How can TNA rely so heavily on Booker T to make an “IMPACT”? It was not long ago that he was a member of Smackdown. What kind of “IMPACT” did he make there? I don’t believe the program suffered when he was transferred to RAW. I don’t believe that RAW suffered when he left the WWE. These were programs that people could watch Free of charge! Is it realistic to say that people who weren’t watching Booker T for nothing are going to spend good money to see him? I don’t understand the thought process at all. If you’re asking me would I have hired Booker T, the answer is yes I would have. He is a good hand to have around and could be used in a good way. However, I do not believe that Booker T and his wife Sharmell will make any kind of measureable difference for TNA. I don’t know what Steve Ray’s situation is right now but if I was calling the shots I would have tried to get him to join Booker T in TNA. It just seems that week in and week out decision’s are made that are supposed to make an “IMPACT” and they amount to less than a fart in a hurricane. If TNA wanted to really make an “IMPACT” they would have done what they had to do to get Jericho. If they had at least they would have gotten someone who is perceived as a main event guy. Someone who has just jobbed out to the anointed son in law and that the fans haven’t seen in a ring in a long time. I still say the problem with TNA isn’t in front of the camera it’s behind the camera. I do realize that they are going to make talent moves. If they insist on doing these kinds of things at least make intelligent moves. I am still waiting for TNA to make changes and improvement in the area’s of their company that will help take it to the next level.
Hopefully the next intelligent move is to let Sting slip back into retirement quietly. I have not seen the equivalent value for the money invested in Sting. Here is a question for you. What do these three men have in common, Sting, Abdullah the Butcher and Sal Corrente? Well, none of us have appeared in Madison Square Garden as talent at a wrestling event. I have worked a corner in a Golden Gloves boxing match and attended many WWF shows as a fan in my youth. In years gone by Sting did work the theater at MSG. The Theater is a much smaller venue connected to MSG that was named the Felt Forum in my day. I am not aware of Abdullah appearing at MSG at all. I believe that it is the goal of anyone who puts on wrestling boots to wrestle in MSG. If I was WWE I would have both of these men make an appearance at the next event in that building and then they can both retire in peace. Whether you are fans of either of these men or not they have made a never ending impression on this business and should appear in the world’s most famous arena. I can’t imagine that I have any chance of appearing in the Garden with my outspoken views of WWE. It’s ok the truth is the truth and facts are facts, if I wanted to kiss ass years ago I very well may have already appeared in the Garden. I have never been in the Garden when it wasn’t filled with wrestling fans loving all the action. I saw Snuka and Muraco, you know the famous match where Mick Foley is shown on RAW quite often in the crowd. Well I was there too; I also saw Sammartino and Zbysko, Patterson and Slaughter “The Alley Fight”, Backlund and Pat Patterson in the steel cage and Hogan and The Iron Sheik when Hogan won the belt. Those were just a few of the matches that I saw in that great building. I had a contact with a man named Dan Bruno who worked the back door. I got into every show even got to ride up on the elevator with the wrestlers and pass by the dressing room. It was my first show when I saw the then hated Hulk Hogan talking to my favorite wrestler at the time “Polish Power” Ivan Putski. So there you have it that was when I found out that wrestling was a work. You also know who exposed it for me, it was quite a letdown at the time but it was also the beginnings of crazy roller coaster ride that I just had to take. In those days every card was a sell out and people had a great time. In fact many of the cards had to be shown on closed circuit TV in the Felt Forum since the crowds were so large. In case you’re counting that’s about 24,000 people in total watching a monthly WWF show. I am not sure what happens anymore and maybe its best I remember it as it was.
When I first started out as a referee I made my share of mistakes as expected. In my first match I never called for the bell to start or stop the match. That match took place in Queens, NY. It was run by a Spanish guy and most of the wrestlers didn’t speak English. It was tough they were supposed to go twenty minutes they both blew up and went about eight. Of course I got the blame for that too. I only did one match that night. There were only seventy five people there. In those days that size crowd was considered HORRIBLE. I was assigned by the NY State Athletic Commission so I did get paid. It wasn’t the end of the world and it did start my career off. In my next event I had two matches the first one had “Pretty Boy Larry Sharpe work against one of his students from The Monster Factory, the school where Bam Bam Bigelow and others got trained. At one point I was screaming “you’re choking him Sharpe” at Larry. He looked at me and said you’re right now if you would get out of the way so the crowd could see it maybe I could get some heat. So yeah that was my wake up call on that issue. A guy like Larry who was training so many younger guys understood what was happening. I worked with him many many times after that I have to say what a pleasure it was some of the easiest matches you could imagine. If you want more information about Larry you can find it at this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Sharpe . He did work territories including Charlotte and got a mid level WWF push in the eighties. He was on the famous Shea Stadium show that has Sammartino/Zbyszko in the main event. He had a match for the World Marital Arts Title again Antonio Inoki. I do remember one other funny story involving Larry and Tiger Jackson (if you don’t know who he is than you didn’t read my last article, head for the archives and pull it up or google him). When we got to the building Larry said I really am a mark for Tiger Jackson. I have to get him to sign a picture for me. I said well no big deal he will do it. Well I was standing there when Tiger handed the picture to Larry. I saw the look on Larry’s face he looked at Tiger and said couldn’t you have at least signed it “To Larry”. Of course Tiger spoke very little English he had no idea what Larry was talking about. At that point Larry just put the picture away. Its little things like this that made sitting around the dressing room fun.
The above picture is of Pretty Boy Larry Sharpe for any of you that weren’t familiar with his career. One other thing about Larry I always found that was funny. He was a heel and when ever we worked shows and he was beating the babyface he would say very loud to the babyface “Where you from boy (insert name of town) and the people would be pissed. I remember one time he couldn’t remember where we were and I was the referee so he had to ask me at the last second. Oh it was all so much simpler then.
This has been a piece of my mind
“The Big Cheese” Sal Corrente
