Yeah, hello, everyone, to be creaking and you.
Are listening to Eyes up here the iHeartRadio Network or wherever you get your podcasts.
Along for the ride is my co host Chad. Chad, what is up? My brother?
Oh?
Chilling like a villain?
Yo?
Yo?
Yo?
Yeah, what's that's right?
Yo?
Feeling funky today? I was just jamming to her two.
I love that.
I know, I get caught up in it sometimes it's great. It just it's grown on me, like like.
They say the plague.
He hated it, guys, I hate it.
I just wasn't in love with it.
I loved it. I loved it from day one and I love it. Now. How's everything doing you good?
Great?
Great?
Well, we're going to start off pretty hot today. We have a special guest that I'm excited to talk to and he's going to be coming on in just a few minutes. But until he comes on, trying to think of what's happening. We got our bathroom floor done and
it looks spectacular. Now I'm looking for a painter, so we're getting it painted, and we're getting new uh, I have quarts now, we're getting new countertops and I think we're getting a new new sinks, double sinks put in and uh so what I'm trying to say is my bathroom is a wreck right now because there's so much work being done on it. But that's what's going on in the Queen's cost. Uh, just the redoing one room at a time, slowly but surely. I know, you know,
trying to catch up to your house. Your house is just your house is like one of those houses in Good Housekeeping. Oh my gosh, you open, you open, you open the book and there's the house of the day. It's a it's debute Clark, isn't you abute clerk?
I appreciate you saying that, Thank you very much.
I love it.
But yeah, it ain't easy to keep up.
So no, I'm sure it's not. But that's what we've been doing.
We've been trying to fix up around here, and slowly but surely it's coming along.
The one day I tried to paint, I tried to help out the guy.
We were painting the crown molding and we had to remove it.
So I was like, oh, I'll help you out. So I did the first.
Coat and he comes up to me and he goes, don't do the second one, and he's like, yeah, he goes, You're not really doing it that good.
It took me forever to do the first coat, and I took offense to that I had paint all over me.
I was like, man, you know, try to help people. It just didn't work out. So a painter I am not. But anyway, he finished the job and it looks beautiful.
I like I could do it, you know, I like it. We did a couple of there were some accent walls in this house. Yeah, and we did them. But I really gotta be focused because if I'm not, I gotta walk away or it's gonna be real shitty.
Yeah, well, I said to myself.
At first I looked and I was like, oh, maybe I can conquer the bathroom. And then I was like, hey, maybe I'm gonna hire someone.
So now we're looking for Bathrooms are tough, Yeah, because of those little little spots where you have vents and the lighting. Bathrooms are super tough.
Not only that, but I want my cabinets painted, so I don't Yeah, I don't think I can.
I mean, if I do that, it's gonna be shitty.
Bathrooms are shitty. That's the moral of the story.
You know it's gonna be like really bad, so I said, no, I'm not gonna try so looking for a painter right now. But you know, like I said, tackling one room at a time. We're changing my son's room to Star Wars. We have all we have curtains, we have posters, we have bedding, like everything is Star Wars now. He's really excited because he's been getting into Star Wars. So we're transitioning his room right now into that and just big changes around here.
There's a lot going on.
So weird, isn't it weird?
There's never been a Getmick where there's been a wrestling painter. There hasn't, No, I don't think so. There's been like Beatnicks, but never like a wrestler that's a painter.
Nick is a Is that a poet?
No?
Beat Nick's like a hippie, like a was.
The guy that led the what was his name, Adam? Was he a hippie?
Adam Rose?
Adam Rose.
He's just like a party guy.
He was a party guy.
Oh the Exotic Express the Yeah, we should.
Go back and look at some of these gimmicks one day, because I swore there was kind of like a painter.
I mean there was.
I'm sure our guests would probably enlighten us whenever he comes on, So he probably have a good.
Idea of it.
I need to ask him.
Imagine he's always like so wrapped up in his work that like to go wrestle his match would like distract him and that would be like the start of an angle. Is that you knock over his painting set? Or is a you know, was his easel?
Oh, I can't remember. I thought there was. I don't know.
Don't bother me while I'm worshiping on my work of art.
There should have been or a sculptor. Was there a sculptor?
Well, I mean, well, you know there's been a wrestlers sculpted.
You know who were you know? Made out of works of art?
Most of them are what I mean, I don't know.
Well, listen he is he's been known as the Savior of the Unwashed masses? Is that not the greatest like surname ever for a professional wrestlers.
I think he's royalty in NWA, isn't he? He comes down in these elaborate roots.
I mean, he's got one of the greatest fashion senses I think in the history of wrestling. Now, he's probably one of the greatest overall personalities in wrestling history.
