NAPHTALI and HAVOC are two of the most bizarre competitors in IPW, as Havok now hails from Gorky Park, Russia, and demands that his weight be determined in kilograms, while Naphtali is wellNaphtali. The duo is currently known as the MIDNIGHT FREEBIRDS, but they have also been known as the Anarchy Suicide Squad and Wrongful Death, under which they had multi-IPW World and NWA Florida tag titles reigns. Both men have had alter-egos as well as successful singles careers. Naphtali was formerly known as AL BINO while Havoc was at one time PRIME EVIL, but he was unmasked after losing the IPW Hardcore Title in a fatal 4 way at The Aftermath this past January. Naphtali was the longest reigning Florida Unified Cruiserweight champion (IPW Cruiserweight/NWA Florida X title) winning them from Justice on August 2, 2002 and losing them back to Justice at Rage in the Cage 5 on April 18, 2003. Both men have a love for wrestling and have a friendship that has lasted since they met in 1997. This interview was conducted at the IPW/NWA Florida show, 7^th Avenue Slaughter on September 27, 2003.

 

Alan Wojcik: When did the two of you first meet, was it at the Chaotic Camp Wrestling school?

 

Havok: I had been training with Brett Sawyer and he is a piece of sh#$. He opened a wrestling school just to jip people out of money. I left there and began to hit the local wrestling shows including IPW Hardcore. Thats where I first met Naph through a mutual friend. At first I didnt get along with him, in fact I wanted to kill him. So we began to travel to the shows together. Naph had run into Chaos who ran the Chaotic Camp and he began training, what was it a week before me?

 

Naphtali: It was a few days afterwards. I told a friend to get in touch with Havok and have him come down and check out the school. But he came down on a day I wasnt there. The next day I was in the camp, he was there. We have been training, traveling and wrestling together ever since.

 

AW: How did training at the Chaotic Camp differ then what you see the students at the Florida Wrestleplex go through?

 

Naphtali: It was hell of a lot harder. At the Plex their ring is set up for them everyday. At the Camp, we had to build our ring and take it down everyday we wanted to practice and take it down at the end of practice. We wrestled in a produce warehouse. We didnt get the chance to practice and workout in a facility like the Wrestleplex, we were in a PRODUCE WAREHOUSE, but it had a walk-in cooler which was nice. On a weekend we were usually up the entire weekend, taking the ring to shows, putting it up, taking it down and bringing it back.

 

Havok: You were luck to get some sleep in the car if we were lucky.

 

AW: Who did each of you debut against?

 

Naphtali: I debuted against Haystacks Calhoun Jr. in an impromptu match which I lost.

 

Havok: I teamed with Gentleman Rick Thames against Sonny T and Chaos in a 35 minute long match that was them just kicking my ass.

 

Naphtali: At the end of that night we were involved in an old school locker room clearing brawl. We got power bombed on top of each other. Then they dropped Jeff Peterson on top of us. I looked over to see Havok with the biggest f#$king grin on his face.

 

Havok: I was busy looking at tits (laughs.)

 

Naphtali: Yeah but they were Pinellas Park redneck trailer park trash tits.

 

AW: Havok, you wrestled against Chaos at Rage in the Cage 1999. What was it like to wrestle your trainer on a show that is the Wrestlemania of IPW?

 

Havok: Wow. That was a great match. But the one thing I clearly remember was being in the back with Naphtali marking out to the new IPW tag title belts.

 

AW: Naphtali, you had a match early in your career with former IPW Cruiserweight champion Jet Jaguar.

 

Naphtali: That was great. I had looked up to him when I was just a spectator. When I got to wrestle him it was amazing. He allowed me to do things I hadnt done in a match until then. He put me over that night which was amazing.

 

AW: Is it true you guys beat each other up in a match at an Ybor City show where someone jumped off a 20 foot platform and then fought onto 7^th Avenue?

 

Havok: It wasnt me doing the jumping; I was too heavy to be climbing.

 

Naphtali: We wrestled that night in the second match. I did the balcony jump and he ht me with a piledriver onto the top of a bar. They had hot waitresses.

 

Havok: Nice waitresses with big tits in that place. Sorry I am mark for big tits, as long as they are of legal age.

 

Naphtali: Anyway, we were in the back changing when someone came up to me and asked if we could go at it again. Sure. So I went to Havok and asked him lets go again.

 

Havok: I was fully dressed but I said what the f$%k.

