In TurnbuckleTimes’ latest exclusive interview, Bobby Casale (@BobbyCasale) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell) to discuss his background in MMA, coaching UFC great, Amanda Nunes, his upcoming match with Eye Black Jack at Beyond Wrestling, being a part of the Beyond Wrestling and Wrestling Open roster, the Stetson Ranch, the Timothy Thatcher match at the Beyond Wrestling ID Showcase, his upcoming match with Bear Bronson for the Wrestling Open Championship, goals, dream opponents, and much more. You can watch it in its entirety down below.

Something I love about your character that got me hooked instantly was your background in MMA. Tell me a little bit more about your background and how you managed to combine the two?

“I started training for MMA when I was five, and I was super into that, as well, when I was a kid. I had older relatives also, who were really into it. So, they kind of brought me around and showed me that. From there, I always wanted to compete. I first fought when I was 18. As a teenager, I was trying to compete whenever I could and training as much as I could to try to learn everything that I could.

Unfortunately, throughout the years, I got cursed by not being able to have a lot of fights. I would book a fight, and guys would pull out over and over and over again, and I got kind of sick of it. I always wanted to do professional wrestling, but I was going to do it after fighting, like when I was done. But the frustration of no fights one day really got to me. I said you know what, I had a fight cancelled that day, so I was like, you know what, I knew Create A Pro was right by my house. So, I’m going to go down there, I’m going to sign up, and even if I just did it for a few months, I need a break.

The second I stepped into that school, and we did our first few things, I realized I should have been doing this a lot sooner. I enjoyed it more and feel like I’m better at it. But the guys down there really helped me learn quickly. They put a lot of time into me quickly. They also helped me understand that I have a different skillset from a lot of guys starting. So, I’m able to use what I did in fighting and things I did in fighting in my matches. Because I can just do things that nobody else really can.

Things that I think are normal since I was doing it since I was five. Things that I think are just ‘oh, whatever’ people aren’t used to seeing. So, it helps me stand out, and they helped show me where to do that in each match, and help me stand out and look different. All in all, that’s really helped me look different and rise to the top of wherever I am.”

We all saw the photo of you in the cage with Amanda Nunes, which is just such a cool thing. What has it been like for you to work and train around all of these UFC stars as well, while carving your own path as a coach or a mentor?

“Yeah. In 2020, I moved down to Florida. I was able to train at one of the top gyms in the country, Sanford MMA. I got to be around the highest-level athletes there. Kamaru Usman, Michael Chandler, so many UFC Champions and high-level guys. At the same time, I started coaching a lot of guys in wrestling and grappling, and guys in the UFC and guys coming up, like lower-level UFC and stuff like that. I got the chance to be a part of the Michael Chandler camps and help them out.

That was awesome because you get to see the mindset you have to have and how deliberate you have to be in every single thing you do to be that successful. I took so much away from all of those years. Every single day, seeing the amount of effort they had to put in, not just in training, but all day. I just took that right away and soaked that up. That changed how I live my life now. There are also many coaches down there now that I look up to and who gave me life-changing advice.

Amanda, because, she had left her team at the time, she was looking to create her own team to help win back the title she lost. Accordingly, I got referred to her, and one day she just gave me a call and said, ‘Hey, this is Amanda Nunes, do you want to join my camp and train me for this fight?’ and I said, ‘Oh, yeah. Definitely. 100%. That’s a no-brainer.’ That’s such a great experience. It was an amazing experience, and she’s just a one-of-a-kind person. There’s a reason she is where she is. The amount of dedication and knowledge that she has, and also she brought me in, kind of just on the recommendation of others, but like, completely was there to learn, listen to me, take in my input, and discuss things.

It was amazing. That also taught me that, too. You’re always learning. It’s kind of cliché to say, but you’re always learning, even at her level. You’re always open to opinions, even if you don’t always agree. And to just see a World Championship camp, be a part of it, and just to be in charge of large parts of it, and see the amount of dedication that went into that. I’d take that with me into wrestling. Additionally, it helped to make me as successful as I’ve been in only my first year.”

