In the Spotlight 5-24-10

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Hollywood Jimmy Blaylock, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK.

I want to take this opportunity to say congratulations to my favorite lady wrestler, Su Yung, on signing with the WWE. She will be reporting to FCW in Florida in July to begin her training. We're proud of you!

The Axeman has spoken.

Interview With Sammy Hall - Part 1

This is part 1 of an interview with Sammy Hall. The interview was done on 9-12-09 in Tupelo, MS.

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I appreciate you doing this interview, Sammy, I've been chasing you for about three years now, and I'm glad I was finally able to pin you down.

I know that, Axeman, I am a very busy man.

I know that, Sammy, and that's why I am very glad you took the time out of your busy schedule to do this.

You've been involved in professional wrestling now for how long?

Since September 3, 1976.

That's a long time, just over 33 years - how did you get started in pro wrestling?

When I got out of the Marine Corps.... First of all, I used to go to all the Tupelo shows that Herman Sheffield put on. He was the promoter in Tupelo at the time. When I got out of the Marine Corps, I went and visited Herman, and he told me, he said well, you want to be a wrestler, huh. And I said yes sir. And he said I've known you since you were just a little bitty boy, and I said yes sir. And he told me, he said it looks to me since you're fresh out of the Marine Corps, you look like you're in better shape than most of my wrestlers. And that's what got it started. Herman Sheffield taught me everything I know about professional wrestling, and to me, Herman Sheffield is and will always be the best wrestling promoter I have ever known.

So you've wrestled for a long time, you've promoted, and now you're with the Athletic Commission, you're a Deputy Athletic Commissioner, correct?

Yeah, Deputy Commissioner. I work for John Lewis and Patrick Turner.

OK, and as a Deputy Commissioner, what are your duties and responsibilities?

My job is to go to wrestling shows and collect taxes and sell licenses.

Are you familiar with what Mr. Garry White has said about you and the Commission in an interview posted on rasslinriotonline.com?

I've read it, but, you know, I have all the respect in this world for Mr. Garry White. I really do. I've never ever had any hard feelings towards Mr. White. I don't know why he called me a drunk. It's funny... In my younger days, yes I did drink. But it has been over 23 years since I've touched a drink. I wasn't what you'd call a full blown alcoholic back in my younger days, but I did drink. When I found out that we were gonna have a baby girl, well I quit. I'm talking about just quit drinking. And you know what, I lost all my friends, or friends I thought I had. When you stop doing stuff like that, you know you think you've got friends, but you don't have - you really don't have any true friends because of the alcohol - that's the truth. As long as you're buying and drinking, they're your best friends, but you stop, you haven't got any friends left. And that's where I'm coming from.

In the interview, Garry White said you were so drunk at the Tupelo show that you could not even write out the license form. He said, "Sammy was so drunk, he couldn't even write the license out, hell I think our ref, Kellen James, ended up doing that, so we could get the show started." How do you respond to that?

There is no truth whatsoever to that. The referee did hand out the license forms that I had prepared for them. Other than to say that, I'm not even going to go there, I was not drinking, I do not drink, I have not had a drink in over 23 years, nothing. But people are going to talk, they're gonna say things that are not true. That's one thing I don't like about that message board. It just gets a lot of stuff started. But back to Garry White, I never saw him in the dressing room. I do not recall seeing him in the dressing room.

OK, Garry White goes on to say, "I will say this for Cory Maclin, yes he gave them a check but Sammy kept holding the show up, he was suppose to start at 6 but he held it up until 7...." Did you hold the show up until 7:00?

Yes, sir, I was just doing my job, but it was not 7:00. That show could have got started at 6:00 if Mr. Corey Maclin had not stalled it himself by not wanting to pay me for the license and the permit.

So it was Maclin's refusal to pay for the license and the standard fees that held the show up?

Yes, he wanted the wrestlers to pay for their own licenses, which I understand that, but I was told by Patrick Turner that when I got there that Corey was going to pay for all the wrestlers licenses and the permit.

So the show did not start until all the licenses and permits were paid.

Right.

