By Austin Kaus

“Can I call you back? I’m loading this big snake in my vehicle right now?”

That was the false start to a chat with a true professional wrestler/exciting person. Sinn Bodhi fell in love with pro wrestling as a child, grew up, rose through the ranks, had a brief and ill-fated stint with World Wrestling Entertainment, and ended up running his own show in Las Vegas. Called Freakshow Wrestling, the off-kilter production mixes real professional wrestling with insane characters, magicians, strong women and The Warlord of Weird himself. But, once a year, Sinn Bodhi travels to Mitchell, to wrestle at Dummerslam. It’s an annual outdoor wrestling event hosted by Jason Bates. (Bates doesn’t just own Big Dummy’s, the Mitchell bar where Dummerslam is held every year. He also wrestles as “Dupae Rupa, The Belgian Brawler.”)

Bates and Bodhi used to wrestle together. As they have for many summers in Mitchell, they’ll both take to the ring on July 25. In preparation, Bodhi talked about his history with Bates, his unpleasant time in WWE and what recently-deceased wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes meant to him.

sinngrin

Tell me your history about how you got into wrestling in the first place.

SB: I grew up lovin’ wrestling and comic books. I was one of those introverted kids [that] spent a lotta time by himself. I lived in a country house, so it was always hard for me to kinda get into town to play with other kids. It was always kind of an ordeal. When I did, one of our big camaraderie things was wrestling. But I just was, like, a scared little kid. I never saw any cruiserweight wrestling or high-flying [stuff]. I thought you had to be seven feet tall just to be a wrestler. ‘There’s no way I’m gonna grow up to be all big and strong to do that.’ You know? I loved it, but I just didn’t think it was in the cards.

When we were growing up, one of my best friends ended up being a really famous wrestler named “Edge.” He just sorta shot up in high school. One year, he was, like, you know, a little runty guy like I was. Over the summer, he shot up to, like, 6’4″ or 6’5″. And he went to this wrestling school. And then me and my buddy followed not long after. The guy that I went with [is] another famous wrestler [named] Christian. If it wasn’t for Christian going, I probably never would have been a wrestler. Christian was smaller than I was, and I thought, “Ah, fuck this. If he can do it, I’m gonna do it.” 

Where’d you grow up?

SB: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

How did you come up the ranks?

SB: Just scraped and crawled. Paid my dues. I got my car and traveled. You know those Bugs Bunny cartoons where he’s squigglin’ and wigglin’ all over the map?  That was basically me, goin’ from town to town, any show that was there, trying to learn or absorb all that stuff. At a certain point, like, I basically [reached a point] where, even though I was a total greenhorn, I was decent enough size. I was pretty good sized. I had a creepy weird look, so a lot of promoters figured out I was a cheap [person] to put against like a name guy. I worked relatively safe and I looked the part. So, instead of paying two expensive names, they could buy one expensive name [and] have another cheapy guy in there that didn’t look like a glass jaw. I mean, who wants to see a main event where you know it’s totally one-sided? So I just reaped the benefits of being in the ring with all those experienced guys, and I learned what I learned and I still learn to this day.

sinndummerslam2010
(Bodhi at the first Dummerslam in 2010/ Photo: Laura Friesen)

How did your look develop?

SB: I think I was kind of– like– not to compare myself to Undertaker, but just in the sense that, you know, he was always Undertaker, but then he kinda went through phases and different mood changes. You know, he was a biker and a cowboy and a mortician and a devil. But he was always Undertaker. So, Sinn kinda went through that same stuff. He went through some scary stuff, silly stuff, you know– all sorts of weird stuff. But it was always pretty much me, just with the volume cranked. I was just tryin’ out new things till I really kinda found what I was really him. 

That’s what I’ve heard from other wrestlers is that their personas are often just extensions of them. So, that’s the case for you?

SB: Yeah.  I think if you said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna hire you and pay you a million bucks to go be Fireman Dave or Epileptic Bill,’ I’d say, ‘Okay.’ At this stage of the game, I could probably pull that off, because essentially being the experienced wrestler in the style that I am, I’m very theatrical. So, that really makes me an athletic character actor. I could wrap my brain around you giving me a contrived character, something that wasn’t me. But I think to get the best authentic performance out of any performer, give them something that they are familiar with. It’s just like with writers. You know, write about what you know. 

How does that factor into your time as Kizarny, then?

SB: Well, I was a legitimate circus strongman, a legitimate side-show freak. And when Vince (McMahon, head of WWE) got wind of that, he kinda wanted to reinvent the wheel in his own sort of weird way. And I was not comfortable with it. (laughs) Didn’t like it, but I tried my best to be what they wanted me to be. Sort of, you know, be a good little employee and all that. Good little soldier.

