WR Exclusive: Elliot Sexton on Representing TMDK, His Career and Where His ‘Sex Bomb’ Nickname Came From

 A comfort zone is a wonderful place but nothing ever grows there.

When you look at the emerging market of professional wrestling in Australia, one of the standout names has for many years been the ‘Sex Bomb’ Elliot Sexton.

Sexton, for those unfamiliar with the Australian wrestling scene has won numerous Championships across the country and is considered by many to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers to have ever came from Australia.

While he had many accomplishments over in Australia, including having the honor of being the longest reigning Melbourne City Wrestling Champion, he made the decision to move to Orlando, Florida to support his partner, who is employed by WWE.

Could we see this 6 foot, 5 inch athlete make his way to WWE? The answer?

Just ask Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens… maybe Daniel Bryan. We are sure they know just the right response.

Without further ado, here is our interview with the hilarious and talented Elliot Sexton.

Who or what inspired you to want to be a wrestler?

I was introduced to RAW is WAR as a kid (around ’98-’99) and I got hooked on the fact that these guys could make fun of each other and then beat the crap out of each other and instead of getting in trouble for it (like I would have) they won championships!

Stemming from that question, who have been your favorite wrestlers growing up and which current wrestlers are you most fond of?

Rock and Austin were easily my favorite characters growing up. Not only did they have the crowd hanging on every word they said but their intensity in the ring was fantastic. I hated Angle as a kid (because, well, he was a heel) but when I got into wrestling myself, man, did I learn to admire his work. Now? AJ Styles and Minoru Suzuki are at the top of my list. I miss Daniel Bryan.

Obviously being in the ring can take its toll on you. Do you ever get to the point where you need time off to rest?

Booker T taught me that there’s a difference between being hurt and injured. If you’re hurt, you wrestle. If you’re injured, you stay home. While I’ve been hurt plenty, I’m lucky to only be injured badly from wrestling once or twice. My physio taught me that time off is usually a waste of time, so regardless of what’s wrong, I’ll still usually get to the gym to do what my body allows.

Coming from Australia with superstars like Mick Moretti and Jessica Troy trying to make a name for themselves, how different do you feel the wrestling culture is over there to North America?

There’s good and bad no matter where you go, but the wrestling culture in Australia is on the rise. Having the IWGP Heavyweight Champion appear in Melbourne City Wrestling is a clear indicator that people are looking in from the outside and liking what they see. Many of our top talent have traveled the world in recent years to grow as performers and it is having a very positive impact on our home ground. Crowds are growing Australia wide and fans around the world are slowly starting to see what Australia has to offer the world stage and it’s only just beginning. Very exciting times.

We’ve noticed your affiliation with TMDK (The Mighty Don’t Kneel). This is the group that brought WWE Shane Thorne and Nick Miller (TM61). Can you explain how you came to represent the group?

TMDK was originally the tag team of Shane and Nick, however it grew into a “faction” or a “brand” representing some of if not the greatest talent around Australia. Shortly after Sexrock (myself and Jonah Rock) went toe to toe with TMDK, we were asked to represent them and to be under the same banner as two of Australia’s best was an honor.

For those unaware, the name ‘TM61’ comes from the first letter of Thorne and Miller’s last names respectively, with the 61 being the Australian country mode. Several Australian and New Zealand wrestlers have made an impact in WWE. Besides TM61, have you faced or worked alongside any of these superstars in the past?

I’ve faced TM61, Buddy Murphy and even Peyton Royce (in a mixed tag team match.) All whom deserve to be given the opportunity they have whether it be for their charisma or wrestling ability.

Do you think your perspective on the wrestling industry has changed since entering the sport?

I think your perspective changes anytime you’re in a new environment (this goes for anything in life really) but I think the best thing you can do is learn to take the good with the bad and not let one take away from the other.

Can you provide our readers with a bit of an idea on the hardest and easiest parts of being a wrestler for you personally?

The easiest part for me is getting people to hate me. I’ve been told that even just my smile can rub people the wrong way so I absolutely love being able to play a heel. One of the hardest things I’ve found is accepting that you’re rarely ever physically 100% and that there’s always going to be some nagging injury or pain – but that just provides you with the opportunity to learn how to work around those obstacles and become a better ‘worker’ for it. Another thing that is difficult for me is that I’m a perfectionist so while a match or promo of mine might seem perfectly fine to any given person, I’ll beat myself up for something tiny like fixing my hair more than once in a match (a pet peeve of mine is when someone fixes their tights or knee pads while on the defense. If I ever make that mistake I’ll never forgive myself.)

