Loss

The following companies are now carrying WWE 24/7: -- Cox Cable -- RCN Corp. -- Blue Ridge Communications -- Sunflower Broadband -- Massillion Cable TV -- SELCO (Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations)

Cppy/pasted from the Observer site: David Sahadi is currently the most hated man in Stanford-based WWE Headquarters. Who is David Sahadi you ask? If you watched WWE TV programming or saw one of their commercials teasing a PPV in the last 10 years, then chances are you saw his work as the Creative Director of On-air Promotions. Mr. Sahadi currently works with TNA Wrestling is the same capacity. If you saw the teasers for the PPV?s that sent goosebumps up your arms, then you have seen his current work. This interview that will give you behind the scenes access to how WWF/WWE operated, the truth and fiction behind the infamous TNA milk and cookie delivery to the WWE during a commercial shoot and what you can possibly expect from TNA Wrestling in the coming months. Alan Wojcik: Was wrestling part of your childhood and who were some of your favorites? David Sahadi: For a time it was. I grew up watching wrestling in the late seventies on Saturday nights. My favorites were "Polish Power" Ivan Putzki, Superstar Billy Graham, Captain Lou Albano and George "The Animal" Steel. One manager who I despised at the time was Classy Freddie Blassie, which was funny because he became one of my closest and beloved friends when I joined WWE. I lost interest in the genre in the mid-eighties, right before the first WrestleMania, because I thought the characters were becoming too cartoony and the product a bit goofy. AW: You went to college and graduated with a degree in mathematics, how did that lead to television? David Sahadi: It didn?t. Mathematics and television are on opposite ends of the career spectrum. Math is associated with the logical side of the brain while television appeals to the creative side. And I really despised math by the time I graduated. If anything, getting a degree in mathematics propelled me towards TV simply because it pushed me away from mathematics. In the end, it wasn?t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. AW: Was it aid from your dad that got you the job with NBC Sports and talk about your initial duties with the network? David Sahadi: Yes, my dad was instrumental in getting me into television. When I graduated college I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I spent that summer painting houses. It was quite sobering to be twenty-one years old, out of college, and not having a direction in life. That fall, my dad got me a job working Sundays at NBC Sports as a logger for NFL football games. Basically I would watch a designated game, chronicle all the plays, compile statistics, and help the producers build highlights packages for the half-time and post-game shows. It was both exhilarating and nerve-racking. When the football season was over, I got an internship as a production assistant in the sports promotions department and the rest, as they say, is history. AW: You became Manager of On-Air Promotions for NBC Sports; tell me about some of your favorite commercials people might remember. David Sahadi: Probably none! Seriously. I really have no favorite spots from my tenure at NBC. Yes, I did launch campaigns for the NFL, the NBA on NBC, and the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, which was an exciting endeavor in itself, but the spots were very conservative, straight forward and boring. At the time, the network didn?t want to takes risks or break away from the status quo no matter how hard I tried to push the envelope. As an example, the first spot I cut for the NBA (which never aired) featured hip hop music, flashy graphics and a quick-cutting editing style. I even used edgy sound effects on the physicality as well as the slam dunks. Management rejected it. Instead, they had me re-cut the spot using slo-mos to the theme from the Broadway play, "Annie". No sound effects. No edge. No impact. Enough said. Right then, I knew my future wasn?t to be in network television. AW: You worked with some of sports biggest names, please talk about working with Bob Costas and Dick Ebersol. David Sahadi: Bob Costas is one of the most knowledgeable and astute men I have ever worked with. He?s brilliant and passionate about the sports he covers. He?s tough to work for because he expects perfection - but he also demands it from himself as well. I remember one time I had a big goof on the air, airing a highlights package that had the incorrect paperwork to what Bob was narrating. It was live TV, and of course Bob looked silly. Obviously, he blew up once we went off the air. But he also pulled me aside, talked to me about how to prevent future errors, and patted me on the back. He reassured me as opposed to emasculating me. I will never forget that. He has a great, compassionate side to his humanity. Dick Ebersol was intimidating to work with at the time in my life. He came into the sports department from the Entertainment division with a huge legacy and strong reputation. No one ever stood up to him or challenged his decisions. He was surrounded by sycophants and "yes men". Being a neophyte, the youngest manager of on-air promotions among the three sports networks at the time, I lacked the courage to challenge him. I disagreed with Dick on many things creatively, but I didn?t have the confidence then to stand up to my convictions. But Dick was always a wonderful man to me. He treated me with great respect. And he was genuinely saddened when he learned of my decision to leave NBC. He tried to convince me to stay, but I had already made a verbal commitment to WWF and felt it wasn?t right to go back on my word. It was fun working with Dick again during the XFL experiment, which I think had great potential but was foolishly rushed and then prematurely cancelled. There was great potential there that was never fully realized. AW: Before the 1992 Summer Olympics WWF made you an offer to join the company. What made WWF a better place then your position with NBC Sports? David Sahadi: The opportunity to grow, expand and develop my creativity. I felt the network environment was too conservative, their thinking too black and white. I wanted to do things differently, create from an alternate perspective, shoot film, work on the different looks and graphic packages of shows, and WWF gave me that opportunity. AW: What were your initial impressions of Vince McMahon? David Sahadi: Like most, I was intimidated by Vince before I even met him. I had heard all the negative rumors that were circulating at the time. When I walked into Vince?s office for my interview, he was wearing sweats, blasting a heavy metal entrance music theme for one of his new superstars and happily eating a hot meal. He came across more as a frat boy than an executive for a global empire. It was a very casual atmosphere at that was comforting. He embraced me warmly, spoke of his mantra to, above everything else, just have fun, and made me feel wanted. I walked out of his office with a whole different image of Vince McMahon and knew right then it was the place I needed to be. AW: I believe one of your first tasks was producing the Monday Night Raw intro piece filmed on the roof of WWF Headquarters, known as the Titan Towers. Talk about the spot and some other ideas Vince had for the spot. David Sahadi: Actually, one of my first tasks was to produce the promos and openings for the premiers of both RAW and Mania (a Saturday morning magazine show). The graphics were awful ? a lot of pinks and yellows which are not colors you would associate with such a physical product. I also introduced film and an editing style that was fast-paced and cutting edge. Two years later, we filmed the opening for Raw on the Roof that you mentioned. And the shoot was beset with a myriad of problems. For one, Vince and I had a different vision. I wanted the feel to be rebellious and attitudinal (this was before the era of attitude) while Vince pitched a few ideas that were more campy and slapstick. We also had plans to ignite pyro and burn a huge "RAW" logo in flames upon the entire length of the roof. But there was a drought in CT at the time and our pyro permits were pulled the day before the shoot. Our helicopter also lost it?s spotlight midway through the shoot, as well as communication with us on the ground, so we were simply winging everything. The neighbors also complained to the Stamford police about the noise disturbance. Of course, with a copter flying above and a live band performing on the roof, it was had to hear their complaints or the police trying to contact us so the shoot continued on until midnight! AW: What was your work relationship like with Vince and Jim Ross? David Sahadi: I had a wonderful work and personal relationship with all the McMahons during my eleven years there, as well as with Jim Ross and many of the talent. They treated me with reverence and respect and embraced me like a family member. No complaints there. The only thing that saddened me is that Vince treated me differently the moment he found out I was leaving the company. I first told my boss, Kevin Dunn, and said that I would give the company however much time they needed me to stay until a replacement could be found, whether it be two weeks, two months or half a year. Kevin decided on one month. During that last month I never had a discussion with Vince about anything. He actually avoided me in public. I had scheduled three meetings with Vince to say goodbye, but all three were postponed. I couldn?t understand why he turned a cold shoulder. After all, I wasn?t leaving the company to work for the competition or to take another job elsewhere. I was quitting and leaving everything behind. All I wanted to do was give him a hug and express my gratitude for all he had done for me. The fact that I felt dissed hurt on the deepest of levels, considering all I had done for the company and the countless sacrifices I made. But a couple of months later, once I was in the mountains, I let all the hurt go. I understood why Vince felt awkward: he couldn?t understand why I was leaving. And looking back I don?t blame him. How could he understand why I was leaving when I didn?t understand myself? All I knew is that I had to leave that company. My heart was no longer enamored with the product. My soul needed to embark on a journey of discovery. My spirit longed for a new adventure. So I walked away from everything, without a plan, with trust that the Universe would lead me. AW: Did you have day to day dealings with Linda McMahon? David Sahadi: She is a great businessperson one of the classiest people I know. I have so much respect for her. When I met Linda to say goodbye, I broke down in her office and couldn?t utter a single word. She hugged me, spoke the words I couldn?t speak, and made me feel wonderful. She is one of the most compassionate, benevolent beings I know and I send her my love. AW: Fans that I am friend with aren't big fans of Stephanie, what is your view of Ms. McMahon-Levesque? David Sahadi: I like Stephanie, but I think she was put in a difficult position and asked to do too much too