Post by Damien Sparks on Oct 31, 2015 14:30:26 GMT
Immediately following October Revolution and after the short introductory video package, airing live exclusively on the IWF Network, we are taken to a plush studio where Damien Sparks in a suit and tie sits on the left behind a desk, and to his right is the newly crowned Imperial Champion, Roberto Verona, who in quite a departure from his usual corporate attire sits in his wrestling attire, with the Imperial Championship still bearing the name of the former Champion Renee Pleasant now resting in his lap.
The camera zooms in on Damien Sparks as he introduces his guest.
Damien: Hello and welcome to The Live Spark, an unscripted look behind the veil of the professional wrestling business. What is life really like behind the scenes for the men and women of the Imperial Wrestling business, and just how much of what we see on live TV each week is real and how much of it is scripted for our entertainment? In the next half hour, exclusively live on the IWF Network, we will ask these questions and many more of one of the most important names in the history of the professional wrestling business, the Chief Operating Officer of the Imperial Wrestling Federation and new Imperial Champion, Roberto Verona...
The camera zooms out again as Damien turns to Roberto.
Damien: So, Mr Verona, first of all thank you for joining me. Let's cut straight to the chase. I'm sure it's quite the responsibility right now being not only the COO but also the new face of your own organisation, some would call it a testament to your monumental ego, but I see it as something of a conflict of interest...
Roberto: Far from it, Damien. I’d actually call thus leading from the front and putting my money where my mouth is. I stated, from day one, that corporate positions would never prevent people from continuing to pursue their in ring career and, as I’m sure you’re quite well aware, we have safeguards in place now to prevent abuse of power. As I promised, and as is dictated in the latest set of legal paper work, Joey Leroux will now be in charge of in-ring decisions during the duration of my reign, be it one week or otherwise.
Damien: Even so, what would you say not only to your employees but also those fans watching at home right now that feel you don't deserve the Championship you now hold?
Roberto: There’s a lot of people who like to equate my lack of in ring presence to a lack of doing something. The fact is what people don’t tell you is that I work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When the guys get their statutory 3 days off a week, I’m still representing this company, securing agreements, signing and working with new talents, helping in the developmental department...
Damien: It's interesting that you bring up working in the developmental system, some fans have criticised IWF as not establishing enough new male stars, coupled with the failings of concepts such as Gladiators, The Diamond Search and perhaps most notoriously scaling back on Training Grounds. Is it fair to assume that this is a direct consequence of the dissolution of the deal you struck with NCW in the early days of the company or was it simply a case of being too ambitious?
Roberto: Interesting question. Arguably, yeswe’ve perhaps struggled more to establish male stars but as you’ve seen we obviously built Renee Pleasant, Warren Kidd and Judas Aliah up and some of the promising talent of NCW in Mike Laszlo and Alex Jones have finally shone on the big stage. I’d agree that our attempts to, at least publicly, build our development up haven’t gone quite to plan. When we opened we took in a lot of talent, perhaps we were guilty of over loading the system which made identifying specific talent a little more difficult.
Damien: If we can stay on the subject of the developmental system for a moment, is it true that as part of the NCW dissolution, names like Jessica Reed, Malaki and Bernard De Montfort have stepped forward and sacrificed having more of an in ring career?
Roberto:The dissolution meant that Adam Knite and Gib are not working full time in the developmental system any more, yes, but it is important to note that both of them continue to work on a flexible part time basis, and other people have taken on full time roles in their place. Jess was injured, it wasn’t all a storyline, but she had a lot to offer and it was ideal as a way of her to aid her own recovery. As for myself it was a way of giving back to the business in a way that was off screen. It was a relief if I am being honest, I could do something without being accused of showing off for my own ego...
Damien laughs.
Damien: I'm surprised to hear that Adam is still a part time trainer in the company, I can only assume that means Kelly Knite is also still on the board of directors of the company, how is that working relationship nowadays and what was it really like in the beginning? Especially since so many wrestlers like to be a part of revolutionary angles, but what so many people seem to overlook is the fact that what started as a storyline in NCW actually had a very real life pay off...