He goes on to say, "Also in my opinion, The Mississippi Athletic department is a joke. All your other commissions in various states offer you more than just a piece of paper, when you buy a license in other states, you have a physician or have to be checked by a doctor, you get life insurance (not much) but you do get it. Mississippi you get a piece of paper and that’s all. I remember when Mississippi had decent deputy commissioners, Lonnie Broadway and even Old Man Billy was both good commissioners. Sammy Hall is a joke! How in the hell can a commissioner work for a wrestling promotion and still do business as a commissioner? He actually considers himself a wrestler, because of the promotions that let him get in the ring and wrestle." What do you think about those comments?

Well, you see, that's their opinion. I think that the Athletic Commission in the state of Mississippi is the best thing that ever happened. If we did not have a Commission in the state of Mississippi, you'd have people running over each other, running against each other in the same town on the same night, it would just be confusion. There would be no rules.

Mr. White goes on to ask the question, "How in the hell can a commissioner work for a wrestling promotion and still do business as a commissioner? He actually considers himself a wrestler, because of the promotions that let him get in the ring and wrestle." How do you respond to that?

I've been in this business since 1976, OK? I don't know how long he's been in the business. But I know... When you have been trained by the very best, what else can you say, I mean....

So it is not a conflict of interest for you to be a Deputy Commissioner and still work on shows?

No. sir. You can call John Lewis or Patrick Turner with the Mississippi Athletic Commission. They will tell you. There is no conflict whatsoever. When I became Commissioner in the state of Mississippi, the only reason I quit wrestling was out of respect for all the guys. Why should I go to a show, collect their money, and then get in there and participate myself? Why would I want to do that? I only do benefits out of respect for the guys. I can work with any promotion that I want to work with. I can wrestle at any time. I can wrestle on paid shows. But I only do benefits.

Do you currently own a wrestling promotion?

Yes. sir, I do. It's called Bad Boys Promotion.

And it's not a conflict of interest for you to own a wrestling promotion and be a Deputy Commissioner?

No.

OK, let's change direction a little bit. Say I'm a wrestling promoter. I decide I am going to have a wrestling show at a certain town. I get it all set up and have a building and have the workers lined up and sell a bunch of tickets and all that, but I have not bought a Promoter's License, I haven't sent in any paperwork, and I have not paid any fees. You show up to my show to sell me a license and collect the appropriate fees, and do what needs to be done, and I tell you I'm not paying it, get out of my dressing room. What do you do?

First of all, I go in with all respect. To gain respect, you have to give respect. You never will receive respect unless you give respect. With all respect I go in and ask for the promoter and tell him what I'm there for, and if he refuses to follow the rules, by all rights I could shut the show down.

OK, if you tell the promoter that you are shutting the show down, and he says no you're not, we're gonna have this show, then what happens?

All I have to do is get the city police or the county sheriff. I do work for the state of Mississippi. All I have to do is just call 911 and get a policeman out there or the sheriff's department out there, and the show will be shut down.

Fair enough. There is a rule, or at least I've been told there is a rule, that a wrestling promotion cannot run on the same night within 30 miles of another wrestling promotion. True?

It's not 30 miles, it's in the same zip code. It cannot be in the same zip code.

