Josh Mathews Interview (Impact Wrestling)

Earlier this week, ATPW got the chance to throw some questions the way of the self-proclaimed "Greatest Play-by-play announcer" Josh Mathews. Here's our chat with the "GOAT" about THAT call and why he believes it to be true, Impact Wrestling's new home in the UK, "go-away" heat v legitimate heat, the new faces he's been impressed by, working for "the other company", digital originals and so, so much more. 

ATPW - Let's kick off by addressing the thing that got tongues wagging over the last few months and that is your call of proclaiming yourself today's "Greatest Play-by-play announcer". How did that line come about? When was your "character shift" first suggested? 


Josh Mathews - It wasn't a character shift. It's something that I truly believe. It was a video that was done on ImpactWrestling.com and people took what I said..."I've been saying I'm "the Greatest play-by-play announcer of all time" since I got here and I think I've proven that over the last three years. I also said in that video that I want to do things here in Impact, like videos games and action figures and stuffed animals, bigger venues, more touring, but people ran with that (call) and that's fine. It's something I stand by, that's something that I believe. In 2017 I don't think there's anybody that can do what I do, at the level that I do it. 


With your persona on TV at the moment, how do you deal with treading the line between viewers saying "I'd like to punch that guy in the face" and "I'm going going to change the channel"? 


It's "go-away" heat vs. legitimate heat and look, I've had people in the Impact Zone spit on me and be thrown out because of it. I've had people scream at me, I've had children give me the middle finger, I've had grandmothers yell at me. All of these things are happening while I'm out there just trying to do my job. I'm just out there to call the show, to give people factual information and to let people know that they are hearing, the best possible wrestling play-by-play announcing that they can have. Sometimes I talk a little about myself, but that's to be expected when you have someone the calibre that I am out there calling these shows. 


With the recent changes in Impact, what's the vibe like backstage at the moment? 


The vibe is great, it's a lot of fun. I kinda live in my own world, when the show starts I'm out there at ringside. During the day, I'm always having fun, we have a lot of meetings, we work really hard. We get there, we work hard, we got to meetings and then we do great content and then everyone goes about their business.


What do you think makes this version of Impact Wrestling different or better to previous incarnations? 

I think that everyone seemed to get caught up in the saga of what was transpiring in Nashville...more so than what they were watching on TV and that's the problem. People wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes, more than watching what was transpiring on the TV. We did some amazing shows in New York, about two January's ago. The World title series wasn't critically acclaimed, but I thought it was pretty good, it was innovative, it was different, it was a lot of wrestling. Where we are right now, where we started in March and as we move towards Slammiversary, we've got new regime, new owners. But I think, if I got to the movies, I don't wonder "Oh man, did this movie go over budget?" or "Oh man, did this movie almost not make it?" or "Oh man, this actor did this to this actor backstage"...I just want to see a quality movie. I think wrestling fans feel that their entitled to more in 2017 and that's probably a result of social media, because they're so close. Just watch the show and enjoy it and then come back the following week and watch it again. 


There's plenty of fans that have fallen out of love or drifted away from the Impact product over the last five or six years, what reasons would you give them to tune back into the product in 2017? 


I'm not gonna be a corporate shill and beg people. "Oh please come back and watch". If you're a wrestling fan and you're paying attention to what's going on in the world and especially if you're paying attention to what's going on in the United Kingdom and the amazing talent that are over there and now you've got Impact on Spike TV UK, every Friday at 9, it's right there at your finger tips and you can watch it. If you're a wrestling fan, you should watch it and you should see what's going on. You shouldn't worry about the bullshit that transpires behind the scenes, because what you're seeing on the show is the hardest working individuals in professional wrestling doing what they can to entertain you for two hours.


With Impact returning to UK television screens with Spike UK, how important do you think it is to have a free television presence in the UK, at the moment? 


I think it's very important. Obviously, Challenge decided to not air Impact anymore. Then we went with the app, so our fans in the UK weren't missing Impact and you could see Impact the same time it premiered here in the States. You had to do it on a mobile device and some people aren't used to that yet, but now we're on Spike UK, every Friday, you know it's going to be there at 9pm. It's just super important. You now have destination, you know where you're going and you know where your guys are going to be. That's all I need to know as a fan. I watch a lot of TV shows and maybe if I hear a show's getting cancelled, maybe I don't watch the last few episodes. But this is brand new, we've landed and it's going to be a lot of fun going forward on Spike. 


Impact also has the relationship with ITV's WOS Wrestling, how do you see that developing as a professional wrestling and perhaps, also as a broadcaster? 

