First We Feast: Hot Ones: Stacy Jones ft. Special Guest

Hey what’s going on everybody from First We Feast, I’m Sean Evans and you’re watching Hot Ones. It’s the show with hot questions and even hotter wings. And today we have a returning guest to the show, Stacy Jones. She’s an actress, model, Twitch streamer and professional wrestler and she is currently the United States Champion for New Frontier Wrestling. Stacy, welcome back to the show, it’s been a while.

It has! It’s been way too long! COVID’s a bitch!

It sure is, but it’s great to have you--

Hold on a second, Sean… I have a surprise for you and the First We Feast team.

A surprise for us?

Yeah, so in my profession, we have surprise returns and surprise debuts. Now, I’ve already given you a surprise return… so how about a surprise debut? Because I’ve brought a friend along to team up with me against these wings of death.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the Hot Ones set… actor, lead singer of Devilition, professional wrestler who is a multi-time World Champion and EWC Hall of Famer, Griffin Hawkins!

What a surprise this is! Griffin, it is an honor and a privilege to have you here on our show, sir.

Good to meet you Sean, big time fan of the show!

That means a lot coming from such a legend as yourself. So before we get stuck in, we already know how well you can handle your spice, Stacy… but what about you, Griffin? How do you do with spicy food?

It depends on the place I’m at…if it’s at a place with sports, it’s buffalo wings. If it’s a restaurant in Mexico, some hot tamales. But I’m careful with what I eat…if there’s stuff like the Carolina Reaper, I’m gonna steer clear of that.

Well, let’s get started shall we? First on the list is just our classic hot sauce which is child’s play.

Alright we’ll start with you Griff, as well as finding major success in the world of professional wrestling, you’re also a successful musician as the lead singer of the rock band, Devilition. In your opinion, what key elements do you need to make a great rock song that stands out from the rest of the pack?

It’s gotta come from deep within…for me it's personal experiences that I’ve had in life that makes a good song..but alone I can’t get it done without my bandmates. A good bass player, drums and others make the song what it is and make sure it’s something that no one has ever heard before.

Yeah, I agree. You have to feel it. Like with wrestling, if you’re not enjoying yourself out there in that ring, the fans are gonna notice and they won't get invested. It’s the same with music, if you’re not enjoying what you’re writing and doing and putting your heart and soul into it, you’re not gonna produce a good song.

Alright well shall we move onto wing two now?

That’s a really nice hot sauce. I’m a huge fan of garlic.

Okay Stacy, the last time we had you on this show, I asked you if you would replace Griff here as your tag team partner with Jessica Matthews because she’s a better gamer and you said yes. Now that Griff is here, will you retract that statement?

You son of a bitch.

I’m sorry, Griff! I didn’t mean it! Please forgive me!

Actually this one’s kind of on me. As good as a gamer I am, I kinda turn into a pumpkin when it matters the most.

In all seriousness though, I have a lot of great friends I’ve met in this business and they’re all fantastic in the ring… but I wouldn’t wanna team with anyone else other than Griff. He’s my brother from another mother and we just gel so well together as a team.

That’s great to hear. Shall we move on?

So Griff… your wrestling career has lasted for what seems like forever and you’ve won countless championships throughout and to this day you continue to be involved in several title pictures. How do you maintain that level you’re at and continue to remain relevant in a world that is constantly changing with an influx of new, young upcoming talents coming in all the time?

Quite honestly…I’m not quite sure myself. I just go out there and do what my body programs me to do. I honestly never thought I’d make it this long…in the beginning I was told that I’ll never be a big star, how I’m just a “gimmick”, how I’m a copy of this guy or that guy…but the same people who said that are in obscurity as I ended up outlasting them. Look who’s still here..and look who’s not here. But as I look at the crop of talent today, I see the future of the business. Long after I retire, I know they are going to be running the yard. I dunno how much longer I’ll be doing this, but if my career ends one day…I want to say that I shared the ring with the future of wrestling.

