SCOTT D’AMORE TALKS ABOUT BACKSTAGE BATTLES WITH JEFF JARRETT, SWAYING TNA CREATIVE, MAKING BAD ANGLES WORK, WHY HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE ON TELEVISION, AND MORE
By WorldWrestlingInsanity.com
The 109th edition of JG’s Radio Free Insanity is on the air and available right now at WorldWrestlingInsanity.com (Flash and MP3 download) for free. This week’s show features TNA Producer “Coach” Scott D’Amore.
James Guttman welcomes everyone to the show and speaks about this week’s guest. Scott D’Amore is still in his early 30s, yet has done so much in wrestling. From working in the ring for WCW, WWF, TNA, and others to booking Border City Wrestling to training top stars to producing TNA’s Knockout Division, Scott has an impressive resume. With knowledge about the business both inside and outside the ring, D’Amore is a great guest for any fans who enjoy hearing about what goes into making a wrestling program. Both the good and the bad are discussed and D’Amore doesn’t avoid any question.
Scott D’Amore’s full ClubWWI.com shoot interview lasted for 64 minutes and included talk about, well, everything. Topics include: How He Got Hulk Hogan To Go To Edge’s Wedding, What Separates TNA Knockouts From WWE Divas, Arguments With Jeff Jarrett, TNA’s Critics, The Back and Forth Fan Chants in Orlando, Being On TNA’s Creative Team, Why He Didn’t Want To Be On TV, Missing a 12 Grade English Exam To Wrestling The Steiners, Training Alex Shelley, Why He Didn’t Want to Be on TV, The Unique Booking Setup of Memphis, John Cena, Booking the WWA PPV, The Surprise For Jarrett and Sting When They Got There, The Rock, and tons more
Plus, just this past week, another nearly one hour long edition of Bull Buchanan’s audio show “The Bullpen” was posted on ClubWWI.com as well.
James then mentioned some of the sites that post Radio Free Insanity’s press releases and tells readers that there’s plenty of news on those sites. While WorldWrestlingInsanity.com and ClubWWI.com don’t report backstage rumors, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn things from it. With over 100 guests answering the questions you want to know, you won’t be at a loss for information.
Guttman then talks about some of the questions he’s asked stars on ClubWWI.com that he always wanted to know. Like asking Shockmaster about his fall in WCW, asking One Man Gang how much drinking went into getting head tattoos, asking Scott Steiner about his bisexual angle with Test and Stacy, and more.
Remember, Scott D’Amore is just one of well over 100 stars spanning countless generations you can hear uncut on ClubWWI.com. Some of these names include: Jerry Lawler, Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan, Kevin Nash, The Iron Sheik, Sid Vicious, Paul Bearer, Bruno Sammartino, Tito Santana, Al Snow, Tod Gordon, Charlie Haas, Tom Prichard, Jacques Rougeau, Tammy Sytch, Too Cold Scorpio, Ole Anderson, Kid Kash, Ivan Koloff, John Heidenreich, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy Valiant, Bad News Brown, Nick Bockwinkel, Dory Funk Jr, Diamond Dallas Page, Rob Conway, Sylvain Grenier, Buff Bagwell, Christian Cage, Jazz, Demolition Ax and Smash, Koko B. Ware, Ricky Morton, Dustin Rhodes, Damian Demento, Paul Ellering, Fred “Shockmaster” Ottman, Cpl. Kirchner, One Man Gang, Scott Steiner, Shawn Stasiak, Ted DiBiase, Ivory, Chris Masters, Elix Skipper, Kamala, Samoa Joe, Giant Bernard, Bill DeMott, Juvi “Juice” Guerrera, Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald, Nick Dinsmore, Harley Race, Bull Buchanan, D-Lo Brown, Road Warrior Animal, Missing Link, Slick, Nidia, George Steele, Christy Hemme, Disco Inferno, Vito, Steve Blackman, AJ Styles, Chris Daniels, Dennis Stamp, Shawn Daivari, Kevin Sullivan, B.G. James, Ron Killings, Earl and Dave Hebner, Spike Dudley, Rodney Mack, Larry Zybszko, Rick Steiner, Mae Young, and more!
With that, JG cues up clips from Scott D’Amore’s 64 minute uncut ClubWWI.com shoot interview.
James Guttman welcomes Scott D’Amore to the show and tells listeners that long before Triple H, he was the “original Mr. Hunter.” D’Amore laughs and says he isn’t sure how many people will get that reference. JG asks what D’Amore has going on right now and Scott replies with a laundry list of things that are keeping him busy. He’s still with TNA as a producer for the Knockout Division (and others), promoting Border City Wrestling, and training students at his school in Windsor. His school has an exchange program with New Japan. For three months out of the year, his students train there and the NJPW students come to his school. He’s also working with the Insane Clown Posse’s Juggalo Championship Wrestling and running a restaurant called “Stars of The Game”
– ClubWWI.com break –
In progress, James and D’Amore are discussing bad TNA angles on paper. As an agent, it’s Scott’s job to try to put on the best segment he can, no matter how it’s written.
