In the aftermath of his WWE release, Big Damo, formerly known as Killian Dain, is experiencing a remarkable reversal of fortune.
Just a few months ago, Damo’s future was up in the air. “The Beast of Belfast” has limited by green card issues that prevented him from wrestling in the United States. He eventually ventured back to Europe and performed at a number of shows throughout the fall and winter. Once he got the green light he had been waiting for, he jumped at the opportunity to get back out there and remind the American wrestling scene what Big Damo is capable of.
In a new interview with WrestleZone, Damo looked back on this process and marveled at how fast his fate changed.
“Honestly, it’s amazing how quickly things change,” said Damo. “Like I’d kind of almost settled into a rhythm that every couple of weeks, I was going over to Europe and I would do two or three weekends and then I’d be back in America. And then I started reaching out just because I was gonna be in Dallas and I’d had a few people kind of over the last while, had a few companies kind of reach out kind of softly. And I wasn’t able to confirm because first of all, it was due to the green card, and then second of all I’d been taking dates in Europe. So then stuff started matching up and then literally, I had this crazy couple of weeks where it was like boom boom boom, and I just confirmed this massive list over the next few months.”
This “boom” period has been so prolific that it’s reminding the powerhouse of his first breakout on the independent scene, right before he signed with WWE. Damo explained that he’s embracing the fact that he’s so busy now because he’s getting the opportunity to work with companies he’s been hoping to.
“And I was like I went from literally a couple of dates in Europe at the end of this month, end of that month, whatever, and suddenly I’m like, okay I’ve got something every weekend and then sometimes it’s multiple things per weekend,” said Damo. “And it’s starting to remind me of when I was on the independents before all this, I was wrestling four or five times a week all across Europe and the states, wherever else I was picking up work. It’s almost getting close to that again, and I’m like, oh god, my body’s gonna be crying at me. [Laughs] But the beauty is it’s filling up, but it’s filling up with companies I’ve wanted to work for, it’s filling up against people I’ve wanted to work.”
A @DamoMackle Vader Bomb for the win! @njpwglobal #njpw pic.twitter.com/lO43aLLHLW
— Jeff Reid (@JeffReidUP) March 21, 2022
Due to this fortunate shift, things continue to look up for Damo, and when asked about how far he’s come in the past few months, he made it clear that he’s very grateful for the way his career has unfolded. He looked back on the concerning uncertainty surrounding his green card issues before he gained the clearance to wrestle stateside again. Once he did, Damo’s approach evolved, as his newfound confidence encouraged him to practically take every booking that came his way.
“That’s what the crazy thing is over this next few months, I don’t want to reveal anything, but it’s looking better and better,” said Damo. “And as you said, in September, I was so weary, we knew that the green card process was happening, but we didn’t know when. It could have been six months, it could have been like two days, but eventually we got it and I was able to start going back home and stuff like that. But there was a little period where you’re nervous because I went from having a steady paycheck to the unknown. But listen, I’m very blessed in what I’ve been able to do, and I spent five years at this giant company, and I was able to support myself financially regardless.
“So then the next step now is to try and have fun, try and get across the world . I still have ambitions, I’d like to get to Japan and things like that. I’d love to wrestle in Australia. That’s the beauty of this next few years is to try and do that, and I think I went through a period when I first, because I was nervous with not having the green card, I had to say no to everything. And I’m pretty much saying yes to everything, which is bizarre, you know what I mean? Even at the start, I was being a little bit picky, I saying, ‘Oh maybe’, whereas now I’m like, ‘Yeah sure, let’s do it.’ [laughs].”
**FIRST TIME MATCH**
Big Damo will make his BLP debut and face off against WARHORSE!!
April 3rd, 12 AM CST
The Collective
Dallas, TXTickets: https://t.co/V5FtlJXKhf pic.twitter.com/jyCsekVcEs
— Black Label Pro (@BLabelPro) March 18, 2022
As Damo noted, he hopes to travel around the world and wrestle in some new places, and the resolution of his green card issues has opened the door in this regard. Moving forward, he’s “delighted” to wrestle as much as he can, wherever he can, as long as he can come home and spend his time with his wife, WWE star Nikki ASH.
“Because I have the confidence now, okay yeah, I’ve got the green card, I can come in and out of the country and it’s not an issue so it’s a different kettle of fish than before, I just had to say no. But now I can take the work and I’m delighted because I want to maximize my time as much as possible. As long as I get to see the superhero [Nikki ASH] every now and again, it won’t be too bad [Laughs].”
Fans can look forward to seeing Damo’s NJPW debut at Strong Style Evolved on an upcoming episode of NJPW STRONG; he’ll also be wrestling at multiple shows on WrestleMania weekend. From there, it’ll be interesting to see what his future holds.