He seems like.
He's a very distinguished human being to me, Aaron High, Honey.
Can you hear us?
Hey?
How you doing?
I'm good? How are you?
I'm awesome?
Thank you Aaron Stevens.
Everyone, we were supposed to give you this wonderful you know, lead in and he shared the bed number one, So I'm.
Sorry about that.
We were we were just having get discussion. Was there a wrestler who was a painter. Do you remember any wrestlers who had a painting gimmick or a painter gimmick?
I mean like d X, I know, like painted people of green, but like that, I like I was, I'm assuming you're going in like the Bob Ross vein. Yeah, yeah, I cannot remember. I can't remember one. I know that, Like I'm trying to think now, h yeah, I don't. I mean, it's certainly not at a level that was like nationally known, right or internationally known.
I don't think that. Maybe think about that for your next gimmick, because.
That painter sculptor something like.
That, that might be a winner. Aaron.
You know what, I will I would try to make it work.
Work that down, I think that I would try to make it work. I think you would excel at that. How are you, by the way, thank you for coming on today.
Oh I'm great. How are you? How is everything doing doing well?
I finally got to meet Aaron uh last year, never met him.
It's so funny.
There are so many people in this business I've never met. I think it's because I don't get out too.
Much, exactly like I just did that for Nova.
Yes, so at Nova's retirement, which I think he'll come back, I don't really think we're never going to see him again. But Aaron was there, and I was so excited to meet you.
Yeah, and I was so glad that that we got to talk a little bit and hang out.
Did you want that show that night because I kind of powdered after the convention.
Yeah.
No.
The reason I was there is because you know, Nova said, hey, I'm retiring, and he wanted to do a six man because Frankie Kazarian was his partner on the indies for a long time, like in between E c W and WWE, and then he and I were tag partners in OVW on Cornett and everything. So like we we became close. I'm godfather to his daughter.
I know you are.
I love him. So it's just like he wanted me there and I was like, hey man, yeah, absolutely, like this is your retirement, will do it. And it was just a fun show. But it was funny because Miss Francine got to find out what a horrible independent wrestler I would make.
No.
I just like we did a signing, I was just like not talking to me. I was I just don't have the like, yeah, I don't have the patience for a lot of things.
And so here's my take on this. You were adorable. I have to say it.
I sat at a table between Kevin Kelly and Nova. Okay, so Aaron was like Caddy Corner at his table, but he was never there. And I'm saying to myself, where is he? Like why isn't he sign? And Novah goes, oh, this kid can't sit still. He's all over the place. You'll never see him sitting still. And every time, like I would sign an autograph and I would look up, he'd be walking that way, or then he'd be walking that way, or he'd come over at us and say something and then he'd walk away.
I was like, why are you not sitting at your table? And you were just like I can't do this. And I'm like, this is part of the profession. Do you not like it? Or is it just are you irritable? Are you nervous to me?
No, because like, like so the thing is like okay. For when when I was in WWE, which again, and I I will admit this wholeheartedly, for the vast majority of my career, I've kind of been spoiled in the sense of like, look, I've yes, I put in the work to make it, but then I always had someone telling me where to be. I've had a handler to make sure that I I don't have to worry about like exchanging money and like all that stuff like bringing
your own eight by tens. I didn't bring eight by tens because I always thought no le generally, and I've been I've been in this since ninety eight, like people are going to provide them, like and even in Puerto Rico when I was with Carlos, where you know, whatever we were going through, you know, like we would well whatever drama was going on in Puerto Rico, Like I always had kind of a baby's and I just you know, it's it's my thing. We all have shortcomings. I have many.
That is one of them. And I am not a very good independent wrestler and I'm not a like I just I just don't.
But when okay, but when Nova booked you for this, or Donnie b or whoever you talk to, yeah, let me tell you, like bring merch. Because there was one point where you leaned over in my ear and whispered, I don't even have any pictures, and I just started laughing.
No. I had to borrow Sharpie from Sargeants slaughter because like I I was like, I went over to talk to him, We're talking and stuff. I'm like yeah, and he goes, oh, I'll just have mine, and I mean, God bless him. He was a wonderful man. And that was cool about that night, Like I got to see people I hadn't seen in a minute, right, and it was good. And but like again, there's positives of it, which is why I was, I think walking around a lot.
But I just, honestly, friend, I've never ever just been the kind of guy to like, oh, these are my eight by tens and set them up. That's just it's not something I really like. It's part of the business that I'm completely ignorant to for the most part.
Well, you learned, you know now if you need to bring something.
Yeah, yeah, but luckily, luckily takes care of that for me.
Oh my god. And we're gonna talk.
