Chris Harvard, most notable for his appearance on the WWF�s & MTV�s ORIGINAL Tough Enough season is continuing to make waves. This time for his pure wrestling ability on independents around the country and even faced off against Tough Enough winner Maven at WWF�s Fan Axxess prior to WreslteMania. You might be surprised to find Chris Harvard is more than the person you met on MTV.
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NATE STEIN: For anyone who may not have ever seen you, how would you introduce yourself?
CHRIS HARVARD: I would just introduce myself as a young man who loves to wrestle and entertain.
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STEIN: What motivated you to get into pro wrestling? What motivates you to stay?
HARVARD: I was motivated to get into pro wrestling because I wanted to be a part of energy, pageantry, and spectacle of it. I get more excited and involved in watching wrestling than any sport, TV show, or movie. The things these people are able to do, both athletically and emotionally, boggles the mind. And it looks like they are having a blast while they do it. I wanted to see if I could do it too.
I am motivated to stay by the challenge and the fun of it. I�ve found that wrestling is an extremely difficult job to do well. Easily the hardest thing I�ve ever done. There are so many skills and talents required, and the dedication, focus, and discipline required to be successful pushes me to my limits. I�m the type of guy that needs that in a career. The rewards, while not necessarily monetary, are huge. The sense of personal accomplishment after a great match, and the camaraderie and community with the other wrestlers is an honor a privilege to be a part of.
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STEIN: Going to Harvard, what made you decide to choose wrestling?
HARVARD: I have been employed at a pharmaceutical and biotech consulting firm since graduating from Harvard. It is one of those 'Harvard' jobs that everyone is supposed to get right out of college, at a prestigious firm for a hefty salary, and then you slave away the best years of your life at a computer. The spring of my senior year, I was trying to make in to the NFL, but fell short. I wasn�t ready to hang it up, though. I was a hardcore wrestling fan, as was my boss, and we would always talk about wrestling at work. My boss had worked in wrestling while he did entertainment consulting. Considering my personality and athletic background, he mentioned that maybe I should take a shot at wrestling. He offered to let me work part time while I went to wrestling school. I took stock of my situation, and considering I was only 21 and not ready to become a desk jockey quite yet, I took a chance and enrolled at Killer Kowalski�s.
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STEIN: What made you choose Killer Kowalski's school? What would you say to someone else looking into pro wrestling training?
HARVARD: I chose Killer Kowalski�s for two reasons. First, it has a great reputation and a great list of alumni. Second, it�s the only school of that caliber near where I live. After watching a couple classes, and seeing the skills and intensity of the students, it was an easy choice.
To someone else looking for a school, I would say to be sure to shop around. The one you pick will have a huge influence of your attitude towards the business, your skills, and frankly yours and other�s safety. I�ve been to and seen bad schools, and they are a complete waste of time and money. If you are serious about doing this, you should be willing to relocate to attend the best school for you.
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STEIN: What made you decide to try out for Tough Enough?
HARVARD: I decided to try out for Tough Enough after much deliberation. Having been brought up the right way at wrestling school, which I attended for almost 3 months before filming began, I was worried that it was the wrong way to get into the business. I worried it might be too much too soon. I worried that the backlash from other wrestlers would not make it worth it. I worried that if I was not mentally and physically ready to show myself to the WWF, than I would permanently ruin my chances of ever making it there. These worries, however, were offset by the fact that I got into wrestling to make it to be the best wrestler I can be, to have fun, to challenge myself, and to eventually get into the WWF. This opportunity satisfied all of those goals, so I took the risk.
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STEIN: Knowing what the experience was like, would you do it again?
HARVARD: I would do it again in a heartbeat. While it was the hardest nine weeks of my life, physically, mentally, and emotionally, it was completely worth it, both personally and professionally. To be able to succeed in an environment where I was pushed to my physical limits every day, my brain was challenged in new ways, and I was forcibly isolated from all friends and family for 63 days has given me an enormous sense of accomplishment and confidence. The training I received is second to none in probably the history of pro wrestling. And even from a fan�s perspective, the way I got to see and be a part of the WWF was unbelievable.
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STEIN: What do you say to someone who comments negatively about a way you may have appeared to be on the show?
HARVARD: I usually don�t say too much. If they truly believe that I am that jerk from the show and don�t understand the power of editing, then I don�t want to try to convince them otherwise, for they will be my biggest allies if I ever get back on TV. 99% of people have nothing but nice things to say, either because they actually like me or are just polite and respectful people.
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STEIN: How would you compare your WWF training with Kowalski's?
HARVARD: WWF training and Kowalski�s were completely different animals. With the WWF, you had no more than 13 kids starting from the ground up, 4 WWF trainers, 6 hours a day, state-of-the-art facilities, and superstar guest speakers. At a regular school you have 20 kids, one or two trainers, people of all different experience levels, variable facilities, and maybe two hours of class time. Comparing the training is like comparing apples and oranges.
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STEIN: What have you been doing since Tough Enough?
HARVARD: Since Tough Enough I have been wrestling independents every weekend. I work mostly out of the Northeast, but have also traveled to London and Houston, and have trips scheduled to Ireland, California, and Canada. I�ve had nothing but great experiences, and I love what I do. I also regularly have one on one acting lessons with a local acting professor, and have learned so many new skills and ways of approaching my craft. I am also back working full time at the consulting firm, so life is ridiculously crazy right now, but I�m having fun.
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STEIN: What are some of your goals in your wrestling career? What are some of your plans for the immediate future?
HARVARD: My goals are to become the best wrestler I can be. I believe that I can be one of the best ever, and I�m giving everything I have into developing the skills necessary. My goals for the immediate future are to just get better every week, and be ready if the WWF ever calls.
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STEIN: What do you think of wrestling today? What would you change?
HARVARD: I love wrestling today. The WWF is a good product, and I can�t wait to see what they have in store if they do actually split. I would like to change the fact that there are too many bad promoters who are not honest and don�t treat the wrestlers with respect, but are out there to make a quick buck. That makes for a bad product, unhappy fans, and unhappy workers. I�ve worked places where things are run right, and everyone walks away happy with their experience. That should be the case all the time.
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STEIN: Anyone from wrestling you want to see interviewed? What question would you ask?
HARVARD: You know, I want to see everyone in wrestling get interviewed. There are things I can learn from all of them. So, for now I�ll just continue to pick their brains when I meet them.
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STEIN: Anything additional you would like to add?
HARVARD: Thanks for letting me do this interview. It was a lot of fun. To the fans, thanks for all the positive support, and I hope to see you at a show sometime. Promoters can reach me at [email protected], and be sure to check out my website, which will be online soon, at www.chrisharvard.net.