You were paired with Jack Tomlinson in Create A Pro right off the bat, practically. What was it like to work with Jack Tomlinson, someone who’s an incredibly underrated talent in his own right?

“He’s a great guy, and he’s a great wrestler. He’s super entertaining. His dedication to acting and character work is something I’ve never really been around. I’ve really always been around just athletes. I didn’t know what to expect, but he helped me a lot to open my eyes up to the character part in wrestling, and seeing how much thought he puts into every little thing. Sometimes I’ll be trying to pitch him ideas and talk to him, and he’ll get into that acting mode and start saying things as me.

It’s so believable because he’s such a good actor. He’ll just go and do the promo as me, and I’m just like, ‘okay, yeah, yeah. I can do that.’ It’s crazy to see. He’s helped me out a lot with a lot of the character stuff and has opened my eyes to like, ‘Oh, I wonder if I can pull some things like that for myself.’ He’s awesome, he’s just the best guy. However, you’ll see him on every CAP show for the rest of eternity.”  

Let’s jump right into it. On Saturday, you’ll be going one-on-one with one of Beyond Wrestling’s best young up-and-comers, Eye Black Jack, at Beyond Wrestling’s big event, “RRD Pain Olympics.” What’s your mindset heading into this one?

“As you said, Jack is one of Beyond’s big stars. I want to take that. I want to be the big star. He can do whatever he wants. But I have to go in there and prove a point. I don’t know what wearing eye black is going to do against someone like me, who’s a trained fighter, but we’ll find out. I’m excited to go in there and prove myself. He’s had title opportunities and big matches there that I’ve yet to have. This is my chance to show that I belong, and I’m excited for that. I’m going to go in there and dominate. That’s what is going to happen.”

You have become a bit of a mainstay at Beyond Wrestling and Wrestling Open. What has it meant to you to just be a part of that promotion?

“It means everything. I love Beyond and Wrestling Open. CAP and all the trainers and everyone there have helped make me who I am, and who I am as a wrestler, but I am beyond thankful, not to pair the words together, for the opportunities I’ve had at Wrestling Open and Beyond. Those guys saw me right away, took a chance on me, and that’s really all my experience there has really helped me grow. They’ve done nothing but be the most amazing people, the best promotion, given me great matches, and have just been helping me grow.

Beyond thankful for them. Those are my favorite people. I love Wrestling Open. If you don’t watch Wrestling Open, I don’t know what you’re doing. Week to week, the best matches, the best stories, it is my favorite show. Additionally, the Beyond super shows too. Who doesn’t want to see crazy, amazing matches? They put on the best matches that there are. Those are my guys. Very grateful to them.”

Lately, we’ve seen you as a part of the Stetson Ranch, alongside Steve Stetson, Danny Miles, and ‘Wonderboy’ Brian Morris. What has it been like to work with them?

“They needed some legitimacy. They needed some muscle, and I brought it to the table. Those guys are awesome. Again, like Steve, Brian, and Danny, have been around a lot longer than me, and on those shows, they’re main event mainstays. They walk out, and people are there to see them. I got put into situations early on where I’m towards the top of the card. It made me even better. It made me really want to step up. Those guys, too. Being in those spots. They taught me a lot. Going into matches, they would be like, ‘We have to do this, this, this, and this.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know that existed.’ They are awesome.

They took the time to make sure that I looked good and that I performed. Even if I didn’t know what was going on when I first started. They always kind of looked out for me and made sure I was good. Even someone like Danny Miles, he’s been around forever, and he’s amazing. He’ll just sit around and talk to me and be like, ‘Hey, you ever think about doing this, or doing this?’ And I would be like, ‘Oh, no. I didn’t think that was a thing.’ So, being able to work with guys who are more veterans and way more experienced than me, and be put in those situations with them, it’s amazing. It’s great. Those are my guys.”

At Break The Walls Down earlier this month, you and the Stetson Ranch teamed up to face off with Aaron Rourke and The Shooter Boys in an unsanctioned match, which turned into a war. What was this match like for you?