We're going to talk about you there in a minute, but I'll never I'm watching you. I was so entertained because you were like, it was like a little wind up toy. You were just bouncing from here to there, and you had your table was blank, you had no merch on your table, and you never sat.
In your chair.
It was great.
You were great.
You were very, very entertaining.
I want to start.
I don't want to talk about how you get into business, blah blah blah. I want to talk about what I liked about you. I loved the angle with you in the miss and I'm sure you got that a lot. When I watched wrestling, I don't watch much. I'm gonna one hundred percent honest. I keep up on social media mainly because I don't have time to watch twenty hours of wrestling. You know, I got kids, I got a family, I got Yeah, But when I did watch you were always one of my favorites because and my husband will
tell you he can back this up. You and the miz were so entertaining, and I just I fell in love with your character because it was there was so much acting wise, not even like working, like wrestling, like acting wise. And I did go to your wiki really quickly just to just to freshen up a little bit. And it says that you want to act, You're aspiring to do some acting now.
Anybody can write on Wiki.
I know that it said. I I mean no, I've like done stuff.
It says I think if you go there now.
It said something like he's open to different roles in the future.
I can't stand Wikipedia because there was a lot of false information about me on there, and I wrote them. I wrote them a very kind letter and they're like, first of all, it isn't your Wikipedia page, no one owns it. And I'm like, yeah, but like there's a bunch of stuff on there that's not true about me as well. We'll have our fact checkers. I'm like, dude
or madam whoever it was. Because they didn't sign it, I was like, just hey, I kind of like I know what's going on with me, and this ain't it you know, wait.
A minute, you need a fact checker for you.
Oh my god. Yeah, like like someone like some weirdo took control of my page and I can't even make edits to it. And there's so that they have the worst picture of me. I think it's someone that doesn't like me because they have the worst picture of me on there, and I like, out of all the pictures of me, it's just horrible. And then there's a bunch of false information. No, like I've when I when I left WW yeah hard, Why are you putting that on there? Dude? Come on wait she had to say this.
Wait a minute, my picture I'm eight months pregnant.
It was like through my according to that picture, Yeah.
I can't she had to see it. I'm sorry.
Call the text message.
Oh my god, but seriously, it's your page. So you're trying to fix things that are false and they're telling you we can't do that.
Yeah, it was like that was years ago, and I was just like, okay, whatever, I don't like because my old thing is when I like, I was in like when I left WW. You know, it was a it was time for me to leave. Let's say and in terms of my relationship with kind of people in the administration or the office as we say in the biz biz. And it was time for me to leave, and I
was like, okay, I'm gonna go do acting. And I left and Impact I did some shows with them, and then there was an administration changed there and I was like, you know what, Okay, I'm good. So I had kind of gone out, you know, Hollywood, I've gotten in. I've done you know, a bunch of network shows and stuff like was actually like did a couple of movies and things were we're starting a roll, booked an episode of Magnum p I as the lead heel. This was Hawaii
in twenty nineteen. This was like it was like late augu Yeah, it was Labor Day weekend and I had like three or four days off in Hawaii, so it was great. I'm laying on the beach and Billy called me from Billy Corgan FORWA, like, hey, we're doing TV. You need to come. No, I don't, I'm retired. I'm actually like starting this. He goes, well, you already have a ticket, just come on. And then when I first went to NWA, like I finished up the gig there and went to Georgia and I was just like whoa
Like it was the old school field, the studio. It was like the essence of what I grew up loving and pre COVID, which we did about I think three television tapings, so we had about three months worth the TV, maybe four months worth of TV. And from there, you know, again twenty twenty happened. Things were on pause as a company.
You know, we've survived and found ourselves in a post pandemic world, and I think in the last several months we have truly hit our stride as a company, and that is that's just a wonderful place to be because it you know, it ignites the pardon me that I never thought I would get in touch with again as a performer, right because like, acting is wonderful and I love it and I know it's great. You know, it's it's like it's nice to have a union when they're
not on strike, which thank god, the strike's ended. But there's also like the the instant feedback you get from fans and in my opinion, like the live performance of it is it's just the coolest thing in the world.