 

Naphtali: We made history when we fought onto 7^th Avenue where I was hit with a tombstone piledriver and then he pinned me.

 

Havok: Even the cops popped out to that.

 

(Jet Jaguar walks by with a refreshing beverage.)

 

Jet Jaguar: You momma wears combat boots.

 

Havok: Actually she does.

 

AW: Havok, is it true you had a feud with a guy named Angry Amish Warrior??

 

Havok: Big wow because I havent heard that name in years. All I can say is he is still fat.

 

AW: Naphtali, you had some memorable matches with the late Jeff Peterson.

 

Naphtali: I wanted to add that Amish Warrior was another member of our little clique when we were in training. Jeff was one of my best friends in wrestling, for those that dont know he passed away last November. He came to the camp shortly after we had begun our training. We had a great program that ran on and off for about two years. I am fortunate that he came into my life.

 

AW: Which one of you joined the Chaotic Cult?

 

Havok: It was me. I think it was in Seffner during a match with Amish. At the end of the match, the Chaotic Cult hit the ring and beat on Amish. I joined them in the beating and into the Cult I went.

 

Naphtali: That same night it appeared I might get a tryout with the Cult in a tag match with Chaos taking on Gentleman Rick Thames and Sonny T, the Southern Posse. That was the one of the worst ass beating I ever took and after the match, these clowns beat me down.

 

AW: Havok is a multi-time IPW Hardcore champion. Your first reign began by beating Hack Myers on April 24, 1999.

 

Havok: His manager had big tits. I saw stars that night as that was the night of my first concussion. I think knew I was green so he stiffed the sh$% out of me. It was all fun and tits.

 

AW: How did the Anarchy Suicide Squad come to being?

 

Havok: Its all about the ASS man.

 

Naphtali: It was actually an inside joke. We were driving to Crystal River with the ring in a U-Haul with Amish Warrior. We were coming up with names for our group and I said why dont we call ourselves the Anarchy Squad with another s in there to be ASS. We laughed about it but Ron decided to put us in a tag match and when he asked us what we wanted to be called and without hesitation we told him Anarchy Suicide Squad.

 

Havok: Dont forget when he brought it up he said he would never stick three green guys together, which is funny in itself.

 

AW: Not long after the team was formed, you won the IPW World tag titles from Drunk n Disorderly (Former NWA world tag team champion the New Heavenly Bodies) and Inner Aggression (according to Naphtali, Bill Long and Butch Pain.)

 

Naphtali: I remember re-arraigning the letter on the VFW dining menu from free pasta to ass is the sh$% (laughs.)

 

Havok: Consequently they locked that thing up so we couldnt do that again.

 

AW: You lost them back to Inner Aggression.

 

Havok: I have no comment on that at this time.

 

Naphtali: They were two guys that could wrestle any style you wanted to. I had to team with Scotty the STD and he got his ass beat. That was one night my ass didnt get beaten on.

 

Havok: I wasnt able to attend the show so they lost the belts.

 

AW: How did a match between the two of you happen at Halloween Hell 2000?

 

Havok: There comes a time when you grow apart. He was into hillbilly family reunion stuff. I came out one night and ended the team so I could win some singles titles. I beat on Dagon Briggs that night then Naph came out for our match.

 

Naphtali: That was pretty much it.

 

AW: Naphtali, during the beginning of your solo career you hooked up with a young man named Seijin Akki, now known as Mikey Tenderfoot. What was he like then compared to now?

 

Havok: I would like to say that Seijin in Japanese means cheese.

 

Naphtali: Seijin wrestled under a hood due to his cute little babyface. He was also known as Someyoungguy as well as Mefuggemyoung.

 

Havok: I personally liked Barry McCockenher.

 

Naphtali: That wasnt him dummy.

 

Havok: Sorry that was me.

 

Naphtali: Now back to Seijin. As a green boy he was talented and Mikey has developed into quite the athlete who has bright future ahead of him.

 

Havok: I heard there was going to beer here tonight. Thats the only reason Im here.

 

AW: Im just the interviewer man; I didnt know to bring beer for you. Im straight edge.

 

Havok: Thats not what Ive heard.

 

(Havok leaves for a moment to look for beer.)

 

AW: Not long after that you went against Scoot Andrews when he was in the cruiserweight division.

 

Naphtali: Scoot surprisingly let me do what I want. He said, Hey kid call the match and let me now what were going to do. I did that and took what I had to him and he said no lets do this instead. Seijin interjected himself in our match. The three of us had a great match. I would wrestle scoot any day of the week, any night of the day, any hour of the minute, you better cut me off Alan.

