Video: Pro Wrestling Musical THE LAST MATCH is On the Rise!

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of On the Rise with Candice Cordelia, Broadway

World Production. I'm a little flustered and I'm botching my own name, and it's only because I am here

with three fantastic and talented artists slash wrestlers. Well, we have one wrestler in the group, pro wrestler, and I can't wait to talk about a

project that they are all deeply engrossed in and have been performing in and sold out mind you in

jersey city in late september it's called the last match it is an immersive pro wrestling rock

musical a lot of things happening at the same time but very excited to talk about the project

and talk to all of these three wonderful individuals we're just going to go down the line

And I have Matt Cardona, pro wrestler number 13 on the 20 to PWI 500 list

We got to shout that out and starring in the last match as Alexander Swagger, the show's lead heel

We'll talk all about that. I have Amber Ardolino. You may have seen her on TikTok. She's a TikTok extraordinaire, but also currently on Broadway and Funny Girl

and also in the last match as the fabulous Jenny. Welcome, Amber

And last but certainly not least, we have Ramin Karimloo. He is the leading male star, Ben Vengeance, in the last match

And you also have seen him in Funny Girl, On the West End

all over Broadway, international recording artists. I think I've said it all

Hopefully I've done a great job. I'm blowing up on TikTok, too

So I just keep going. everyone's blowing up on TikTok, doing all the things, but thank you all so very much. This is

quite an honor to get all three of you in this Zoom conversation about the last match. And

you know, I love obviously Broadway. I love pro wrestling as well. And seeing the two come

together. I mean, from what I understand, this is the first time this has happened and it's super

exciting. A sold out show in Jersey city, September 26th. I mean, first and foremost for all three of

you how was the audition process what was that like i just got a dm basket if i wanted to do it

there it is there it is i think finding actors who want to do pro wrestling against a pro like

matt it becomes slim pickings it's who's foolish enough uh there's me and amber yeah honestly i

I mean, Jeremiah is we are all in Funny Girl together. And I guess we all just kind of knew each other from that and felt like a good fit

Wow. Oh, yes. Yes. Jeremiah, obviously, as Amber said, he's in Funny Girl with us

And then he was just talking about this idea. And obviously, I've been a big pro wrestling fan, especially back in the 80s and early 90s, mid 90s

so when we were talking he was just riffing off coming up with a concept album and I said well

if there's any way you want me to help let me know so I kind of offered my services and he was like

well let's do a song fast forward three months I'm in the ring learning learning that pro wrestling

is not as fake as I anticipated and it may be scripted but those bumps are real and it was

probably the most enjoyable time of my career so that was the process was just building a daily

jeremiah coming into our rooms talking me and amber talking me and amber start spending a lot

of time developing these characters and thinking of well what is it what are we doing here and then

next thing you know we had a blast yeah and and you know jeremiah he's the one he sold me on it

right his passion came through the zoom right it was a zoom call and i never met him before in my

life but you could just tell that this wasn't just some writer writing some wrestling thing like he

was a passionate fan this was you know written by a fan for the wrestling fans i don't think you

necessarily need to be a wrestling fan to enjoy this you know i think it tells the story of you

know someone you know has been doing something their whole life now what are they going to do

you know their time it's over you know whether they're retiring or going somewhere else and

what do you do now you've been you've been this person your whole life i think anybody can relate

to that um but the wrestling aspect for me i was able to sink my teeth into it once i read the

script. I'll be honest. I didn't realize I had that much to do. I didn't read the whole script

And then, oh man, I'm in this whole goddamn thing. So it was a very stressful situation for me, but man, what a blast. So I can't even put into words

how fun and rewarding the two shows were. Wow. So for you, Matt, that's so funny. Did you have

any inclination to even want to be on Broadway, off-Broadway, do theater, because there are some

similarities with pro wrestling and theater, but was that something that you ever anticipated for

yourself? It's definitely not something that, you know, was in my plans for, for 2022, you know

but when the opportunity presented myself, presented itself, I always say I'm always ready

right? And I wanted to take this chance and branch out. And, you know, obviously there was a chance I

could fall flat on my face. I don't think I did. You know, it's still a work in progress for sure

but I thank everybody for helping me out. You know, I came in there with a couple of days