It’s really hard to pipe up and express your opinions when you’re at that company because I grew up loving it, so [I went] from [an] ass-kicking man to an enamored little kid. Like, ‘Holy crap. I’m in the same room as, you know, Richie Steamboat and Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, and all these different guys.’ So, a lot of your common sense … gets thrown out the window, ’cause you turn into this little kid. You’re taught from day one as a wrestler to do what the promoter wants. So even if you think it’s goofy or stupid or counter-productive, you’ve kind of gotta just do as best you can. If you are [one of the] guys that are the squeaky wheels, they end up breaking through that wall. But, that’s about the biggest hindsight lesson any wrestler ever learns.

Is that how did Freakshow Wrestling come to be? Was it kind of a conscious rejection of the more corporate style?

SB: Freakshow Wrestling was really everything I wanted to do and wasn’t allowed to do. When you see Sinn Bodhi, the Warlord of Weird, and you see Freakshow Wrestling, you’re seeing everything that’s spilling outta my mind that, you know, maybe WWE writers couldn’t grasp or thought it was too crazy or too avant garde.

When did you first connect with Jason Bates? 

SB: I met Jason years and years and years and years ago. We actually met in … the ‘Wild West of Canada.’ It was a lotta fun. The rules were few and far between.  We were both young and stupid. We just sorta built a friendship there and we’ve been buddies ever since. We went through thick and thin together and he’s as close to me as my own brother.

So when he called and said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna do this thing called Dummerslam,’ were you in right away?

SB: Hell, yeah. I mean, he could call me up and say, ‘Hey, man, I want to throw pies at you all day long,’ and I’d say, ‘No problem, my friend.’ (laughs) You know, whatever he wants, I’m there for.

sinnamonwaffles
(Bates aka Dupae Rupa and Bodhi at Dummerslam 2011/Photo: Austin Kaus)

You’ve done a lotta different wrestling. What’s unique? What’s special about Dummerslam for you?

SB: Dummerslam is special to me because it’s Jason Bates’ brainchild. So, I mean, right there, I’m prejudiced to it, just because it’s an idea that came outta my brother’s skull. It’s a good, fun place. That town really reminds me of my little hometown that was just outside of Toronto [called] Orangeville. That’s where Edge and Christian and I grew up. And [Mitchell’s] got a very hometown feel. So, you know, everybody walks in and alls I hear is, ‘Hey, Bates! Hey, Bates! Hey, Bates!’ I go into the bank or the grocery store or gas station, somebody always will be shoutin’ out, ‘Hey, Bates.’ (laughs) I think he’s sort of like the Arthur Fonzarelli of Mitchell, South Dakota. I’m proud of him and I think that’s awesome that he’s got a hometown. In some ways, I miss that, because I’m such a creature of the road that I really don’t have a home base like that. When I am in a town, I know a few people and then I blow out of town and I go to the next town. I’m sort of that town whore whereas he is, you know, home. We’re going in this one place that he is very familiar with and that town is very familiar with him.

How have you seen the Dummerslam event change over the years?

SB: It keeps on getting better. It’s gettin’ some local notoriety, in the sense that, people know that he is a bar owner [and] a restaurant owner. He’s a staple of the community. When he sorta delves into his nostalgia of being a wrestler, I think everybody knows that it’s gonna be a good time. I think alls you have to do is just see the word ‘Dummerslam’ and you’re gonna giggle, because it reminds you of Jason Bates, or reminds you of Big Dummy’s. It reminds you of your hometown hero. I think people anticipate it every year.

So are you and Dupae Rupa taggin’ up this year?

SB: (laughs) Yes, I hope so. I hope Dupae Rupa and I will be tagging as the Sinnamon Waffles (laughs).

Dusty Rhodes recently passed away. Did you have any history with him? Does anything come to your mind now that people are kinda celebrating his legacy?

SB: Yeah. At the last Freakshow that we just did last weekend, I used to start off the show with, you know, the lights going dark and we play some kind of a funny little one or two minute-long video to– just to be silly and kind of let everybody know, ‘All right, get ready for craziness.’ This time, I played a Dusty Rhodes tribute.  He was a colleague of mine. He was a friend of mine. He was one of my trainers.  I’ve wrestled Dusty Rhodes. I’ve wrestled every member of his family. I’ve wrestled Dustin aka Goldust. I’ve wrestled Cody Rhodes aka Stardust. I’ve got a long-time respect and rapport with Dusty and his family. I was very sad to hear that he was gone. We weren’t the best of friends, but we had respect and we made each other laugh and we appreciated each other. You know, I mean, that’s as much as you can ask for from anybody on this planet, you know? 

Any other thoughts as Dummerslam approaches?

SB: Since I am a stranger in a strange land and America has welcomed me at Freakshow Wrestling, I dedicated my mask to Dusty Rhodes. So, I think I’m gonna dedicate my next visit to Dummerslam to the late, great American Dream. Whoever is looking at posters of this event, come on out and watch the Sinnamon Waffles kick the hell outta some bad guys in the name of Dusty Rhodes.

 

Dummerslam starts at 6 p.m. in the Big Dummy’s Beer Garden on Main Street in Mitchell on July 25. Tickets are $20 for ringside, $15 for general admission and $5 for kids 12 and under. For ticket and event information, call Big Dummy’s at (605) 990-3869.

Facebook Comments