“The Bad Boy” Joey Janela is going to be a fixture in professional wrestling for years to come and we should all take note. Here’s a brief, very NSFW, introduction to his body of work:
This man, however, is so much more than the sum of that 40 foot roof, truck, fire, barbed wire, and fluorescent lamps. Janela champions a hardcore/deathmatch style of wrestling that he uses to highlight his subtle yet highly cerebral technical prowess. Combining this with this magnetic charisma and his simple yet obnoxiously charming “Bad Boy” persona, Janela has produced a thirteen year long catalog worth of entertaining, unforgettable, and, honestly, illuminating matches.
Joey Janela can easily be likened to a new-age Cactus Jack at first glance, but those who look a bit more closely will realize that Janela is something else entirely.
Janela will be taking on Shawn Spears at AEW’s Full Gear event this Saturday and it’s high time we got to know him a little better. I had the pleasure of speaking with him at New York Comic Con last month and a transcription of that interview is below. After that, please see a small sample of his body of work included and take a moment to peruse his social media accounts to best prepare yourself for “The Bad Boy.”
AIPT: I’m here with Joey Janella. He’s very kindly donating some of his time to answer some questions for me and our readers. So the first things first, how do you feel after your match with [Jon] Moxley?
Joey Janela: Man that was in June. That was like three months ago.
AIPT: Still, it was brutal.
JJ: I’m still beat up from it, you’re right, you’re right. I got my ass kicked in that match a little bit. I stepped on some thumb tacks without shoes. You know what it feels like to step on thumb tacks without shoes? It’s like walking through a park and getting one of those little spiky things in your feet.
AIPT: It’s probably awful.
JJ: Metal pins, man.
AIPT: What are your feelings on AEW Dynamite?
JJ: Definitely pumped up, ready to go. And you know, it’s just something new to me. I’ve never been signed to a major company and never been on TV. So it’s going to be experience and I’m looking forward to see what happens.
AIPT: I’m glad you said that because it springboards me to my next question. if you could book your own future, how would you see it happening?
JJ: I don’t know. I’d book me on top with a lot of money going into my bank account and a lot of girls going into my bedroom. That’s all I really care about.
AIPT: That’s the dream.
JJ: That’s a dream that’s what I’m looking at right now because it’s everything I just said is already happening but not to the full extent that it could happen. But it’s happening often enough to make me believe that I am some kind of superstar in the world of professional wrestling.
AIPT: Is there anyone you’re really excited to wrestle? You’ve already wrestled Moxley but is there anyone here especially excited to wrestle?
JJ: I am not starstruck or I’m not excited to wrestle anyone anymore. I’m just, I’m the guy you know, that guy someone — I’m just kidding. I want to wrestle Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, and guys like that and the guys that can push me to that next level. We’ll see what happens.
AIPT: All right, that’s awesome, man. And this is more of a personal question from one Jersey guy to another. What’s your favorite part of Jersey?
JJ: Oh man. That’s a hard one. Probably Central. Central Jersey Shore area. I live there.
AIPT: Nice. What do you think of Bergen County?
JJ: It’s alright. Some fresh mootz for the boyz.
I’m going to be real, I had to look up what “mootz” was. From what I gather, it’s related to pizza and/or mozzarella? I really don’t know but regardless, Joey was wonderful to talk to.
As promised, here are some selected matches from The Bad Boy’s career. Watch them and note how he expertly uses his hardcore escapades to serve the story of his matches and is never dictated by them. After that, be sure to jump on the bandwagon, as we at AIPT have, and follow his various social media accounts. And one last thing: Please don’t die, Joey Janela.
Joey Janela vs. Kenny Omega
Joey Janela vs. Sammy Guevara
Joey Janela vs. Ultimo Dragon
Joey Janela vs. WALTER
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