Rockin’ Rebel, one of indy wrestling’s most notrorious personalities, sat down with RF VIDEO and let everything out of the bag in one of our most hilarious shoot interviews ever! Rebel has worked all of the major indys in the Northeast, including Joel Goodhart’s TWA, ECW, PWU, and CZW and was told us one gut bustingly funny story after another during the course of this entertaining and informative shoot.
Always outspoken, Rebel held nothing back as he talked about everything under the sun. From the controversial Joel Goodhart, to being in ECW during the Eddie Gilbert/Paul Heyman transition, Rebel has been in the thick of things and offers his first hand opinions during this exclusive shoot. Besides some incredible stories about his wrestling career, one of the greatest ribs we’ve ever heard about came during Rebel’s ECW tenure in Wildwood, NJ.
Working with the WWF in the late ’80s, Rebel walked us through his experience along with giving his advice to talent looking to get work in New York. Rebel also talked about all of the mega indy promoters and promotions that he worked with around the Northeast and this interview would mean nothing if Rebel did not talk about what it was like to work for John Zandig and CZW. This is where the shoot gets really intense as Rebel finally gets to publicly air his problems with CZW and give his side of the story. What exactly does Rebel think of with the CZW front office (or lack thereof) and would he ever go back to CZW? You’ll find out the answers to those questions and many more in this great shoot!
Rebel gives his views on PWU and why he had the falling out with certain people in that company. He goes into great depth of why he pulled out of the promotion the way he did and how he landed to work for 3PW. This story is really interesting and makes alot of sense.
We covered his time in 3PW, PWF for Steve Corino and many other indy promtions from around this way. This will go down as a cult shoot interview that you will want to get especially if you are from the North East area because he talks about the old school days of Philly wrestling that everyone will love to listen too.
Here is a complete list of topics that we covered with The Rockin’ Rebel:
Were you a fan growing up
Who did you like watching
What did you do before wrestling?
Were you a fan prior?
How did you break in?
How did your training differ from the way guys are trained today
Memories of your first matches
Were you always into physical fitness
What was the biggest misconception you had about the business before you got in it and started working
What was the steroid scene like when you entered as compared to now
Did you have any mentors early on
What were your goals when you got into the business
Were you frustrated early on
Talk about the PA Indy scene when you first started
Who did you think would make it that didn’t and vice versa
Did any promoters rip you off early on
How did you stay motivated
What were payoffs like back then
Did Joel Goodhart and Carmella Panfill’s radio show have any influence on your career
When did you start sending tapes to WWF and WCW
You did jobs for the WWE early on, how did you get that gig
Talk about the experiences
What was the locker room like and how were you as enhancement treated
How pivotal to ECW and even the indy scene now was TWA
Talk about Joel as a booker
How did the idea come about for a school
Do you remember working with Sabu in the battle royal at Winter Challenge 2
Talk about your memories of going to Memphis
Memories of training the Sandman
Memories of training Stevie Richards
Stevie used to call you the most evil man he had ever know in regards to his training, your thoughts
Memories of training Francine
Memories of wrestling in Puerto Rico
How did you find out the TWA was done
Memories and thoughts on Eddie Gilbert as a booker
Thoughts on Tod back then
You also started doing jobs for WCW, how did that come about
Talk about the experiences
Memories of your series in early ECW with Sandman
Thoughts on teaming with Gary Wolfe briefly in ECW
How did the boys find out that Paul E had replaced Eddie
Initial thoughts on Paul E
Thoughts/memories of Dennis Coraluzzo
Thoughts on Tommy Dreamer
What happened the night you thought you were going to win a battle royal
Why do you think Paul stopped using you
Were you officially told you were finished
You talked to JJ Dillon several times during this time about going to the WWE, what happened
Why do you think you never got an opportunity in the WWE
You did the indys for awhile afterwards, did any promoters rip you off during that time
What were your goals
Memories of the LAW shows and Bay Ragni
How did you wind up in CZW
You came with Nate Hatred, how did you know Nate
Memories of your first match with Nick Berk
Initial thoughts on Zandig
What was your take on what happened in New Jersey with the regulations
Memories of your Big Japan tours
You got hurt over there one night, what happened
In CZW you did a series with Ruckus in which you poured Bisquick over him and it was very racial, do you think any of that crossed the line
You left CZW for a little while, what happened
How did you get involved with the PA State Athletic Commission
Have you ever used your influence against someone you didn’t like
When CZW was making the move to the ECW Arena and PA, how much pressure did the Commission apply to CZW
What happened with the Briscoes, did the commission threaten to shut down CZW if Mark wrestled
Memories of the angle you did when you returned at COD 3
Do you think Zandig blew it after the COD and if so, why
How involved were you with the booking of CZW and Zandig
How did things change for everyone when XPW came to PA
What were the politics like at the time between XPW, and CZW
In CZW, how did things change either way for you when that tape trader started booking
Do you think the tape trader sandbagged you by popping the IWA angle during your first match with Zandig taking heat away from the two of you
How did you wind up teaming with Greg Matthews
What happened with your boxing match with Hartog
You and Greg got the belts but you guys wound up leaving shortly after, what happened
What is your relationship like with Zandig today
Do you think the two of you could do business today with the reality behind your differences
Have you ever used your influences in the State Athletic Commission to screw with CZW’s shows
Thoughts on their new promoter Maven Bentley
How did you get involved with 3PW
Thoughts on Jasmine
Why do you think it folded
How did you wind up involved with PWU
Thoughts on Johnny Kashmere as a booker and promoter
What happened, why do you no longer work there
Thoughts on Trent Acid
Thoughts on Steve Corino
Thoughts on Mike Quackenbush and Chikara
Thoughts today on Tod Gordon
Thoughts on Gary Wolfe
Thoughts on Blue Meanie
How did you wind up opening up Blackballed
What do you do different than everyone else
Do you have any plans to move into the Arena
What is your take on the political situation between CZW and PWU
Why do you think Philadelphia is so appealing to indy companies
Who are your fav and least fav indy guys to work with
Who do you think is the best worker not in the WWE today
Any regrets
What is the biggest problem with the majority of talents on the indys and indy wrestling itself
Is there anyone you didn’t get a chance to work with that you wished you would have
How much longer do you anticipate yourself wrestling for
If you could make a tape of 4 matches to last forever for your grandkids, etc, which would they be.
Does it bother you when you see less talented guys on television while you cant get booked full time in the WWE or TNA
Would you be interested in becoming a road agent or writer/booker at some point
Do you think the State Commission is corrupt
Why is blading banned
Has the commission ever actually shut down a show
Do you think the new style of wrestling has passed you by
Would you like to have been a part of the ECW reunion shows
In your career who did you find was overrated and underrated
Who do you enjoy watching
What advice would you guys to talent wanting to get a job in the WWE
Would you like to go back
Who has taught you the most and why
Any other promoters who have ripped you off over the years that you want to put out there