Frankie Kazarian is in an interesting space in life. He's seeing his tag team partner, Christopher Daniels achieve his highest point in wrestling -- one he wants to reach as well.
But the squared circle isn't the only place Kazarian looks to rule. As the bassist of VexTemper, the longtime ROH, WWE, PWG, and TNA star also has an album releasing, just a week after his match with highly touted prospect Punishment Martinez at Supercard of Honor.
It's not just a side project, Kazarian was able to incorporate his musical work into his wrestling career.
"Christopher Daniels and I had been in ROH for about 8 months and were turning heel. We had to change presentation a little bit. They sent us to a website that has stock music that you can use. It popped into my head in trying to promote my band and trying to jump on something, I contacted them and said I had a band and said 'would it be possible to record something and use that?' They were receptive to it. I had about a month to get it done. I told the guys in the band, they were psyched. That night, I wrote and recorded the song. It was a pretty cool opportunity to get to do that. It's almost surreal," said Kazarian.
The tune would set the tone for Kazarian and Daniels' heel turn, which reinvigorated their already successful careers. fast forward a couple of years, and Daniels is ROH World Champion, and Kazarian is queued for a shot at the ROH World Television Championship. However, at Saturday's Supercard of Honor, he faces the menacing Punishment Martinez-- a Monster Factory project with stunning agility for a big man.
"I know how to prepare for those type of athletes as much as I know how to prepare for the Young Bucks or Marty Scurll. I'm going to use the fact that I'm the smartest man in the world to wage war against a monster," Kazarian boasted.
The nearly three years in ROH have brought about significant changes both personally and professionally. Even Ring of Honor, the company Kazarian calls home is constantly changing, something Kazarian witnesses first-hand.
"The first thing that pops up is growth. We started at Best in the World in 2014, the first traditional PPV ROH did. I've seen nothing but expansion in terms of live event attendance, mainstream appeal, markets where the television show airs. It's steady momentum, and that's really cool to be a part of," said the former PWG Champion Kazarian.
ROH has been in headlines recently due to another possible change -- a potential WWE buyout. ROH has vehemently denied the rumors, and Kazarian says he learned in TNA to not believe anything until it's happened.
"I try to give very little thought to rumors, because the nature of the business. Being in TNA as long as I was, there were rumors of us shutting down and blowing up. I've literally heard it all. I can read something and don't let it affect me whatsoever. I could understand why WWE would want to acquire Ring Of Honor. It has an amazing library, its amazing roster, it's popular among hardcore wrestling fans, and they have a network they need to add content to. I'm also against monopolies, so I like that ROH is kicking ass on its own. There's plenty to go around," said Kazarian.
You can see the full interview with Kazarian above. VexTemper's album releases April 7th. You can also check out Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor on ROH's website, and the Fite app Saturday, April 1.
