WEBVTT - Shell Yeah! Shark Boy Joins Francine 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:33.080 I shoved. 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:40.440 We heard love not start. Okay, so we're just starting 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:41.479 from the beginning. 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:42.640 Just start from the beginning. 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:45.159 Well, okay, So I am thrilled that I saw you 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:52.080 this past weekend at the Square Circle Expo. Now I 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:55.680 know has hit everybody really, really hard. This is one 0:00:55.680 --> 0:01:00.440 of the first conventions back for me since January of twenty. 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:01.720 Have you been out and. 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:05.800 About like bed, were you actively working or are you 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:07.240 just like here and there? 0:01:07.560 --> 0:01:10.000 Yeah, I'm just kind of here and there, you know, 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:13.839 And then COVID pretty much brought everything to a complete halt. 0:01:14.080 --> 0:01:17.080 So it was it was really nice to get out 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:19.160 and do this thing in Indianapolis. 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:21.280 You know, it's just been such a long time. 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:23.959 It was great to see everybody, great to connect with 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:24.760 the fans again. 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:26.679 It felt like things were kind of starting to get 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:28.680 back to normal finally, right. 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:31.200 And you had mentioned that you did you did, you 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:35.920 worked a tag Saturday night at the Square Circle X. 0:01:35.920 --> 0:01:38.520 But when was the last match before this that you had. 0:01:40.160 --> 0:01:43.039 I want to say, I know I did something else 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:47.280 in Indianapolis, probably in the fall, and I might have 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:49.240 had one other thing, but I don't know. I would 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:51.840 say no, you know, October was probably the last time 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:53.920 I was in the ring, so just rust was just 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:55.559 falling off me in the tag team match. 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.160 How did you feel? How's your body feeling? 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:01.440 You know, I'm getting old, older now everything hurts more. 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.080 It's it's not as much fun anymore. I mean, the 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:07.520 you know, the entertaining part is still very fun. But 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:09.799 then the way I feel after the match is over, 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:13.000 you know, it's you know, it's the older you get 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:15.320 the herder this it's a young man's game, that's for sure. 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:21.000 Yeah, I find uh, I love conventions because even though 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:23.320 I have trouble sometimes getting up and down out of. 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:28.160 My chair, right, but you know, it's less toll on 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:28.760 the body. 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:31.280 Sure, And and I feel like, you know, at this 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:34.160 stage in the game, we've all earned the right to 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:37.239 not bump anymore and just sign you know, I agree. 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:39.640 So I love those. I love doing them. 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:41.720 I want to land more of those, I because I've 0:02:41.720 --> 0:02:44.520 only done a handful. Really, Wrestle con was a big one. 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.400 I think maybe we talked about that a little bit. 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:49.200 Was I saw you in New York City a couple 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:51.560 of years ago at Wrestla Coan. That was the biggest 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:53.160 one I've done. But I've done a handful of, but 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:55.160 not enough. I'd like to do more of those. It's 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:58.040 like you said, when the when the biggest of you know, uh, 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:01.119 physical thing you're doing is get up up and down 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:03.080 out of a chair. That's that's what you want at 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.560 this stage in your career, right exactly. 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.600 Well, I will if you want to do them. I 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:12.359 will definitely keep an ear open, yeah, and try to 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:14.600 help you as much as I can. 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:16.600 You know, I think you should be on Cameo. 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:21.400 Yeah, because I'm so technologically great here. 0:03:21.480 --> 0:03:22.120 Well it's not. 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:28.040 But the gear that you're wearing, the sharp boy mask, 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:31.200 I think it is a niche. I think you have 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:33.720 that certain something and I think Cameo would be a 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:35.880 great fit for you. But we can talk about that later. 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:38.920 I can get you involved in that if you'd like. 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:42.800 What a recruiter? Yeah, yeah, what a recruiter? 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:44.840 That's what I do. 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:49.320 But we were talking before you started at the power 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.480 plant in ninety nine. Yes, and tell us again, who 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:55.760 is in that group of guys that you started with. 0:03:56.600 --> 0:04:00.000 Well, right when I came in, Jimmy Yang had just starts. 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:04.280 Jamie Noble was also in my group, and then there 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:06.280 were some guys that had already been there for a 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:10.480 little while. I don't know where to start. Chuck Colombo, 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:17.440 Mike Sanders, Alan Funk, crow Bar, a whole. 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:17.840 Lot of people. 