An Exclusive Interview with Tim Shady

[Guest TSMAdmin]

NOTE: The views expressed in this interview are those of Tim Shady alone and do not necessarily reflect those of TheSmartMarks.com

 

 

Following the September 9 UWC TV taping, Jared "JHawk" Hawkins interviewed northeast Ohio manager Tim Shady about the state of independent wrestling in northeast Ohio as well as his career.

 

Q: When did you first get interested in the business?

 

A: Actually, JHawk, I've been in the business since about 1999. I started here in Ohio. We did a show at the Canton Palace Theater for "Golden Boy" Jerry Grey, who was promoting in Ohio for three shots. I was working for a radio station based out of Canton, Ohio, and I ran sound for him. He said, "Hey, we're going to Zanesville and Mansfield this weekend, would you like to do our sound there?" And I said "Sure, why not?" This was well before the Tim Shady character. So Jerry Grey said after those weekend shows, "Hey, I've got a fair tour in the summer. Would you like to come in and come along with us?" And I said, "Hell yeah!" I'm the biggest mark in the business. Ever since I came out of diapers I've been watching wrestling, so it was the biggest deal to me to break into the business that way. Living the dream, ya know? So I have Jerry Grey to thank for breaking into the business, and that basically goes into the next part of my story which would be moving down to Orlando, Florida. That was one of the biggest decisions that I've ever had to make, and that was where Jerry Grey was from and based his World Pro Wrestling promotion out of.

 

Q: What were some of the things you had to learn when you were breaking into the business?

 

A: The art of the business, JHawk. A lot of people think they know the business, but some people need to know that this is a profession just like anything else, and you need to be a trained by a professional. None of that backyard bullshit or anything like that flies. That's what gives this business a black eye. You've got the Jerry Springer shit, you've got the backyard wrestling videotapes, they've got a videogame coming out... Those are the things that people need to learn in this business before they step into it, not candy coat it before they wake up one day and say "I want to be a wrestler". Another point about learning things was I was brought into that fair tour to hit play and announce, basically. What happened the first night, I believe it was the Wyoming State Fair, I was brought in to referee. The ref broke his arm or something taking a bad bump, and I was refereeing, and I didn't know anything. I thought I'd know everything, but believe me, when Wayne Ferris (the Honky Tonk Man) threw me over the top rope, I nearly broke my neck. So, with that being said... EXPECT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN!

 

Q: Where did you go from WPW?

 

A: I left World Pro Wrestling after that summer tour. We were working every other day, so we had at least 60 shows. After that summer fair tour, we went back to Orlando and kept I kept in touch with some of the workers from that tour. Some of those guys included The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Bushwhackers, Jake Roberts, The Honky Tonk Man. King Kong Bundy, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Virgil, Kid Cash, Tito Santana, Greg Valentine, George Steele, John Tenta. Basically the names of people who were just off TV. The WWF and WCW were still going head-to-head at that point and had everybody signed, so there really wasn't a whole lot out there on the market. I decided to leave Jerry Grey and World Pro Wrestling after that summer, and it just so happened that one of the wrestlers--and it happened to be my childhood hero, Jake "The Snake" Roberts--talked to me about jumping ship and moving to Texas to start his own promotion. It was called International Pro Challenge Wrestling. We basically came to an agreement, and I moved back home for about a month or so. He bought me a plane ticket, and that puts me in Gainesville, Texas, around...I'd say October 1999.

 

Q: What were your job responsibilites in Texas?

 

My job description was web design and promotions. Basically, I was getting Jake Roberts bookings. If you know anything about Jake Roberts, you know that he does have addictions, he does have personal problems, but he is one of the best minds in the business. Trying to get him a booking was an accomplishment in itself. We had him booked at least three to four times a week independently. That's going out and working for promotions such as Big Time Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Mexico's AAA and a couple of the ones out in California, and he'd just gotten done working ECW too, so he was still fresh in the fans' minds. He is an established name and he had just started working the indy scene again, but everybody knew about his problems. That brings me to who I met and what I'm doing up here in Ohio. I met Kevin Ballew, known to the wrestling world as Shasta or in his NWA days as Big Hurt. That's how we met, down at Jake's house. Shasta's main deal down there was to train Jake Roberts' students. Basically I was to run the promotions end of it and the booking, and Jake was to go along for the ride and collect the booking fees. The whole Jake Roberts story leads to why we left. Jake Roberts one night--this was before Kevin got down there--it was just me, Jake, and Valerie, Jake's business partner from England. She had hit the lottery over there or something and was more or less feeding Jake's habits, you know "the biggest fan". As far as what habits she feeds, we'll leave that for you to decide.

 

But nonetheless, some other issues that Jake has that I didn't see fit? I was sitting down on the couch one night, and he was watching a porno, right? And he was cracked out of his mind. He was higher than a kite. He basically tells me to come over and sit on the couch. I go over and sit down with him, and I go "what's up?" He looks over and goes, "Tim, I would, you now." And I said "Would what, man?" And he said, "Would what? I'd suck your cock." I stood up on the couch...seriously, I stood up and said "It ain't like that at all, dude." He got this real serious look on his face and said, "Dude, if that's why you think you're down here, I'll kill myself." Basically, Jake left for three days and that's when Kevin came down. Twenty-four hours later I told Kevin what happened, and we waited for our checks to come in and bounced to Ohio. I wasn't having none of that homo shit, and neither was Shasta.

