Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Donovan Dijak
Date: 11/04/2025
Your Host: James Walsh
Donovan Dijak is one of the most unique guests I’ve had in my 900 plus interviews. In my best Chris Collinsworth, here’s a guy who is tremendously large but can work in a style guys far smaller than him are more comfortable with. And, though he can do amazing spots for a man of any size but especially his size, he stays true to logic and what some call “old school” story telling. Chatting with him, it is of no surprise that he clearly is an extremely intelligent person. Sincerely, this was a genuinely enjoyable conversation with a very interesting guy.
Dijak is an MLW star and he presently is one half of the MLW World Tag Team Champions as part of the Skyscrapers with Bishop Dyer. Their next title defense is at MLW x Don Gato Tequila Lucha De Los Muertos against Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, the Good Brothers. You can find out more options to watch at www.MLW.com.
Don’t forget to check out www.WrestlingEpicenter.com for more great interviews including our entire 900 plus interview catalog, our online store, news, results, rest in peace tributes to our fallen heroes, and so much more!
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/KOSTEnlt3cQ
DONOVAN DIJAK:
On what makes MLW special:
“I said it yesterday. And, I was reading some feedback and somebody said MLW is like a car crash you can’t look away from. I think that is such an incredible compliment especially in today’s world where wrestling is sort of repetitive and formulaic. You see the same the same concepts and storylines again and again and again. But, with MLW, it is exactly that. It is like a car crash. For example, last month we did a thing where I attacked a 6’11 monster with a pumpkin. I believe that same giant murdered somebody earlier with an electric chair. So, if you are looking for some of the wildest wrestling that is totally different from everything else that is out there, plus, you get to see me, the greatest professional wrestler today as well as other great wrestlers as well, that is what you’re getting with MLW. That is what you are getting with Major League Wrestling. Court Bauer has brought in such a unique and diverse array of talent – some recognizable names, some that are new to the audience, and it all mixes together sort of into this incredible pot and what you get is the best show on Planet Earth!”
On MLW being the “island of misfit toys” of wrestling:
“(laughs) I don’t mind that at all! We do have talent that did not fit in anywhere else. I’ve been in every other company! If you are looking for a true alternative, this is the only true alternative that is out there. Think of all the companies that used to be alternatives. They’re all owned by billionaires now! Or, they’re in bed with billionaires. I can tell you one company that isn’t! MLW!”
On how the likes of Austin Aries and Matt Riddle fit in MLW’s “laid back” locker room:
“I wouldn’t say laid back. Laid back could almost come off as if we don’t care. We do care. What I would say is that MLW has the most diverse locker room with some controversial people with strong opinions. I can’t speak for why one guy didn’t fit in in one locker room or another or the corporate aspect – I’ve been in most locker rooms or at least know someone who has been in every locker room. But, I’m enjoying my time in the MLW locker room. It isn’t clicky, there isn’t any backstabbing, it just feels like we are all working together to put out the best product possible. What else can you ask for?”
On being paired with Bishop Dyer in the Skyscrapers in MLW:
“Just an incredible person. I had the pleasure of sharing the NXT locker room with him in 2023 and 2024. I got to wrestle against him. I got to work with him when he was doing his tag team stuff with Bron Breakker. So, I now get the pleasure to work with someone who is always working to get the business that is presented to him over. I don’t think that can be understated. In a world of professional wrestling where almost everyone is out for themselves, and perhaps rightfully so if you think about it, he (Bishop Dyer) is always willing to take a piece of busines sthat he is given and make it better. That is such a valuable asset. It is an overlooked asset. There is not enough guys who can do that.”
On how he fell in love with pro wrestling:
“I have an older brother, he’s about 3 and a half years older than me. So, whatever he did, I did. He started playing basketball, I started playing basketball. He played football, I played football. In very early 1998, he started watching wrestling, I started watching wrestling too! That was right about when “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was on his meteoric rise to the top which really hasn’t ever ended. (laughs) He’s still probably the msot over guy in the business. So, yeah. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was my guy growing up…. And, even when he turned heel, I was like…. “Nah, even though you’re a bad guy, I’m not going to abandon you!” (laughs) You know?”