You know, three years ago I went and talked to John Lewis about this, and this was at the time when guys were wanting to wrestle when they were under age, and in the rule book it reads that you cannot participate in a match if you are under the age of 18 years old. Well, I went and talked to John and got everything straight to where if a parent or legal guardian signs papers giving permission, and the promoter says that the kid under the age of 18 has been trained, and they feel like he's able to participate without hurting someone or getting hurt himself, he can participate under the age of 18. I went to John and got all this straightened out just to help these guys out. I'm not bragging on myself, but without me going to Jackson, these guys would not be able to get licensed until they are 18 years old. I sympathize with promoters and parents, and I went and got that rule changed. Now, today, if you are under the age of 18, with the signature of a parent or legal guardian, a guy or a girl can get licensed under the age of 18. That helps keep them off the streets & everything on weekends or whatever. There has not been one person in the wrestling business that I have not helped in some way or the other, and like I say, I'm not patting myself on the back, I just... I love the sport and I love it with all my heart. And there's nothing I would not do to help someone. But some people you just cannot help. I will agree, I've written Promoter's Licenses to a few promoters who don't even need a license, and I tried to help them. But you know, I'm looking to the future, and all this stuff I've been accused of... I have done my job with the Athletic Commission to the best of my knowledge and ability. I do the things that's best for the Commission, the wrestlers, and the promoters themselves. I just don't know how to put it to you any other way, Axeman, I've done what I could do, tried to please everybody, and I'm getting sick and tired of this stuff. A lot of people that are not even wrestlers or promoters or whatever get on that board and down everybody and run down everybody's shows. I just don't know why everybody can't just get along. I'm getting sick and tired of it. And you know, and I am not officially saying this, but I think in the near future it's going to get so bad that The Mississippi Athletic Commission will probably, I'm not saying it's going to happen, but probably make it harder on everybody to get a license and run shows and participate in wrestling matches, as hard as it is in boxing. Boxing and wrestling, they are two different sports. I think before long that everybody who participates in wrestling will start having to have a physical, HIV test, and it's gonna be harder. I honestly believe it's gonna be harder to keep wrestling as it is here in Mississippi. There are a lot of people, and you know this to be true, there are a lot of people who cannot even afford $30.00 for their license, much less getting a physical on top of that, having all that blood work done. You go to Louisiana, you have to have HIV test and all that good stuff. You go to Missouri, just try to get a license in Missouri or Kentucky. Go up there and see just what all you have to go through. Really and truly the promoters and the wrestlers here in Mississippi today have got it made. They say that the only thing you get in Mississippi is a card. Well that's not true. It's to keep everybody organized, so they won't be running on top of each other every night. Like, there can't be two shows run in the same zip code on the same night or the same day. I've got a promoter that just don't understand that. Say you were running a show on a Friday night. And you had been running a show on Friday, or Saturday or whatever night for a long time. And then another promoter wants to come in and run the same town. Do you think it would be right to let them come in and run the same town on the same night that you have been running for a long time? Well that's what the Commission is all about. It's hard enough with the economy like it is today to even draw a decent crowd. Once you let two promotions run on the same night in the same town... I just don't understand these people's way of thinking. But you know what? In the near future I'm thinking about running shows, and you know what, I'm gonna do it just like I do it now, anybody that works for me, when they come to that dressing room, I'm gonna be just like Herman Sheffield was. If you do not want to do what I tell you to do, you're not gonna work for my show, I don't care who you are, where you came from, or how long you've been in the business. I'm gonna be a promoter that puts on a good show, gives the people what they want to see, and that's all I want to say about all this.

OK, let's change directions again. There was an incident in Booneville, MS, recently involving a tag team called Pure Destruction and a young wrestler called LSD who was in the ring with them. LSD apparently claims that he was injured in that match. You went up to Booneville and looked at the tape the day after that match, did you not?

I sure did.

What did you see when you looked at that tape? Did you see Pure Destruction do anything illegal or anything wrong?

No, I sure did not. I'm not taking up for Pure Destruction. I'm not taking up for that guy, um, LSD. If LSD had known how to take that certain bump, he would not have gotten hurt. As a matter of fact, Pure Destruction did not hurt the guy. They more or less, and I hate to be saying this because it's going on the internet, but they took care of the guy. When they went for the move, the guy held on. And when he held on, he lost his balance. If he got hurt, he got hurt on his own. Those two guys did not intentionally hurt that guy. I know a lot of people say I was there, I saw the match. Well, I was not there that night. But I did see the tape, and I do not believe, with all my heart, that Pure Destruction tried to hurt the guy. They were there to make a point, to get across to the people, to the audience, what they were all about. But as far as intentionally hurting this guy, he was not hurt intentionally. If he got hurt, IF he got hurt at all, it was his own fault.

OK, the move in question, if I remember correctly, was a double spine buster. Basically what that is is a back bump.

Right.

And that's one of the most basic things there is in pro wrestling, a back bump.

Right.

And LSD botched it not once, but if I remember right, three times.

Three times.

In your opinion, should LSD be in the ring at all?

I think he needs a lot more training. If he cannot take a back bump without trying to hold on to someone, I think he needs a lot more training. I'm not going to say he should not be in the ring at all, I just think he needs a lot more training.