If you and your partner were part of the ‘WWE Mixed Match Challenge,’ who would you align yourselves with if you two couldn’t compete together?

Win or lose I think I could create something entertaining with the likes of Alicia Fox. She’s a fantastic character and having the right person to bounce off would lead to some entertaining segments.

Speaking of your partner, which of you generally control the remote control when playing games or watching television?

We have real similar taste with shows/movies so there’s no real fight for control there!

If you were to suggest some of your matches to readers to give them an idea of what you are capable of, what comes to mind?

Two entertaining (and free to watch) matches are myself against Damian Slater and also Sexrock (Elliot Sexton & Jonah Rock) vs The Armstrongs. Both available on YouTube. However, over on the MCW Encore subscription service, I would suggest three singles matches against Davis Storm, Dowie James and JXT.

You can watch Slater vs. Sexton here:

WRESTLECLASH MATCH: Damian Slater vs. Elliot Sexton

Additionally, you can find Sexrock vs. The Armstrongs here:

SEXROCK vs The Armstrongs - EPW Perth - Goldrush - April 2012 (REUPLOADED)

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you in the ring?

Funny to me: Being in a six man scramble where everyone is trying to pin me at the same time as the clock runs down to zero and I start giggling like Homer Simpson at the entire situation.
Funny to everyone else: In my debut match my trunks split and I had 400 people laughing at me because my junk was practically hangin’ out. I remember walking over to the referee and asking what everyone is laughing at and he looked at me with a massive smirk and said “… Ah, don’t worry about it!”

Where did the nickname ‘Sex Bomb’ come from? Was it your last name?

“Sexbomb” was my first nickname in wrestling as my entrance music was “Sexbomb” by Tom Jones. It just fit the persona I was playing at the time and got the reaction I was after.

What inherent dangers would you say come from that nickname?

Nothing but heat… And middle-aged women screaming at the top of their lungs.

Could you provide us with a rundown of some of the companies and Championships you’ve won throughout your wrestling career so far?

Booker T’s Reality Of Wrestling, Melbourne City Wrestling (Longest Reigning Champion), Wrestlerock (Champion), Australian Wrestling Allstars (Champion), Wrestle Rampage, Explosive Pro Wrestling Perth, Battle Championship Wrestling, Wrestleclash, Newcastle Pro Wrestling, Impact Pro Wrestling New Zealand, Snakepit Pro Wrestling, Riot City Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Australia (Queensland) and Pro Wrestling Australia (Sydney.)

Who are some of your favorite wrestlers to work with?

Jonah Rock, Damian Slater, Robbie Eagles, Davis Storm, Dowie James and Adam Brooks.

Moving along, you’ve debuted an hilarious show called ‘Trophy Life’ on your Facebook page and YouTube channel, which we will be linking at the end of this interview. Can you give our readers an explanation on what the series is and how the idea came to you?

The “Trophy Life” series follows Elliot Sexton – A wrestling superstar in his own right – who moves to Orlando, Florida to be alongside his partner (now signed to WWE) and must learn to adapt to his new life as a trophy wife/husband. Moving from Australia, I knew that I’d need to rebuild and expand my brand. The Trophy Life position is such a unique (and fairly untapped) position for a character such as myself and I had faith that it could lead to some very entertaining ideas. I’m very glad with the response so far and I only hope to get more eyes on it. Being an unknown to the American fanbase, I’m aware that many people may simply pass over the project. I just hope that anybody asking “who is this guy?” realizes that all of their favorite performers were once unknown to them and that they give themselves the chance to be entertained.

You can watch the first episode of ‘Trophy Life’ here.

Fellow Australian wrestler Adam Brooks says in the first episode of ‘Trophy Life’ that he wants to see Elliot Sexton vs. John Cena at ‘WrestleMania 34.’ While it doesn’t look like this will be feasible this year, is it still a dream match for you?

Like anybody would turn down the opportunity to work with John Cena… I want to work with a whole bunch of people who are better than me so that I can learn from them. If you keep working within your circle, you can only make so many mistakes. Get out of your comfort zone, throw yourself in the deep end and you’re always going to learn. That’s what I want.

Besides that, what other dream matches do you have?

I’ve never thought enough about this, but off the top of my head I would love to face off with AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Braun Strowman and Christian (he can still go, I’m sure!) I feel like they are all people who would really test my limits one way or another.