“That was my first time doing anything ever with weapons. Going in, I was like, I don’t know what’s going to happen here. But it was a blast, man. Doing matches like that where you throw everything out the window and just be like, ‘Hey, we’re just going to go as hard as we can and see what happens.’ I loved it. It was a blast. I would do something like that again. At first, I was like, I don’t know about this, maybe just a one-and-done, or keep that stuff away from me. But it definitely gets a different reaction from the crowd, and it definitely brings out a different intensity in everyone. But it was really enjoyable to be able to wrestle those guys, too. It was great. That show was amazing.”

In May, at the Beyond ID Showcase event, you went one-on-one with Timothy Thatcher in a match where you got to prove yourself to be on that next level. What did this match and moment mean to you, despite coming up just short?

“That was my absolute favorite thing that I’ve ever done in anything competition-wise. That was an amazing opportunity that, going into, I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen here?’ We went out there, and I felt like it was my best performance. I know everyone there loved it. It did a lot for me, and it kind of just showed everyone like, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ It felt like an arriving moment for me. Like, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ We went out there, and we beat the crap out of each other. It was an amazing match. Additionally, I thought we stole the show in that match, and that felt good.

That was my favorite match. I want to wrestle Tim again because I feel like we’d do even better. But that was an amazing match. After, people were saying to me that they never saw anybody bring it to him like that. I just bought it. I went into that ready, and I think it showed. That was a really cool experience. I’m thankful for them putting me in that spot, and I showed out. Now, as I get put in bigger and bigger spots, I’ll continue to show out.”

That same weekend, you also worked with Michael Mistretta and Bobby Orlando in two other banger matches. What was your mindset heading into a jam-packed “Collective-type” weekend?

“That weekend I wrestled, I think every day for like six days. I think I did Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. That was cool. My goal going into that whole weekend was to steal the weekend. I wanted to steal that whole weekend. Every show I’m on, I want to have the best match. I wanted to be the guy that everyone was talking about at the end of the weekend. I think I did that successfully, because on that Monday show, everyone was saying I was the man of the weekend. That’s what I was trying to do. That’s what I know I can do. I know I can. Any show you put me on, against any person, I’ll have the best match. Also, I’ll steal the whole show. That’s what I was trying to do, and that’s what I did.”

You are the current number one contender for the Wrestling Open Championship. This means that we are currently on a collision course for a match with you and Bear Bronson. What’s your mindset heading into what is sure to be a war?

“This will be our first singles match. We’ve only been in multi-man tag matches. Going into this one, this is where I have to bring 100% and some. Bear Bronson right now, he’s on the run of his life. The past year for him, he’s been killing it everywhere. He’s showing up on every show. He’s been signed by TNA, and he’s won the Wrestling Open Championship. Albeit, those are things that I want to do and places I want to be. For this match, if people were impressed by what they’ve seen from me so far, this match, I have to be unhinged. I have to step it up 10 levels. I’m sure Bear’s not going to back down, either. He’s not the type of guy to back down.

For this match, I’m excited. That’s where I thrive. I thrive in that chaos and in that war. When I start bringing it to someone, and they step it up a little bit, and then I step it up a little bit, and we start bringing the best out of each other, that’s where I thrive. That’s what I love, and that’s what gets me going. So, I’m excited for this match… It’s really cool that one of the guys who trained me from the ground up, I get to wrestle him for the title in a singles match on a big show. At the same time, it also motivates me to show this guy how good I am. I want to prove myself against this guy. Additionally, I want to show you that now I’m on your level. All in all, That’s where I’m at.”

Looking ahead for you, what are your future goals?

“In Wrestling, I want to be a signed wrestler. Additionally, I want to be known as one of the best guys. I want to be known in the upper echelon. Also, I want to be in the top company in the top position, and be known as the guy. I want to be right there.”

Do you have anyone you’d like to share the ring with?

“I definitely want to wrestle Aaron Rourke and Max Caster one-on-one. I want to wrestle all of my coaches one-on-one. Also, I definitely want to wrestle MJF. Even before wrestling, he was a favorite of mine. Now, I train where he trained, and I get to be around him a bunch. I’m like, ‘I can take this guy. I want this guy in the ring.’”