Fish don't notice the water they swim in. They just swim. They take for granted where they live and what they see on a daily basis. Gorgeous coral landscapes. Terrifying monsters of the deep. But these things are as normal to fish as traffic jams or the cereal isle at the supermarket are to people. All of us, however, have entirely original life experiences! That's why I'm choosing to participate in Steemit. I'm here to share, and I'm here to experience lives that differ wildly from mine.

I'm an American who just reached his 5 year anniversary living in Tokyo, Japan. I do film work here. Writing, directing, editing, acting, camera work; whatever pays the bills. You need a nameless white guy in a suit? I'm your man! (Actually, that's my job tomorrow in a TV commercial.)

In another lifetime, I was known as "Sick" Nick Mondo. That was my persona in pro-wrestling, which earned me my first trip to Japan, when I performed here in 2000. After high school, I worked hard and saved up to go to pro-wrestling school. Just before my 19th birthday I debuted, quickly diving head first into the extreme/hardcore wrestling scene on the East Coast United States. The majority of the matches I wrestled in were traditional in style, but what garnered the most attention were the "death-matches" I participated in. A death-match is essentially a (staged) competition that involves some sort of weapons or gimmicks. Recurring items include barbed-wire, fluorescent light tubes, thumbtacks... These are used in combination with other more widely recognized gimmicks, such as tables, ladders and/or steel chairs.

If you choose to become a pro-wrestler, you will get beat up from time to time. But if you choose to engage in death-matches, you will be hurt in every match you perform in. This is part of the appeal/excitement for the fans.

At age 23, after just less than 5 years in the ring, I decided to call it a career. I abruptly quit, and went off the radar... I was half-way through a bachelor degree in filmmaking, so finishing film school became my main priority. After graduating from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I spent several years working on many short films, TV commercials and corporate videos, friends' projects in Minnesota.

Japan was always, always in the back of my mind, but I did not expect to be able to return there, or especially to work in art in Japan for quite some time. A move to L.A. seemed more likely to me. But then, in 2011 Japan was hit with the great triple disaster when the biggest earthquake ever recorded there triggered a tsunami, followed by the meltdown at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. ...suddenly, I found an opportunity to become a documentary filmmaker for a relief organization in Japan! The next year would find me frequently traveling up to the disaster zone to shoot stories of recovery and hope, which I would edit and complete in Tokyo.

That gig lasted a year. Afterwards, I chose to remain in Tokyo. ...and this was right about the time my hardcore wrestling past started to silently creep back into my life. Though thousands of miles from home, I became increasingly aware of a new generation of wrestlers who were reenacting some of my infamous stunts in the ring. The most noteworthy was Rory "Little" Mondo, who was my most devoted follower back when I was performing as "Sick" Nick Mondo.

Rory is 10 years younger than me. I knew he was training at his local pro-wrestling school, but had no idea that when he turned 18 (5 years after my retirement) he would debut and perform as my character!

At first I thought it was kind of fun, kind of cute to see this kid who I had known for almost a decade stepping into the ring and carrying on my persona. But a couple years in, he started mimicking the worst of my former self-destructive antics. I tried to dissuade him, but it was no use; Cautionary tales often don't work ("Do as I say, not as I do"). Rory was determined to carry on and to live up to the violent image that I had created.

And finally... after "Little" Mondo had spent 5 years in the ring, I decided it was time to come back to confront him and to make a statement in the ring. So in December of 2013, I shocked Combat Zone Wrestling fans by making an unannounced appearance with Rory, in the ring, at the biggest show of the year - Cage of Death. This was 10 years after my retirement!

The encounter turned out to be quite emotional. I was basically showing up to give Rory my approval and support. But the result? He retired in the ring!!

As the dust settled, I found that returning to the ring had shook loose all sorts of ideas. It brought back old memories. Some good. Many bad. It helped me to process things I had repressed for a decade. But now, as a filmmaker, I knew there was a story to tell. Why, ON EARTH, did I get into death-match wrestling? What was the impetus behind the violence? How did I survive and escape that world? And most importantly, what should I say to the younger generation who was (is) following in my footsteps? The result is a new, feature length autobiographical docudrama film called The Trade. I recently finished it, and it is now going out to festivals worldwide.

trailer on YouTube:

That's probably a good place to put a bookmark in it. I was gratefully led to Steemit by my longtime friend/photographer/artist @kommienezuspadt. He's an ispiringly creative person I met through the hardcore wrestling scene actually. See his posts for some stunning photography work. ...but thank you kindly for your time! I look forward to fishing in the waters of Steemit. ; )