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NWA-NE
COMMISSIONER,
MARC GREENE
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In
November of 2002 the National Wrestling Alliance New England
shut its doors of the WrestlePlex. Leaving many questioning
the future of the organization. Allegations were thrown around
the web, some close to the situation claimed financial
problems as the culprit. Through out this NWA-NE commissioner
Marc Greene has held fast to the statement that money was not
the reason for the facilities closing, insisting that the
organization would return stronger than ever.
Mr. Greene approached WrestlingMark.com soon following the
closing with an offer to answer all questions posed not only
by us but by fans as well. Lending us this fantastic
opportunity Mr. Greene gave us a unique look at the recent
events as they unfolded in recent weeks.
Our first segment is questions posed to Mr. Greene by the
staff of WrestlingMark.com. The second section were questions
asked by our readers. Thirdly was a name association segment.
We were curious as to what Mr. Greene had to say about some of
his counterparts.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM-
Last November the NWA-NE announced the closing of the
WrestlePlex in Woonsocket. This closing was sudden and
unexpected. Why?
MARC GREENE- Well basically it was a situation that we never
figured would go that far. It was sudden because all of us
were of the belief
that the issues that existed could be resolved without going
to the extreme of closing the building. We found out very
quickly that
that would not be the case and decided very quickly that the
best course of action for our company for the long-term would
be to get out of the building.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Were every avenue explored in order to keep
the WrestlePlex open and the NWA-NE in Rhode Island?
MARC GREENE-I would like to say yes. The truth is that it may
have been possible to continue pursuing another alternative.
However, like in any negotiation you have to ask yourself how
many times can you go to the table and not get any results
before you walk away? In the end we decided the situation
would not improve and was actually deteriorating so I can say
that we pursued every “reasonable” option.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- One reason you give for the closing is the
need to have an Entertainment License, in order to run more
shows from the WrestlePlex. Did you consider not allowing
visiting promotions to run shows there?
MARC GREENE- That is an interesting question. The answer is
that even while the building was open we had plans of making
the building
NWA-NE only in January. The truth is it would have made no
difference as it relates to the licensing situation. Even if
the NWA-NE were the
only promotion running in that building once a month we would
still be considered as running an entertainment facility by
R.I. state building
codes. Much like a function hall that may only be used
periodically it is classified by it’s primary purpose of
hosting events.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- There have many rumors thrown about on
various message boards and some of our own sources that NWA-NE’s
reason for leaving was not because of licensing but that the
NWA-NE was not paying rent on the facility. Now I have seen
some names posted as attributed for these rumors and posted by
second parties, and because of that I will not name them
because I have no first hand knowledge of these statements.
However, the allegations are there. How do you respond?
MARC GREENE- Okay I have heard these rumors as well so now I
will explain how, in a way, both stories are true. It was
brought to our
attention that the building needed to be licensed as an
entertainment complex. However, in order to receive such a
license there are certain
guidelines that need to be met as it relates to the building.
As anyone who had been in the building will tell you there
were several issues
regarding the maintenance of the building that needed to be
attended to. Per the agreement of our lease with the owner of
the building he
would be responsible for building maintenance. Just to clarify
things a little bit I am not referring to small things such as
fixing windows or
patching holes. I am talking about adequate plumbing as well
as other things of that nature. We obviously felt that
requesting the owner live
up to his end of the lease by taking care of these issues was
not too much to ask for. The owner repeatedly refused to pay
to have anything
fixed while continuing to collect the rent. With no other
recourse to get things fixed so that we could continue to
remain in the building we
decided to withhold the rent money until the repairs were
made. (Read carefully not that we did not have the rent money
because we did,
simply we refused to hand over another dime until the building
was brought up to code.) After still refusing to perform any
type of
maintenance on the building, the owner began making harassing
phone calls to Wrestleplex staff members. We found this
unacceptable. After
once again trying unsuccessfully to work out the situation in
a civilized manor we decided that we had no other choice (not
wanting to go
through a lengthy legal situation) but to leave the building.
So in essence I guess you could say both stories are true but
the way they tie
together is vastly different than what most people have
assumed.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Some of the workers have complained that
they were not given notice of the closing, and in fact only
learned of it from message boards. Were there efforts made to
notify them.
