Gorgeous Gino Giovanni has been an integral part of New England professional wrestling for the last fifteen years. In those years, he’s been a part of many successes and some failures. He’s also been a part of some controversial situations. We got a chance to speak with Gino Giovanni earlier today, and this is what he had to say.
Q: Thank you Gino, for granting us this interview.
A: Wow, “granting”! Finally someone with a little bit of class.
Q: So let’s just dive right into it. Scott Hall. What the hell happened?
A: Ah, the story that will never end. The word from his handlers is that he had just gotten out of the hospital prior to Top Ropes 30th Anniversary event for some issues and had “mixed up” his medication the day of the event. When I got into the building, he was secluded in a private room of the PAL where the only one that I saw go in or out was Justin Credible. A lot of banging and yelling came from behind that door and I can honestly say I don’t know what was going on. When I finally saw Hall it was a very scary sight. He looked like a zombie caricature of the man I had seen on TV countless times before; blood red eyes that slowly drifted from left to right and blue almost black lips. He could barely walk and his words were totally unrecognizable. I haven’t been speechless very much in my life and this was one of those times. Crazy thing is that TRP promoters and even newspaper reporters had in-depth conversations with the guy for weeks prior to the event and he was better than great during these calls.
I’ve said this for what feels like a million times but Hall insisted on going to the ring that night and refused to have it any other way.
Q: What were you feeling knowing you were going to be in the ring with a man who was in the state Scott Hall was in?
A: Actually I didn’t know I was going to be in there at all with him until the very last minute. My purpose that night was to have a few words with former owner Joe Eugenio and legend Ox Baker. That’s it. Once I knew that there was going to be an actual match and Hall was going to be involved in some way, my heart was beating out of my chest. Between the notice and the match I think there was about 15-20 minutes of downtime. I took a lot of deep breaths, recited all the prayers I could remember and created plans in my head for several scenarios that could have gone down. I was totally in the dark going out there. It was my first show back of a long-term commitment to TRP. It was an event that was so extremely important to me, not because of Hall or anyone else but simply because it was the 30th Anniversary of a company I enjoyed working for most of all and in my favorite venue of any I’ve worked in. Now, I was asked if I would accept taking an uncomfortable position in order to try and salvage the mess that was almost guaranteed to happen. It was an honor to be looked at as “that guy” and it was also very nerve wracking. It was an extremely bitter-sweet moment.
Q: What was the reaction from the crowd?
A: Confusion for the most part. Many people were thinking this was a ruse by Hall and that he’d walk out there just fine throwing toothpicks and taking surveys. Some people were very angry having their children exposed to that visual and rightfully so. Still, many were wrapped up in the excitement of it all. For them, bottom line is that this IS pro wrestling and this is what those rare, unbelievable urban legend-esque stories are made of.
Q: You ended up working a match with Justin Credible. What did Credible have to say about his good friend Scott Hall?
A: It was kind of awkward. I’ve spoken with Credible many times before and never, ever had an issue. TRP management pulled me aside and told me I was going to be having a match with him. Justin overheard and zipped by saying “No fucking way”, he grabbed the personnel by the arm and moved him to the side and said in a low voice “I’m only doing something with Scott and Scott’s only doing something with me”. At that point I had a sigh of relief as the match was called off. Not too long after the match was back on. After several trips in and out of Halls room, Justin apologized to me numerous times and kept saying “I’m sorry it’s gotta be this way. It’s for Scott”. I took a little offense to that as I thought the last person this event was for was Hall. Once I got up to the gorilla position it was then I took the greatest offense of all as I waited to walk out and I heard Hall slur on the mic “I know you guys had to sit through six boring matches to see me…”. I saw red at that point. This guy just walked into our house, put us into the worst position the company’s ever been in and just called six matches that featured Mike Bennett, Scott Taylor, Magnum and many others boring. I looked to my left and Gregory Edwards was standing there with his arms folded and eyes squinted in anger. “Go”, he said in a way I had never heard him speak before. I went out there, got hit with kendo sticks, had chairs wildly swung at me by Hall and then my worst fear had happened. Hall tried to put me into “The Razors’ Edge” three consecutive times. Each time I squirmed away, I was dragged back into it until I was finally pulled out of the ring and the arena. That was the last I talked to Credible.
