One of my favourite things about wrestling is it starts at different places for different people. Everyone has such a radically different entry point. Maybe it was someone who raised you that instilled a love for it. Maybe it was an older brother who performed spectacular maneuvers on you (shout out, Kelly!) Maybe it was a friend at school who introduced you to it. Or maybe you were just flipping through the channels one day and got captivated by the image of a monster. “My first go was just flicking through channels as a kid and I remember something to do with The Great Khali. I was like, 'Wow, that’s crazy.'” That's how it started for Judas Icraus, one of the most unique, hard-hitting and fast-rising wrestlers not just on the West Coast, but in Canada as a whole. The Great Khali. As I write this, I'm having a hard time thinking of two more different wrestlers than Judas Icarus and The Great Khali, but really, isn't that what makes this wrestling thing so special? There's room for everyone – performer or fan. Everyone can belong.

But we don't exist on an island and we gotta have people who support our interests or get weirdly into them with us. And thankfully for everyone in the PNW (and quickly beyond) who likes wrestling now, the man known as Judas Icarus found himself in an environment where his experience seeing The Great Khali could germinate and grow into, quite frankly, a fucking awesome young wrestling career. “Then my mom, for Easter, which was crazy, because my mom never got me a present for Easter, but she got me a triple-pack of figures – Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton. Awesome. And I got into wrestling figures.” Icarus tells me in his shockingly soft-spoken out-of-the-ring voice. (His in-ring voice – and uhhh sounds? – is hard, rough, and kinda scary.) “Then I met a friend, my longest friend that I still have, who was really into wrestling figures. He was a huge Jeff Hardy guy. We bonded over it. Played Smackdown vs Raw all the time. Then we met more friends in elementary and high school that were really into it. Then we started doing backyard wrestling a bit, had a backyard fed. We had a trampoline fed. We had entrances. We had full episodes, full seasons. We ran in it pretty well into the depths of high school.”

Not necessarily a “ground-based” wrestler. Photo by the gawd, Darren Ho Media.

You can learn quite a bit about anything just by observing and doing. But you can only go so far, and that knowledge can only get you so far. Judas did what a lot of us don't do and took that next step, to go from hobby to something more. “My transition from trampoline wrestler into training pro wrestler was pretty close. There was honestly some overlap. I started training and then one of the last shows that we did I’m actually doing some chain wrestling.” One day these videos are going to get dug up to show the humble beginnings of a star – like Dude Love jumping off the roof onto mattresses. You heard it here.

One of the most consistent, crisp, and captivating wrestlers I've ever seen live, it's kind of comforting to know that even someone as good as Icarus is touched with the same reservations as everyone else I know from time to time. When asked about how it feels to get the call when a “name” wrestler is in the area (This interview took place a week before Judas faced off against Mustafa Ali at DEFY in Seattle), Icarus is quick to say, “It’s a very imposter syndrome kind of thing. I just see a lot of the other talent around here and a lot of the other people who work very hard to get their spots. There’s some where I’m like, 'Someone else could do that. Why me? But okay, cool, thanks.'” The man's admiration and respect for his peers is palpable. But, like any champion, he knows when it's his time. “With Suzuki though, I had to have that. That’s totally me. Like, 'I don’t know if I’ll ever get that in my entire life.'”

After nearly three years of watching him beat the shit out of opponents in the ring almost monthly at 365, and having a genuinely lovely conversation about why we love wrestling (More to come from that chat soon!) it seemed kind of silly to ask him the 5 Questions, but thankfully he was more than game. So behold, Rags Music x Judas Icarus in the west coast collaboration that nobody asked for, but everyone actually wanted and just didn't know.

Dude got the shit beat out of him by Nicole Matthews shortly after this. Darren Ho Media on the shot.

1. When is the last time you did something for the first time?
I went to this thing with my friend from Comox – she invited me randomly and it was four blocks down from my house, so I said ‘sure’. It was a thing called The Cutest Rave Ever. They said dress comfy and it’ll be really cool. We showed it up and it was mostly furries and people in full onesies, there was bubbles and hyperpop music the entire time and anime and shit. I was like “Damn, this is crazy. This is awesome!” It was such a good vibe. I feel like I would have done better with a couple more drinks or something in me, but I was like, “I think this is pretty fun.”

2. If you were responsible for one household chore forever, which one would you pick?

Cleaning windows. Windows and mirrors ... and vacuuming – but only if you have a good vacuum. At my work we have maintenance that comes through at night to clean the garbages and stuff, and for some reason they don’t vacuum our carpeted floors ever. So it accumulates, people eat at their desks, so once ever two weeks I’ll get our really cool vacuum and go around.

Vacuuming is great. I always get furious with glass though so I’m also surprised to hear you say that.

I have pretty good luck with glass. I worked for a car detailing company for two years. I got some tricks.

3. If you could spend the day with anyone living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?

I’d like to hang out with Jim Carrey. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I like Jim Carrey. I wouldn’t wanna do anything too eccentric. I feel like I just wanna have one of my good days – go to the café, maybe go to the gym – hmmm, I don’t actually know if I’d want to go to the gym with Jim Carrey. Just walking around at some open market would be funny. Maybe go to a standup show where he was critiquing them the whole time – but just to me, secretly.

4. What's the first album you remember buying with your own money?

I used to be really into CDs in late elementary school/early high school. The first one I remember vividly for sure, there was definitely a couple before this for sure but this I remember this one vividly, Eminem Recovery. I had one that I bought and used in my CD players and I had one I kept in the cover.

5. If the world was ending and you could save one piece of culture for future generations, what would you save?

I would save the overtime from the 2010 Olympics Canada vs USA, Sidney Crosby’s golden goal.

6. Guest question comes from the big homie, Krofton – Who is the most inspirational person in your life, in terms of where you are today?

…long pause…Feels like a pretty big one to ponder…You sure Krofton asked that? Probably my mom. She, not singlehandedly, but she was the main person for how to be character wise, how to treat other people. She’s a nurse too – her being in the health field as well, I think she kind of steered me, not on purpose, to where I ended up with my shoot job. And why I ended up liking wrestling – with the Easter present – maybe I wouldn’t have pursued it as much. Creating an open space to hang out with my friends, have them come over and watch wrestling.

Follow Judas Icarus on Twitter (We're never calling it that letter around here) @thejudasicarus and on Instagram at @judasicarus