Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
TNA superstar & former OVW World Champion, Matt Morgan, was one of the special guests on this past week’s live edition (02/25/08) of Monday Night Mayhem (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces: the official finishing sauce of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio”) — which can be heard in streaming audio every week (hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL, and heard LIVE at 8PM ET/7PM CT every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com).
The closing of The Mayhem’s sixth-anniversary month-long celebration with Matt’s return to the program can now be heard for FREE in Real Audio.
February 25th Monday Night Mayhem (streaming audio): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/022508.wax
Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page, presented by VisuWalls, the extreme wall graphic (featuring the 2/25/08 edition of The Mayhem, in addition to more than 80+ archived editions of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio”). You are able to download your favorite editions of The Mayhem…and listen to them at your own leisure. Another exciting feature for you, our loyal listeners — brought to you by “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.”
Here are some of the highlights from Matt’s interview on the show, provided by MNM listener, Lance from San Jose, CA & The Mayhem’s co-host, The Big Mosh.
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The Big Mosh & Blade welcomed Matt back to the program after a year-long absence. Just like plenty of critics around the world might have thought at some point in time or another, the bodyguard for Jim Cornette put it best: “Who would have thought it: Six years…”
To break the ice for the listening audience, Mosh & Matt described a story dating back almost two years about how Matt was one of the first superstars to literally (and physically) pick up “the man behind The Mayhem” — in the hometown of The Mayhem in Buffalo, NY, as part of the Ballpark Brawl event in the summer of 2006. Now if that does not get some discussion/banter started, then nothing will!
Mosh asked Matt about the revitalization of his career after his departure from the WWE & his thoughts so far in respect to his tenure in TNA Wrestling. Mr. Morgan first comments about being rejuvenated through his recent work in Japan where he learned new dimensions of the wrestling business along with retooling his work ethic. In regards to his role as enforcer in TNA, he issued a hefty amount of praise for the company by allowing his character and presence to incrementally flourish. Matt spoke about the empathy, meaning of character & proper build-up of character in the wrestling industry, and how that has been lost in recent years. He stressed that wrestlers of his stature should not be immediately thrown into the ring due to their sheer size (which sometimes happens) — as a character, the role should be a matter of construct not prone to immediacy. An element of the utmost importance is being cast in the “right light,” where Morgan issues praise to his current company for enabling him to be projected in that fashion.
Blade & Mosh asked Matt who he would like to face as his first in-ring opponent when his time arrives to show his wrestling abilities. Morgan singled out Kevin Nash because he “has one of the best minds in the business.” Nash is said to have great ring presence & a feeling for all angles/aspects of the wrestling business, and he would definitely like to work a program with someone who has contributed a great deal to the industry. Along with being paired with a great opponent, Matt again discussed how key it truly is to have a decent production/build of character. He again makes a comment about how his role was not properly established in the WWE, where he was just basically “tossed in the ring with black trunks” without a lengthy build or identification of character.
Switching gears, Mosh made light of the closing of Ohio Valley Wrestling and asked Morgan’s thoughts on working closely once again with Jim Cornette. Morgan remarked that the cutting of OVW was a big mistake, a place where “75% of the current roster has been through/learned a great deal through Cornette & Davis’s system.” Quite simply, the move to focus primarily on Florida Championship Wrestling is befuddling to him. In Matt’s words, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Talking about Jim Cornette, Matt issued nothing but praise for his hard work & assistance. Basically calling Jim a living, breathing, wrestling repository, he commented on Jim’s basement wrestling shrine (chock-full of paraphernalia — including a 600+ wrestling tape video library spanning several wrestling companies) and issued encouragement for wrestlers on the current TNA roster (such as The Motor City Machine Guns) to take full advantage of Cornette’s expertise & experience working within the industry. He follows his story up by saying Jim lent him several tapes of Glen Jacobs to “learn big guy psychology” before eventually having visits with big WWE personnel, Kane & The Undertaker.
Speaking of TNA’s current touring itinerary (United Kingdom, Boston, & New York City) and its noted success, Mosh asked Matt if TNA wrestling is ready to go with a weekly live iMPACT television show each week. Morgan responded by saying the “wrestling side of TNA is always ready,” but the move is more on the Spike TV/administrative side — no matter live or taped, TNA is truly “total-nonstop action,” and will always draw a solid fan base.
Speaking of the recently-released TNA “Global Impact” DVD & its success thus far, Matt commented that it is an excellent DVD that should be seen by all. Speaking about his experience in Japan, he made several remarks regarding how critical it is to branch out and try something different for fans to enjoy. The Japanese fans’ embrace of the pro-wrestling genre is much different than the typical US wrestling fan, as it is seen as a sport & work of art as opposed to how it’s viewed in the states. Nonetheless, Morgan commented that shows, such as the “Global Impact” DVD allow, fans to appreciate “what wrestling is all about.”