MARC GREENE- This question is outside my area of knowledge as
I am not in charge of talent relations. I can tell you that we
have had issues
in the past with getting in contact with talent. Those issues
had improved greatly over the last 6 moths that we were
running in R.I. So as it
relates to the closing of the Wrestleplex all I can tell you
is that I personally was informed the day it went down. As for
other employees and
workers I cannot comment on their notification or lack thereof
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- It was a common observation that attendance
was down. Some say this was because of stale story lines and
the younger talent not being pushed. Booking in the view of
many was that this by design to protect the position of a few.
Is there an elitist booking procedure in effect?
MARC GREENE- This has become almost laughable to a point. We
get beat up over this issue all the time when it is simply not
true. First of
all somebody go tell, Tommy Knoxville, Todd Hanson, Chris
Venom, and T.J. Richter among others that we were not pushing
younger
wrestlers. Now, wrestling is cyclical everyone can’t be at
the top of the card all the time. I’ll give you several
examples. Beau Douglas who is
one of the best pure workers in the company went from being
heavyweight champion to being a member of a tag team. Jason
Rumble went
from the Heavyweight title to the Junior Heavyweight division.
Apocalypse went from being in Heavyweight championship
matches, to being
a T.V. Champion, to putting over junior heavyweights, to being
in a tag team. It still amazes me how people seem to think
that when a guy
works three shows for you he should be in the main event.
Maybe we are old school that way but the guys who are at every
show and bust
their asses for our company will generally get the top spots
and the best angles. At the independent level you do not want
to be giving major
angles or spots to new guys until they have proven the are
reliable I honestly believe that we have done a pretty good
job of integrating our
young talent into some of the top spots in our company.
However, guys like Jason Rumble, Beau Douglas, and Apocalypse
who bleed NWA-
NE tend to get the respect of being put in some of the bigger
angles because they have earned that respect.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Is there, given the scattershot nature of
the storylines, is there a cohesive element to the story lines
in place?
MARC GREENE- You always try to insure that there is a cohesive
element to any and all story lines. Given the climate of pro
wrestling these
days people have short attention spans for the most part they
want angles to be run at one show and done. We prefer to
stretch out our
storylines and give people a reason to come back next time.
That was one of the big advantages of running in our own
building was that we
had gotten a core audience and they were able to follow the
angles because they went every month. That being said any
promoter in the area
will tell you that it is a little tough at this level to run
to many angles at one time and if you are running an angle
with a guy and he has to miss a
show oftentimes you have to change or alter that angle. So, at
this level it is tough to keep a whole lot of cohesiveness to
angle but we do try
and have a lot more success than not.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- With the shakeup of the NWA-NE caused a
change in the leadership rolls both in the front office and
the locker room?
MARC GREENE-In A word, yes. We have come to the conclusion
that to get where we want to get as a company that some
changes have
to be made. This of course starts at the very top in the front
office. It does not end there though. There are changes that
need to be made in
the locker room as well. Of course it would be inappropriate
for me to get into what these changes will be as that is an
issue between the
individuals involved and the NWA-NE itself.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- We have learned of rumors that you were
bringing in Kevin Sullivan for booking.
MARC GREENE- Really? Well that would have been a major coup
the only problem is that, like many other rumors that make
their way to the
net, it is simply not true. Vinnie CaPelli is head booker and
in charge of the creative and no plan was ever in place to
bring Kevin Sullivan in.
Not that if the option were there we wouldn’t consider it,
it just never was an option. We put all faith in Vinnie
CaPelli and he yielded us what
we felt were positive results so no changes were in the works
in that regard.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- What is the status of Rumble U?
MARC GREENE- I would honestly love to be able to answer this
question but I can’t as of right now Rumble U is closed and
will reopen. As
far as I concrete date I am unable to provide that as no date
has been set as we continue to explore several options for a
training facility.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- What of the Rumble U trainers, as well as
other NWA-NE / WrestlePlex employees?
MARC GREENE- As of now obviously with the status of Rumble U
uncertain I cannot comment on the status of the trainers. I
would however
like to take this opportunity to thank both the CTC and
Slamtech for allowing Rumble U students to continue their
training at discounted rates.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- We recently spoke with a former employee
who spoke with an NWA-NE official recently and made the
following statement, “NWA-NE is dead.” How do you respond?