I would love to be apart of that, I don't know if I'm going to be able to be, but I think it's really cool. I've got a chance to speak to some of the talent that's going to be competing over there, guys like Rampage and a few of the others. I think it's going to be a lot of fun when that gets going on WOS Wrestling on ITV. It's just another thing, like AAA or Pro Wrestling NOAH, another place for us to be. I always call it like "Hey, can we be friends with all these people? Is this really gonna work?" but right now it seems to be working.


It's been a while since we've seen Impact physically over here in the UK, do you know if there's anything in the works for a return? 


I don't want to say, for sure, one way or the other. I think that that's in the works and a huge possibility, but I don't want to say "Yeah, for sure" because I don't want to speak out of school.


Slammiversary is coming up on 2nd July (US), can you let us in on any of the current plans for the event? 


I hate to spoil the end of the movie! We've just got back from filming a bunch of great TV and we've still got some filming coming up in India before we get to Slammiversary. When someone had told me what some of the ideas were for Slammiversary my eyes got super-wide and I said "Man, this is gonna be an incredible show". I know everyone saw on YouTube, it did almost a 100k views in less than a few days, Scott Steiner returned, I know he'll have something to do with Slammiversary. It's gonna be a lot of fun. We need to have that big summer bash, big summer show, a big party on July 2nd at Universal Studios in Orlando. 


Do you think there is space to perhaps do more PPV content? 


PPVs, to me, are, kind of, antiquated. We do the monthly One Night Only series and you have the big Bound For Glory and Slammiversary, I think those book mark PPVs are good, but monthly PPVs...I don't know. I guess it depends on the price point and that's a whole different conversation. 


We've seen a lot of new faces in the Impact Zone recently, which of the recent signings have impressed you most? 

Source - Instagram/dezmondxavier

Almost all of them. Garza Jr. and Laredo Kid, I think they're great. I love Reno Scum, it's unfortunate that Adam Thornstowe went down with an injury recently, but I know he'll be back and better than ever. I think those guys are really good. Dezmond Xavier, he was in the Six Man match on the live show, the first show on Spike UK, he's awesome. Low Ki's back, Sonjay Dutt is back, so I just think it benefits us, it's feel good and if you turn on the TV you're going to see people you don't know, but if you stick around you're going to see people who impress you. Dezmond Xavier, I never say "Hello" to anybody and I went out of my way to talk to him after he competed in that match. 


When it comes to the taping blocks in Orlando, what's an average week like and what's your role in putting the show together? 


I'm involved in every aspect of this company, except for the creative process. Digital and all sorts of other things, but the creative process, those guys know what they're doing, so I'm not involved in that. So, when I get to TV it's a lot of work as it relates to generating content for digital, because we're only with these guys for a short amount of time and some of these people we won't get to see until Slammiversary. It was just grinding work, but it's really worth it in the end. The good thing in that other company, they're together every week, so if you miss something on Tuesday, you're going to be with them again on Monday. We don't have that luxury, we're with our guys until we're not and then we don't see them for a while. So it's a chore, but it's plan, plan, plan, but we're going to have success when we get there. 


You mentioned the "other company", what's the difference between announcing for them and announcing for Impact? 


Just freedom. Not being worried. My biggest thing up there was worrying that I was going to saying something that I was going to get yelled at for. I didn't mind getting yelled at, it was the deal that you didn't know what you were going to get yelled at for. One day it's blue, the next day it's red. It was like just an unknown. I remember everything that Vince McMahon ever told me, as it relates to commentary, everything, Kevin Dunn as well. I never forgot those lessons that they gave me. But sometimes those lessons, not from Kevin, but from Vince, they would change. It got, not frustrating, because you want to make them happy because you work for them and that's how I felt when I was there. I felt that I delivered, but whatever transpired there, it is what it is. 

The real difference is freedom. Down here, if I get a talent over, I get over. If get a talent to the next level, I get to the next level. That's the way I look at all of this stuff. If I'm going about it a different way than you're used to as a fan and you think that I'm being selfish and you think that I'm making it about me, then you're not seeing the big picture...which is fine. 


You've worked with a variety of partners of the years, if you could work with anyone, whether that be inside or outside of the business, who would you like to work with? 

You guys probably don't know him, his name is Kirk Herbstreit, he works for ESPN. I think he's the most phenomenal colour analyst in sports today, I think he's really really good. 


Where do you see yourself in five years time, professionally? 


I'm a forward thinker, I have a lot of things going on, in and outside of the wrestling business, in the entertainment industry...I keep those things close to the vest. I love where our entertainment field is going, in the sense of social media and digital media and what can you do for me outside of the TV shows. That's where my brain goes. Five years from now, I don't know where I'm going to be five minutes from now. 


Can we expect even more digital content from Impact going forward? 


