JXT
Photo: Jake Hurdle Photography
In Australian wrestling there is nobody like Melbourne's JXT, which isn't by accident. From his iconic dreadlocks to his distinct purple or pink colouring & even all the way down to his social media presence JXT has put a lot of thought into his presentation.
When Pario initially sat down with JXT our intention was, much like all of our interviews, to discuss his personal journey as a creative. However, as the conversation continued JXT's coaching mindset came to the fore as the interview evolved into somewhat of a seminar about the importance of branding in wrestling & creative industries. As JXT explained, in his mind "only 10% of being a wrestler is what happens in the ring, everything else that you do outside the ring is just as important."
This mindset is something that JXT has come to develop over the course of his wrestling career. More specifically though JXT has had to quickly mature in recent years when he transitioned into a coaching role at his wrestling school, The Relentless School Of Pro Wrestling.
"Starting the wrestling school was so hard because I needed to mature," explained JXT. "People might not see that change from the outside but I know within myself I have changed a lot... I had to stop being a young, dumb, dickhead who was mouthing off to everyone. Instead, I had to start setting an example as a role model because my attitude was impacting everyone I trained, the wrestling school I had invested in & the promotion that I'm running."
While JXT says he has matured in his mindset he also told Pario he still feels uncomfortable having the title of 'coach' bestowed upon him. "I'm wearing a shirt now that says 'coach' & that still sits uncomfortably with me... I still don't feel like I'm anywhere near accomplished enough to be a coach... When we opened the school I thought I was only going to teach beginners because I knew I could at least teach people to roll & bump since I once had William Regal pull me aside & tell me my fundamentals are immaculate, so I knew I was at least qualified to teach that."
Despite not feeling like he is worthy of a coaching role in regards to in-ring action JXT does provide his students with a wealth of knowledge when it comes to branding & how to make themselves invaluable assets for any wrestling company.
Over the course of JXT's wrestling career he has been at the forefront of the branding ethos for wrestling here in Australia. Thanks to his background as a graphic designer JXT has always had an incredibly high-quality social media presence, very recognisable logos, unique merchandise & a distinctly JXT presentation of his character. In fact JXT was so good at branding himself through his association to the colour purple he even had fellow wrestlers seeking his blessing before getting their own purple gear made. According to JXT all of this can be credited to the likes of Colt Cabana, Matt Cardona & Brian Myers - all of whom shared their experiences & branding expertise via their own YouTube/podcast shows.
These days as a coach JXT is always stressing to his students that "everyday they don't do something for their career is a day wasted." By that he means they should be working out, posting on social media, or learning new skills to make themselves more valuable to promoters because, "the more you help promotors & the more you can be an asset to a promotion the more likely you are to get opportunities."
Sadly for JXT & his fans we may not be seeing him inside a ring for some time due to a major knee injury.
"I recently found out I completely tore my ACL, partially tore my meniscus & broke some bones in my knee joint," JXT told Pario. "I'm going to need surgery to repair it. There's a 9-12 month recovery once I get the surgery & it could be that long again before I even get the surgery, so I could be out for 2 years."
Keep up with JXT on social media at: @JXT_Official
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