Q: What was the general feeling after the night was over?
A: Honestly, it was such a huge range of emotions. Sometimes several from the same person. Disgust, excitement, anger, anxiety, depression, shock, surprise. After the match, I went back to my locker room that I was sharing with a few others, I cleaned up, got dressed, checked my phone and walked back over to the monitor. Hall wasn’t even out of the ring yet and one of the images burned into my mind at that point was Tomasso Champia pacing. I’ve shared a locker room with Tomasso several times and Tomasso Champia simply does not pace before a match…ever. He’s always calm, cool, collected, working out or double checking his boots before matches. Not this time. Back and forth, back and forth, rubbing his hand over his face and head, glancing at the monitor watching 20+ minutes pass as Hall was still in the ring and fans started to leave thinking it was over. Tomasso still had to wait through this incident as well as another match before his own was up. I walked down the corridor and saw the six contenders for the on-deck ladder match all with their heads down looking at the floor feeling their chance to steal the entire show dwindling. Those of us that had been around for some time had never seen anything like that and those that barely had a few years under their belts weren’t sure if this was “the norm” for high-profile stars like Hall. Lots of interesting “What if”, “Should we”, “How do we” questions asked throughout the night once the event ended and the fans had left the PAL Hall.
Q: Do you feel Top Rope Promotions took advantage of the Scott Hall incident?
A: Took advantage? TRP didn’t even break even on the deal. When I found out the ridiculous amount of money Hall was paid upfront the second he got off the plane and to do what he did, well I myself was a little sick. I’m not sure exactly what the financial logistics of the whole deal were but usually it works something like this: Star comes in for a flat fee plus air and hotel. A percentage of autographs and pictures usually gets split between the promoter and the star (other times the promoter pays a flat premium charge and takes all of the sales). In the case with Hall, he got the fee, the hotel and flight and the promoter only got the ticket sales. Some think this was fair enough but the ticket sales alone can’t be counted on for this event. They are priced with families in mind and in this type of scenario, the promoter banks on making his money through merchandise. Hall “signed” (with a single crooked scribbled line) literally two, possibly three autographs and took the same amount of pictures. I watched from a small opening upstairs and what killed me the most was this guy who placed his actual license plate in front of Hall that read “HEY-YO” and it was signed with that same scribbled “signature”. Disgusting.
Then came the decision to put Hall out there as talked about before so I wont rehash. Remarkably this too was talked about as taking advantage of him. How? He was paid, intermission was done and he certainly he was not making a second autograph appearance that night. Finally, the biggest bitch, whine and complain moment of this whole incident revolved around a ten dollar internet Pay-Per-View (iPPV) which included the footage of Halls’ state. I say, that’s good TV and if I was in the same position as the promoter, booker or the TRP board, I would have went ahead with the decision as well to generate some controversy and YES definitely to attempt to recoup the huge loss I suffered the week or two prior. So in closing, the only ones that were taken advantage of in this situation were the TRP fans by Scott Hall himself.
Q: Lately, you’ve been using the NWO wolfpack music to come down to the ring. What message are you trying to send?
A: I don’t want any of our fans to forget what happened. I also want someone to take notice and question it and get it back to Hall. We all deserve an apology. We are weeks away from the 6-month mark and still have yet to receive one. Until we get one, I will continue to push that envelope.
Q: You returned to Top Rope Promotions in April after a two years absence. Where did you go?
