How did you first become interested in wrestling and who were some of your favourite wrestlers at that time?
I knew about wrestling when I was younger, but I was never really into it.
There was a Dutch TV show in early 2012 about subcultures and stuff and one of the episodes was about pro wrestling. It looked like fun, so I decided to look it up and try it out.
Was there a particular moment that inspired you to want to become a professional wrestler?
I guess watching the aforementioned show. Besides that, once I did my first match I knew I wanted to keep doing it and make it my life. I was hooked from that point on.
Which school did you train at and how did you find out about it?
I trained at Pro Wrestling Holland(PWH) under the tutelage of Tengkwa. They were featured a little bit in the show I talked about and the name of the promotion stuck with me.
How long did it take for you to make your in-ring debut after you started training and how quickly did you pick things up when learning to wrestle?
I think I picked most stuff up really quickly. I started training when I didn't have a driver's license and training was quite far away, so I did a couple of trainings at first but then missed about half a year due to the travel being terrible.
After that it took me another half a year to get into the ring, so technically I guess it took me a full year.
You made your in-ring debut in 2013. What are your memories of your first match and first show?
I remember being pretty nervous and I remember that there weren't a lot of people in attendance.
The match wasn't good, but it was really fun and it immediately left me with a desire for more and to do it better.
In 2014 you made your first appearances for Westside Xtreme Wrestling. How did the opportunity come about for you to travel to Germany to compete?
Another Dutch wrestler called Johnny Evers was in contact with wXw. They asked him to bring along anyone he thought was worthwhile, so he asked me because he knew I was serious about it.
Two years after your first appearance for wXw, you won the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship in a four-way match also including Absolute Andy, John Klinger and then champion Karsten Beck. When you first stepped into a wXw ring did you ever expect the moment to arrive where you would win their top championship?
Yes, of course. I knew I could be a big asset to them, so once I started getting booked regularly I figured it was just a case of working myself up.
I never expected it to happen that fast though and I'm very grateful it did, it's given me a lot of opportunities that helped me a lot.
You defeated Axel Dieter Jr. to win the wXw World Unified Wrestling Championship for the second time in March this year. After having several matches with Axel in the past, how did you feel the story played out with you finally winning the title?
Working with Axel was the most fun I've had in wrestling so far. I felt we had really good chemistry in the ring, but also in promos. The story was very natural and easy to tell in- and outside of the ring.
So I think the story played out very well at the end, the reaction when I won the title says it all to me.
We've seen you wrestling in the UK this year for PROGRESS Wrestling as well as for OTT in Ireland. Can we expect to see Jurn Simmons in the UK again anytime soon?
I'll be in Ireland again soon, but I don't currently have any bookings lined up in England for the foreseeable future.
As the current wXw World Unified Wrestling Champion, what are your goals both for yourself and that title for the remainder of the year?
My personal goal is always to expand my own name value and make myself a bigger and better asset to whatever company or promotion I work for.
As champion, I guess it goes hand in hand that I would help raise the importance and prestige of the title as I work on my personal goal.
How important is it for you to still compete in the Netherlands and are there any differences between Dutch and German audiences?
It's not that important to me, the Dutch scene is very small. I like to do Dutch shows if I have nothing else, just because it's fun to hang out with those guys.
Dutch crowds are the most silent crowds I've experienced anywhere, they're also a lot smaller than the German ones. German crowds seem to much more into it and much appreciative of what we do.
When you're not wrestling or at a show, how do you unwind and how important is it to do that from time-to-time?
I just hang out at home and watch Game of Thrones or play video games or just be really lazy and not do anything.
It probably is important, but I don't like it at all. If I have a weekend off or something I get very restless.
Lastly, if you could name one person who's had the biggest impact on your life and career, who would you name?
Jurn Simmons.
We'd like to thank Jurn for taking the time to answer our questions. He was an absolute pleasure to work with on this interview. Make sure you follow Jurn on all forms of social media at the below links:
Facebook - Facebook.com/TheJurn
Instagram - @JurnSimmons
Twitter - @JurnSimmons
I knew about wrestling when I was younger, but I was never really into it.