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:20.560 You know, it was a pretty good sized class when 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:23.320 I first got there, and then of course things started 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:25.200 to go downhill for the company, and then the cuts 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:27.400 started to come, and it seemed like, I don't know, 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:29.600 there might have been thirty or forty guys when I started, 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:31.360 and by the end it got down to about a 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:34.080 dozen or whatever, and so kind of the you know, 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:34.800 the way what. 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:37.520 The joke was if you saw the FedEx man come and. 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:39.599 You know, get the hell out of there, you know, 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.000 cutting him off, jumping before he could deliver the uh 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:46.120 you know the paperwork that says you've been cut, you 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:47.240 know off. 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:48.559 That next man was the big heel. 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.359 Yeah, when when you were training, were you thinking about 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:54.160 like the cruiser Weight division. 0:04:55.520 --> 0:04:58.080 You know, when they signed me, there was actually this 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:03.240 project apparently that Eric Bischoff was doing, that was it 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:04.800 was going to be sort of like the way it 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:06.279 was described to me, they were going to do like 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:10.920 a Power Rangers Pro Wrestling, kind of like a separate project. 0:05:11.520 --> 0:05:13.640 And I was actually signed to be a part of 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:15.000 that and so was Jamie Noble. 0:05:15.040 --> 0:05:16.360 I think Jimmy Yang as well. 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:19.440 And so we were brought in for the separate project 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:24.000 that never wound up materializing, So some of us, Yeah, 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:26.039 so some of us sort of got worked into the 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:29.640 main roster as a result of that project getting scrapped. 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:33.800 I think that's really interesting. I've never heard about that one. 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:37.200 Yeah, it was some kind of separate project they were doing. 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:38.680 I don't I don't really know that. The way it 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:40.640 was describing me was sort of like Power Rangers. I 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:43.240 think it was going to be like a kid oriented 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:43.960 kind of show. 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:45.839 Interesting. 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:48.000 Did you hear about that, Chad, I've heard about it 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:49.080 in the past, yes. 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.679 Huh, Okay, so it would have been a different show 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.720 than Thunder or Nitro. I think I would have been 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:56.760 the stars of this. 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:00.560 Showing towards children, maybe like a Saturday more kind of 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:05.320 you know, action adventure kind of wrestling themed thing for 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:08.000 kids was kind of what I was picturing. But they 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:10.560 wound up scrapping the project before it really you know, 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:11.480 went anywhere at all. 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:15.280 So yeah, So how did you enjoy your time at WCW. 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:19.000 Did you find it, you know, pleasing, because I know, 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:22.440 like going to coming from ECW, which I loved, and 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:24.000 then going to a place like WWE. 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:26.960 It just wasn't my cup of tea. But here you are, 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:29.920 You're green, and you're you're switching over and you're you're 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:31.320 getting on television quickly. 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:34.040 That's what happened to me. Were you comfortable with the 0:06:34.120 --> 0:06:36.040 role that they gave you? Did you come up with 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:37.480 the Shark Boy gimmick? 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:41.200 Yeah, i'd been I'd been being I started doing Shark 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:43.960 Boy in May of ninety seven, so it was a 0:06:44.000 --> 0:06:46.360 couple of years on the indies. 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:49.080 Yeah, I did. 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:51.600 I'll tell you where I first kind of got recognized 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:55.640 was I did the first Brian Pillman memorial show in 0:06:55.760 --> 0:07:00.200 nineteen ninety eight, and I know Chris Kanyon was there, 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:01.920 and I think he's one of the you know, he's 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:06.560 sort of scouting and saw me and came up and 0:07:06.600 --> 0:07:08.200 talked to me, which you know, blew me away. As 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:10.040 I was a Mortus fan, so it was kind of 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:11.560 you know, it was amazing to me. He came over 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:14.800 and said, you know, I'm gonna keep an eye on you. 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:17.040 You got some talent and that sort of thing. Wow, Holy, 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:19.160 you know, holy, Yeah, you couldn't ask for anything more. 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:19.360 Than that. 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:23.200 So then in ninety nine I think I remember Terry 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:24.760 Taylor was at that one. So it was kind of 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:27.760 like w CW was sending people to sort of scout 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:31.360 talent maybe at certain events, and the Pilman Shows was 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:34.480 one of them. So ninety nine was really my big break. 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:36.880 They I did a cruiserweight tournament. They put me over 0:07:36.920 --> 0:07:41.040 three times in one night. A big surprise happened at 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:43.360 the end. Mick Foley and Al Snow and d Loo 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:46.160 Brown ran out and lifted me up on their shoulders 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:49.280 and carried me around the ring. And so this story 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.240 of course made it back to w CW and I 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:54.000 got signed right after that, so that was kind of Yeah, 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:55.280 that's kind of the way it happened. 