Vixsin on Concussions, Deathmatch Wrestling Relatability, Injuries & Japan
A trailblazer in the Deathmatch genre here in Australia and with a career spanning over two decades since her debut in 2004, Vixsin has showcased her prowess across various promotions both domestically and internationally. Known by her moniker “The Hardcore Bitch”, the former DMDU World Deathmatch champion recently appeared on the Ringside Cartel Podcast. (full video below)
Vixsin talked about injuries, Japan, concussions, deathmatch wrestling and an interesting take on why fans can relate to deathmatch wrestling more than regular styles of wrestling.
Vixsin’s perspective on deathmatch wrestling’s relatability to real life and its fans…
“It makes you persevere through that, so for me, I find that the crowd can relate to it a lot more because everyone knows how prickly cactuses are or how sharp thumbtacks are. Everyone’s picked up a screwdriver; everyone has picked up a fork and probably accidentally stabbed themselves in the hands while doing dishes. So I find that it’s just a deeper connection to the crowd because they can actually relate to some of the objects.“
“There have been stories; I’ve had friends from growing up ask, ‘What’s that big scar on your head?’. Oh, I ran through a glass door as a kid, and I’m like, ‘Oh, shit’. So I find that it’s just a deeper connection to the crowd. I don’t really think about the pain—like, the pain sucks. I’m not going to lie; you do get banged up, and I’m covered in scars.”
Vixsin’s views on deathmatch wrestling critics.
“Definitely, it’s not for everyone, which is fine. I’m not going to say that you have to like it. You know, I’ve got plenty of friends who don’t like it, and I don’t really care if they don’t like it. If I don’t like a movie, I’m going to turn it off, right? I’m not going to just watch it for three hours and deal with it.”
Vixsin on taking a break from wrestling for a year.
“I suffered really bad shoulder injuries, where I had probably a total of 12 dislocations of my shoulder. And I just kept, you know, wrestling through it and whatnot, and then finally went and got the help I needed, you know, because no one wants to know they’re actually messed up and they can’t wrestle like it’s the wrestler’s worst nightmare. It turned out that I needed surgery, so I was waiting for the surgery to come along. Healing from that took a year in total. It was the hardest year of my career; it felt like a long time.
Vixsin on concussions in pro wrestling.
“I’ve had over 12 concussions from wrestling, which isn’t good. I mashed my brain for about six months, but I still kept wrestling. We took take chair shots like it’s a badge of honor, like yeah, you know, that was cool. I remember my very first chair shot. As soon as I got hit, I felt like a weird wave right to my toes.“
Vixsin on trips over to wrestle in Japan.
“I started going in 2012 and established a routine of attending twice a year, but when COVID arrived, my attendance was significantly impacted, and I’ve only been able to go once a year, if at all, since then. Cost of living and whatnot. But yeah, Japan was just such a crazy opportunity for me. My recent trip, I debuted for Freedoms, so that was pretty cool for me, especially as a deathmatch wrestler. That’s like one of the pinnacles you want to reach.”
Lazza, a lifelong professional wrestling fan, started attending events in 2002 and eventually took on various roles, including ring crew and commentary. He has worked with local promotions like Queensland Championship Wrestling, for which he wrote The Lazza Report on their website. Lazza also runs a Facebook group, Lazza’s Pro Wrestling Fan Group, moderates The Foreign Object, and contributes to PWDownunder.com in various capacities.
An ECW style fed would take off here in Aus, down correctly with the emphasis on action with characters.