Flip Gordon On ROH Vs. Impact On Chris Jericho's Cruise, ROH MSG Sellout, How He Got The Name "Flip"
Ring of Honor's Flip Gordon recently joined Interactive Wrestling Radio. You can download and listen to the interview here, they sent us these highlights:
His quick ascension in ROH:
"It has been a fun journey. I wanted as much as I could and that is kind of what I did very early on. I started just wrestling in the Northeast. I always wanted to travel more. I always wanted to go further. I always wanted to wrestle new people. I think while doing that, I got to get into the ring with a lot of good guys probably before I should have had the chance to be in the ring with them. But, I did! I was able to learn at a very fast rate and I think that is what caught Ring of Honor's attention."
Settling in on Flip as his name:
"It is kind of weird. Initially, I wanted to wrestle under my real name which is Travis, Travis Gordon. But, everybody at my wrestling school was calling me 'Flip'. It was the first nick name that I ever really had. I was in the car traveling and I was thinking, 'Flip Gordon. I kind of like that!' I was just afraid of being pigeon holed for just doing flips. So, I went with Travis 'Flip' Gordon because 'Flip' was really the first nick name I had ever had and I really wanted to use it. And, because of Flash Gordon, it does sound kind of Super Hero-ish! Eventually I just dropped it (Travis) and I'm Flip Gordon!"
Challenging Nick Aldis for the NWA title recently:
"It was really cool experience because I had a championship shot! A once in a lifetime opportunity at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. And, I probably had the most amount of eyes on me that I'm ever going to have until Madison Square Garden! There were so much on the line. I was so proud of that match because I think it was one of the best matches I've had this year. Even though the outcome isn't what I had hoped, it was still a huge learning experience for me and something I'll remember for a very, very long time."
ROH / NJPW G1 Supercard of Honor Selling Out Madison Square Garden:
"It is just insane! Not just from a wrestling standpoint but from an entertainer's standpoint! Anybody from basketball to comedy to music to wrestling to theater, they want to perform in Madison Square Garden! That is the World's Most Famous Arena! Like you said, it is the Mecca! That is a dream of mine coming true. I can't wait! I wish it was April already! (laughs) For Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling to put on a co-show, the G1 Supercard, and to sell it out that quick is a testament to how popular wrestling is right now and how much of a variety there is. Wrestling fans want something different. You can have a WWE show across town and have a non-WWE show sell out in the same city! There's such a variety and it is cool to see how much wrestling is thriving right now!"
How ROH has managed to be at the forefront of the wrestling boom:
"I think the guys we have in the locker room... We want to go out there and we want to steal the show every night! We want to put on the best professional wrestling we can. Just because people say we're not the top company that there is, we don't listen to that. We believe that we can be the top company! We believe we can put on the top matches. I think that is what people are getting behind. It is like that rockstar mentality – They want to see somebody do it from the ground up!"
The ROH versus Impact theme of the Chris Jericho Cruise:
"I've never been on a cruise before so to say that my first cruise is because of wrestling is pretty cool. This year has been insane! To top it all off with a cruise... I don't really know how it is going to work. Boats are on water... Water moves! So, the ring is probably going to be moving. I don't know how it is going to work with all my flips and flying. There are a few guys from Impact Wrestling I'd love to get in the ring with like Brian Cage and a guy I've been trying to get in the ring with for quite some time, John Morrison (Johnny Impact). I guess I'll just call those two guys out right now!"
Future goals with Ring of Honor:
"Well, I want to get this thing with Bully Ray squashed, get that out of the way. And then, you know, I've been with Ring of Honor for over a year now, I have just re-signed... Maybe it is time for a TV title run?"