What made you decide to pursue a career in wrestling?
Only that I always wanted to do it.
What was it like being trained by Vic Grimes?
Great and scary at the same time. He pushed me to my limits and believed in me when others didn't.
Your first major exposure was in XPW as Altar Boy Luke. How would you sum up your time there?
A crazy experience, it was major mixture of people but helped jump start my career.
Hawx as Altar Boy Luke after winning the XPW King of the Deathmatch title from Supreme.
You also worked for MTV's Wrestling Society X. What was that like, and do you think that it was a concept that could have worked had MTV not cancelled it?
WSX was awesome, we all thought that it was gonna be A LOT bigger than what it was. MTV dropped the ball big time on it.
Alongside being a wrestler, you do stunt work in movies. How did you get involved with that?
Vampiro got me an acting gig in Mexico when I was in WSX. It got my foot in the door and I hustled to make connections. Luckily most movie work is where I live in New Orleans.
You've wrestled tryouts for WWE, and have been featured on episodes of RAW, Smackdown, and ECW over the years. What is the atmosphere like backstage at a WWE show?
Most professional place I have ever been in. I love being there.
You are now wrestling for Extreme Rising. Do you think they have a shot at becoming the next 'ROH level' promotion?
I think they have more of a chance if they play it right. Its way more exciting than ROH and has more of an "it" factor.
Justin Credible passed out backstage at Extreme Reunion.
You were the one who posted the picture of Justin Credible passed out at Extreme Reunion, after he had done the same to Sabu. Was there any backlash on you for that?
From who??? and why??? not my fault the losers cant stay clean to perform.
Shane Douglas just made some comments toward you in an interview online. While he did say that you were talented, he went out of his way to trash your attitude and basically say that your performances don't live up to the hype. Do you have any comments about what Shane had to say?
I'm going to punch him in his dick sucker! He is trying to sound politically correct and bury me, but I was with a limited Perry Saturn, and a limited Saturn is twice as good as Shane's old washed up ass.
I don't get burying a guy who you hope to draw money for your company. Seems pretty backwards to me. He's basically saying that you're not as good as you say you are, so why bother paying to come out and see you. How does this help him sell tickets this weekend?
He hates me so he doesn't want me there..never did. I'm only there because of the other four owners who all wanted me there.
You and Orlando Jordan opened up a wrestling school last year. How did that come about?
I've been friends with OJ for a long time and it was something we always talked about doing. Just had to wait for the right timing.
Tell us, who is Luke Hawx?
The MAN........ Hands down! Hardest,baddest, most talented guy in wrestling.
Luke Hawx vs Perry Saturn from Extreme Rising.
Name association:
Vic Grimes- Big Brother. One of the best big men to ever wrestle and underrated.
Who trained you, and what was the experience like?
I started training with Jesse Hernandez in San Bernardino, California. I wrestled there for a couple years, training at his school everyday. From there I branched out to UPW in Huntington Beach and started training at their school. There I met Kevin Quinn. He trained Christopher Daniels as well as CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Ace Steel, and all of those Chicago guys. He had come to UPW to be a writer, and head trainer of the school. Then he broke off and had his own school in California, so I stayed and trained with him.
Then eventually the New Japan dojo opened up in late 2001 and I was invited to come down. Antonio Inoki was there all the time, as well as Ken Shamrock, Frank Trigg, Lyoto Machida, Wallid Ismail and all those UFC fighters.
Along with myself was Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, and Rocky Romero. We all just trained there together. I like training so I'll just go train wherever, like I moved to Puerto Rico for a year and I trained with Glamour Boy Shane, and other guys I wrestled with that had schools throughout Puerto Rico. And on my off days I would just go find a gym and work out. I really trained all over. When I lived in Mexico I trained with Negro Casas, Shocker, and Vampiro. Anywhere I could go and learn something from somebody, I just did. To this day I still train every week.
Reyes facing off with CM Punk in Ring of Honor
You have worked for promotions all over the world, do you have a favorite company or promoter to work for?
I wouldn't say that I have one particular promoter or company. I just enjoy wrestling in general. Everywhere you go, you enjoy it for different reasons. Like in Puerto Rico, working for Carlos Colon was like a dream come true. I mean you live in San Juan rent free on the beach, and your schedule is wrestling on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You have interviews Thursday nights at the office, and the rest of the week you're just hanging out on the beach, going to the gym, and getting into trouble.
I love wrestling in Japan. That's my favorite place to wrestle just because of the atmosphere, and the work ethic that's there. With the Japanese wrestlers there's no easy night, and you elevate your game. Even when you come back from Japan you still have that fire in you for a long time.
Wrestling in Mexico was unbelievable, I mean it was wild. The fans there are insane. They're so hot everywhere you go, like in Mexico City and everywhere you go the crowds are unbelievable.
And now as far as the independents I do here, I wouldn't say that I like any particular one more than the other. I enjoy everywhere I work. It's not like I wake up and say, "God, I gotta go to work at this place" or "I hate that place". If I don't like where I wrestle, I just don't go there anymore.
You've had several tryouts with WWE, how stressful is it knowing that your performance could make or break you in the eyes of company officials?
It's not stressful in the sense that my performance could make or break me in the company. The fact of the matter is, I'm a good all around wrestler. There is more of that there now, but there's not too many guys there who can do what I do, like wrestle all different styles and have trained all over the world.
What's stressful there is, knowing what to do or not to do. You want to go there and express that you're interested in working for the company as everybody is. But you just never know with them. You don't know if they are interested, if they like you or don't like you. There are so many people you have to impress. But if they are interested in you they're going to keep inviting you back, which is what they're doing now.
