The following is transcended from a radio interview that Blake Jones did earlier today with DJ Scooter...
Scooter: Well, we’ve got a special guest here today. In fact, I’m almost surprised we were able to get him on considering he’s been kind of off the radar since his match in PWP against his own brother, Zack Jones. Please welcome, wrestler Blake Jones.
Blake: Thanks for having me, Scooter.
Scooter: Yeah, no problem. You called me up a few days ago and told me you needed a couple of minutes to say something?
Blake: Yes, I did. I think it’s something that some people may want to know. For the others that won’t care, that’s fine. I just think I better explain why I’ve kinda disappeared off of the map the past few weeks.
Scooter: Alright, I guess we should start with where were you at?
Blake: Well, the last time someone saw me was in late July in San Antonio, where I wrestled my fraternal twin, Zack, and dropped the PWP Heavyweight championship to him in a 2/3 falls match. After that, I headed back to Philadelphia and after some talking with the wife, we decided to pack up and have ourselves a bit of a vacation. So, from the first of August until about two days ago, I was in Bermuda with my wife and had really shut off all forms of communication.
Scooter: My assumption is you took the break for a good reason?
Blake: Besides the fact that my body was killing me from wrestling all these matches the past few years? Yeah, I had to think about a few things.
Scooter: And what would those things be?
Blake: Well...the first thing that I had to think about was wrestling.
Scooter: Seems obvious.
Blake: That’s because it is. I thought about wrestling and I went back to see all of my accomplishments. I thought about wrestling and I thought about what I had done in just five years and to be honest with you, I realized something that may surprise some and may not surprise others. I realized that I...am done with wrestling. I realized that I just don’t have the drive for it that I used to have over a year ago for it.
Scooter: Hmm...and why is that?Blake: I think I realized why as soon as I realized that I just didn’t care that much for wrestling anymore. And the reason why is because I’ve achieved all of the goals I set for myself when I first started wrestling. I won multiple tag titles and made my name in that division in different promotions. I won many other non-top titles, such as the XWA Hardcore championship and the EXODUS Pro San Diego Bay championship. I even won a top title in the PWP Heavyweight championship. I won a tournament in the form of FGA’s Dynamic Duos and I’ve even racked up some awards from some of the places I worked for. So, I guess I only have to say one thing to make it official.
Scooter: And what’s that?
Blake: That I, Blake Jones, am retiring from professional wrestling. After realizing that I just don’t want to do it anymore, I think it’s best that I just step away. Wrestling while not caring isn’t something the fans out there come for. They want to see guys who are serious about their work. They want to see people who really want to be in a wrestling ring. And if I’m part of a roster and don’t give a damn about wrestling, then it’s not fair to the people who do care that that roster spot can be used on.
Scooter: Now, does this mean you won’t pay attention to wrestling at all?
Blake: Pfft, of course not. I’ll be around, watching as much as I can. This just means that I don’t have the drive to continue wrestling anymore. I still respect those who can continue at it and succeed even more than me at it.
Scooter: Hm, alright. What were some of the other things you thought about?
Blake: Well, another thing I was thinking about was what I could do next, after wrestling. I’m only 24, so I know I’ve still got years to go before I can sit down and just call it a retirement.
*both men laugh*
Scooter: And did any options come to mind?
Blake: Well, I thought about going the basic route and trying to go to Hollywood to see if I can become an actor. Then I slapped myself and started trying to actually think of actual options. Going back to college was another option, but I had to really think hard about that.
Scooter: Oh?
Blake: Yeah. But the thing is, the only reason I went to Penn State was to play sports. I’m not saying I couldn’t graduate college. I can. It’s just that I have no degree I actually want to go for, especially since I don’t want to go the sports agent route either. So, it really kinda came down to one when I asked my agent about something and he came back with some results.
Scooter: And what would those results be?
Blake: Well, some people don’t know this, but the reason I went to Penn State was because I was a damn good soccer player in high school. In my only year on that team, I started as an attacking midfielder and we were able to have ourselves a decent season and I had myself a pretty good season as well. Some said I could have signed myself up for the draft had it not been for wrestling taking my attention. So, my agent came back to me and told me about this professional soccer league that’s going to be starting up and it was almost like I was having a eureka moment.
Scooter: Any info on this league?
Blake: I believe they’re planning on having a bit of an announcement/press conference deal in a few weeks from now or so. So, I’ll let them handle that. All I’m saying is that I plan on leaving pro wrestling and preparing myself to get back onto the soccer pitch.
Scooter: I guess that Blake Jones Invitational is going away now?
Blake: No, that’ll still be around. This September will be the last time I play in it. The next games will be hosted by me, but played by other wrestlers/celebrities. So, you’ll get to see the winning team captain get to captain again until they lose.
Scooter: Alright then. So, we should be on the lookout for this new soccer league?Blake: Yes. I’m sure this press conference will be scheduled soon and everybody will learn what they need to learn from it. I just needed to come on here to talk about my leaving of one sport and the entering of another. I’m very happy to be one of the first people to sign themselves up for the Five Star Soccer League.
Scooter: Ok. Any final words?
Blake: Um, yeah. I’ll be doing the personal thank you's in person with the people I worked with over the past few years, but I do want to thank all of the wrestling fans who cheered for me during my tenure in the wrestling business. I also will thank any of those fans who care enough to sit down and watch me succeed in another sports field. So, stay tuned for another ride, y’all. This next one’s going to be a long one. I guarantee you that.
Scooter: Alright. Thank you for coming on the show.
Blake: Thanks for having me, man.