I've never done this before and everybody was so encouraging and, you know, they probably were

talking shit about me behind my back, but to my face, they were helping me out, helping me with

the lines, helping me feel comfortable. And once I felt comfortable, everything just kind of came

together. So for you, Matt, it was more so getting used to the idea of being in all of the scenes

which is a huge undertaking. But for you, Amber and Ramin, I mean, it's a huge undertaking when

we're talking about the physicality and getting into the mindset of a wrestler and training

learning how to run ropes, because this is an immersive musical. What was that experience like

for the both of you actually getting into the rigors of professional wrestling and really

thinking like a professional wrestler I'll go um do you know it was vital and important because as

you said there's a similarity between pro wrestling fans and theater fans because it ultimately comes

down to storytelling and people connecting with characters whether they be heroes or heels and

people want compelling stories they want to be entertained and given Matt his credit like he

didn't just show up and just be himself and be the heel that I know he plays in pro wrestling as

well but he was a great actor because he listened he played the beats he the the the his work ethic

was above and beyond so why wouldn't we match that to kind of give respect to the craft that he's

bringing and we wanted to learn because we want wrestling fans who do come see it as well to be

engaged with the physicality the physical truth that these wrestlers and this story we're talking

about and the damage Ben Vengeance has taken and also all these wrestlers that they take

And as Matt also brilliantly alluded to, it doesn't necessarily have to be a wrestling

fan to have the story accessible to them. But I think bringing all that physical truth as well as the emotional truth and the cerebral

truth all adds to what makes this so unique and different from anything else

and for us to experience that. I swear to you, I thought

I knew it was physically, you're athletes to do this, but taking those chops, it not a trampoline it planks of wood taking those bumps and also to take bumps to sell it you actually have to go against human Your natural way to fall is actually easier but we have to sell it

So it hurts even more. And but there's I don't know what it is

I know people will say, well, why would you do it? I'm like, there's it's like a drug. I'm like, maybe that's why not everyone wrestles

Not everyone acts and put it all together. I can't wait to get back in the ring

yeah going back to the audition portion of this I don't know how you would be able to audition this

show honestly because I think Ramin and I walked in a little I walked in more so than Ramin blind

to it because um I Ramin's been a wrestling fan and uh someone that appreciated that art form for

years and um I really didn't know what I was getting into but I mean we started each day with

30 minutes of wrestling training. And I know the two of us got hooked. I mean, it was just

it's something that we wanted to perfect and, and get better at just because, you know

we're with stars, athletic stars that this is their every day. And that was a huge challenge

in this is to make ourselves appear as if we are in the same world as them. And I think because we

got so hooked and like kind of bit by the bug a little bit of loving it so much. I mean, we're

continuing training. It's becoming something that like we are trying to interpret into our everyday

lives just to keep this process going because it is so difficult to jump into a role like this and

navigate doing a skill that we've never done before. So but incredible also to say that this

is like i mean matt came in knew all of his lines stepped into this world of like acting in theater

so um incredibly and i mean i think ramid and i are just trying to do the same you're right paying

the same respect of like being the best we can at this art form of wrestling and i i want to say

you guys absolutely did i was blown away when i walked in there how much you guys you were there

for a week and a half at that point and you knew how to bump you know amber jump off the top rope

me and for me in a full match like if you go to the show this isn't like some cinematic movie scene

where the punches aren't hitting we had a match a full-blown match you know i don't care what

anybody says and it hurt it hurt like the next day i woke up like that was a real match we had

it twice in one day you know really three times because we went over it before so when you i mean

When you text me, when you text me the next day, he said you're hurting. I was like, oh, thank God

I was just able to call a chiropractor. I was like, oh. Yeah. Yeah

I mean, I got to give props to Alpha Jr. and Bull James for training everybody

Because, I mean, you watch the show. It seems like all these people have been wrestling for years

They've been wrestling for weeks. You know? So that's a testament to how hard everybody was working, how seriously everyone was taking it

for you matt were you at all nervous uh for the first performance and because for you as a pro

wrestler you're used to this world but it's completely different where when you're in front

of a live theater audience because theater fans you know they're they're wrestling fans are

hardcore we know this theater fans are also hardcore it's it's one in the same but what

was it like for you it was the most stressful experience of my life both those shows it didn't

get easier this second show because for me when i'm wrestling okay i get nervous before right but

my music hits i walk out there what do i have five minutes ten minutes that's it and i'm done

with the show i do my scene i gotta go to the back i don't even know my lives for the next scene

read them real quick what's my cue i don't know it was stressful the whole i was on the whole time

but that's that's the theater game that's that's the world that these guys live in they're used to

this they do this you know what eight days a week you know twice on one day so it's unbelievable i

give these guys so much credit um not that i thought it was going to be easy i didn't think

it was going to be easy at all i did not anticipate how hard it was going to be

very fast in rehearsals before because matt came later because he was actually in england

fighting i'm going amber and we're going through this run throughs and someone stepping in for

