A Dash To The Death: 7 Questions with Shawn Hernandez About His Upcoming Role In The Horror Film “Slash”

A Dash To The Death: 7 Questions with Shawn Hernandez

1. 6’2” and 285lbs of absolute badass! You played football in college and went on to play professionally for the Texas Terror in the Arena Football League before going on to your true passion of professional wrestling. You have held titles in Extreme Texas Wrestling (ETW Texas Championship), Full Effect Wrestling (FEW Heavyweight Championship) (1 time) International Wrestling Association (IWA World Tag Team Championship), Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW Tag Team Championship), NWA Florida (NWA National Heavyweight Championship), NWA Southwest (NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship), NWA Wildside (NWA North American Heavyweight Championship and Heavyweight Championship), River City Wrestling (RCW Heavyweight Championship), Texas All Star Wrestling (TASW Heavyweight Championship, Tag Team Championship and Hardcore Championship), Texas Wrestling Entertainment (TWE Heavyweight Championship), XCW Wrestling (XCW Heavyweight Championship and XCW TNT Championship) and TNA Wrestling (NWA World Tag Team Championship and TNA World Tag Team Championship)! How much have you enjoyed your time in professional wrestling, did you ever expect that you would hold so many titles during your career and while most people would say that their first title win is the one that they cherish most, which one holds the most emotion for you and why?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my 15 years in Pro Wrestling. I have been to every place I ever wanted to visit and made friends all over the world thanks to Pro Wrestling. My only regret is not getting into it when I was even younger but my parents insisted on me going to college first.

Winning the tag titles with my partner Homicide as part of LAX was the biggest most memorable one for two reasons: It was my first title in a major promotion and secondly it was the first time the NWA tag titles were won by 2 Latinos.

2. As I mentioned above, you played football in college, as well as professionally. You are now taking steps into the film industry. While keeping yourself in top notch shape for all that you do professionally, how much different was your work out regiment from football to what it is now as a wrestler, what do you feel will be the most challenging aspect going from being a performer in wrestling to being an actor and what sparked your interest for getting into film?

The biggest change in my workouts from football to wrestling is more cardio and shorter more intense quicker workouts. Unlike football, Pro Wrestling has no off-season so you have to keep your body in top condition year round.

My most challenging aspect for the transition from Pro Wrestling to Films will simply be experience- I liken it to the old wrestling adage for getting started in Pro Wrestling – keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut!

My interest in film is much like how my interest in Wrestling started, you do not see many Latinos in US wrestling or films and I wanna help break that mold.

3. Having been to many different wrestling events in my life and doing some freelance photography for some of them, I know first hand from high school friends (The Hurricane aka Shane Helms) and other wrestlers that I have met and talked to that what goes on in the ring is not child’s play. I have been less than three feet away from guys being powerbombed on concrete, guys taking steel chairs to the face and hearing bones break. Having worked on film as well, I can tell you that the film set is no different in terms of injury when doing your own stunts. What aspect of the film process are you looking forward to the most, are you going to be doing all (if any) of your own stunt work and has TNA voiced any concern that half of its reigning TNA World Tag Team Champions could be injured by doing so?

Starting with The movie “Slash” I am most looking forward to taking my first baby steps into what I hope is a long properous film career. Just as in Wrestling taking your first body slam in your first live wrestling match – nervous, excited, and full of adrenaline!

As far as doing my own stunts, I would love to do them if and when needed. I have been blessed to successfully comeback from two major surgeries in wrestling – ankle surgery ( have a plate and 7 screws in one ankle) and neck fusion surgery in 2009 so i feel I’m both prepared and realistic for what I can and can not do with any stunt work.

4. You are currently in pre-production on Rycke Forman and Maria Olsen’s Slash. Synopsis: “Cade just wants to settle down and get on with his life–find a girl, pursue his acting career–but his tempestuous step brother “Trench” doesn’t make it easy, dragging Cade through a series of increasingly violent fantasies that begin bleeding over into reality. Now, as their friends are butchered around them, Cade must finally face up to Trench and his own demons…or die trying… “. Understanding that the film is in pre-production, can you tell us a bit about how you became involved with the project? What can you tell us about your character and his motivations, and why did you choose a horror film as your first feature?

My agent/attorney got in touch with the casting director Sheryl Roberts, who knew who I was from my wrestling career. Meeting her and her assistant Orion has been great, we really hit it off and I am blessed to have this opportunity in front of me. (I don’t know specific details on your character just that it will have a comedic angle. Can say “I don’t want to give too much information about my specific character, I want to keep it a surprise for the film. But everyone should get a pleasant kick out of it”)

A lot of actors get their start in the horror genre. Jennifer Aniston in Leprechaun, Josh Hartnett in Halloween H20, even Arnold in the original Terminator is more of a horror flick than just a sci-fi movie. There can be more to this genre than horror, there are horror movies built around clever writing such as “The Others” and that is what drew me to this film with character of Cade and has me looking forward to the final product. And most important, my kids love horror.

5. IMDB is not always correct when it lists talent for some of the upcoming films listed on it, but it does list Holly Madison (rumored), Maria Olsen, Todd Farmer (rumored), Megan Lee Joy (rumored) and Gibby Haynes (rumored) as your fellow cast. How excited are you to be working with these (mostly rumored) talents on this project, have you watched any of their other works, and what are you hoping to take away from your experience on Slash?

I hope IMDB is correct in this case and these actors will all be involved in this film. I’m very excited to work with these actors and learn from them, absorb their knowledge and experience. I am sure by just being around these actors and hearing their stories from the previous works, such as Farmer’s role in Jason X, will be valuable to my growth as an actor. That experience to be around such professionals is what I am looking to take away from this great opportunity.

6. TNA has always been a very fan friendly company and does a tremendous job promoting their talent not only for their work in the company, but their outside work as well. Several of the talents in the company have worked on horror films in the past, including Rosita (Army of the Damned), James Storm, Matt Morgan and Kurt Angle (all in Death From Above). What advice (if any) have any of them given you about their times working on a horror film, how do you feel Slash will be different from their films and experiences and do you expect that TNA will heavily promote the film on their programming?

I haven’t had the opportunity to speak to those involved in outside movies projects much- Our time at work is pretty much consumed with pre-tapes, interviews, photo shoots, and media appearances.

The biggest difference in this movie than the others is I will be in this one! All joking aside, I really feel this movie is the perfect start for my movie career just from the experience and quality from the producers, directors, and actors down to the writers and casting directors.

7. Thank you so much for your time and I am looking forward to seeing you on the big screen in Slash! What can we expect from SuperMex in TNA in the coming years (when will they finally put the title on you?), are you hoping to do more horror in the future and is there anything you want to say to the legion of fans that faithfully follow you every week?

Expect a more aggressive focus on achieving singles wrestling success, I am a 7 time TNA tag team wrestling champ and now it’s time to set my sets on singles Gold! Specifically the TNA tv title and the goal of any TNA Wrestler the TNA Heavyweight World Champion belt!!!

I would like to do more films in the Horror genre – just for the simple fact it is a huge favorite genre for my kids. To be wrestling favorite and film favorite to them -would really mean a lot to me.