A: I was made an offer from a local promoter one night after a show. He was opening a new promotion that would be in direct competition with Top Rope and my position would be that of matchmaker. Before I was able to refuse, I was told I would be getting guaranteed money for every show and the dollar amount offered was unheard of and astronomical for independent wrestling. I told the promoter to let me think about it and left the offer open. I called Steve Ricard, TRP owner and my personal friend and told him the details. “Do you really think you’re going to get that much?”, he asked in disbelief. I explained I didn’t see why not and if I didn’t get it, I could just walk out. I asked Steve for his personal opinion and before I finished he cut me off, “Gino, you’d be a fool not to take that”, he continued. “Take it, take it for all it’s worth. I’d do it myself!”. Steves tone then lowered a bit, “You know I can’t use you while you’re there,” he continued “As soon as it’s over though you’re more than welcome to come back. I want a 10% finders fee though”, he laughed. I’ve always been straight and honest with Steve. I respect him too much to be otherwise as he is far too fair and brutally honest with me and this is a perfect example; I just never expected that my leave would be for two years. That deal didn’t last longer than 4 or 5 months tops. As the matchmaker or booker you are supposed to have near total control over the way the event plays out and the matches that are offered. Very quickly I began seeing more and more of the card pre-booked for me with what the owner wanted to see and not what was in the best interest of the company for the long term. My breaking point came after many talks, arguments and so many political dealings that were happening. Then I was handed Ã’Ò¾ of the card for the upcoming show. I gave my notice and made my exit. In between those 4-5 months I was contacted by Davey Cash. Davey and I had been very tight since I came to Yankee Pro Wrestling (Which later became TRP) in the late 90s. A lot of the original Yankee talent had left once the TRP banner took over because of various personal issues with new management. These guys migrated over to a promotion called Alliance Championship Wrestling. The company had a stigma not long before of being “backyard”. The owner had brought in all of the Yankee guys who had left in order to turn the place around with the centerpiece of the roster being Brickhouse Baker and “Sweet” Scott Ashworth. Davey Cash’s call was to make me an offer for ACW. “How much you looking for to come in?”, I smiled hearing this knowing what I was already getting and just for fun, said a number that was close to what I was already getting in the other promotion. “That’s fair bro. I think you deserve that but I dunno if he’s going to do it. I’ll give you a holla back soon”, I shrugged it off assuming it was way beyond what anyone would ever pay me. To my surprise, I got a call back not too long after saying it was a done deal. I called Steve Ricard who again gave me the exact same response as earlier and finished up with “This is kind of ridiculous Gino Giovanni. I don’t know how you’re pulling this off. Don’t forget my 10%”. The promoter and owner of ACW was Dave Olivera. I have not a single bad word to say about the man as he paid me in full, fulfilling his part of our deal even after ACW was gone.
For the next year and a half I was working for ACW and secretly, I was very, very happy. I was with friends I hadn’t seen in years, becoming closer with friends I already had like Cash, John Munroe, Pyro, Baker, Ash and others. I also met 3 other brand new guys who intrigued me because they were incredibly level headed, genuine and very nice people. Kind of unheard of for brand spanking new rookies. Those gentleman were Vinny Marseglia, Matt Taven and Matt Magnum. While Taven would hang out with us quite a bit, Munroe, Marseglia, Magnum and myself became somewhat of an unseperateable clique. As I watched these guys grow and keep wanting more and more, I told them that soon, they’d have to expand their horizons in order to keep growing. I told them they needed to go to Top Rope. I had several talks with Ricard about these guys and each time he was very much against it. In one conversation Steve had said, “Gino Giovanni I don’t know what you’re smoking but Vinny Marseglia does not and will not bring anything to the TRP table. Cmon, do you see what he looks like/! He comes off as a B-Card shitbag,” he laughed. Unfortunately, as he usually is, Steve was right. The look and workrate had to be turned up ten-fold. When a Stevie Richards seminar came around that TRP was hosting, I insisted that these guys go. I called Vinny from Sand Diego for most of that week and weekend demanding that he go. He was very adamant about it as he was very unsure of himself and simply didn’t want to shame or embarrass himself. I can’t blame him. He was making a move it took me about 5 years to make. Finally they wound up going and continued to train at TRP. That’s pretty much when my job was done and the reigns were taken over by Ryan Waters and TRP trainers and personnel as they became increasingly impressed by these guys’ dedication, willingness to learn and perseverance. Finally the day came where they were put into their first TRP match and then right after given a decision to choose ACW or TRP. With Vinnys final ACW match being against me, they all left for TRP and while it was exactly what I wanted for them, I was very sad to see them go.
