Michigan’s Mason Parris talks about winning the Heavyweight National Championship
Q Mason Parris, Michigan State Champion. Initial emotions, feelings of being a national champion?
MASON PARRIS: Right now it’s a mix of a lot of emotions. I’m still trying to process everything. My adrenaline level is still very high. I’ve got so much on my mind right now.
And “thankful” is the most important thing that comes to mind. And I’m just blessed to have the coaches and the partners and the school – everything, the support system that’s behind me. And I couldn’t have done it without her.
Q After getting the initial pin (undetectable) the entire first period. What did you think when he chose Bottom to start the third period?
MASON PARRIS: My mindset was I have to ride him out. i know i can That was an adjustment I made after the match, our first match and then Big Tens. I can ride this guy, I can ride him out, I can break him up.
That’s what I did. Just focusing on getting that ride down and breaking him and just breaking his spirit was the main thing. And I knew I could do it. That’s why I focused so much on getting better at the top.
Q Heading into this year you were 1-3 against Greg. Now they’re 4-3 and a win in a national championship. what does that mean to you?
MASON PARRIS: It means so much. Just kind of shows the progress I’ve made over the last season and how much better I’ve actually gotten. I wasn’t at my full potential last year. And this year it was me. I wanted to come out and show that I’m the best. And I really had something to prove. And I wanted revenge on all the guys I could.
Q (Indistinguishable) talk about how heavyweight might be the best time ever. Do you ever feel like the king of the mountains?
MASON PARRIS: Yes, it’s absolutely amazing to win this title. It’s a lot more fun to watch this new era of heavyweight wrestling. And I like being one of those guys on the front lines of this new era of athletic heavyweights. It’s great, hopefully inspiring some of these kids to go out and get some shots and be aggressive.
Q She and Greg are all in the WWE Next in Line series (unintelligible). You will meet again in another profession. What does that mean for you and how will you adapt to it?
MASON PARRIS: It’s going to be really cool. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with everything yet. I have many plans for the future. And my plan at the moment is the Olympic Games in 2024. Parris in Paris, that’s the goal. And maybe you still see me in the corn and blue pads.
Q As you look back on this season, where you are now, have you imagined that this is a reality and just the moment? And what would you say about your training, your training partners, how it all came together for you in this great moment?
MASON PARRIS: I thought about it every day and imagined so many times how I would win that national championship. And it feels so great to have actually made it. And the drill partners that I have, the trainers, I get to train with some of the best drill partners in the world.
And wrestling with J’den Cox and this guy every day makes me so much better. We feed each other’s energy. And having these great coaches who have experience at all levels is great too. They give me their expertise and it’s easy – it’s amazing what we have going on in Michigan and so many positive things there.
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