soon. I don?t feel she was ready for the role of head writer when it was given to her. And I think Stephanie, like Vince, tries too hard to control everything. She would do well to trust people around her more, and be a unifying force as opposed to one which alienates. She also works her butt off. I remember seeing her in the gym ? after one of her typical fourteen hour days ? doing work on?the treadmill! Poor girl. I admire her work ethic and her unyielding commitment, but I sincerely hope that one day she realizes there is a vast, beautiful world outside of the WWE. And I truly hope she finds happiness, if she hasn?t already. AW: At one point Shane McMahon was on-air as talent, now he is behind the scenes. What are your thoughts on Shane-O-Mac? David Sahadi: Over time Shane has really risen in my eyes. I respect the fact that at one point not too long ago he decided to scale back his responsibilities and spend more time with his wife in NYC. He wanted to appreciate life. I really think he gets it now. Man, being Vince?s son must have been a heavy burden growing up. Talk about a huge shadow to emerge from. But I also think a few years down the road Shane will surprise everybody and become the savior the WWE needs and restore it to great heights. He listens to people. Shane is also very approachable and personable. I do consider him a friend, even though we have not spoken since I left. One day, I hope we bump into each other somewhere, share a beer, look back and laugh at the insanity ? and fun - of it all. AW: One of the most memorable promos was the "Legends" spot with retired WWE personalities Gorilla Monsoon, "Classie" Freddie Blassie, Killer Kowalski among others. How did this spot come about and what was the office reaction to your work? David Sahadi: The "Legends" spot is probably my favorite commercial because it resonates with me on so many levels. First, it was a follow-up to the first "Athletes" spot which initiated the era of Attitude. That first Attitude spot was conceived by Chris Chambers during his two-month sabbatical in the summer of 1997. Chris is a brilliant thinker, a phenomenal producer and a man of great vision and integrity, the last of which is rare to find, not just in the wrestling business but the television industry as a whole. He is also one of the few men who were instrumental in turning the company?s fortunes around in the late nineties. Anyway, the "Legends" spot was the sequel to that first spot. The vision came to me late one night after a conversation with my dear friend, the late Freddie Blassie. The first spot featured current talent putting themselves over, a more powerful spot I believed would be one featuring the legends of the past putting over the new guys of today. I put the shoot together and gathered the talent without ever letting Vince know what I was doing. The day of the shoot, I got a call from my boss saying Vince was livid that I was shooting a spot with old-timers in this era of attitude and new, younger superstars. He didn?t believe the concept fit the new image of attitude the WWF was promoting. A week later, when Vince saw the finished spot for the first time, he broke down and cried. It touched him that deeply. And his reaction also touched me. It didn?t matter what anyone else might think of that spot. The simple fact that I touched Vince emotionally meant the world to me. I felt I did him proud. AW: The WWF made a splash of sorts during the Super Bowl a few years back, please give some insight to its infancy to airing. David Sahadi: I have to give Vince Russo some props here. My original concept for "Another Day at the Office" featured Vince McMahon throughout the entire spot giving us a tour of the WWF headquarters as all hell breaks out behind him. Russo suggested that the WWF Superstars should be featured delivering those lines instead. It made a huge difference in both the creativity and the humor of the commercial. The spot airing in the Super Bowl really made all of us in the company feel proud because we felt as though we had finally made it. We had proved our critics that we could excel in the main stream media. We were all now able to hold our heads high. We felt that all the years of hard work and sacrifice had finally paid off. AW: One of the funniest spots was for a NO Mercy PPV involving Kane and baseball great Pete Rose. It was featured on WWE Confidential, talk about working with those two men and why couldn?t you talk about the famous house in the shoot, which looks an awful like the Psycho house? David Sahadi: Kane has always been one of my favorite talents to work with. He is such a nice guy and just a pro on the set. Pete Rose, on the other hand, often proves to be quite difficult. His motivation, I feel, is usually his fee, not the integrity of the creative. The night of the shoot, we only four hours contracted to work with him. Once we reached that limit, he began to get a bit testy. Fortunately, Jess Ward from Tough Enough 2 was on hand, and she used her charms to tame the beast. To Pete?s credit, he was totally cool with the creative and didn?t mind being the butt of several jokes in the spot. For that I respect him. The reason we couldn?t mention the famous house is because it is owned by Universal and they didn?t want us to capitalize on its notoriety without due compensation. AW: One of the most controversial shoots was during the HHH/Kane feud and the fictional Katie Vick where HHH fornicated with her supposed corpse. At any point did you think this is going too far? David Sahadi: It went way too far. I was embarrassed by it. I was embarrassed to be an employee of the company. And I was embarrassed at myself for not having the guts to make a stand after it aired. In a TV production meeting two days after the airing, the super top level producer made it clear in no uncertain terms that this was the direction the company was taking, and if anyone was uncomfortable with that vignette they should stand up and speak or leave the company right now. No one stood, though many wanted to. Including myself. I?m embarrassed I didn?t. If then I was where I am now, emotionally, I would have made a statement and walked right out the door. AW: Were there any wrestlers that you considered favorites to work with and possibly talk about some of the difficult people to work with? David Sahadi: Taker, Chris Jericho, Kane, Trish Stratus, The Rock and even Brock Lesnar were just a few of the talent I loved working with because "they got it". They knew spending an entire day (Or in Taker?s case an entire night) on a set filming a spot not only was good for the product but good for their characters as well. As producers/directors, we are not in this to win awards: we do what we do to put talent over. Putting talent over puts the overall product over. Those guys mentioned never complained, were always enthusiastic, accepted creative input as well as gave it. Triple H was also great to work with in the beginning. Over time, he became more and more difficult. It came to a point where I was hoping I didn?t have to use him in a shoot, and often devised creative of which he was not needed. Speaking of favorite WWE wrestlers to work with, I must now include Frankie Kazarian in that category! Frankie filmed a spot with me in the California desert one summer night four years ago. It was the No Mercy baseball spot where Kane hit the dribbler to the pitcher and then all the WWE wrestlers did run-ons. Frankie played three roles: the catcher, the fielder that Edge first nailed and the third baseman. He took six stiff garbage can shots from Farooq and never once complained. When I walked into the TNA locker room for the very first time, it was heartening to see him there. He?s such a nice, benevolent person besides being a tremendous athlete. I wish him all the best in the WWE. I know it was a difficult decision for him to leave a place he loved so much. But it?s a win-win for Frankie: if he doesn?t like it up there, he will be welcomed back with open arms. AW: What were the factors that led to you resigning from WWE and did the McMahon?s try to get you to reconsider? David Sahadi: As I said earlier, I no longer believed in the product. It got stale, trite, boring and predictable. It felt like a bad soap opera. I also didn?t like the attitude of the leadership in the company, people who belittled and manipulated and callously controlled the emotions of others as if they were indentured servants, pushing buttons and pulling their strings on a whim. There is a feeling of darkness and malaise that seemingly permeates the entire company today. So many people are miserable in their jobs but are convinced they would be worse off if they leave. That?s a reflection of the cult-like mentality there. It is sad. But to be honest, the most important factor that led to my resignation was simply me. I needed to leave a career behind so that I could grow as a person. I was living the "good life" ? high-paying job, nice cars, big house in the country - but at the same time I was suffering from the soul sickness of modern society. We live in a world of pretense and superficiality, where there is a premium placed on the material. I had reached a point in my life where this illusory world had lost all its appeal. I wanted something deeper, more profound in life. So I quit my job, sold my house and all of my possessions, and simply jumped back into life. The experiences I?ve had and the adventures I?ve enjoyed have been amazing. I?ve never been happier. AW: Looking back on your time with WWF/WWE, were there any regrets? David Sahadi: I don?t regret anything in life. We all make mistakes and encounter hardships from time to time. But these challenges are really blessings because hopefully they leave us with invaluable lessons learned. In life, pain is inevitable; misery is an option. And God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. AW: How did you come to work for TNA Wrestling and what did you know about the product before accepting the contract offer? David Sahadi: Jeff Jarrett. That?s the answer to both questions. He?s the reason I came to TNA and at the time he was all I knew about TNA. After I left WWE, I spent a year traveling cross-country, camping and hiking in the great National Parks of this country. I was content to spend the rest of my life in the mountains, hiking and writing books. Last summer, while living in the mountains of North Carolina and having just finished my first novel, a small Connecticut-based ad agency (CDHM) contacted me and asked if I could arrange a meeting with Jeff. I was just supposed to be the middle man, the connection. When the meeting was arranged, they then asked if I would attend. Being only four hours away from Nashville, I agreed. In that meeting, Jeff made an immediate impression on me with his enthusiasm, his spirit and his heart. To know Jeff Jarrett, the person, is to know a truly wonderful and caring human being. Sitting in that meeting, listening to him speak, believing in his dream and knowing that he needed my help, I was torn. I was living a new life I loved, but I also felt the pull to help a friend in need. I saw Jeff?s passion, his commitment, his love for this