I stayed behind as I was still making money until the company folded and another was put in its place. I simply wasn’t having fun anymore nor was I making money. I had started getting a lot of “When are you going back to TRP?” questions. I knew the time had come and in March of 2011, I made my return home.
Q: You’ve been a part of Top Rope Promotions when it was Yankee Pro Wrestling and South Coast Championship Wrestling. How do you compare the product now to 10 or 15 years ago?
A: I’m going to step on some toes here but the overall product is leaps and bounds better. On the wrestling side, in the 90s and early part of the first decade of the 2000s we didn’t have 8 matches put on that had the workrate of an Eddie Edwards, Tomasso, Bennett, etc. You had one, rarely two good matches, a few ok matches and a lot of pretty bad matches. Matches were made depending on who walked in the door, everyone definitely did not have pro gear and just about anyone had a good shot at getting booked for a show. The one thing I can say that was better in those days were the houses. Anytime there was a PAL event, the place was standing room only without a single star being on the card. However, the economy and the average wrestling fan were drastically different in those days. Of course most tickets then were also only $2 and unlike today, no one was ever paid except when we did road shows.
Q: When you worked for South Coast Championship Wrestling, you were the booker. Can you tell us what the booker does?
A: I think the easiest way to answer this is to say that the booker DOESN’T collect tickets….usually. The booker is the heart and soul of the event. He or she will spend weeks or even months developing storylines. I personally liked to take one date in the future and work backwards from that point with the stories slowly crisscrossing and some of them actually merging together when that big event comes to fruition. The booker will call all of the talent needed, giving them as many dates as they can offer to fulfill the gameplan. On many occasions the booker will also be out promoting the show as any good booker takes great pride in what they are putting together and will do whatever they can to ensure a good turnout. The booker serves as the resident inbox department for countless questions, dislikes, “suggestions”, complaints, talent cancellations, “suggestions”, booking inquires, promotional/poster input, write ups, creating the printed card and of course plenty of “suggestions”. Come the day of the event, you can find the booker having their hand in everything from setting up the arena, talking over keynotes with talent, working certain lighting treatments, ensuring special music is played on cue, directing on-air and promotional segments, restructuring the entire event due to a last minute cancellation or delayed talent, ensuring proper timing and all while taking in the show from a discreet location or a monitor. I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve missed. I personally loved the story writing aspect of the job and would happily take a position just writing stories and creating characters. I even took a minor in college for career and entertainment writing in hopes of doing this professionally someday. The greatest reward a booker can receive is seeing his vision leap off his paper and brought to life on our stage flawlessly.
Q: What were some of your favorite memories as booker of SCCW? And what were some of your worst?
A: I have a lot of great memories of SCCW, some are the very best of my career. I tried my hardest to make SCCW drastically different from sister promotion, YPW with completely different lettering, tone, very bright and bold yellows as our color scheme (over Yankees traditional red, white and blue) and an overall sense and feel of totally over-the-top fun rather than opting for the darker and more aggressive style taking place on the other side. I am a huge fan of 80s wrestling over any other era mostly because of the way stories were told and the very magnified and blown-up characters. I tried to instill into SCCW a very 80’s look and feel with certain talk show segments being done outside of the ring on a stage or platform and giving a specific show name to each of out two venues. Commissioner “Flex” Mark Damons “Friday Night Flexercise” took place at the PAL and SCCW: Adrenaline taking place at our training facility. Additionally the SCCW characters for good or bad, were very memorable. I live for creating a character from top to bottom and ensuring that character fits the criteria I am looking for to the very “T”. For example, here is an opening for a segment with a set of characters I created that were used in another promotion. Gives you an idea of how anal and nuts I am when bringing these characters to life:
http://youtu.be/7iDdhxpeM7A
SCCWs cast of characters included the evil Payne family of Alex, his brother Hansel and sister Heidi, resident lifeguard “Malibu” Matt Modul and his Baywatch-like girlfriend “Beach Break” Nikki, we had a cat burglar, an All-American named Kidd USA Jay Jailette, Boyband member Lance Silva, The Gothic Trio: Generation of Disaster (The Kreeper, Tremor and Trinity H. Campbell), Commissioner and Exercise Guru “Flex” Mark Damon and his plump sidekick Johnny Jiggles, myself and GQ Smooth made up The Silver & Black Attack and the SCCW Italian superhero was Superman Soprano.
