FanSided.com had an opportunity to speak with new TV Champion Punishment Martinez ahead of Ring of Honor’s Best in the World PPV.
Punishment Martinez told FanSided.com about the journey to becoming Ring of Honor’s TV Champion, the ironman-like work ethic and passion required to be a top-tier talent in this industry. Martinez is clearly a man driven to succeed like few others, an impressive human being that lost 100+ pounds just to get that extra edge to make it. His dedication to his craft is unquestionable, and he’s humble. Martinez spoke candidly about appreciating every fan along the way that invests time not only in his matches but the company he works for. He recalled what it was like to be a kid and now having fans chant, “You deserve it,” post-title win and the surreal-ness of it all.
Martinez will be defending his World Television Championship against Adam Page at Friday’s ROH Best in the World PPV at Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is the home turf of Ring of Honor, the second biggest wrestling company based in the United States. You can catch Friday’s action with Ring of Honor’s Honor Club streaming service.
FanSided.com (Nir Regev): In a prior interview, you mentioned Gerald Brisco saying he felt the reason why your career wasn’t advancing more was because of weight. You clearly took his advice to heart, losing an incredible 100+ pounds and now you’re TV Champion in Ring of Honor. What was it like going through that process? Was it a serious struggle to work up to that point? It’s an absolutely amazing amount of weight to drop for anyone.
Punishment Martinez: Yeah, Gerald Brisco at the time was heavily scouting for the (WWE) Performance Center. He just pointed that out because I did this camp that he did at the Monster Factory. He said, “Well, why aren’t you in better shape?” So, he brought it up to me but there were a lot of people that brought it up. People could say it all they want but then you just move on because then you hear the opposite from promoters, like “You’re fine.” But it just came to one day where I finally decided this is what I want to do with my life. I have to give it everything I have. And really give it 100 percent, which I wasn’t doing at the time.
Once I decided that, the hardest part of course was the unknown. Not knowing what my future was gonna hold, being at a job, sacrificing more time for professional wrestling. The actual transition, losing all that weight was a sacrifice because I like junk food [laughs] I don’t like working out. I don’t like sweating. [Laughs] But I know that’s part of the life. Not for everybody, there’s different forms, different shapes and sizes in this business.
For me personally, this was the route that I had to take. When you look at it at that way, it really wasn’t that hard. All you have to do is put an effort. Once I started doing that and really going just as hard as I can, try to be everyday better than I was yesterday, it really worked out. It’s not as hard as it seems… The hardest part is starting, and then the fear of the unknown, to get it going. Once I was done going, it was easy to just keep the momentum going.
Originally your name was Punisher Martinez, and I was wondering if you changed it because Punishment flows better or because of a potential Marvel-legal thing?
Honestly, Punisher Martinez was my name for instance so it shouldn’t have been a problem legally. Because I’m not The Punisher, I’m Punisher, as in my first name. So legally it was kind of like a loophole, but the company just didn’t want to risk it. If the company wants to put out merchandise for example, and then they get backlash from Marvel… You know, why go there if we don’t have to? For me especially, I was just trying to get a job. When they asked what I thought of Punishment, I was like yeah I don’t care, I just want a job. [Laughs] But I did want to keep that theme because since I was a kid, people named me Punisher.
Legit, Punisher wasn’t a name that I just started calling myself because I thought it was cool. People named me that, from when I used to fight martial arts, or play sports in high school… I was always Punisher! That was literally the name I had gotten, and a lot of had to do with the way I played and fought. And then some of it had to do with my Latino heritage. I’m Puerto Rican, and Big Pun at the time was very popular. So, it was kind of like the perfect name for me at the time and it just stuck. When I transitioned to pro wrestling, it just seemed natural to write down Punisher.
You mention your martial arts background. Strong style and a more stiff style in general is really popular right now because of influence from UFC and New Japan. Do you feel that’s made it your time most of all?
It definitely helps. It helped my style, where it’s more accessible now. There was a time when guys did a lot of kicks and it was cool to see but it still wasn’t traditional pro wrestling. In a time where that’s what people really cared about. Now, people are willing to suspend disbelief just even more both with styles and personas, because it’s more common to see. Whether it’s in movies or sports in general, especially combat sports.
My style is more accessible just because it’s heavily influenced by martial arts with my kicks and what-not. I haven’t really introduced any submission or that type of style yet in Ring of Honor. I used to, outside of Ring of Honor but basically I go with what’s working. Right now a strike-based style is very popular and it’s very easy and suitable for me.
You’re a big fan of the Undertaker and see him as a major influence on your pursuit of pro wrestling. Now that his career is winding down, obviously, he’s in a different company… Do you see having a match or even an interaction of some kind as a possible goal in your career? Or is that too much out there?
I don’t know if I’d call it a goal because where we are in our careers. Obviously, like you said he’s winding down, along with the guys that if he was gonna work with, he can pick and choose. I don’t believe I fall in that category. You know, it’s fine. Of course it’s a dream, I would love to! As far as interactions I would love to have. So, I don’t know again if I’d call it a goal because goal is more as for me personally. My goals for me right now are continuously trying to improve, keep a main spot in Ring of Honor and continue to grow and become a main attraction. Those are goals but dreams?
