Luchasaurus (real name Austin Matelson) caught up with his old school, California State University Of Northridge and the new AEW signee talked about his time at school, his interest in history and how it all comes into play with his wrestling reptilian persona. Quotes are below:
Luchasaurus on his interest in history and his professor, Clementine Oliver:
“It was exactly the time period and the stuff that I was interested in, and medieval [classes] in America that are that good aren’t easy to find. She was the best, and we just connected really well. I had a couple of other professors whom I connected with really well, and I just had so much fun and felt really at home in the department. I was excelling with [my] studies and I was getting it, and it was exciting.”
His history professor, Clementine Oliver, on his time as a graduate teaching assistant:
“The flashes of brilliance were there as an undergrad,” she said. “I remember one exam where he sat down and wrote a long essay, and it kind of blew me away [after reading it]. It was sort of when it all gels for him his critical thinking skills are up there with the best of them, not just CSUN.”
Oliver on Luchasaurus connecting wrestling with history:
“There was something about both the ancient and medieval world that attracted him,” she said. “The distant landscape is ripe for critical examination. It lends itself to imagination and re-creation. I think he was drawn to that and drawn to chivalry. I could see how he could find the perfect blend of performance and emotion and critical thinking in the classroom.”
Luchasaurus on CSUN and his wrestling career:
“It’s all connected. I learned a different way of approaching a topic and an argument [and found] new ways of using my brain that I didn’t have before [studying] history. We learn how to write history, how to interpret things without truth. And wrestling is the ultimate thing that has no truth because it’s performance, and it’s half-pretending and half-real. There’s a lot of analyzing of the character you’re doing — how to perform in front of a crowd and get them to react to things a certain way.”