And when I see wrestling today where it is such like and I'm not knocking this, I think they're amazing athletes today, but like, the vast majority of what we see is choreographed acrobatics and you're seeing that, And again, I think that's because of a number of reasons, not the least of which is social media, when we consume things much faster these days, when it's like we want a ten second thing on Instagram or a thirty second thing right where it's you see a person do this
crazy move, oh my god, and then you kind of go scrolling onto the next thing. And I think a lot of aspiring wrestlers or slash wrestlers today work to that particular niche. But I think in terms of the overall template of our business where no, we're storytelling and you have to care about the people in the ring, not the moves they're doing. And I'm not saying like for any when that's listening to this, it's not like, oh, just because I can't do a four fifty splash, I
don't want you to do. No, like, do what you do, but make them care care about you. Make him care about you doing the move, not the move itself. You look at Raymisterio and WCW his quote unquote work rate And I hate that word because it's used by people who have never taken a bump, you know, work rate, Like, come on, you don't even know what working is, right, So his work rate was much higher to their standards in terms of he did more moves, right, he did
way more moves and way more flashy stuff. But he was never more popular than when he was in WWE. And although he did amazing things, it was presented in a way that the fan could digest and care that he was the guy doing it. Like the six one nine is not remotely, excuse me, as impressive as some of the other moves Ray Asterio does on site, but the six one nine is the most overthing he has,
and that's because it was presented the right way. So what we're trying to do at NWA is present the product in a way that not only will highlight the individual, but is better for the fan to be emotionally invested in. You know, we're selling emotion, or at least we're trying to.
You're trying to do You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but how negatively do you think that cocaine spot from the pay per view impacted the company as a whole?
Well, no, here's job. I mean, I'll answer anything. Right, It's like, Okay, I don't want.
To get your heated, billy, because you know that's the last thing I want to do.
So if you don't want to answer, you don't have to.
No, no, no, I think look like with anything with any company, if you look at not just wrestling, Like, let's let's take this into the real world. Right, Look, decisions are made, right, good, bad, and different. Hey, decisions are made. Now do I think it negatively impacted the company? No? If you want my honest opinion and the long term, we just came off one of the best shows we've
ever had in Sarasota. I don't know if you've seen the pictures of it, but we have a packed house, right, we have, you know, again, a roster that is growing
and getting better every single day. You know, there's really a move in there where you have the people who've been around a little longer trying to teach the younger people, like what I just said about presenting yourselves a certain way on television to make you a star, Right, because it helps you and it helps the product and for every bump in the road, no pun intended, although that's a funny one. Like we I mean, look, we survived the pandemic, you know where people thought we were on
life support. There are a lot of people that are just gaining like.
Momentum.
No, you know what. And I'll put this in a simple as simple terms as I can. We are gaining. It is a grassroots thing, show by show and I actually posted this like or a kind of an abbreviated version. Every time we do a show somewhere for the first time, people come up and not just one or two like wow, I never I've never been to a show like this. This was awesome. This is something for everybody, and it
just goes on and on and on. And there is a vibe at an NWA show and again like you know Pat Kaney, Simon Diamond, Yeah, you know, Pat is talent relations guy there and and he kind of said, like, look, there is an EACW vibe in the sense of like we are the alternative today, Like we're not EASW, We're the NWA, but if you look at the product today, we are the alternative in fact, like we're the ones who you know from Billy, and it's it's comes from the top as a leader. And I'll speak to this
the kind of leader that Billy Corgan is. You know, he has the courage to say, this is the way the product should be presented, let's do it, and he takes those risks and you know the decisions that he makes in terms of giving talent freedom, and it's it's incredible, like I've never worked for a boss or I've never worked in a place where I have had more creative freedom. And you know the flip side of that is, I've never worked for a place where I've had more loyalty,
truly loyalty. A lot of companies they're like, oh, yeah, you know, we're our family, and especially that I've worked for before, Oh, welcome to our family. No, No, it's it's jargon. It is corporate jargon like everything else. And and that's just it's not a knock, right, it's just it's it is what it is. At NWA, we don't say we're family because we are. We literally like and I'm not this I won't get into because this is behind
the scenes stuff and it's nothing bad. It's just I believe that, you know, when you go into a locker room, it's still sacred. And what goes on behind the scenes, sure keep that amongst ourselves. So I'll talk about stuff, but you'll never see me like throwing people under the bus or talking about people unless it's Santino of course that I you know, without their permission. So like we are truly dependent on each other to make a show
go on. I mean the wedding episode I did when I married, like it was back in January or February, where with my yes with May who I love her, she's wonderful. Like there was travel issues. Both Billy and Pat couldn't make it because there was like twelve hundred feet of snow on the ground. Wow, we had to, Like I mean, you talk about people banning together and and really kind of like making something happen. And that's
it's like that every show. But it's a pleasure to work with Billy and like when when people you know, for every fan we gain or I should say for every hundred fans we gain, right, And it is like this is a grassroots it's a brick by brick kind of thing that we're doing for every hundred people that
love us. There's one person with a Twitter account that will try to sling shade and post and there was, you know, an issue of the internet said one thing and like oh, NWA's it's this, it's that, And you know where I had a friend of mine call me and tell me this, and I'm like, hey, dude, you know I work there, right like if if I have an issue, like I can call my boss or my boss is right like I'm I'm fine, Like stop, and we all kind of went into the show in Sarasota
of like all right, like you want to talk about us, You want to kind of like if you need, like if if somebody feels a need, you know, if they're a wrestling fan and they need to like sling shade or put their their hate speech and and someone as like this just whipping mule, they will pick us. And you know what our attitude is, we don't care because our product speaks for itself and you can do whatever you want. But you know what, we know who we are as a company. We know who we are, we
know where we're going. And you know what, if you don't like it, don't watch because there's a lot of other people when you see us live and you go to a show and you experience the atmosphere there because the thing is as interdependent and I don't want to in term close because it's not like everyone hangs out after the show, even though we all kind of do like, but the interdependentness in terms of our livelihoods depend on each other. Uh, it is very, very kind of tangible
and and it translates to our product. And that's you know, we've often joked and said we're the Island of misfit toys, which yeah, you know something about that. Yeah, which again another ECW reference. But we are if you look at us, right, we're like you know, the ones that people oh they don't didn't standing in or were a little too individualistic. I will not use the term eccentric or crazy in
my case, but uh, whoever, for whatever reason. Right, But it's a place where we want to make something, and it's a place where you know, again we can carry the banner of the tradition, but we can carry it into the future where we want to go.