Yes, it would be a dream match for me to work with the Undertaker. It would be a dream to just have regular interactions with him and pick his brain. That’s 100 percent yeah, he’s very influential. I can say if it wasn’t for seeing him as a kid I would be a pro wrestler today.
What would you be if you weren’t a pro wrestler?
[Laughs] Legally speaking, I’d probably be a fighter. Everything else I don’t know, honestly. But I would probably end up just sticking with fighting. I love what I do though so I’m glad I saw him on TV and decided to do this with my life.
Would you ever consider doing MMA on the side like Bobby Lashley, or are you exclusively pro wrestling?
I’ve thought about it, I’ve even spoken with promoters. I still stay up to date with stuff. Every once in a while I’ll get in and train. I trained Matt Riddle to be a pro wrestler so hanging around with him, I’d attend MMA and Martial Arts seminars. I’d get down and spar and what-not. I still have the itch, I still love it very much. I try to stay fight ready by myself. I don’t have an actual camp or I go somewhere to specifically train, I practice on my own.
The thought is always there, the possibility to have a couple of fights. I don’t know if I’d transition over to a major company. I’d probably do something locally, and smaller-scale just because I like doing it. I love the physicality of it, I’ve always loved the combat atmosphere of the sport. That’s always an idea but I don’t know when I’d come in because I have so many goals right in front of me in Ring of Honor. I don’t want to split focus. I have to stay focused right now, I have a good momentum going on. At least for the next two years this is what I’m doing. But you never know.
In a January interview with WrestleZone, you mentioned your ambitious goals for 2018. Now that we’re about midway through the year, do you feel your goals at the onset of 2018 have aligned? Is it going the way you pictured?
Yeah, I think I’m progressing. This is what I wanted, I wanted to be a champion, I wanted to be talked about, and in a more featured role. I wanted to be on good cards and my name mentioned in conversation with the top guys in Ring of Honor as far as matchups and possible contenders. This is all working out, not the way I envisioned but rather the way I’ve been working for. I really believe I have to work for everything and I’m appreciative because I worked hard for it.
I think my work ethic is pointing me in the right direction. I really do believe I’m progressing with my goals because goal No. 1 was accomplished with winning a championship. Now, it’s just a matter of me continuously putting in the work and becoming a larger name, where I can be talked about with the top tier talent.
Did you have a hand in the design for your Pro Wrestling Tees t-shirts like the Metallica inspired one?
Yeah, I designed all of them actually. Most of them I did on my phone or I had a friend of mine help me out like the Metallica one. But yeah I design all my shirts even the Ring of Honor ones.
What does it mean to you to see fans wearing your shirts or coming up to you at meet and greets?
It’s crazy! Just to have that experience… When I won the championship in Dallas and I’m holding the belt up and raising my arm up… I see people cheering, chanting, “You deserve it,” and wearing my shirts. Crazy life, crazy time. When you stand back and think about where you were years ago and especially when you were a kid, it’s unreal! It is humbling, I don’t take anything for granted, that’s for sure.
I’m very extremely appreciative of anybody that invests in something that represents me and in the company that I work for a part of. Because that means they’re going to see me and they’re okay with that. It’s just so cool, and an awesome feeling that I don’t know how else to describe. Every time I feel it, without fail.
You’ve worked overseas in Japan, are the fans really different there? Some wrestlers have described the fan atmosphere as more subdued there when you’re performing. Silently enjoying the action so to speak.
Yeah, it’s just a different atmosphere, they react differently. You know United States fans, we’re a little wilder! [Laughs] That’s just in every aspect of everything, in sports and entertainment in any form. Fans stand up and start chants and scream at the top of their lungs, almost be part of the show. In Japan, the fans are just going to appreciate the art of pro wrestling. They’ll sit and watch the show and be respectful. They’ll cheer and they’ll boo but it’s just not as loud. By saying they’ll go there and act different, it doesn’t mean they’re less passionate. They’re just as passionate.
I went there in my first year with Ring of Honor and I was expecting nobody to know who I was. They knew every real thing about me! They had pictures that I hadn’t seen in years, that I don’t even know where they got. I never saw the pictures on the internet and they had them there for me to sign. They were really cool and the experience was awesome. I love their fanbase, the Japanese fanbase is amazing! It’s different but it’s not better and it’s not worse, it’s just different.
It’s a different atmosphere than when you’re wrestling because you’re used to going with the flow and sometimes when the crowd is really into it, it gets you a lot more amped up. While there, you’ll make make it a point to be amped up because fans themselves aren’t going to overly do it. And I’m not saying that they don’t, I’m not saying they’re silent the whole time because I’m gotten a “Holy S***” chant during a match in English! That was pretty cool. So, it’s not necessarily that they’re completely silent but they react differently than American fans do.
Your father trained you in Gōjū-ryū karate, and you’ve said prior in an interview with FightBoothPW, that you loved that everything was said in Japanese while learning the martial art. Are you a fully fluent Japanese speaker?
