THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: twosheds316@aol.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Steve Corino is one of the most famous names currently plying their trade in the wrestling business. The former ECW and NWA World Champion is known the world over, having competed in the U.S, Japan, and more recently, for the FWA here in Britain. I had the chance to catch up with “The King Of Old School” not long after his recent AWA World title victory.
Julian Radbourne (JR): Steve, thanks for taking the time out of your schedule for this interview.
Steve Corino (SC): My pleasure.
JR: I understand congratulations are in order, after your recent AWA World title victory against Takao Omori a few weeks ago.
SC: Thank you.
JR: How does it feel to hold a title that has the lineage of the AWA belt?
SC: It’s truly an honor. The AWA was the first live promotion that I saw and the main event that night was Hulk Hogan vs. Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World title. I fell in the love with the look of the belt. When I got into the sport in 1994 the AWA was closed so I couldn’t make it a goal but when I read that Dale Gagne bought the rights to the name in 1996 there was always something in the back of my mind that said “That title is your destiny”.
JR: Older wrestling fans such as myself may remember the AWA of the Gagne era. Does the AWA of today bear any resemblance to the AWA of yesteryear?
SC: Right now I would say that there are some of the AWA companies that resemble the old AWA. Dale Gagne is committed to weed out the promotions that are not going to help the growth of the AWA and bring in good promoters that can help the company gain the respect that they need.
JR: Do you think there will come a time when the AWA will once again be regarded as one of the bigger promotions in the U.S.?
SC: I hope so and I hope that I can help it along.
JR: Of course, this isn’t the only World title you’ve held. You’ve also held the ECW, NWA and MLW versions of the World title. Which one of these titles is the most prestigious in your opinion?
SC: To be honest and I am not saying this to be politically correct but they all meant a lot for me for different reasons: The ECW World title was my first World title and I was honored that Paul Heyman had that confidence in me, the NWA World title was the first title that I saw on TV when I was 8 years old and it was a dream to hold it. The MLW World title came at a time in my life when Court Bauer could have changed his mind but he didn’t and supported me. For that I will always be loyal to him. And the AWA World title is a dream come true also. It is such an honor when a company respects what you do and your passion for the sport that they want you to be their champion.
JR: Let’s look back your title histories a little. You held the NWA title in 2001, before the TNA era began. How were you treated as NWA World Champion, and were there any discussions about making you the champion again when TNA began in 2002?
SC: When I was the NWA World champion, the NWA was very unorganized. I did the best I could but I seemed to bang my head against a wall every week. You can ask then-NWA President Howard Brody how many grey hairs I gave him because all I wanted to do was represent the company and some of the promoters only wanted to play politics.
But as for the title itself I was very honored of what I did with the NWA World title but when I went to TNA in 2002 there was no mention of me getting the title back and I think if it wasn’t for Mike Tenay, no one would have even mentioned it on the PPV.
JR: Last year you held the MLW version of the title. From what I saw of MLW on The Wrestling Channel over here, it had a pretty good product. What was it like representing MLW as their champion?
SC: I loved MLW. It was a lot of fun for me and it was a place that the Extreme Horsemen could actually be the Extreme Horsemen. MLW was a touch of ECW and a touch of Championship Wrestling from Florida. I loved it there.
JR: You were leader of the Extreme Horsemen faction in MLW. Was this your homage to perhaps the greatest stable in wrestling history?
SC: The Extreme Horsemen actually started in Dusty Rhodes’ Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling in 2001 with me, CW Anderson, and Barry Windham. We came up with the name because me and CW were right off TV (Extreme) and Barry was a part of the greatest stable in history (Horsemen) and we put it together.
JR: MLW closed down in 2004. What were the reasons behind the closure, and if they’d continued, where do you think the promotion would have gone?
SC: We drew some great houses in Fort Lauderdale and I think if Court would have had the right backers behind him we would have continued to do well. Promotions take time to build but sometimes investors want to see a return on investment quick.
JR: You were also one of the last ECW World Champions in 2000. What was it like working for ECW?
SC: ECW was great. It was the place that made me and it was like a family there. Not just the wrestlers but the fans, the staff, everyone. It was an awesome place to work.
JR: You were with ECW when they closed down in 2001. How did you find out about the closure, and what were your thoughts and feelings when you heard the news?
SC: You had to be blind to not realize that ECW was not going to recover. Paul tried his best but we just couldn’t get the TV deal we needed. I was sad but I also knew that I had a family to feed and I needed to get a job so I couldn’t stay sad for long.