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:58.160 You never know who's watching you, right. 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:01.160 Well, it was a high profile thing Filman shows because 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:05.880 all three of the major companies sent representatives WWEWCW, and 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:09.640 ECW on every show was represented, and that was something 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.200 that wasn't happening in the business at all at that time. 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:14.880 So yeah, yeah, I think. 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:16.320 You would have done well in ECW. 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.440 Yeah, and everybody thinks I was there for some reason. 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:23.360 I remember seeing you in ECW. I'm like, no, you don't. 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:26.080 I was so. 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:28.400 Yeah, it seems like the gimmick, the gimmick would have 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:30.080 fit right, It would have fit right in though. 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:31.840 Yeah, I mean we you know, a lot of our 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:34.520 wrestlers didn't really have gimmicks, so to speak. 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:35.680 But I think yours. 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:38.920 I think yours would have been a good fit for 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:41.920 some some crazy reason, I don't know. 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:45.080 I just feel like it would have worked, right, I 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:45.800 think so too. 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:47.240 That's a shame. 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:50.880 I mean, there's so many people, there are so many 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.199 people that wanted to work for ECW that never did 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.840 work for ECW that I feel like if we had them, 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:58.640 it just would have worked. And I think you would 0:08:58.679 --> 0:08:59.320 have been one of them. 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:00.560 But thank you. 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:02.480 Yeah. Yeah, but I know. 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:05.120 There there was a gimmick for a little bit with 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:08.920 you and Daphne. 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:13.360 Uh, you were shark boy, she was Shark girl. I 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:15.440 feel like she came up with that. But what was 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:16.800 the story behind that pairing. 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:21.000 Yeah, she just kind of came to me and said, 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:26.840 I really want to be shark girl, and yeah, yeah, 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:30.439 I believe so yeah, Okay, she had said that to me, 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:33.360 and she was really you know, She's like, I got 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:36.040 I've got somebody working on a mask. I know what 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.480 I wanted to look like, and she was just very 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:41.640 excited about the idea, and I was flattered because I 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:43.920 was a fan of her work, you know, w c W. 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:46.440 So I was like, yeah, let's do that. 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:48.719 If anybody's gonna be Shark girl, you know, it's got 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:51.600 to be you obviously. So we uh so, yeah, she 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:53.320 did that and then we we did it I think 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:58.120 maybe once or twice on TNA maybe, uh And then 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:03.120 we did it on the INDI, you know, and. 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:03.720 That was really all we got to do with it. 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.800 But always great working with her, and you know, she's awesome, 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:08.520 the sweetheart. 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:10.439 There you go, there we are. 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:14.200 Yeah, so the office in TNA didn't like the pairing. 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:20.160 I'm not sure exactly what I know, you know, when 0:10:20.200 --> 0:10:22.360 when when I first it was kind of like I'd 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:24.680 just gotten to TNA and they came to me with 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:27.600 the idea, and I remember my first reaction was, well, 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:30.040 they don't really know who I am yet, so it 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:32.520 might be kind of soon to throw a second character, 0:10:32.640 --> 0:10:34.640 you know what I mean. So I know I was 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:36.960 I was initially I was a little bit resistant to 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.679 doing it on TNA. I would rather established Shark Boy 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:41.960 for a few months and then oh look and there's 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:43.400 this sharp girl too. 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:45.280 You know, I thought that, you know what I mean, 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:47.679 I thought that would have been the way to do it. 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:50.600 So, I know, initially I may have drugged my feet 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.280 a little bit on the idea, but you know, I 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:54.440 was never opposed to it. 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:55.160 I wanted to do it. 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:57.319 It's just I thought it would have been smarter to 0:10:57.440 --> 0:11:00.440 establish Shark Boy first, you know, that was I thought 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:00.760 about it. 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:06.480 Then, So you you've been working before the power plant. 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.120 You said you were a couple of years in the 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:11.800 indies and then you get your big break. You work 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:15.960 for WCW. Doesn't really work out because the company goes under. 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:19.680 A year goes by, and then TNA comes around. Now 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:22.920 for that year, like, do you go back to the indies? 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:26.080 Are you heartbroken? Did you think your career was over? 0:11:27.760 --> 0:11:29.199 Like where where's your mind at? 