 

(Havok returns with two beers for the duo to drink.)

 

AW:  What was it like to be in a four tables of death match with the Hardcore Monster Kubiak at Hardcore Hell 2001?

 

Havok: That was the first time we wrestled each other. When I first saw him I thought, OH SH#$ hes going to kill me. I consider Kubiak a brother. After that night he left an impression on me. I will leave it at that.

 

AW:  For most of the matches we have spoken of tonight you were known as AL Bino. When did you become Naphtali?

 

Naphtali: I changed my underwear and it didnt have my name in it anymore so I needed a new name. Im just kidding. I had bleached blonde hair and I dyed it back to my normal color. I wasnt an albino anymore so I needed a new name. I told Ron I had new name, he approved it and the rest as they say is geography.

 

AW: Speaking of geography, you have wrestled some NWA Wildside wrestlers, one in particular Jimmy Rave.

 

Naphtali: Jimmy is a very cool guy and fun to be in the ring with. He had a bad rep due to an incident with Reckless Youth which I dont hold against him.

 

AW: How did the formation of Wrongful Death with Dagon Briggs come about?

 

Havok: I think it was Naph throwing the idea around and Naph asked me to be part of it and I said yes. We were a great team and I thought we could have success again. Dagon was a natural fit being the little freak he is.  Hi Mom.

 

AW: The trio of Wrongful death won the IPW World and NWA Florida titles from Quickiemart (Agent Steele and Yassar Arafat Jr.) and Badstreet Boys members Joey Matthews and Christian York.

 

Naphtali: York and Matthews had deals with ECW and you can still catch the sometimes with the WWE under hoods. They are two great guys to work with. They gave us pointers after the match. Some Mexicans just walked in here.

 

Havok: Theyre not carrying fruit so we know they are legal.

 

AW: During one of your title matches you wrestled the Backseat Boys, Tent Acid and Johnny Kashmere. What was it like to wrestle have that have worked for CZW?

 

Naphtali: No different than the guys we have wrestled in IPW. The IPW guys are no different than guys that work for CZW; they just get a bigger name from the internet. They wrestled in Big Japan so have I. They were good to wrestle. They come out to the Midnight Express theme which is cool to me.

 

AW: You lost the IPW belts but kept the NWA Florida titles in match with Big n Sexy (Python & Uptown Frankie Capone.) Any memories from that match?

 

Naphtali: Dagon puked in the ring (Havok laughs.) Frankie and I were fighting on the outside and we said what the fu$% is going on in there!! After the match (NWA FL President) Joe Price came out to do an angle where we kept the NWA Florida belts. He pretty much handed me my belt and dropped the other one on Dagon avoiding the puke. That is the only memory I have from that match.

 

Havok: I probably was drunk somewhere in the back looking for my shoes.

 

AW: You won the IPW belts back but lost them to Roderick and Sedrick Strong at Declaration of Independents. Any memories of them as a team and any opinion on them as solo wrestlers?

 

Naphtali: We had beaten the hell out of Short Bus that night.

 

Havok: I miss those guys.

 

Naphtali: The Strongs came out and wrestled us impromptu even though we had wrestled the one match. They were a good tag team. I had some problems with Sedrick before he began IPW, but we became cool later on. I had liked Roderick before he worked for IPW when he worked under a hood because he was too green. We had wrestled each other at a rodeo style building in Kissimmee and you better shut up!!

 

Havok: I remember that night as I was in the crowd that was full of rednecks chanting Al is on crack!! He was at that time.

 

Naphtali: Yes I was (laughs.)

 

AW: What led you to go from being known as Havoc and becoming Prime Evil?

 

Havok: I broke my neck; actually I was working out at the Plex and I took a moonsault wrong and was out for about seven moths hurt. I didnt want to come back as the Havoc gimmick.

 

(A rock band begins to play outside the building.)

 

Havok: Yes I come with my own band to certain gigs. Anyway Ron asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I had this mask and showed him the whole gimmick. He liked it but we needed to see if the fans liked it and they did.

 

AW: What led you to bring stuffed animals filled with thumbtacks to the ring?

 

Havok: It beats a ham sandwich with thumbtacks.

 

Naphtali: I remember this one. We were at the Plex and there used to be a crane machine filled with toys. We won an elephant. We began to toss it around and Havoc ripped the head off of it. He took it home and the next show he brought it back sewed together. I asked him what the hell was he doing?? Prime Evil in a non-Russian accent told me, Watch this!! I watched the match, he ripped it open and there thumbtacks went all over the place, many of which I stepped on in my bare feet.