Roberto: Yes, Kelly is still involved in the background, although her role is very much off screen now at her own behest. She chose to bow out of the wrestling business and I completely respect that. Early on it was always Leonard who I interacted with, and it's true, we never really planned for my revolution to come to fruition in the literal sense. It was a gimmick, and it was one that I took my own spin on, Leonard was happy to use it as it was putting butts on seats. Shaking Kelly's hand was the start of a heel run where I would have some power that I'd eventually lose when I was conquered by whoever took the rub. Working with Kelly was great, she had a mind for the business and she knew how to sell my turn from the hero to the villain. when I pitched that I shook her hand and joined her she dived right into the role as the corporate enabler of the arrogant champion and played it to perfection.
Damien: It is interesting that you mention Kelly choosing to drop out of the business, from everything I've heard from all the guys I've talked to, it is always an exercise in compromises working in this industry. Going into tonight's match for example, a lot was made about your struggle to maintain a healthy work and life balance, how do you manage it with Hannah?
Roberto: The reality is, it’s quite tough. We have a great team working under us and of course we have the luxury most couple do not of directly working with one another, but it can be difficult to be away from home for so long. Luckily me and Hannah have and understanding and we make the most of the time we have. Neither of us are really connected to family, and Jess is on tour with us any way as far as Hannah goes, so in a way our family is never apart. I think the biggest strain is on my own desire to be inside the ring, I’m still in my prime, it was hard to take that time away to help get this place up and running and thriving.
Damien: It is quite obvious that there seems to be no policy in IWF about fraternisation between employees, which in this business is considered quite a bold statement, and with some of the content that has been explored in company storylines over the last couple of years, the obvious question would be how many of the relationships are genuine and how many are just in the spirit of keeping kayfabe? Is there any boundary on mixing business with pleasure or is it just a case of exploiting natural chemistry for profit?
Roberto: The relationships on screen do, generally, reflect the real life relationships of the wrestlers. I have always felt you can’t fake that sort of bond and all of the emotional turmoil it brings, it’s our job to make this seem believable, so we definitely blur the lines of reality in regards to relationships and even friendships. It sounds bizarre, but one of the best ways to work through real life feuds is to get people to work together and even compete. There’s a risk it can back fire, but equally some of the best moments in wrestling have been between people who genuinely hate each other. As for policy, I don’t think it’s any of my business what our employees do in their private lives unless it crosses a legal boundary.
Damien: Following on from this, one of the most notorious characters on the roster is Renee Pleasant, and obviously tonight we witnessed another chapter in your rivalry unfold, what is he like outside the ring, how much of it is just a character?
Roberto: It’s weird really, myself and Renee don’t really interact all that much outside of our angles. We’re different people, obviously his perversions and general bastardry are for show but all that raw anger clearly comes from somewhere very deep and very real. He’s one of the best big men I’ve ever worked with, he lives his character and he hit’s like a son of a bitch. Those punches are real, I’ll tell you that. How much we see of the real man is honestly something I can’t tell you, perhaps that is what makes him such an engaging character.
Damien: I see, and of course, we can not neglect the other man who was in the match, Alex Jones. The two of you had quite the storied final chapter in NCW, what was it like to essentially be denied that final moment of triumph and being relegated to the background so that Zelda Knite could have her moment, instead of what many fans were expecting...you doing the honours and putting Alex over finally after perhaps establishing the most important NCW World Heavyweight Championship reign in the history of that company? Was there any resentment or was it simply a case of doing business with the Knites once more?
Roberto: The transfer of properties was already secured long before A Night to Remember, so it was certainly not about doing business for myself. Out of respect for my time there I never touched on this, but I guess we’re far enough removed to be blunt. I was pissed off, I was angry. Me and Alex put on a show that night, I laid down and I passed the torch on to the guy we felt could help lead IWF with all that credibility of conquering me. Then I have to sit back stage and watch that bullshit unfold. I’ll be honest, I walked out. I packed my stuff and got on the first plane out of there. A lot was made of my absence in the post-show celebrations, the truth is, I was long gone and the rumours as to why were all true. I felt the pain you try to sell on television for real, I can’t imagine how it felt for Alex.
