INTERVIEW RECAP OF DAVE SAHADI
- 09/23/2005 (5:53:33 am)
- Christopher Murray
on Between The Ropes…..
Between The Ropes
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Central Florida's Sports Radio 740 The Team
Simulcast online at BetweenTheRopes.com
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Central Florida's Sports Radio 740 The Team
Simulcast online at BetweenTheRopes.com
On Wednesday night, September 21, TNA creative director and television production wizard Dave Sahadi joined hosts Brian Fritz and Vito DeNucci (Dickerman on vacation) on Central Florida's Sports Radio 740 The Team to discuss the company's plans for its debut on Spike TV on October 1.
Sahadi started by saying how excited the Spike TV officials are about TNA. He told a story as to how the Spike officials watched Mike Tenay and Don West cut a two minute and twenty second promo for international television without a teleprompter and were amazed at how well they did.
Dave discussed the signing of the team formerly known as The Dudleys and their involvement in TNA's tag-team division, calling TNA the home of tag-team wrestling. He mentioned how he had lunch with The Dudleys prior to Unbreakable and D-Von noted to him that the atmosphere felt like ECW, only better.
He discussed his work in production with TNA, specifically citing the importance of a pay-per-view opening to set the tone for the show. He believes in thinking outside the box, noting how he prefers to try a creative non-wrestling opening that evokes an emoition as opposed to an opening simply focusing on the top matches on the show.
Sahadi mentioned how the TNA marketing department wanted the opening for Unbreakable to focus on the recent tragedies in America and a tribute to 9-11. Instead, Sahadi felt 9-11 tributes would be overdone by 8:00pm on Sunday night and wanted to go in a different direction in conjunction with the start of the NFL season that day, utilizing the Howard Cossell-esque voiceover.
Dave considered the AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels X Division match at Unbreakable as one of greatest matches he's seen in thirteen years in the business.
When asked about starting the new era of TNA with Jeff Jarrett as NWA Champion, he noted that Jeff is not the champion again because they want to label TNA as "Jeff Jarrett's promotion." It's part of a long-term storyline that will play out.
He said the first person that appears on the inaugural episode of Spike TV will be the face of TNA and it will NOT be Jeff Jarrett.
As for production changes for Impact on Spike TV, Dave said the entranceways at Soundstage 21 have been revamped with better video screens. They plan to revert back to separate entranceways for babyfaces and heels that will be clearly defined. There will be a new animated opening for Impact along with better graphics and bumpers. They are also working on separate entrance videos for each wrestler.
Sahadi talked about the negotiations with WGN earlier in the year, noting they were expecting to start on the network. The plan was to start on Monday nights in late June from 8:00pm-10:00pm, getting the one-hour jump on Raw. But he noted that at the time, they really weren't ready to start on WGN from a production standpoint. He considered it a blessing in disguise that the WGN deal didn't materialize. He prefers Spike TV since the network airs in thirty more million homes than WGN, which is available nowhere in the Northeast, and Spike understands wrestling and is extremely behind TNA at the present time.
Dave said there will definitely be a replay of Impact, but it may be changed from the reported midnight on Monday nights timeslot. Other days and times are being discussed. There are also long-term plans for more hours of TNA on Spike if they have "even a modicum of success."
Dave mentioned how he recently read where Vince McMahon said he didn't consider TNA a threat at the moment. He found it ironic since TNA regularly receives threatening legal letters from WWE lawyers, noting The Dudleys are forbidden from using the 'Dudley' name, the camouflage ring gear, and the funky glasses. According to Sahadi, WWE is going as far as trying to prevent the Dudleys from using tables in their matches.
As an example of WWE paranoia, he talked about how a message was sent to WWE employees last year that anyone talking to Dave Sahadi on company time would be fired. The paranoia was part of the reason he left WWE. He mentioned that he knows WWE watches and critiques everything TNA does and tries to prevent guys from working there, namely Mick Foley.
Sahadi noted that Foley told them that Vince McMahon tripled his salary and acquiesced to all of his demands to convince him to stay with WWE. He said Foley would have been huge for TNA because of Mick's track record in and out of the business. He would have helped, but TNA is still about guys like AJ Styles, Chris Daniels, Monty Brown, and Abyss.
Sahadi said that while TNA is still progressing from a production standpoint, TNA's in-ring product is far superior to what's presented in WWE. He made it clear that TNA will bill the X Division Champion and NWA Heavyweight Champion on equal footing with a clear distinction between the groups.
When asked about Monty Brown, he noted he was recently watching footage of Monty from NFL Films from his days on the Patriots and Bills that will air on October 1. He said Monty is a true professional backstage in the way he carries himself and dresses. He compared his ability to turn up his personality in the ring to how Steve Austin did it.
When asked about his days in WWE, he said the company was small when he started, similar to TNA now. He mentioned how the company was two weeks from closing down due to money losses before the 'Attitude' era got hot. Vince wasn't behind it at first, but it saved the company. He said by 1998-99, the company became more corporate. At the time he left, he felt the WWE product had become "stale, trite, and embarrassing."
As for the debut edition of Impact on October 1, he said the plan is to cater more to casual fans than the Internet fans. There will be personality pieces on wrestlers, namely Abyss and Monty Brown. There will be some surprises regarding new and returning talent. There will be four to five matches. They won't be pushing the Bound For Glory pay-per-view much just yet. It will be more of a 'This Is Who We Are' program.
To listen to the Dave Sahadi interview and the entire September 21 edition of Between The Ropes in streaming audio, visit the show online at http://www.BetweenTheRopes.com. Join us for Between The Ropes for two hours every Wednesday night at 10:00pm ET on Central Florida's Sports Radio 740 The Team and worldwide on BetweenTheRopes.com.
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