All I know is, when I go there I take care of what I can control, which is my performance in the ring. And doing the best I can to voice the fact that I want to be there. In my eyes I feel that I deserve to be there. I've worked very hard for years and years, and I made it my goal this year to try to get into the WWE. At the beginning of the year I made it my goal because I had already toured Japan ten times, I've wrestled in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, and I've been all over the world. And I feel that I am more polished than I've ever been, and I have something I can contribute to the company. I didn't want to be one of those guys that people looked at and said, "This guy is all jacked up and looks good. Lets sign him", And then just sit there and rob money from the company, and be one of those guys that are there for a minute and then they're gone.
I feel I can contribute, and I can help. The past few times I've been there this year there's been a really good vibe from all the guys, and all the office personnel. Everybody who comes into contact with me, it's the same positive vibe. With them it's just a timing thing. It's one of those things that, with everything that's happened to me with them this past year, I still don't know. You're on their time. They'll come get you when they're ready. But like I said, when I go there all I can do is worry about myself, and whatever challenges they give me, I do it to the best of my ability and hope for the best.
Tell us, who is Ricky Reyes?
I would say that right now the best all around wrestler in the country. I say that knowing that everywhere that I've gone, and everywhere I've been I worked at learning that style from those wrestlers. No one can out wrestle me, in any particular fashion or style.
There is a lot more to me than a lot of people see, character wise. People only see me in one light because of how I've been highlighted, like in my Ring of Honor years. But there's a lot more to what it is I bring to the table. If you go as far as to look through You Tube and follow what I'm doing, you will see that there is a lot more to me. But at the end of the day, I just love wrestling. I love what I do.
There's a ton of good guys out there, but there are very few who actually get it. And a big thing for me is understanding what it is that you're going out there to do every night. And doing it to the fullest, weather you are the main event, the first match, or anywhere in between. It doesn't matter if it's a grudge match, or a heated feud or whatever. There is something that you have to develop when you go out there, and I get that. And I do that every night.
Now that I've done a few matches for WWE, I think all the important people that are there get what I'm doing. So it's good that I keep showing up there, and that I express that. All the people that I've talked to in the company are starting to grasp, "Hey, he's not just what we've seen him as, or what he's been known for. There is a lot more to him." I'm dedicated, and I'm committed to wrestling and every aspect of it.
As far as Ricky Reyes goes, I'm a hard worker and an intense wrestler who takes it very seriously, and I live it everyday.
Do you have any upcoming dates you would like to plug?
December 8th I'm in New Jersey wrestling for NWA On Fire for a TV Taping.
December 15th I'm in Connecticut for CTWE.
December 21st ICW in Long Island.
December 29th I will be wrestling for Maryland Championship Wrestling at their end of the year show.
How can people get in touch with you?
I don't Tweet, and I barely get on Facebook. But you can message me through Facebook with any questions, bookings or anything like that.
When did you decide that you wanted a career in wrestling?
Early teenage years if I remember correctly, Jr high years. I remember day dreaming in 8th grade about doing it. Soon after I was exposed to Japanese and ECW tapes and it cemented that this was what I was meant to do.
You were trained at Steel Domain in Chicago along with CM Punk and Colt Cabana. What was it like training with those guys, and did you ever see someone like Punk being in the position he's in?
Not really. Punk, Colt, and myself are all extremely passionate about what we do and very hard working. Yet we are all very different. He dedicated his life to the business, played the political game, sacrificed and did well with the opportunities he received.
Many wrestlers have told stories about the dues that they paid while coming up. What kind of hardships did you experience at the time?
I don't think I experienced the same level of hardship as the guys who came before me in the territory era. I never had to live out of my car or live off bologna and bread. I was the the youngest of the Steel Domain crew breaking in, so I was often the whipping boy of the group and the target of a lot of ribs and pranks. But I used it to motivate myself to get better and improve.
You signed with WWE in 2005 and got sent down to Deep South Wrestling. But before long WWE ended their partnership with DSW and you were shipped over to Ohio Valley Wrestling, where you stayed until they were also dropped as a partner. What is it like working in developmental, and how did all the chaos that was going on at the time affect you?
Professionally it was great, I imagine it was a bit like moving from territory to territory years ago. I got to work with new people, learn from new people. I also got chance to wrestle in front of different types of crowds too. DSW was much more in ring training where OVW was ran like a territory with TV. We did TV taping with 3-5 live events a week. I did about a 12 week stint on the road with RAW.
I also made my own little piece of wrestling trivia as I became the only wrestler to hold Heavyweight Titles in two developmental territories and I was the last WWE contracted champion in both as well. Meaningless, but fun bit of trivia. Personally, the uncertainty took a toll on me mentally. I got "the call" that I was going to the main roster 4 or 5 times but things kept falling through. Tag partners would get injured, fired, or suspended. Or other people involved in the plans for me would fall into those circumstances. I got really frustrated.
After almost three years you finally got brought up to the main roster where you competed in several matches on episodes of Smackdown and ECW as Ryan Braddock. What was that like after everything you had gone through to get there?
When I got "the call" this time I was excited because I was going to debut against HHH. Who better to show the company what I could do then the future boss? But when I arrived at TV, things changed...again. I was debuting against the Big Show, and they had no other plans beyond that. So the frustration set in heavy quick. So I did the best I could with the little they gave me and earned the backing of the agents while on the road.
WWE decided to release you in 2009. A lot of people would've given up at that point, but you didn't. What made you want to stick with it and continue to improve?
I love being in the ring, it's what I'm most passionate about. On top of that I know I can be a major star if I was given the right opportunity to shine. But after working indies when I was released, I was disappointed in the lack of quality on the scene, so I took about a year and a half off. I kept seeing guys that weren't properly trained getting matches, rings that were unsafe and promoters who weren't promoters of business men. But its been about a year since I started wrestling regularly again and honestly the time away to de-stress, and relax helped me to grasp a lot more of my experience in different ways, so even though I wasn't in a ring, I was improving.
You've been working for Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan's Resistance Pro. How would you compare them to other Indy feds?