Damien: Now from one ground breaking reign to another. It's only natural that people are going to compare your work ethic as Imperial Champion to Renee's and If I can play devil's advocate for a moment, as reprehensible as a human being Renee Pleasant plays on TV every week, an argument can be made that he at least earned the right to compete for the richest prize in the game by first establishing himself as IWF's longest reigning Man Of Steel Champion and then going on to win the 2015 Roulette, whereas you seem to have just taken advantage of being a recognised name and placing yourself in a favourable position to represent your own company at its highest level. How do you respond to those criticisms?
Roberto: The fact is Damien, I've worked just as hard as anybody else in this business. I’ve worked house shows, like everyone else, I’ve made pay per view appearances and I’ve been on television week after week. Let’s not pull any punches, Damien, we both know that title reigns are built on more than “wins and losses” in this business, the fact is I’ve put in plenty of work, whether you see it or not. Facts are we both know people would accuse me of egotism due to my position in the company.
Damien: Speaking of accusations, I'm sure you have a fair number of critics backstage who would say you only look out for yourself and that your ego won't allow you to "book" yourself in positions that you deem are beneath you. How true is that?
Roberto: My position has always been that those who work hard will be rewarded, bear in mind I don’t make decisions entirely on my own, especially in regards to my own booking. This was a collective decision, you have to remember that my holding a belt isn’t the whole story, you now have an opportunity for numerous new names to establish themselves by putting on a show with one of the biggest names in the company. I have a length record of being quite willing to work with people and get them over, win or lose.
Damien: It is interesting to hear that you have such a fair work ethic as a person, what's it like to balance your natural persona with your on screen character who has in his time sanctioned an angle where you punch out one of wrestling's biggest underdogs in Joe Everyman, sanctioned a live crucifixion on national TV as well as countless other distinctly adult angles as part of the weekly programming. I understand the need to push the envelope every now and then but how have you managed to keep television deals in place and sponsors on board?
Roberto: In terms of our sponsors, they're well aware of what they're getting on board with when they sign contracts with us. We make it quite clear what we are and we're very conscious to make sure we don't engage in mindless violence. Every extreme act of violence is carefully considered and done for a reason, to further a feud or to creative motivations for our characters. I don't want blood for blood's sake, sponsors understand that violence is a byproduct of our "sport". The contracts we have in place are beneficial for both parties, I've always made it clear that their sponsorship isn't necessarily their support for the storylines.
Damien: How much further are you prepared to go in this Immortal Era?
Roberto: Interesting question. I'm prepared to go as far as required if a story dictates so, people have to remember we're selling characters, characters do despicable things but ultimately at the core of it these are not who they are. It's still a storyline, sometimes it is intentionally upsetting. We do everything for a reason, like every other TV show.
Damien: Interesting, so tell me, tonight we saw something quite rare in the business and that was female competitors being busted open as part of a clown car match, was this just another small step in continuing to push the envelope to more adult themed angles?
Roberto: It's funny isn't it? The match was deliberately pitched as a throwback to the traditional Carnie roots of wrestling, and yet it produced some of the most real moments we've seen in a typically scripted environment. Both of those spots were entirely unscripted, proving just how legitimate taking bumps as part of a match can be, but one of the greatest things about this business is the ability to keep rolling with those unexpected little moments that make the overall match even better...
Damien: I see, moving on, it is quite apparent that you have struck quite a friendship with Jake Conway, and I'm sure that helps tremendously on screen, but still it would seem on the surface that the two of you are quite different. Jake almost flaunts his relationship with Kathy for instance, whereas you and Hannah seem to prefer a more low key approach, so my question is how do two people who are such a study in contrasts become such good friends?
