Scotty Ace's Best & Worst of
Wrestling Awards
April 8th, 2004
After spending the better part of 9 years in the wrestling business, I've seen
many people, places and things [In the words of Bart & Brad Batten...Believe
only 1/2 of what you see and nothing that you hear!], and in the next few lines,
I will give you my thoughts on the Best and Worst in independent wrestling.
Best worker [that you know] - Tracy Smothers.
One of the hardest workers that you will ever meet. Always has his 'working
shoes' on.
Best worker [that you don't know] - Johnny Noble.
Can work any style against anyone...and make THEM look good.
Best venue for wrestling - Any prison show. The
crowds are always into it, and the love the babies and hate the heels [rather
ironic, eh?].
Worst venue for wrestling - Any bar. The patrons
are there to drink and fight, and the wrestlers are their targets.
Best tag team[s] - Rock and Roll Express
[when they are 'on'], The Batten Twins and Death & Destruction [Frank
Parker and Roger Anderson]. Each of these teams are top quality
professionals that help make the card.
Best locker room fight - Sinn [Chris
Champion] vs. Michael Shane in Sparta, Tennessee. Not so much for the
fight, but for the fact that Sinn poured kerosene over Shane and was attempting
to set him on fire. You just had to be there.
Most over Face [that you know] - Ricky Morton.
Still draws a decent crowd, and will work with just about anyone.
Most over Face [that you don't know] - tie between
Johnny Noble and Andy Douglas [now 1/2 of the Naturals in
NWA/TNA]. Both of these guys worked and bumped their a$$ off for me...and
they were over.
Least over Face [that you know] - Doink the
Clown. I wish everyone that does this gimmick would just stop...you guys
suck.
Best promotion to work for - HWA [now
defunct] in London, Canada. Mark Anderson always took care of me and my
family when we were there. His payoffs were great, and he put us up in 4 & 5
star hotels. Class guy.
Worst promotion to work for - Premier
Championship Wrestling in Kentucky. The promoter, Jason Brown,
doesn't' have a clue. He works as a "Mexican" El DeGato, but does
interviews in his southern/hick drawl. His promotion is just terrible. Avoid at
all costs.
"Name" workers who no-showed me the most - Ricky
Morton, Buddy Landel, and Tommy Rich. Add Killer Kyle
to that list. Morton and Landel got me the most # of times, but I still love
them. If they don't show up 2 hours before the show...go to plan B!!
"Name" workers who never no-showed me - Tracy
Smothers, Bull Pain, Todd Morton, Batten Twins,
Demolition Ax, the 'Stro, Bunkhouse Buck, Stan Lane,
Terry Gordy, Nikolai Volkoff, Dick Slater, Jimmy Valiant,
Gillberg & Manny Fernandez. All of these guys worked for me and
did so in a professional manner.
Biggest A$$holes that are "names" - Iron Sheik,
Iron Sheik and, oh did I mention, Iron Sheik?
All around nice guys - Honky Tonk Man,
Nikolai Volkoff, Jimmy Valiant. Hands down, 3 of the nicest 'names'
that I have had the pleasure to work with.
"Strange" in their own way [not bad guys...just different]
- The 'Stro, Dick Slater, Steve Lombardi. All good
guys, but just...different.
Guys that have stiffed me on payoffs - Jason
Brown, the Green Hornet from Ohio. Many, many others, but they have
made up for it in some shape or fashion.
Best guys to spend time on the road with -
Killer Kurt, Beau James, Eddie Browning. All in their own
special way. They make travelling easier.
Best drinker - Flex Armstrong. Never saw him
with less than 2 beers and 3 girls. What a guy!!!!
Best bar for the "boys" - Vitos in Johnson
City, Tennessee. Great homemade pizza and ice cold beer. Also, Denim and
Diamonds in Madison, Tennessee. Just for it's vast size and all you can
drink beer until midnight!! Close second goes to Gilligans in Bristol,
Tennessee. Their Halloween party rules.
Worst bar for the "boys" - Twisters in
Spartanburg, South Carolina. Terrible...Just plain terrible.
Best ring - The NCW 16 foot ring is the best
that I have been in, hands down. ECW used it for their last 2 shows, and
were impressed.
Worst Ring - SSW in Kingsport [until they
got the ropes fixed]. It was a decent bump ring, but the ropes are never right.
Also, Joe Collins ring in Columbus, Ohio. Just as hard as a Rock with
absolutely no give!
Favorite Building to work in - Carl Perkins
Center in Morehead, Kentucky. It could hold around 350. We normally put out
275 chairs, and the crowds were always hot. Next would be the Nation Guard
Armory in Ashland, Kentucky. It has a great history, and Smoky Mountain
ran there 4 or 5 times a year.
Least Favorite Building to work in - Blue Well,
West Virginia at the Sports Center. This place is a dump...with papers to prove
it!!
Worst outdoor show...EVER - Labor Day in
Pikeville, Kentucky at Marlowe Tackett's horse farm. The heels dressed in an
old school bus, and the faces dressed in a conversion van. We wrestled in the
middle of the riding rink. It was hot, smelly, and I got a ticket on the way
home for about triple my payoff!! Yuck!!
Most over heel [that you know] - Hands down...Bull
Pain. When we taped TV at the Perkins Center, we would have food for the
workers and their families around 3:00 or 4:00. Most of the local wrestlers
would bring their kids. Whenever Bull came into the building, the kids [of the
workers] ran for their lives. Enough said.
Most over heel [that you don't know] - Tie...Eddie
Browning and Killer Kurt. Eddie has good mic skills, and his in ring
work is excellent. He just looks like someone that you could hate. Kurt does the
German gimmick to perfection. He can get under any Red Blooded American's skin
in a heartbeat.
Funniest guys - Roger Anderson always makes
me laugh. A smart guy, with a great sense of humor. Also, Roger Gillespie
[one of our refs]. Just a funny, funny guy.
Best Story Teller - Bill Eadie has great
stories of guys like Hogan and Ole Anderson and Andre the Giant.
This guy is a true professional. Also, Jimmy Valiant. Any wrestler that
can last as long as him has probably seen it all.
Hope you enjoyed!!"
Keep the Faith!
Scotty Ace
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