I'm looking at our calendar right now. On Tuesday we do The Question Mark, on Wednesday's you have Around the Ring, Thursday - Impact in 60 with all the clips, Friday - the new show with my wife, Madison Rayne and I, called With This Ring. I'm sitting here waiting to click send on something called Allie's World, where Allie has her YouTube channel, she's going to have her first look on her channel and we're going to have an Allie's World playlist and in a few minutes you'll see a tweet that's going to talk about that. Maybe that will be get more talent to create their own content and you're really going to get an inside look at the lives of our amazing roster. It's opportunity to have these guys, they all go home and they all have iphones and they have a lot of down time to get in front of the camera. They're the stars, they're the ones who are driving this vehicle. So we'll see what can happen with these people who are all super talented.

A big thanks to Josh for taking the time to speak with us and we wish him all the best going forward. You can find him online here

Twitter - @RealJoshMathews
Instagram - JoshMathews

Hear Josh announce alongside Jeremy Borash and Da Pope on Impact Wrestling on Spike TV (UK) Friday's at 9pm (Freeview/TalkTalk/BT TV - 31, Sky - 160, Freesat - 141, Virgin Media - 154) In the US you'll find him on Pop TV, Thursdays at 8/7c. 

Thanks to Impact Wrestling, as well as Si Rothstein and Lauren Soar, for allowing this interview to take place.

Twitter - @ATPWrestling Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling Instagram - @ATPWrestling

                                             

Greg Lambert Interview - Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling

At the end of last month, ATPW had the pleasure of talking to Greg Lambert, known for his work as a manager, commentator, promoter and Master of Ceremonies across the UK for the likes of PCW, RQW, FWA, Southside, IPW:UK and others. With Greg's new book Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling, a sequel to Holy Grail: The True Story of British Wrestling's Revival out now, there couldn't have been a better time to speak to the 15 year veteran of the Brit Wres scene. 

ATPW - Tell us a little bit about Ropes and Glory, what's it about and what can people learn from reading it? 

Greg Lambert - It's about the last ten years of British wrestling history, through my own eyes and my experiences. Things that I've been involved in as a promoter or a commentator or a manager on the UK wrestling scene and also things that I've experienced by going to shows and also watching on the telly. Things that I've been aware through studying the British scene. It's the journey from 2007 to where we are now. British wrestling has never, it's just never ever been as good as it is now. Even back in the glory days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, it's never had the attention and received the opportunities that we have now. So, it's the journey of where it was ten years ago, through the triumph and the tragedies along the way, to the return to British terrestrial TV with an episodic series.. It's amazing.  

When did you begin work on the sequel? 

Straight after the first book came out. Holy Grail: The True Story of British Wrestling's Revival was the first book and that was really picking up the story from the World of Sport era up to about 2007, but mainly focused on the FWA, which is the promotion even now that I'm most synonymous with. Straight after that came out in November 2012, I went on a book signing tour. Some of the material in this book is from when I was on that tour, that was the first time I went to an ICW show for example, going to PROGRESS Wrestling for the first time, as well. A lot of research spans from back then. 

How else did you go about collating the material and writing up the book in general? 

I think I'm blessed with a really good memory, I think that helps. I've got a pretty good memory for dates, but I've also got a book, which every show I've worked on I've kept a list of where the show was, the date of the show, matches on the show. So that's a good reference and some of it comes from the internet as well. There's a lot of interviews as well, with some of the top names in British wrestling. So you're getting their memories, their perceptions of what's happened over the last ten years. The likes of Rockstar Spud, Drew Galloway, Rampage Brown, Noam Dar... So it's not just my narrative, there's different opinions. 

The Foreword is written by Rockstar Spud, what do you feel was Spud's importance to the book and to the scene as a whole around this time? 

I'm extremely grateful to Spud for taking the time to write the foreword, because I really wanted him to do it, because he's one of my favourite people and favourite performers in British wrestling for the past ten years. The significance is I think Spud broke the mould for a lot of British wrestlers who aren't the stereotypical size, they aren't the stereotypical look, that you would associate with becoming an international star. There's been people like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Randy Savage, who came before and broke the mould for lighterweight wrestlers, but when Spud started out in the FWA in 2004, he was a different level of not looking like a wrestler. He worked on the body, he worked on the performance skills, he working on everything to the point where he became a champion with my promotion, the XWA, as it was. How Spud became the champion and the story, how he evolved from then and how he did in the second coming of the FWA and then to get to British BootCamp and to end up with TNA. That's a great achievement, he basically knocked the door down for a lot of British wrestlers to become stars in America, because he wasn't supposed to do it. He was never supposed to do it. He was told "You'll never make it, you're too this, you're too that" and he just didn't take no for an answer. He preserved and through brains and talent and drive, he made it. I think he set a great example for others.

