You recently expanded MSW into Labrador City, Newfoundland. Tell us about that.
Yes, I did. Opening that market was a dream of mine ever since I went to the rest of Newfoundland in 2005. It took a lot of work to make that a reality and like anything else I strive for and want badly enough, it came to fruition. It was a hellacious trip as far as travel was concerned, but well worth it in the long run. Going into the North like that was a real landmark achievement for this company and something I’m very proud of accomplishing. It was quite an experience for the first crew I took up there and the fans were so responsive; they couldn’t believe we were really coming - it was amazing to them to see such an event.

Your promotion has grown a lot over the years - you currently run anywhere from 20 to 40 shows a year. How do you make that happen?
A lot of hard work, patience, perseverance, and an ungodly threshold for bullshit! MainStream Wrestling tours are the largest tours in the entire country and it’s no small feat whatsoever. Not only is it a tall order to fill the calendar like I do every year, but it’s meaningful to me to be able to offer wrestlers the experience what it was like to work back in the territory days when guys were on the road for such long periods of time. What we do – that’s what the business of professional wrestling is all about, living on the road for a month at a time. These guys out there who wrestle once a month or even do a 4-, 5-day trip, that’s nothing. You only learn what it’s really all about on a full-length tour, especially one that covers the stretch of land we do. It’s a team effort and it takes a VERY special group to be able to work together to pull it off each time. I’m going to keep doing it as long I think I’m physically and mentally able to. After the last tour, there’s nothing that I can’t overcome anymore. It was very rough at times and I was tested more than ever, but I overcame it all. So did the boys. I’m proud of them all.

Your thoughts on the Wrestling Reality series that aired on The Fight Network in the Fall of 2007?
I had mixed opinions about it. I don’t think it was great but I don’t think it was entirely bad, either. If it got some of the young guys a look, then good for them. If it made money, that’s great. Seeing that it was going on television, I definitely would have made sure I had decent ring announcers and play-by-play commentators who knew a little bit about what they were doing. But like I said, if it benefited anyone at all, then I guess it was successful. I liked some of it, some of it I didn’t care for. Now, before you think I’m being unfair, just remember, I aired the pilot at Seaside Slam at the Halifax Forum a couple of years ago, so I actually endorsed it. It had the potential to help everyone around here, in essence.

There have been a lot of angry words spoken between Mike Hughes, Peter Smith and you over the years. You have been booking Hughes on and off for 3 years now, and most recently Peter Smith has worked a show for you. How did you finally come to terms with them?
Well, with Mike, he was willing to put differences aside and work something out with me. So, I contacted him, or vice versa, I really can’t remember which. We worked out a deal where he was going to debut at Anniversary Assault ’05 and be the surprise opponent for Scott Savage. With Peter, he was almost here 3 years ago but we got tangled up into some poor miscommunication and it never came about. I then met him finally a few months ago and we talked about working together to bring him here, and that was that. Yes, there was a lot of crap thrown around years ago, then we all just realized that it was time we started helping each other instead of slinging mud at one another. I brought them in to make my product better and add even more credibility to it, and I’ll keep doing what I feel is good for business until it appears to not be a good idea anymore. So far it’s all been good. Mike has been a great asset to MSW and a mentor, personally.

Have your opinions on them changed since you have started working with them?
Absolutely. You never know someone until you spend time with them and actually make a solid effort to get to know them. Mike and Peter didn’t know me at the time and I didn’t know them, from a personal standpoint, that is. It’s easy to contrive an opinion of someone through an argument, but you can’t decide whether you like them or not unless you want to know them. Of course, I know Mike a lot better than I do Peter, but I’m sure he’ll be around more often next year, too.

Your thoughts on the Ultimate Championship Wrestling tour that was held in July 2008?
I wasn’t on that tour or near it, so I won’t give an opinion.

