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by Les
Honig
It hardly seems like over a year ago since firebrand UPW trainee Van Ayasit packed his bags and headed over to Japan to join the ranks of Zero One as a “young boy” trainee in the federation’s dormitory dojo. Amazing, too, since the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came as a result of a tryout in which he “did the same move that everybody else did in front of the scouts,” (adding only his own creative but obviously decisive flair to the mix).
Leaving after only two matches here at major Ultimate Pro venues, this extraordinary athlete was not about to let his big chance pass him by. After all he had dreamed about wrestling in Japan ever since he was a kid…so, determined and ultra-dedicated to his success, he tackled this unheard-of challenge; and as with so many other smaller challenges in his 28-year life; he has met them and apparently not only conquered them but made them trophies of his accomplishment-packed life.
Recently back in L.A. for a one-month visit home the charismatic, phenomenal talent; now firmly entrenched in his new Japanese home, Van Ayasit sat down with us for an unscheduled chat to see just how he is doing and how his past UU buddies are also faring with their own Zero One opportunities. (It must also be reported that after returning back to Japan, on May 16th at Korakuen, Van suffered an unfortunate compound fracture to his shinbone and must now be on the sidelines for several months).
A master of a number of martial arts during his youth; as well as a budding actor in many action movies including his first starring-role in a foreign feature action flick, the Thai super-athlete nonetheless first found Japan just a tad intimidating. “It was a new land and I didn’t speak a word of the language so I was quite nervous at first.” Nervous too since within his first moments at a training session he was thrown into the ring with an already-trained young boy while his Zero-One teacher-superstars looked on.
“Some of the biggest names in Japanese wrestling who also run the organization were there watching me and actually they were surprised at just how good my moves were. The found my style new and fresh to them.”
Hitting the road within several days of his arrival on the federation’s scene, Van was given the gimmick of Vansack Acid, a Muy Thai fighter, and put into a mixed martial arts match against superstar Kuniyaki Kobayashi. Overshooting a moonsault during the climax of the encounter, he nonetheless recovered from that miscue and quickly won over the crowd as well as Masato Tanaka, Japanese wrestling icon, who was watching from ringside.
From there he went 13-0 during the initial round of matches (until losing to American indy phenom Low Ki), a feat that won him much respect from his growing legion of fans. “People were coming up to me with pictures to sign and I had no idea where they got them from. And they knew facts I would never have suspected; like that I was Shaolin Punk in UPW or about my kung-fu movies.”
Still, it was the life of the young boy that dominated much of his time and while the work was exhausting at times; Van relished the chance to become part of the Japanese scene and what it stood for in the world of pro wrestling.
According to Ayasit, a typical touring day involved getting up at 5:30 or 6am in the morning and tearing down the ring and hauling it onto the truck for the trip to the next town. Next there would be a 6 to 8 hour drive followed by two more hours of carrying the ring into the venue and setting it up for the show. Then it was training for several hours more; the match itself and when all was said and done, taking apart the ring and cleaning up the locker room. Often the young boys would not get to bed till 12:30 or 1 a.m. and be up the next morning again at the same before-dawn hour to start all over again.
Almost predicting his current sidelining, Ayasit talked too about the price of his devotion being numerous injuries, both major and minor.
“I’ve blown out my knee; fractured my foot and ankle, dislocated fingers, popped my ear drum three times plus I have lower back problems from high risk maneuvers.”
Still according to Van, “I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. Pain is part of the game. You must learn to take the good with the bad. After all, look at Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Steve Austin, HHH and others. They’re all willing to endure injuries as part of their respect for this business.”
Looking at his past Ultimate U colleagues upon his guest appearance here, Van notes that several of his friends have really grown in a major way since he left the States in early 2003.
“Nate is always getting better. No doubt he will be a superstar in the WWE someday. All he has to learn is patience. He will have his time but right now he is still quite young. And Lamar (Sabbath), he has gotten tremendously better. I can see how his confidence level has grown and that has made him a much better wrestler. Finally there’s Tony Stradlin. He’s always been great and it’s just fantastic that he got the chance to go to Japan now. I think he’s gonna make a big impact. I’ll go out on a limb and predict that he’ll be one of the regulars there eventually.”
Having also watched and in some cases wrestled with and against other UPW’ers now making it big in The Land of the Rising Sun, Van notes that the greatest impact has been made by Skulu, Spanky and of course, Tom Howard and Predator.
But still, with all his own successes thus far, Van admits that there are still butterflies when he steps into one of those mega-arenas to compete; mainly though because of his own high standards.
“The fans there are not like the American ones who will let you know if you messed up. No, there they are silent and just watch intently as you do your moves. That makes it all the more pressure-filled. Nakamura, my boss, is always looking on; the other workers are looking on, as well as the audience and the media. If you make a mistake the fans don’t have to shout that you did, you know it in your heart and that’s worse because you know that you messed up and that’s tougher than anyone telling you.” And Van is his own worst critic; as his life’s dedication to perfection isn’t long to surface.
“I still have a long way to go before I’m at a place in the ring where I am truly satisfied. In every match there is something that bothers me; something that I know I could have done better: a move I could have done better, a head turn I could have done better.”
Returning with a new gimmick called Dragon Acid where Van will be able to do more wrestling and a little less high flying while demonstrating a “more aggressive look and style,” he seems more convinced than ever that taking the high risk of leaving the safety and comfort of his So Cal home and striking out for something new, yet amazingly challenging has all been worth it.
“I am living my dream,” this supertalent says with both joy and gratitude. “I know that if I die tomorrow I couldn’t have asked for a better life!”
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