IamA Lucha Underground Wrestler Marty The Moth - Martin Casaus AMA!

Is there any advice Joey Ryan has given you on either wrestling or baby oil that has proven invaluable in your career?

The only advice I got was to use baby oil....Lots of baby oil. I havent quite added that to my arsenal yet. Should the moth use baby oil? He did help me get thet bkue check on Twitter too

Oh and he also said to put my pro wrestling tees store link on everything. lol. That man sells ALOT of shirts. Oh and by the way... www.prowrestlingtees.com/martincasaus

Thanks Joey :)

Ever thought of doing a mathematican character and being Marty the Math?

Didnt Matt Stiker do the teacher gimmick? I play dumb but I would have graduated with a 4.0 GPA in college, if it wasnt for accounting!!!! I loathe math!!!! sooooooo nope never

Does Melissa Santos smell as lovely as your face indicates she does?

Better

How did it feel going from the Tough Enough ring, especially with the way you left, to LU? Did you fear people would just typecast you as the TE guy?

Also, I just wanted to say you were my pick for TE and I was pretty gutted to see you go. On the plus side, it also gave me a chance to see Marty as a character so.....

Why thank you. I was pretty gutted and... literally broken leaving the way I did as well. It actually felt great going to the Lucha Underground ring after TE. The first day I got to the Temple, you could feel the excitement and also the feeling that we didnt know what Lucha Undeground was going to be but we wanted it to be special. So everyone was supportive, nice, and helping each other. It felt like a family the 1st day at the Temple and still feels the same today which is why I love it. I wasnt worried about being typecasted as I had 2 other TE alums with me and the EV Eric Vanwagnen on the show as well. Plus i wanted to make a statement anyway at Lucha and whatever that statement was I would hope over shadowed TE....enter the Moth

Hi Marty. You're one of my favourite wrestlers, I love your match vs. Killshot. My question is what's your recommendation for an amateur wrestler or someone that want to learn this? And what's your favorite music band?

Awesome. I loved that match. Shane Stickland (killshot) is one hell of a worker. My recommendation for people wanting to get into wrestling would be to find the BEST PRO wrestling school you can find, and OUT WORK and OUT STUDY every person there!! Id go with the most reputable schools that have track records for getting people to success. I listen to literally everything. I was listening last night to movie soundtracks like Man of Steel and of coarse Disney. This morning, I had Avenged Sevenfold on and even old 90's boy bands like Backstreet boys and Nsync. So like I said a bit of everything lol #noshame

You say should like a bit of everything but what about country?

I LOVE COUNTRY!!!

Marty any truth to the rumor that you were originally going to play Mil Muertes?

Very much truth. I didnt know it until you guys learned it but Chris Dejoseph (one of the brilliant minds behind LU) told me himself that that was the original plan. I'm pretty glad how things worked out

Congrats on managing to be the creepiest bastard on LU!

Now for the questions:

1) Who have you not wrestled yet in LU that you would like to?

2) If you were given the opportunity to turn Marty face, would yo want to? And do you think it would stick?

3) Do you enjoy board gaming? If so, what do you like to play?

lol I never thought I would take people calling me a creepy bastard as a compliment... but now its music to my ears. 1) I havent wrestled Son of Havoc yet and he was on WWE TE and LU with me so thats gotta happen 2) I'd turn face if the situation called for it.....but its SO MUCH MORE FUN to BE BAD!!! 3) Actually I love video games. If I ever get the chance to play them I play everything from shooter ups, Mario, to wrestling games. I currently at my house have a PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo WII, and Nintendo 64 all hooked up and ready to go. Gotta love some Goldeneye, WWF No Mercy, and Mario KArt 64!

Martin! I met you during one of those Latin Festivals here in Utah County like 10 years ago. You taught me and my friend how to take a back bump and then we helped you guys clean up the ring. Anyways, I've always wanted to know, up til now in your career, what's been your biggest "I can't believe I made it here" moment so far?