business. And I decided to lend a hand only as a favor to Jeff. I didn?t care about the money, or the lack thereof. I just wanted to help him. I agreed to "come out of the mountains", as Jeff and I joke, for three months only to help TNA make the transition to monthly pay-per-views. It?s been seven months and I?m still here. The amount of respect I have for Jeff, and now all of the talent at TNA, is immense. Jeff is an amazing human being and a good friend. If for some reason he was to leave TNA tomorrow, I would leave, too. AW: The night of the Victory Road PPV your opening video sent chills down my spine and I am sure I am not alone, what was the inspiration behind it? David Sahadi: Thank you for the kind words, Alan, especially coming from someone like you. Victory Road was an important night, not just for the company as a whole but for every single one of the athletes in the TNA locker room. The cold open I did wasn?t designed to wow audiences or garner critical acclaim. My sole intention was to produce a piece that served as a tribute to these great young stars, to show them my respect, admiration and gratitude for the people they are and the things that they do in the ring. No disrespect to the WWE talent, but I have never seen a greater core of athletes than those in TNA. These kids are simply amazing. They are dreamers, believers, men who make incredible sacrifices because they care so much about the business. They desire so much to please the fans. Alan, you?ve seen the monthly pay-per-views, and these guys just go all out and leave nothing behind. That piece was solely for them. I meant every word I wrote. They represent what?s still good in this business. They inspire me and have made me a believer in this business again. To them I say "thank you". AW: I was hanging out with you the night you found out WWE was filming their now aired Royal Rumble 2005 commercial in Universal Studios. What led to the now infamous Milk and Cookies delivery by Tracy Brooks, Abyss (carrying balloons), Bill Banks, Tim Welch, Jeremy Borash, 3 Live Kru and Shane Douglas? David Sahadi: Oh boy. You touched on a nerve there. It?s an incident that has brought me tremendous personal pain. Here goes: When we learned that WWE was shooting a commercial at Universal studios we were stunned. We couldn?t figure out why, of all places, they were coming down here. As you know, Universal Studios is the home of TNA. It is where we tape all of our weekly shows and broadcast each of our PPVs. And the timing was just three days after Victory Road. So we saw opportunity here, a chance to proudly pound our chests, so to speak. We wanted to create a package that highlighted all the amazing things that happened in that historic week, of which the WWE was only going to be a part. Within that one week we had our first-ever monthly PPV, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and the Macho Man made their dramatic returns to professional wrestling, we had our first-ever prime-time specials airing on the Best Damn Sports Show Period, and now even the WWE stars were coming to our home. We wanted the spin to be that all this was happening because TNA had now become the "epicenter of the wrestling world." The "Cookies and Balloons" incident wasn?t meant to embarrass or humiliate the WWE or anyone particular person there. It was intended to be light-hearted and fun. I mean, come on, the monster Abyss attempting to greet WWE superstars by handing out balloons is hysterical! Who wouldn?t chuckle at that? (obviously, they didn?t). So during a break in their filming, we simply walked from our studios, where we were filming some post Victory Road pieces, to the common area just outside theirs to "welcome" them to our home. By the way, we were allowed to be there. We didn?t cross any lines. After about five minutes we left. At that moment, it really was a non-story because none of the top WWE stars where outside at the time. They were all huddled inside their studio. The "welcome" only became an issue because WWE made it an issue. Their overreaction was absurd. They reportedly filed a letter of complaint with Universal. They threatened to sue if we aired the footage. And I received a barrage of hateful e-mails and expletive-laden phone calls from so-called friends at WWE that were hurtful, venomous and shocking to say the least. They took the incident personally even though there was nothing personal about it. They claimed we tried to humiliate and embarrass them, which we did not. They claimed I put several people?s jobs in jeopardy, which is ridiculous if that was the case. They claimed I made them victims. Victims of what? Their own arrogance, foolish pride and ignorance? Four months later, the only casualty of this incident is my dad. For nearly fifty years he worked on and off for the company, first for Vince Sr. and later Vince Jr. Most recently, he was on the WWE payroll since 1998, procuring main-stream publicity and contributing with PR work outside of the wrestling world on such events as the Mike Tyson press conference, the XFL and arranging for professional athletes to attend RAW shows across the nation so that they could be seen live on TV. Well, as a way to get back at me, they cut my dad from the payroll. My dad is 74 years old. He has no savings. He has no retirement. The only income he had left was that monthly WWE check, and they took that away. What they did to him is sick and deplorable. It speaks volumes to the quality of certain people in charge there. Shame on them, Alan. Shame on them. AW: Were you surprised by the legal action taken by WWE since they had done the WCW Invasion spots in the late 90?s? David Sahadi: Yes. Especially because we didn?t disrupt their shoot, we didn?t lampoon any of their characters, we weren?t mean, aggressive or violent, and we didn?t take any "money out of their pockets". Nor did we try to make them look bad: they did a good job of that themselves. What we did was light-hearted and fun, not disruptive like the Invasion stunts WWF pulled in the nineties. And it definitely was not mean-spirited, unlike the personal attacks WWF launched on Ted Turner with the Billionaire Ted vignettes. Speaking of Billionaire Ted, it?s ironic because in many ways Vince has become the very embodiment of the callous, bullying, buy-anything-I-want character he once detested and parodied back in the day. AW: Were you in favor of the footage being aired with the WWE talent blocked out? David Sahadi: I was in favor of the footage airing, but I would have preferred the talent not be blocked out. AW: Is it true that WWE Executive Kevin Dunn told all WWE staffers to break any ties they had with you and how did you feel upon getting that news? David Sahadi: That is my understanding. And the news felt horrible on a very profound level. This happened right after I joined TNA, even before "cookies and balloons". Of course, I wasn?t there when he made that edict, so I?m not sure the exact words that were spoken. What I heard was that during a production meeting he claimed I was now working for "the enemy" and that if anyone communicated anything about the business, either via e-mail or phone conversation with me, it would be grounds for immediate termination. That struck fear in a lot of people there. Naturally, even friends were afraid to talk to me or respond to e-mails. I thought that was completely pathetic. It a reflection of the paranoia that thrives there. I still care for a lot of people in WWE, both in the locker room and in production, and I still wish them success. And contrary to what some might think, I am not "the enemy". The enemy, if there is one, lies deep within. AW: Truth or rumor John "Big" McGuirk (sorry if I mispelled this) threatened you and threats were made to your father. David Dahadi: I think I know who you are talking about, but I think you mispronounced his name. All I know is that he was at Universal that day and really took the whole thing personally. My understanding is that he was hurt because I didn?t call or warn him so that he could protect himself. Warn him of what? Protect himself from what? Cookies and balloons? Please. I know he felt slighted or betrayed, but I didn?t feel I needed to warn anyone at WWE of something I thought was quite innocuous and would only be funny under the element of surprise. Yes, I have been told that there are a couple of people there who have threatened to inflict serious physical harm on me. My attempts at reconciliation a couple of months ago were met with scorn and vindictiveness. But I?d rather not mention the names of those supposed antagonists. They need to be pitied, not berated. They are simply not clear-headed, drunk on the Kool Aid. They need to see a perspective outside of the WWE?s heliocentric point of view. It is sad. I feel sorry for them. AW: You have filmed several spots for TNA, what has been your favorite to create? David Sahadi: The cold opens for the PPVs, though not commercials, have been my favorite creations so far because they have emotionally touched so many people backstage. That is my ultimate reward. I have yet to film my favorite spot. That will happen soon. However, I did film IDs of all the TNA talent with lightning strikes back in September that we use in promos, packages, opens, etc. That is my favorite shoot for two reasons: we have gotten a lot of bang for the dollar as this simple shoot has elevated the production value of so much of what we do, and the talent. Yes, the talent. Let me explain: when I did similar ID shoots at WWE, it was like pulling teeth to get many of the talent to be a part. Some felt like it was a burden. When I did this shoot at TNA, there was a line of talent out the door waiting to participate. I was amazed. Some stood in line for hours for their two-minute role! Toward the end, I was running out of film and really had to conserve so that I could accommodate everyone. That is testament to the incredible attitude the TNA athletes have and the lengths they will go to improve the product. Again, they really are an amazing collection of talent in more ways than one. I am fortunate to work with them. AW: What do you hope the future holds for you and TNA Wrestling? David Sahadi: For me I just want to help in any way I can because Jeff and his dad Jerry are friends and I believe in the product and I believe in the talent. For TNA, I truly feel they can take it to the next level. But it takes time. The product is a lot better now than it was a year ago; it will be a lot better a year from now than it is today. The growth process is slow, and not without pain, but it is happening. I just hope the fans continue to support TNA because it does have the chance to explode in the future. What I do ? dramatic promos, fancy graphics, etc - is merely "garnish" as Jim Ross would say. The meat and potatoes is what happens inside the ring. It all begins with the talent. And I am not alone when I say that the in-ring product of TNA, as evidenced by the incredible, jaw-dropping spots, the superb quality of the matches on the top of the card as well as the inspired wrestling throughout the entire PPV card, already exceeds that of the WWE. They can?t touch what TNA does in the ring.

