By: Thom Fain

Promising Jr. Heavyweight grappler Adrian Quest is taking on new challenges and set for an international breakout after tearing it up on the Southern California scene over the past several years. He’s mixed it up with current and former New Japan stars such as Alex Zayne & Rust Taylor (NXT), Danny LimeLight (AEW) and TJ Perkins (IMPACT) – who actually started training Adrian when he was still a teenager. With gold on his mind, Adrian sat down to speak with us about his plans for 2021 and beyond.

Monthly Puroresu: What was that moment that you became a fan of wrestling, and who inspired you early on? What made you think “I can do this”?

Adrian Quest: So my first glimpse of wrestling wasn’t until I was about eight years old. My older cousins used to watch during the Attitude Era, and I was still real young around 1999 when they would have all the pay-per-views. But when I got into it, Eddie Guerrero was big at that time. So he’s the one dude who really stood out to me, like a lot of people, especially with me being Hispanic.

Monthly Puroresu: Latino heat. I was similarly big into WCW, because I caught onto the nWo storyline and I really liked the opening card. My favorite guys were Chris Jericho when he was younger and more athletic, him and Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero. Those were the guys that hooked me. So it’s interesting to hear that Eddie was one of your most in luential guys that helped you get into this.

Adrian Quest: Yeah, most definitely. After his matches, that was it for me, honestly. Like, the rest of the show couldn’t compare. I tuned in for his and Rey Mysterio’s stuff which was off the charts for its time.

Monthly Puroresu: Well let’s fast forward a few years. So who helped you take that very next step out of being a fan, and being somebody that can be a part of this business?

Adrian Quest: So I was actually real young when I got into the business. I went to like a local indie show for this company called Empire Wrestling Federation, which is the local indie in my area. And I was like, 11 years old and I saw a flyer that they had a training school. So my dad actually took me. The head trainer, Jesse Hernandez, dude was like, “Nah, you’re too young. But if you’d like, you could sit in on a few trainings and just watch.” So I showed up the next Saturday to watch the EWF training. And he just threw me in there! Like I was in jeans and all, bro. And he said, “You want to learn how to roll?” [laughs]. And I was 11! From that day on, I was training.

Monthly Puroresu: Wow. Most of us are jumping off our couches and wrestling on the living room floor at that age. And you’re out there actually training! Which is crazy. So at what point do you start coming into contact with some of these guys like Danny LimeLight (Q&A, Issue No. 2) and Rocky Romero, Jake Atlas, and others that we saw you wrestle in 2020?

Adrian Quest: I actually met TJ Perkins when I was about 13 years old, and he had a big hand in my training. It was real, real early on in my training. When I started really wrestling some of those dudes who you mentioned, it was still while I was doing the Southern California indies. Empire Wrestling Federation. Like, I met them outside of that company, but within the Southern California indies. I actually wrestled Rocky Romero at EWF around 2016 or ’17, I want to say.

Monthly Puroresu: Well, Rocky and TJP have both supported our magazine (you can catch TJP’s exclusive interview in Issue #1) so I appreciate you keeping the chain going here. But let’s talk about 2020, it seems like everything’s moving in the right direction for Adrian Quest. And that included a bout with a pair of former New Japan young lions on excursion – Shota Umino, and Ren Narita at Bar Wrestling 53. Can you tell me about that experience, what was that like?

Adrian Quest: That was dope, man. That was a great match. I believe it was the main event that night and– the crowd, bro. That Bar Wrestling crowd is like no other I’ve ever wrestled in front of ever. It was just like – it was like being at hip hop shows, and it was just wild, loud and we let everything out. It was just incredible, and that Bar Wrestling crowd is amazing, honestly.

Monthly Puroresu: Of course I’ve read about it on SoCal Uncensored, and I see the photos of it. These guys were trained in the dojo, right? So they’ve got a much more formal regimented training. What was it like for them? How was it calling that match – what was it like for them to go through that main event with you?

Adrian Quest: I wouldn’t say it was hard for them to wrestle me in that atmosphere, because they know what they’re doing. They’re world-class trained by New Japan, you know, and I’ve had my fair share of training sessions and I’ve also done a few dojo camps at the NJPW LA dojo. That’s actually how I got my foot in the door with the company. But they know exactly what they’re doing, and it doesn’t get any higher as far as top-tier wrestling training than what Ren Narita and Shota Umino have had – truly at the most elite level.

Monthly Puroresu: I’ve seen Ren Narita live a few times, and for a guy that’s supposedly young and inexperienced, he’s got a crazy good technique and ability in the ring. And, so that must’ve been really cool. And so you’re training in Carson, you’ve got a shot with two of New Japan’s young up-and-comers and then fast-forward to when the pandemic hits. What’s it like to feel like you’re just right on the cusp of something and then this global thing that’s out of your control? What was your approach, and when did you get the call from New Japan to come in and do the tapings for New Japan STRONG?

Adrian Quest: I didn’t let it hinder me, I took it in a positive way. It gave me more time to focus on other parts of my life that I’ve been really wanting to try to dig into or figure out. But I had a feeling, something good was coming my way – pandemic or not. I was still training and stuff, and then the time came, bro and I was ready to go.

