Gaston LaRue entered professional wrestling after high school while feeling lost and searching for direction. That pursuit eventually carried him from a comedic character armed with an “Ancient Book of Wrestling” to a more ruthless technician who calls himself “The Mozart of Professional Wrestling.”
This exclusive Gaston LaRue interview covers the origins and evolution of his character, his training under Eric Draven and Van Martigan, forming the CruiserGreats with Avery Hurts and the championship match that changed his understanding of professional wrestling.
FINDING DIRECTION THROUGH PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
LaRue grew up watching professional wrestling, but his decision to become a participant came during a difficult period after graduating from high school.
Without a clear direction for his future, he decided to pursue something that had remained important throughout his life.
“I grew up watching wrestling my entire life. I was inspired to finally get involved when I was in a really hard place in my life.”
“After high school, I found myself very lost as a person and wanted to do something I love, so I pursued it and reached out to the nearest promotion to begin training.”
Eric Draven and Van Martigan became LaRue’s trainers. Martigan’s approach helped establish the technical foundation that continues to shape LaRue’s matches.
“Eric Draven and Van Martigan trained me. Van taught me to actually fight and figure my way out of submission holds on my own, which has inspired my style as a technical professional wrestler.”
FROM A HIGH-SCHOOL PLAY TO GASTON LARUE
LaRue’s wrestling name originated before he entered a ring.
He portrayed Gaston from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in a high-school production and later incorporated the name into his wrestling identity. The presentation attached to that name has changed significantly since his debut.
“The name originates from me playing the Disney character of Gaston in a play in high school. The character has immensely evolved.”
LaRue initially performed as “Mr. By the Book,” a comedic character who carried an object known as the Ancient Book of Wrestling and claimed to follow its teachings.
“I was once a more weaselly, comedic character and went by ‘Mr. By the Book,’ where I carried around the former Ancient Book of Wrestling as someone who went ‘by the book.’”
Rather than completely abandoning the character’s history, LaRue used it as the foundation for his current presentation.
“Now, I have evolved, taking the knowledge I gained as ‘Mr. By the Book’ to become ‘The Mozart of Professional Wrestling,’ a more ruthless, technically driven individual.”
“There are still comedic elements, but he is largely an obsessed artist who is constantly seeking to perfect his craft and his ‘music,’ known as professional wrestling.”
THE MOZART OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
The Mozart nickname represents LaRue’s desire to treat each match as a composition that can be studied, refined and improved.
When an audience encounters him for the first time, he wants the character’s obsession with professional wrestling to be immediately recognizable.
“What my name represents is that of an artist. What I wish to present to a crowd seeing me for the very first time is a man who is obsessed with his craft and wants nothing more than to prove he is professional wrestling’s greatest composer.”
LaRue describes himself as a technical wrestler, but he does not want that description to restrict what he can do.
He regularly studies different wrestling styles and adjusts his repertoire in an effort to become capable of working with a wider variety of opponents.
“I think what distinguishes me from other wrestlers is my constant evolution as a wrestler. I am constantly adding or taking away things from my repertoire.”
“I am constantly watching different styles of wrestling and seeking out evolution so that I can adapt to various styles while sticking in my own lane. This is something I do not believe many people of my experience level do.”
Dean Malenko, William Regal and Bryan Danielson are LaRue’s largest in-ring influences. His personality draws inspiration from Ric Flair, Aiden English and MJF.
FORMING THE CRUISERGREATS WITH AVERY HURTS
LaRue and Avery Hurts began as opponents who repeatedly encountered one another across the tri-state area.
Those matches created mutual respect before the two wrestlers were placed together as a team and discovered that their contrasting approaches complemented each other.
“The CruiserGreats began out of mutual respect between Avery and me after we had several battles across the tri-state with one another.”
“We were then thrown together as a tag team on a show and realized we had great chemistry as a team as well. We have massive respect for one another and decided to be a team.”
Hurts supplies the team with a more physically imposing and serious presence. LaRue provides the technical wrestling and larger personality.
“What makes us fit together so well is that we have differing styles. He is the ruthless striker and hard hitter. I am the flamboyant technical wrestler who will dismantle an opponent.”
Working together has taught both wrestlers how to connect their individual offense into a more efficient tag-team structure.