I wanted to make this separate from "What Are You Watching", because it really encompasses a more broad scope of discussion. I'll probably go back there and comment on specific matches later, but right now, I want to focus on the booking and presentation. The whole time I'm watching, I'm realizing this is truly what pro wrestling should be. Top guys are great workers who are big guys and look like they could murder anyone who crossed their path. It was amazing how even guys like Kamala and Duggan, who to my knowledge haven't really been all that good anywhere else, worked hard and bumped hard here. I guess Watts putting the fear of God in most of his talent paid dividends. Watts had a tendency to push himself, but he never presented himself as being above the active talent. He was there to get them over. When he got tired of Eddie Gilbert & Korchenko's anti-American talk, he punched Gilbert in the mouth and started training at home. He mentioned how he knew he would hold up his end because he had Doc and DiBiase on his side, and he stressed their importance repeatedly. The focus of his promo wasn't one of threatening the heels, or downplaying them, but rather attacking their points of view and actions and vowing to enlist all the help he'd need to overcome them. The week after he and the other top babyfaces finally set out to shut them up, Eddie Gilbert came out and admitted that he endorsed those comments for money, and that after reflecting on it for a week, he realized that no amount of money can justify him being associated with someone who is so anti-American. He said he would no longer be associated with Korchenko, but said he would remain with The Blade Runners. He then presented Watts with the Russian flag the two had been carrying and said he could do with it as he wished. Eddie was actually really convincing here and the audience bought it -- this wasn't a predictable swerve. Korchenko, along with Ivan & Nikita Koloff, then attacked Watts from behind before Gilbert joined in and together, they buried Watts under a Russian flag to FUCKING NUCLEAR heat. Other babyfaces are trying to make the save, but the Blade Runners have barricaded the entrance and they're single-handedly holding off most of the top talent. It was a brilliant way to set up a future money match, get Sting and Warrior over as killers and also cement Eddie Gilbert's status as the biggest troublemaker in the promotion. Later in the show, Watts came back out with an ace bandage on his head and a baseball bat, trying to kill everything that moved. Everything had a logical reason for happening. Ted DiBiase had a tour of Japan and was leaving the company briefly, but he and Doc were tag champs. DiBiase went through the Mid South offices and worked the necessary paperwork to get Bob Sweetan to be able to replace him. When he came back, Doc and Sweetan had lost the tag titles and DiBiase attempted to blame Sweetan, and the two ambushed him. They tossed Sweetan out of the ring and DiBiase was in the ring finishing up his promo addressing other subjects when Sweetan turned the tide at ringside and came in and started trading blows with DiBiase. Doc threw a chair in the ring for DiBiase to use, but Sweetan intercepted and fought both of the heels off himself with the chair. No one looked weak, the storyline was advanced, and all the points were hit concisely and clearly. I also noticed that no one ever really did anything that was out of character. Eddie Gilbert invited one of the announcers to lunch with him, because he wanted to discuss his future plans with Korchenko. The setting was cool, even though it was a burger joint, and Gilbert was sure to point out that he would have treated the interviewer to a nicer lunch, but that Nightmare loved hamburgers. He's sitting there acting like a maniac just devouring food, but pairing a guy like that with someone who could talk and get heat only made sense. It was nice to see interviews take place that not only explained the cameraman's presence, but made sense with the character. Dick Slater also did an interview outside on a bridge in Tulsa, shortly after he won the North American heavyweight title while he was already the TV champ. He was being told he'd have to vacate the TV title since one man couldn't fulfill the obligation of both belts, so he basically said "fuck that!" and threw the TV title into the river, saying if he couldn't have it, no one could, calling the belt retired. Dick Slater was a new guy being brought in to great fanfare and was given a valet and a contract signing in the top floor of the Peachtree Hotel immediately. The Freebirds were given their own "Badstreet" music video and personalized entrance music. The Road Warriors had their own original song and music video as well. I think the debut of the Freebirds was my favorite of all. Hayes, Gordy and Roberts had a strong reputation at the time, and were huge stars in every territory they wrestled. They actually showed them arriving in limo to the Mid South offices, where they signed a multi-million dollar deal with all (15 pages) of their demands being met. This made the 'Birds look like stars right out of the gate, and they immediately were big players because they were treated as such from day one. The undercard was stacked. They had guys like Koko B. Ware who did things that involved audience participation, and all the babyfaces were great at actually making the fans feel like they mattered. Ware had a theme song by the ever-awesome The Time and would dance with random women in the audience on his way to the ring. He also did the bird flying thing with his arms (think Angels In The Outfield) and the crowd participated back in unison. His matches had terrific heat because he knew how to involve them before the match started. They also had The Fantastics, who were a fucking awesome team and could work with just about anyone. They had terrific brawls with the Sheepherders, hot Southern tags with the Midnights and Dirty White Boys, and they weren't the only tag teams doing good stuff here. The Fabs faced Chavo & Hector Guerrero in an awesome Mexican Death match with tremendous heat, and NWA teams like the MX, Rock & Rolls and Ivan & Nikita Koloff would come in for spot shows to good hype. The tag belts were also belts the top singles stars showed interest in, which gave them meaning. Ric Flair was probably used better here than he was used for most of his duration in Crockett, or at least he was treated with more respect. Terry Taylor was the North American champ, which made him the #1 contender for the NWA World title. Flair was at ringside scouting Taylor and decided to suckerpunch him after the match and put him in the figure four. Taylor ended up reversing the move on his own, shocking Flair to a point where he offered Gilbert and his protege The Nightmare $10,000 a piece if they could get the belt off of him so he'd no longer be the top contender. He ended up helping them win, and Flair and Taylor would still end up having a match at the Superdome a short time later. Compare this to Flair getting stripped down to his underwear or having competitive matches with jobbers on TBS, and the difference is clear ... and nice. Jim Ross is fucking awesome as the announcer here. They don't sacrifice his credibility by constantly involving him in angles, and the wrestlers don't talk down to him or make fun of his appearance like you often see happen in modern WWE. Much of the footage I viewed here sees him call the action alone, but he became even better when he was paired with Michael Hayes, and the two played off of each other brilliantly. Watts really knew how to use Hayes, by the way. His strengths were that he could talk, so he was primarily someone who ran his mouth and got himself to trouble or stayed at the broadcast booth, working mainly gimmicked or tag matches. Hayes wasn't necessarily a lousy worker, but he wasn't at the level of fellow Freebird Terry Gordy, and Watts did a great job playing to both of their strengths through the booking. Knowing the role Dark Journey would eventually have in the downfall of the territory, it was surreal seeing her here. Her video to Madonna's "Dress You Up" is superb 80s cheese. Hayes and her have some hilarious interplay, as Hayes flashes his wedding ring in front of her and asks her if she wants to "take a quick walk down Badstreet", emphasizing that he understands frustrated women. She slaps him in the face for his troubles and Hayes immediately insists that she's playing hard to get. Ross's response? "She's playing hard to get, all right!" All in all, it was great watching all of this stuff and sort of rekindling the torrid love affair I've had with pro wrestling for many years. The focus is often on the matches and not the extracurriculars, which is cool and all, but watching great booking enhance great wrestling reminded me of the elements that were in place when I became a fan in the first place. I think anyone looking to seek out Mid South footage and not being interested in the angles and presentation wouldn't be getting the full picture, and they'd be missing out on a vital (and very fun) part of the puzzle.