Two of my all-time favorite memories of SCCW was creating a very, very successful hardcore title division which included a slight twist on the 24-7 title defense rule. The twist was that literally anyone in the building could walk out at any given time during the night as SCCW hardcore champion and it could change hands several times. This division became so insanely popular with our fans that it nearly outshined our heavyweight title division and on a few rare occasions, it did. Wrestlers, managers, a single fan and even a very young ring crew boy layed claim to that title. That young ring crew boy after getting his first taste of gold in his very early teens, followed his dream and later became Chris Pyro.
One man then entered the mix and brought a heavy blanket of seriousness and dominance to the title. Max “The Butcher” Brannigan very quickly became a marquee player and gained a cult-like following anytime he was advertised. I had never seen a following of such rabid fans that latched onto one individual the way they did with Max. He nearly single handedly made SCCW “the cool place to be”. Brannigan kept the title from the time he walked in until he retired the the title a few years later.
Easily THE most memorable SCCW moment was the year-long story involving the absolute destruction and demise of our headlining star, Heavenly Johnny Angel. The story involved and touched on everyone on the entire roster. Up until this point, Johnny Angel was synonymous with the South Coast Championship title. You just never saw the guy without it and he was the most pure hero of either promotion. Johnny simply could never do any wrong. The Paynes came into the picture and Angel was abused and man-handled by all of them like no SCCW fan had ever seen before. The feud climaxed at a single match which was a combination lumberjack/steel cage match keeping champion Angel and challenger Hansel Payne inside of the cage also keeping the rest of the Payne family and anyone else, out. During the match SCCW fans were given something else they’ve never seen before: an absolute bloobath not of the villain but of the purest of good, Angel. After a complete meltdown happening between the wrestlers outside the ring, Hansel and Angel were left completely alone inside the cage. A hooded masked man entered the ring and just brutally beat Johnny into submission allowing Hansel to gain the victory and championship. At that moment, the lights went out and ring crew members scrambled for flashlights and fans saw the arena fill with smoke and when the lights immediately came back on, Angel was gone. Fans cried, refused to leave the building, wrote us letters and e-mails expressing their hate for Hansel and demanding to know the condition of Angel. It was an amazing response. For months the lights would randomly go out, smoke would drift up from under the ring and parts of Angels music would play with heavy static. Every time the crowd would completely blow up expecting their hero to return but he never did. Then one night it happened again, but this time, a slow and almost evil version of Angels techno “Zombie Nation” theme played and still while in complete, smokey darkness you saw glowing green and orange (Angels standard colors) liquid flow over a form which revealed itself to be a man (Think of a blacklight Gatorade commercial). That man was finally revealed by the glowing liquid as Johnny Angel. The effect live was absolutely stunning and had never been done before. The crowd response was deafening! Again fans cried in rejoice and happiness. The amount of emotion in that room at that moment was unparalleled to anything I have experienced before. I was swelling with pride for my crew and how seamless it all came together. I miss SCCW and that crew very much and would give anything to relive some of those moments. I’ll never forget how easy each and every talent was to work with and how open and receptive they were to my always wacky ideas. If you’re reading this now and you were there as a talent, crew member, management or fan, thank you so very much! I can only think of two “worst moments” for me in SCCW. Of course first was the day the doors closed on us in a not-so-swan-song-like way. We really never got to write the end of SCCW and give it proper closure. It sort of just happened. However, the single worst moment of that time was when I received the news that one of our most beloved high-fliers, Stevie Sky was in a horrible car accident and had passed on because of it. Stevie was simply the nicest kid you’d ever meet in your life. Always a huge smile and happy to see you. Always asked how you and your family were doing and again ALWAYS happy. Never in my life have I ever been so shaken up at a wake than at his. I feel terrible saying this but I wish I never had to look at him in that casket. The way he looked was beyond words. I broke down perhaps the hardest I ever had in my life and anytime I even talk about or think of it I immediately get choked up. It has to be close to ten years since you’ve been gone Stevie, but you have never, ever been forgotten and always remembered when any of us get together.