The biggest difference is they run the promotion like a business. They don't do the typical Indy thing of just booking matches that are "cool". They also actually promote the events and run things from the mindset of trying to get more eyes on the product. The TV show is in an infancy stage and the reality show is still in the works. I actually saw the sizzle reel for it and was blown away. This is stuff typical indies just don't do.
You've been actively campaigning for a spot in TNA, and you recently posted a picture of some ring gear that looked an awful like something Aces & Eights would wear. Could we be seeing you in the Impact Zone anytime soon?
Well you may or may not have seen me in the Impact Zone already. As far as the ring gear goes, its the same style of gear I've been using for years now...OVW, FCW, WWE, Indies etc. So I guess if people connect the dots sometimes it fits, other time it doesn't.
As far as campaigning for TNA goes, I'd say I'm just campaigning for Jay Bradley in general. I honestly feel I am the best unsigned talent on the scene. I have the intangibles, the talent, the passion. I have the resume and the experience to back it up too. I want fans, promoters, major companies to know I'm here, I'm available. I know I can be a star at every level, I'm just looking for the right opportunity. So if WWE calls, sure I'll go back...but I'm not interested in sitting on the bench or hanging around in Florida again. If TNA throws a contract, sure I'll go. Same if any of the Japanese companies want to bring me back over there.
Photo tweeted by Jay Bradley on October 13th 2012
Do you have any upcoming shows that you would like to plug?
I'll be at Extreme Uprising on 11/17 outside of Pittsburgh, PA and on Ippv.
11/24 I'll be at Pro Wrestling Blitz in Joliet, IL.
11/30 I'll be at Resistance Pro's 1st Anniversary show in Chicago, IL.
12/1 I'll be near Milwaukee for GLCW's annual Blizzard Bash convention and show.
Plus a few other things I may not be able to mention ;)
How can people get in touch with you?
Facebook.com/jaybradleypw & on Twitter @jaybradleypw
1. Joseph Park being back was a plus. I enjoy his schtick, and it gives his body a rest after all those years of destroying himself as Abyss.
2. Joe is gonna kill Magnus at Turning Point. 'Nuff said.
3. When I saw Wes Brisco in the backstage segment with Hogan, I popped huge. It's no secret that he is the member of Aces & Eights with the long blond hair, so the internet wrestling SMARK in me was grinning from ear to self important ear. Never trust the random guy who shows up out of nowhere to help fight your cause. Did they forget to read the manual?
4. Daniels and Kazarian's new music is groovy as shit. I almost jumped off of the couch and embarrassed not only myself, but my entire family during their entrance.
5. Chavo and Hernandez do nothing for me as Tag Champs. They quite frankly bore the shit out of me. Chavo has only ever been pushed as anything special because of who his Uncle is, and it pisses me off.
6. Christian York did well for himself during his Gut Check match with Zema Ion. He's put on a lot of muscle since the last time I saw him in ECW, or even his one time in TNA a decade ago. The added muscle weight might have actually slowed him down a step or two. But it was still a very impressive outing.
7. All is right in the world now that Austin Aries' short run as a face is over. Much like CM Punk in WWE, the guy is a natural heel. Now all TNA needs to do is put the belt back on him...
8. Speaking of guys who shouldn't be faces, WTF Bully Ray? Probably one of the top three heels in the business and they feel the need to have him be apart of the fight against Aces of Anarchy? Please just have him pull the swerve already!
9. I skipped right through ODB vs Tara's man-thing. I have no time for shit like that.
10. When they switched announce teams in the middle of the show I was a bit bummed. I dig Borash and whoever the fuck that was. They almost give TNA a Mike Goldberg/UFC sound to the presentation. There was no characters, just two dudes calling some wrestling. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
11. I skipped through the Hardy/Robbie E match as the outcome was never in question. But the stuff after the match was pretty cool. Hardy challenging Aries to a ladder match, presumably with both TNA World Title belts hanging above the ring Wrestlemania X style, was awesome. I'm looking forward to this match, but now I doubt TNA is planning on giving Aries back the title. Oh well, at least he's still the Greatest Man To Ever Live.
12. It's sad that TNA will never give AJ Styles another run on top. It's been over two years since he dropped the belt and was put into mid card feuds. The guy is amazing in the ring, and deseves better than the shit they give him. At least he's in the number 1 contender Triple Threat for the World Title at Turning Point, he aint winning, but at least he's there.
13. Joey Ryan does not need Sterling Golden...I mean Matt Morgan. I know that the bodygaurd routine helps to get personalities like Ryan over, but they are better when they stand silent and menecing in the background. I would perfer that Morgan never speaks, but that's not where they're going. And are they trying to build to a Morgan/Hogan match? For the sake of all things fuck don't let that happen!!!
14. I'm digging the build toward an eventual Bully Ray/Devon match, unless it's all a swerve. From what I've read, at Turning Point it's set to be Devon vs Kurt Angle, so maybe Bully joins the group that night.
15. And finally, Luke Gallows being revealed as a member of Aces of Anarchy was much needed. It's about time they progressed this storyline, and much like Wes Brisco, it's no secret that he's been under the mask. I've always liked Gallows. He was great in the Straightedge Society under Punk, and he can be equally as great here.
When did you become a fan of wrestling, and who were your favorites?
I guess I will go the generic route and tell you that I was a fan my whole life. I'd say my first true hero was Bret Hart. I was a very short tempered kid in grade school. In fact, I was suspended from school every single year from Kindergarten until Grade 5 for fighting. And I'd be willing to bet in nearly every fight I had I emulated some sort of wrestling star in some fashion. Sadly, this even lasted into high school when I had a scuffle during lacrosse practice with a teammate and kept yelling "here comes the pain". Terrible I know...but sadly true.
When did you decide that you wanted a career in wrestling?
Again, I would have to say the decision was made as a child. In grade school we had to write an autobiography of our life and the last chapter was dedicated to our future. When talking about my future career I was certain I would be a pro wrestler. I still have the autobiography stored under my bed as a constant reminder.
Who trained you, and what was that experience like?
