What are the most important things to bear in mind when choosing and commissioning ring gear?
The most important thing is to get your sizes right. Get somebody to do it for you if you can, and always use a proper tape measure, not one of those retractable metal ones! People actually do that and you can tell because most of the time the gear comes out wrong. Make sure to double or triple check because there’s nothing worse than gear that doesn’t fit right, and you wind up with guys in baggy bikers looking ridiculous.
My pet peeve is guys wearing the wrong type of underwear to go with their gear. You look stupid if you’ve got them sticking out the top with a Calvin Klein logo or whatever. And boxers look awful under tights because you can see all the lines showing through.
The best gear is whatever you feel comfortable in. There might be something that looks better, like some guys would look better in trunks rather than tights, but you’ve got to be comfortable.
Take more experienced people’s advice. For example Joey Hayes always had a good upper body but he used to wear almost a baby grow top that made him look smaller. When people persuaded him to switch gear, everyone suddenly thought he looked great.
You used to produce ring gear for other wrestlers. Did you ever have any requests that were too outlandish or silly for you to make?
Nothing really: I’d rather more people challenged me and came up with ideas that pushed the boat. I wanted to work on more out there stuff like a big Cruella De Vil type of jacket, or something with wings that you could take off before the match. Probably the strangest thing I did actually make was an outfit with a snowman face with a carrot nose which I had to make with an orange cone, which was a bit random.
Are there are materials or types of gear that might look good but be a problem while you were wrestling?
Most stuff is OK and even studs should be fine. Probably the only thing that would be a real problem is having spikes on your boots. And again, the most important thing is to make sure it fits properly so that you’re comfortable in the ring.
Which wrestlers at the moment are example of having effective ring gear?
Rampage Brown’s trunks are great: they’re simple, but the brass knuckles and his name really reinforce what he’s all about. Zack Gibson’s Liverpool [Football Club] gear is great: as soon as you see him walk through the curtain you understand what his gimmick is. And the Island Brothers in GPW aren’t really well known at the moment, but they will be soon and their new gear really fits their gimmick. Mikey Whiplash’s gear when he was doing the transvestite gimmick was really spot on. And my gear definitely helped me: I’d been wrestling 10 years and it wasn’t until I put the tassels on that people really started to take notice — just a stupid little thing like that.
What’s your advice to trainee wrestlers who are on a tight budget when choosing gear?
Don’t start out with something cheap: save up get the best you can afford. Have a good idea in mind of what you want and what will fit your character, and ask your trainer to advise you. There should be enough time between when you start training and when you start working shows to save up for something decent. Remember that your gear will be the first thing people see of you, before you do any moves. You need to look larger than life so don’t dress like you’re one of the crowd.