Q: On October 7th, you will be wrestling Gene Joseph. The loser of the match will have to wear a dress. Are you ready to don a dress for the fans in Fall River?
A: Of course not. I really don’t plan on losing this one at all. Should the unforseen happen though, I’m a man of my word unlike Joseph.
Q: You and Gene have always had a bitter rivalry. This goes back since Gene’s arrival in Top Rope Promotions years ago. Why the animosity?
A: Gene Joseph is one of the most disliked individuals anywhere he goes. It’s something he brings on himself. Anything that spews out of his mouth is 102% lie. Some people may dislike me but I’ve never pulled any punches and I’ve always said exactly what’s on my mind. Gene sticks his nose into everyone’s business and tries to manipulate any given situation to benefit himself. He’s interjected himself into my business for the final time and that snoopy little nose is going to get broken off. He reminds me of that little old bitch at the end of the street who gossips and passes judgment on everyone in the neighborhood. After October 7th Gene Joseph, you’re going to dress just like that little old bitch.
Q: What can we expect from your match with Gene Joseph at the October 7th event in Fall River?
A: I plan on punching that crusty scab in the face the minute the bell rings and then I’ll make the pin. I do wish I had thought through what kind of trouble his Freakshow may cause but I still have quite a bit of time to build a motel for those roaches.
Q: You’ve been described by many as being a great promo guy. What does that mean to you?
A: Well my immediate thought every time I hear this is that I’m not really known for being that much of a great wrestler. It bothers me a lot but then again, there aren’t very many people who can get out there and elicit a solid, wild vocal emotion from people in a 10-minute (sometimes 15 or 20 if the booker is asleep) non-physical speech and that I am very, very proud of. I’ve always liked entertaining in that medium. It’s no secret to anyone that truly knows me that my love of game shows is unparalleled to anyone with Lukas Sharp and Alex Payne being far seconds. While wrestling is a true love for me, if I had a choice of any career in the world, I would be a game show host. Even when I was a kid I loved to talk and entertain. My elderly aunts, uncles and Nana would sit around me in Aunt Lucys living room. I’d take one of her pussy willow branches she had in a vase and pluck off all the buds except the one at the top of the branch in order to replicate Bob Barkers’ microphone. I’d host “The Price is Right” with them for hours. Later on, when my sister and I were just old enough to be left home alone, we had 5 to 6 hours every Wednesday night to kill before the rents got home. My sister would invite two or three of her friends over for Gino Giovanni’s Game Show Night where I’d host episodes of MTVs “Remote Contol” Nickelodeons’ “Fun House” and “Double Dare” (Complete with obstacle course). Remarkably no one ever found out about these little parties I hosted as my sister and I hauled ass at the last hour to clean up the incredible amounts of rice krispes, popcorn, chocolate sauce and lime green jello from the rugs and contestants hair.
Q: What advice could you give to guys who may have trouble speaking on the microphone?