matt at time i'm like does matt realize how many scenes and big monologues he's got you'll be fine

that is so great well let's talk about your characters a little bit more I mean let's start

with you Amber Jenny when we're talking about women in wrestling and I have to bring this up

there's so many things especially now in 2022 that fans want to see and one of those things

when we're talking about wrestling the wrestling industry and wrestling fans they're clamoring to

see more women in matches they're clamoring to see more women's wrestling they want to see women

main eventing were in such a really a really interesting time both within wrestling and

theater but especially as a woman in both of these worlds straddling both of these worlds and having

this experience what was it like for you taking on this role as jenny and really uh understanding

the role of women in wrestling especially today yeah i mean ever since last match ended i have been

watching wrestling non-stop. I actually just watched Matt's wife, Chelsea, in a match the other night

And it is so incredible to see these women that have this platform

showcasing that they can take these hits like men. They can be just as badass as men

It is so inspiring to watch And to bring a character of that level of badassery into the theater world is epic

You don't see many stories on Broadway being told where women are the main character stealing the show, helping their partner, and ultimately lifting them up at the end

it's it's a story that i am super proud to tell and i think it's awesome that last match is

putting a woman in the spotlight to kind of be the hero in in the end of the story um

and yeah i'm i'm excited that i get that's my story to tell uh and to kind of bring to life

what i love about her her part in the show is that this was you know really in the 80s like

the show takes place and she would you know just be the eye candy the manager the valet

and you know she's kicking ass she kicks my ass in the match you know miss elizabeth wouldn't

have went to the top rope and gave macho man the cross body and the scissor kick that wouldn't

have happened but we're rewriting history and how maybe how it should have been and she did a great

job making it believable as well and i'll tell you that kick to the back of the head she got me

you hear the audience's reaction on that it was amazing yeah there is an element to women's

wrestling it is so sexy the the sex appeal of it all of watching these women these gorgeous women

um kind of emulating on stage but yeah to be able to to show how strong um and capable and uh

is just super empowering and really fun to kick Matt Cardona ass Fantastic And you mentioned chelsea chelsea green math wife and i saw on social media that she was

at the show she was supporting you all and what was her feedback to all of you because she's used

to obviously seeing matt working with matt but for you amber and ramin i mean how how was that

because i noticed she was there as well as mickey james so i would love to know what their feedback

was as professional wrestlers to you all? I mean, two legends, Mickie James, I have become

now an ultimate fan of her and Chelsea could not have been more supportive. And to have that

kind of loving feedback from those two women that are at the height of their game

was incredible. I mean, I just to kind of get that stamp of approval from them is like

keep going, keep doing what you're doing. Cause it's, it is making

and made them both proud. It just, it felt awesome. And I will be training with Chelsea. I have a lot to learn

I was like, I'm coming to Florida. We are getting into training

They're amazing. And they couldn't have loved it more. And I've actually want to get both of them in this show

at some point. And, you know, Chelsea was absolutely blown away. I think she was a little jealous of me

that I was at the show and she wasn't. But I think it wasn't just Chelsea, but I think everybody was blown away

You know, like my brother, who's like a jaded, you know, wrestling fan who doesn't just kiss my butt

he supports everything I do, but he'll tell me, hey, that sucked. Or, you know, that was great

He was unbelievably blown away. He downloaded the album. He's been quoting the songs

and he's not a theater guy by any means. But I think it was just like something

we've never seen before Is the theater world meeting that wrestling world

I think when people thought this was a wrestling musical beyond some stage

there's no stage. It's a ring, a real ring. We're in there

We're acting, we're wrestling, we're kicking ass. We're singing. I don't think you can really put into words how special this show is

I think you have to come check it out. Indeed we do. Indeed we do. And for you, Matt

I would also love to know for your character, Alexander Swagger. I mean, us wrestling fans, we we you're a heel. You're definitely the quintessential. You're amazing. Yeah. You know, you're fantastic at what you do. And to play this character and to see everything unfold, were there was there anything in the script that really touched you to the point where you were like, I can relate to Alexander besides, you know, playing a heel? Was there anything else that really struck you and spoke to you

I think the best part about the character is that it is part, you know, my character in wrestling is part really any 80s, you know, cocky villain like Ravish Rick Rude or Macho Man or even an early 90s Shawn Michaels

So it was really easy to just play like the ultimate bad guy

And, you know, it didn't hurt that when I flipped off the crowd, they were there to respond