I was trained by too many guys to name. I feel like every match I have is a learning experience to some degree. We learn from our wins and we learn from our losses. If I was to pick a couple guys who have had a major impact on my career then I would say Mike Hollow for the in ring fundamentals he taught me, and Harley Race for teaching me how to be a star.
After spending two years on the Indy circuit, you got your first break when you appeared on an episode of WWE Smackdown, in a segment with The Undertaker. How did that come about, and do you think you were ready to be there at that point in your development as a wrestler?
Right place right time. WWE was in town and they called for extras to read for the part. I've been comfortable on the mic since day one, so I felt prepared for the role. I had the opportunity to meet with Hunter, Vince, and Stephanie prior to going in front of the live crowd. I hit a home run and the rest is history. Looking back on it today, I was definitely more than prepared for that role; however, I was still far from developed enough as a wrestler to be working full time for WWE.
Were you under a WWE developmental deal at that point, or were you signed later?
I was not signed until about 6-9 months later.
Do you feel getting released by WWE lit a fire under you?
Not exactly. I have been motivated since the first day I stepped into a wrestling ring to be the very best. If anything, my experience with WWE and being fired simply exploited my weaknesses and gave me specific challenges to focus on developing.
After that you started making the rounds again on the Independents. Was it hard to get going again after being apart of the WWE?
It was different. The other wrestlers, promoters, fans - they all look at you differently. There is a lot of whispering. I was never quite tested like this before, both mentally and emotionally. But like anything else, I knew if I continued to work my ass off, continued to grow as a performer, and continued to prove myself then at the end of the day talent and passion could not be denied success.
In 2011 you started with Ring of Honor. What has that experience been like for you?
Challenging. The competition is the best you will find anywhere. A locker room of hungry talented athletes. Frustrating. I came to ROH with a desire to prove myself against the best athletes/technicians that wrestling has to offer, and just when I felt like I was getting some steam I blew out my knee. Motivating. I have truly never been more motivated in my life to return to the ring and make a major splash. My goal is to become irreplaceable. I want to be the most talked about guy in all of professional wrestling.
This past August you tore your ACL in a match against Jay Lethal, how is your recovery going?
Recovery is going as planned. It's a very long, lonely road. All I have is time. Time to train. Time to think. Time to reflect. The workouts are gruesome. The first two weeks of rehab were insanely painful. I was rehabbing 16 hours per day. Pissing in a bottle because walking to the bathroom was simply not an option. Week three things just seemed to start clicking. I'm now in the beginning of week 4. I'm off the crutches. I train 3 times per day for about 2 hours each time. All I do is envision my return to the ring. When the time comes shits gonna get real serious, real fast.
Is there a timetable for your return?
Not really. At first the doctor said 1 year. So far I've been able to cut that down to 9 months. I realize I might be real intense, some even say I'm a little crazy; but I will not rush rehab. I will not return to the ring until I am bigger, stronger, leaner, faster, and better than ever before. I don't plan to come back until I am ready to take the wrestling world by storm.
Tell us, Who is Tommaso Ciampa?
It's me man. I'm one intense, passionate, hard headed bastard. People either love me or hate me. I don't play politics, I don't kiss ass, and I don't sugar coat. If I think you suck you will know. If I think you are disrespectful you will know. My emotions are worn on my sleeve. And I wouldn't change it for a second. My stubbornness, my cockiness, and my attitude will either lead to my demise or make me the biggest star in this industry. I firmly believe it will be the latter.
Hitting "Project Ciampa" on Sami Callihan
How can people get in touch with you?
You can follow me on Twitter @projectciampa . I like using Twitter to amuse myself. Don't expect me to follow you or tag you in any post. I can't be bothered by all that. To be honest, as far as social media is concerned, I don't give a shit what's going on with anyone else. If it doesn't affect me then it does not concern me. But when fans write me I am actually pretty good at getting back to them. It's a good way to keep my finger on the pulse.
Also go to www.youtube.com/projectciampa - I have a lot of promos up on that site. Some that I posted and some in my "Favorites". It's good stuff. It's a good way for fans to see my evolution, watch me grow as a performer, and see my improvements on the mic. I plan to have some new promos out soon so keep an eye out for them.
I also accept anyone on Facebook at Tommaso Ciampa. But if you keep inviting me to your shitty shows or ask me to play games then I will delete you. So just be cool and don't be an ass.
You started out as an actor. How did you transfer from that into a job working for wwe?
When you were an actor in New York City, and you're not a working actor, you have to pay the rent somehow. For a lot of years while I was acting, I had a personal training business which I was very successful at, but I got a little bored with that, and I started to get a lot of work acting. But when you're not acting you have to do something else, I mean I have kids. So I started doing security work. I got very lucky early on. I started working for Charlton Heston in the late 80’s, then I started working for some minor celebrities, and then some big celebrities, and then I went to work in New York City one week for WWF New York. It was the new theme restaurant in Time Square. I worked with the talent and the supervisors well, people from Stamford constantly came down, and next thing you know, it was about a year and a half later that I was on the road with WWF. So it came through the restaurant, but make no mistake, me and Jimmy Tillis, or anyone else, wouldn't have been on the road if we weren’t top security guys.
Jimmy as Frank Galikanokus in Super Troopers
What were your day to day responsibilities while working there?
Everything. Soup to nuts. Absolutely everything. Me and Jimmy Tillis took care of the talents, we called the venues and reminded them that we were coming in a couple weeks, talked to them about their concerns before we got there, or extra needs in terms of security, in terms of the parking lot, before hand whether it was a house show or a big TV show like Raw or Smackdown. Then we'd be at the airport with the talent. I usually hung out with the top guys. If Brock Lesnar was the World Champion, I usually hung out with Brock. If Taker was the World Champion, then I stayed there with Taker. If it was Triple H, Batista, Cena, I usually tried to stay closest to those guys when we were on the road. I’d find out where they were staying, and be as close to them as possible.
