Joey Matthews Shoot Interview

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.  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 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 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