Switching topics, The Big Mosh prefaced his next question by stating Matt’s past work experience with The Big Show in the WWE, and subsequently asks Matt for his thoughts on the Floyd “Money” Mayweather/Big Show match at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando, FL. In addition, Mosh also asked if Matt feels if the respective sports of wrestling, boxing, & MMA can successfully co-exist. Matt responded by saying that all three sports have easily borrowed some aspects of production from each other — mainly in terms of match marketing, hype, & promotion. Regarding the upcoming Show/Mayweather WM match, Matt pulls no punches and plainly states that “The Big Show is gonna eat that little mother alive.” Morgan supplemented his statement by saying Show is a truly nice & charismatic individual, but there is no way that a guy Mayweather’s size can defeat a giant-sized Big Show.
The subject of TNA’s expansion was then discussed, with The ‘Ham asking Morgan where his favorite wrestling crowds to perform live are located. Matt said that he is originally from the northeast — an area that is highly passionate about the true art of wrestling and not necessarily the theatrics of the business. He also stated that these fans are known to cheer heels & boo babyfaces, an indication of their reverse perspective on wrestling characters. If Matt were to single out favorite cities, he cites the Connecticut area, Boston, & New Jersey as desirable work environments. TNA made a huge impact in the northeast in the past few weeks, and he feels that they definitely intend on making a return there in the very near future.
Locker room morale has always been a hotly-debated topic in TNA discussion circles, and Matt quickly moved to squash these rumors once & for all. He said that “TNA is the exact antithesis of bad morale,” and is an environment where workers work hard to put one another over, as opposed to what is being erroneously reported. Morgan remarked that a strong work ethic & short work weeks on behalf of the TNA locker room is what makes the stable so appropriately successful & encouraging. Any negative remarks are made by “haters” who obvious are not happy with TNA for one reason or another, and are just fabricating the truth. Lastly, he praised both Dixie Carter & Jeff Jarrett not only for caring about the well-being of their wrestlers, but their families as well.
As a parting shot, Matt shared that he is a big fan of the Monday Night Mayhem program, and wished the show yet another prosperous year — into its seventh year & counting.
In Matt’s return appearance, he also gave his uncensored takes & thoughts on the rumors of a feud with himself & “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, his goals for himself & for TNA in 2008 (and what the “payoff” will be for the fans), as well as some pretty harsh words for the internet critics. Check out Matt’s official website @ www.Matt-Morgan-org.
We are just over one week away from Destination X…next Sunday night @ The Scope in Norfolk, VA. Check out www.TNAWrestling.com for how you can purchase tickets to TNA’s version of “March Madness,” as well as all of the night’s festivities. If you cannot be in Norfolk live, then call your local cable or satellite provider for availability. E-mail your predictions for the TNA Destination X PPV to [email protected], post them on the official MNM Message Board (located at www.MondayNightMayhem.com: register now if you already have not done so), or MySpace them to www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem. Two lucky winners who accurately call the event down the middle will receive not only six-packs of Sweet Sunshine Sauces (“the official finishing sauce of The Mayhem”), but brand-new TNA VisuWalls — That’s right thanks to “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio,” you can score this awesome prize by interacting w/The Mayhem Crew & Total Nonstop Action Wrestling!
Tickets for TNA’s Lockdown 2008 are now on sale, and are available at all Ticketmaster locations, www.Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone at (617) 931-2000 or at The Tsongas Arena Box Office. And as part of “The Road To Lockdown,” TNA is headed later this month to Springfield, MO, Evansville, IN, & St. Louis, MO. Get your tickets today for these events, and tell them The Mayhem sent you!
*As we get ready to launch the new spring 2008 season of The Mayhem, we strongly all of our fans around the world to support all of our fine advertisers/sponsors (with new advertisers to be announced in the coming weeks/months ahead!):
Sweet Sunshine Hot Sauces (official website: www.SweetSunshine.com): “The official finishing sauce of The Mayhem.” Six tremendous flavors to choose from: Sweet, Warm, Jamaican Jerk, Roasted Shallot & Garlic, Hot, & Atomic! Sweet Sunshine Sauces are the proud winners of three Scovie Awards! Fans, remember the MNM Sixth-Year Anniversary Celebration Special: $3.00 bottles of Sweet Sunshine! It does not get any better than that! Quantities are limited, as Sweet Sunshine is making room for their newly-designed bottled, which will be made available to the general public soon, along with their newly-designed & state-of-the-art website.