Yeah, I mean, I haven’t had a career as long as Griff here but I’ve been doing this for almost thirteen years and this business changes a lot. And I know that when I hang up the boots, I wanna follow in my adopted father’s footsteps and help train those who will be the ones who help keep this sport we both love going.

It’s definitely a wonderful and interesting industry for sure. Wing number four then, guys?

I’m getting a fruity flavor with some ginger there… I didn't expect that but it’s nice.

Okay Stacy, last time you were on the show, we talked about your favorite band Nightwish, so this time I think it’s only fitting to talk about one of your favorite video games, Subnautica. What makes that game so special to you?

It’s so freakin’ cool! Like, it starts off with you crash landing on an alien planet mostly covered in water and it’s just a survival game at first. Then the deeper you get into it, both figuratively and literally, you uncover this really cool story and it sort of turns into a pseudo-horror game. You could tell the developers were extremely passionate about the game and it shows. It’s such a great game.

Alright Griff, we have a recurring segment on our show called explain that gram where we do a deep dive onto our guests Instagram and pull up interesting photos that need more context.

What is your most fondest memory of meeting the late, great Lemmy Kilmister?

Oh my God…I was fanboying on the inside like crazy. I grew up on Motorhead, watching the videos and buying all the albums..it felt like a dream come true, like meeting Mickey Mantle or Michael Jordan. He seemed to be very laid back, telling a lot of stories from the old days. I was saddened when I heard that he passed away, I would’ve loved for him to play me down to the ring. At least I can tell my grandkids that I once drank with the great Lemmy.

We actually wanted to try and get him onto our show and it sucked when we found out he was no longer with us. A true legend.

And what was it like meeting one of the greatest guitarists to ever exist in Slash?

Holy shit…that was awesome! Slash is one of the reasons I got into music in the first place..his guitar solo in November Rain is one of my favorites to this day. Meeting the man himself while awe inspiring…was actually even better knowing that he’s a pretty regular guy. He hasn’t allowed success to spoil him as his feet have remained on the ground. He remains a good friend to me to this day, he was even a guest at my wedding with Taylor. I hope to one day do a duet with him..because that would be a childhood dream come true.

Okay guys, that’s the first half done… how are we feeling? Are you guys ready for the back half? Coz this is when we really spice things up.

Oh I’m ready, Sean. I just hope my tag team partner is ready… especially when we get to Da Bomb.

If I don’t make it out of this alive…tell the wife I love her.

Fuck me, that sauce ain’t playing around!

Sweet tap dancing Jesus that sauce is hot!

So then Stacy, you recently defended your United States Championship inside the Tokyo Dome during your tour of Japan. What makes competing there so special to you?

It’s like… the mecca for professional wrestling in Japan. Like, here in America we have Madison Square Garden and that is the place every wrestler wants to compete at because of its rich history. It’s the same for the Tokyo Dome. It’s one of the top arenas in Japan that every wrestler wants to compete in and walking into that arena as the champion and going against not one but TWO Japanese wrestlers? And still being accepted and cheered by the Japanese fans was one of the best moments of my entire career. It was truly magical.

Why do you do this to us, Sean?! I thought we were friends!

Hey, I’m riding the wave with you here, guys. How are you holding up, Griff?

I think I’m gonna ask Santa for a new mouth for Christmas…

I feel you there, man. But anyway, Griff… how did a young Canadian such as yourself end up becoming a professional wrestler and the lead singer of a rock band when your original passions in life were to become a firefighter or a hockey player?

Well, I had aspirations of being the next Gordie Howe..I always admired him on the ice. But when I was 13 my Mom took me to my first wrestling match in Toronto Ontario Canada..and what I saw really opened my eyes. Larger than life wrestlers in flashy costumes flying all over the place, hitting moves that no normal person can. After that I told my Mom this is what I wanted to be..I never looked back since. For music..I also credit my Mom for that as I used to listen to all of her blues records when I was little..from BB King to John Lee Hooker. That was the gateway for other bands to come into my interests. When I finally formed Devilition I felt that my dreams had finally come full circle. I saw my favorite bands such as Guns N Roses and Metallica on posters in my room..and I know somewhere I’m on somebody’s poster.