I've had a few off the top of my head. 1)smashing cans of beers and pounding them live on WWE Monday night Raw with Stone Cold Steve Austin 2) Being paid to be at Wrestlemania 3) After the finish and standing ovation by the Lucha Underground believers after my Weapons of Mass Destructions match with KillShot --probably my favorite honestly

Any spoilers you can hint at for the upcoming season?

Theres going to be a whole lot of Moth the next 20 episodes,.....and Melissa Santos.....cuz #stillabetterlovestorythantwillight

Were You afraid to use certain maneuver at some point of your career? If that's the case, which one?

Greetings from Mexico

Ive never been afraid to take anything or give anything. I unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how you look at it) usually put people's entertainment above my physical well being. So thanks for giving me an opportunity to do so. I get crap from LU cuz I randomly bleed almost every match

I heard there were a few ideas for what your character would be before settling on "The Moth" like being the original Mil Muertes and a magician. Do you think either of those two would have worked out as well as The Moth did?

I was originally going to be Mil Muertes and Marty the Magnificent before I we went the Moth route. You never know what could have happened but honestly I feel like the Moth character fits me better. I literally get to goof off, act, and essentially play around as the moth. That fits my personality far better than pretending to be a hard ass in Mil or do magic.

Easter Egg: You can see me on Netflix as the Marty the Magnificent character in episode 3 season 1 of Lucha Underground. Virtual high five for finding it

I think I found Marty the Magnificent! Green and white tights with a green bowtie?

Bingo!!! Virtual high five!

Martin, I absolutely love the Marty character and his relationship to Mariposa. Few questions, if you may:

• How far would you like to take Marty/Mariposa's relationship? I honestly got majorly incestuous vibes toward her in season 2, almost like he's in love with her in a way and would do anything for her and she uses that to her advantage against potential enemies. Would that be a fair assessment?

• How often has Melissa Santos told you to fuck off or some other slip of the tongue during her announcements and did she know beforehand you'd creep on her or was that something you did in character that stuck?

Thank you for the love. I would like to take the relationship as far as I can take it to make compelling TV. The fun part of playing a persona like this is that peoples minds are usually darker then what we can show on TV. So if i hint at something and leave it to interpretation, the believers minds take it how they want it. People are usually sicker in their own heads than they put out to the world. So I just have to hint at few things and let the fans take it to where they want. Dont most siblings love each other and would do anything for them? A few simple actions that leave interpretation open can go a long way

-the second question is a fun one for me. Melissa Santos is one of the most professional people I know. Shes got beauty and brains. We did my first ring announcement as a trial to see how people react and because it worked so well and pissed so many people off, we had to keep it. Poor Melissa has zero clue what I'm going to do to her when she's announcing me. I have whispered the most random things in her ear to get her to bust up laughing or break character and shes SO GOOD, she never breaks!! I'll get her though! I assume it's a pretty hard task to deal with announcing my name and where im from, when I'm doing my Moth thing all over her every announcement. She'll break...one day....maybe

Alright guys. Im out! I appreciate the questions and your time. I had a blast! Keep up with me at my official website www.MartinCasaus.com and watch me on Netflix on Lucha Underground! We will be back with the rest of the season 3 soon!

Hi Marty! Thanks for doing this today, and for what it's worth, I think you got robbed on Tough Enough.

Speaking of, I've been wondering: We see a lot of Tough Enough alumni on Lucha Underground. You, Matt Cross/Son of Havoc, and Ivelisse were all part of season 5, and Johnny Mundo, of course, was a season 3 winner. Was there any sort of network effect at work here (i.e. did you all stay friends and get each other in, or something along those lines), or is it just a coincidence?

No network effect at all. Just my dude Eric Vanwagnen who worked on WWE TE with us. He became the Executive Producer of Lucha Underground and needed wrestling talent. He knew the TE guys and gals picked were good so no need to look elsewhere.

You can have one match with any other wrestler. Who would you want it to be against and what kind of match would you want (cage, iron Man, etc.)?

I would want my former WWE Tough Enough trainer Stone Cold Steve Austin as my match, anything goes. I hung my own belt up in Tough Enough so I can take it back down when I want too right? If I win, I get to keep that belt ;) .....it was a sick belt.