The Monster Factory (official website: www.MonsterFactory.com): Is there someone special in your life that wants to become the next Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Kurt Angle, or “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Well, you now have the chance to enroll in the official wrestling school of The Mayhem & one of the most-respected academies in the world. And mark to mark your calendars & make your airline/rental car reservations…as The Mayhem returns to The Monster Factory on Saturday afternoon, March 15th @ 2PM ET — just two weeks away!
Old Time Wrestling (official website: www.OldTimeWrestling.net) has hit the internet! Check out the latest innovation in professional wrestling on the world-wide-web! Old Time Wrestling is a throwback to “the days of old” in the world of wrestling. For only $20.00/month, you will receive over eight hours of matches to watch at your convenience. The live broadcast begins every Saturday afternoon at 2PM ET. Head on over to www.OldTimeWrestling.net to connect to wrestling of yesterday with today’s technology. And are you looking for that perfect gift for the wrestling fan in your life? How about tickets to the weekly Old Time Wrestling shows, located at The Monster Factory. Affordable family fun for all ages & for a great price!
Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com & www.WrestlingRadioAwards.com
Monday Night Mayhem would like to thank all of our fans around the world for voting for “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” in the 2008 Wrestling Radio Awards. Monday Night Mayhem was the proud recipient of the 2008 WRA for Media Interview Of The Year with “the voice of WWE’s Monday Night RAW,” Jim Ross. In addition, The Mayhem was voted the “Best Booked Show” of 2007 — the second time that we have achieved this honor amongst all broadcast & broadband wrestling radio programming.
Monday Night Mayhem is honored to add these to our other prestigious WRA Awards: 2007’s Media Interview Of The Year (Eric Bischoff w/special guest co-host, Scott Hudson) & 2006’s Female Interview Of The Year (Jackie Gayda).
*All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from our six+ years of audio excellence, featuring the official Monday Night Mayhem WrestleMania 23 Countdown Special from Detroit’s Hilton Garden Inn, the official Monday Night Mayhem Dream Reunion II On-Location Special from Kokomo, IN — featuring: former WWE Diva search contestant Jessica Hatch, Al Snow, Marty Jannetty, Chavo “Classic” Guerrero Sr., “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Rosey, The Midnight Express (“Loverboy” Dennis Condrey & “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton), “The Genius” Lanny Poffo, & The Orient Express’ Pat Tanaka, & our “Best Of 2007” show (featuring the top three interviews of 2k7 heard on The Mayhem), plus current WWE superstars (Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Candice Michelle, & Charlie Haas), WWE Hall Of Famers (Jim Ross, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, The Iron Sheik, Tito Santana, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Harley Race, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, & Don Muraco), the finest from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (Jeff Jarrett, Jim Cornette, Kevin Nash, “The Instant Classic” Christian Cage, “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, The Dudley Boyz/Team 3-D, Scott Steiner, Kip/BG James, “The Notorious 187” Homicide, Eric Young, Kaz, & “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal — along with TNA knockouts Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, & Traci Brooks), Ring Of Honor’s warriors (ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, & ROH head booker Gabe Sapolsky), ECW originals (Rob Van Dam, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Raven, The Sandman, “The Pitbull” Gary Wolfe, Danny Doring, & ECW founder Tod Gordon), some of the greatest managers in the history of our business (Percy Pringle III/Paul Bearer, “The Doctor Of Style” Slick, JJ Dillon, & Gary Hart), the voices that have called the sport/sports-entertainment for years (World Class’ Bill Mercer, the Mid-Atlantic/NWA’s Bob Caudle, & WCW/AWA’s Lee Marshall), wrestling legends/personalities from over the years, past & present (Terry Funk, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, The Honky Tonk Man, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Vader, Konnan, Tully Blanchard, Diamond Dallas Page, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, Low-Ki, “The Wildman” Marc Mero, David “Gangrel” Heath, & Chris Nowinski), & some of the funniest entertainers from around stage & screen (Dave Coulier of TV’s “Full House,” VH-1 “Best Week Ever’s” Greg Fitzsimmons of VH-1’s “Best Week Ever,” Dustin “Screech” Diamond of TV’s “Saved By The Bell,” Howard Stern’s Gary The Retard, “Mad TV’s” Aries Spears, & Comic Relief founder Bob Zmuda). All this & so much more…now available on www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com.
As we begin our new spring season in just a few weeks, Monday Night Mayhem’s crew of The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL wish to thank our loyal fans around the world who have helped us get to where we are at now and for your continued dedication, loyalty, & support.