MARC GREENE- Wishful thinking. There are a lot of people who
feel like the NWA-NE is not what it used to be and we have
been hearing about our demise for years. Yet we have kept on.
Today’s independent scene is vastly different in this area
than it once was in the Tony Rumble days. A lot of things have
changed more for the worse and that can be blamed of
companies, promoters and even to a degree some fans. So if
people want to continue to assume we are done every time there
is a bump in the road then that’s fine. It just makes it all
the better for us when we continue to improve.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Millennium Wrestling took some hard shots
at you at the Tony Rumble tribute on their web site recently.
What’s your response?
MARC GREENE- First off let me say that this is another one of
these situations where things get blown way out of proportion
because somebody decides to post it on a message board. Then
everybody claims to be an insider tries to stir up heat
between promotions. The truth is this the MWF has several
people who were close to Tony working for them including Pat
Doyle who was one of Tony’s best friends. Because of this
several MWF representatives were upset about the situation.
Dan Mirade decided to make a public statement about it on the
MWF website. While this commentary was not exactly
complimentary to the NWA-NE it was his opinion. I personally
got into contact with Mr. Mirade and we exchanged emails back
and forth. My issue was not with their frustration about the
cancellation of the show (As I shared many of their
frustrations) my only issue was that it was taken to a public
forum rather that discussed with Jason, Vinnie, or Myself. NWA-NE
and the MWF have always had a good working relationship for
two of their previous shows we have sent matches for NWA-NE
titles (Heavyweight and Television.). The MWF catches a lot of
heat for the shows they run as benefits. However, most of that
heat comes from people who do nothing to even try to help
those men who have given their lives to this sport we all
claim to love. To sum up there is no heat between MWF and NWA-NE
they said their piece we said ours and as far as both of us
are concerned it is history.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- It is well known that in many respects NWA-NE
calls its own shots, be it in weight classes and recognizing
it’s own champions. Many over the last few weeks have called
into question NWA-NE’s affiliation with the NWA and it’s
governing body. Where do you stand with the NWA?
MARC GREENE- Right where we always have, as a proud member of
the National Wrestling Alliance. As far as calling our own
shots, that may be true in some respects but no more so than
any other NWA affiliates. We all are connected by name and
world champions but the NWA has been very benevolent in
letting the promoters determine policies and rules within
their own companies. These policies are the same for all other
NWA territories not just us.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- How soon can we expect the restart of the
NWA-NE?
MARC GREENE- As of now I can tell you that plans are going
full steam ahead for a February return of course, given the
unstable nature of independent wrestling that could change.
FAN QUESTIONS:
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- From one of NWA-NE’s biggest supporters,
Emily: Why are you not staying in Rhode Island where there are
no other organizations?
MARC GREENE- Well I think I answered this one earlier, but let
me say that while we will not be running exclusively in R.I.
anymore that does not mean that we will not return there or
never put on another show in the state. We do hope to find
another venue in the area so stay tuned.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Also from Emily This an excellent question:
Why is your website not updated?
MARC GREENE- That is the question I probably have to answer
the most. For those who read my letter announcing the closing
of the Wrestleplex I also announced the website would be
closed down. However, we did have several problems with
getting the site updated while we were running this was due
primarily to issues with the server. We are making every
effort to insure that when we reopen the website will be kept
as current as possible.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Brad: What about the Tony Rumble memorial
show? Will it be rescheduled?
MARC GREENE- As of now I would guess that it will not but that
we will be pulling out all the stops to make the Memorial show
for 2003 a truly special night.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Paul: Who do you consider to be the top
independent workers here in New England?
MARC GREENE- Wow I can think of a lot off the top of my head
names like “Slyk” Wagner Brown, Luis Ortiz, Jason Rumble,
Beau Douglas, Apocalypse, Maverick Wild, Bob Evans, John
Walters, Chris Venom, Adam Booker, Tommy Knoxville, and many
many more. There are a lot of talented guys in the area but
talent alone doesn’t get it done. Guys have to get their
names out there outside of New England and as far as that goes
the only person I see really doing that is Wagner.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Karen: Are you planning on bringing major
talent from outside to pump up attendance, the way the WWA
does?