There was a Dutch TV show in early 2012 about subcultures and stuff and one of the episodes was about pro wrestling. It looked like fun, so I decided to look it up and try it out.
Was there a particular moment that inspired you to want to become a professional wrestler?
I guess watching the aforementioned show. Besides that, once I did my first match I knew I wanted to keep doing it and make it my life. I was hooked from that point on.
Which school did you train at and how did you find out about it?
I trained at Pro Wrestling Holland(PWH) under the tutelage of Tengkwa. They were featured a little bit in the show I talked about and the name of the promotion stuck with me.
How long did it take for you to make your in-ring debut after you started training and how quickly did you pick things up when learning to wrestle?
I think I picked most stuff up really quickly. I started training when I didn't have a driver's license and training was quite far away, so I did a couple of trainings at first but then missed about half a year due to the travel being terrible.
After that it took me another half a year to get into the ring, so technically I guess it took me a full year.
You made your in-ring debut in 2013. What are your memories of your first match and first show?
I remember being pretty nervous and I remember that there weren't a lot of people in attendance.
The match wasn't good, but it was really fun and it immediately left me with a desire for more and to do it better.
In 2014 you made your first appearances for Westside Xtreme Wrestling. How did the opportunity come about for you to travel to Germany to compete?
Another Dutch wrestler called Johnny Evers was in contact with wXw. They asked him to bring along anyone he thought was worthwhile, so he asked me because he knew I was serious about it.
Two years after your first appearance for wXw, you won the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship in a four-way match also including Absolute Andy, John Klinger and then champion Karsten Beck. When you first stepped into a wXw ring did you ever expect the moment to arrive where you would win their top championship?
Yes, of course. I knew I could be a big asset to them, so once I started getting booked regularly I figured it was just a case of working myself up.
I never expected it to happen that fast though and I'm very grateful it did, it's given me a lot of opportunities that helped me a lot.
You defeated Axel Dieter Jr. to win the wXw World Unified Wrestling Championship for the second time in March this year. After having several matches with Axel in the past, how did you feel the story played out with you finally winning the title?
Working with Axel was the most fun I've had in wrestling so far. I felt we had really good chemistry in the ring, but also in promos. The story was very natural and easy to tell in- and outside of the ring.
So I think the story played out very well at the end, the reaction when I won the title says it all to me.
We've seen you wrestling in the UK this year for PROGRESS Wrestling as well as for OTT in Ireland. Can we expect to see Jurn Simmons in the UK again anytime soon?
I'll be in Ireland again soon, but I don't currently have any bookings lined up in England for the foreseeable future.
As the current wXw World Unified Wrestling Champion, what are your goals both for yourself and that title for the remainder of the year?
My personal goal is always to expand my own name value and make myself a bigger and better asset to whatever company or promotion I work for.
As champion, I guess it goes hand in hand that I would help raise the importance and prestige of the title as I work on my personal goal.
How important is it for you to still compete in the Netherlands and are there any differences between Dutch and German audiences?
It's not that important to me, the Dutch scene is very small. I like to do Dutch shows if I have nothing else, just because it's fun to hang out with those guys.
Dutch crowds are the most silent crowds I've experienced anywhere, they're also a lot smaller than the German ones. German crowds seem to much more into it and much appreciative of what we do.
When you're not wrestling or at a show, how do you unwind and how important is it to do that from time-to-time?
I just hang out at home and watch Game of Thrones or play video games or just be really lazy and not do anything.
It probably is important, but I don't like it at all. If I have a weekend off or something I get very restless.
Lastly, if you could name one person who's had the biggest impact on your life and career, who would you name?
Jurn Simmons.
We'd like to thank Jurn for taking the time to answer our questions. He was an absolute pleasure to work with on this interview. Make sure you follow Jurn on all forms of social media at the below links:
Facebook - Facebook.com/TheJurn
Instagram - @JurnSimmons
Twitter - @JurnSimmons