A man who has been to the top of the wrestling mountain – and seen it all…
From one half of the hottest tag teams of the last year in ECW, to Special K daze, the independents, OVW, to becoming one half of the greatest tag team gimmick of the last few years in the WWE. This man has been everywhere.
Always the talk of the wrestling world, a man who many rumors and stories have been spoken of.
Now, he comes back to discuss it all…
Joey Matthews, formerly Joey Mercury of the fan favorite MNM tag team, sat down with RF Video to discuss all aspects of his controversy-filled career. Fans who only know Joey by what they’ve seen on TV or read in the ‘sheets will get a whole new understanding of the man as he displays how intelligent and creative he is throughout the interview. In an industry full of looking the other way, Joey was also refreshingly honest about his drug problems and the issue of drugs in wrestling, including how they led to him being released by the WWE literally overnight. Joey gave us exclusive details on how everything went down during his WWE stay, including a shocking plane trip to England, finding out who his real friends were while in rehab, and giving the true story on an oft-rumored story involving Stephanie McMahon.
Joey covered his entire career, including his time in the legendary OMEGA promotion, which also produced Matt Hardy, Gregory Helms, Shannon Moore, and Jeff Hardy. Joey discussed being in MCW and how Axl Rotten would use his status to bully other wrestlers with impunity. Joey described his cup of coffee stay in WCW along with how he got his first big break in ECW. You’ll get backstage stories on the infamous ECW locker room along with details on Joey’s early matches with the FBI and the Danny Doring & Roadkill team. This is a first hand perspective on what being on the road was like in ECW from someone who was still young enough not to have seen it all before. Joey also gives his thoughts on Paul Heyman and these are not to be missed!
We talked about Joey’s past relationship with Mickie James and what exactly happened to them. Joey describes going down to OVW, on his own dime, and how he had problems getting in the door the first night along with the hurdles he had to overcome in the weeks and months ahead in the WWE developmental territory. Working under Jim Cornette, Joey gives fantastic stories on the life he led while in OVW and all the people he met down there, including Johnny Nitro and Melina. How exactly did MNM form and how did Matthews get used even though he wasn’t under WWE contract? What ribs did MNM have to suffer through as they were rising through the ranks? What exactly did he say in his controversial locker room speech in front of Lance Storm and Bobby Lashley? This shoot answers those questions and many more!
MNM fans, WWE fan, and ECW fans are going to love this interview as Joey lets every cat out of the bag. He talks about working with all the top tag teams and dishes the scoop on everything that went down behind the curtain, including the heat Melina was drawing for dating Batista. This is a blockbuster shoot for WWE locker room talk as you get a unique access to such a private club!
From the end of ECW, from the hight of MNM, from stories in his time in OVW, TNA, ROH, XPW, 3PW. This shoot has it all!
How did you break into the business
Were you discouraged because of your size
What was the hardest part about training
Thoughts on Jimmy Cicero
Thoughts on Bob Starr
Thoughts on MEWF
Initial memories of meeting Axl Rotten
How did you get involved with Omega
Memories of Matt and Jeff
Are you surprised at their success
Memories of Steve Corino
Is there anyone there at Omega that you thought would be more successful than he was
How crazy did the Maryland indy wars get
How did you meet Christian York
Memories of Shannon Moore
Memories of CW Anderson
How aggressive early on were you at sending tapes to WWF and WCW
Memories of the early MCW
Thoughts on Axl as a promoter
Thoughts on Dan Mcdevitt
Maryland was known for a lot of characters, who were your favorites
Thoughts on Chad Austin
You signed a contract in 1999 with WCW, how did that come about
How come things didn’t work out
Memories of Eric Bischoff
Were you a little bitter about WCW using the 3 Count gimmick since you were a part of it on the indys
How did you wind up in ECW
Were you a fan before going over
Thoughts of Paul E. early on
Thoughts on the locker room
Did you like the ECW style
Did you look at ECW as long term or short term
Memories of your first ECW weekend
Was it hard to get over with the fans
Did you find the locker room cliquish
Did any of the vets try and take advantage of you and Christian since you were younger by maybe screwing you guys on a finish, etc
Memories of matches with the FBI
Memories of matches with Doring and Roadkill
Who did you guys like to travel with
Were you ever contacted by WCW when you were in ECW
When did you know Paul was having money problems
At what point did you realize there were problems in ECW
Did Paul E ever lie to you
Was it discouraging the less and less he would come to house shows
Did you have in your mind a breaking point where if things didn’t turn around by this time you had a back up plan
How bad was the party scene in ECW
What do you both think made ECW so successful, and at what point do you think ECW was at its highest point? Conversely, what do you think caused ECW to fail and what do you think other than the close itself was the lowest point?
Memories of the final ECW PPV
How much money were you owed by ECW
Did you ask Paul directly the future of ECW and if so what did he say
Memories of the final shows in Arkansas
How did you know it was finally over
Dave Meltzer wrote a lengthy piece about ECW and said that Vince McMahon’s deal as part of funding Paul was for Paul to steer talent towards Vince and away from WCW when leaving. What do you all think of that, and can you remember any instances where that happened?
What is the biggest misconception about ECW
Axl Rotten did a shoot where he mentioned the final years in ECW and the guys on top and said that those guys weren’t ECW, thoughts?