MARC GREENE- That’s a decision each promoter must make. In
the climate of New England right now with the low attendance
that almost everyone is drawing you have to decide if it is
worth paying guys huge money to work one show. Typically it
doesn’t pump attendance that much. So it is something to
consider from time to time but as far as doing it every month
like the WWA I would doubt you well ever see us do that. We
prefer to put faith in the talent we have that bust their
asses for us.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Rick: I would like to know where in Mass
will the WrestlePlex reopen and when?
MARC GREENE- Nothing has been finalized yet and until it is I
am unable to give times, dates, or locations.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- Also from Rick: I worked security at the
WrestlePlex in Woonsocket, RI for Trooper (James Allen) and do
you know if he is going to open a school again. Thank you and
happy holiday to and yours.
MARC GREENE- Well thanks for the kind Holiday wishes Rick I
would also extend the same to you. As far as Troop’s plans
you would have to ask him. I would tend to believe that if
Rumble U does Reopen that Troop will be a valuable part of
that school. If not then he may decide to try out his own
school.
WRESTLINGMARK.COM- From Alexis, a more personal question: I
have seen you at the NWA-NE shows and I think you are great
looking guy. Are you seeing anyone? What do you look for in
the perfect girl? Good luck in the upcoming New Year.
MARC GREENE- Well first thank you for the compliment and
second let me suggest a visit to the optometrist. As far as
the rest of your question yes I am currently engaged to my
fiancée Lisa who I have been with for 3 years now. As far as
the perfect girl I never get too hung up on any features I
look more for a great personality and somebody who I can be my
best friend as well as my girlfriend.
NAME ASSOCIATION:
Mike Sparta- Honestly I have never met the man. Like many
others in this area he has his heat with some and is praised
by others. Not having worked for him I feel like I cannot give
you an evaluation except to say that he is doing his part to
keep independent wrestling alive in New England and I have to
respect that.
Walter Kowalski- What more can you say about the man he is a
true legend of the business. I have had the pleasure of
attending some of his classes in the past and I saw the work
ethic he instills in his students. I also think that the
man’s track record speaks for itself. Every major star to
emerge from this are came through that school (HHH, Perry
Saturn, Chyna, Albert among others). To me that shows that not
only does he run a good school but he also surrounds himself
with qualified trainers.
Sheldon Goldberg- Again I personally have never worked for the
man. However from the stories I have heard as well as my own
observations I feel that he started up NECW because he was
hurt that control of the NWA-NE was passed to Jason Rumble
rather than himself after Tony passed away. Since starting up
NECW he has done a good job I have seen his product several
times and while it wasn’t perfect there is far more good
than bad there.
Mike Hollow- I have never really worked with the man I know
that he is one of the guys who depending on who you ask is a
great guy or a jerk. There is not much middle ground I have
heard guys talking about how he goes a lot harder on the young
guys than he needs to. That to me is just the old school
mentality. Like I said I don’t personally know him so I
can’t really comment.
Tony Rumble- The man who made wrestling in New England period.
If he were with us today many of these companies would not be
running. Nobody was to keen on going head to head with the
BBB. After he passed there were a lot of guys trying to take
his spot and become THE promoter in N.E. The only problem as
far as I can see is that nobody that’s out there now has
that balance that Tony had he could run the wrestling aspect
equally as well as the business aspect. There are a lot of
guys now who are good at one or the other but not both and it
was that among many other things that made Tony one of a kind.
IN CLOSING:
FLIPPER-Let me start by saying that Marc Greene has more balls
than half the people in the business. We hit him with very
tough questions. He answered them all. But where did NWA NE
come from? It was an offshoot from Tony Rumbles Century
Wrestling. Give you a hint at the genius that was Tony. The
first CWA light heavyweight champ was a guy named TAZ. Yep,
that one. Way back in 93.The change to NWA NE came in
1998.After Tony's sad and sudden departure from this world it
fell upon a young man named Jason to carry on the company.
This much I know. I knew Tony very well. He would not have
left this on the kid if he didn't think he could handle it .I
await the future of this promotion with anticipation. Let's
support NWA NE. It's got serious heritage.
THE MARK-We at WrestlingMark.com would like to thank Marc
Greene for taking the time and wish him and the NWA-NE future
success. We are anxiously awaiting the return of this
fantastic organization. |
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