How much input do you have on Marty the Moth and how much of it is by the writers in Lucha Underground?

One of my biggest things I love about LU is the fact that we have an open door policy with the writing staff and Vampiro. They came up with the idea of the character and it has evolved so much since its inception. You always hear about places saying they have an open door policy but LU actually lives it. Im probably moving to Los Angeles soon and buying a house there. Im definitely going to be bugging EV Eric Vanwagnen (@EricVanWagenen) and head LU writer Chris Dejoseph (@chrisdejoseph) for a Lucha Underground house reality show. lol. **hint hint nudge nudge

Hey guys, gals, and most importantly Believers!! Ive been going for a bit and need to recharge my tablet. So I will be back on the AMA here at 830 est tonight! Your questions are awesome! Go ahead and keep posting your questions as I will be getting to as many as I can!

Who came up with the Marty The Moth character? And why are you so perfect at being creepy with Melissa?

The brilliant minds of the writing staff of Lucha Underground, Chris Dejoseph, Matt Stohlman, and Chris Roach came up with the moth character. Add a flavor of the dark mind of Vampiro and me and a hint of what the believers reacted to = The formula of a crazy moth character

On social media one of my pet peeves is seeing comments from fans saying "Come to WWE!" or something like that. Lucha Underground is such a better show than WWE! Do you get a lot of those comments, and does it bother you a little bit too?

By the way, Marty vs Killshot was one of the most bad ass matches of all time! Keep up the great work!

I get TONS of those. Alot of it in messages as well as I keep my messages open to fans to slide into my DM's. Yes, It does bug a little but some people just dont know there is wrestling outside of WWE that you can still make a good living in. Their loss and thank you for the kind words.

Where can I buy an Aztec Pride t-shirt? What has been your favorite match of your career so far?

Lucha Underground has a Pro Wrestling Tees store where the #aztecpride shirts I wear are available.

http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/luchaunderground

My favorite match of my career so far hasnt happened yet.

Do you refer to them as chicken tenders, chicken strips, chicken fingers, or something else?

Whats wrong with chicken breasts? Who doesnt love breasts? ;)

Hey Marty! Sweet gimmick, love your LU stuff. Who's been your favorite person to work with so far in LU? Who would you like to work with in the future?

My favorite so far in LU would have to be Shane Stickland (Killshot). He's so talented and the world is about to find out just how much here this year if they havent already. As far as the future there are so many people i'd love to work with. Just for fun, I'd love a go with former TE contestant Matt Cross or Paul London

How was the "Marty the Moth" character pitched to you? Do you draw inspiration from any particular tv/movie character? Big fan of your work on Lucha Underground as I do a rewatch of it on Netflix.

It was pitched something like this "so were thinking of having you called Marty the Moth from the Moth tribe. Your essentially a big kid and who's not all there. Cool?". The flapping of the wings actually came as a joke since I was giving Melissa Santos crap during rehearsal and DeJoseph said something like "hey could you stand uncomfortably close to Melissa just like you were doing and flap your arms like a moth". Thats how it started and thanks to the minds of the LU writers and Vampiro the character evolved i think more then any character on the roster (from comedic relief guy to where it is today). I actually did alot of research into real life serial killers, especially those who had regular lives as well that you could run into during your day and have no clue he had bodies in the basement

Best thing about being a part of the Lucha Underground roster?

The Lucha Underground roster is family to me. Everyone is supportive and everyone wants success for everyone else in ring and out. Ya have to love going to "work" with that environment. Not a bad job in any case anyway eh?

Who were your influences that got you hooked on wrestling ?

Originally, it was Bill Goldberg and DDP as I was a huge WCW fan. I would not watch WWF till way later. However, once I saw Shawn Michaels everything changed. So my biggest is definitely HBK. He is still a guy I look to as the best

Would you rather..