You see, that's what's wrong with wrestling today. These guys who get in there and get trained just enough to where they buy them a set of boots, and half of them can't even afford wrestling gear. But once they have had that first match, you can't tell 'em nothing. After that first match it's over with. I'm a wrestler, girls look at me, look what I can do, I'm a wrestler. You cannot train them any more after that first match. That's the reason I say that if a wrestler... he's got to have it in his heart. He's got to have it in his heart to get out there and perform. And he's got to know how to take these bumps. He's got to know how to give these bumps without hurting someone or without getting hurt himself. But once a guy, I don't care who he is or where he's come from or who he is today, for a while, until you get seriously hurt, you know everything. And you don't really know nothing after that first match. After that first match the guy thinks he's a wrestler and you can't tell 'em nothing else. They need to keep training and training. Every time I get in that ring I learn something new. There are no two people that wrestle alike. They might go through the same moves, but the way they drag you, the way they approach you in the ring, no two people wrestle alike. But once you think that you know it all you better sell your boots and get out of the business. Every time I step in that ring I learn something. And I been in it 33 years. And the day you stop learning something, that's the day you need to get out of the business. And I think everybody, I don't care how long you've been in the business, 10, 11, 12 years, they need to work on their moves, they need to get in there and work out every day, or every other day, or as often as you possibly can, because the day that you stop, the day you think you know everything, buddy that's the day you need to get out of the business. You never get too old to learn anything.

End of part 1. Part two will follow soon.

The Booneville Situation

Here are three interviews pertaining to the recent incident and resulting situations at EPW in Booneville, MS:

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This is an interview done Friday, August 28, 2009, at the EPW Arena in Booneville, with EPW owner & promoter Edith Poole. As everyone knows, there have been a number of issues recently involving EPW, and that’s what we are here to talk about today, at Edith’s request. As most of you know, I quit doing interviews about a year ago, but I have agreed to do this one because I want to know what Edith has to say, and I think all of you will, too. So, here we go….

Thank you for this opportunity, Edith. I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say about all this stuff that has transpired recently.

You’re welcome, Axeman.

I know that, since day one when you opened this promotion up, people have been all over your case, all over the message boards, with all kinds of crap and criticism about EPW and about you, about your roster, about your facility, and on and on. But lately things have gotten a little crazy, so I have a few questions for you. Let’s start with TV – it’s my understanding that you never intended to do TV, is that right?

It had never been discussed.

What made you decide that you wanted to do TV?

Dustin Burcham came to us and said that he wanted to put us on TV. He asked if I would give him permission to use EPW, and I told him we had never discussed doing TV, but I talked to some of the guys about it, and they said if Dustin wanted to do it then yeah, let’s go for it. We knew at that time that our building was not up to par for TV, and we decided to go ahead and let him do it anyway. He started taping after we had done contracts, and he started taping the shows and sending them to WCBI to be put on the air on the MY Mississippi Network.

Things rocked along OK for a few weeks, right?

Yes, we had a little criticism, but… You know, criticism helps in a lot of ways. A lot of people don’t understand that whenever they criticize you it makes you strive to be that much better.

So when did things begin to go wrong & fall apart with the TV effort?

When we booked Pure Destruction, Cody & Brody Hawk, I had been told that it was a possibility that one of our sponsors was going to pull out, but I wasn’t told that that sponsor had pulled out. On the night that LSD was supposed to have gotten hurt, at the hands of Cody & Brody, there was a lot of stuff that went down in the dressing room, and Izzy Rotten was the first one that started, and he texted me a message on my cell phone, which I will let you read, and he told me that he was through with EPW. Now, I was not going to say anything to my booker, which as you know is Kross, because Izzy told me that he was going to talk to Kross on Monday or Tuesday, so I was going to give him the chance to tell Kross. Well, Izzy called Kross, but he never, according to Kross, one time mentioned that he had quit EPW. So when Kross found out, along with some of the other things Kross had asked the guys to do, like if any of the guys has a problem with what he does in the dressing room or what is done in the ring, they need to be coming to Kross because he is the booker, and not come to me. Simply because Izzy ignored what the booker asked him to do, Kross let him go.

But he had already quit, right?

He had already quit.

OK, back to TV, did Dustin pull out, or did you end the arrangement with Dustin, how did it come about that we are not filming for TV any more?

Well, as of right now we are still under contract with Dustin and Arsenic Entertainment. Dustin came to me the Sunday evening after that incident with LSD & Pure Destruction, and he told me that they were wanting out of the contract. He asked me that if he fixed up a contract releasing Arsenic Entertainment and himself from the agreement, would I do it. I agreed to do it at the time, but since then there have been other things that have happened, there have been a lot of things said and a lot of opinions voiced that we had agreed would not be voiced while he was under contract with EPW, and because of that, I am not letting him out of the contract.