And that that is a great answer Number one and number two, I.
Think I gave the same speech in nineteen.
Ninety six because everything that you just said, I could say about ECW back in the day, we were that alternative brand that we were the island of misfit toys. We were the guys that you know, a lot of us were homegrown, but a lot of us didn't get a chance to, you know, shine in other companies. And Paul saw something in us and Billy sees something in you guys. So it's it's the same story decades later, and I see a lot of us in your locker room.
Because the way you say we're fighting for each other and we're fighting for the company.
We felt the same way.
You know, if I make you shine and you make me shine, it's good for us as a team, it's good for the company.
So that's a great work ethic to have.
As far as like the houses go, we've been talking about, like we had Bubba on the show Billy Ray right, So we were just asking him how impact is growing and how they're taking that slow climb and they're starting to maybe venture off and do bigger shows after you know, twenty something years being around. You see aew and you see a lot and I'm not trying to knock them, but my point was. You see a lot of empty
seats in the buildings when they run. And like, my philosophy is, why isn't Tony Kahan buying smaller venues, making it more intimate, you know, better looking on TV? Because you know, fans today with social media is killing this business. In my opinion, these fans are just they'll take video and take pictures and oh, look it's so empty here
and blah blah blah blah. You know, it's kind of like I just in a way, I'm glad we didn't have social media back when when I was working, because it can really destroy you mentally and physically as a person, you know what I mean. And so for these people to be showing the venues half empty and blah blah blah. And now you're telling us you guys are taking it slow and building it brick by brick. I feel that that's the right way to do it, you know what
I'm saying. It's like Tony Khan has all this money and he's dumping it into these fifteen thousand seed arenas, and if you're only drawing five to six thousand people, why why get that?
Why waste the money?
Yeah, and again like I would like to your point, Yes, I agree with everything you say, Francine. It's I don't know what kind of a businessman Tony is like Otherwise
I've never met the man. Obviously, you know he loves the business, which is the not only the cornerstone with the foundation really of being successful at this you have to to some degree love it to the point of being able to understand it on the level that you need to make money, right, And that's that's kind of I know it's a little deep, but you know what I'm saying on that now, if it is doing it to create like the illusion of in hopes to say,
oh yeah, we want more people coming because we're at this arena and AW is on par with any other company in the world, then hey, if you got the money and you're doing it great. Now. If I was Tony Kahan, and again I'm not obviously like I would focus on creating your stars. There is no need wardlow who was hot?
Right?
And I don't really watch wrestling, but again, social media, what's going on? Why would you cool somebody off like that? You know that you need to build stars, and you need to focus on stars. There's a lot of rosters that are way too big, and if you trim your roster down, focus on growing the talent that you have and not just throwing things out there. Look like there are no three lets WWE is it is an exception because again Vince's turned it into a juggernaut, right, but
no three letters? Like will people say like, oh hey that they're in town, let's go buy a ticket?
Right? Like?
Because AEW just needs I think more more, just years, right for AEW to be a viable company with WB, time is the only thing that will make it happen. And again with Tony sticking around maybe playing the long game, and if that's what he's doing, that's great, that's amazing. So again I'm not gonna knock anyone's business strategy. But again, if I was in charge of creative, they're like, okay, like we got some really talented people. Let us put the time and effort to building them so the fans
have equity in them, right, build stars. Stars aren't going out doing a match and coming back. No, No, you need to plan things. You need to have months in advance where you would like to go. How would you like the people to perceive this person or not and look, these are just things that I mean, hey, I'm just a former wrestler kind of just spitballing here, but like these are things that you need to kind of think
about if you want to grow long term. And you said something about us believing or Billy believing in us, right as talent, there's there's been enough time that has gone by in this era of NWA where like there's been very good talent that's come and gone and for whatever reason, they don't go there. But like the really kind of like the veteran guys that are there now. Not only does Billy believe in us, we believe in him.