What do you miss most about your time in ECW
You dated Alexis Laree for a long time, how did you guys meet
Was it difficult dating someone that close to the business
When ECW closed and you saw Paul Heyman on Raw a few weeks later what did you think
Did Paul have a gimmick or angle in mind for you guys when ECW closed
How did you wind up getting into WCW
How did you find out WCW was sold
Did you guys have any negotiations with the WWE after the sale
How did you find out you weren’t being picked up
At that point did you ever think of just giving up
Who was more the captain of your team as far as calling matches with Christian
Were you relieved when Christian retired to start working singles or a little worried
What surprised you most about the indys now that you were working more indys
Did you have any problems doing jobs on the indys, like when you and Christian put over Divine Storm in ROH
How did you wind up in TNA
How did you wind up getting dark matches with the WWE
Memories of your matches with Lance Storm
Was it frustrating to be labeled as a Heat and Velocity guy
Did you learn anything during this time which helped you become more successful when you came back with MNM
Did any of the vets help you out
Memories of wrestling Ultimo Dragon
Initial thoughts
Did you think TNA would succeed
How far before the first show were you contacted
How come you didn’t go back for over a year
Did you like the Special K gimmick in ROH
Thoughts on ROH
Do you think ROH is over or under hyped
Why didn’t your stints in ROH ever work out
Did you like the Scramble matches
Any good stories working for Jasmine St Clair and 3PW
How did you wind up working for XPW
Memories and thoughts of your shows
Were you surprised when they went under
How did you find out
Thoughts on your match with Krazy K and Jeff Hardy at ROH
How did you wind up back at TNA
Did you consider it a slap in the face to be put on a dark match
Did TNA change at all from the first show for the better or worse
How did you wind up in OVW
What were your initial impressions
Thoughts on Danny Davis
Thoughts on Jim Cornette
What were the differences between Heyman and Cornette as bookers
Thoughts on Nick Dinsmore
Initial memories of meeting Melina
How come things ended between you and Alexis
Are you surprised at how successful she became
Initial memories of meeting Johnny Nitro
Who were your favorite guys to work with in OVW
Memories of your match with the Dudleys
Was this the match that Bubba and Cornette got into an argument over a bump Melina took
How soon did you find out you were called up to the WWE
Is it true that they were originally going to bring up Matt Cappotelli in your spot
Who came up with the MNM gimmick
Were you accepted into the locker room when you came up
Initial thoughts on Vince
Did you feel more pressure being partners with a guy who won Tough Enough
Do you think you got unnecessary heat because of Melina
People say she is hard to deal with, do you agree
Memories of your debut in Carlitos Cabana
Did you guys have any heat from jealous vets because you got the belts so quick
Memories of matches with Eddie and Rey
Memories of matches with Holly and Charlie Haas
Thoughts on Paul Heyman WWE writer as compared to Paul Heyman ECW booker
How did Melina and Batista’s relationship affect you guys
Do you think Johnny knew what was going on
How would you have handled that situation
Batista makes no apologies about their fling in his book, your thoughts on that
What do you think about the whole Edge, Lita, Matt deal
Memories of matches with Animal and Heidenreich
How did Jillian Hall get added to your gimmick
Was it hard to travel as much as you did and stay in shape
Memories of your program with Booker and Sharmell
What happened on the flight to Europe after Eddie’s death
Memories of matches with Benoit
Thoughts on the tragedy
Memories of your program with Regal and Burchill
You dated Christy Hemme for awhile, how soon did it get romantic between the two of you
The million dollar question is why she was fired from the WWE, why do you think
Your thoughts on Christy
Memories of matches with Kane and Undertaker
Why do you think Alexis and Melina had so much heat with each other
Memories of matches with the Mexicools
Thoughts on Kurt Angle
Memories of matches with Kendrick and London
What were the circumstances behind you leaving for awhile in the summer of 2006
How supportive were the WWE during this time
How hard was it for you to make your way back to the top roster
Was it humbling working back down in OVW
How had OVW changed
Thoughts on CM Punk, you worked with him a bit in OVW
Was it difficult when you came back to the main roster to get the trust of the writers and Vince
How had things changed since you last worked regularly on the main roster
Do you think it is hard to work a fulltime schedule and not use some kind of chemical to help you remain successful
How bad is the drug abuse in the WWE
Thoughts on the new ECW
Memories of your matches with the Hardys
Did they live up to your expectations
Memories of your match with Triple H and Shawn and the Hardys
What happened in the ladder match at Armageddon
Do you think Triple H’s reputation for holding guys back is warranted or just sour grapes from some guys
Memories of the December to Dismember show
Did you realize what a terrible show it was
Who’s idea was it to split you guys up
Were you for it or against it
Thoughts on Johnny’s team with the Miz
You worked all 3 brands, which locker room did you like best and why
Memories of your match with John Cena and Shawn Michaels
It seemed like you were fired overnight, what happened
Do you have any regrets
What were the plans for you if you had stayed
Why did you decide to cut your hair
Do you have plans to go back
What are your thoughts on the current indys
You worked PWU a lot, your thoughts on PWU
Is there anything out there that can be another ECW
What is the biggest problem with young guys on the indys
Thoughts on Jeff Hardy’s current success
Do you think he should have gotten the title
Who do you like working with on the indys and who didn’t you like working with and why
There was a rumor that TNA were trying to debut you a few weeks ago but you were unavailable, what happened
Do you have a backup plan if you can’t make a fulltime living at wrestling
Do you have any advice for guys breaking in today
Would you want to write a book
Do you still have a passion for the business
What is your relationship like with John Laurenitus
Can you stay clean and be on the road
Would you like to become a booker or road agent
Do you still stay in touch with your peers from the WWE
Thoughts on the current product
Favorite matches