By: Tom Mitchell
Beyond the Canvas is a monthly interview series PPW’s backstage announcer, Tom Mitchell, will present to fans in anticipation for the next show. At the end, Tom will offer his personal opinion on what the PPW superstar has to stay. The guest this month will be one of the brightest stars in PPW, as well as current Golden Ticket holder, Desean Pratt.
“The Prince of Camden” has seen it all in his wrestling career, taking on some of the biggest names in the world, traveling the world, becoming a YouTube sensation as Amasis and everything in between. Entering his prime now, Pratt has taken down just about everyone PPW has thrown in front of him. Now, with the Golden Ticket briefcase in hand, “Mr. Golden Opportunity” can pencil his name in as the next PPW Heavyweight Champion. I talked to Pratt to see where his head was and if he can offer any insight as to when he plans to cash in.
Interview with Desean Pratt
Tom Mitchell: You are one of the most seasoned competitors on the PPW, wrestling for 13 years now. What has been your favorite moment of your career thus far?
Desean Pratt: My favorite moment was definitely being featured on an IMPACT Wrestling production. I've always wanted to be apart of one of their events and still have hopes to work for them one day in the future. So having the opportunity to be on their radar was definitely my favorite part of my career.
Tom: You took a brief hiatus from wrestling, and were even thinking about retirement, but ultimately decided to come back. What made you come back to the squared circle?
DP: Wrestling is something I've always wanted to do. I took the hiatus to refocus and reformulate my approach to this ever changing business. I needed a new perspective to succeed and I feel that it's doing me very well.
Tom: I must agree that your new perspective is leading you to a ton of success. In PPW alone, you have knocked off plenty of top stars around the globe including Drago, Simon Gotch, Facade, Mike Orlando, and KM. What has made you so successful in big time matches?
DP: Desean Pratt is no stranger to big time matches. My success comes from knowing what it takes to perform at such a high level and caliber. Even dating back to my rookie days in CHIKARA Pro, it was put up or shut up when you get thrown in the big match pictures and if you failed, there was no telling if I would ever get another opportunity to shine. So every chance that I get at a big match I take it to the highest limit and take it to the max every time and in the process I know if that if my opponent beats me, that's just another rung on the proverbial ladder that I'm knocked down to.
Tom: I can completely understand that. On a different note, you and KC Navarro have had a very rocky relationship in the past. Do the issues still linger or is that water under the bridge now?
DP: KC is damn good competitor. I'll give him that. He reminds me of myself when I was coming up the game. However, he is very naive to the fickleness that is professional wrestling. I just wanted him to show his teeth a little bit, put some bass on his voice, and realize that smiling and slapping hands, kissing babies, and flipping and flying for the masses gets you nowhere. It's all about finding your inner self and staying true to your inner self. The day he learns that he'll understand why I did what I did to him.
Tom: I’m sure you’re intentions were good but it came across the wrong way in the eyes of the PPW Nation. Anyways, speaking of Orlando, Facade and Gotch, you defeated all three of those men in order to win your Golden Ticket. What does holding the briefcase do for your PPW career?
DP: Holding this Golden Ticket gives me immortality. At any point in time of MY choosing I can cash this baby in and stake my claim as the BEST PPW champion the company has ever seen. This briefcase is only going to soar me to even higher heights and will give me the ammunition I need to show that playing nice never gets you want you want.
Tom: Last question. Could you give the fans any insight as to when you will cash in your briefcase?
DP: Absolutely not!!! Those knuckleheads are just going to have to continue paying their hard earned money to see when that moment happens. This is all a game to me and I hold ALL the pieces to ensure victory. Please believe!!!!
Tom: Thank you for your time, Mr. Pratt.
Tom’s Take
It’s crazy to think how Desean has been wrestling for so long, yet it only feels like we are scratching the surface of his potential. Pratt’s in ring psychology is unmatched in PPW, and he has the superhuman athleticism and deceptive strength to go with it, making him the total package for a wrestler. He certainly could have handled the KC Navarro situation a lot better in my eyes, but Pratt has always been one to go at it alone, so maybe teaming him up with “The Skyreaper” was not the best idea.
“Mr. Golden Opportunity” is truly in a golden spot on PPW, as he is allowed to cash in his briefcase for a championship match at anytime and anywhere he pleases. Evander James better be on high alert, especially after Pratt brutalized him with the briefcase last month after the match. Pratt showed just how ruthless and calculated he is by not cashing in on that night; in fact, Pratt is all but guaranteed to wait until the perfect moment to cash in and win his first ever PPW Heavyweight Championship. If that happens, the “Prince of Camden” could turn to the king right before our very eyes.