No, it’s funny because I knew all the terms. There was a lot that I knew in Japanese. Not that I could hold a conversation with somebody but when it came to martial arts, I could explain things in Japanese and I could call out things in Japanese. It’s been a while, so I’ve actually forgotten most of it. I can still defend myself with certain words but not like I used to. Just like with anything else, you don’t practice it, you don’t speak it all the time, you forget.
Same thing with my first language Spanish, I cannot speak Spanish like I used to. Just because I don’t practice it enough and I don’t speak it enough. Whenever I work with the CMLL guys and I have conversations with them, I struggle to speak with them. They understand why, they even ask me “You speak very well, your accent’s good. But you struggle, is it because you don’t speak it enough?” and I say that’s exactly why. So it’s the same thing, if you don’t practice it you lose it. I’ve lost a lot of that Japanese terminology that I used to be very familiar and comfortable with.
My father was very traditional because he learned from guys who trained in Japan, and when they trained him everything was in Japanese. When he trained me and others, he was very traditionally in that sense because he wanted us to be that way. It was cool and I loved it.
@philgreensauce wins and losses don't count, it's about character and he's a winner!
— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) February 4, 2016
I’ve asked Flip Gordon this previously, and I was wondering your take as TV Champion. WWE’s Road Dogg once replied to a fan on Twitter that “Wins and losses don’t count, it’s about character and he’s a winner!” Essentially, meaning more or less that wins and losses don’t matter anymore in the wrestling industry. What are your thoughts on that? There’s a lot of non-title matches these days with the Champion losing, but not necessarily losing the belt. What do you think of the whole notion as champ?
That’s a good one. I don’t think that’s now, I think that’s always. You can look at both sides of it. Of course, if you win all the time, you’ve gotta be in a higher position in the company. Somebody who loses constantly and doesn’t have big moments or big victories, why would I invest in them as a fan? Why would I invest in someone who’s not a loser but somebody doesn’t win? You’re not a loser if you’re working in a bigger company but if you’re not getting enough victories to be a proud fan of yours… Why should I cheer for you instead of cheer the guy that wins? So that’s one side of it.
On the other side, and I’m gonna steal this from Bully Ray, “You don’t always have to go over to get over.” In this business, you can lose… I wouldn’t say regularly but lose enough and still maintain a reputation, high regard because of your performance, your persona, and your charisma. And everything else in-between. There’s a lot to telling stories in this business. Some of the best stories even in movies it doesn’t always go that way. Everyone talks about the new Avengers movie being the best one of all of them. The bad guy won! The good guys lost but yet it was the best one. You don’t always have to win to be the best one. But you do need those victories to kind of establish yourself. Especially, when you’re first starting.
I understand both arguments there, and I think I know what Road Dogg meant by that. He means an established star doesn’t need to win every match. You know, John Cena does not have to win every match, he’s still John Cena. He’s still gonna draw people, still going to make tons of money, and be part of high profile matches. Once you’re established, it does not matter. To get that point though, if John Cena had just started and lost every match I don’t think he’d be in the same position. Did he have the charisma? Of course he did. Did he have the personality to make it? Yes.
This is just my opinion, I’m not saying I disagree with what Road Dogg meant. I think you still need to prove yourself at first and have a good win/loss record to get to that level where it doesn’t matter. There is a level where it doesn’t matter but to get there, it’s kind of like the flip side when it matters a little bit.
You’ve spoken before about the psychology of being Punishment Martinez, the darkness within that and how it’s close to what you are in real life. Many fans have this way of subconsciously expecting the wrestler they see on TV to be the same when they meet them. Maintaining kayfabe in a way.
Do you feel that kind of pressure to always be Punishment Martinez at all times? Or because it’s similar to who you really are, it just flows, it’s just part of your day-to-day life and there’s no breakage?
It’s a tricky thing. You know the name Punishment Martinez, you see him come out on TV. Especially, on big PPVs you see him come out of a coffin and jacket with a cape… And I’m not walking out with a cape and a vest you know? [Laughs] I usually have my hair tied back in a man bun or something, I’m gonna wear normal clothes. But the person, that’s just me getting in the zone, getting ready to go to war. You know, you don’t see a solider walking around with a rifle all the time. They’re regular people but when it comes down to battle, they get into that mode. And it’s the same thing for me, when I go to battle, that look, the way I walk and talk, the face I make, that’s battle me.
If you saw me go into an MMA fight, I’d have that same attitude. So for me, if you see me in the street, it doesn’t mean I’m a different person, I just like different things. I don’t feel pressure of having to be that person at all times, it is like you said close to who I really am. Just with the volume turned up.
You have an excellent radio-worthy voice, would you ever consider starting your own podcast?
[Laughs] Maybe one day, when I’m not completely focused on throwing down in the ring. That’s a possibility.
Thanks Punishment!
Thank you!
Follow Punishment Martinez on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Remember to sign up to Ring of Honor’s Honor Club streaming service and watch Friday’s Best in the World PPV on June 29.