A: This may sound weird to some but seek out an improv or acting class from a local theater or even ask your trainer to consider bringing someone in. These classes can drastically improve what you are lacking and gives you a ton of confidence and the quick-witted thinking you need to verbally tell a story. If you’re in the New England area, I highly recommend seeking out Improv extraordinaire Miss Casey Seymore-Kim and if you’re up for a challenge, find and book a class with actor, writer, director and my dear friend Fred Sullivan. There is no one on this earth than can truly pull the best aspects out of a human being and instill so many keys that will help you even in wrestling than Fred. I haven’t been to the area in a very, very long time but both of these individuals were available for classes through the Gamm Theater in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Q: You’ve been involved in wrestling for almost 20 years now. What were some of your favorite moments?
A: Ah there’s so many. I’ve been so very fortunate and lucky to have done some of the things I’ve have. The most memorable in no particular order:
-Becoming the protege of Rick “The Model” Martel at the start of my career
– Being the final person to work a set of singles matches with Killer Kowalski
-Working several matches inside of the ECW arena – Forever thankful Bobby Cruise!
-Working with The Fabulous Moolah
-Meeting and having a 2-hour long talk with Bret Hart
-Wrestling inside the PAL Hall for the first time
-Being brought into Ring of Honor – Again, thank you Bobby!
-Working a year long feud with Steve Corino
-Having met some of the very best and closest friends I’ve ever had before in my lifetime
Q: You’ve also been able to work for some great promotions in your time. Which ones stood out?
A: ROH and TRP of course. The other major standout would be the original PWF-Universal based out of Pennsylvania. Amazing place. The standard roster each and every show included The Blue Meanie, Steve Corino, Sandman, New Jack, Jack Victory, Chris Hammerick, Lou E. Dangerously, Matt Stryker, The Amazing Red, The SAT, Trent Acid, Johnny Kashmere, Quiet Storm, Simply Lucious, Rob Dimension, Leatherface, Low Ki, The Briscoes, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Masato Tanaka, Samoa Joe, CW Anderson and so many more. Again these guys were all REGULARS and I was able to work with nearly all of them. I never felt so humbled and shocked to be in a locker room from the very inception of the promotion right to the end. Thank you PWF/World-1!
Q: Of all your opponents over the years, who was your favorite and why?
A: Tough choice. I’d have to go with “The King of Old School” Steve Corino. We meshed so incredibly well on all levels especially when it came to promos. We took our feud throughout New England and into the Tri-State Area for over a year before finally seeing eye-to-eye and then really putting it into high-gear as the team of “Old School Style” which went on for another year and a half. Steve was so far beyond what I ever expected from a star. He actually set the bar for me. He constantly gave me invaluable advice and ideas, set me up for bookings and was the person who hired and brought me into his PWF promotion. The man treated me as if I had known him for my entire life, inviting me to stay at his home when I was booked in Philly, having dinner with him and his family, road tripping on occasion and even trusting me enough to look after his son Colby who I still chat with today. Steve Corino is beyond a star or even “just another talent”; Amazingly I can proudly call “The King of Old School” a personal friend.
Q: What do you think of the current crop of young rookies? Anybody stand out in your mind?
A: I don’t remember the last time in recent memory where there has been a smaller crop! It’s kind of a breath of fresh air. In previous years you’d see them popping up anywhere and everywhere and you’d really have to dig and search to find the ones with potential. This time around it’s really clear and there’s not a lot of them running around. Not really sure what’s happened or changed.
Right away Kowalski Cup participant Julian Starr immediately comes to mind as a stand out. The kid has got it and makes you think he’s been around much much longer than the short time he’s been around. Some others are:
-J.T. Dunn: I don’t care what negativity has ever been said about this guy, he knows how to entertain and control a crowd better than most 10-year vets. Before you talk shit, sit and watch a singles match of JTs. He comes equipped with a pretty unique arsenal already and I truly think hes going to fully come into his own between now and late next year.
-Taka Suzuki: You’re going to hear a lot about this young legit Japanese import very soon. I had the chance to get to know him as part of JBL’s Uprising in MWF. He’s been trained by some of Japans finest and is quickly starting to integrate it with the U.S. style.