We also handled had all of the executives. We handled Vince, we handled Stephanie, we handled the production trucks, made sure we had security in place, and then we did the events. The funny thing about the events was that a lot of times, the top people in the buildings that we had rented for the day to run Smackdown, they couldn't find the producer, or someone they needed. But they could always find Security. They knew security was always in the venue. They knew Security would always be in the stadium or the arena, and they knew where to find us. So they'd ask us all the questions about security protocol, the timing, or show questions. So we handled so much. I don't think there’s anyone at WWE to this day that knows exactly what we did, or how many hats we wore, and the magnitude of what we did for them. You know, when you're doing security for them, you don't get to go to WWE Security School, you make this stuff up on your own. You just do the most practical thing. The next, right thing. A lot of this stuff you just make up, and it’s just trial and error. When you’re a good security guy, your instincts are good. Our instincts were terrific.
What was it like working for Vince McMahon?
You know, Vince is a really likeable guy. He’s such a character. He’s kinda like Donald Trump. I did security for Season 2 of Celebrity Apprentice, so I got to spend some time with Donald Trump. And over the years in New York City, I have been in many, many red carpet events where I've done security and Donald Trump was there. He’s a really interesting man. He’s got this magnetic personality, you know? It’s almost as if he’s the male version of a supermodel. You can't take your eyes off him. And the same with Vince. Vince is such an interesting character. He was always good to me, he was very respectful to me. For years, people have been saying to me "well tell me about Vince.", almost expecting me to crap on Vince McMahon. Well here’s my stock answer: I saw the world on Vince McMahon’s dime. I went to South Africa, every inch of Europe, I went to New Zealand, I went to Australia, I went to Tokyo, I went to Sri Lanka, I went everywhere on Vince McMahon’s dime. And I went first class. How could I have a problem with this guy?
Vince McMahon was always respectful, Shane was always respectful, Stephanie was always good to me. And if anyone had a problem with me, Stephanie would usually be the one to say "Would you come to my office", or "Would you come see me? We need to talk about something." She'd talk to me very respectfully and very nicely, and we'd work out the problem. I would say that the short version would be that the McMahons were very respectful, and were very good to Jimmy Noonan.
Noonan in WWE Magazine
I'm sure you had many memorable moments while working security for WWE, can you tell us about some of your crazier experiences while working there?
WWE magazine in ’05 or ’06, they kinda broke kayfabe. They started doing stories on the doctors and trainers, agents, and they started doing stuff they never did before. Lo and behold, they approached security, and said "Would you mind doing an interview?" and I was like "Vince is gonna let this happen?" and sure enough they went to Vince and he said "Sure let’s go for it." They interviewed me and Jimmy Tillis, and because I’m the more loquacious one who's a storyteller, all the stories were about me, but there was a magazine where Edge and DX were on the cover, and the name of the article was 'WWE Security’s Greatest Hits'. So a lot of the stories are in there, and somebody could find them pretty readily.
There’s the stories about Jimmy Tillis getting off the bus with the talent in Birmingham and in the hotel there was a bunch of MMA fighters, and one of them said they wanted Triple H’s autograph. Tillis said no because everyone was so exhausted, you know they had been on the road for two weeks. So the guy got into some words with Tillis, and then all these MMA fighters came out, and Big Vis, Jericho, Tillis, and the rest just knocked the crap out of all these MMA guys. That’s always the one we hear about. There are so many stories about the boys and travelling, and the pranks they pulled on each other.
I remember one time I think it was in Lewiston, Maine. This kid was dressed as the Undertaker, he had the hat and the long leather coat, and was holding an urn. A tall skinny kid. I turned my back, and this kid climbed in the ring, and I collared this kid big time, man. I mean I took him down off the top rope, actually. And it turns out, and it’s not that funny, but this kid was learning disabled and apparently played the Undertaker in his local community play. So, stupid stuff like that.
There were some that were pretty bad, and some that were okay. I don't know if you remember, but Triple H was traded to Smackdown for one night. I think Eddie Guerrero was the WWE Champion, and it was Triple H vs. Eddie in the main event. It was in Detroit. We were on a commercial break, but the match was going on. Some idiot literally jumped over security and went into the ring. Of course Triple H and Eddie turned to him, and of course he jumped out into my arms, and he got collared pretty heavily, but it turns out we weren't on TV for that moment, but he thought he got his moment in the sun, his 15 seconds of fame. He didn't even do it on TV, but on a commercial break. There was never anything really that dangerous or riveting, just everyday stuff. I wasn't there that night in Edmonton, when the guy jumped in the ring and pushed down the ladder that Eddie was on, and then Eddie clocked him before security got him. Jimmy Tillis seemed to get more jumpers than I did. That’s what we called people who hit the ring, we called ‘em jumpers. He had maybe more of a problem. I think I grounded people more at ringside, and I think that they were a little more intimidated by me for some reason. I had a lot less jumpers than he did.
Last week CM Punk got into an altercation with a fan in the audience, and he struck the guy on live television. What did you think when you saw that, and was there anything that could have been done to avoid it?
I watched the video after seeing the news. It was on Facebook, it was all over the place that CM Punk had hit a fan. I am always interested in that, because that's where my job came in WWE. Protecting the talent, protecting the fans, protecting everybody. It was about security and safety at all costs. I was extremely disappointed to not see WWE security right next to Punk. It is about the fan's safety number one, It's about the talents safety number two, and security in general around the event.
You have to be near the talent, but be off camera at the same time. It is sometimes difficult but that's what you do when you are WWE security. And you have to constantly reassure the talent that you are there. You are either whispering to them or patting them on the ass, or shoulder if it's the female talent like Stacy Keibler, or Nidia, or Gail Kim. You put your hand on them and say "I'm right here, I'm right here" and they know your voice. And then you can speak calmly to them, you can do that kind of kayfabe talk that wrestlers and people in WWE use. But it was very disappointing to me. Wrestlers get hit all the time, and wrestlers hit people all of the time weather on purpose or not. It's a part of the experience, and it's part of WWE and the wrestler going into the stands. But he should have been more protected by WWE security, and I'm calling them out and saying that they need to do a better job.
