Posted By James Walsh on 11/12/25


Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Enrique Calderon
Date: 11/12/2025
Your Host: James Walsh

Phoenix Championship Wrestling trains pro wrestlers to not only be great in the ring but to become great people. Today, we are pleased to welcome one of the trainees of the #TraininAZ facility who resembles that remark, as Gorilla Monsoon might have said. The current reigning and defending SLAM U Champion Enrique Calderon!

Sometimes the path to glory is easy. Sometimes it is not. With Enrique, the answer is the latter. Overcoming addiction at a young age, he returned to his childhood love of pro wrestling and has become one of the fastest rising independent wrestlers in the Southwest. Get familiar with his story, his attitude, and find out more about the man behind the star as we bring you this exclusive interview.

PCW returns on November 15th for its final event of 2025 at the Eagles here in Mesa, Arizona. The SLAM U title will be defended by Enrique Calderon against Remmy Marcel and Joe Graves in a three-way-dance. Plus, more great action from Arizona's top wrestling promotion. Check out www.PCWAZ.com for more information!



ENRIQUE CALDERON:

On growing up a wrestling fan:
"Of course I was! I can remember watching guys like John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero... Those were all my guys right there!"

On ditching pro wrestling and finding himself involved in a bad crowd:
"When I got into high school, I found myself peer pressured into getting into what was popular nowadays. I was just trying to fit in where I could. When I got out of high school, I kind of stuck with the friends I had always hung out with in high school. That lead me down a bad path, a path towards drugs and bad usage that nobody should ever do. When I was in my drug addiction, I ended up overdosing. I ended up in rehab after that."

On how rehab brought him to the ring:
"When I was in rehab, that is how I got back into wrestling. In rehab, all they really had was these board games we could play and they showed one TV series that was going on. That was Friday Night SmackDown. Watching wrestling again brought me back to when I was just a kid enjoying life and not worrying about a thing.I thought to myself, "If I have one thing I can do after getting out of rehab, it might as well be something I loved as a kid.""

On finding a place to train:
"Gosh, there really weren't a lot of schools out here in Arizona. The Arizona Pro Wrestling Training Center, #TraininAZ, came up when I searched for one. They had a great video attached to the front page. I thought, "This is the school for me!" It was only 10 minutes from my place. So, when I went and interviewed with Dom Vitalli and Jon Wolfgang, I knew right away these guys had the best interest in me. I knew I had a lot of work in front of me. Seeing the guys that were already there, they were all in great shape. I was just a kid. I was only 19 years old when I got there. I knew there was a lot of maturing that I had to do."

On his reputation of having a great work ethic:
"Honestly, it comes from my mom and my dad. My dad always worked two jobs making sure I always had anything I ever wanted growing up. He is also an adopted child. Being an adopted child, he didn't really know where he fit in. He always stuck to his roots and made sure he could provide for his family. Knowing he was that way, I always told myself that I have got to be the same way."

On his unlikely PCWAZ debut:
"Shoot! Making my in-ring debut was crazy. So, while I was training, I was working as a referee. That was great because it gave me the opportunity to learn about ring psychology, ring awareness, and getting to see how we do what we do. It was about my 10th show refereeing when the challenger for our SLAM U Champion at the time, Kevin Koa, ended up not making it. He got a flat tire on the way. So, knowing that I was about ready to start wrestling, I brought my gear, also to take promo shots. I was ready for the next show when I was supposed to make my official debut. Well, Dom Vitalli came up to me, "You got your gear tonight?" I said, "Of course!" He said, "Good, put it on. You're wrestling Kevin tonight." So, I started the show refereeing the first match and then the people were going to see me wrestle my first match against Kevin Koa in the middle of that same ring."

On learning under Dom Vitalli, Jon Wolfgang, & Gabriel Gallo:
"Learning under those three guys is one of the best experiences I could ever hope for in life. They teach you not just to be a great wrestler but also how to be a better person. They teach you how to go into life being a better man, a better person, and to be trustworthy. Having those aspects help you in the ring but also in life in general."

On the family feel of a PCW show:
"I love our PCW fans. They are like my family too. Every time I go to the gym, I try to think about them. I always said I didn't just want to do this to make a living but also to try to inspire the next Enrique Calderon."

On winning the SLAM U Championship from Joey Hendrix:
"Winning the SLAM U Championship meant absolutely everything to me. Knowing I'm one step closer to winning that PCW Heavyweight Championship is one reaosn. Another is, the SLAM U title is the championship I had my eye on when I first got to the school. When I first got there, that is when they debuted the SLAM U Championship. I was just refereeing at that time. But, I told myself, "One day, that title will be mine!" I knew I had to work hard to earn it. And, i knew there were a lot of hungry people right behind me that wanted that title just as badly as I did. Everybody at that school always pushed me to be better. That is why I'm able to be successful and hold this championship."

On if he hopes to sign with one of the major national promotions:
"Oh, of course. But, I try to control what I can control. As far as I know, that is how I look and the matches that I have in the ring. Controlling what I can control is what I need to focus on right now. Knowing I want to go to Japan one day, maybe go to TNA, or AEW, or WWE... I know that if I keep doing what I'm doing, being present, and working hard, that time will come."

On defending the SLAM U title against two veterans at PCW on November 15th:
"I'm super excited for that match. I have set my sights on being the best that PCW has to offer. The only way to do that is to beat the best. In this match, I'm going up against two of the most experienced guys in Joe Graves and Remmy Marcel. So, I am looking forward to retaining the title and also getting a little bit of vengeance."

On dealing with Joe Graves' "WAR" chanting fury:
"Not only that, having to deal with such a little scum bag like Remmy Marcel!"

On his future goals:
"I always set goals for myself. Right now, it is defending the SLAM U Championship and making it just as good as that PCW Championship. I want to get out there and wrestle the best there is to offer. Maybe not just here in Arizona but also maybe someone in the Southwest, maybe East Coast. We will see. But, as far as plans go, I feel like what I'm doing right now in PCWAZ will elevate me to the top and I've got to continue to keep my eyes set on that."