You mentioned earlier that about the numerous interviews that you conducted for the book, did you discover anything new from participating in these? 

Lots of things. Rampage's interview sticks in my head, as you read the book you'll discover a lot about Rampage Brown, his mentality as a professional wrestler and how it was for him going over to America as a young man and being a part of WWE developmental, before it became NXT. He was there with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, but he struggled over there to make any kind of an impact and he talks very candidly about that. He also talks very candidly about his experience on British BootCamp 2, which surprised me, some of the things that he said about that. I think a lot of people that read Rampage's thoughts will find those quite eye-opening. 

Dave Rayne is interviewed for the book. People will know Dave as the former promoter of FutureShock Wrestling and his role in PCW, predominantly, but I think people will get a different opinion of Dave when they read the contributions that he makes to the book. What an intelligent and quite emotionally sensitive guy he is, but also very clued up on wrestling as a whole. That's how I know him, but I think a lot of people will see a side of Dave that they may not have seen before. 

Also, Alex Shane. With the Second Coming of the FWA, which in itself is a great story, which is written out in a lot of detail. I think people will be really interested to read what he has to say about that. I think that people's perception of Alex, who can be quite a polarising figure, people's perceptions might change, for the better.

Greg, you've had numerous roles in pro wrestling over the years, but what brings you the most enjoyment professionally? 

Good question! Still booking, I would say. I've just started again, doing some storyline writing for PCW and I think when things go to plan and seeing an audience react, the way you want them to react and you see performers execute your vision, I don't think there's anything greater. I've never experienced anything greater. 

Commentary I'm really enjoying at the moment, really really enjoying, the commentary side of things. I did the Five Star Wrestling show in January on Spike, which was an incredible moment, personally and professionally, because it was the first live broadcast by a British-based wrestling company on UK television in almost fifty years. To be able to work with an incredible television company, the production people too, because they were really top level people that I was working with. The director was a guy who worked on World Cup Football, World Cup Rugby and some big big fights. To work with that level of people was great. To work with some of the wrestlers as well, some of the biggest names in the industry today likes Rey Mysterio, Drew Galloway, that was just incredible. It's great to commentate for PCW as well, being doing that for five years now, PCW is still a great promotion to work for. Lots of exciting things coming up. 

Within the book, you reveal a list of instructions you try to stick by as a booker, why do you think they are so important when writing and booking pro wrestling? 

I think, they're more reminders really. It's very easy when you're booking to lose sight of the big picture, so it's quite handy to have these guidelines in the back of my mind. Which I can always go back to and refer to. They do work. I've got numerous example of them working, but the main one I think is what the book is all about, the book is an emotional rollercoaster and done right booking should be an emotional rollercoaster. The quote by Dusty Rhodes that I talk about in the book "Wrestling is built on emotion" that's my mantra for booking and I think that's very much the mantra of the book as well. 

As a viewer, I certainly prefer to watch pro wrestling that has a clear vision. 

Yeah, I think this year's WrestleMania, you can tell, that they've got a much clearer vision, than they did last year. Every match seems to have been built up over time, with a purpose and you can kind of see where they are going, but some of the results of the matches are in doubt as well, which I think is great. Despite the fact you've got that clear direction, there's still a bit of uncertainty about which way they're going, but everything's logical and makes sense and that's what wrestling should be, I think. 

You've worked with a variety of performers throughout your career, from big international stars to young kids getting their first break. Is there anyone in professional wrestling that you'd like to work with, that you haven't got the chance to just yet? 

That's a good question! Yeah, loads of people actually I think. On the British wrestling scene, there's a young lad down south, who I really really rate, he's like the new Spud, a guy called Sid Scala. I love the character, I love his passion, he's a protege of Barry Charalambous, who was also a mentor to Spud and a lot other guys as well. You can see Barry's influence in Sid, because like Spud, he knows the value in cutting a promo, of making sure people remember him. It's not always about having the best wrestling match, it's about making sure that you're remembered and Sid does that. From a British perspective, I think he'd be a great person to work with.

I think if you read the book, you'll see the respect that I have for Mark Dallas as a promoter. I get on very well with Mark, I think he's great guy and I love his ethos for ICW. I love everything about ICW, in fact Scottish wrestling as a whole. It really does have a special place in my heart, the Scottish wrestling scene. I have a lot of respect for Mark. We're not the same in a lot of ways, but I think in terms of our theories of wrestling, there's a lot of parallels. It would be nice to do something with Mark at some point. 

I nearly had the opportunity to work with Kurt Angle, with Five Star Wrestling, but that fell through because he signed on to do WWE Hall of Fame. Which is great, absolutely great and well deserved. I didn't mind in the end, because I ended up commentating with Joe Hendry and Joe Hendry is a guy I really rate and respect and is thoroughly talented and enthusiastic. When you get the opportunity to work with a guy on Kurt Angle's level, it's a big deal and I still hope I get to work with Kurt in the future. 

