Professional wrestling star, Fallah Bahh made his first international appearance on an episode of IMPACT! Wrestling in January 2017. His build and wrestling style reminded me so much of the late great Rodney “Yokozuna” Anoa’i. Fallah was introduced as part of a menacing ‘foreign’ tag team, Fallah soon broke away into singles competition and became a beloved fan favourite. Fallah Bahh kindly took the time to be the subject of a Q&A, and I wish to thank Fallah for his time.
Ite Lemalu: Please tell us about yourself; where you were born and where you grew up, your cultural identity, favourite TV shows, musical influences, or favourite video games?
@FALLAH1: Thank you for having me! I’m Fallah Bahh, Filipino pro wrestler that has been wrestling in the northeast area for the past 13 years. I was born in Newark, New Jersey, but I was raised in Bloomfield. I don’t really watch TV, I mostly watch random stuff on YouTube. I have no real knowledge of new music lol, BUT I do listen to a lot of different genres … anything after 2010, I’m oblivious, I do however have a love for video games. My childhood consisted of playing WCW Revenge and WWF No Mercy and games with amazing characters like Street Fighter and Metal Gear Solid.
Ite Lemalu: Were you a wrestling fan during your childhood? If so, what wrestling company (or companies) did you follow, and who were your favourite wrestlers?
@FALLAH1: I was always a fan growing up as a kid the flashy characters that the WWF had at the time got my attention and made me fall in love with pro wrestling. When I got older I grew to love ECW, it was in a different time so I felt like I found an alternative.
Ite Lemalu: At which part of your life did you decide to become a pro wrestler?
@FALLAH1: There wasn’t a particular moment, it was something I always wanted to do.
Ite Lemalu: You were fortunate to grow up in an area that has a good selection of wrestling training schools; who did you train under?
@FALLAH1: I trained under Kevin Knight at the IWF.
Ite Lemalu: Your followers on social media are entertained continuously by your posts, and a particular interest you like to share about yourself is that you are a fan of the Street Fighter 2 video game. In fact, you’ve incorporated a move from the game into your move-set. Are there other influences outside of pro wrestling that has helped inspire the Fallah Bahh character?
@FALLAH1: I try as much as I can to find inspiration in all forms of entertainment, I’m a huge E Honda fan; my logo has a panda wearing his face paint.
Ite Lemalu: What was the inspiration behind the name Fallah Bahh?
@FALLAH1: The name Fallah was given to me when I first started wrestling shows so early in my career, as Fallah. BAHH, on the other hand, was given to me by accident, haha. I needed a last name on Facebook so I put Bahh because I had been screaming Bahh in my matches. Pat Buck who had a big hand in developing my character told me to use it.
Ite Lemalu: You made your IMPACT Wrestling in 2017 as a villain; and as time passed, your character became an underdog favourite with the fans. Was it IMPACT Wrestling’s plan to turn you into a good guy, or did the crowd already make that decision for the company?
@FALLAH1: I feel it happened organically. I will forever be grateful with the connection I have with the IMPACT fans.
Ite Lemalu: A big turning point during your IMPACT! journey, was when you challenged EC3 for the Grand Championship: What are your thoughts of this high-profile bout?
@FALLAH1: That match was huge for me! Not only was it my first match in Canada. It was my first title match in Impact. I remember the fans not knowing who I was in the beginning, but I got there respect by the end of the night.
Ite Lemalu: In your match with EC3, you displayed more of your athleticism; adding moves that we wouldn’t normally see you do on IMPACT! In addition to the running cross body and Samoan drop, you also introduced the belly to belly suplex. Will IMPACT! viewers see other moves that you are currently performing outside of the company?
@FALLAH1: Definitely! I have a few tricks up my sleeves that the impact fans have yet to see.
Source: IMPACT WRESTLING
Ite Lemalu: Moving on to a subject which is confronting to a social issue; you formed a trio with Richard Justice and Tyrus for the purpose of combating fat shaming. The story was short-lived following Tyrus’ departure from the company; do you think that this story should have continued considering the stigma against big people?
@FALLAH1: Yes! I’m still bummed, we had something different (Big man stable) there was so much potential.
Ite Lemalu: Following the announcement of Vader’s passing, you posted a photo of yourself standing next to Vader on a ring apron during what looks like to be a 6 man tag team match: Can you tell us about this event?
@FALLAH1: That pic was taken from a Warriors of Wrestling event in Brooklyn, NY in 2014. Bryan Harley, Vader and I faced Jason Kross, Jack Gallows and Abdul Nassir.
Ite Lemalu: Do you have any memories of Vader that you’d like to share?
@FALLAH1: I’ll never forget how lucky I felt being on the same side as Vader and not being on the receiving end of his offence, HAHAHA! Even at his age he was still competing the best he could and still throwing bear claw like punches.
Ite Lemalu: Who is your favourite opponent thus far; is there a wrestler that you’d like to wrestle but have yet to face off against; and if there was a wrestler from the past that you would’ve liked to have a match with, who would that person be?
@FALLAH1: Anybody that can make me perform at a higher level than I’m used to are my favorite opponents. Facing people like Dan Maff, and Darren Young help me layout to my character. Hands down, I would love to have worked with Yokozuna, he is someone that I studied, admired, and patterned my look after.
You have a fan base that is rich in diversity, what would you like to say to your fans as we close off this interview?
@FALLAH1: I’m just grateful the fans took me in the way they did. Just know that I am thankful for this opportunity to connect with all of you and I hope you enjoy this ride like I am.