A) look like Jar Jar Binks?😂

Or

B) talk like Jar Jar Binks? 😂

I used to be able to talk like Jar Jar Binks.... damn puberty. So ill go with option C) Be Batman. Because if you have a chance to be anyone or Batman, you always be the Batman!!!

Marty, first off you've seriously become one of my favorite guys on Lucha Underground. I appreciate good promo and psychology work, and you absolutely have it nailed down.

Your character has changed pretty significantly since it's debut. Can you give us some insight into the evolution of the Marty The Moth character? How much input did you have on it creatively, what did you need to change around as your character evolved, are you enjoying where the Moth is right now and do you see it as a character you can stick with for years to come?

Actually my 1st purpose of the show was to be comedic relief. After we had that down and was getting reactions out of people, I talked with the writers of LU and Vampiro about making it darker but still funny. One of the things I love about LU is that they will actually listen and hear what the workers are saying. They still have final word but they do actually listen and give us an open door policy. I honestly think the Moth character has evolved more than any other on the roster, from a crazy wrestling fan waiting outside the Temple to what it is today. I see alot more phychological stuff I think. To me, its scarier to realize your neighbor or best friend has been killing and torturing people the whole time you knew him vs a fictional character like Jason or Freddy that cant hurt you in real life

Which nationality/ethnicity makes the best sausage? Gotta be the Germans, right?

I assume so. Im not a sausage guy

What's your favorite Soul Coughing song?

Some kind of verb. Some kind of moving thing. Something unseen. Some hand is motioning to rise, to rise, to rise. ;)

Who is the biggest jerk backstage? This can span over everywhere you have worked. I am always curious who people hated backstage.

I do my best I can to try to stay away from negativity in my life in general. So i stay away from the "he said, she said, " BS that can happen in most locker rooms. Im there to do a job, entertain the believers, and have fun.

Hi Marty, I've been enjoying watching you on Lucha Underground for a good while now. If you could form your own trios team to go after the titles on the show, who would your ideal two partners be? Would you want to bring two people from outside of the temple into the fold?

oooh thats a good one. 1st team that came to mind would be me, Rey Mysterio, and like a Will Ospreay or Zack Sabre. Another thought if I took it a different route, would be Katrina (Karlee Perez) and Melissa Santos. They drop jaws as they always do and I roll my opponents up. Both sound equally as effective to me

Ps I could have the girls fight too because they are some tough women anyways

I just want to say you are an amazing live heel. I went to a Lucha Underground taping a few months ago and you body checked my friends and I as you were walking to the ring. It was small and subtle, but it definitely made me want to see you get your ass kicked. I still reference it to friends as one of the best subtle, live show heel moves I've ever seen.

How did you become such a good heel? Who did you study? Also, what are your thoughts on being an effective heel to the live crowd versus "for the cameras"?

Well thank you. I love psychology and what makes people do and think the way they do. So for me, I just focus on what would piss me off personally. If someone bumps me in the street and keeps walking like an ass without acknowledging it, it would piss me off so thats why I do some of the things I do while in persona. I studied great wretlers like HBK, SCSA, Fit Finlay as well as characters outside of wrestling like the Joker and many serial killers from real life. The villian in real life or in any story always has a reason for what they do, its never just to be a villian

Hey man, you're my favorite character. Do you ever get recognized in public?

Thanks, and yes I do!! It usually starts with awkward stares at me for awhile and whispering between friends to make sure its me and what to say. Most arent very sneaky or quite about it. However, I always say if you do see me in public come say hi. Without wrestling fans, there is no wrestling. Just a bunch of dudes rolling around in spandex ;)

Was your character always meant to progress the way it did or did it evolve over time?

I was brought in just to be comedic relief at first but thanks to some thinking and the believers, the character has evolved immensely. I started out waiting for Dario Cueto outside the Temple to where we are now. Thank you Temple BELIEVERS

Who would you say is your top 5 inspirations as a wrestler?

1. HBK
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin
3. Fit Finlay/ Dean Malenko
4. DDP
5. Bill Goldberg

All for very different reasons

I'm really into moth chicks, can you hook me up with Mariposa?