Kurt Angle and Jimmy Noonan
How did your departure from WWE come about, and was there any hard feelings that came out of it?
I think there’s always hard feelings in those situations, because people tell stories that aren't true sometimes. In WWE, you don't have a lot to do on the road. You have the workout, tanning, eating, but you haven't been home in a couple weeks and you’re bored. Some guys spend some time with local women, but then there’s guys that gossip. That’s what we do on the road, we gossip about each other. I think some of the gossip about me leaving was just some stupid stuff. What happened, was I was miserable. I hadn't had a day off in a long time. Everybody in the company knew it. I reported to John Laurinaitis on the road, and me and Johnny and me had a terrific thing. He liked me a lot, he respected me, and he took care of me. But there was this one guy in the office that had a beef with me. He had a beef with me because a lot of times I would call him and just say, you know, "I need time off.", and I would have an attitude sometimes, and I haven't been home in a long time, and I’m travelling all the world.
There was this one month – ONE MONTH where I travelled over the international date line three times. I never even got a thank you. I was the only guy in the company who did it, and I never got a thank you from anybody. And I would go to this guy and I'd say "I need some time off." And he wouldn't give it to me. What the WWE does is throw money at you. We're all independent contractors, so it’s easier for them to throw money at you. They give you money, and expect everybody to be happy. I just wasn't happy. I let my feelings be known, and I had some heat because I was tough on a lot of people in some buildings.
I remember I had some heat at The Allstate Arena in Chicago and a couple other places where we'd do smaller shows, because I wasn't shy about telling people exactly the way it was gonna be that day. WWE rented the facility for a lot of money that day, and that made me, security wise, the top dog in the building, and I wanna work with you too, but you gotta do the right thing. You gotta obey the security rider that I sent you 3 or 4 months ago, and there’s a lot of things that I need. We're a multi-billion dollar corporation that has a lot of needs. You need to do what we told you to do. What we're paying you to do. It’s easy to become very unpopular in a lot of these buildings when you’re telling people what the hell to do. So I think the long and the short of it is that I had some heat and I was miserable, so we decided together that I was gonna leave WWE. I got a letter one day in Campus City that my services were no longer going to be needed in 90 days. So in other words, if I got fired, it was the slowest firing in history. I say that we just couldn’t agree to terms, or I left, or we just basically decided that it was best for everybody that I leave. Whatever you wanna call it. Like I said, I think there’s always a little ill feelings. I don't feel welcome in WWE, I would never go back, and I would never go to an event ever again.
With his good friend Dave Batista
You made friends with several of the stars while you were there, do you still keep in contact with anyone?
Dave Batista was kinda my best friend in WWE. I travelled with Eddie Guerrero, we drove together. I drove with Eddie and Benoit every once in a while, Kurt Angle every now and then. Because I travelled with Batista, i’d spend some time with Randy Orton, Ric Flair and Triple H. Triple H was always a gentleman to me. He always talked to me like a brother and contemporary, and never treated me like I was just the security guy. He always treated me like one of the boys even though I was decidedly NOT one of the boys. Batista was kinda like the guy I was always closest to. I was very happy to see him win his first MMA fight the other night. I know how important this was to him, and I was so happy for him.
People asked me before the fight "How do you think he will he do?" and I said "Well, he’s gonna be in shape. Even though he’s 43 years old he’s gonna be in incredible shape. He’s doing triathlons right now, so he’s got that. I've seen him do bench press and he’s stronger than hell. He’s an incredible athlete and he’s worked very hard." He’s been working his way up the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu belt list. I don't know exactly where he is, but he’s very high up. He’s not a black belt yet, but in a couple more years he'll probably be a black belt. I thought he'd be fine, I thought he'd win. I was very happy for him. We haven't talked - I've taken a low profile these days in terms of my WWE acquaintances. It’s just a lot of work. I'll always love Dave, but I think I'll choose to have a relationship from afar unless he ever needs me, but I don't think I'm gonna pursue it anymore, just because he has a very busy life and I have a very busy life. But he’s a wonderful human being. You know, some guys are really good guys, and some guys are assholes.
Who is the biggest asshole you knew while working for WWE?
That’s tough, because it’s not in my nature to speak badly of people. Really, I mean how many times in the last 5 years, in all the radio and interviews I've done, have I said anything really bad about anybody? I think the most disappointing thing to me is when someone like Triple H treats me almost like one of the boys, treats me like a brother, shows me so much respect, and then somebody who’s further down or as big and at the same level as Triple H treats me badly. I got treated very badly, I'm not going to say he was an asshole, but I was treated badly by Booker T towards the end. I think there’s a lot of reasons. There was this perception when I was on the road, especially towards the end, that I was so unhappy, that I would rather spend more time with females on the road than do my job. Spend time with females in different cities we were going to. At least that was the word I heard. Booker was one of those people who'd talk about that.
One night an egg was thrown at him in Germany, from the 400 section WAY up top, and he cut a promo on me during the show. I think it was very unprofessional. It almost hit Sharmell, but still for him to cut a promo on me, and again after the show, he apologized a little, but things had changed. I think one of the reasons also was that I was Batista’s guy, I had so much respect for Batista, and I had Batista’s back, and he had so much animosity towards Dave Batista. So he treated me very badly, and he went to Mark Calloway, the Undertaker, and he talked crap about me. So Undertaker also decided that I wasn't "doing my job". Even Michelle McCool said something ugly to me one day as we came into the arena in Italy. So yeah, I knew it wasn't just Booker, it was Booker getting on Mark and then Mark forming an opinion. Telling me that this is a business, and I'm not doing my job. What? I did it for 8 years and now all of a sudden I’m not doing it? C'mon, Mark. Give me a break.