 

Havok: Want a tissue for your issue??

 

AW: While he was being Prime Evil, you became the longest reigning Florida Unified Cruiserweight champion by defeating Justice on August 2, 2002 at the New Agenda show. (Havok claps as I speak.)

 

Naphtali: Thats right I had the longest reign as champion. That match with Justice is one of my favorites. I watch it a lot. It was so good plus I try to see if there was anything I could improve on and there isnt anything. That match and our subsequent matches and you will see lots of psychology involved. It is not just a wrestling match.

 

AW: You have a long list of opponents you defended against. One being the winner of the 2003 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup, Reckless Youth.

 

Naphtali: He is my favorite wrestler out there right now. Everyone has one favorite. After working him twice he is the greatest and I love him for that.

 

AW: You became hardcore champion once more by beating Kubiak, Concession Boy and Chaos.

 

Havok: That wasnt me dumb ass that was Prime Evil. Ill give you his phone number and you can ask him, if you can understand retard.

 

AW: Alrighty then. Naphtali, how the heck did you end up in a Living Room of Death match against Cynic??

 

Naphtali: That was Dagons idea and I stole it. I will give him all the credit in the world. Ron liked it, but Dagon left IPW before he could use it. We decided to use it anyways and I wrestled Cynic who hated the idea, but I got him through the match.

 

Havok: Just so you know Cynic also hates diets as well.

 

AW: Somehow you were under the Prime Evil mask at The Aftermath by Bobby Rogers and Maximum Capacity when Bobby won the IPW Hardcore title Prime Evil held. How did you end up under the mask?

 

Havok: Just to clarify something, that is not me on that video. What happened was Prime Evil had the flu and he asked me to step in for him. Those guys took advantage of me in a non-homoerotic way.

 

AW: At the same show you wrestled in a four way dance with Justice, Tony Mamaluke and the Bug. Is it your preference to be in a one-on-one match or do you like the multi-opponent matches?

 

Naphtali: A little bit of both. I prefer the one on one because it is less of a clusterf$%k. I like to consider myself a genius and when I can have three or four way matches and I can prove to the fans my wrestling proficiency, hope you can spell that. (Yes thanks to the wonderful tool known as spell check I can spell it.)

 

AW: How did you come to be managed by Abudadein?

 

Havok: I think that had something to do with big snakes.

 

Naphtali: Honestly I dont remember. I think (IPW Writer) Aaron Royal came up to me and said we are putting Abudadein with you.

 

AW: What led to you becoming an old-school style wrestler by using the heart punch and the Bino Driver 98

 

Havok: You make it sound like he is coming up with these things. Those moves have been around for years and I think you are insulting him with where you are going with this question.

 

AW: I humbly apologize to you Naphtali.

 

Naphtali: To be honest my body hurts. I can barely walk. I woke up and I thought I had been shot in my knee. If I want a longer career I need to change my style and slow things down. Everyone wants to do these big flashy moves and everyone accuses everyone of stealing their finishing moves. I said screw all of them. No one does a heart punch or an abdominal stretch. The school boy has been used to end matches but no one really put it over. I incorporated all of these moves plus the chicken wing and most masterfully the headlock, of which I have about a hundred variations. Originally I did it to piss off the fans because they want to see planchas and other flashy stuff. After a while it got over.

 

AW: Some how during your reign you began to cheat. For example using baby powder on yourself and then tossing the bottle into your opponents hands.

 

Naphtali: Go look at the IPW website and you will see that I am the longest reigning cruiserweight champion. Keeping my title was all I wanted to do. Hey it worked.

 

AW: Actually it worked until Rage in the Cage 5 when you lost the belts to Justice with another rival named Jerrelle Clark as the special referee.

 

Naphtali: Exactly look who was the freaking referee. He can barely see over my waist let alone count to three. Jerrelle was the referee and his growth was stunted, ah Im just making excuses you better cut me off again.

 

AW: You kidnapped the title belts and took them on a trip to Mexico??

 

Naphtali: Everyone was complaining I was too small. The belts told me to go to Mexico where all the tomfoolery takes place. Thats right I said tomfoolery. So the three of us went to Mexico and as you can see I am jacked.

 

Havok: Obviously.

 

AW: Havok, what is it like to be in the ring with one of the hardest chest choppers in the business, Pat Powers?