 

Q: When did you start getting into managing?

 

It was in Massilon, Ohio, my hometown. It was one of my goals getting into the business. I was managing Shasta at the time, and I wanted to go out with a bang. We were actually a joint company with Main Event Promotions, MCW wrestling, and NWA West Virginia/Ohio. I was brought in to manage Shasta. We jobbed a couple of the NWA guys out, and I took one of the biggest bumps I've ever taken in my life, which was a power bomb off a stage through a table. And did it hurt! My elbows looked like cantaloupes. But that's why I got into the business. I love wrestling, I love to entertain, and that's what I do best.

 

Q: Is there anybody you look to for inspiration when you're managing?

 

Oh, for sure. That would be the icon, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. I talk to him via e-mail about every other month and I look forward to the day I get to shake the mans hand. He is a LEGEND.

 

Q: Do you borrow any of his mannerisms?

 

No, but I do call people Ham 'n eggers sometimes!

 

Q: How much training goes into being a manager as opposed to a wrestler?

 

It's really not about training. It's about whether you can do it or not. It goes back to the beginning of the interview, JHawk. If you know you can be out there and you know you're getting one of the biggest pops of the night, then you know you should be out there. If you go out there and you don't get any pops, and people are looking at you like... "What a jackass", then you are, & you know it. Believe me, you know if you're getting over or not, and you know if you have it. If you don't have it, then get out of the business.

 

Q: How long have you been in Ohio?

 

We've been running Main Event Promotions for about three years.

 

Q: Who are some of the guys you've managed while you've been up here?

 

Brian Damage, Mr. Insainity, Shasta, Shane Sensation, Chris Kole are always good to work with...

 

Q: Is there anybody working with Main Event Promotions that you think people should keep an eye on?

 

Actually, there's a few. I'd have to say who to look on the current roster among the up-and-comers are Shane Sensation "The God's Creation", Wilbur Whitlock -- he might be toothless and a hillbilly, and I don't like that in a person, but he's a great worker... Keep your eye on Supa Lucha too!!!

 

Q: Is there one match you've been most proud to be part of?

 

The one I'm probably most proud would have to be at the Canton Civic Center. That was at April Ambush. Shasta and Brain Damage wrestled Shane Sensation and Chris Kole in the most brutal Tables Ladders and Chairs Match I've ever seen. Shasta drove Shane Sensation out of the ring through two tables, and damn, did I hear the place pop! And you should be able to buy that on DVD within the next couple of months over at www.timshady.com.

 

Q: Who have you met in the business that you enjoy working with?

 

I've met Jerry "The King" Lawler. He was a pretty cool guy and gave me some pointers. The Road Dogg is my boy. I don't care what anybody says, and if he somehow reads this interview, I've got your Roadie outfit you gave to sell on E-bay. Holla at your boy Brian! As long as he keeps his head on straight, he can entertain better than any worker I've ever met in my life. He might slip up and say he's in Florida and he really is wrestling in New York, but we all make mistakes right...? Jimmy Snuka is the man...!

 

Q: Outside of Jake Roberts, have you ever had a problem with anybody in the business?

 

I can say I have had a few good ribs in the past, George Steele put his shit bag in my bed and I slept with it for 2 days... And Strawberry, a female wrestler that trained with Lita at the time, shoved her naked breasts in my face before I went to ref, and I had a total package going on. Keep in mind I was only 19 at the time! Good shit... Daddy likey!!!

 

Q: How would you compare working UWC with working Main Event Promotions?

 

Everybody knows their home. Main Event Promotions is Tim Shady's home. And a lot of other workers in Ohio too find MEP to be their home, we're a pretty tight family in the locker room, but you go to work for other promotions--not just the UWC, but other promotions as well--you don't have a bond or a tightness we have. When I come up to work with the UWC, there are some people in the ring that I don't agree should be in the ring because they got trained on some mattresses in somebody's backyard. To me, that's not training. You're not a worker... If you or anybody else wants to train to be a professional wrestler, the best place to train is Shasta's Stomping Grounds, which is located at the Wrestleplex in Massilon, Ohio. And for more information on that, you can e-mail my boy Shasta at [email protected] or check out my website at www.timshady.com.

 

Q: How often are you working now that the UWC and MCW are both doing weekly shows?

 

Well, that's twice a week right there if you do the math, JHawk! But I'm also working for "Big Guns" Jeff Cannon for Ohio Championship Wrestling down in the Coshocton area and Mid-Ohio Wrestling based in... well I think Mid-Ohio somewhere... [NOTE: Tim Shady has recently ended his UWC commitments.]

 

Q: How can your fans get hold of you?

 

As I said earlier, I just opened my website over at www.timshady.com. Also, I'm recently single, so if there are any young hotties out there that want to e-mail me their nude pictures, they can send them to <url=mailto:[email protected]][email protected][/url]. And here is my home phone # 330-837-errrrr ...no, never mind. I'm out JHawk, I have to go get a table dance at the go-go bar across the street... peace!

 

 

You may send any feedback about this interview to JHawk at the not-so-temporarily Hotmail account.