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:31.480 Once? W CW folds. 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.320 Yeah, I mean I never thought my career was over. 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:36.560 Not at that point. I was. 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:38.160 I was still pretty young, you know, I was in 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:40.440 my early to mid twenties there, So I mean I 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:42.560 still I figured I had plenty of time to you know, 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:45.120 I just was gonna have to find another way back up. 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:48.480 You know back up there, you know. And the other 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:50.400 thing was what's gonna happen? Is it just going to 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:53.319 be WWE and that's it, you know, not going to 0:11:53.360 --> 0:11:55.439 be another you know. So I was really excited to 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:59.680 find out that the Jarrett's were starting TNA, and I 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.440 saw that as a big opportunity. I knew Jeff already 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:06.000 and Jeremy Borash was very instrumental in helping me get 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:08.959 a try out there as well. So between Jeff and Jeremy, 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:11.120 I knew I would have at least have an opportunity 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.320 with TNA. And I never left the indies, to be 0:12:14.360 --> 0:12:17.040 honest with you, I mean, I was still kind of 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:19.480 you know, even when I was with WCW. If an 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:21.960 opportunity popped up, I thought I could go do another show, 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.680 I would. And even when I was with TNA, I 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:28.000 worked the indies pretty much the whole time, So you know, 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:31.520 I never never, I never really left the indies, and 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.040 I never gave up. Especially at that point in time. 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:36.920 I really thought that I still would get another opportunity, 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:38.360 and thankfully I did so. 0:12:38.360 --> 0:12:41.440 So when you worked for WCW, you were allowed to 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.080 work other shots, even though you. 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:48.880 Didn't said that we figured out ways to do it, 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:52.079 you know what I mean. Yeah, even when we were 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:54.040 at the power plant that you know, that was kind 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.120 of the thing we would, uh, you know, three or 0:12:56.160 --> 0:12:58.559 four of us would go do an Indian Mum's the 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:00.800 word hush hush, and I you know, they kind of 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.480 looked the other way. The big rule was don't get hurt. 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:05.440 You know, as long as you didn't get hurt on 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:07.640 the indie or there wasn't gonna be a problem. But 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:09.480 you know a lot of guys did that. I think 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:12.160 not so much for the money. The money was just 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:13.880 as terrible as it always is on the indies, but 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:16.520 it was more the experience. A lot of us weren't 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:19.080 working in front of crowds very often, just working out, 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:21.280 and the power plant was not quite the same thing. 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.199 Now, did your opportunities have to go through the office 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:27.160 or were you just booking yourself? 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:31.760 Yeah, we were pretty much just booking ourselves. It's pretty good. 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:37.240 Well, the guys that are the guys that were down 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:40.160 there knew the places in Atlanta, around Atlanta where you 0:13:40.160 --> 0:13:42.040 could go and work an independent show, you know what 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:42.400 I mean. 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:44.839 So we would there were certain. 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:46.720 Places that, like I said, the office just kind of 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:49.560 looked the other way. You were in trouble if you 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:51.920 got hurt, though, I found that out firsthand. 0:13:52.160 --> 0:13:54.760 So cause you got hurt on one of the shows. 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:56.760 Yeah, yeah, Jimmy Yang kicked me in the ear and 0:13:56.800 --> 0:14:02.000 split my ear open. Yeah he was green, he was green. 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:06.800 He was green as grass back then. But yeah, he 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:09.600 it bled through the mask, that's how bad it was. 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:11.880 And yeah, so. 0:14:12.400 --> 0:14:14.959 I had to I had to go to the doctor. 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:16.640 I had to go to the emergency room that night, 0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:20.120 and they they glued it shut, you know, my ear right, 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:22.880 and they said it should be fine. You know, he'll he'll, 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.600 he'll back up everything to find just be very careful. 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:27.320 So I had to go in the power plant the 0:14:27.320 --> 0:14:29.560 next morning, pretend like nothing was wrong with my ear. 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:32.440 So I go to lock up with one of the 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:36.640 other guys and on the lock up, boom, blood everywhere. 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.760 I'd busted it back open. So now I'm now w 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:44.760 CW is sending me to the emergency room under the 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:46.680 you know guys that I had been hurt at one 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:50.200 of their practices. Okay, so I get there and the 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.040 doctor's like, what is all over your This is glue? 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:55.320 Did you just have this? You know, and he was 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:57.800 furious with me. He's like, I can't believe you got 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:00.400 in the ring today like this, you know, he says. 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:03.080 And they had to put this really painful stitch or 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:05.680 two in there that was really awful. And he said, 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:08.120 you're lucky I don't have to bring in a cosmetic surgeon. 