by Gerry Strauss
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What goes through the mind of a typical up-and-coming female worker on the indy scene (especially a really hot one?) I'm Gerry Strauss, and I'm aiming to find out, even if I have to go through hundreds of 'em, I'll MAKE that sacrifice...don't ever say I did nothing for ya... this time around, we have Chrystal Carmichael...based in the Chicago area, and making waves in promotions in the Midwest...she has the looks...she has the skills...does she have the brains? Don't look at me, I just ask the questions, YOU be the judge... oh, and as usual, drop me a line with comments, questions, shout outs, or whatever you feel at gerrystrauss@aol.com, and check out all the archived interviews as well, there's some good stuff somewhere in there...
1) According to your published background, you were very active in a
physical sense early on. You actually joined the high school wrestling
team, and that led to your entering the ranks of the pros. Why were you
so attracted to the idea of being so phyical with people on a regular
basis?
You know what, it was just one of those things I picked up. I wasn't a
tomboy in H.S, but, I was very physically competitive. I wasn't no girl
wrestling prodigy but I did pretty good. And, I didn't have all this grown-up
girl stuff (i.e hair, make-up, big boobs, etc.) getting in the way and
distracting the little boys either.
2) Why do you feel you were not chosen to be in the cast of the first "Tough Enough" after making it to the last 25 finalists?
I was soo shy. I couldn't talk. I cried for like 3 days afterwards. I know you can't be shy in wrestling but you try being stuffed in a small room with about 100+ strangers. If I could do it all over again, I would've won that damn contest.
3) Do you feel there is any sort of inherent racism in wrestling? Have you ever experienced any treatment in the wrestling business, whether preferential or abusive, that seemed racially motivated? This could include experiences with promoters, workers, fans or anyone else. Include any examples.
You know what, not to get too personal, an old fed I was in started up an urban league and wanted me in it. They put me in a group of these really cool guys but it just didn't fit me. Another time, they tried to make me ride to shows with this one kid and I don't know why. I was 18 at the time. Then I dyed my hair blonde for a change and started dating one of the guys. Everybody loved our Krystal & Krez Konection gimmick. I thought it was pretty funny. I don't like the thought of being classified in any one group.
4) As a pro wrestler/ possible aspiring model, you walk a fine line between
your somewhat conflicting desires to "get down and dirty", and
to preserve your beauty. What's the priority, and don't you feel that
your wrestling career will inevitably hurt your potential to model after
getting accidentally stiffed in the face a few times?
Nothing makes me more mad than someone trying to hurt me on porpose. And,
as you can tell, I'm not some frail chick. I'm not too worried. I've been
doing this for almost 8 years.
5) The Chicago indy scene is not heard from nearly as much as the east
coast, or even down south. What's your opinion of the quality and vitality
of independent wrestling in Chicago. Do you feel it is a good place for
you to further your wrestling ambitions, or do you feel the need to relocate
at some point to a more high profile locale
The Chicago scene is a little biased. The only way to make it in this
biz is to get out and travel. A lot of good workers came out of Chicago.
There's not too many girls left either.
6) This question is for those wrestling fans who are interested in the anatomical make- up of an athletically advanced prototypical female wrestler in the year 2003: Real or surgically enhanced?
What are you trying to say? It doesn't make a difference but I'd say bigger is a little bit more of what everybody wants to see. But, it's all about how the girl feels about herself. Some girls who don't it have might try to hold it against the girls who do. They're just tits.
7) Some women make it in this business on athletic ability and skill. Some make it on looks. Some make it on a combination of the two. Which category do you fit in, and what is your opinion of the others?
Honestly, I'm in between. All feds want the pretty girls. I use that to my advantage. But I can back my looks up in the ring as well. Look at the girls in WWE. Some of them are awesome workers, but there's still a lot of clevage flying around, a few are so bad at wrestling, they just stick them in gravy matches or mixed tags where the boys do all the work. But I can still look hot and wrestle at the same time.
