 Show: The Interactive
Interview courtesy of
http://www.WrestlingEpicenter.com
Guest(s): Scott Norton & Kevin Thorn
Date: 5/21/09
Your Hosts: Patrick Kelley, James Walsh, & Nick Noel
Special Contributors: Erik Clancy & Andres
In a night that once again brings it back to our namesake,
The Interactive Interview, we bring you 2 incredible interviews! We forgo
a lot of the wrestling banter for the interviews but bring that same banter
in to the interviews making these light and yet very informative and strong
interviews that we think will have staying power!
First, the former Kevin Thorn joins us in a telling and strong interview
where he offers his take on why his gimmicks were pulled and tweaked and
what he's up to now. This is a fun and enlightening interview with a wrestling
cult favorite.
Then, Scott "Flash" Norton joins us in an interview that takes us from the
US to North Korea, Japan, and beyond in a wild and entertaining journey.
This former nWo member tells all about the behind the scenes happening of
WCW, New Japan, and some hysterical stories about Ric Flair, Goldberg, Chris
Jericho, Scott Hall, Hercules, and more. This one is really, really
strong!
KEVIN THORN
- Kevin Thorn joins the show, and he tells us that he
is watching Pirates of the Caribbean over the American Idol finals, stating
that it doesn't really matter who wins since both of them will end up getting
record deals anyway. He says if there is no loser, then there is no
intrigue.
- Since leaving the WWE, he's been fine and he's getting his name back out
there on the Indy scene. He says that the main problem with working for the
WWE is that once you get there, it becomes a job rather than the fun road
life that most Indy wrestlers get to enjoy. He also enjoys having more freedom
with his in ring work.
- He says that one problem with his character's direction is that movies
like Twilight & Underworld do well and a vampire concept would have a
chance to get over if they ever got behind it, but that never
happened.
- Kevin also tells us about how his hip injury worked against him and slowed
down any direction he might have had. He also mentions that his online blogs
were getting big hits, but creative still had no plans on pushing him because
they didn't create the character.
- His biggest advice to Independent Wrestlers: The Mental Aspect & ability
to play the game is more important than the actual Wrestling.
- Talking again about WWE Creative, Thorn says that none of the writers actually
having a history in wrestling has alot to do with them not doing the best
job in the world. He also says that they come in with ideas that they think
are great but get shot down, and they aren't willing to stand up to
Vince.
- A possible feud with Undertaker was always discussed, even going as far
back as his Mordecai days (which ended because he was let go after getting
into a barfight) When he was Kevin Thorn, he says that he tried not to be
a Taker rip-off because he respected Taker and wanted to carve his own identity.
But Vince told him to stop wearing red & stop dying his hair red, and
that led to him looking like Taker, which got him in trouble with Vince a
few weeks later who told him he looked too much like Undertaker.
- Thorn then goes further into detail about how there is a World Wide Vampire
culture and there was definitely room for his character to grow. He says
that maybe it was dropped because in actuality Vince might be a vampire himself
and was probably afraid that people would catch on.
- We then ask Thorn about Triple H, who has been discussed alot on the show
recently. He says that Triple H lives up to the song as he knows how to play
the game. He also says that he has worked very hard for what he has and that
he is very dependable as champion.
- WWE introduced the vampire gimmick for ECW to appeal to the Sci-Fi Channel
Audience. He says that early on in his ECW days, he had great matches with
CM Punk, RVD, & Sabu on House Shows. It was never like the old ECW, but
early on the crew kind of banded together because they saw themselves as
the least important show in the eyes of the WWE and just fought a little
harder. He says that if Heyman had been given full control over it, it probably
would have done better. Thorn also mentions that Dusty Rhodes had some great
ideas and was a big fan of his.
- He enjoyed the ECW Originals vs. New Breed feud because he ended up getting
a Wrestlemania match out of it. But after Wreatlemania, they hurt it by adding
Punk to the group to sabotage them. He also felt it was bad how he never
feuded with Elijah Burke after he quit the feud.
- Thorn says that the writers write for the top guys and everything else
is sort of filled it, but he's been watching Raw & SD lately and there
seems to be more of a focus on the new stars. He specifically mentions that
the Attitude Era was a great time because you had the established stars working
with new stars & everybody had a role to play.
- Another problem he's seen in wrestling is that too many guys are concerned
with getting their high spots in but they don't understand how to put a match
together without them. This also leads into a discussion about how the big
matches saved for PPV rather than just giving them away on free TV, which
is something that was started during The Monday Night Wars and just never
went away. Thorn agrees that it is detrimental because the guys are just
killing their bodies and they have to keep topping themselves.
- Andres & Erik call into the show and talk to Thorn about what they
can do to possibly improve the WWE & what would work better than what
they are currently doing.
- When asked if he's been contacted by TNA, he says that there have been
some talks, but nothing too concrete. He says the Six Sided Ring is different
and will be hard for him to adjust to because he's a traditionalist.
- He says that he'd be willing to go back to the WWE. He left on good terms
and the door is open. The day after the interview was recorded, Thorn went
to Ireland to work some shows, and he says it is great over there. In the
UK its fun as well because the audience tends to be really young and the
kids are very receptive.
- When asked if he was nervous about having to live up to the original ECW's
legacy, he says he wasn't really worried about it. He just concentrated and
working as hard as possible and putting on the best show possible.
- He is then asked about the Big Show/Batista match from that one episode
of ECW from the Hammerstein Ballroom. Thorn says that both of them knew that
was going to happen and they just laughed it off. At the end of the day,
all the fans paid so no problem.
- James proposes his idea that Vince only brought back ECW so nobody would
chant for it again. Thorn doesn't know if that is true, but says Vince is
the Evil Genius and anything is possible.
- The interview ends with a plug for his website
http://www.seven-thorn.com & his Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/thethornasylum & Facebook pages. He also tells us to be sure to tell Scott Norton
that he said hello!
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