It’s awesome to hear how your career was inspired by your mother, Griff… while yours was inspired by your father, Stacy. I’m sure they’ll both be proud of the people you’ve become. But let’s move on to the favorite here with the fans, and Stacy, you know why.

Too fucking right I do!

Fucking mother fucker! That shit is just as bad as it was the last time!

Shit! You could not pay me to eat that again!

Alright so both of you have played parts in exclusive shows on The Splat Network. Did either of you ever envision yourselves acting? And what in your opinion makes the shows on The Splat Network so special?

I never thought I’d get into acting at all, but the opportunity came up and I figured I’d give it a go and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope I’m able to get involved in another one of their projects. As for what makes them special? It’s been mentioned a lot in this episode but passion… the people behind the writing of these shows have so much passion for what they wanna create and all of the shows are so well written.

There are a lot of good people on the network who are so open to helping me out. Before this I wasn’t much of an actor, had some part time work on Gilmore Girls and a straight to DVD movie alongside Roxi Johnson. They helped me along by telling me my character and the setting for it and I ended up having fun. I am hopeful to work with them again sometime in the future.

Alright guys, we’re almost there.

My fucking tongue is numb!

I’m getting high off this shit again… are you getting high off this shit, Griff?!

How long before the dancing pink elephants from Dumbo make their way across the room?

I think that might happen once we have the final wing, but before that Griff, since you’re both a professional wrestler and a musician. Both industries have that special closeness with the fans. Whether you’re making your entrance at a huge wrestling event and getting to take pictures and high five the fans or whether you’re performing your latest hit single in front of thousands of screaming fans, I’d imagine it’s quite a ride on both counts. What is the best thing about wrestling and music fans and what’s the worst thing about them?

The best parts are them lining up to see you, telling you you’re an inspiration to them and have helped them through trying times. I never fancied myself as a role model or anything like that..but it does feel good knowing that I made a difference in someone’s life. But on the other side of the coin there’s always some toxicity, some rowdy fan who doesn’t like the show throws a beer onto the stage and hits you..or some angry fan online makes personal comments about you and your family when they don’t even know you. I’ve learned to take the good with the bad.

Yeah, and you also get those creepy weird ones who come across very stalkerish but thankfully those are few and far between.

Alright guys, here we are at the final hurdle. The Last Dab, and it’s tradition around here to put a little bit extra on the wing. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.

What do you say, partner? Last one. We’ve gotten this far so we may as well go all the way.

It’s too late to turn back now…let’s do it.

Alright guys, cheers.

Okay guys, one last question for you both to answer while your insides are burning and don’t worry, it’s a simple one. You both work for the same company, New Frontier Wrestling. If you were to challenge someone from that company to go one on one in a match with the wings of death, who would you choose and why?

Honestly, I think I’d like to see Collision General Manager, Luthor Callaway take them on. He’s a tough bastard and I’d like to see how he’d cope with these wings.

And Griff? Who would you choose?

I would love to see Jessica Matthews on here. I took her on in the gaming world…and I would love to see how she would fare in tasting sauce that’s pretty much liquid fire.

Well there you have it folks. Stacy Jones and Griffin Hawkins, the Rock Hearts, have double teamed the wings of death into submission and are walking away as Hot Ones Tag Team Champions. And all that’s left to do now is to roll out the red carpet for you both…

This camera, this camera or this camera… tell the people what you’ve got going on in your life.

You can catch me wrestling every Saturday defending my United States Championship in an open challenge on NFW Trauma as well as checking me out over at twitch.tv/UnbreakableSMLJ. You can also follow me over on Twitter and Instagram under the same name as my Twitch channel.

And you can catch me as well on NFW Collision, Southern Rebellion Wrestling, UPRISING Wrestling and California Grappers! You can also catch me on Twitter under the tag @whammehbar.