Shank Dorsey
By P. Staniforth

Well, I have here "The Orient Express" Shank Dorsey. He's 6 foot tall, 242 pounds, and a wrestler who can take it from hardcore to technical in the blink of an eye. Shank is a standout talent on the indy's, a very hardworking family man, many time tag team champion of various promotions; and a classic example of why you should never judge a book by it's cover or a professional wrestler by his gimmick.

Peter) : Hi Shank, pleasure to talk with you. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Shank) : Hello Peter. I am 'The Orient Express' Shank Dorsey, and I have been in the wrestling business since July 1997. I trained in Columbus, OH and was taught to wrestle by a few different people including 'The Casanova Cliq' Chip and Dale, Sherman Tank, and 'Roadblock' Max Mayhem.

Peter) : Shank Dorsey is an interesting character/gimmick, one that begs to be asked about.

Shank) : The Shank Dorsey character is that of an ex-convict from the Orient Correctional Institution and is generally a heel, but has been known to face on rare occasion if justified. Still to this day, no one knows why he was incarcerated.

Peter) : Nice twist, keeps the person wondering just what he did that was so bad! So many ideas like this are spoiled when it's discovered just what the character did to 'do time' … A little mystery always brings people back for more.

Shank) : Shank is a brawler with a very good mat-wrestling arsenal of moves, among other things. He doesn't go up top too much or do a lot of high flying, but I do enjoy working with the high flyers a lot. For some odd reason, I tend to work well with them.

Peter) : Just like 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, 'HBK' Shawn Michaels and so on; you refer to Shank in the third person - like there's you and there's him. Tell us why that is…

Shank) : I talk about Shank in the third person because I am very grounded. I do not bring Shank home with me; he stays at the shows. I know a lot of people that choose to 'live their gimmick', and I think that is the silliest thing any worker can do. People, just a note - It's a gimmick; you're not REALLY that guy!!!

Peter) : So how do you see Shank Dorsey?

Shank) : I look at the Shank Dorsey character like a 9 to 5 job. I only bring him out when it is time for him to 'punch the clock' and go to work. When I finish and call it a day, then I tuck Shank away until it is time for him to work again. On rare occasion there is a time when I will bring him out outside of working the shows and such. If someone recognizes me then Shank will emerge, but that's about it. I will always try to maintain kayfabe as much as possible, but I don't get crazy with it either.

Peter) : Stepping back a second, you referred to yourself as being grounded. What did you mean by that?

Shank) : What I mean by being grounded is that I am a hardworking husband and the father of four beautiful daughters. I work 50 to 55 hours a week in the parts department of a Hyundai Dealership, I go to college part time to earn a degree in Interactive Multimedia Production, I maintain and update my website (http://www.shankdorsey.com) - that was built for me by Mark Mattis, who is a good friend of mine; I help my wife with her website and such for her business (http://www.terrietime.com) which I might add is coming along nicely - And I still have to make time for my children. Deep down, I'm as big a kid as they are, so I need my playtime. So I don't possibly see where I would have time to try and be Shank Dorsey 24-7, and that's why I talk about him in a third person tone.

Peter) : Makes total sense to me, I try and balance this writing malarkey around my two young children as well. Tell us about some of where and whom you've worked for.

Shank) : I have worked around Ohio and surrounding areas in many different promotions. I also had a brief stint in Canada, which was fun. I was recently working with a promotion in Columbus called Fire and Ice Wrestling, which at one time was one of the best promotions around in my eyes. The company as a whole had chemistry and a vision that could have put them on the map legitimately, but things didn't work out as planned and they have since folded. I am now working for a company called Premiere Wrestling Coalition (http://www.pwcwrestling.com). They are a new company but the owners seem very ambitious, so we will just have to see how it goes. I also had a couple of tryouts with ECW near the end of their run, but obviously nothing came out of that.

Peter) : Yeah, but just to have tryouts with a legendary company such as Extreme Championship Wrestling says a lot about your ability; it's a great thing to have on your work CV! You've also worked for the IWA Mid-South, a truly hardcore promotion if there ever was one.

Shank) : One of the most memorable places I've ever worked for was Ian Rotten's IWA Mid-South. I'd like to address this and say a few things about these guys, actually. I have heard things that have been said about this group, both good and bad - And I want to state that Ian and the boys are some of the most professional, dedicated and respectable people in the business today. I have worked for a lot of people but Ian really has his gig together and a love for the business like I'd never seen before. The atmosphere in the locker room is incredible and it is a very fun place to work with some great talent working there as well. I know the IWA has a reputation of being a 'hardcore' style promotion, and don't get me wrong when I say that I worked a few hardcore matches while I was there and they were some of the most painful matches I have ever been in. The things that Ian's boys do to each other are unthinkable in today's society and I am proud to say that I was briefly a part of that.

Peter) : Did you ever get to work with Ian himself?

Shank) : I worked Ian on two different occasions and both times I left feeling like I just got run over by a Mack Truck. Ian is truly hardcore, no doubt; and I am grateful to have gotten to work from him. I gained so much knowledge while I was there. But the thing is, even though they are some of the toughest guys I ever met, I saw with my own eyes; Jerry Lynn work two of Ian's boys on two different occasions in matches you could have put on Monday night, no question. He worked Suicide Kid and Colt Cabana, and the matches were 5 stars to say the least. Some of the guys in the IWA Mid-South don't get the credit they deserve, but they sure as hell have the respect of me. Not only are they as hardcore as they come, a lot of these guys can wrestle with the best of them. I would love to work with these guys once again, but with my schedule and lack of time, I just don't see how I could but wont ever say never to it.

Peter) : In reference to Jerry Lynn, you're preaching to the choir here my friend - Jerry is one of my top two guys in the business right now. But it's true, if a promotion is considered hardcore - it's hard for their wrestlers to get respect for their talents sadly. People seem to assume if you do one style of wrestling, you're not capable of doing the other. And they couldn't be more wrong in a lot of cases. Wrapping up slightly, what are your thoughts on the WWE?

Shank) : I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me on these thoughts, but here are my feelings on the WWE product. Wrestling popularity, as a whole, is on a decline at this time and I feel it is because the 'shock value' is not there anymore. When the WWE were raising the bar and nearing the point of crossing the line, everyone paid attention. I liken it to the scene from Howard Stern's movie when the station manager was getting the ratings for Howard's show and the top responses from the people who loved his show AND the people who hated the show were exactly the same - ' I want to see what he is going to do next'. That is what the WWF used to do, and that is what the WWE needs to do. They need to walk up to that line, and step right over it. It may be immoral, it may be grotesque and it may be even be flat out disgusting and uncalled for; but I guarantee you it will get ratings. The people that love it and hate it alike will be watching wrestling because they will want to see what is going to happen next. You entertain a few people, and annoy people at the same time. It will pull ratings, and fill seats. People need to realise and accept that wrestling is a business, not a political race. People want to be entertained, and I believe crossing the line of taste will do just that - Maybe I am wrong, but it's my opinion.

Peter) : Well, I'll tell you this much - you're the first person I've come across with enough courage to go against the trend and say this. Well, all's that's left to say is thank you for this interview and say how much I appreciate your time in doing this. It's been a real pleasure.

Shank) Thank you too.

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Peter is a columnist for www.prowrestlingdaily.com
A columnist for www.justinrules.com
And a video reviewer for www.simania.co.uk

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