Absolutely! Just look outside your window tonight ;)

Do you ever think about what could've been if you didn't get injured during Tough Enough? If you had the opportunity to sign with WWE, would you do it?

Absolutely, I think about if I would have won WWE Tough Enough where I would be now. As far as now, I always keep my doors open for opportunites and have been approached by other companies already. However, I am a Lucha Underground guy and damn proud of it

You any good at street fighter?

Its been a long time since playing Street Fighter. I'm a Mortal Kombat guy and love playing the new Mortal Kombat XL on PS4 when I get a chance. Bring it !

You mentioned that you like helping to end bullying. I feel like you position would but you in a unique circumstance to help empower and inspire younger kids to stand strong. What kind of community outreach (in persona or not) do you do to help with this issue? How would you encourage others to educate kids to resist bullying?

Great question. I believe that I am in a position to make an impact and empower and inspire younger kids to stay strong. I was bullied when I was younger so I remember how it feels. Ive done visits to schools and programs to speak on the subject of bullying and self confidence. I am actually looking for a good organization now on the subject to partner with in order to make a larger impact. Id love any suggestions if you have a good organization on the subject. When I speak on the matter I want to make sure that everyone knows they do not deserve to be bullied, NO ONE does! I encourage speaking with the kids on the different types of bullying so that they know what bullying is, its many forms, and its effects. If they see it, they should speak up themselves and to adults. Stand up and speak out

FYI, I liked your appearance on the Current Geek podcast a while back. Hopefully you'll be a return guest soon.

Question: How is the wrestling scene in Utah? It’s not a state that has a well-known history of wrestling on a national level.

I'd love to be back on. Ill probably be doing podcast interviews soon here again when my time frees up. Utah isnt a state with well-known history in wrestling. Im trying to change that. I have a promotion and school I partner with that just had its 15 year anniversary show with Rey Mysterio. Check out UCW-Zero sometime.

What are your hobbies outside of wrestling and creeping on Sexy Star?

I dont get alot of free time so if I do, its mostly doing a whole lot of nothing. Relaxing has become a hobby of mine. I am a stock broker at a brokerage firm, actor, stunt guy, voice over guy, landlord, and I own a supplement company as well. So I dont get alot of free time. If I had to choose something it would be video games or superhero shows

Your ring gear on LU, you're doing that on purpose right?

Edit: can't fucking spell at all

Im having a competition with the rest of the LU roster on smallest ring gear, they dont know about it, but im winning. You are welcome

How was it like being trained by Steve Austin on tough enough?

Awesome sauce! Its Stone Cold Steve Austin! He mostly did the critiquing and perfecting but success leaves clues and if you want to learn professional wrestling thats one guy whos had the success

Hi Marty, huge fan! Who in your opinion would be the best tag partner for Marty the Moth? I for one would love to see you and Dalton Castle work together.

I am pretty content and happy with my sis Mariposa (Cheerleader Melissa) However, I have said on a few podcasts that I would LOVE to work with Dalton Castle. Moth vs Peacock??

Hey Marty, where else can I watch your work besides LU? I'd like to follow your other stuff!

www.MartinCasaus.com is where I will be posting my other stuff from wrestling, film, entrepreneurial stuff, to free stuff and give aways to subscribers

Hey Marty, I think you are awesome in LU, I never thought the "Creepy Bastard" chant would be one of my favourites. My question is, in your WMD match will Killshot, how much prep was there? Or was a lot of called in the ring? Did you guys have an idea of how you wanted it to go?

I took a shot of Jager, listened to some angry music, and was prepped for war. All we wanted was for it to be epic and violent. 7 staples in my head at the end of the night said we nailed at least 1 of those, the fans told us the other one. Thank you Believers!!!

Have you heard any rumblings of there being a Lucha Underground video game? I think a lot of people would be interested in the idea especially with the increased amount of eyes on LU due to the Netflix deal.