And that's that's what makes the NWA different. Like that is what Like Billy doesn't have, you know, a billion dollar reserve like WWE and like aw again, he's not poor by any means, but but he has a vision and he has given the members of his team really and and and again like because we are all a team and I'm talking from the announcers, camera operators, the talent, like like the people that have been with him and you know again like you know who you are, but
like he's given us the opportunity to kind of showcase our craft and help make his company better. And again, like at the end of the day, we all have the same vision, right we all want you know, we want to Here's like and I can surmise everything I've said the NWA. We want to bring the magic back
to pro wrestling. You know what I mean. And I don't need to say anything more on that, right because Chatham, assuming you're a fan friend, like you all know what I mean by that you want to bring the magic back to pro wrestling.
That that is that's like a presidential slogan. That's like a really good slogan.
I like that.
Ye should put that on a T shirt.
But what I like too about you know, the folks that you have surrounding you in the NWA, Like you said, the Vets.
You've been around with.
These guys for a long time, a lot of the folks that you work with, so you kind of have an idea of what you guys need to do as well together to make this product magical because you've all seen where it's gone wrong in the past and you've
kind of all experienced it at different levels together. And that's what I think is cool about who's there at this current time and who's in big positions because you know, essentially there's been pitfalls for a lot of people and now it seems like it's all coming together and ascending upwards.
Yeah. Like again, I'm just the talent, right, I don't. I'm only obligated to put on my little blue jacket and talk a bunch of smack to people. Right. But it's like because and I say, like Trevor Murdoch is the same thing. EC three. But we care, we really really care. Mike Knox is another guy who's been there. Amazing love Mike. You know Rodney Mack, who never ever got the credit he deserved for being as awesome as
he is in the ring. And you know, again, anyone that has met Rodney and his work with him will tell you what an amazing human being he is. And that's the kind of like those are the kind of people we want, like when we go to work, like we're genuinely happy to see each other, and that's what you want, Like, Okay, what do we got today? Let's make this happen. And there's such a again like on
all levels, like we don't. I mean, look, we have our own little section of the locker room that we change in, but everybody talks to everybody, like people will come over and chat with us, we go chat with them, like it's not like one of those If you talk to any of the talent that I know of, our locker room has a reputation for being like one of the most laid back places there is, and you know,
again that's what we want. But we also we want and we do implement the standards that like the basic respect, you know, having consideration for other people, like cleaning up after yourself and the look there. I'm not going into it, but there have been people that have been asked to leave our locker room because like cause again we're the most laid back people in the world. Just show up,
act like an adult, have fun. But if you're kind of rocking the boat to the point of like you're disturbing the harmony of it, again, you'll you'll be asked to leave. And it is a consensus with everybody. And it's not just the guys that have been doing it twenty years, it's the newer talent, it's everyone that we're just like minded individuals to where we welcome anybody. We don't care like we don't care who you are whatever, just to show up, act like a professional and work hard.
I mean that's it.
Yeah, yeah, it's funny because, like you know, I get what you're saying. Like in ECW, it wasn't work and I looked forward even if I had a six am flight, I was so excited to get on that plane because I loved being with those people, and I loved the product, and I loved working. When I signed with WWE, I would get sick to my stomach getting on the airplane. It was such a different experience for me because I just I didn't have a good run there.
I didn't have a good experience there, but it was it was literally apples and oranges.
So it really does help when you enjoy what you do and you have a good core of people around you to spend the time with, because.
You know, you're on the road a lot, and these become your extend These people become your extended family. So if you don't enjoy them, you're gonna have a miserable experience. So what you said was the same you know with I hate keep saying ECW, but it was the same vibe in the locker room. So I'm so happy to.
Hear that you guys are experiencing the same thing that we had, because I've never had a locker room like the ECW locker room. I've never been in something that I can honestly say felt like a family atmosphere to me. And to this day, I still talk to a bunch of the guys we still tour together thirty years later,
like it's so ridiculous, Like it's crazy. Like if you were to ask me in my twenties, do you think you're gonna be friends with this guy thirty years from now or even working still, I'd say, what he out of your mind? Yeah, But no, we're still doing things that were blessed to do and that we love to do, and we're enjoying each other's company. And I love that you're going through the same experience because you know, sometimes I talk to guys and they're miserable and they're you know,
the they're getting oppressed. They're not letting, you know, the creativeness, they're not letting it come out because so and so's you know, politicking against them and this and that. So when you hear something positive about a locker room, I love that I think that's great.