So he is still under contract to put EPW on WCBI every week?

He is under contract to put EPW on TV, but he is apparently not interested. He tells me that the people who work with him are not interested in doing any more wrestling, and that they have gotten into recording bands and stuff like that.

Well, OK, are there any circumstances or conditions under which you would let him out of the contract?

I don’t know. I would have to think about that really hard.

So he has not come to you with a proposal or a contract or a form of any kind for you to sign?

No.

OK. You mentioned the incident in the ring with LSD & Pure Destruction earlier. There has been a lot of talk, a lot of controversy, a lot of mud slinging and rumors about what went down that night. What is your opinion about what happened?

I did not see anything wrong with it. LSD acted like he was totally hurt. We did the necessary and proper thing – when a person claims that he is hurt and needs medical attention, we call the ambulance. Before the ambulance got here he went to begging us not to make him go to the hospital, saying he was fine. Well, some of the people there with him insisted that he go. So he ended up going to the hospital. They did, according to what I have been told, cat scans and stuff like that, and the reports we have heard said he was not hurt, they could not find anything wrong with him.

This whole incident came about when Pure Destruction did their finishing move with LSD.

Yeah, they did a double spine buster. That Sunday morning after this all went down I called our Commissioner, Sammy Hall, I had him come down here and look at that CD, along with my booker and myself. Sammy watched it, and he told us that Cody & Brody did nothing wrong. They did their finishing move on a trained wrestler, and he did not take the move like he was supposed to.

So it was LSD who botched it.

Yes.

So they tried it again another time.

And he botched it again.

So they tried it again a third time.

Yes, and he botched it again a third time.

So when it was messed up a third time, they went to a different finish.

Yeah, they did something different and ended the match. There have been a lot of things pointed out to me. I called Sammy because, I felt in my heart that nothing had happened to LSD as far as him getting seriously hurt. But in order to clear my mind and get stuff stopped before it got started, I called Sammy Hall to come down and look at that tape. A man that has been in the business for 33 years, if he doesn’t know what a shoot is, then nobody does.

So Sammy found no fault with Cody & Brody’s actions?

He found no fault, he told me and Kross that the only thing he saw was LSD not taking the move like it was supposed to be taken. He said that if he had gotten hurt, then he would have done it on his own, that it was his own fault.

So, I assume Cody & Brody are still on the EPW roster, right?

They sure are.

What is LSD’s status in EPW?

Well, as of right now he has told us that he could not wrestle for a couple of weeks. This past weekend, however, he was in our dressing room. It surprised me to see him here, and when I saw him walk through the door, I asked him what are you doing here? And he wanted to come in and sit out in the crowd with a neck brace on and whatever. With all the bull we have been going through, my booker did not let him. If he had been injured as bad as people were saying he was, then he would have had a neck brace on from the doctor instead of coming to our dressing room to try to find one to wear while he was sitting in the crowd.

So will EPW use LSD in the ring again?

That is very debatable. That would be up to Kross.

There has been a lot of controversy and crap going on since this all went down. Izzy Rotten’s departure from the company, whether he was fired or whether he quit, he’s not working for EPW any more, correct?

Correct.

What else has happened with EPW since then?

Well, there has been a lot of stuff on the message boards that has really hurt my feelings. I’ve done a lot of crying. But I’ve got people standing behind me, and even though someone called the Health Department about my concession stand and restrooms, I want to thank that person simply because there are a lot of things I have been trying to get done & repaired around here that were not getting done, but because of the Health Dept. coming in all that stuff is getting done now by the person responsible for the building. Our bathrooms are being repaired. We will now be able to use both restrooms without it causing problems. My concession stand will have a totally new look, and repairs are being made there, too. We will have all necessary certification. So, to whoever made that call, thank you.

So the concession stand will continue to operate, right?

It will continue to operate with all repairs and with all needed certificates.

Back to Izzy Rotten – you said you had received a text message from Izzy saying that he was quitting EPW. Do you still have it on your phone?

Yes I do. Here it is.

OK, it says: Well I’ve thought long and hard about this. After what I saw tonight I’m done with EPW. I’ve never been a saint in this business but I can’t watch that again, I’ll talk with Kross in the morning. One BMF.

That was sent at 1:32 in the morning on August 16, 2009.