Roberto: It’s weird, me and Jake had never even spoken to each other before until we were scheduled to feud over the National Championship in NCW. What seemed like two almost polar opposites actually was a façade, beneath the gimmicks we are both quite similar, albeit with some different views. Jake has had a long career and probably not the success he deserves, along with guys like Alex, Rob and Mike to name a few others and shared a lot with me that helped me establish myself in the midcard. We just managed to click, we’ve never allowed anything in our careers to get in the way of being friends, it helps to know somebody has your back no matter what.
Damien: Tell me honestly, just how much of a coincidence is it that the man who was once hailed as NCW's revolutionary has once again climbed the mountain at October Revolution? Was that always the plan or did circumstances change somewhere along the way?
Roberto: It’s ironic, isn’t it? It was entirely a coincidence, we always planned for me and Renee to eventually have to settle our differences physically face to face but personal circumstances between himself and Amber dictated that we accelerate from the original November date.
Damien: Since we're on the subject of titles, why do you think the midcard in IWF has always been so uncertain? I mean for such a relatively young company you've seemingly been forced to rebrand and dare I say compromise on so much of your original vision for the company, like the folding of the Tag Team Division, the retirement of Championships like the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight and the Ruby. What lead to these changes and do you ever hope to get back to something closer to your original vision or are you truly happy with how things have turned out?
Roberto:I’m actually quite happy with the current line up and I think it’s been a case of trial and error. Generally we’ve had to react to the roster we had at the time, when a division no longer made sense for the talent available we didn’t feel it was wise to just persevere with belts that ultimately would suffer as a result. We’ve had a lot of guys leave for varying reasons and had to change plans on the fly, it can be tough¸ some people are impatient and don’t want to wait and we go back to the drawing board. It’s a business where you have to adapt to survive, I think we’ve done that quite well.
Damien: And now I would like to move on to a few fan questions that were tweeted to us earlier in the evening. @nhawkfan17 asks "What are your thoughts on Nighthawk since he returned to IWF?"
Roberto: Nighthawk has a lot of in ring talent, but sometimes I feel he neglects showing us reasons to get behind him. You can’t deny his ability, but I’d suggest he needs to work on giving the audience a reason to back him beyond being noble. He has it in him to do that and add more layers to himself, he just needs to take some risks and go for it. Some stuff will work, others won’t, but he will benefit from it.
Damien: @howiec asks "What do you think about Jack Gaither?"
Roberto: The guy has oodles of energy and ideas, but he sometimes gets trapped in this cycle of feeling he needs to just insult his opponents for the sake of it and we lose sight of all the great character work he does. I’d love to see him be confident in who he is and sell himself instead of worrying about “out talking” people. He has a lot of passion for this business, I want to see him do well.
Damien: @latinaheat12 asks "What are your thoughts on one of IWF's main stay Diamonds, Mercedes Vargas?"
Roberto: My God that woman is a walking encyclopaedia of wrestling knowledge, what is so frustrating for me is that she doesn’t utilise that to her advantage. She gets so lost in giving history lessons on the company as a whole she doesn’t use that treasure trove to really dissect her opponents, if she could focus her knowledge onto her opponents and no drift off into wider discussions which helps us lose track of what’s truly important to her she could thrive here.
Damien: @chaoskitten17 asks "What is your opinion of the newcomer, Khaos? Do you think he has a bright future ahead of him?"
Roberto: He's confident, I'll give him that. We gave him a different type of debut to see what he could do, he made an impact. It's not down to him to apply himself and prove he warrants matches with our premier talent.
Damien: @gjriwf asks "Do you think Kathy Conway has been underestimated as an in ring performer?"
Roberto: I definitely think Kathy hasn’t had the glory her ability deserves, if anything it’s my belief that she thrived at the wrong time. NCW’s women’s division was nowhere near as strong as ours, girls didn’t have quite the same exposure either. For varying reasons she’s not had much of a chance to compete here, if she did I think she could perhaps fulfil her potential. Jake has shown what he can do of late, I think Kathy could do the same.
Damien: @femshepn7 asks "I think it's fairly safe to say that the Diamonds Division outshines even the men at the best of times, so my question is will they get as many physical titles to compete for as the men, and if not would you ever consider pulling an NCW and crowning Jess Reed as your final Imperial Champion if IWF ever went out of business?
