Anton Deryabin discusses why the wrestling business is struggling in Russia, its future and more [Exclusive] 

Anton Deryabin, aka the ‘People’s Champ’, is one of the most beloved wrestling Superstars in Russia. As a 7-time IWF Heavyweight Champion, Deryabin has found a special place for himself in the hearts of the wrestling fans across the country.

He made his wrestling debut in the tag team division has 3 IWF Tag Team Championships to his name. In 2007, Deryabin won the Moscow Champion Cup and thus, the ‘People’s champ’ was born. He is also the only person to have won High Stakes twice.

In December, Deryabin is set to face Lokomotiv in a Tag Team match at New Year Madness. Before getting busy with his training, he had a delightful conversation with me in which he revealed a lot of personal details concerning his profession, fans and pro-wrestling business in Russia.

In the interview, the former NSW Champion talked about his love for wrestling, his heroes and everything about becoming the People’s Champion. Not only that, but he also discussed why wrestling is losing its popularity in Russia and gave an honest account of the business’ struggle in this candid encounter.

Below are the excerpts.

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Q. You have wrestled in several other countries. How do you think wrestling is different in Russia?

Each country has a unique perspective towards the sport. For some, it's new so they really enjoy it. In France, wrestling is like a religion. Not as much as Mexico, but wresting is still a huge part of people’s lives back there. We had a promoter in France and he showed me a book. It had the entire history of wrestling shows held there throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.

People like it. They believe in wrestling. Children scream or cry when their heroes lose. Not just-kids, grown-ups choose to trust the action. It is magical because the audience becomes a part of the show. Huge pops make for an electric atmosphere.

But in Russia, a lot of fans go ‘I like MMA because wrestling is fake but MMA has a real fight’. It is very strange because this country has people who believe in psychics. They believe when someone holds the bowl and tells them that their future is in jeopardy but they don’t believe in wrestling. We have TV Shows where bad families kill kids and people believe those things. These shows get high ratings. The Internet tells them it is fake.

But that’s not the case in France. I think they have a huge potential to build a promotion as big as WWE. And people will definitely come in thousands to watch wrestling every weekend.

Q. You made your debut as a part of a Tag Team and now you mostly compete in Single’s competition. What is the biggest difference between then and now?

For wrestlers, you know, we had a huge fan base. Back then, the UFC and MMA were not famous. The people didn’t see a lot of action like jumping with parachute or sky-diving or skating or maybe some other sport. So, it was easy to make wrestling famous.

But now there are a lot of other sports. There are MMA and UFC… and now even UFC has become a little like wrestling. You know, they have storylines so wrestling’s popularity has slowly taken a toll. They say wrestling is ‘fake fights’ because of the script. But the fights are still real for me, for us…

Now, it is hard to convince people that sports entertainment is cool. It’s difficult to make wrestling that famous in Russia now but we try and work very hard for that dream.

Q. How do you think wrestling has evolved in Russia in the last decade?

Wrestling has changed in Russia, but not in a good way. There’s a lot of politics involved now.

When I debuted, we could say whatever we wanted. Like, use a couple of bad words. But now we can’t. A lot of kids come to watch the show and we don’t want to give them a bad impression. The role models are supposed to be good guys. No bad words, no talking s**t about others. Role models are now supposed to be like Superman or Iron Man. And the difference is all of that.

The people have the Internet now. In 2006, they believed in this art. But now they Google ‘wrestling is fake’ and there is a lot of information on that topic. Wrestlers who were previously in the business have said that it is fake. All move sets are rehearsed but who cares?

The difference is huge but we try to put on good shows. We try to avoid repeating storylines and hopefully, keep the audience engaged.

Q. Is there any other problem with the pro-wrestling business that is often ignored?

Three years ago, a mall was burnt. There were a lot of kids who were locked inside and they couldn’t make it. It was tragic.

After that, a lot of venues were shut down if they lacked appropriate fire safety. Among them, several places used to host wrestling shows The Government was strict about allowing the clubs to carry on with those shows. That also affected the price… we now pay 4-times more. We have a crisis here in Russia. The promoters don’t have enough money to buy clubs. And some of the sponsors wanted to steal. It’s difficult to find a balance.

Q. Do you think the pro-wrestling business will grow in Russia in the coming years?

Yes, because we will not stop. Now, there are so many bloggers who loved wrestling when they were kids and still come to the shows. They should no be underestimated. They bring hundreds of people and slowly, that family will grow. I am hopeful.

Q. Lastly, you are an inspiration to so many people. If you had to give any advice to your fans, what would it be?

I think a lot of people tell me that they have problems and they can’t solve it. But I always say, ‘Don’t stop’. You have to keep chasing your dreams. If anything goes wrong, they think that it is the end of the world, but it isn’t. Bad times are a part of your life. My only advice is to keep working on your problems until you solve them. Always remember, persistence is the key to your dream.

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Read Part I - Exclusive: 'People's Champ' Anton Deryabin fires warning at Lokomotiv, talks wrestling in Russia and more (Part I)