JR: What’s your opinion of Paul Heyman, first as a booker, and then as a businessman?
SC: I think Paul Heyman is the best booker of this generation and maybe of all time. I wish I would have gotten to work with some of the great all-time bookers of the past but Paul is the best one I ever worked for. As a businessman he tried to wear too many hats. You can only do so much.
JR: There’s been a wave of ECW nostalgia in recent months, culminating with WWE’s ECW pay-per-view, One Night Stand. Were you ever contacted about taking part in this show, and what were your thoughts on the show, as well as Shane Douglas’ Hardcore Homecoming show the night before?
SC: I saw the WWE’s version and I loved it. I thought it was very well done. I didn’t get to see Shane’s version but CW Anderson told me it was great. I was contacted for both shows but did not want to do them.
JR: There’s been rumours flying around about WWE reviving ECW as a separate brand. Do you think this is a good idea, or should ECW be allowed to rest in peace now?
SC: If it helps the boys get good paydays and entertains the fans then what the heck right? When WWE first brought it back I thought that it would have been better just to keep it dead but the WWE needs to do something besides sport-entertainment and maybe an ECW brand is what they need.
JR: Let’s go back a year or so. You made several appearances here in Britain for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, feuding with “The Showstealer” Alex Shane. I understand your feud was actually born out of a real-life situation with Alex. Is this true?
SC: 100% true. Alex is a moron who cares only about himself. Thank God Doug Williams is around.
JR: What were your opinions of the FWA as a promotion, and who did you enjoy working with the most?
SC: I love FWA! I always have a blast when I come to the UK. FWA is very exciting and every show I have worked for them has been fun. Doug was the best wrestler I worked there but the match I had with Alex last September was special.
JR: Any chance of a return to Britain in the future, perhaps for another promotion?
SC: I will be there on 1 October for the 1PW debut and hopefully I will return to the FWA in the next few months.
JR: What British wrestlers impressed you during your tours here?
SC: Jonny Storm of course. Doug is probably one of the five best all around wrestlers in the world. I was very impressed with Vade Hansen. These kids in the UK work their butts off and get better everytime I come over.
JR: You’re pretty much a world traveller, wrestling-wise, and you’ve made a name for yourself in Japan. For those of us not familiar with the Japanese wrestling scene, what promotions do you work for, and what notable opponents have you faced over there?
SC: I wrestle for ZERO1-MAX and Dream Stage Entertainment’s HUSTLE. You name him and I have wrestled him in Japan. From Hashimoto to Otani to Masato Tanaka, Choshu, Misawa, Ogawa, Fujiwara, and Kawada.
JR: We’ve discussed your wrestling careers in America, Britain and Japan. How do these three countries compare to each other, wrestling-wise?
SC: America, the fans are numb to wrestling on a whole. UK fans loved to be entertained and they are fun to wrestle in front of. Japanese fans are laid back but passionate about their wrestling. And it is because of the styles.
JR: Going backwards a little, I see from your website that you’ve held numerous titles during your career. Which title victory was most memorable?
SC: Honestly, they are all memorable. It doesn’t matter if I won a title in front of 5000 people or 50 people, it is still an honor to be a champion.
JR: You’ve held titles in both the singles and tag-team divisions. Which division is easier to compete in?
SC: It may surprise you but I love working as a tag team. Tag team wrestling is very exciting to me if done right. Japanese style tag team matches are my favorites.
JR: Who’s been your favourite tag-team partner?
SC: No doubt, CW Anderson
JR: Looking at the big picture, what’s your opinion of the wrestling scene as it currently stands, and if you thought anything needed changing, how would you go about changing it?
SC: I think it is getting better but we need to put more WRESTLING and less sports-entertainment. If I want sex and sports I will watch Footballers Wives, if I want action I want to see pro-wrestling.
JR: What advice would you give anyone wanting to enter the wrestling business, in any capacity, be it as a wrestler, promoter, whatever?
SC: Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make it. If you can dream it, you can do it.
JR: Steve, I’m afraid time is against us, so let’s start to wrap things up with some information on where fans can see you compete in the upcoming weeks and months.
SC: I will be around the world. I try to keep my schedule updated on www.stevecorino.com. So if I am in your town come out and have some fun at the matches.
JR: Anything else you’d like to plug while we’re here?
SC: Sure, I have two new t-shirts out on www.stevecorino.com!
JR: Steve, it’s been an honour and a pleasure talking to you. Good luck with your career, and I look forward to seeing you in a wrestling ring soon.
SC: Thank you.
