Indie Wrestler of the Week No. 005: Paris De Silva

FanSided’s interview series ‘Indie Wrestler of the Week’ continues with an interview with one of the hottest Australian wrestlers in the world.

The next independent wrestler in the Indie Wrestler of the Week series is Paris De Silva. De Silva is an Australian independent wrestler who made his debut in 2015. De Silva was trained by Australian wrestlers Jay Law, Madison Eagles and Robbie Eagles.

FanSided: How has indie wrestling changed since you first started out? 

Paris De Silva : I was really fortunate when I started in 2015. Independent wrestling in Australia was on the rise. It wasn’t an immediate boom, but a slow progression. This became noticeable in terms of there being more shows than previous years, a rise in attendance and the opportunity to perform almost every weekend.

By 2017 the Australian scene was heading in an even bigger direction with the help of Will Ospreay when he wrestled Robbie Eagles at PWA. You could see the admiration he had for our talent, but also his shock on why our scene wasn’t getting the proper recognition compared to other countries. Since then, Will has remained very vocal on how the scene in Australia is improving as well as continue to visit the country by doing multiple tours with PWA.

But it doesn’t stop with Will Ospreay. CHIKARA founder and performer Mike Quackenbush has been just as vocal. We have been very fortunate to have Mike come down to PWA to help train our students as well as perform with us just this last June. Every time Mike has come down, he has admired the work ethic and growth the scene has developed. Mike has also assisted us greatly in giving members of the PWA roster the opportunity to gain international experience by allowing us to perform in some of Chikara’s biggest events such as The Young Lions Cup and King of Trios.

But if you look within the last five months there as been a huge shift within the Sydney scene, through PWA Black Label via our live streaming content and production. For years we have had the ability to create great shows with world class talent. But only recently have we had the ability to have our shows viewed in real time, anywhere in the world. This in no way has been an easy task. But the values we have as a team as really taken us a long way and created great relationships and vibe, which I think is so infectious to not only wrestlers, but also the fans. It’s because we all know we are a part of something special.

De Silva is best known for his time in the tag team The Velocities with other high flying Australian wrestler Mat Diamond and Jude London.

How was your experience at CHIKARA’s King of Trios?

De Silva: I had such an amazing experience. To have the chance to travel half way across the world representing your country and promotion is a huge deal. I have had multiple peers wrestle for CHIKARA. So to make my debut for CHIKARA on their biggest weekend was very special for me. But to also get in the ring with their talent also provided me with great lessons.”

De Silva gained notoriety and went viral when a video of him hitting a Shooting Star DDT on fellow PWA wrestler Jack Bonza was put on Twitter.

How did you come up with the Shooting Star DDT you have now made infamous?

De Silva: I can’t take credit for actually creating the move as it has been done prior through the likes of Matt Cross and CJ Phoenix. But when Will Ospreay was last in Australia, I was taking part in a seminar and Will merely suggested it, seeing if it could be done. Since then I have added to my arsenal.

De Silva has made great strides in 2019 by appearing for big American companies CHIKARA Pro and PWG but De Silva has made it very clear that his main focus is to his home promotion, PWA.

What are your goals for the rest of the year?

De Silva: This for me isn’t just an end of year goal, it’s the ultimate goal. To help boost PWA Black Label’s popularity as much as possible.

De Silva has received high praise from Ospreay, who has helped De Silva implement some of his infamous aerial maneuvers into his arsenal.

Who is on your bucket list to face off against in the near future?

De Silva: It’s really encouraging to see such an influx of teams and the popularity of tag team wrestling being so high, so naturally there are so many names that come to mind. But the one that sticks out for me currently are Birds of Prey (Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles).

Follow Paris De Silva on Twitter @ParisDeSilva22 and his Instagram @_spartanspirit.

Follow PWA on Twitter @PWAaustralia and Instagram @PWAaustralia.