You know, this isn't like any other, you know, wrestling show or, you know, theater show because the fans are interacting

you know and like i think that's it was different for me because i i read the script and it's okay

you know ramin and matt they're in the ring ding ding ding they lock up but when the fans are

chanting you can't just lock up you know you got and that's that's why this is so interactive

because there's a script but you got to listen to the people i think the show went like 40 minutes

longer than it was supposed to because not just us but everybody else was like you have to interact

with these people and that's what makes everybody professionals they were able to improvise and do

that. And for you, Ramin, being a wrestling fan prior to starring in The Last Match and really

engrossing yourself in the role of Ben Vengeance, what parallels did you really relate to with the

character and also being a professional actor? Having the neck pain because my discs are terrible

um you know i'm of a certain age now where i'm questioning certain things so there was a very

short conduit between me and ben vengeance and that's that's the part of the story which i found

compelling that you know all the wrestling stuff is great it's spectacular to watch and it's going

to get everyone amped up but what keeps everyone connected to these characters is where they're

coming from and who they are whether it's and even the heel alexander as you say there's still

something about his character and between the playoff between ben and alex talking about respect

and earning things in life and whatnot i think that that's what speaks to people and for me

ben's story about his rite of passage we live our lives in decades who we are in your 20s then it's

a different life in 30s different life 40s and ben's hitting 50s so i was miscast obviously um

but you know you know we have these questions we question things in life because we keep changing

and um then you add the element of who he's been all all this time and then he's got

jenny who's about to come in and be the future and he's wondering what dynamics that will be

when he's no longer been vengeance the fighter the the star just a normal civilian so i kind of i

really took that story and then the child of me even though I'm 44 thinking I'm 24 I get to do all

these moves come on you know I felt like the world champion I can't believe it like as Matt was saying

I never expected the audience to do that and to the point where some of my speeches I'm like this

not going to go over I'm not the undertaker if he says these words it'll make sense but they made

me feel like the world champion and I'll never forget that night and I hope that's why I hope

we continue to do this but it was just unreal and what i loved about the and the the lines between

theater fans and and wrestling fans blurred because everyone loves just storytelling and

even during the scenes they were getting involved but in such a way we're just they knew how much

it be like no ben don't do it and then they would sit and listen i thought during me and amber have

a seven minute love duet in act two i thought they'll check out they'll get the beers or whatever

you could hear a pin drop like they came for the ride from beginning to end and I'm also I was

blown away by how people uh connected and the different demographics of friends that I had

to the point where I kept going you came you liked it I was like holy shit

we saw we saw our theater friends like acting and like wrestling fans like screaming and hands

cheering and going crazy and then like to see on the other side of things the wrestling fans the

true wrestling fans listening and and paying such deep attention to our our duet and our characters

it was such an amazing blend that audiences like this show will never be I think like in a Broadway

theater it has so the beauty of it because it's immersive and everybody feels like they are part of

the story, part of the wrestling. It's like an experience that can only be done in a certain way

in a certain theater with a certain group of people, because it's so special

Yeah. The story is what makes this whole thing, because I mean, Ben Vengeance is not a real

wrestling character. He hasn't really been on everyone's TV screens for 30 years, but the story

was so well written. We all told it so well that you're there for an hour and a half. You feel like

you were there for 30 years and that you followed Ben through this journey

because I mean that main event match if I been wrestling for 19 years it felt like a real wrestling match that people were invested in but they only knew these characters for an hour and a half Like how is that possible I don know

I can't explain it, but I felt it. I have goosebumps right now talking about it

That's how special those shows were. I mean, especially the one at night where it was just people like standing room only

It was incredible. It's an indescribable thing. And like Amber was saying, it has to be in this intimate setting

I don't think it could be on a stage in a theater It has to be in a ring

Darkly lit like a wrestling show Feeling like a wrestling show But we have real talented musicians

Actors and actresses I just happen to be there There are people who do this for a living

Who are driving the show And thank you for bringing me along with you Because I want to ride this out

When I think it's only fair now Since you came into our world

And you dove in with both feet into the deep end i think me and amber have got to come to your world and oh we can um

test our skills tech i knew this was coming i'm coming back training the time and place i've got a victory that i'm willing to

listen i love rami but he he's a competitive spirit i saw right before i'm about to go up

that main event he you know he's doing push-ups you know i'm like come on i mean you already look

great you gotta look better than like so trust me if we have another you know whether it be a

performance or a match i'm gonna mark my words i'm gonna be in better shape than ramin if that's

even possible listen i want all i ask is like two to three months of training with alpha and uh

no script i want a full match hey listen i where do i sign i'm all about the buzz the money and

the gold and I want your title Ben Vengeance I'm bringing my 8x title and I'm going to bring Amber

as my partner you pick a partner and I'm going to bring our trainers I got someone in mind

wow I'm witnessing history I love this I'm just here I'm just in the corner watching and we'd love

to see it we'd love to see this take place so whether it's at Impact NWA you know Matt I'll