In the first book, The Holy Grail, the Holy Grail was British wrestling returning to television, since then British wrestling has exploded and has indeed returned to television with WOS Wrestling, Five Star and WWE UK (depending on your definition of TV), what's that been like for you personally? To see British wrestling return to the big time? 

It's had me on the verge of tears, quite a few times, to be honest with you. Not miserable tears, the opposite. It's tremendous. I can't really put it into words. All I can really say about it is that when I started with FWA, when I worked closely with Alex Shane, that was always Alex's vision. Talk Wrestling, the TalkSport Radio show, it was always the vision. When you've worked closely with someone like him, bought into the vision and worked hard to bring the vision about...and in later years, there's other people who've taken up the baton and brought that vision forward and to the next level. I think when you've been involved for as long as I have and worked with the people that I have and seen them struggling and when you've done shows in front of 25 people and you've seen shows cancelled because you've not sold enough tickets and you've seen things go wrong and when you've seen terrible things happen...that when you get to this level, you're bound to be emotional about it. 

When the World of Sport special was on on New Year's Eve, it was quite something for me, as it was for everybody who has been involved in that struggle for years and years and years.

I think that's the real power of wrestling, that not only does it effect those outside the business, but it can have such a profound effect on someone like yourself. 

Yeah, it is. Done right, it's an incredible artform. It's so difficult to explain. One of the hardest things I find about wrestling is trying to explain it to non-fans, who just don't get it at all and in the end, it's not worth it. People are either going to get it or they're not. But those that do get it, there are a lot of us and it's really nice to share experiences like that. To share the same mentality with such a big group of people.

Do you have any future project lined up at the moment? What's next for Greg Lambert? 

I'll be at PCW, I'm still commentating for them, I'm doing the booking for the main shows and in regards to Five Star Wrestling, I'd expect an announcement soon. 

A special thanks to Greg Lambert for taking the time to speak to us. We'll have a full review of Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling on atpw.co.uk soon. You can purchase your copy now, either in Paperback or on Kindle from Amazon and Lulu.

You can find more about Greg and Ropes and Glory here. 

Twitter - @RopesandGlory
Facebook - Greg Lambert - Wrestling

Interviewer - James Marston 

Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling 

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

Rampage Brown Interview - WOS Wrestling/IMPACT Wrestling

Recorded at ITV's WOS Wrestling press conference on at MediaCityUK in Salford on Monday, here's our interview with former PROGRESS World Champion, Rampage Brown! 


ATPW - So Rampage, how does it feel to be here today with WOS Wrestling and ITV and to be part of such a big project?


Ramage Brown - Yeah, it feels really good. Obviously anything to do with British wrestling being on TV again is "sign me up". I'm happy with that. It feels great to be apart of it. 


On the special, you tagged up with Ashton Smith, how do you feel that went? 


Yeah, it was good. Surprsingly, because no one had seen me and Ashton as a team before, but we got a lot of good feedback. Me and Ashton are good close friends, that's the thing with a good tag team, you've got to get on outside the ring as well as inside the ring. It was good to share the ring with him definitely. 


You faced off against the Coffey Brothers, who've you've worked with in the past, how was it to share this stage with them?


It was an experience as always, you're in their running about, blowing up and slamming yourself around. It is what it is. But they're a highly respected tag team. I've got so much respect for them both. Good guys. I couldn't think of a better think of a better team to share the ring with. 


The WOS taping is coming up in Preston in May, obviously a place you're very familiar with from working for PCW, what do you think the city will bring to the show? 


They will bring their own atmosphere. As long as other fans don't get intimidated by that and jump in their and have fun, because not everybody's a wrestling fan in that capacity. There'll be families and things like that. Yeah, it should add to the atmosphere, as long as they're aware that there's other people around as well. I think it'll be great and add to the show. As long as it's lively. 


I think that came across on the special and created a good soundtrack for the show...


There's nothing worse than when people sit on their fingers and do nothing. Without a doubt, they definitely did a good service to the show. 

You've worked both sides of the coin in wrestling, you've been a good lad, you've bad lad, do you have preference or is it all about getting a reaction? 


No I don't have a preference, I used to do, but now I don't really care. It's all about going out there and doing your job, going out their and doing what you're hired to do. 


With IMPACT Wrestling coming in, you were on the second series of TNA British Bootcamp, did you take anything from that experience or was it all about the opportunity?


It was just a situation that came up at the time and it was a just a way of making money. I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything other, but that's just what it was at that time. 


Do you think there's going to be an opportunity for guys who work for WOS to get seen on American TV? Would you be open to that?


