Mathias Gonzalez Media TV interview on WWE and Mexico

The Mathias Gonzalez Media TV interview covered a match against Shocker in Mexico, the wrestler’s on-screen work with WWE and TNA, and why he now calls himself the Strength Warrior. Speaking with Jose G on MILLIONS, Mathias also traced his path from martial arts in Northern California to professional wrestling in San Diego.

How did Mathias become a pro wrestler?

Mathias became interested in professional wrestling as a child after seeing John Cena face The Great Khali, a story that reminded him of growing up among three much larger brothers. With no wrestling school near his Northern California hometown, he spent years in martial arts and strength training before moving to San Diego to begin wrestling.

John Cena and the giants at home

Mathias described himself as roughly six feet tall and 220 to 240 pounds, yet the smallest of four brothers. His younger brother, he said, is at least six inches taller and about 80 pounds heavier. The family played football, but Mathias did not take to it. His mother enrolled him in martial arts instead.

While his brothers were away at football, he found wrestling on television. Around age 11, the John Cena–Great Khali story held his attention because, as Mathias put it, he felt like Cena living with three giants. He had seen bits of wrestling earlier, but that story made him want to pursue it.

Training before the move to San Diego

Mathias grew up in Northern California’s Gold Country, hours from a wrestling school. He said he needed to earn enough to move while also paying his way through college. In the meantime, he trained for size and strength and spent 20 years in martial arts. Demonstrations before crowds gave him experience performing physical sequences in front of an audience. He credits that preparation with helping him learn wrestling quickly once he reached San Diego.

What did Mathias say about wrestling Shocker in Mexico?

Mathias wrestled Shocker in Mexico as part of a match involving Border Patrol, though he emphasized that he was not a member of the group. He remembered a large crowd, the reaction to their entrance and an unusually long trip home after a border crossing closed.

Facing Shocker with Border Patrol

Mathias was brought in as a singles wrestler aligned with Border Patrol for the match. Shocker was his principal opponent, while the other wrestlers paired off. Mathias said the group entered to the Cops theme song, a change from the music he expected, and drew the hostility intended for the visitors facing a local favorite.

The match was short, he said, but he enjoyed working with Shocker and speaking with him afterward. Mathias recalled spectators filling two levels around the venue and said he was treated well during the visit.

The trip back across the border

Getting home proved harder than wrestling the match. According to Mathias, one border crossing had closed, leaving heavy traffic at the others. He said he drove about an hour east to find a crossing before returning for work the next day. He has wrestled in Mexico and the United States, but said he had not wrestled in Puerto Rico.

What is Mathias’s Strength Warrior character?

Mathias calls his current wrestling character the Strength Warrior, a name that brings together the power he emphasizes in the ring and the discipline he developed through martial arts. He said the character is still evolving as he tests new presentation ideas and learns what connects with crowds.

He began wrestling without a defined character, then tried other names as he worked out how best to present his size and style. Mathias said an earlier nickname did not fit him as well as he hoped. At a seminar with EC3, he learned that EC3 had previously used the same name, though Mathias said EC3 did not object.

The Strength Warrior name had also been Mathias’s powerlifting nickname. He connected its strength component to his preference for big power moves, its discipline to 20 years of martial arts, and its ambition to his habit of setting another goal after reaching one. He uses martial arts kicks selectively rather than making them the whole of his ring style.

Mathias described failure as part of finding the right character and presentation. He put his determination this way:

I don't care how many times I fail again, no matter what I'm making it

Which wrestlers and music influence Mathias’s presentation?

Mathias draws from Goldberg, Batista, Triple H and John Cena, while choosing moves that suit his own power-based style. For his entrance, he favors music that gets him through the curtain immediately rather than a long build; Saliva’s “Click Click Boom” has been central to that approach.

Power moves and wrestling video games

Mathias joked that he found his moves in wrestling video games, sometimes choosing an animation he liked without knowing which wrestler performed it. He named Triple H as his personal greatest wrestler and also cited Goldberg, Batista and Cena. After his spinebuster, he adds a gesture inspired by Goldberg but performs it in his own way.

He said his quick spinning neckbreaker took practice. Mathias recalled seeing Goldberg use the move against Brock Lesnar, then trying it in training before he felt he had made it work. The emphasis, he said, is on how quickly it brings an opponent down.

An entrance that starts immediately

Saliva’s “Click Click Boom” has been Mathias’s entrance song, and he said he also uses a custom track by a local band with similar energy. He dislikes waiting through a long introduction before appearing. For him, the entrance is a first impression, so he continues to test ways to make it fit the character.

What did Mathias say about working with WWE and TNA?

Mathias said his work with major promotions has included extra roles, production support and brief on-screen segments, not televised matches for All Elite Wrestling or TNA. He values those jobs because they let him learn how larger shows are assembled while pursuing a future match of his own.

TNA segments and backstage work

At TNA, Mathias said he helped set up tapings and worked with different members of the crew. He recalled taking a move from Eric Young during his first visit. He has also appeared in security and doctor roles and worked in segments involving other performers. He described TNA as a place where an extra could get to know people across the production.

All Elite Wrestling, he said, photographs new extras in case a role comes together at short notice. Mathias stressed that such work may involve being ready quickly rather than receiving weeks of notice about a specific segment.

WWE appearances and learning on the job

Mathias said he has done numerous small on-screen jobs for WWE. He recalled helping Cody Rhodes clean up blood in footage used for a WrestleMania preview and appearing as a police officer in a Raw segment involving Brock Lesnar. He said extras are sometimes told only what they need for their part, allowing them to react naturally to events around them.

For Mathias, the opportunity is also educational. He watches how producers and stunt coordinators put segments together and sees backstage skills as another way people can contribute to a show. He said he wants to move from standing near established wrestlers in a segment to entering for a match of his own.

What SoCal Pro Wrestling events did Mathias discuss?

Mathias discussed a SoCal Pro Wrestling heavyweight title defense against Hector Canales in Vista and a separate benefit show for trainer SoCal Crazy’s family. He directed fans to the calendar linked from his social profiles for event details, tickets and updates.

A title defense in Vista

Mathias named the Boys & Girls Club of Vista as the site of his October 17 defense against Canales, whom he called a Hall of Famer. He said they had not faced each other before. He also mentioned further dates with Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and United Wrestling Network, without setting out a complete schedule in the conversation.

A benefit for SoCal Crazy’s family

Mathias said SoCal Crazy, a trainer at SoCal Pro Wrestling, had died from colon cancer. He announced a November 7 benefit at the promotion’s training facility and encouraged people who could not attend to support the family through its fundraiser.

Who is Mathias?

Mathias is a professional wrestler, fourth-degree black belt and martial arts world champion. His athletic background combines martial arts expertise with competitive wrestling skills.