The Rockers & Tito Santana v The Rougeaus & Rick Martel - Summerslam 1989 I don't know why I've never watched this match before. It may be the 1989 WWF MOTY, even topping Hogan/Savage at WM V and a lot of the Arn/Tully v Rockers tags I've seen. Martel is a fucking genius in this match, as he keeps taunting Tito Santana and running away, but all of the wrestlers involved here are so capable that the action is constant and fast-paced, regardless of what's going on. This match is wrestled in a *true* Southern style, perhaps more than any WWF match I've ever seen, with the heels constantly distracting the referee and cheating like mad, working two face-in-peril segments -- one on Jannetty and one on Tito. The Jersey crowd is amazing, and Tony Schiavone's commentary is so wonderfully optimistic in the WWF that I immediately fall in love with him, if only for 16 minutes. Shawn and Marty get to work all of their cool team spots, and Shawn _finally_ entering the ring for the second hot tag of the match gets an amazing pop. Best Rougeaus match ever. Best Martel match ever in the WWF. Probably a top three for Tito, a top five for Jannetty and a top 20 for HBK. Shawn is so much better in tag matches like this because they totally play to his strengths where he can bring on the energetic highspots and sell his ass off without having to make a contrived comeback. He can just defer the next part of the match to his partner and gladly move on. If not for two illegal men being involved in the finish, I'd probably rank this match much higher, but as it is, it's about ****. Some of these old reviews are embarrassing, but whatever. -- Loss, 01/15