-Vinny Marseglia: As much as I hate his guts for the way he turned out when he came to TRP and want so see him sniff enough of his own paint until he goes into a coma, the guy has come leaps and bounds faster than I’ve ever seen anyone do so before him.
-Taeler Hendrix: The girl is going to make it. Period.
-Adam Cole: In about two years Adam broke into the scene, was signed and actively used by ROH which is almost unheard of in that time period. Any match between him and rival Kyle O’Reilly that I’ve seen has been unbelievable.
-Matt Magnum: My Rookie of the Year and pick for taking this years Kowalski Cup. Magnum has been a sponge for all things to do with wresting education and has taken every bit of knowledge that his trainer current champ Mike Bennett was able to give him. The kid is a machine. That being said, expect to see him rise and excel far beyond anything that chump Bennett has ever done.
Q: You’ve spent some time in Ring of Honor. What do you think of their product now?
A: It’s so hard to tell what to think until ROHs new owners start putting out and promoting shows. They are right in the middle of a very important transitional period. It’s nearly impossible to compare at this time.
Q: Gino, at this point I’d like to do a little word association. I’ll give you the name of a random wrestler from New England and you give me your opinion on them, ok?
A: Sure
Q: Gene Joseph.
A: She better dust off her little black cocktail dress
Q: The Freakshow.
A: As I said before, roaches.
Q: Steve Ricard.
A: Aside from Joe Eugenio, one of my longest and closest friends in this business. Steve is possibly the most ballsy, hard working, pull-no-punches and genuine person I know. I can’t tell you how many hours of conversation Steve and I have had and the word “Wrestling” has never come up. Despite all the trash people have and do talk about him, the guy is a walking success story. Came into Yankee Pro Wrestling as a cameraman, bought the company, rebranded it and built it into the the monstrous success it is today, owns two homes, is a SAG card carrying actor and again, works his ass off sometines 18 to 20-hours a day all well before the age of 30. What no one seems to understand is that TRP is HIS SOLE BUSINESS! I always have and always will have nothing but the utmost respect for my friend Steve Ricard.
Q: Sheldon Goldberg
A: Sheldon has always been so very good to me. One of the classiest individuals I have ever had the pleasure meeting. We spoke to each other in passing for years and one of my goals was to finally work for him. When that finally happened I made such a true and loyal friend. I can easily talk to Sheldon for hours at a time about wrestling, it’s roots, where it’s been and where it’s going. I encourage anyone looking to learn more about our sport to contact this man directly. His knowledge is unsurpassed.
Q: Johnny Angel
A: It’s one of the strangest feelings to not see him around anymore. As many times as I wished it and tried to take him out, I never thought I’d actually see the day where there was no Johnny Angel in Top Rope Promotions. The guy who never took a booking anywhere else for 10+ years and was the face of the company for so long is gone. It’s almost haunting. No one ever sits in the spot where he would be in his locker room and when you walk by it you can’t help but stop for a moment and stare before moving on. I’m really not sure how I feel about it. Lets move on.
Q: Spike Dudley
A: Spike has been instrumental in the rebranding of the company and made TRP his home base, lending his name and efforts to the Lock-Up Academy. He has personally trained so many of the stars you see out in our events and has brought to TRP a huge layer of professional foundation.
My mom is actually the one who introduced me to Spike. They had met at my moms place of employment and when she found out he was a wrestler, she immediately started talking me up. Spike having seen me on local television gave her his card. We communicated by emails for a few years and then when he was released from his WWE contract, Ricard was looking to get ahold of him and I shot him over an e-mail and put the two in contact. When we finally met face-to-face he had asked me if Corino had mentioned anything to me about ECW. I said know and he let me in on the fact that Heyman was looking to bring me in after Spike had pushed me onto him. Unfortunately, ECW folded right before I was to be contacted. Ugh.
Q: Scott Hall
A: The single biggest disappointment of my career.
Q: Gino, it was a pleasure interviewing you.
A:Pleasure was all mine. Thank you for the opportunity.