“There’s been times, I know this, where I haven’t been part of the creative process or when I have, where I’ve looked at something, you know, when it was first given to me and I’ve said ‘This sucks.’ I’m thinking this is not going to work. Then what you have to do is sit there and say, OK. That’s my personal feeling. Now how are we going to make this work?”
Scott says you go out there and try to execute it the best you can. When it’s over, you go in the back and say:
“Wow. Boy, was I wrong.”
D’Amore then explains that this process is common and uses a quote from Jeff Jarrett to prove it:
“Jeff Jarrett made the comment one day that Coach D’Amore was one of the most difficult human beings to deal with creatively.”
Scott explains that this is why he didn’t want to be on television while he was part of creative “because I know I’m a pain in the ass.” D’Amore says that he’s always been clear on what he wants done and how he wasn’t to portray it. However, many talents have to be dealt with more in-depth because they know what does and doesn’t work for them. Coach D’Amore then describes the process he went through when he was a talent to get his segments they way he wanted:
“I would argue vehemently. I would present my points. I would try to sway them. At the end of the day, if you don’t sway creative, then your job is to say, OK. I presented my case. They listened. They think it’s better this other way and now I’m going to go out there and let’s make this the best it can be.”
– ClubWWI.com break –
In progress, D’Amore is talking about his back and forth relationship with Jeff Jarrett.
“I owe a lot to Jeff. We’ve gone back and forth. Cussed and swore and thrown stuff. It’s always been a turbulent up and down, but at the end of the day, he’s the reason I make my living and support myself and everything that I do through a good living in the wrestling business. He gave me an opportunity that a lot of other people wouldn’t. Like I said to him in our meeting, f**k it. If it doesn’t work out, fire me. Why you gonna waste two or three weeks? You run a pay-per-view every week (at the time.)”
One of the reasons why his relationship with Jarrett is so strong is that Jeff never questions whether he can get the job done when asked. Because of this, no one else can talk to Double J the way that D’Amore can.
Scott D’Amore’s full ClubWWI.com shoot interview lasted for 64 minutes and included talk about, well, everything. Topics include: How He Got Hulk Hogan To Go To Edge’s Wedding, What Separates TNA Knockouts From WWE Divas, Arguments With Jeff Jarrett, TNA’s Critics, The Back and Forth Fan Chants in Orlando, Being On TNA’s Creative Team, Why He Didn’t Want To Be On TV, Missing a 12 Grade English Exam To Wrestling The Steiners, Training Alex Shelley, Why He Didn’t Want to Be on TV, The Unique Booking Setup of Memphis, John Cena, Booking the WWA PPV, The Surprise For Jarrett and Sting When They Got There, The Rock, and tons more
Remember, Scott is just one of well over 100 stars spanning countless generations you can hear uncut on ClubWWI.com. Some of these names include: Jerry Lawler, Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan, Kevin Nash, The Iron Sheik, Sid Vicious, Paul Bearer, Bruno Sammartino, Tito Santana, Al Snow, Tod Gordon, Charlie Haas, Tom Prichard, Jacques Rougeau, Tammy Sytch, Too Cold Scorpio, Ole Anderson, Kid Kash, Ivan Koloff, John Heidenreich, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy Valiant, Bad News Brown, Nick Bockwinkel, Dory Funk Jr, Diamond Dallas Page, Rob Conway, Sylvain Grenier, Buff Bagwell, Christian Cage, Jazz, Demolition Ax and Smash, Koko B. Ware, Ricky Morton, Dustin Rhodes, Damian Demento, Paul Ellering, Fred “Shockmaster” Ottman, Cpl. Kirchner, One Man Gang, Scott Steiner, Shawn Stasiak, Ted DiBiase, Ivory, Chris Masters, Elix Skipper, Kamala, Samoa Joe, Giant Bernard, Bill DeMott, Juvi “Juice” Guerrera, Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald, Nick Dinsmore, Harley Race, Bull Buchanan, D-Lo Brown, Road Warrior Animal, Missing Link, Slick, Nidia, George Steele, Christy Hemme, Disco Inferno, Vito, Steve Blackman, AJ Styles, Chris Daniels, Dennis Stamp, Shawn Daivari, Kevin Sullivan, B.G. James, Ron Killings, Earl and Dave Hebner, Spike Dudley, Rodney Mack, Larry Zybszko, Rick Steiner, Mae Young, and more!