As for the '92 Rumble, goodhelmet has been describing it as more of a classic moment than a classic match, but I seem to remember it differently and need to try to rewatch it soon. The psychology of the perennial NWA World Champion going toe-to-toe with the ENTIRE ROSTER, including all the WWF Elite, and winning their title in the end, overcoming their muscleheads, their top stars and even their most talented performers all along the way, makes this one of the most satisfying matches ever. In a rare case in WWE, the heel is forced to put his money where his mouth is and succeeds. I don't think I'd give it *****, though, mainly because of the following reasons: * There are a lot of segments in the match where there's way too much deadweight, and they need a mass babyface purge and it gets delayed * Randy Fucking Savage eliminating himself and being allowed back in the match anyway * All the rolling outside the ring -- other Rumbles have been far worse in this category, but I'm a firm believer that a battle royal should never spill outside. It sort of negates the purpose of it being a battle royal All said, I'd probably give the match **** though, *** for the match itself with an extra * for the booking. That seems about right. It deserves another rewatch from me. I'd probably end up forgiving the flaws I pointed out even more if Monsoon and Heenan would have acknowledged the past history between guys like Flair and Von Erich, or made comparisons between Michaels and a young Flair when they were fighting. There were so many guys Flair faced off with that he had deep, memorable history against and they didn't acknowledge it because it was a total taboo at the time to point out that another wrestling company existed. In this case, all but WCW were already dead, and it wouldn't have killed them. I tend to think if it happened now, JR would be going crazy bringing up all these things. Or maybe not.