I also think John Cena should've been a little nicer to his co-workers, and the guys who worked with him and for him, than he was. You know what was one of the things I never understood about some people? WHY they would be nicer to their fans and their pets, than they would to their co-workers. I never understood that. Cena did it, he was nicer to his fans than he was to his co-workers, well not the boys, but everybody else. Lita was nicer to her dog, and her fans than she was to me. I didn't have a problem with Lita. But some of these people, I just don't get it. But I wouldn't call them assholes. There’s other guys too, a couple of bullies, and I never could stand bullies. There were a couple of them that were on the roster back then, too. They know who they are, I don't even have to say. The bullies know who the bullies are.
With Sean Waltman AKA X-Pac
You have said in the past that the stain of The Chris Benoit tragedy hampered your attempts to find work in acting after leaving WWE. Are you still feeling the effects of that to this day?
I’m not sure if I'm feeling the effects right now. I surely, absolutely felt the effects for at least a couple of years. You gotta realize that I left WWE in February or March of 2007. 3 months later, Chris Benoit goes home and kills his family. Very sad. Very, very sad. I cried so much when I heard that. It was so painful, I really had great admiration for Chris up to that point, and he was one of my WWE brothers.
I can remember all the conversations between me, him, Eddie and Chavo. Then Chavo Classic. And you know, it was really rough. About that time, I decided to look for work. I took some time off after WWE and now it’s time to get back to work. I remember going into Jules Coles’ office in NYC and they're looking at my resume. And somebody says to me "Oh! You’re head of security for those wrestlers! Those fake wrestlers!" and I was all "Well you know, it’s a sports entertainment company." And they go "Oh, those are the guys who take all the steroids, right?" and I said "Well, you know, that’s not everybody. It’s just one of those things…" and they'd say "Oh, and this is the company where that guy went home and killed his family one weekend." And I went Oh my God, this is what I'm up against?! I was up against such bad press. I was up against such a bias, such negativity toward WWE. Like, OK it’s fake wrestling, does that also mean you were a fake security guy? I mean I didn't know what to think after a while.
But timing was HORRIBLE. To think that all of a sudden I can't get hired by anybody, and to think that it didn't affect my work would be very naïve of me, and very wrong thinking. It was devastating, it really was. Does it affect me now? No, we're past that. It’s 5 years later. God, can you believe it’s 5 years already? That’s unbelievable, isn't it? It doesn't affect me now, but it absolutely positively affected me then, I'm sure of it.
You are now working on a book, can you tell us a little bit about it?
Yes! I just got goosebumps. My beautiful daughter… Sometimes when you're on the road, things happen. I met a young beautiful girl one day, I was actually travelling with Jonathan Coachman (Former WWE announcer, The Coach), and our waitress was this beautiful young girl from Detroit. About 3 or 4 months later, we had a one-night stand. And then 9 months later, we had a beautiful daughter. The problem is, if there is a problem, the problem is I am 47 years older than my daughter is. I'm 54, and she’s 7. And she may not get to know me. I don't know what God’s plan is for me. I don't know if I'm going to live to be 80, 90, or 55. So I want my daughter to know everything. My dad died about 10 years ago, and even though I was his only son, I didn't know everything about my dad, and I find myself wondering, and I ask my mom, my 86 year old mom, I ask her questions all the time about my dad. And I wanna know more.
So I wrote a book, it’s called “A Letter to Cecily: The Memoirs of a Nobody”, my daughter’s name is Cecily. It is about my life. I've led a very colorful life. I've been on Broadway, I've been in movies, I've been a personal trainer to the stars, I've been a security expert to the stars, I've worked with major corporations. I’m a recovering alcoholic and I just celebrated 25 years of recovery, and I do that on a daily basis. I grew up with 7 women, 6 sisters and my mother, my dad was gone all the time, so I've had this very, very colorful life and I want my daughter to know about it.
So I decided to write her a 400 page letter and the book will be done by the end of the year. I made that commitment to myself, and I'm way past three quarters done, but I've been working on it for 2 days and I wrote 10 pages today, which is terrific. If you've done any writing, you’ll know much 10 pages is, it’s a LOT of writing. But I’m very, very proud of it. I say in the book that she'll be so proud of me. She'll know so many good things about me. But I'm also gonna tell her a lot of bad things. I want her to know everything. So that she'll have no questions, like I have about my dad. There will be no questions about who Jimmy Noonan was.
Do you have a release date set for the book?
I think first thing I’m gonna do is get it done, which probably will be in the next 30-40 days. After that, it’s a game. I don't have a publisher yet, I don't have anything. I do know that it’s terrific stuff, and that a lot of people are interested in it. But there is no real release date. When you get done with a book, you get it out anywhere between 6-9 months. I might self publish it. There’s a lot of money in self publishing these days. You know, a lot of the book companies that used to be around aren't around anymore. So I might self publish it.
What was the overall experience of working for WWE, and if you could, would you do it again?
You know, of course I would do it again. I would probably never have gone to all those little cities that we went to. I did a show in all 50 states. North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, and EVERY medium sized city in Texas, and all the countries I went to. All the experiences I had, all the women I banged (HAHAHA!!). Of course I would do it again. In a minute!
But I will tell you, I don’t know if you know this, Jeremy, but I have a very famous writer sister, and her name is Peggy Noonan. Peggy used to write Ronald Reagan and George Bush’s speeches, and she works with Romney now, and she’s a very well-respected conservative republican pundit. Peggy said to me one day "What are you doin’?" I said "Well, I'm about to go on the road with WWF" and she said "Well, what’s that?" and I said "You know the wrestlers you see on TV?" and she goes "Why are you gonna do that?" and so I said "Well because the money’s real good, I'll be solvent for the first time in many years, and my first show is in Texas. And next week I'll be going to Japan, and then I'll be going to Australia in 3 or 4 months." And she goes "But Jimmy, you're an actor. Look at it; You just did Broadway, you just did a major TV show and Super Troopers, everything you touch turns to gold, every show or movie you’re in gets awards, so what are you doing?" and I said "Well I don't know! It just sounds like the right thing to do." And she goes "Well I disagree." So I look at that sometimes and I think Oh my god, maybe I made a mistake. But I would do it again. I had some great experiences, and it’s not a negative, it's a positive. I have to rate it a positive experience, and of course I'd do it again. I'd do it again in a minute. Although, I wouldn't do it again now. Let’s make that clear, I would never go back!