I've made a bunch of rumblings about creating a video game but I know we want to make LU as successful as possible as a TV series first before branching out into other entertainment avenues. I will be the first 1 in line to get that game with you guys. Hell i'd play it with the Believers before the tapings at the Temple if they had it! Doesnt hurt to bug EV Eric Vanwagnen (@EricVanWagenen) and head LU writer Chris Dejoseph (@chrisdejoseph) about it.

Hi Marty, my son and I are big fans of both your work on LU and also UCW Zero. You are one hell of a worker and a bad ass dude. To echo what others have said in this IAMA, watching you have to bow out of Tough Enough was devastating.Anyhow, my question for you is if you could face off against any Wrestler either alive or dead in either a single match or an ongoing story-line who would you want to work with? Also will you be making a suprise appearance at the upcoming Fool's Gold event?

HBK without a doubt. He to me is 1 of the best in the industry EVER! So i feel like a story with him would be so fun and id learn so much. I feel like you are never done learning in this industry. Thanks for the Utah love. I hope you are at Fools Gold, I may make a stop off. If I do, whos face should I kick in?

I want to say that you're one of the best in regard to being creepy as hell that I've seen in quite some time. Your feud with Sexy Star was among my favourites that has happened in LU and wrestling in general the past few years.

Do you draw inspiration from any particular source or is being creepy just something you happen to be very good at?

ha ha thanks... I think. jk Thank you for reals though. Being creepy takes practice but when your job is to creep up on the roster of LU its a fun job. Actually I do alot of test and stuff on my friends to see what works. I love psychology and seeing what pulls a reaction out of people so if you hang with me in real life you may just catch me practicing a few things on you

Creepy Bastard! How much hand do you have in the dispicable antics that Marty does? Is there something you or CDJ or anyone pitched that someone said it went to far? Lastly, what's your favorite part about playing Marty?

I wont lie I love that chant in the Temple! lol. There has been several things pitched by both me and DJ that got scrapped for going to far. Ideas that never make it to paper or film. If it does make film and its to much they just cut it out. Did you know I used a grenade and a missile on the WMD match? Also we walked some lines with some images coming in season 3 later this year so we will see what makes air.

The best part about playing marty the moth is that I dont have to act very much, just be me! ;) It may sound strange but if you take the dirty deeds I do out and keep the persona, its really just me cranked up to 12 and taking some of societies restrictions away to make good TV

1. What do you think of Broken Matt Hardy and Brother Nero?

2. Anyone in Japan you'd love to wrestle?

I think its brilliant! Broken Matt Hardy and Brother Nero seems like fun for me and Mariposa! As far as Japan Id love to wrestle as many of them as I can. Ilove working different people

Yo moth! Not sure if you're allowed to say this, how much are you informed of other characters/angles? Do they keep everyone more or less in the dark to keep reactions fresher?

If not can you give me your dream match of all time?

They keep us informed of our stories if we ask. Usually we dont know who were even wrestling till the day of. Some people will ask ahead about their stories and characters but I havent really. I just make the best of what they give me which in LU is usually pretty awesome stuff they come up with

I'll answer both. I would say Stone Cold Steve Austin would be the dream match as he was my former WWE Tough Enough trainer and ......well he's Stone Cold freaking Steve Austin :)

What was your original gimmick suppose to be in Lucha Underground the one with Brenda?

Marty the Magnificent with Beautiful Brenda as my manager. You can actually see me in S1 Episode 3 as the character in some clips.<-----little known fact

Hey Marty!! I hear you went to high school at JD?

You heard right. I went to Juan Diego Catholic High in Utah

Who right now in wrestling is one to watch out for in the future that has yet to make an impact?

Shane Strickland and Dante Fox

How did you prepare for the WMD match with Killshot?

A shot of Jager and some angry music

Can you explain about the wrestling acting thing and how does it work, is there like a script?

That depends on where you go. In Lucha there is a script for the backstage segments but most places there is no script for what happens in the ring.

Hi Marty, what's been your favorite match that you've been apart of in LU thus far?

So far I would have to go with the Weapons of Mass Destruction match in season 3 vs Killshot. They put alot of pressure on us to make a sweet main event and to me it was just to fun.... 7 staples in my head and all