That was read as it appears on your cell phone, correct?

Correct.

So as far as you are concerned, Izzy quit.

Yeah. When he texted me and told me he was through, I thought OK, he’s not coming back. Well, you know, I thought for sure he had left us because of what supposedly happened to LSD. Izzy showed up in the dressing room the following Saturday after he had sent that text telling me he had quit, and I looked at him funny and told him I wasn’t looking for him to be here since he told me he had quit. He told me he had talked to Kross and everything was fine. So I knew by that that he had not told Kross what he had told me. But Kross already knew it because he is my booker, and I’m not going to keep secrets from him, so he already knew what Izzy had told me, but that was not the issue. The issue was that the guys are going to have to abide by the rules my booker has given them. One of those rules is that if a wrestler has any problem with anything that goes on in the dressing room or in the ring, they should go to Kross instead of coming to me. Izzy did not do that.

Kross told me before he agreed to be my booker that he runs things differently than a lot of bookers I have worked with before. I told him I understood that and that I would agree to stand behind him, and that is exactly what I am going to do.

What does the future hold for EPW?

Bigger and better things, I hope. We sure are going to give it a shot.

So you and EPW are not going anywhere.

I’m not going anywhere. They can throw whatever they want to at us, but we will survive. One way or the other we will survive.

Any thoughts of future TV, or are you done with TV?

We have had another offer. We have not really sat down and discussed anything. But maybe later on we may be doing TV again.

OK, is there anything else you would like to say to your fans or those who will read this interview?

Only that it doesn’t matter what takes place in the dressing room, whatever takes place in the dressing room is between the booker, the promoter, and whoever is involved, and everyone else who is not involved and does not know what they are talking about and are just hearing rumors, don’t believe everything you hear. I have heard stuff about LSD, like he almost died, his neck was broken, and stuff like that. There is, of course, no truth to that. It’s just totally amazing to me that promoters cannot run shows without all the trouble and crap that comes with it. That’s all I’ve got to say.

Alright, Edith, thank you for your time.

You’re welcome, and I appreciate you giving me this time to tell my side of the story, and hopefully, once and for all, get everything cleared up.

As always, anyone who is a party to any of these situations we have talked about, if you have any response or comments about anything said here, contact me at axemanchopchop@yahoo.com, and your comments will be posted as well.

--Axeman

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This is a brief interview with Pure Destruction, Cody & Brody Hawk, done after the EPW show on Saturday night. 8-29-09.

Ok, guys, I would like to get your comments on the situation and recent events that started after your recent match with LSD.

Brody: OK, first of all, when we come in to some place, and we get asked to do something, if it’s within reason, we do it. We have never, ever, intentionally gone out and tried to hurt somebody, unless they’ve made us mad and it’s personal stuff. It has nothing to do with LSD or anyone else. If it’s something like, with Gary, he has made it personal. So now, I’m subject to just knock the shit out of Gary when I see him again. But, Gary wants to run his mouth about somebody trying to hurt somebody – well what about the time in Lexington, Tennessee, when he intentionally broke a kid’s elbow? Intentionally, did he not?

Cody: That was a boy who either didn’t know how to work or he messed the move up, so Gary took a trash can and put on top of him and beat him until his arm was broken.

Brody: Beat on that kid until his arm got broken. So, until he can sit there and say that he screwed up and admit he did it on purpose, he don’t need to say a word to anybody else in the wrestling business about intentionally trying to do something to somebody else. Because he is full of shit, he’s a back stabbing little piece of shit, all he does is run his mouth about everybody. The next time I see him, if he doesn’t straighten shit out, I’m gonna straighten his ass out myself. Plain & simple. He wants to shoot his mouth, well here comes a shoot, bitch.

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This is a brief interview I did with the EPW booker, Kross, at the EPW Arena in Booneville on Saturday, 8-29-09:

Kross, I would like to get your comments and opinions on the recent incidents at EPW, since you are the booker and your name has come up very often over the past week or so. Let’s start by talking about the situation involving Izzy Rotten and his departure from EPW. Do you have anything you want to say about that situation?