Wow. That's the first time I've someone make that point, and it's SO true.

Indeed. Hogan does not shoot. Ever. About anything.

Fiction. The Undertaker is and always has been played by Mark Calloway. I'd like to know where that started.

I think that is true, Marty. In fact, I remember DiBiase doing interviews with the belt for a very short period of time.

Yes. They designed it to eventually give way, but not for Foley to go through it so easily. It's a good thing, as Mick himself has pointed out, that Taker got almost no elevation on that chokeslam. Foley didn't even get one of his feet off the ground.

The cage was supposed to eventually give way, slowly, but not when Foley took the chokeslam. It was going to happen over time.

They need a new logo. They've had that same scratch logo for seven years now, and the Attitude era is looooong gone. Whatever "vision" the MTV VMA's have been broadcast in in the past few years is what I'd like to see WWE start airing all of their shows in. I'd like to see them actually have an elevated ramp on at least one show that goes all the way to the ring, like in early 90s WCW, just because in addition to looking good, it would give the wrestlers opportunities to do more spots they can't do now. I'd like to see a change in color scheme on both shows just to freshen up the whole look and feel -- maybe do SD in green and RAW in black. I'd do more taped promos backstage in front of a gimmicked background like the WWF did in the late 80s and early 90s, not only for a fresh look, but because it would give a lot of guys a chance to talk and learn to talk without the pressure of having to do it live all the time. Whenever they do something like the Highlight Reel or a contract signing, I'd like to see that take place in a different area, maybe where the announcers sit, and move the announcers back to ringside. The Highlight Reel *looks* like a made-up set while the Brother Love show and the Heartbreak Hotel always looked like something totally different. It would also put less pressure on the crew to clear out the ring during a commercial break, since there's normally a match that immediately follows the Reel. Those are the first suggestions that come to mind.

I already know the answer to this, but it would be cool to discuss anyway. HTQ, what was the deal with the planned WCW/USWA feud in late 1991, leading to a Luger/Lawler match?

I would agree with this. I'd probably rank Wrestle War a tad higher, as I do think it's an excellent match, but it's not the Greatest Match Of All Time, as some have suggested through the years. You'll probably enjoy Chi-Town and Clash VI much more.

I think that was being discussed in the weeks leading up to the show, but I don't know if it was ever the "plan". I'm sure it was something WWE entertained at one point or another. This type of thread is TAILOR MADE for HTQ. Fact or fiction: Bret Hart wanted to lose the Owen Hart tribute match against Chris Benoit. He also wanted to go an hour on TV instead of just 30 minutes.

A few more ...

This is what Tammy Sytch looks like these days. I'm not saying this to invite wisecracks at her expense so much as I am pointing out how the mighty have fallen.

To those of you that aren't fans of women's wrestling at all, have you seen any Joshi? If so, what did you see and what kept you from liking it?

Andre the Giant - I hate when he's talked about like he was this great person, considering that he used to take a shit (literally) on guys he didn't like and either no-sell or stiff them. I still need to see the Hansen match to see him actually take a bump. I respect the impact he had and the way he drew money wherever he went, but when he gets talked up as this mythical kind and gentle jolly green giant, it's kind of disgusting. Shane Douglas - This is the wrestler I probably dislike more than any other wrestler who ever lived. Blames Ric Flair and the Clique for his lack of success, never realizing that the problem was that he SUCKED. Yeah, he was part of a really great tag team with Ricky Steamboat, and yeah, he was an okay interview, but he has no one to blame but himself for the direction his career has taken, and I wish he'd get out of it and find a new profession. Wendi Richter - She was a big star, but she was practically forgotten as soon as she disappeared. Better worker than any women in WWE are today, but if she was that age with that look now, she wouldn't be an effective character today. Dustin Rhodes - Underrated in every sense of the word. I'm glad to see him recently getting some of the long overdue praise due to him. Goldust was a brilliant character who had good matches, unless you count his slump in 1997-1999 where he packed on a lot of weight and lost motivation. Was kind of a poor man's MVP for the company in 2002. Everyone expected Hennig to have the Comeback of the Year, but Goldust trumped him in a landslide. Bob Sapp - I've never seen any footage of him and can't comment.

