Movers & Shakers: In Conversation with The Green Phantom

For more than two decades, The Green Phantom has been one of the most recognizable figures in Canadian professional wrestling. A fixture of Montreal's independent wrestling scene, he has built an international reputation through appearances across North America and Japan, where he fulfilled a lifelong dream of competing at the legendary Korakuen Hall. Known for his unmistakable look, larger-than-life personality, and hardcore style, Green Phantom has also developed another passion away from the ring: creating spaces that feel like home.

For this edition of Movers & Shakers, we spoke with The Green Phantom about moving out at 19, unforgettable roommates, wrestling around the world, and why a home should always reflect the person who lives in it.

TSM: What's the first place you ever lived on your own?

The Green Phantom:

"I was 19."

Growing up in Saint-Eustache, his first apartment was in Montreal's Village.

"It was affordability and location. It was right near Papineau Metro. It was pretty central to downtown."

The move came with plenty of uncertainty.

"I didn't have a job or anything. I just thought, 'I'll move, sign a lease, and then get a job.'"

Fortunately, everything worked out.

Living on his own meant learning all the responsibilities that come with adulthood.

"It was my first apartment, so I was learning how to live outside home—paying bills, grocery shopping for myself, all that stuff."

At the time, professional wrestling wasn't even on his radar.

"I only started wrestling when I was about 23."

TSM: Was there anything in that first apartment you'd be embarrassed to admit you owned?

The Green Phantom:

"I didn't have a box spring."

Instead, his mattress sat directly on the floor.

"That was probably the most embarrassing thing."

Thankfully, that eventually changed.

TSM: Who was your worst roommate?

The Green Phantom:

It was a fellow pro wrestler: "The Arsenal."

The biggest issue wasn't personality—it was housekeeping.

"I had to bug him to clean his dishes."

After repeated reminders, Green Phantom finally tried a different approach.

"He left a pot of macaroni in the sink, so I put it beside his bed."

Months later...

"It was still there."

The pot had become unsalvageable.

"It was one of those situations where you couldn't even wash it anymore."

TSM: Is there something you've kept through every move?

The Green Phantom:

"My big stuffed gorilla."

The oversized stuffed animal has travelled with him from apartment to apartment for years.

"I've brought him everywhere."

Sometimes, the gorilla became part of elaborate practical jokes.

"I'd put him in the window with a water gun."

It became one of those traditions that followed him from home to home.

TSM: Is there anything you left behind that you still think about?

The Green Phantom:

"Actually... yes."

When he left a longtime apartment in NDG to attend teacher's college in North Bay, he made an unusual decision.

"I pretty much left a fully furnished apartment."

Furniture, decorations, and years of accumulated belongings stayed behind.

"I packed a few bags, gave a couple of things to friends, and left."

Rather than regretting it, he remembers the experience fondly.

"It was cathartic."

"I needed a change."

"It felt good to let go."

TSM: Have you ever moved because of a relationship?

The Green Phantom:

"No."

Although difficult experiences made him consider leaving his current apartment, he ultimately chose a different path.

"I decided to be stubborn."

Instead of moving, he transformed the space.

"I turned it into a paradise."

TSM: Did you ever have a move from hell?

The Green Phantom:

"Helping other people move."

As someone who's frequently been recruited because of his size and strength, he's helped with dozens of moves over the years.

His biggest frustration?

"When nobody knows what they're doing."

He laughs while remembering being the only person capable of moving heavy appliances or organizing the job.

"I've helped with dozens of moves."

He also has one piece of advice.

"If somebody helps you move, make sure you feed them."

TSM: Did you ever work for a moving company?

The Green Phantom:

"I did."

Long before becoming a wrestling mainstay, he spent time working for a moving company.

"I definitely learned how to move things securely without scratching furniture or walls."

His natural ability to organize loads helped too.

"I was always good at Tetris with boxes."

TSM: What place has felt most like home?

The Green Phantom:

"My place in Verdun."

Years ago, he loved his apartment in NDG.

Today, however, his current home has become something even more personal.

"I've really put my mark on it."

Creating beautiful living spaces isn't simply decorating—it's part of who he is.

"When I was a kid, I thought I was going to be an interior decorator."

He credits much of that creativity to his mother.

"I get that from my mother."

Today, every room reflects his personality.

"Art is life and life is art."

"If I have the opportunity to beautify something, I'm going to."

His philosophy is simple.

"When you walk into a room, leave it better than you found it."

TSM: You've spent years wrestling around the world. Has that changed what home means?

The Green Phantom:

"It makes me realize that after about a week and a half, I want to come home."

Although he enjoys travelling, he has no desire to live permanently on the road.

"I like to adventure out, but I always like coming home."

"I'm definitely more comfortable at home."

In fact, he'd rather host people than go elsewhere.

"I honestly enjoy having parties at my place more than going to other parties."

TSM: If you had ten minutes to pack one box that represented your whole life, what's going in it?

The Green Phantom:

"My Ribera jacket."

His answer comes without hesitation.

The jacket isn't something money can buy.

"It's something I got in Japan."

The famous Ribera Steak House in Tokyo occasionally presents jackets to accomplished wrestlers as a sign of respect.

"You can't buy them."

"I was fortunate and honoured enough to be gifted one."

For him, it represents an entire career.

"It was a culmination prize for twenty-four years of blood, sweat, and tears."

Beyond that, he'd pack:

"My dog Harvey."

"And my Green Phantom gear."

TSM: What was your favourite place to wrestle?

The Green Phantom:

"Japan."

Walking through the curtain at Korakuen Hall remains one of the defining moments of his career.

"It was very much an emotional moment."

On a later tour, another unforgettable memory followed.

"I got green streamers."

For Japanese wrestling fans to throw streamers in your honour is one of the sport's highest compliments.

"I kind of had an emotional moment."

Still, no audience compares to home.

"The energy the fans here in Montreal give me is incredible."

TSM: Is there a city you couldn't wait to leave?

The Green Phantom:

"Detroit."

He wrestled there but never connected with the city.

"It just wasn't aesthetically pleasing."

TSM: What does home mean to you now compared to when you were twenty?

The Green Phantom:

"A place where my dog is."

Harvey has been by his side for nearly a decade.

"When he's not here, it feels less like home."

His wrestling career also leaves its mark on every place he lives.

"My masks, my capes—they're all part of the house."

His kitchen has become what he jokingly calls "The Green Phantom's lair," blending his wrestling persona with his everyday life.

Ultimately, though, home isn't defined by wrestling or decoration alone.

It's a place he's shaped with intention.

"You can see it's The Green Phantom's lair... but it's my home too."

The Green Phantom continues to wrestle across Canada while remaining one of the cornerstones of Montreal's independent wrestling scene. Whether he's competing in front of packed crowds, returning from tours abroad, or transforming his latest apartment into a work of art, he approaches everything with the same philosophy: leave every place a little better than you found it.