauses]

Kill’s too harsh. But make them remember The Deal’s name.

With IPW now regularly on TV, and you’ve got your competing promotions in Wellington, what do you think of the direction pro-wrestling in New Zealand is headed?

I think it’s on the up, without question. Five years ago, I don’t think the Wellington promotions were even heard of, IPW was just starting to get on its feet. So that’s a lot of progress in five years. Speaking for myself, I know I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, I know a lot of the other guys aren’t going anywhere soon. We get better as each week progresses, really, we’re too bloody good not to be on prime time TV, so I think it’s just a matter of getting the exposure, getting out there, getting our product across, and yeah – the sky’s the limit. Absolutely.

Going back to Dal Knox, himself, getting away from IPW, just talking about Dal – have you got a favourite match?

In my career? My favourite match has to be, without question, the Armageddon Cup final in Wellington, versus “The One” Vinny Dunn. Didn’t actually come out on top of that, but the crowd was just incredibly into the match. False finish after false finish… “The One” Vinny Dunn really proved his worth that day. The crowd was just so into it, and that’s definitely one of the things that sticks out for me, the crowd was just so into it, I mean I could have just clicked my fingers and I could have had the crowd going “Yeah!” A lot of that comes across in who you’re working with as well. It’s a partnership kind of deal, when you’re trying to get a crowd into a match.

Technically though, I think my best match has been Joey Kinkade. Technically.

Where was that?

That was in Lynfield, that was a couple of months after I first debuted for IPW. That was definitely one of my favourite matches, because we just clicked so well. Sometimes you’ve got a wrestling opponent where styles don’t clash, they blend together perfectly, and Joey Kinkade for me is my perfect opponent.

But most fun match, “The One” Vinny Dunn.

So would it be either Vinny Dunn or Joey Kinkade that would have been, so far, the highlight of your career?

The Vinny Dunn match is the highlight, without question.

So you grew up watching wrestling, from when you were knee-high to a grasshopper…

Absolutely.

Tell us about the wrestlers you most admire, growing up.

I admired Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

You’re a man after my own heart on that one.

His brother Owen, without question. He was the dark side of the coin, so to speak, of those two. I always enjoyed the Honky Tonk Man.

Who didn’t?

He used to piss everyone off.

He had some outstanding ring psychology though.

He did, and it was a damn sad day when that face-painted freak came down and stole the title. That was a damn shame.

Who’s your dream match? Anyone, living, dead, anyone. Who’s your dream match?

Kurt Angle.

Really?

Most definitely. He is the greatest wrestler who ever lived. Without question. Because of his diversity, he can brawl, he can wrestle, he can hardcore, he’s proved himself in every facet of the sport. And that’s the kind of guy I want to work with. Someone who I can have a match every day of the week with, and every day, every match, it’ll be completely different. It’ll look different, and that’s the secret behind being a great worker.

What is something that fans would be surprised to know about Dal Knox?

I’m scared of the ocean.

Oh aye? Is it the undertow or the sharks?

It’s actually neither. When I was young I almost drowned in the ocean. I was trapped underneath a boat. So I’ve always had this phobia – deep water scares the living daylights out of me. So that’s probably the one thing. Deep water. The ocean. I mean, when Dal Knox goes to the beach, you won’t see Dal Knox way out. You’ll see Dal Knox splashing around with the little kiddies on the shoreline. I know it sounds a little wimpy, but it’s the one thing that scares the hell out of me.

What can we expect from Dal Knox in the future?

Well, I’ve been saying it for a couple of months now, 2007 is the year of “The Deal” Dal Knox. 2006, I had one spectacular year, no doubt about it, but 2007’s my year, it’s the year I want to achieve the goal that I haven’t been able to achieve…

The IPW Heavyweight Championship.

That’s right. That’s the one title in the land that says you’re the best, not to take away from the other titles, but everyone knows that the best wrestlers are in Auckland, and they’re in IPW, and if you want to be the best, which I truly believe I’m becoming, you’ve got to hold the IPW Championship. That’s what says you’re the best in my mind, and it’s the only thing that drives me right now, and I won’t stop until I get it. All I need is a shot. I had one shot once upon a time, and that was against “Heartless” Alfred Valentine, and to be fair, he beat some respect into me. I realised from that day I have to train harder. I even said it to him in the middle of the ring, “I’m going to train harder, I’m going to come back, I’m going to be better than ever, and I’m coming for that belt.” And he acknowledged me, he said “Yep, OK.” Not sure if he believed me or not, but I truly believe I’m knocking on the door for the title, and it’s mine, it’s all mine, I want it more than anything, that’s what consumes me right now. The IPW title.

But I’ve got to get a shot first, and I know Jon E. King’s not going to freely give me a shot, because he’s a ducker, a diver, a weaver – he’s going to do everything he can to not cross paths with The Deal. But all I need to do is somehow convince Daddy Kool, the Commissioner, to give me that title shot, whether it be a #1 Contender’s match, or anything, I just want to prove my worth, and show everyone that I am the top contender for that title.

Awesome, awesome. Well Dal, thanks very much for your time tonight, we really appreciate your talking to us, and all the best for Genesis on Saturday, and all the best for Rise of the Warriors.

Thank you, and anyone who’s reading this interview, thanks for taking time out to read, I appreciate it greatly, and yeah – 2007 is the year of The Deal, baby!


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