On his initial impressions of WWE and if it was a massive change:
“Well, my introduction to WWE was a more gradual experience. I wasn’t thrust straight onto WWE RAW in front of a massive audience with minimal training the way some have. For me, I got some television experience with Ring of Honor which sort of morphed into the (WWE NXT) Full Sail audience which had a wider audience on Hulu which turned into a cable audience. Then, my introduction on WWE RAW was in front of nobody because it was the Thunderdome screens and then, finally, that turned into the full RAW audience experience. But, still, I wasn’t really doing anything important. I was just in the throw-away tag team match which I took extremely seriously. But, my experience was all very gradual as opposed to being immediately thrust into the spotlight. I got a gradual introduction to Triple H. I got a gradual introduction to Vince McMahon. So, I guess you could say I had a lot of leeway, for lack of a better term, as to how I was progressing in WWE.”
On if he learned from Shawn Michaels:
“Absolutely. Again, my introduction to Shawn was the same as a lot of my introductions in WWE, it was very gradual. I think the first time we met was in 2018, 2019 at a combine in NXT. He just wasn’t around very much at that time. I want to say he was getting a medicine ball and I said “it is nice to meet you.” But, the first time I worked with Shawn Michaels on something was when he was the agent for my match with the Velveteen Dream – My first match on NXT TV. Then, in 2019, he became my coach in NXT. We built that relationship. And, then I went off to RAW but when I came back, he was the head honcho for NXT. And, that relationship cotinued to grow. I was one of the more utilized guys on NXT for that run which started in 2022. No one wanted to pick Shawn Michaels’ brain more than me. And, not just with the wrestling. Obviously, he was unbelievably helpful with the wrestling. But, also, he understands that I’m a big man and obviously I’m going to sell something differently than a smaller wrestler. He also is really incredible at getting more out of moments. That is why I think he is the greatest in-ring wrestler of all time. In-ring wrestling covers a million different things. But, his shinning thing is really being able to get the most out of moments.”
On if any new angle would have succeeded during the no-crowd pandemic era:
“Oh, absolutely. I think a lot of things flurished during the Thunderdome era. Unfortunately, Retribution was not one of them. (laughs) I think there was a chance for Retribution but it would have been easier for us had there been a live audience to sort of get a proof of concept and be able to determine what was and was not working. In the Thunderdome, it was the opinion of one. How can you change that opinion with pre-programed screens making faces. How can you tell what the audience things? The crowd is fake! But, a lot of things did flurish in the Thunderdome.”
On being presented with the T-Bar name:
“Part of me wants to give credit to Vince McMahon for that. Vince wanted a group of virtual unknowns to come in and play that role. The reality is, I wanted to play that role. I volunteered for that role. Obviously, the name T-Bar didn’t exist when I was making this pitch. All that we knew was it was an invasion angle. I was like, “Cool! I want to be part fo this!” I know Vince wanted random people to populate this. I was like, “Cool! I’m random people!” But, the reality is, I wasn’t random people. I wasn’t, Mia Yim wasn’t. Even my tag team partner Mace had been an announcer on WWE TV before, Mason Madden. NXT had reached enough people to where we weren’t as unknown as they might have thought. So, it was different than when Isaac Yankem became Kane and a lot of people didn’t know – His mask covered more. There were a lot of big, jacked up guys at that time. Maybe that is an apples to oranges comparison. But, even when we first made our debut, everyone was like, “Ok, yeah, I know who all of those people are.” (laughs) I’ll give you a great example. Imagine if Oba Femi came on TV and didn’t do the accent. A lot of people think that is his real accent – It is not his real accent. But, people think it is his accent because that is the only way he’s been presented. So, it makes him cool, awesome, and unique. I think Retribution had the potential to be cool, awesome, and unique if it was just 4 people you didn’t know.”