Thank you.
Yeah, So I'm really happy for you guys, and I think Billy is doing it the right way. And like you said, brick by brick, eventually you're going to come into bigger buildings and uh, you know, get that TV deal and it's going to explode and you deserve all of you deserve that. So that's what I hope happens.
Yeah, I mean from from day one we said we're the little engine that could. And you know, again it's uh loyalty, like true loyalty, you see. And look it's a business you never know, right, like some people throw large sums of money at you. And I don't think anyone would hold anything against anybody for doing that, right. But again, like see, the difference in my opinion is Vince is a businessman. Ted Turner was a businessman. Tony
Kahan is a businessman. Billy is a businessman, right, I mean we're not gonna look if you look at his commercial success, no one can deny that. But before he was a businessman, he was an artist.
Right.
That is a difference. Where like with me, like I'm I would often argue, right, we made the joke like Chad and I would like, oh yeah, the painter artist wrestler. Like I I kind of like I'm more of a performance artist than I am a pro wrestler even when I was in the ring full time. Like, but but that's who I want to be. That that's just who I am.
Yeah, do you ever see yourself working again?
Uh?
You know what, Fran like, It's it's wrestling, right, like we all know how it ends. Like of course at some point I may have to put spandex on again, right like fine, like vetos are are faithfully in a plastic bag with dryer sheets, waiting for the next thing, like like do I want to know? I mean, it's not like I have this overwhelming because look, I mean my thing is I still get to go out there and I get to I get people to hate me,
and now I get people like hate us. You know, whoever I'm working with.
You're still you're still entertaining people.
So yeah, so like that that's it. And again, if I ever have this overwhelming desire to go in the ring again, I mean I'm sure if I had the conference, hey boss, can I you know, I mean, look, I'm i I'm very confident that could happen to some degree. But hey, unless I'm doing anything worthwhile, I would rather continue to be a character on TV. So when I do have to fall down, you know, it means something and people want to see me get my my behind kicked.
I agree with you. Sometimes we take fan questions I have I have a question for you.
And we'll end it on this.
I don't well, wait till you hear the question. Miss Ark one two three four wants to know. Uh, ask him about the time that he dressed up like Rod steel and can you explain the legend of the steel Man in Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Oh my god. Yeah, so there was a Halloween.
Do you know who asked the question? Uh, that would be Nova. I made up the name we call each other, miss Ark, but this is Nova. Oneted me. I told him we're on today.
Well, well thank you, Novah. But no, so here was this is actually funny. So there was a guy in ovw named Rod Steele. He was trained by Rip Rogers and Seymour Indiana. This is back in like I'm talking late eighties, early nineties. Things happened and steel Man went
away for a little bit. And that's all I'm going to say, I got to OVW two thousand and three, and this is when Nova and I were attacked him and this guy came in and he was about legitimately six six, had a big, like I mean, just jet black go tee, was a little you know, like i'd say, late thirties early forties kind of thing, you know for and had a very timely shall we say it belonged to a certain time in a certain era. Look you
know again late eighties, early nineties. So a long story short, Rip Rogers, who was our head trainer and who trained him, decided to try to kind of play a joke on him or uh, you know for those of you that aren't familiar with wrestling terms, rib him. So he said for a finish, you're gonna do ten body slams in a row. Well, I mean, look, I'll be damned if in three weeks he wasn't. When I say, the most overperson on the show, he was like his music would hit.
It was Stranglehold by Ted NuGen. He'd come out. He had this like this gold sequence like cape with the sunglasses and the goatee and it was just like it was super over and one reason or another never ended up panning out. But this is look, I cannot make this stuff up. So I stopped by. I was with Nova. It was either last Thursday or the Thursday before, because I'm sorry, I've been I just came in from the road the other day and I had my like sleep
day where I catch up. So we're there Thursday and it's great because ov w's thriving. That's the one again I equate who I am in the ring today in my career to ov W two. I was prayed by Kowalski but like like Rip, Danny and Jimmy truly like taught me how to work, and that's a that's a big deal. But they're talking and you know steel Man is or Rod Steele is unfortunately no longer with us.
But they said like, oh, yeah, his ghost is here, and I'm like yeah, ha ha ha, and they're like, no, they did a ghost hunt here and they picked up his EVP and like they said, they'd be talking and chairs fall down out of nowhere. It's like a weird thing. So the ghost of Rod Steel apparently haunts ov W to this day, or or not haunts, but is floating around the Davis Arena. Interesting that's just yeah, and then you know what, I'm like, I'm not surprised. So yeah, we did a.