Possibly. Only the future will tell. 


What was it like to be featured on a main stream channel and get such a prestigious slot on New Year's Eve? 


It was one of those things where it just kind of came out of nowhere, so it was hard to take it all in. When you actually saw it on the TV at the time, it was a bit surreal. But again, it's all apart of the journey.


Did you ever, ever think this was going to happen? 


Not in my lifetime, not in my time in the ring. I feel fortunate that it has and that I'm apart of it. 

I'd like to thank Rampage for taking the time to speak to us on Monday and we'd love to get an opportunity build on this short interview in the future. WOS Wrestling tapes for TV at Preston Guild Hall on 25/26 May and tickets go on sale on 9th April at 9am for Gigs and Tours, Tickermaster and Preston Guild Hall.

Interviewer - James Marston 

Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling 

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

Johnny Moss Interview - WOS Wrestling/IMPACT Wrestling

Recorded at the ITV WOS Wrestling press conference at MediaCityUK in Salford, here's our interview with veteran of the British and European wrestling scene, Johnny Moss. 


ATPW - How did you performing on the WOS Wrestling on New Year's Eve come about? Who contacted you about appearing? 


Johnny Moss - Well, it was as simple as this. I had a phone call one day from the people at ITV, asking if I'd like to be part of the rebirth of WOS Wrestling. I said "Absolutely". At first, I was sceptical because after being around for twenty years, you get all these things "This is gonna happen, that's gonna happen" and they never pan out. I've been involved in so many failures, that have never got off the ground, I was sceptical. So when it actually became, "Oh my God, this is actually going to happen", it was an amazing feeling. 


So, you're one of the guys on WOS who have been wrestling for the longest times, so you've had one of the longest journeys to this point, how did it feel to finally get to work with a company like ITV? 


Yeah, nearly twenty years. It made it all worthwhile. I never ever thought this day would happen. In all honesty, I have told people in the past, I don't think we'll ever see British wrestling back on national television. So to be a part of it is overwhelming for me, especially with being such a huge fan of World of Sport. I collected all of the videos, all the bootleg videos, everything and studies it. I became friends with some of the old guys, Marty Jones, Johnny Saint and to be able to follow in their footsteps on the special on New Year's Eve meant a lot. It's took twenty years but if you want something, you'll stick at it. 

I think it meant a lot to the fans as well who had wanted to see British wrestling on the telly, because they knew how good the performers were and to see you guys get the opportunity it certainly meant a lot to people like me. 

It was great for the fans who stuck with British wrestling for so long. Now, is probably the greatest time to be a wrestling fan in Britain, with everything that's going on. So much happening. From when I first started it's like chalk and cheese. It was nothing like this. Nobody could have imagined it would be like this. The fact that WWE is involved in this country now, which I think's great, I think it's great for everybody what's happened with WWE and World of Sport and everything else, the other promotions. There's lots of other promotions that are doing well. It's only good for everybody. It's good for the fans because there's more choice, it's good for the wrestlers because there's more work. 

So, you mentioned watching the original World of Sport, how do feel that the special from New Year's Eve compared to the original?

To me they're two totally different animals, that are that far apart, you're talking over thirty years and things do evolve and things do change. The only similarities are that there is wrestling on both shows. It was very nice to pay tribute to the people that paved the way for us, but to me it's totally different. Things have changed so much, it'd be very different to back to that old style of rounds and everything else, which I'm a huge fan of, but not everybody would be sitting their on a Saturday afternoon with the kids. Things do evolve. 

Would you like to see the Rounds come back, perhaps as a one-off or a gimmick match?

Maybe, I think it would have to be a gimmick match and it would have to be explained why we're doing it. If it was every week I think people would lose interest, especially with the rounds. There are a lot of guys who could that style of match, no problem, but you've got to think what would appeal to the masses. That's what people have to realise, it's a show on ITV on a late Saturday afternoon, appealing to the masses. It's gonna have some good wrestling on there, but it's appealing to the masses. 

You also run a training school...

That's right, Johnny Moss School of Pro Wrestling up in Egremont, Cumbria. I've had that open for just over two years now, it's been great, I wish I'd opened it earlier! I've had such a great response and people travelling from all over the world to come and train there. 

If someone was looking at training to be pro wrestler, what could they learn from coming to Johnny Moss School of Pro Wrestling?

There is a lot of schools around the country, but [those who attend my school] learn all the knowledge that I've picked up, over my years of travelling, wrestling some great people and the places that I've been. I can show them the other way of doing things. I've been to the Performance Centre, I've coached there, I know what they're looking for. I know what World of Sport are looking for. I think I could certainly give them a very good foundation in wrestling from just starting out or even if they have wrestled a few years. I've had people who've been wrestling for four, five, six years come and see me and they've learnt a lot of new stuff. I think I've got something to offer everybody. You never stop learning in this job, but look at Jeff Jarrett, he's been doing it nearly twice as long as me, imagine how much experience he's got! 