Roberto: *laughs* Jess will never be the Imperial Champion. If the Diamond’s division grew enough to justify three singles belts for the girls, I’d authorise one without a second thought. I am proud of all the women in this company, they are every bit our equals and deserve the success they’ve accomplished. It’s my biggest joy that we have a company where men and women can thrive, not just one or the other.
Damien: @iwfmm13 asks "Best and worst part of being a wrestler?"
Roberto: Best? Getting to go out there and perform. It’s a corny answer but its true, interacting with the crowd, entertaining people… there’s no bigger thrill than wind up 50,000 people into a hateful frenzy or hearing them chant your name.
Worst? The pain. Yeah, it’s scripted, but a chair to the fact is a chair to the face. It’s never the injuries themselves, it’s the thought of how it will affect you later in life, and it’s why we’re very careful not to rush people back too early into the ring. I don’t want somebody’s elderly years to be agony on my conscience.
Damien: @culkin87 asks "You always seem so confident, is there anything that truly scares you?"
Roberto: Failing everyone. That’s not just a gimmick, I do this to give everyone a place to enjoy themselves and be everything they can be. When the time comes for me to go, I want to know I gave everything I could to give people a chance to fulfil their potential and build positive memories.
Damien: @smarkzilla asks "What's the story behind Joe Everyman's title run?"
Roberto: *groans* I know everybody wants to believe the dirtsheets, but I can categorically deny that Joe Everyman was granted the Imperial Championship as some sly dig at NCW. It was chosen, rightly or wrongly, because Everyman was a feel good story who had paid his dues and was making efforts to improve. He deserved his run, brief as it was, anybody who thinks it was some attempt to get back at a company that, regardless of how it ended, I loved, is spurious rumours at best.
Damien: @wrestle4ever asks "Favourite opponent and feud?"
Roberto: Xander Famularo, hands down. We went to war, we had some amazing matches and most of all he put me over with his yearlong streak ending at my hands. Xander Famularo is why I became a main eventer, I can never ever say thank you enough to that man. Outside of him? Me and Mike Laszlo put on some brilliant matches and Alex and me always click well.
Roberto smiles.
Roberto: My favourite moment was shaking Kelly Fox’s hands after years of being the revolutionary anti-corporate flag bearer, people didn’t see it coming and it truly shocked them. What made it even better was me and Andrew Jacobsen, who by the way is a very talented wrestler, put on a great match which had the crowd right behind me, only to have that love snatched away from them.
Damien: @caspiancruise asks "Who the hell thought it was a good idea to turn Jacobsen heel and as part of Body Count?"
Roberto: It wasn't mine! Contrary to popular belief, I don't dictate everything that happens in IWF, I like to let the talent make their own choices with their career. Sometimes these decisions do not work out, perhaps you could argue I should take a more direct role in angles, but equally the flip side is people would accuse me of tyranny... well, more so than they do now!
Damien: And finally, @seradai asks "Factions never last in wrestling and in IWF especially, why do you think that is?"
Roberto: Factions are always a tricky thing to pull off. You have a number of personalities and generally they form to pursue one specific goal, once that goal either is achieved or it becomes impossible to do so they tend to be left directionless. If more factions formed with a bit vaguer ideologies you may find they last longer, for example factions simply based on self-preservation, friendship and so on are more likely to last than a faction set up to tackle a specific issue. Obviously they never last full term because of the temptation to pull the classic "old friends, new rivals" type angles, but I genuinely think you could create long lasting factions. However, the people involved all have to be clear of why they're there, they have to be in agreement for their roles too and most of all they have to get along, working that closely for a long time requires a good working relationship.
Damien: Unfortunately that's all we have time for! This has been The Live Spark exclusive to the IWF network, and I'm Damien Sparks, reminding you to stay controversial!
'Money, Power, Glory' by Clawfinger plays the show out as the studio lights dim and the camera zooms out again.
Well howdy there pardner.