Best For Business continues Ref Month with Episode 89 with D.M. Stevens, a referee and former wrestler whose story runs deep through the independent wrestling scene.
D.M. Stevens opens up about his beginnings in backyard wrestling, the wild names and moments that came from that time, and how Corey Havoc recruited him into the business. We dive into his early career as a wrestler under the name “Dave Kalypso,” his transition into refereeing, and whether he’d ever step back into the ring again.
From Pro Wrestling Magic to UWA Elite, EVOLVE, and GCW, Stevens has seen it all. He shares stories of reffing a Dan Severn match, reffing a TNA International Championship bout, and being a part of new promotions like PWJ. Along the way, he talks about his theater background, working on White Knuckles Film, and how podcasting and interviews became another creative outlet.
D.M. Stevens also reflects on his biggest mentors, lessons learned from Corey Havoc and Dirt Bag Dan, and the matches that define his career. We cover hardcore and deathmatch wrestling, his biggest tests as a referee, wild ref bumps, and favorite venues.
All of this and more on Episode 89 with D.M. Stevens!
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0:00 D.M. Stevens Trailer
0:41 Best For Business Introduction
1:10 Introduction
1:24 Why Pro Wrestling?
1:58 Backyard Wrestling & Getting Recruited by Corey Havoc
2:24 Backyard Wrestling Names
3:02 Starting off as a Wrestler
3:22 Becoming a Referee
4:01 Favorite Matches & Moments as a Wrestler
4:44 The Inspiration behind “Dave Kalypso”
5:38 Transitioning from Wrestler to Referee
6:30 Will Dave Kalypso Ever Wrestle Again?
6:43 First Big Opportunity-Pro Wrestling Magic
8:57 UWA Elite Matches & Moments
11:44 EVOLVE
13:28 GCW
15:24 The Pandemic & Coming Back
17:00 Reffing a Dan Severn Match
18:19 Favorite Championship Designs
19:31 PWJ
20:57 Reffing a TNA International Championship Match
22:16 Who Else Has D.M. Stevens Seen Since Their Start?
23:36 RESPECT
25:10 Being Apart of a White Knuckles Film
26:30 Theater Background
27:59 Doing Podcasts & Interviews
30:10 Favorite Interview Conducted
31:15 Biggest Mentors
33:06 Lessons Learned from Corey Havoc & Dirt Bag Dan
34:00 Favorite D.M. Stevens Matches Reffed
35:45 Hardcore/Deathmatch Wrestling
37:05 Biggest Tests
37:54 Favorite Venues
39:22 Wildest Ref Bumps
40:35 Goals
43:04 D.M. Stevens’ Legacy
44:00 Conclusion
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