Monthly Puroresu: Tell me about your brand. You’re a designer. You clearly have a fashion-forward sense about you. What was it like launching your own brand, Burrmuda, and how has that process been? Is there anything on the horizon that’s special to you?

Adrian Quest: So I got really interested in streetwear fashion when I was probably about in the 7th grade, using Tumblr. Everyone would blog about streetwear and I picked up on stu f I like. Of course, I got into a bunch of brands that, at the time, I couldn’t a ford. I remember I’d save up money, I would collect cans and cash them in to go buy a $30 shirt or something. And sometimes my older sister would buy me something. So I’ve always loved streetwear, and that just grew and has become one of my passions. And if you look at wrestling, anything is possible. But I had this idea to start my own brand in high school, and then it was learning about what resources I need and how to design and do business.

Monthly Puroresu: Anything in particular we can look forward to?

Adrian Quest: This winter, I’ll be doing a drop. Anyone who’s reading this and interested in future drops can follow my brand on Twitter and Instagram, @BURRMUDA.

Monthly Puroresu: But going back to wrestling, you remind me of TJP, who is very fluid. You know, a mixture of mat wrestling and high spots and a lot of good stuff. So, in 2020 your record’s at 8-1-9, thinking back what would you say was a standout moment for you? Or can you name somebody you did a match with on New Japan STRONG, something that really stood out to you?

Adrian Quest: My debut for the company, because for me personally there’s a lot of places and a lot of people I want to wrestle – but going back to being a kid, I’ve always been infatuated with Japanese culture and Japanese wrestling. So my number one place to land was New Japan. So my debut was really that moment like, ‘Oh, I’ve done something in my life that I told people I would always do,’ so it was a huge moment. I believe it was me and Rocky Romero vs. Danny LimeLight and DKC.

Monthly Puroresu: Yes! Danny LimeLight has been great this year in the ring. You know, he suggested he might like to win the Best of Super Juniors tournament one day. What are a few goals of Adrian Quest now that we’re in 2021?

Adrian Quest: I want it all, bro. I want it all. I want the Super-J Cup. I want the Best of Super Juniors and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Monthly Puroresu: Is there somebody that you’ve just been itching to get in the ring with – somebody, you know that you’re as good as them, and who you want to get that 3-count victory over?

Adrian Quest: If there’s one person today that I could choose, someone I really want to get in the ring with one-on-one… it would be KUSHIDA.

Monthly Puroresu: Right, so he’s over in NXT. And with a few other guys from NJPW Strong in Rust Taylor and Alex Zayne. So if that’s your goal, I hope you get that. But let’s get that IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship first. Let’s rewind a little bit back to 2020, you had a cameo with Rocky Romero and The Good Brothers on the infamous PPV, Talk N’ Shop A Mania. You even teamed up with Chavo Guerrero, your hero Eddie Guerrero’s nephew. What was that like?

Adrian Quest: It was super dope, man. It was really fun to shoot. It was a no-pressure zone. Everyone was having fun, and obviously everyone has to do certain lines and stuff, but it was almost like filming a wrestling show on Netflix or something.

Monthly Puroresu: So tell me about that typical pressure. Was Chavo able to impart any wisdom, were able to pull him aside and talk to him a bit about how to handle that pressure?

Adrian Quest: Sadly I didn’t get much of a chance to, but I would love to talk with Chavo one day.

Monthly Puroresu: So is TJP your go-to person? Or, if you need somebody and tell yourself, ‘You know what, I’ve made it pretty far in my career and I’m proud of myself. My family’s proud, my sister who is proud – but I need just a little bit more to be satisfied and reach my potential.’ Who do you go to for help and guidance?

Adrian Quest: I definitely go to Rust Taylor, who has been like a big brother to me since I was young. He’s very cool, and has been ever since we met in training school. I met him when I was real, real young and he had a hand in my early training.

Monthly Puroresu: So you’ve told us you want to become the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. You want to compete in the Super J-Cup. You want to be right there with Danny LimeLight. What are your next steps? How do you get there?

Adrian Quest: Sticking to my goals, loyalty to the company itself, to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Just staying focused, especially through a pandemic. It is not easy for anyone right now, so just staying focused and training hard are the things on my mind every day.

Monthly Puroresu: What’s that like in a global pandemic? How are you training right now?

Adrian Quest: I’m very cautious in who I train with, as a wrestler you kind of just take it person-by-person and train with only one or two guys you trust, instead of a whole group of people, which is the usual.

Monthly Puroresu: How much of that is ring training versus strength and conditioning?

Adrian Quest: I try to focus on a lot of conditioning, especially wrestling for a company like New Japan. That’s the number one priority, because being with a company like NJPW, your conditioning has to be a A-1, has to be at its peak – always – because you’re in there with the best in the world, literally New Japan Pro Wrestling has the best wrestlers on the planet.

Monthly Puroresu: Well I can speak for the staff here at the magazine and say congratulations for all your hard work paying off, for getting that NJPW Strong weekly taping off the ground. It’s probably not easy. It’s just like starting your brand. I look forward to watching more New Japan STRONG and seeing you on Detonation. Is there anything else you want to leave our readers with?

Adrian Quest: Just to follow along on my journey at @Young_Fuego on Twitter and @Adrian_Quest Instagram, and watch the show!

This Q&A first appeared in Monthly Puroresu Issue #3