On if his Stand & Deliver 2024 match was his favorite:
“I’m proud of it. But, it is not my favorite. My favorite match was at NXT Deadline 2023. But, as far as accolades, my biggest accolade ever in pro wrestling was being named the NXT 2024 Match of the Year for that Stand and Deliver match. As wrestlers, we like to think of titles as things we earned. And, I guess in a way, we do earn them? But, in reality, they’re props for story telling. At the end of the day, that is what it is. So, I can’t control if I win a title. But, the one thing I can control is my performance. And, the accolade of being named Match of the Year really is my highest achievement in pro wrestling. And, I’ll give credit where it is do. The management that I already spoke of, Shawn Michaels and Matt Bloom, they didn’t have to do that. There probably was pressure on them not to do that. They didn’t have to feature a guy who isn’t even on their roster anymore and say, “Hey, Match of the Year!” They didn’t have to do that. But, they did!”
On the drastic change on the indy scene from 2017 to today:
“It is drastically different. AEW gave a platform for a lot of guys that were on the independent circuit. And, I still do shows with guys who are signed to AEW contracts. Same thing for TNA. And, to a lesser extent, some WWE guys can do independent dates. Not as many. But, in the 7 years I was with WWE, that was almost unheard of. But, the independent scene is far different. It is a lot younger. There aren’t as many guys like me… You know, journeymen, been lots of places. Most of those guys, like me, are signed to one of those places. It is a double edged sword that sort of works in my favor. If a promoter has a choice of 3 wrestlers and lets say the first one is signed to AEW, the second is signed to TNA, and then there’s me. Well, they know I’m not going to get pulled off their show for a mysterious TV taping. I’ll be there. So, that makes me a more reliable commodity.”
On the culture of wrestling for CMLL:
“Dramatically different. It is almost like they are caught in a time capsule. They are infatuated with the concept of good guy versus bad guy. They are a very passionate crowd… From my experience, they are the most passionate crowd I’ve ever been in front of.”
On his MLW Tag Title defense at MLW x Don Gato Tequila Lucha De Los Muertos:
“This is a first time match up as the Skyscrapers take on the Good Brothers. It is the first time I’ll be working with either of them which is different. I’m sort of known as the guy who wrestled everyone on the roster but we never did wrestle. And, it is happening at the biggest stage we have which is MLW for the biggest prize, the MLW World Tag Team Championships. No where else will you find guys with our level of experience or our amount of size – We are all 6’9 or bigger. You can’t find a tag match like this anywhere else in the world!”
On his true feelings about Vince McMahon:
“You know, I have to give him credit. All of us, uncluding myself, still use something that Vince McMahon gave us in how we do things. And, remember, I was the guy in the locker room, me and Ali, and say how we would never get a chance with this guy and he doesn’t get it. This was a weekly part of our work at Monday Night RAW! (laughs) I’m grateful for the opportunities he gave me. I am. I’m grateful I was employed when a lot of people were losing their jobs. And, I’m grateful he gave me a lot of opportunities even though some didn’t go very well. The character I’m doing right now – A sort of justice, law enforcement style character with the black leather and glasses – That started with Vince McMahon. And, as soon as I’m off the phone with you, I’m going to go and do that character, monetize that character, tonight. I’m grateful for that and I’m not going to pretend I’m not because he might have done things that make him not a great person. I’m a Criminal Justice major, so, innocent until proven guilty. I don’t know. I never saw any of the things he is accused of happen. But, it sounds as though they probably did. So, I’m not going to go and become friends with him. I’m not saying he’s a good person or anything. (laughs) But, I’m also not going to discount the positives that I got from him.”
On Jim Cornette always using him as an example of new school wrestling with old school logic:
“I really appreciate him. Jim has always been a supporter of mine. Obviously, he’s a very polarizing person and I don’t, by any means, agree with everything he says. But, I do agree with a lot. He reminds me a lot of Terry Taylor in that they both are devoted to the old school fundamentals mentality. And, I’m not! (laughs) I’m a big guy doing flips off the ropes. But, I do listen and try to make what I do work in one presentation that can fasciate all of it. I’ve never been one for the “they’re on the other side of the fence” sort of thing. So, if Jim Cornette gives my work praise, I appreciate it just as much as if a Dave Meltzer gave me praise as he’s sort of on the other side of the fence, right? He likes the high flying, no selling, high octane, longer matches style. And, I like that too… I like all of it!”
