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Alan Wojick talks to Terry Taylor about FXE & TNA.

Posted: Feb 14th 2007 By: CMBurnham

TNA Wrestling?s Director of Talent Relations Terry Taylor is one of the most important people in wrestling having worked for WWE and WCW with the top executives and talent. On January 27-28th 17 wrestlers found out by attending the Federation X Entertainment sponsored seminar with Mr. Taylor as the main teacher along with Matt Bentley, AJ Gallant and Brother Devon of Team 3D. Alan J. Wojcik was in attendance as a guest of FXE and was honored to get a few minutes with Mr. Taylor to talk about the seminar, his role with TNA, how to get his attention when you send him an audition reel and a certain Nature Boy.

Alan J. Wojcik: What were your initial thoughts on being asked by Matt and AJ to participate in the seminar?

Terry Taylor: To be honest I enjoy the teaching aspect. When I was talking to my wife last night she said you sound different what?s going on? I said I have been teaching kids who want to learn about the business. She said I can tell by the tone of your voice you don?t sound stressed and you sound happy. That?s the way I sounded when Matt and AJ asked me to be part of this. I enjoy working with someone who wants to learn so they can contribute to the business in a positive way.

Alan J. Wojcik: By being here today it seems some of the kids were in awe of you and the program FXE laid out for the weekend. Did you feel that last night in the orientation, I mean it seemed like some of them today were cocky then would go for a lock up and fall apart mentally?

Terry Taylor: I don?t ever want to disrespect anyone. I think there was a small level of intimidation but I never want to treat any of my peers bad. I try very hard to avoid it since these people have invested in their careers by coming to Orlando this weekend. I want them to appreciate and grasp as much as they can. I said to them don?t be afraid of me I am a regular guy; I had my run in the business and I want to help you. Hopefully someday we will work together.

Alan J. Wojcik: The FXE students mentioned in the class you said ?everything is in the little details.? For someone who isn?t trained or isn?t knowledgeable to the business, explain that phrase.

Terry Taylor: You can?t have a roof without the walls and foundation under it. I feel that?s kind of what the business is today. There is so much flash and so little substance or thought and preparation for the end of the match. They all think about what they want to and all young kids do this. Everyone in the business does this today and I am not talking young age wise, they are fans. My son wanted to be a drummer. So we bought him a drum kit and got him some lessons but he wanted to start out with the overall thing. The teacher said he needed to start by learning how to read music and he didn?t go along with that. He didn?t want to learn the fundamentals or technique not realizing the people that are experts began at the level he was at. He never changed or finished the lessons. He wanted to start at the finish line not at the beginning and that?s how some of the people are here today. They want to start where the business is now. They need the foundation laid before they get to the end. No one sets up something for later in the match. Let?s say you and me are working the Memphis Coliseum every Monday night with the same crowd. Our pay depended on the audience draw. We would want keep them coming back each week by building a story they get hooked into and do it without chair shots until later in the program. The kids like getting to the end without the lessons, the body of the match and focusing on their career. The saying goes the journey or the destination, which is more enjoyable? If it?s the destination then you missed out on the best part which is the journey.

Alan J. Wojcik: You were bringing up some veteran names like Buddy Landell, Bobby Eaton and Dirty White Boy (former Memphis and Smokey Mountain star) who was here today. We agreed some of the kids might not know who those names were. Do you think a sense of history of the business is needed to advance?

Terry Taylor: I don?t think they need it but you can tell someone?s level of commitment and how much they love the business by how much they know. If you see something now most of the people want to the back story. I am a huge football fan and I love learning about the history of teams like the Green Bay Packers of the 1960?s. The average fan doesn?t know the past but that team was simple defenses and played for the love of playing not the riches. Now there are things scrutinized to the smallest details by computers and players train 24/7. I want the pure form that was in the 1960?s franchise in today?s players and fans.