“What we have learned from working together is how to string together our offense in an efficient way. Avery brings a serious tone to our matches and accentuates my strengths by me being more of the personality, as he is more of the bruiser.”
WHAT MORTIMER BLANKENSHIP ADDS TO THE TEAM
The CruiserGreats are represented in EMERGE by Mortimer Blankenship III, who previously worked with both wrestlers at their home promotion.
LaRue believes Blankenship’s reputation and history of guiding wrestlers toward championship opportunities give the team additional credibility.
“Morty adds a lot. Prior to the CruiserGreats, we’d worked together quite a bit and both came from the same home promotion.”
“Morty brings legitimacy. Morty allows us to be taken more seriously, despite his goofy character and personality, because of his established reputation of helping wrestlers find success.”
Blankenship previously explained his approach to developing and presenting wrestlers in a separate WrestlingHeadlines.com interview.
REACHING A PROMOTION HE ONCE WATCHED FROM OUTSIDE
Competing for EMERGE was one of LaRue’s goals from the beginning of his career.
He watched Eric Draven, his trainer, compete in the promotion’s tag-team division alongside Mortimer Blankenship and envisioned eventually occupying a similar position.
“EMERGE was a goal of mine when I first started. I watched as my trainer, Eric Draven, and his tag-team partner at the time, alongside Morty, dominated their tag division for years.”
“I told myself, ‘That would be me,’ and now it is because I was motivated to get there and because I saw an opportunity and made it happen.”
LaRue reached the semifinals of EMERGE’s 2024 Emerging Stars Tournament and has challenged Tre LaMar for the promotion’s Outbreak Championship.
“EMERGE has given me great matches against the likes of Outbreak Champion Tre LaMar, as well as an incredible showing in their 2024 Emerging Stars Tournament.”
“Every time I am there, they give me the chance to shine against some of their best wrestlers, and I am always grateful for that.”
DEFEATING AARON WILLIAMS FOR THE SUPREME HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
LaRue identifies defeating Aaron Williams for the Supreme Heavyweight Championship as the most meaningful accomplishment of his career.
LaRue defeated Williams on February 26, 2022, and held the championship for 182 days.
“This means so much to me because it was Supreme putting their trust in me as their top guy after several years of hard work and me fighting hard to show them I could be relied on.”
The match also began a relationship with Williams that continued after the championship changed hands.
“Aaron Williams is one of the absolute best wrestlers in the country, if not the world, and has now become someone I admire greatly and love sharing a car with because we discuss wrestling, life and religion.”
“Every conversation is meaningful and a learning process. Wrestling him was also an incredible learning process and really flipped a lightbulb for me.”
THE CRUISERGREATS AT BACK IN THE SADDLE
LaRue and Hurts will represent Mortimer Blankenship III when the CruiserGreats face Brutus Atwell and Cousin Cooter at EMERGE 98: Back In The Saddle.
The event takes place Saturday, August 1, at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds in Columbus, Indiana. Doors open at 18:00, the Facebook Live match begins at 18:45 and bell time is scheduled for 19:00.
Tickets are available through the official EMERGE Wrestling ticket store. The developing lineup and additional event information can be found in WrestlingHeadlines.com’s complete Back In The Saddle preview.
APPRECIATING THE PRESENT WHILE PURSUING INTERNATIONAL GOALS
LaRue’s immediate goal is not another championship or booking. He wants to become more conscious of the work he is currently producing before turning his attention toward the next milestone.
“My immediate goal in wrestling is honestly to be content for a little while. I find myself not appreciating the ‘now’ enough.”
“I feel I am doing some of my best work right now, and I want to revel in it.”
His long-term ambitions include competing internationally and potentially signing a contract, although he does not want that pursuit to remove the enjoyment that brought him into wrestling.
“My long-term goals are to wrestle internationally and/or get signed to a contract. Getting a contract is less of a goal, as I simply desire to have fun and enjoy living my dream stress-free.”
“My primary goal is to wrestle in Mexico, Canada, Japan and the UK.”
This interview was conducted exclusively for WrestlingHeadlines.com. If you use any portion of the quotes above, please credit and link to WrestlingHeadlines.com for the exclusive interview.