Midnight Express v Rock & Roll Express - NWA World Wide Wrestling 02/17/90 For an 8-minute TV match, this is about as fun as it gets. I love watching American tag matches because they're all basically the same in structure, but it's the presentation and ability to adapt that makes them work and that sets them apart from others. Gibson is mostly a cheerleader on the apron here, but Morton was on a roll at this time. Most of the R-n-R's run in 1990 seemed like a rehash, but the early stages of their comeback saw them motivated to strut their stuff and prove that they still had gas in the tank. This match is almost all face domination, with comedic selling and some great comeuppance spots against the heels. Some of my favorite sequences ever took place in this match, with Ricky Morton showing that not only could he sell, but that he could actually wrestle. The crowd heat is great, and Terry Funk and Chris Cruise are having a blast with this match on commentary. It feels more like a tease of a match and less of the real deal, but that's often the case with shorter TV stuff, no matter how good it is. The whole story is that the MX and Cornette know that on this night, they're probably not as good as Morton and Gibson so they use a lot of tactics to make them lose their cool, and to do that, they have to play into their hands a little, giving them an opening when a high-risk move goes awry. So much is crammed into a short time period here, but it doesn't really feel rushed at all. ***1/2 Midnight Express v Rock & Roll Express - Wrestle War '90 Best MX/Rock & Rolls match ever. Match runs about 20 minutes and takes about 10 to warm up, which was typically the way things went around that time. Getting them warmed up was just as fun as watching them beat the shit out of Ricky Morton though. There's a great spot that has never really been duplicated (although it has been tried) where Cornette tries to tell the ref how do his job by poking him repeatedly in the chest, only for Nick Patrick to do the same thing back, resulting in Cornette getting fired up and challenging Nick Patrick to a fight. Keep in mind that this is all going on in the MIDDLE OF A MATCH. They're about to box, and the way they transition back into the match is so brilliant and seamless that I don't really want to ruin it here. There's another segment where the Rock & Rolls keep outsmarting the MX on their double-team moves and they keep bumping into each other, to a point where they're ready to fight each other before Cornette begs them not to do so. Morton then proceeds to take great shitkicking after the MX finally find a way to calm the match down and gain control. The Greensboro crowd is just insane by this point, and they wouldn't have been without the new creative spots (all of which I didn't even mention) in the first ten minutes. MX/R&Rs had been done to death by 1990, especially in this arena in front of this crowd, but they were able to freshen up the presentation so much that they actually topped all of their previous efforts. MX have their usual double-team moves that I'm really shocked haven't been stolen by a team since then. This is one of those matches you watch and not only do you remember why you were drawn to wrestling in the first place, but it's one memory that's just as you left it, because watching it 15 years later still doesn't leave you disappointed. If anything, I probably appreciate it even more. ****1/2 Midnight Express v Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk - NWA Saturday Night 03/90 The MX were just fantastic in 1990, and I'm not sure they had a bad match during the year at all. If they did, I have yet to see it. Watch Pillman be an even better Ricky Morton than Ricky Morton, even if Tom Zenk sucks. He spends most of his time on the apron though, so we'll just ignore him. His single offensive move seems to be the dropkick. He's like Maven with a head full of hair and a great partner. The MX work over Pillman's neck through some great double team moves and eventually get themselves DQd for Cornette interfering. The post-match angle is great, as they decide to work on Pillman's neck and throat area some more, performing a rocket launcher with Cornette holding the stem of his tennis racket across Pillman's throat. Just to drive the point home, they then STEAL the tag titles (I always loved that angle) and pretend to be champs for weeks afterward. Worth seeing for Pillman's melodrama and the MX's ever-present knowing what to do with a babyface that is willing and capable. Not as much stooging and comedy as in most MX matches, even though there is some here. Great for a TV match. ***1/4 Midnight Express v Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk - Capital Combat 1990 The stipulation here is that Cornette is in a cage at ringside so he can't interfere, and the MX sell his importance to the team like death. They're uncoordinated, can't put together a decent string of offense, and everything they try to do fails. Cornette is able to give them some coaching from his ringside cage and finally, they're able to take control. The battle to get Cornette into the cage is hilarious, first of all, because he runs from the babyfaces before the referee LARIATS him. I'm not kidding. Anyway, they work Pillman over again and Pillman again knows how to sell it before switching out to Zenk and then beating the hell out of him too. Pillman's ringside bump into the guard rail is always great, but here, it's probably the best I've seen from him. Eaton gets in an amazing flying elbowdrop and top-rope legdrop. The heat isn't as strong since they're working in Washington DC, so that does hurt the match a little, and I thought Zenk was overselling some of the MX's offense considering that he had just made the hot tag not two minutes earlier, but this is still worth seeing for the greatness of the MX alone. ***3/4 Midnight Express v Southern Boys - Great American Bash 1990 I think I could be happy watching this match on repeat the rest of my life if I had to. The Baltimore crowd absolutely falls in love with both teams, although they are cheering the heel Midnights far more than relative unknowns Smothers and Armstrong early on. The MX and Cornette manage to turn the crowd against them and make the Southern Boys the biggest babyfaces of the night. They do this through comedy spots and great wrestling, as Stan Lane challenges Tracy Smothers to a karate fight early on and ends up getting his ass kicked, before Armstrong comes in and they end up using a lot of their double team moves stolen from Michaels and Jannetty, like the double superkick and the synchronized armdrags and dropkicks. There are a few times the MX tease taking control for good, but because they're the masters of crowd psychology, they hold off on it until they are happy with the heat Smothers and Armstrong are getting. This match tore the house down, and I didn't write anything down so I probably didn't do it justice here, but this was the best US match of the year in 1990. ****1/2-****3/4, somewhere in there

That's enough to build a match around. The reason I suggested the Undertaker is because if we can come up with a decent Rey/Taker match, there's no reason Rey shouldn't be able to go over anyone in the company convincingly.

Maybe a good project for one of us sometime would be to sim a match between Rey Misterio and the Undertaker with Rey going over convincingly. We could even make it a joint effort, and we'd probably be able to come up with some great ideas.

I agree that a submission is the way to go. Whatever finisher Gail Kim was using is open now that she's sadly no longer around.

Christian is actually who I'd put over in the six-way ladder match at Wrestlemania, assuming he's involved.

Rey is smaller, but that's his whole appeal. It's what makes him stand out from the pack, and it's what makes him who he is. Yeah, he's not a traditional headliner, but I can't see it being a disastrous risk. HHH and Brock Lesnar are really the only two champions that the company has had in the last two years that the audience I think has truly believed could defeat anyone anytime.