Alex Hammerstone says he's a wrestler first and foremost, and he responds to the criticism of "body guys" in wrestling.
Hammerstone has become one of Major League Wrestling's top stars over the past few years. He had a lengthy run with the MLW National Openweight Championship before he beat Jacob Fatu to win the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at MLW Fightland 2021. Since then, he has reigned supreme as the company's world champion. Outside of MLW, Hammerstone also participates in bodybuilding competitions.
Speaking with Steve Fall for WrestlingNewsCo, Hammerstone was asked about the way some wrestlers are criticized for being bodybuilders, particularly in regards to their in-ring abilities. He noted that, in some cases, there are individuals who put wrestling behind bodybuilding, but in his case, he has always prioritized the business. Hammerstone noted that, at the end of the day, bodybuilding poses will only take you so far once the bell rings. He also stated that he has always aimed to bring a strong visual presence to his character.
“There are wrestlers that are bodybuilders and then wrestlers second. Then there’s guys like me, who it’s like, I’m a wrestler, and then I dipped my toe in bodybuilding. EJ Nduka wants to go and run his mouth off about how he’s a greater bodybuilder than I was. It’s like, 'Cool bro, glad they’re not judging my glutes while we’re in the middle of a wrestling match. Because when you don’t know how to do a wrist-lock, all the body-building poses in the world aren’t gonna save you.' So that being said, I’ve thought it was important to bring a strong visual presence to my character, as well as just having the physical capability to do some of the things that come along with being this size. But I’ve always been a wrestler first and foremost. I’ve always put my priority in that, put my eggs in that basket," Hammerstone said.
Hammerstone continued by describing how some fans prefer to root for underdogs. He noted that when they rally around a wrestler and the individual gets pushed, they sometimes realize that they were more invested in the idea of an underdog winning. Hammerstone then pointed out that, when he faces wrestlers who are smaller than him, some fans root for his opponent due to this size differential.
"I understand some of the scrutiny from fans, but also I think we’re just kind of living through a shift in modern wrestling. I think fans more so than ever kind of have this leniency to want to cheer for an underdog. You’ll see it sometimes where fans are almost rooting for a guy simply based off the premise that they don’t think he’ll be pushed. Then when that guy starts to get the machine behind him and everyone’s all rabid for him, once they get their big moment, maybe they make it all the way to winning the title, the fans are like, ‘Oh, well, what now?’ They realize, ‘Oh, we didn’t think this through. We’re not really that attached to this guy. We’re more attached to the idea that it’s funny for a little skinny guy to win. I’m not saying that’s how it is all the time because sometimes there’s underdog types who are very talented, who are very charismatic. But sometimes fans just almost want to go against the grain. So you see a guy like me walk out, 260 pounds and muscular. If I’m going against someone who’s half my size, there’s some fans who almost just want to be the guy who goes, ‘Well I want the little guy to win because wouldn’t that be funny?’" Hammerstone said.
Hammerstone will defend the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at MLW Blood & Thunder. Check out the card here.
EJ Nduka recently described how Triple H compared him to The Rock due to his work ethic. Click here to see what he had to say.
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