Alan J. Wojcik: Not to put over FXE but it is one of the premier training schools in America. If someone is reading this interview and wants to begin training, what tips could you offer when they choose a school?

Terry Taylor: I think anytime you go to a learning institution the first thing is find out who is the main teacher. If you have never heard of them or they can?t provide some credentials then avoid that school. On the teaching roster FXE has Matt Bentley, Machete and Brother Devon who work for TNA and AJ who was trained by Shawn Michaels. They have been all over the world but want to give back to the business. Not everyone can teach, it takes a special person who can take the good with the bad that comes from the students. I think if someone wants to learn the number one thing is research the place from top to bottom.

Alan J. Wojcik: With TNA no longer filming their weekly PPV?s in Nashville the pre-show dark matches for Xplosion does not feature indy talent getting try outs against established TNA talent. Matt Bentley told his story in an interview of driving from Texas to get a tryout. When FXE sent out the seminar info it said this was a chance for indy talent to work in front of you. For someone who has wanted to work for TNA, how do they get your attention?

Terry Taylor: I get between 10-40 tapes a month from wrestlers. Someone you go out to eat and the place is packed, other nights its dead. It?s the same with my mail from wrestlers. Right now I am about 35-40 behind because of the Christmas holiday and family stuff, but I watch everything sent to me. Let me tell you the way to get my attention. Send me a highlight reel; don?t show me an entire entrance to the ring. If the whole thing is five minutes that is long enough. If I get a two minute highlight reel, a one minute promo and two minutes of a match that is great. I get tapes with the camera jerking or it?s out of focus. Treat this like a job interview. Like I said 10-40 tapes a month show up, so they have to put the effort in. I will look at it and reply in email saying we have nothing for you or I will call and say you need a better tape to send people. If I am crappy they will want to change their attack. Please don?t send me two full matches where the entrance is longer then the match or the guy keeps hopping out of the ring. I have 24 hours in a day and I have 35 hours of stuff to do. It frustrates me the people who put so little in and wonder why they can?t get a break.

Alan J. Wojcik: Today you mentioned working with the trainees at the former WCW Power Plant. Do you think TNA needs something like that or an Ohio Valley Wrestling or Deep South? I think Nashville was a WCW territory for a while.

Terry Taylor: Yes it was and I set it up. (Bob Ryder off tape seconds the story.) The Power Plant guys needed a place like Nashville or Bill Behrens? NWA Wildside. Think for a moment about stand up comics. They can be great but if they are only doing jokes to a mirror they miss out on something, audience interaction and feel. Same thing applies to wrestling. You can train at the Power Plant or FXE but if you never learn timing from the fans reaction you will never make it. Something like OVW, HWA or Nashville is needed to be a feeder system. Some people thing Ring of Honor is that right now they don?t. They have a strong following. I am not knocking ROH but TNA has a national television show. Whether you have 1,000 rabid ROH fans or between a million or 1.5 million homes watching where is the growth factor going to be? Its better long term in TNA because you have to make money. When I was with WCW lots of the ECW guys wanted to come work for us and I never called them and I wouldn?t take them unless they told Paul Heyman. I feel you need to end things on good terms. I think ROH and any indy helps TNA. But it?s a double edge sword because they learn the wrong things on the indies. ROH has a good system. Gabe (Sapolsky) does a good job with their storylines. I wish we could do something with them where we would remain TNA. There is such an opportunity there.

Alan J. Wojcik: Earlier the FXE office was watching the Heroes of World Class DVD and Bob mentioned you worked for WCCW. What are some of your memories of working in Dallas and the Von Erich?s?

Terry Taylor: Well I never met Fritz but I worked for him. By then I think Ken Mantel was gone as well. It was 2-3 years past the Freebirds and Devastation Inc?s hey day. Back then they were drawing thousands of dollars and only driving 40 minutes from their homes. Don?t get me wrong I enjoyed my time there. I got to wrestle Chris Adams and Kevin Von Erich. Kevin was fun but he would turn you to the turnbuckle and he would kick you anywhere from your boots to your head and you didn?t know where it was going until after he kicked you. You put one hand on our groin and the other on your head and hope for the best.