You were scheduled to face IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada before coming to North America. Can you tell us how that match was supposed to go down and if he was aware you were originally intended to be his opponent?

My name never was never mentioned to him or NJPW management – the decision was up to Melbourne City Wrestling management as they were hosting the event featuring Kazuchika Okada. If I had stayed in Melbourne, the match was mine. Being the large dominant heel at the top of the company going against Okada, that would have been something special. But I totally understand why I didn’t get the match and it only motivated me to work towards my future and create new opportunities. The match went to another TMDK member, Slex, and he shined in the role. He stood toe to toe with the best in the world and held his own. While I wish it was me, I’m very glad to see it went to someone like Slex. He deserved it and he made the most of the opportunity. The event is available on MCW’s Encore subscription service.

Now that you’re living in Florida, what have been the biggest adjustments for you in general and how different from Australia would you say North America is?

There are some pretty big differences I must say. Some I will and some I won’t talk about, but I’ll give you an idea from my experience. When I first got here, I asked a chemist how much for a Ventolin inhaler (for asthma.) She said $60 but you need a prescription. Her jaw dropped when I told her they were $5 over the counter back in Australia. As for Florida itself, the humidity was crazy when I first got here! I’ve learned to love it, as back in Melbourne, Australia it was way too cold for my liking. The Florida sun has been very good to me!

Our readers can be very vocal about their opinions. With that said, we want to know your opinions on a few matters. First, what is your opinion of The Undertaker?

I don’t see anyone having a negative opinion on the guy. I’m still watching him and Michaels to this day because those two WrestleMania matches were something special to behold. For a big guy with a gimmick like that to pull it off the way he did. He’s something special.

Moving on, Roman Reigns is undoubtedly the most controversial wrestler in WWE. What is your opinion on the WWE Intercontinental Champion?

Regardless of what anybody thinks of his matches or promos, I don’t believe anyone can doubt how hard of a worker he is. I challenge anyone to take on the schedule and the pressure that he has and see if they can fill his shoes. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as easy as anybody thinks.

The internet loves to favour certain companies over others, pitting them and the superstars employed by the companies against one another. When Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho were scheduled to fight at ‘Wrestle Kingdom 12,’ many speculated that this was a betrayal for Jericho or that this was a NJPW vs. WWE match. As a part of the industry yourself, can you give us your thoughts on this division?

Everyone in the wrestling industry should be looking to make moments. That’s what wrestling is all about. Unforgettable moments that go down in history. Y2J vs Kenny became the talk of the town because it was something special and it was something that a lot of people wanted to see. It had people talking and it had people watching. That’s the most important thing you could say about it. Everyone wants more eyes on the product. More people in attendance and more people tuning in around the world. Match-ups like this only benefit the wrestling industry and when you look at the match itself, they didn’t disappoint.

You have a background in motion graphic design. Has this influenced you in any way during your wrestling career?

It’s certainly helped as I’ve been able to make hype videos and VFX content for companies that I’ve worked for which only makes the product I represent look more professional. It’s also helped with a bunch of my previous promos (there’s a playlist at youtube.com/elliotsexton) as it allows me to tell stories in a specific way. I had to use my graphic design skills for the finale of Trophy Life season 1 – you’ll know when you see it!

Speaking of, you can watch episode 2 of ‘Trophy Life’ below. It is relatively short and very hilarious. Sexton shines in this series.

Trophy Life (S01E02)

Besides wrestling, what other hobbies do you have?

PS4, Netflix and Uber Eats! Talk about the Trophy Life…

We want to thank you for joining us, Elliot. You’ve been a pleasure. Do you have any last comments you’d like to make before we go?

I’ll finish with something that resonates with me a lot… A comfort zone is a wonderful place but nothing ever grows there.

We also want to thank Cory Lockwood Photography for the pictures used in the cover image for this exclusive interview and the image used above. We also want to remind you that Elliot Sexton has a playlist on his official YouTube channel where you can find his content. You can find that here.

Have you ever considered being a wrestler? What did you think of this interview? Who would you like to see Sexton face?

Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page or Twitter account. Additionally, you can find me on Twitter at @SOSNH1995. We also want to remind you that we have a Newsletter you can sign up to. This will allow us to send you the best news in one place via an email. We also have the Wrestling Rumors app that we encourage you all to download to get updates faster than they release on our various pages. It is available on Android and iOS devices.