Howdy there, Heisenbealer here, doing the Impact review this week. It’s been many a moon since I've tuned into the TNA product, which is odd because I've never been as hard on them as the rest of the internet community seems to be. I can just only handle so much man grappling in a week’s time. And usually that was reserved for Raw, but with whatever Punk and Bryan happen to be doing being the only thing worth tuning into lately (and the three hour drag) I haven't even been watching that lately. So here we go!
We get A Double Austin Aries against James Storm for our opening match. Seems like WWE isn't the only place that puts two of their top stars in a curtain jerker match, so I suppose my grumpy old ass should just get used to it. One thing I've always enjoyed about TNA is that most of their guys put a lot into every match, not just the PPV ones. Storm and Aries really laid into each other on this one, and I’d have been more than happy to have this match on a PPV that I paid for. I think this also puts more pressure on them to really deliver when it is a PPV match, which is the way it should be across the entire industry, but I digress. Aries hits a beautiful Brainbuster on Storm to pick up the 1 2 3.
Back from commercial we get Hogan and Sting in the ring with Hogan yammering on about a “Deal with the devil” with Aces and 8s, which cues out the “World Tag Team Champions Of The World” Kaz and Daniels with Daniels proclaiming themselves to be “Angels” and requesting that their match at BFG on Sunday be cancelled so that their opponent Kurt Angle can be Sting’s partner against A&8s instead of Bully Ray. Ray comes out to essentially agree with them, but tell them they're wrong. Yada yada yada, does anyone else doubt that Ray turns on Sting Sunday and is revealed as being part of, if not the leader, A&8s? I mean, it’s BFG, TNA’s Wrestlemania, and they seem to have a fetish for throwing the swerve at their Grandaddy every year.
Our next match is AJ Styles Vs Hernandez, who will be part of the Tag Team Triple Threat this Sunday. This match was a little slower and not quite as hard hitting as the first of the night, but still a solid match. And when you have AJ Styles in the ring, how can you NOT have a solid match? Styles is one of the best in the world when it comes to getting between the ropes, and I don't think he receives enough credit for how good he is. Hernandez hits what I assume is the weakest looking finisher in TNA, a shoulder (albeit a giant one) block, sending Styles flying across the ring and down long enough for the pin.
Something happens with an Aces and 8s guy talking backstage, but I can't make out what he’s saying except “Hogan” and “Sunday”. Expect something to happen between them and Hogan on Sunday I suppose.
Back in the ring we get the X Division champ Zema Ion gets on the mic. He kind of reminds me of that stuck up bitch we all knew in high school. He cuts a typical promo about having no X Div opponents left, which leads to RVD making his way out to cut another typical promo. Looks like they'll face off Sunday, which is good because I'm much more interested in seeing these two in action rather than on the mic.
After more backstage garbage that does nothing to further any storylines and a truly frightening pre Hollywood scare in seeing Brooke Hogan’s face, we get Sting and Bully Ray against the Tag Team Champs Daniels and Kaz. Again, I like that TNA does this and makes Sting and Ray’s “warm up” match against a team you don't know right off the bat they’ll beat. If this was WWE, Sting and Ray would have faced Santino and Heath Slater in a squash. Instead they AGAIN give us a PPV quality match up with a lot of back and forth action, and yes, even Sting telling Ray to “GET THE TABLE!” leading to Daniels and Kaz getting the win via DQ after Bully put Daniels through said table with a brutal second rope powerbomb. If the match quality of Impact tonight is indicative of how the PPV will be, I’ll be a happy camper Sunday night.
Our Knockout match of the night is Gail Kim Vs Ms Tessmacher. A solid match out of the girls, which is something that can rarely be said for their Diva counterparts. Nothing special to see here, but not a piss break like you usually get with women’s matches in the WWE either. And they get to act a little sluttier. Win/win. Tessmacher gives a hard slam to Gail for the pin win, and afterwards Tara comes in to attack her. But Tessmacher gets the upper hand and slams her too.
And in our main event of the evening we get Bobby Roode facing off against Jeff Hardy. Or maybe that’s one of Picasso’s paintings come to life. It’s such an enigma I can't even tell. My issue with Jeff Hardy has always been the effort he puts into his matches. Some people don't like him because he’s a “spot monkey” but I disagree, and even if he is/was, professional wrestling needs a lot of different styles, not just technical masters who know 1004 holds. Hardy always seems to get complacent and just dial in his matches when he doesn't feel like he’s being spotlighted the way he should (Randy Orton is the same way) but between the few times I've seen him since his drug troubled break and tonight’s match, it seems like he’s delivering the way he should. Roode is great as always, one of the best current heels in the business. Match ends when Hardy goes for the Twist Of Fate, but Roode ducks it and delivers a low blow, giving Jeff the win by DQ. After the bell rings Roode grabs a steel chair, but the ref takes it out of his hands, giving Hardy enough time to hit the Twist Of Fate to give his fans a little pop before they go home. A Double makes his way to the ring to jaw at Hardy and end the show with the spotlight on the Championship heading into the PPV. He complains about the company catering to Hardy even though Aries is the champ, and it all sounds kind of reminiscent of Punk/Cena. Solid promo, but nothing unique, and after the words are said Aries attacks Hardy and lays him out with a Brainbuster to end the show and lead us into the PPV this Sunday.
Damn good show overall, and I think I may have found my replacement for my weekly wrestling fix.
