Interviews Piss People off, LOL Here is an interview I did for the Kentucky Wrestling Message Board, it really got the board going. I didn't really hold back too much but didn't think I would have pissed people off the way I did. The boardhost Ryan Davis really ask some tough questions and makes for an interesting interview well here it is. Also here is a link to the Kentucky Wrestling Message Board.
http://b4.boards2go.com/boards/board.cgi?&user=KYBoardThank you Hardrock for doing this interview with me today. First we are going to talk about youself and how you got started. Then we are going to break away and talk about TLW, who you book for and we will play the name game towards the end of the interview. Let's get started!
1) How long have you been in the business, who trained you and when and were was your first match?
I've been in the business for almost 5 years. I was trained by my father Kevin Richardson (Pain Gang Ike). But then got follow up training from "Brutal" Bill Lewis when we started wrestling wifh Battle Zone Wrestling. My first match was on November 4th, 1999 in Brandenburg, KY at the old green flea market.
2) What made you want to get into the sport of wrestling?
I have watched wrestling forever. And my dad started wrestling when I was in the Fourth Grade. Ever since the day I saw him wrestle for the first time, I knew that someday I would too. The fire started burning early.
3) What would you consider your top 3 matches to date?
Wow, I'm not really sure about that one. I have a favorite match though. It was when me and my brother Red Dawg ("True Talent" Trent Richards) where a tag team in Battle Zone Wrestling known as The Youth or as the "Two Utes" that's what Bill Lewis always called us when he was booking. I still don't know what a Ute is. Well anyway's. It was in Hartford, KY and we was in a 3-Way with the East Coast Bad Boys(Spyro & Serpent) and High Velocity(Billy Blaze & Glacius(aka Chase Stevens of the Naturals). This match went on for like 45 minutes of basically me and my bro taking the heat. LOL didn't make a lot of since but was a lot of fun.
4) If you could wrestle anybody you haven't wrestled yet, who would it be and why?
Probably Tracy Smothers, I've heard nothing but good about the man. And they say he could have a great match with a mop handle and make it look good. So I figure I'm a step or two ahead of a mop handle so maybe he could make me look good too. I can't imagine what could be learned from him.
5) Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Probably where I am at now. Hopefully still booking for TLW but hoping TLW grows and get's more of a following.
6) What are your thoughts on these other Kentucky promotions; BBW, UCW, OSW, VCW, SRW and NEPW?
BBW..... Right now they are probably the top promotion in KY. Joe is a hard working man. They are probably drawing the biggest crowds and I know they are running more towns than anyone else at the moment. I'm very glad I've had the opprotunity to work for them and hope to wrestle there more in the future.
UCW..... Not sure what my opinions are on UCW, I've only been to one UCW show and they where using some higher level guys then. I think they have a good following in Franklin and Campbellsville.
OSW..... Don't know a lot about them either. I have talked to Jamie Phillips there promoter several times but never been to a show there. I have helped a few guys get work there and from what I've heard they have a show full of the $5.00 guys that Vic mentioned in his interview earlier.
VCW.....From what I've heard they've really turned there show around in 2004. Actually putting on good matches and not just being the JW Wildfire show. I've always liked JW but had heard bad things. He's always seemed ok to me though.
SRW.....I'm gonna get heat on this one oh well. They have Cody Matthews Main Eventing. I remember him as the Hardknock Kidd in BBW and BZW. And that should be enough said about there show.
NEPW..... I like Joey but, I think he likes to start battles he can't finish. He needs to find him a town to run besides Bowling Green and he might have some success. He wants to run head to head with VCW. And when VCW is drawing 60 to 75 on a good night. There are not enough wrestling fans in Bowling Green to split between two shows.
7) What are your thoughts on the Kentucky Athletic Commission? Also, what would you change about the KAC if you could?
I have no problems with the Athletic Commission, if you follow the rules your fine. The only thing I would change is I would raise the license fee for First Time applicants. Then charge 10 bucks a year each year after that.
We are going to take a turn in this interview and talk about a promotion you work for, Totally Lethal Wrestling or TLW.
8) Did you expect TLW to fair as well as it has?
Actually No, I didnt' expect the shows to still be going. We've already had over 20 shows and we are still kicking. We've had our ups and downs. But at the moment the future is looking really good.
9) If you could change anything about TLW what would it be?
Defiantly the location. For one we run our Sunday shows out of Big Clifty, KY which is a very small town that's in the middle of nowhere. And the building we run is in the middle of nowhere in Big Clifty. So that's a double negative right there.
10) What happened to the talked about Independent Innovators Tournament that was supposed to take place Easter Sunday?
The problem with trying to run a big show like the Triple I Tourney is that you ahve to bring in outside talent. And we had a really stacked line up. The problem was that like 5 of them didn't send there license off in time and would have had to have been replaced. So I figured it woudl be better to not have the Tourney than to have it with subpar talent just to fill the holes. The tourney will still happen but it will be in 2005. Hopefully in a better location.
11) We are approaching TLW's BIG 1 Year Anniversary show. What do you have planned for that show and how big is it going to be?