Show somewhere I want to see, Chicago and there was supposedly a ghost. I think it used to be a strip club and Madam was the ghost.
Didn't Tommy see it? I remember Tommy Sandman.
Okay, So the day said when they would walk by, she would like talk to them. So I never went up there because I was scared to death. But they always said they saw her, and I was just like, get out of here. So I don't know if you believe in that stuff. I guess it could be true. But yeah, Samon also said she was hitting on him, so that's why I don't really believe him.
Yeah, I don't know.
Before we wrap up, just I gotta go back to ov W. I've heard stories of the steal Man because I got a couple buddies who you were with in ov W. This this Netflix series that covered OVW and what's.
Going on there recently.
I've said this to them, I'd love to get your gauge on it. Can you imagine if there was a Netflix series about your class in time in ov W.
Do you think it would even got greenlit.
That's all he has to say.
That's all I wanted to know, and I will say this, it certainly would have been for lack of content.
That's what I figure.
Eric.
Where can people find you if they want to follow you? On socials?
On Instagram, my handle is v Aaron Files. That's t h E A r O n not two a's but t h E A r O n F I L e s. On Twitter, it's aaronsots or x, it's Aarons thoughts. So so yeah, that's it.
I appreciate you coming on.
Like I said, I've been a fan for years and I was so honored to meet you that night. And hopefully I mean, I don't know if you're going to do any signings, but if you do, you probably won't be at your table, but I'll try to catch you walking around the building and say thank you.
And if you ever want to come to n w A, we would be honored to have you.
I would love to come sometime if I'm ever in the area. I don't get out much, but if I'm there, I'll message you and maybe I can visit.
That'd be great.
Sounds wonderful. Well, good luck with everything. I'm rooting for you guys, and you know, thank you for coming on.
Oh my god, thank you for having me, thank you to.
Take care take care of bye. What a nice men.
That's awesome.
No, I mean that all I needed was that one word, because it would never get greenlits.
I'm when I tell you.
He was constantly walking around that NOVA was like, look at this guy, what the hell is he doing? And I was like, I don't, I don't really know, and He's like, he has no he has no merch, he has no markers, he has not he had nothing.
His table was completely bare. We all.
So it's exactly what I would have thought had.
He not said it, because he's been in that WWE system for so long he doesn't know any other way, because he really has had somebody there with them at every appearance, and they've always.
Had this stuff at the table.
So I get it.
I get it.
And now with n w A, they do the same thing. They set it all up for you.
You're you.
All you do is show up, you sit down by the.
Boom, you're gone.
And anytime, you know, post WWE, he gets booked by the promoters. You know, it's just sitting there when you get there.
Yeah, he was funny. I found it so entertaining just watching him float around. He was with the fans, he was just walking amongst the fans. It's like, what are you doing? But he was so nice and so endearing.
So I I really hope that things work out for them and for him, especially because he seems like a really really cool guy.
Oh, no, doubt completely. I like with him.
I got we got to use big words because he's so intelligent smart.
Yes, it's very he's very uh scholarly. Yeah. So that was a fun interview. So what do we have coming up?
Now?
I gotta check out get my go on YouTube. Got a new episode coming to Christmas? Episode uh coming? And also I just appeared on the It's Husy Hello show.
Oh yes, that's who we did. I was on back to back.
Episodes I Hello, where we covered some I don't know if you caught the title of the episode.
Now, well wait a minute, let me tell you. He so he demed me and asked me if it was okay? Okay, So he asked first, I said, sure, why not not anyone anything less?
It is called fran Scene's clickbait Christmas. Yes, a lot of hot topics that we discussed on that show. But then I came back for the following episode where it is a top five Christmas songs where Hughesy and I battle it out and we actually have a judge who picks who wins each round.
I won't spoil the victor.
Carry make the list, no neither.
But here's the thing though, outside of one round where we did potentially sync up, you'll learn something from each pick about each song, and that's what I like about it.
So yeah, catch me on that.
So you can download it on iTunes wherever, and it's on YouTube as well, but otherwise at chatty and be on Twitter, at ib exclusives on Instagram.
Okay, YouTube, let's get it going. Have you subscribed and if you haven't, why haven't you? It is free to do and there is so much content on there, it's mind blowing. Just type ECW DIVA franccene in the search bar, hit that subscribe button, ring that bell so you get the notifications and if you want to be a channel member, it's only five ninety nine a month. Extra content, a
lot of extra content, so look into it. But if anything, subscribe because it's free and if you want to follow me on social media, you can find me at ECW Diva Francine and remember to make someone smile today.
Take care,