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:11.000 You almost lost your ear. So that was all that 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:13.200 was all done under the guise of not letting the 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:15.480 office find out we were doing independent shows. 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:17.280 Now, now, can I make a suggestion? 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:20.120 And then this is probably twenty years too late, but 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:21.960 why didn't you wear. 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:26.080 Your mask to the powerplant that day and just cushing. 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:28.960 Up that ear with a bunch of gauze and had 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:31.040 the mask over you and nobody would have known about 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:31.440 your ear. 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:33.520 Maybe, but I would have had to do that for 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:35.400 like two weeks or whatever, you know, however long it 0:15:35.440 --> 0:15:37.040 takes for the ear to heal, right. 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.440 Of course, But you're looking at the gimmick. I mean, 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:41.080 give it twenty four to seven. I'm just gonna wear 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:41.840 my mask all day. 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:43.680 Well, yeah, and that's the other thing I would have 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:44.120 stuck out. 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:47.800 Nobody else was wearing their gimmick to practice nation. 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:50.000 You're getting into your role. 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:50.800 I love it. 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:53.560 I would in hindsight, I probably should have done exactly 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:54.160 what you're saying. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:57.720 I want to cover it up your ear for sure, 0:15:57.720 --> 0:15:59.080 and then you take the mask if you go, oh, 0:15:59.120 --> 0:16:00.880 I don't know, my ear got caught on something in 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:01.520 the mask a little. 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:04.440 What happened to it? Yeah, no, exactly. 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:05.320 Wow. 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:10.040 Wow, that's that's crazy. So now you're in TNA. You 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:13.480 said you were there for ten years, give or take. 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:17.280 Yeah, my character, I think I had a contract for 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:20.160 maybe nine or ten years. They would, you know, they'd 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:22.480 put me on the shelf sometimes and take me back 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:24.800 off the shelf, and so it kind of felt very 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.160 kind of off and on. But I was under contract 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:30.120 to them for probably nine, maybe nine or ten years. 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:32.000 Wow, that's a long time. 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:35.200 Yeah, why did you. 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.160 I'll tell you they It got to a point where 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:41.600 I had, you know, a certain number of guaranteed dates, 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.400 as you get with a contract, and I got a 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:46.240 call from Terry Taylor and he said. 0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:47.560 We're not going to be able to meet your dates. 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:51.240 We're probably gonna wind up exercising the out clause and 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:54.200 maybe we'll talk about you know. I said, well, I'm 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:56.400 still under contract for another three three or four months 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:58.480 or whatever, and you're telling me I won't be working 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.360 in that time. He said, no, I don't. We don't 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:02.360 think we'll be able to match what we told you, you know. 0:17:02.760 --> 0:17:04.239 So at that point I said, we might as well 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:06.479 just give me my release. Then he's like, you're asking 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:08.520 for your release, and I said, well, you're telling me 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:10.639 you're going to keep me under contract for three or 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:12.720 four months and not use me, So yeah, i'd rather, 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:12.919 you know. 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:15.439 He said, well, do you think you can find opportunities elsewhere? 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:17.240 And I said, well, I don't know if I can 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:18.720 or not, but I know I don't want to stay 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:20.439 in a contract with someone who's not going to use me. 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:23.000 So yeah, that's I asked for my release at that point. 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:24.000 It just felt like the right time. 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.600 But would you have been paid for that four months 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:27.480 if you paid? 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:30.880 Not the way my No, it wasn't a guaranteed, you know, Okay, 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:32.879 not the way it was set up, I wouldn't have 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:33.320 been paid. 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:35.719 So yeah, I would have rode that till the very 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:38.320 last minute. If I was going to get paid, sure, who. 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:41.400 If I was getting a check every week, yeah, no problem. 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.399 But that's not that's not the way it was set up. 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:47.400 Okay, I got you. So when you when you were released? 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:48.119 What year was that? 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:52.280 Oh gosh, I don't know. 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.520 If I had to guess, would would that have been 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:55.440 twenty ten? 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:57.760 Right about then? Some something like that. 0:17:58.400 --> 0:18:03.040 Okay, so maybe the last aid you're not working for 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:05.240 a major fred, you're still doing indies. 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:05.400 Here and there? 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:07.520