Alan J. Wojcik: Shame to say another wrestler has died, this time it was former WWE/WCW/ECW star Scott ?Bam Bam? Bigelow.

Terry Taylor: I was fascinated by how good he was for his size. In Japan he had a Bruiser Brody/Stan Hansen status but he worked like Curly from the Three Stooges. I?m serious he would do all those things but get heat when needed. When he came to WCW it was when Goldberg was hot. As part of the writing staff we had him trying to get inside the building. When he and Goldberg finally got together two months later the fans cared about it. I have nothing but good memories of Scott. He was never a primadonna, not much of an ego and he understood the business. My favorite thing with him was in ECW with Tazz when they went through the ring. I stole that in WWE when Big Show slammed Taker through; I stole it from Paul E and those guys. How many people saw it in ECW compared by WWE? I gave them full credit for it here and in other interviews.

Alan J. Wojcik: Since you have worked for WCW, WWE and now TNA I would like to get your thoughts on Kip and BG James becoming the Voodoo Kin Mafia and their attack on Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque and Michael Hickenbottom.

Terry Taylor: I was working for WCW when D-Generation X did their invasion at some of our Nitro?s and the CNN Center. It put us on our heels and made us take notice of WWE. You never hear on TV or interviews by WWE how many letters they sent TNA wanting them to cease and desist. It?s ok for them 7 years ago but when its on them. Anything that makes either show worth watching I am all for it. If we compete with them directly I am all for it.

Alan J. Wojcik: Bob Ryder mentioned this interview wouldn?t be complete without asking you about the Louisiana Superdome and ?Nature Boy? Ric Flair.

Terry Taylor: In June of 1985 I had my first main event at the Superdome and it was with Ric Flair. I was working for Bill Watts and Flair and I had a couple of matches before it. I was so excited I got there five hours early, did pushups, showered got dressed and ready because it was Ric Flair. I was a huge Flair fan and knew what was going to happen. I thought it would define my career. 6pm he?s not there, 7pm he?s not there the show begins at 730pm. He rolls in about 745pm, so hung over he can?t walk straight. He smells of booze and still hammered, no sleep. He falls on the couch and says wake me in an hour. Biggest match of my life and he?s wanting me to wake him in an hour. The Superdome is so huge that you would be on opposite sides and then get a golf cart to take you around. An hour later I wake him up and he wants coffee. They get him coffee as he gets his boots laced and he looks like crap, hair matted all over the place. I am thinking this is so unfair and this is going to be wasted. He goes through the curtain looking like a million bucks. I think ok he got that far. 40 minutes later I am begging him to pin me I am so blown up, meaning I am out of breath and exhausted. I am asking him to pin me and he says this is where you earn your money brother, let?s go. Eight minutes later we are still going because I don?t know the finish. I thought we would go 15 minutes, 40 minutes and going. I made an eight minute comeback and was in an iron lung. I have no idea how he did it. Because of that I have more respect for him than anyone I have worked with. How he takes the bumps I have no idea. He is Shawn Michaels? size with the same work ethic only over 35 years. He?s gotten great matches out of crappy guys. If Sting ever thanks anyone for elevating him it?s Ric Flair. They had that 45 minute match at Clash I and he created Sting. I will never forget what he did for me that night. The finish was a double roll up. I know it was over because he said stay here brother. I said thank god. I had tried to hold him on top of me on cross body blocks and he was pushing away from me.

Thanks to Mr. Taylor for his time. Thanks also go to TNA Wrestling (www.tnawrestling.com), Federation X Entertainment, AJ Gallant and Matt Bentley. For more information on training with FXE log onto www.fxewrestling.com There will be a second interview in the coming days with Brother Devon of Team 3D who is a trainer at the FXE Academy.