The show is stacking up really nice. I don't want to let anything out of the bag early. But I can say this. There will be 7 matches plus a Battle Royal. The Battle Royal willl be for anyone who has competed for TLW in the past that isn't in one of the 7 matches. So it will be good for people to get to see the return of many past stars. It will be a show not to be missed.
12) Will fans be let down? TLW has a tendency of advertising hard matches and not delivering. Will this be the case for the Anniversary show?
I would say the fans will defiantly not be let down. This is independent wrestling and the card is always subject to change. But I will say this. TLW has never had a match advertised that they had not talked to the guys booked in it. It has been the wrestler not showing up. Not us just making up a match we thing will draw a crowd in. We really have a good crew of guys right now who have been very dependable as of late.
13) When will you begin advertising and building towards the show?
We have August 29th, September 12th, and September 26th shows all before the big 1 year annivesary show. We will start building toward that show this sunday. The one year annivesary show will be on October 17th. So we will have 3 weeks after our September 26th show to really advertise hard for it. Our goal is to get 100 fans at that show.
14) In the past year we have seen TLW go from Twin Lakes Wrestling to Totally Lethal Wrestling. We saw Vic The Bruiser dominate most of the year and some really hard hitting and exciting matches from stars all over the USA. What does TLW have in store for us in 2005?
TLW will just continue to build on what we have already started. I honestly believe that right now we one of the top promotions in KY. And we haven't even been running for a year yet. We are showing no signs of folding the company most promotions don't last a year. But we will and we will continue to grow. We are always looking for new talent. And yes we will continue to bring in top talent from all over. Put it this way if you want to see a wrestler live let us know who. Start making the trip to our shows. If you make an effort to come to our shows we will make an effort to bring in the names people want to see.
15) Can we see more top stars like Chris Hero and Nigel McGuinness venture through TLW in the coming year?
Of course. The good thing about guys like Chris Hero & Nigel McGuinness are not only to they draw attention to TLW but they also help the guys out. If you step in the ring with a Hero or a Nigel you walk out a better wrestler.
16) Do you think TLW will have any major sponsers or any TV exposure in the near future?
I doubt it. There is really no TV exposure to get in this area. And as far as major sponsors. I don't know of a Ky indy promotion with a major sponsor. But if someone is interested they can contact us. LOL.
17) In December I will have "The Official 2004 KY Independent Wrestling Awards." It seems like TLW is already in the lead for best new promotion. Would you like to comment on that?
I agreee 100%. We are the best new promotion in Kentucky. We are one of the top 3 promotions in Kentucky right now. Am I cocky no, but I am very confident in our product.
18) For anyone that hasn't seen a TLW show what would you say they are missing?
We have a great roster. We aren't your run of the mill wrestling show. People who come to our show walk away happy. Come to our shows you will see guys that no other KY Promotion is using. Nigel McGuinness for one if you see him on one of our shows make it a point to come see him. He's going places. And we are giving you a chance to see him before you only see him on TV. The Naturals are the NWA World Tag Team Champions on TNA and we have them in at least once a month. Give us a chance. We deliver for the fans. You will walk away telling your friends about us.
Now let's play the name game. I'm going to name some people and you tell me what you think of them;
Joe Bailey..... The #1 Promoter in the state of Kentucky. He eats, breathes, and sleeps BBW. Hangs more posters than any other promotion around. TLW promoters could learn some advertising skills from him.
Dale Mann..... A guy whos name will always be mentioned as one of the greats in Kentucky. I've had several conversations with him early on in my career but never actually worked on a show for him.
Vic The Bruiser..... A great asset to any promotion. He's the kind of guy you can build a company around. He can teach the young guys so much about this business. I owe a lot to Vic the Bruiser as he got me on with USA Main Event when Mike Combs was promoting it. He gave me my start in this biz.
Simon Sezz..... Often overshadowed by JC Bailey. The two's names go hand in hand and in my opinion one is a good as the other. Simon Sezz is a great lightweight worker with a prominent future.
Hailey Hatred..... The tougest girl I've ever met. She's tough, brutal, mean, and still pulls off being sexy and that's a great combo for a female wrestler. I think she's one of the top 10 independent female wrestlers.
Paul Heyman.....Paul Heyman was amazing at first. ECW was a new, fresh, EXTREME product. It had a cult following. The worst thing he done was sign with TNN because he had to tone down ECW too much. I believe ECW would still be going if they had never signed the national deal.
Jeff Jarrett.....TNA is the number 2 promotion in the country right now. I used to watch Jeff Jarrett, at Louisville Gardens every Tuesday Night. Thanks for the memories.
Vince McMahon..... The man created a monopoly in the wrestling business. His company WWE will never lose the #1 status that it has. He will do whatever it takes to stay on top. He's a genius. But he does have a better product when he has competition
19) Do you have any closing thoughts or comments for the KY fans?
http://www.twinlakeswrestling.com Check it out. Order a tape if you don't wanna make a trip to the show. TLW is here to stay but we need your support to keep getting bigger and better.
Well I hope you enjoyed it. Our next TLW show is on September 12th at 2pm in Big Clifty, KY at Hornback Auction House. Come check us out.
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