However, there were a few problems with the system, meaning there were long gaps with no questions and some quite frankly rather boring questions, which seemed designed more to get the interviewers point of view over, rather than to actually ask questions. So I decided to take just my questions out and transcribe them for you good folk, underneath. Enjoy.
ATPW - Hi guys. My first question is to do with the move from the Impact Zone in Orlando, to the Manhattan Center in New York. How do you think the move has affected the product? And have you noticed a difference in the makeup of the crowd?
Gunner - I think it's really improved the product a lot. We were in Orlando for I don't know how many years, but I know they were there since 2008/9
Samuel Shaw - 2005, I think.
Gunner - So, you have to think that the crowd had seen everything down there. Not taking away from the fans in the Impact Zone in Orlando, but they'd seen everything. So it was really hard sometimes to do something different, where they were like "Wow". When we took it to the Manhattan Center, you had these old ECW fans, you had diehard TNA fans, they were really itching to see it, so everything you did, they reacted to everything, so it made our jobs easier. We still worked just as hard. We're doing some shows in Bethlehem, PA, as well, and it's the same there. It's a different crowd, new crowd, new faces. I look forward to doing some new stuff at the Manhattan Center.
Samuel Shaw - To add to that, I'd just like to say, Gunner and I had been working in the Impact Zone since late 2008, and like Gunner said, they'd seen it all. When you present a wrestling product, pretty much every week, I feel like the fans become accustomed to that. They feel like "Oh so and so's not wrestling this week, so I don't need to go", so they'll just go the next week. It just becomes a vicious cycle. I think when it's available every single week, it loses it's value, in a sense. I think getting out of there and getting to a place like New York, where the fans were just begging, for that, in that environment. I think we delivered, without a doubt.
ATPW - Gunner, about four months ago you came off a lengthy feud with James Storm, before that you'd been teaming together, I think it was this partnership that made people sit up and take notice of you as a wrestler, what did you learn from working with James for so many months?
Gunner - I think you're right, that was really the opportunity that TNA gave me to step up and we got a long five month feud. The matches that people saw on TV, we were doing those on live events, we were beating ourselves to death. The things I learnt from James as far as being a tag team, he just knew what he was doing in the ring, he always knew where to be, what to do and how to win. You gotta think how many times he's been World Tag Team Champion, I believe twelve or thirteen. When we started wrestling singles, I knew who he was, I knew how he moved and how he worked, I think we both knew each other better than we knew ourselves. I won't take anything away from James, he's tough, he is tough, he's a tough a opponent, he's a good friend, he was a better enemy, but he really taught me to fight and never give up. "I Quit" match was a bloodbath, I think we gave each other our all, I got respect for him, even after he bashes my Dad with a beer bottle, and I'm pretty sure he's got respect for me. He taught me a lot on the road, we travelled together when we were a tag team, had a lot of talks together and he really loves the business. He taught me many things about being in a tag team and about being a singles wrestler too.
ATPW - Samuel Shaw, you seem make a real focus of getting your character over on Twitter, is that an effort that you've gone to, to develop the character more? Do yu think more wrestlers could benefit from this approach?
Samuel Shaw - Good question. I just feel like that with the advances in technology and with social media being such a huge part of our business now, it's almost, I like the idea that fans have access to us, in a more personal way, but I also feel like that fans don't need to know every last detail of my private life. I really want to present who Samuel Shaw is, they way TNA presents it. I can add little things, here and there, to sort of give you more of what Samuel Shaw is all about.
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We'd like to thank Gunner and Samuel Shaw for their participation in this, and for being very cooperative with the questions, as well as Simon Rothstein for allowing us to take part.
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