I'll leave that to you. We'll make it work. You know, I'm always ready

We got fans. We got supporters. We'll fill it. Oh, absolutely. No doubt about that

Yes, I have no doubts. I mean, I had a friend that attended the show, sent me a selfie

I think it was about an hour and a half before it transpired, and the line was already around the block

And he was really taken aback at just how many people came out

to see the last match. And after it was over, he texted me and he said it was fantastic

He praised everyone involved. He said he's never seen anything like it

And it was just something to behold. It's definitely a show that people need to go see

So congratulations to all three of you for making this a success and really blazing a path

This is history. We've never seen anything like this before. And I hear that it may happen citywide

So please talk to us about the possibilities of that happening, where you are in the process and where we can potentially see this in Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, et cetera

That needs a tour. But in the meantime, we'll let you know when we get back in the ring. Yes

I'm committed to, you know, where this goes, I'm going to follow it because I know this thing is a success

Like I said, I was in there when I was just, you know, doing the rehearsals

I was watching this is this could be something, you know, because the songs are great

and the matches are great the story is fantastic but when it all came together with the audience

there the audience was that missing piece and they took it over the top so we got to thank the

audience for that but uh wherever this goes i'm gonna follow it because this thing is gonna be a

success uh mark my words for sure i think mean and i both enjoy broadway we love broadway um

but this is like something that we have to follow and keep doing as well just because we're we're

both hooked at this point wow you you both have the bug i mean matt for you what is it like seeing

amber and ramin get that wrestling bug you know that look in in a person's eye you just know

they're hooked yeah i mean i you could tell when we were when we're wrestling in there you know just

the the physicality from from both of them trust me we i was laid it in for me was laid it in and

And then, you know, I told Amber, bring it. And she did, you know, like so that you could just tell that they'd been taking it very seriously

And for only two weeks or so, which is unbelievable. I was two two naturals

I don't want to throw that word around very often, but these two clearly two naturals like they were meant to do this

Like this show was meant to happen. Like I was the role of Alexander Swagger

It wasn't written for me, but it feels like it was, you know, just just this perfect storm

And I'm so happy and fortunate to be a part of it. Oh, just beautiful. It has been fantastic talking to all three of you. I feel like I could talk

for another hour, but then maybe we'll do a part two because this was really lovely

Do you all have any parting words as far as the show, what you all are working on right now? I

know Amber and Ramin, we're funny girl now on Broadway. So congrats with that. And Matt

you are just kicking tail all over the country and internationally with wrestling. But if there's

anything else you'd like to plug and let us know about please do i would just like to say everyone

should go check out stream the album download the album and see the work of sylvana and chris

put into it and uh you know that the concept that jeremiah did the album is is such great music as

matt said and it's so much fun to sing and perform so that's a good starting point to catch up with

if you if you don't know much about last match and then uh matt amber well i mean i would say

the same thing about this album i've been singing it and playing it non-stop that i think chelsea

wants to team up with you guys against me i think she's still sick of hearing it because it's just

it's just so catchy it's great all the song i just everyone involved you know did such a great job

uh the cast the crew everybody uh and it sounds like i'm kissing everyone's butt but

i am because that's how great it was you know it really was honestly everything that they've said i mean this the this wrestling show was written by wrestling

fans for wrestling fans i think it's for everyone though i think you can be a person in theater that

just wants to check it out and you're going to come and you're going to fall in love with it because when you see passionate people on stage doing things that they love and telling a story

that they love telling, you're going to walk away feeling fulfilled no matter what. Super proud of

everything we've done with Last Match so far. And I think it's only going to get bigger. And I can't

wait to see where the show goes next. And I hope that everyone comes to see it

Just beautiful. All just super professionals. We are honored to have you on this show

Thank you all for sharing your time and your talents and just being you. It is truly an honor

sitting here and we can't wait to see the last match wherever it ends up if it stays in jersey

goes to new york we are here for it i know i'll be one of the first in line so thank you once again

and thank you all for watching on the rise with candace cordelia please stay tuned for more

exclusive interviews and scoops on broadway world check out the last match go to the website see

what amber matt and ramin are up to always check out the wrestling if you can if you're a wrestling

fan or if you're not a wrestling fan you know now's your chance to immerse yourself in this

world because we're seeing wrestling and theater come together in such a beautiful way thank you

all for staying tuned to what we have to present and we can't wait to see you next time until then

take care