With IMPACT Wrestling coming in, how do you think that could change the product from what we saw in the special? 

I think it's going to be very similar to what we saw on New Year's Eve, to be honest, I don't think it will be too different. It's very good to have someone like Jeff Jarrett involved, who, of course, has a long and storied history with wrestling and promoting, plus he's worked with TV companies before. It's very good to have his knowledge on board. I think, there will be some small changes, but I think it'll be very similar to what we saw on New Year's Eve. 

A big thanks to Johnny Moss for giving us the time for this interview. WOS Wrestling tapes for TV at the Preston Guild Hall on 25/26 May. Tickets go on sale on 7th April at 9am.

Interviewer - James Marston

Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling 

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

Alex Shane Interview - WOS Wrestling

On 27th March, ITV's WOS Wrestling and Anthem Sports and Entertainment, parent company to IMPACT Wrestling, held a press conference at dock10 at MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester on the heels of announcing that WOS will return to our screens for a 10 part series later in 2017. Before hand, ATPW got the chance to speak to three members of the roster, beginning with WOS commentator and veteran of the British wrestling scene Alex Shane. 

ATPW - World of Sport is back on ITV after thirty years, what's been your involvement in bringing UK wrestling back to a main stream audience?

Alex Shane - I think really, the people that really deserve credit, there's obviously a lot of people, producers and wrestling insiders, but I think what happened was ITV were smart in seeing there was a real revival in British wrestling. Nobody could have done it more than the fans done it, by supporting it and actually getting behind it. All of sudden because there was more fan interest and more promotions and because there was more promotions there was more fans. We essentially reached what ever industry needs, when it reaches it's zenith, which is a tipping point. The tipping point happened and ITV was the first major broadcaster, it happened on a few smaller channels before, but ITV, always with their finger on the pulse said "Now's the time to bring it back". I think, it really was, even though there's lots of people, who've helped this go to a series, Tom McClennon, Jeff Jarrett, the people like that who have done the inner workings of getting it going, really I think it's down to the fact that the industry was just ready.

It's taken a long time, but I think that time was needed. To get the talent ready, to get the promoters ready and even to get the fans ready. Because even a few years ago, the wasn't really the same fanbase that we see today.

Yeah and also I think the important thing is wrestling is a skill, but wrestling on television is a different skill and because there hadn't been British wrestling on television, it was almost impossible to find the guys ten years ago that were British with the experience wrestling on television and any that showed any promise were snapped up by WWE. So anytime anyone came along who had that ability, a Sheamus, a Wade Barrett, an Adrian Neville, they would be plucked for stardom in the States, but it, kind of, left a drought on our scene. Now we've got a situation where this generation, because there's lots of wrestling companies in England, some tremendous ones, that have done a lot to build the scene, now they film their stuff and because of that they use two, three, four, sometimes five cameras and that's given the guys the experience of going "Hold on, where's the hard camera?". So now the wrestlers are actually ready for television. Whereas I was trying to get wrestling on television, for most of my adult life, but if I'm honest, ten years ago, I don't think we were ready. Now, we're more than ready, that's why everyone's ready to explode and get a full series which is what today is all about! 

On the special on New Year's Eve, you commentated with WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, someone you'd worked with earlier in the year at WCPW, how was that experience?

It was amazing. There's so many compliments than you can give JR, but one of the ones I had to tell him was, "When I commentate I hear your voice", which was a compliment, but was intended as me being nervous. There was one point where I said "That clothesline turned him inside out, inside out!" and suddenly as I said I thought "Oh my God, I've just done Jim Ross, to Jim Ross, on TV!" The fact that JR is such a legend and the fact that he is the voice of my childhood and some many others, if I hadn't worked with him one time before, I think I would've been terrified for the pilot. Actually as it turned out, all the planets aligned, I think in life, when something's meant to be, you feel it in the moment and I felt it was meant to be. It was great, really really great and he's a legend. 

Do you know if there's a plan to bring JR back for the series?

I hope so. At this point in time, obviously it's the last thing that anyone's going to ask him about, because of what happened with Jan, which is a really sad situation. Even though he's at the top of everyone's thoughts, I don't think his television schedule is, but let's see what happens. 

How did feel about the reaction that special got when it aired?

It was pretty amazing. I watched it at a New Year's Eve party with my family, my Mom, my Dad, my Auntie, my Uncle, my Missus, we all sat and watched it and it was surreal. I make television programmes as well, but not on the scale of ITV World of Sport. I think that was the point when all of the wrestler that were on that show, came together and realised, "Wow, this is The X Factor, but with us!". The fan reaction was fantastic.