Lincoln Steen walked away from MSW in 2004 as your champion without dropping the Title. Now, in 2008 you have brought Steen back to MSW. Tell us how this came about?
Basically, I wanted to come up with an exciting way to end the year at the Anniversary Assault show and this was the outcome. It was a huge surprise, no one expected it, and it went over very well as I had hoped for. I contacted him, we worked something out, and that’s about it. I do what’s good for MSW and give the fans what they want to pay to see, not necessarily what’s right or wrong for me.

Do you still hold any animosity towards Steen for leaving in 2004?
No, I don’t. What happened back then happened, but that’s in the past now. The belt really had nothing to do with it as far he was concerned, but he should have lost it properly regardless, that’s all there is to it. That’s what you do in this business. I believe in giving someone a second chance as I would want to be given one, and Lord knows I have and then some. I try not to hold grudges and I think working with Steen again is a prime example of that.

How is your working relationship with Steen since he has come back?
It’s pretty much a business-only relationship and that’s fine by me; I think that’s mostly because we don’t live in the same vicinity, though because we’ve always gotten along, we just had some different ideas when it came to wrestling. I can speak for myself when I say I’ve matured immensely from a business standpoint and I think my roster and recent improvements in show quality reflect that. As a result, I explore any opportunity that’s going to increase business. I hope this turns out to be a positive decision as far as that goes. Steen’s involvement also provides the local rookies a chance to work with yet another guy that has some experience, which will also help the shows. The long-term ramifications of his return to action will be positive, too.

You have never competed in the ring one-on-one in a match with Lincoln Steen. Why not?
Quite frankly, I had a trust issue with him. Now, mind you that was 5 years ago and I’ve since learned how to work with guys who I probably shouldn’t be putting in charge of my health, so it’s no longer an issue. That sounds like I’m saying Steen isn’t safe, but that’s not what I mean, it just mean I can work with almost anyone. That match will happen, you can bank on it. I think that when the bill does finally read ‘Steen VS. “X-Ray”’, the fans shouldn’t be surprised to see what I believe will be one of the most exciting matches they’ve ever seen. However, I don’t think there’ll be much left after Grimez is through with him.

Where is your current Champion?
Giant Grimez is currently defending the MSW Championship throughout the New England area. He’s training very hard for the Spring Tour 2009 and is ready to meet Steen at Capital Punishment in April. Who Grimez will face for the remainder of the tour is to be determined.

If you go back and read some older interviews of mine it is no secret that you and Jamie Hamilton have not gotten along. Now, he wrestles for you as “Below The Belt” Bobby Knuckles and is your current Atlantic Canadian Champion. Tell us about finally meeting with him and working things out.
He asked to meet with me after a show earlier this year so I figured I’d listen to what he had to say. Long story short, he’s another rookie who eventually realized he was too green to know what he was talking about at the time he broke into the game, and apologized. I might have been a jerk the first time I met him, but I didn’t consider him a wrestler then because he wasn’t one! Bobby’s a decent kid, though and I’m glad to have him on board. He wants to learn and he generally knows how to carry himself. If he keeps that mindset he’s got half the battle won. The other half is watching who he gets into a ring with and making educated decisions as he goes. It will be interesting to see how he handles the upcoming spring season.

Why did you change his name from Jamie Hamilton to Bobby Knuckles?
Because Jamie Hamilton sounds like the name of a 16-year-old kid and it just didn’t fit him. Bobby Knuckles is more appropriate and represents his real-life personality to a degree. He’s got a very flexible image right now this early in his career. He’s going to keep running with it and do well - keep your eye on him. He’s got the Atlantic Canadian belt right now, too so look out!

Your thoughts on the current huge success that East Coast Pro Wrestling has been having lately?
I didn’t know they were having ‘huge’ success. When was their last tour and sold-out venue? Aside from that, the show line-ups do look solid. It’s good for the fans because they’re getting an extra dose of action down there. It’s good stuff.

What do you have planned for MSW in 2009?
Another expansion, I think. There are a few more places to tap into and I’m going to open them up. The roster for the tour is already completely confirmed and it’s one of the best-rounded crews ever assembled in this territory. An excellent blend of young up-and-comers and seasoned veterans make up the bill for the first big barnburner of 2009. Stay tuned! Complete details will be released next month right here on newscott.com FIRST!

