by Gerry Strauss
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From the heart of the Philly Indy wars comes another edition of "Seven Deadly Questions". I'm Gerry Strauss, and as a guy who not only loves wrestling, but works in the indies as well, I gotta thank my lucky stars because I live in maybe the greatest area of the country, if not the world, for wrestlingtalent. I live in Central NJ, which not only is close to many great NJ promotions, but is also not far from maybe the hottest area in indy wrestling right now, Philadelphia. Everyone knows about the ugly battles between the bigger wrestling companies in the area, but you gotta realize that situations like this only escalate because of the top notch, high quality wrestling product that is involved. Seriously, would anyone care if the big "indy war" was, say, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling running against some lame Tournament of Champions wrestling school student show? Of course not, because both of those shows probably would suck, although that's another column for another time. Anyway, noone cares about MY opinion, but they WILL care about the guy I interviewed this time around, a guy who has seen it all, done it all, and will SAY it all... a Philadelphia wrestling legend known as the ROCKIN REBEL. By the way, make sure you check out the archives listed below for all of the interviews I've done thus far, and drop me a line and let me know what you think at djg4evr@aol.com, gracias. On with the show...
1) As a veteran of the Philly indy scene, you were around throughout the heyday of ECW, and even played a part in it's formative stages. Why do you feel that some of your contemporaries of that time have achieved more mainstream reverence, and in some cases, were even able to use their achievements of that time to go onto even greater career heights, while such elevation and fame has seemed to elude you?
Back in 2001, Terry Taylor contacted me and was interested in bringing me back to WCW. I went to Baltimore in January and spoke with Bishoff, Arn Anderson, Johnny Ace and Ricky Santana and I weighed my options and declined. I have a prominent landscaping company which makes me great money and I work my own schedule and wrestle every weekend. I have worked 113 shows for the 2002 year. A lot of people don't know but i have had a good career spanning 15 years so far . I've been all over the world: Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Virgin Islands, all over the U.S.... I have been blessed.
2) One of the biggest wrestling stories of the past year (and one which
really probably started the moment ECW went under), is the "Philly
Wars", as the ugly competition between various promotions in the
area, all trying to rule the same domain, has impacted the business in
many ways. Ring of Honor hates 3PW. CZW hated ROH, but the two are now
cooperating. 3PW and CZW competed for audiences in the same building,
but are now begrudgingly coexisting. EVERYONE hates XPW. Beyond the conflicts
with fans and shows, a major symptom of this is the blackballing of wrestlers
from working with certain promoters, limiting the amount of work they
can get. For example, it isn't unusual to hear of wrestlers being shied
away from by other promoters once they are booked by XPW. What's your
take on this, and how has it impacted your career path?
I work for a few in the area ...3PW, CZW and PWF... and I don't see any jealousy. They are just pissed that when XPW came to town it caused a lot of turmoil. What I mean is no more death matches,people calling the state complaining, just plain old bull shit. i always said , hey leave everyone alone. Concentrate on your own product and if it succeeds then great, if it fails get a new job maybe washing dishes or plunging toilets but leave everyone else alone.
3) Business is down, the economy sucks, shows are not drawing like they did 3 years ago... in your opinion, from a dollars-and-cents perspective, how can one achieve the best chance of putting on a money- making show? Deceptions abound, as some of the larger indies are booking the big names, but are they making any money? Or are the smaller scope feds the true profiteers? Lay out your own blueprint and breakdown of your vision of a logically profitable show, and contrast it with examples of other people's less successful efforts.
Promote, promote, promote! Put on a good show with known wrestlers who can work and draw. Also, good storylines will reel them in.
4)What is your opinion on governmental censorship of violence and sexual content on wrestling shows?
I could care less. It doesn't effect the companies I work for, and you know me... I'm the king of "F" bombs.
5) You are known for your obnoxious, crass, and politically incorrect promos. Your abilty to insult may be considered a form of genius. How much of that aspect of your gimmick is drawn from your real personality, and how far is too far, or is there a limit?
Hey, I am a rebel. I say what I want and do what i want. It comes natural to me. I dont use certain words containing racial slurs like the "n" word. That would be pushing it and when i work someone i always ask "are you ok with it?", then we go from there.
6) On a related note, your Archie Bunker-ish gimmick has landed you in racially charged angles, such as the recent one you were involved in for PWF, although, incredibly, you were actually NOT the heel in the situation. How did you feel about that storyline, and racism angles in general?
I'm not a racist, I treat everyone the way they treat me. If it works, go with it. Angles work! A lot of people know i'm quick on the mic and I say it like it is. I won't lie..
7) Finally, you have been in the business for a long time, your career
is going strong, and you have seen, done, and dealt with many people over
the years. That means opinions aplenty from a guy who pulls no punches,
so list for us the top five scumbags that you have ever come across in
the wrestling business, and tell us why each one has made the Rebel hitlist.
1)-Victor Jovica - Carlos Colon's money backer in WWC, Puerto Rico likes to fuck the boys and not pay them.
2) The whole XPW thing- they know who they are, 3 in particular... 1 is an ex-ECW champion with a broken hand. (S.D.)
3) Dino Sanna- another money scammer... he really took a lot of money from unsuspecting people who knew nothing about the business.
4 and 5)- What really bugs me is these new guys who come in the business
who know how to do every flip in the world but can't carry a match (spot
fest), or the ones who break in and totally disrespect the veterans in
the business and think they know it all. Thats one of the major problems
in the business. There are a few in the feds i work with in the Philly
area and they know who they are (I won't mention names, I may get blackballed
by these green horns....lol ) but are scared to work with me or think
if they do i will bring them down. Trust me, to those guys remember one
word, "Karma" ... what comes around goes around. To those who
think this is all a bunch of crap, just remember one thing. There are
a lot of guys like me still in this business who made Philly what it is
and was. We are not asking to be thanked for what we can do what we did.
All we ask for is some respect. Now is that too much to ask?
Previous Columns:
Billy Reil
Matthew Hendrickson
Chris Hamrick
Kevin Matthews
Pete Van Orton