Yeah, Axeman, this whole situation has really gotten blown out of hand. Earlier on, I had made an announcement in the back room that anybody having an issue please come to me, as far as me taking care of the back room, because Edith was being pressured too much with things from the outside and everyone running to her, so to take a burden off of her, I made the announcement that everyone, if you have an issue, should come to me first, and if we cannot resolve it, then we go to Edith, that’s where we bring her in. I thought I made that clear, and not wanting to be discriminating towards anyone, no matter who you are, so we had the situation with LSD, and Izzy Rotten went to Edith, he texted her and told her he was through with EPW. She was getting calls & texts from him, and it really caused a big uproar, mixed signals and everything like that, and that’s strictly something on my behalf that I asked everyone not to do, don’t go to her, come to me first. That’s why I had a meeting with Izzy, and I had Edith out here with me, and while we were talking I basically broke it down, I didn’t do it with any disrespect or anything like that, I plainly told him that I had asked everybody, I had a meeting with everybody, asking them to come to me first. And Izzy said yeah, he acknowledged all of it, and I said that by me asking you not to do something, and you still went and did it, and caused more problems than anything, I said I was going to have to let him go. His exact words were I don’t give a shit. And that’s fine. That’s basically the situation with Izzy.

Izzy Rotten has, since that time, done a number of things. Any comments about what has gone down since then?

Axeman, this is a business, and professionalism is everything, and I know Izzy Rotten’s history and everything, and when I talked with him and told him I was letting him go, I told him it was not personal, but it’s just like any other company, you broke a rule, and sometimes when you do that, they terminate you, and that’s what happened in this situation. What Izzy is doing now is, I think, purely unprofessional and completely unnecessary. If you tell somebody you don’t give a shit about them letting you go, and then do what he is doing now, that shows absolutely different. Like I said, it’s not necessary, trying to get other wrestlers to leave, by whatever means he has done it, but what it’s supposed to prove, I do not know. But like I said, we have a business here, and we are going to keep it going like a business. EPW will not fold. Izzy Rotten is just showing his true colors.

OK, let’s talk a little about the situation with Pure Destruction and LSD. What are your thoughts on that incident? Did it go too far?

The situation with Pure Destruction, I don’t think it went too far, but this goes to show you that when guys get into that ring, they should be properly trained to take a normal wrestling move. When you’re not properly trained, there are things that can happen. The Commissioner reviewed the tape, as well as I reviewed the tape, and I would never, ever, send anybody on anyone to hurt them, to mangle anyone, because I am fully capable of doing it myself if I wanted to do something like that. That’s not the type of business we’re running. We’re a family back here, that’s the way we try to run it. They gave the kid the move one time, he held on to their shirts. They gave him the move a second time, he still held on to their shirts. They gave it to them a third time, and he really made them look like crap. Some other people would have gotten a chair and beaten the kid. But that is not what they did. I think Pure Destruction was purely professional, and what they did was in no way intended to hurt him. LSD called me the next day, no – it was Monday that LSD called me, and he told me man, he was just scared. The guys from another organization put a rib on him, they told him there was a hit out on him. Nothing happened that Friday, so then he came to the show Saturday, he came here, and when he got in the ring with PD, he thought they were hit men or something. Hits don’t happen in wrestling, at least not here, that’s drama stuff. That’s TV, that’s what it is. It just don’t happen in wrestling. I am a professional about what I do, no matter what people might think about me. I will carry on as such. Pure Destruction was in there trying to make themselves look good, trying to save something that someone who was totally inexperienced messed up, and in the words of Sammy Hall, the kid shouldn’t even have a license to be in the ring.

Is there anything else you want to say about any of this that has gone down?

The only thing I wish is that, instead of pulling Izzy Rotten to the side and letting him go, I had Miss Edith with me, but I should have done it in front of the whole dressing room. Maybe, if I had done it in front of the whole dressing room – I didn’t because I thought that may be humiliating – but I should have done it in front of everyone instead of trying to consider someone’s feelings, because you see what we are going through now, which just shows that he don’t care about anybody’s feelings. And yeah, he’s cost us workers, and by him costing us workers, that’s their opportunity gone, because EPW is gonna make it, EPW is gonna be a success, and I’m not giving up. The last thing I want to say about it is that I don’t have to post on the internet, hollywoodjimmy.com, or anything. I am man enough to say anything I have to say face to face. That’s how I do business. I don’t do texts, you ask Izzy Rotten, I talked to him face to face before I let him go.

Alright, Thank you for your comments.

Thank you, Axeman.