At the moment you're working with a couple of different companies, the likes of WCPW and NGW, how will those experiences pull into creating WOS? 

I think the experience is fantastic. As a TV producer I look at what's happening on screen and I think what should the soundtrack to this be. So for WCPW because it's more tongue in cheek, I'll make it a bit more funny and not so serious. With NGW, it's essentially a brand for kids, that's also cool enough for adults to go "There's a good match", but it's aimed really at children, so I don't do any of those kind of jokes. I think with World of Sport, it's perfect, because it's exactly in the middle. It's got to be engaging enough, that you might crack a joke here or there, but it's not a joke show, also you want to make it accessible enough for wrestling fans so it's serious. So with all of those experiences, World of Sport is the perfect mixture of all those style. 

Just to turn the questions round on you, what did you particularly like about the show? 

I liked that there was something for everyone. I didn't feel it was a blowaway show, but it was sound throughout. You had El Ligero vs. Zack Gibson, the tag team match and you had the story between Dave Mastiff and Grado throughout. There was something to pull the audience in and it was a good way to introduce the product. 

I agree. It did what it needed to do. I always say if you look at World of Sport in 1988 and you look at Gladiators in '92, that's five years in real time, but in TV time it looks their thirty years apart. British wrestling needed that influx of light, sound. This press conference is better produced than most of the World of Sport stuff in 80's, which says a lot. I think that's really what it needed to show. It needed to show to a whole new audience, that British wrestling can do the production, it can do the elaborate lighting rigs, video screens. I think that's what it did and it did a great job of doing that. It showed a colourful, flashy cast of character. 

So WOS is currently scheduled to tape ten episodes. Would you prefer to tape those ten and then take a break or would you prefer to do more of a weekly soap opera style?

That is a very good question! I am a fan of series'. NGW, you mentioned earlier, I do that in seasons and now a few other companies in Britain are in seasons. I think, you have a burnout, Coronation Street is a perfect example. Not of something that's "burnt out" but of something that needs a massive turnover of writers, but then with new writers you lose people who were familiar with the product. So, what you need is a team of people who know wrestling, one, people that can write, two, that have a rapport with the wrestling, three, and also know what else a wrestler has in the tank. You go "I know, this guy has got that amazing blow-away match in him, particularly with this person", so if you actually narrow it down, even though everyone wants to be a wrestling writer, it's a really narrow group of people. You don't want those people to get burnt out by doing 52 weeks a year, plus specials, so I'm a big fan of the concept of doing series. I like it personally, all my favourite shows are in series, in fact, I don't have another show that isn't in a series. Just from my own personal tastes that's what I like, but other companies have been very successful running forever, but I think it could potentially create burn out. If you compare it to the original, you used to have one match sometimes that would go on for half an hour, depending on how many rounds it was, but now people want it quick and so I think series are the way to go. 

Do you know how many episode will be taped per taping? 

That's the magic question! Probably best for me not to say anything that might be an accidental world exclusive! "Alex Shane crucified in World exclusive shocker". That's the great thing though, when you're in the hands of a TV channel, not just a production company, but an actual TV channel, you can't find anyone better at making television. Whereas a lot of the time you have a wrestling company that tries their hand at making television, which can be a problem. Then sometimes it can go the other way, you get a television company, that's trying to do wrestling without wrestling people. Which is why I think with IMPACT Wrestling, we've got people who've got a lot of experience, Jeff Jarrett, Jeremy Borash, who have a lot of experience of doing large scale, American television, but there's enough influence from us Brits in there to keep it British as well. I think that's going to be a massive Godsend. So, the long answer to your question is...it'll be good, no matter how many they shoot. 

I think with the talent already involved and IMPACT Wrestling/Anthem Sports and Entertainment coming in as well, it should create something that the British wrestling fans can be really proud of. With ITV you've got the potential to take the product around the world, do you see the product being able to spread internationally?

Well, yeah, Anthem has the Fight Network. The Fight Network is in 36 countries. I know that because I make two shows from them. So it's in a lot of countries, it's just because we don't have it here, a lot of people don't realise, but it's everywhere. So, that's a great thing as well, because I can only imagine, that means more people in different countries will be watching World of Sport and potentially who knows maybe some of the archive stuff, it could be really exciting. I'm speculating on that, but that's exactly what I would do. It's perfect.  

I'd like to thank Alex for taking the time to talk with us on Monday. WOS Wrestling will tape at Preston Guild Hall on 25th/26th May with tickets going on sale on 7th April at 9am from Gigs and Tours, Ticketmaster and Preston Guild Hall. 

Interviewer: James Marston

Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling 

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