 

Havok: He chopped off one of my nipples. I got it back from a fan later on, slight gnawed on but Beverly gave it back to me.

 

AW: We brought up Jeff Peterson earlier on. This past May IPW and NWA Florida hosted the 1^st Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup. You went through Seijin Akki and B-Boy before losing to Reckless Youth. What was it like to wrestle B-Boy?

 

Naphtali: B-Boy is for a lack of a better term my boy.  I had a great time wrestling him and we recently caught up with each other at a recent MLW show in St Petersburg. We talk on-line all of the time. I hope to see him on future shows.

 

Havok: When you hear B-Boy you think B, does it stand for breast?? And I look around I see big breasts, hooters.

 

Naphtali: Breast Boy?? (laughs)

 

AW: You gave a heartfelt speech at the show. Can you summarize it for those that werent able to hear it?

 

Naphtali: Basically I said without people like Jeff there would be no IPW. Guys that had the determination and desire for the company to succeed ahead of themselves. We wouldnt have had a Peterson cup or a 5th anniversary show. We wouldnt be sitting here listening to a god awful cover band.

 

AW: Havok you had a falls count anywhere and I do mean anywhere match, including the back of a pickup truck that drove away from the Wrestleplex. Memories of fighting Bruce dont call me Agent Steele?

 

Havok: He hurt me bad that night. He brought it to me and I didnt take him seriously. I didnt think he was as tough he turned out to be. We ended up in the back of a pick up truck, drove onto US-19. Ended up at a titty bar had some beers and looked at some great looking breasts. We beat each other some more.

 

Naphtali: I wish to clarify the bar was in Pinellas county and the dancers were all of legal age.

 

Havok: Actually one of them was nineteen but thanks for telling the people that.

 

AW: At Payback are Hell 2003, the two of you teamed up with Kubiak to take on Suicidal Tendencies and the debuting New Jack. Naphtali was tossed of the top of a U-haul, do either of you have any memories of that match?

 

Naphtali: I dont remember any of it.

 

Havok: New Jack kicked his ass, I can vouch for that.

 

Naphtali: Thanks for backing me up pal.

 

AW: As we sit here somehow you moved to St. Petersburg, Russia and became Havok. What happened to cause this change of personality and going from H-A-V-O-C to H-A-V-O-K?

 

Naphtali: Are you a comic book character?

 

(Havok now has a Russian accent)

 

Havok: Yes I am the brother of Cyclops from the X-Men. I ran down my family tree and saw my descendants were. Nikolai Volkoff is my great uncle. Boris Zukhof is my third uncle of my moms fourth side. Ivan and Nikita Koloff as well as Danny Zuko are relatives.

 

Naphtali: Danny Zuko isnt related to you, hes from Grease.

 

Havok: I like Grease 2, even though Michelle Pfiffer has small breasts. She can get a 2000 dollar job done.

 

Naphtali: What was the original question Alan?

 

AW: Hell if I know. What led you to becoming the Midnight Freebirds?

 

Havok: Its all about the groupies and big tits.

 

Naphtali: You brought up my love for the old school style of wrestling. I can watch 80s tapes all night long, so if its not broke why fix it?? The old school style isnt broke. I can have a great match and still get the fans right where they need to be without killing my body, even though I might do it once in a while.

 

Havok: You know Naphtali showed me the light. After hardcore matches I would wake up the next day and not be able to move my arms. Now after an old school style match I get up with little or no pain in my body.

 

AW: As we sit here tonight you guys have an old school flag match with two veterans Navy Seal and the Cuban Assassin.

 

Havok: Veterans?? Come on Cuban was in the Spanish American war.

 

Naphtali: When we started with this old school crusade, we realized Cuban and Seal are veterans. Seal helped trained us. I think it is time for a new generation of old school wrestlers. I like all kinds of styles of wrestling but we will bring it to you like it is 1984.

 

Havok: For Cuban thats 1784.

 

AW: On a closing note, where do the two of you hope to be in the coming years?

 

Naphtali: I hope to finally reach 1990. When we reach the 90s it will be.

 

Havok: Hey bro, I think New Jack messed up your head its 2003.

 

Naphtali: We hope to keep this going but on a bigger level. With our style we will be around for a few more years. Old school is back with a vengeance baby.

 

Havok: If that doesnt work out I want to die with a greasy piece of pizza in one hand and a greasy hooter on the other.

 

My thanks to Naphtali and Havok for their time for this interesting interview.