Any closing comments?
The new website is currently under construction and will be ready soon; even though the roster is final for the 4-week tour this spring, any wrestlers looking to get on the waiting list can send your stuff to me at msw_wrestle@hotmail.com. There’s always a chance someone may not be able to make it at the last minute. Also, there may be a few shows in the works for February other than Doolittle’s so keep an eye open. Plus, if you are a video gamer, I host weekly Guitar Hero and WWE SmackDown vs. RAW PS2 all-ages competitions at Dave Doolittle’s Sports Bar & Grill every Wednesday night, located at 90 Tacoma Drive in Dartmouth. Oh, and one more thing:

To the person/people who stole from me recently: Every time you look in the mirror, you’re seeing a scumbag who took food out of the mouth of a little girl and her father. You don’t look at it that way because you’re ignorant and think I do this for a hobby. I don’t; this is my livelihood and that’s what you screwed with: my means of feeding myself, paying my rent, and my other bills. What did you accomplish other than temporarily setting me back $800? You didn’t damage my will because I replaced what you stole in a matter of hours. You didn’t upset me because my spirit cannot be broken. And, you didn’t stop the show because the show will never end. Had the show not gone on though, you would have cost about a dozen hard-working professionals a payday and a chance to advance their craft. But most importantly, you attempted to manipulate our livelihood. You tried to break me, but you failed miserably because that’s what failures do: they fail.

Name Association:

Titus – I didn’t really get a chance to know him the one and only time I worked with him, but from what I did grasp he seems like a good kid. I didn’t sense he thought he knew everything and came off to me pretty decently. We did talk some business and he’ll be working in MSW someday, I’m sure.

Julien Young – Never met him. I can’t say too much about a guy I never met.

Mike Hughes – Great talent and a real asset to any locker room. It was a great experience to wrestle Mike many nights on the last tour. Outside the ring I’ve had a lot of good times with him and I really like having him around. When it’s time to do business not too many can compare.

Brody Steele – Nothing I heard about him has come true so far, and from what I gathered the feeling is mutual. I thought we hit it off fine and I have a feeling we share a lot of the same opinions about the business. I think we’ll do some good together in the future.

Sidewinder – Never met him. (On a side note, I’m completely puzzled why some young up-and-comers never contact me about working 16-20 shows in a row.)

Portia Perez – Well-travelled.

Honky Tonk Man – When he was here we had a great time. He did fairly well for me and I made some money so there’s not much more I can ask for than that. Will he be back? You never know, that’s all I can say. There are not too many people you can drink with at ten o’ clock in the morning and feel ok about it, but ol’ Honky sure is one of them.

Lincoln Steen – He’s back. What kind of an impact it will have for us, only time will tell. I’m excited to develop new opportunities with him and see where it goes. If he’s not ready for Grimez, he’s in serious trouble. That’s a shoot!

Jamie Hamilton – Seems motivated and eager to learn. His attitude so far has earned him a spot on the Spring Tour ’09 which will give him a good taste of what the business is really all about. That statement may not mean anything to some people, but when you share a locker room with the likes of men I have scheduled for the spring, working in places that are extremely important for solid business, you can see why. I’ve had a pair of good matches with him so far and I look forward to having some excellent matches with him in the future.

Sidewalk Sam – He really was wrestling’s fairytale story. Here’s a guy who was told he’d never become a decent wrestler when he started. 5 years later, he blew that notion to smithereens. One of the VERY few guys in this game who is genuinely a nice guy and someone you can call a friend when the going gets tough. He became a professional all the way. Sam, although your matches are behind you, you can reflect back knowing you were good, you were well-liked, and you paid your dues on all accounts. You fulfilled your dream and not many can say that.

Sexton Phoenix – He has good intentions, but Sexton has a lot of work ahead of him to ‘get there’. He certainly has the tools, he just needs to polish them in the right way, in the proper avenue. Like a lot of young wrestlers who have the ability, it’s his decision-making skills that will determine his level of success.