Mike Quackenbush Interview
Posted by David Damage on Friday, October 7, 2011
Under: Interviews
Chikara's Mike Quackenbush spoke with D.J. Rallo of SharpShooterPress.blogspot.com and the following are highlights of the interview.
On Claudio Castagnoli going to WWE: "Please understand that I really do not have the stomach for much WWE, but I can tell you what I know to be fact. Claudio Castagnoli has been signed by the WWE, reported for duty at their farm league FCW in Tampa, and has been rechristened Antonio Cesaro. He has already had some singles match in FCW. In terms of in-ring talent, he is light years ahead of basically every other person in the FCW system, and is as good, if not better than 95 percent of the on-air "talent" that populates WWE programming. Claudio is imbued with a tireless work ethic, and given the chance, he'll outshine, or simply overshadow, any but the very highest-caliber wrestlers walking the planet. Doesn't matter what they call him."
On WWE needing to expand training facilities: "How you could assemble 76 prospects under one roof and think any appreciable progress could be made is beyond me. But then again, I don't have a billionaire's money to play with. Even with some of the finest minds in all of wrestling stationed at FCW - Ricky Steamboat, Joey Mercury, Dusty Rhodes, Steve Keirn, Norman Smiley - the numbers have to overwhelm them. If they only had to train the most passionate, hardest-working prospects out there, that would be one thing. But they also have to convince bikini models and bodybuilders to become pro-wrestlers as well. It is an unenviable task. No wonder the new people that get called up to TV stumble around the ring like rank amateurs."
Chikara's first iPPV and thoughts on company's future: "This is a big step forward for us. Chikara has always been on the forefront of emerging technologies, but the iPPV medium, in its infancy, did not really deliver the way our fan base demands. We had to bide our time, wait for the right moment, and make sure we could give the kind of product to our global fan base that they deserve. And that time arrives on November 13th. It will be interesting to see how the reception of High Noon impacts Season 11, and what lies ahead."
On Claudio Castagnoli going to WWE: "Please understand that I really do not have the stomach for much WWE, but I can tell you what I know to be fact. Claudio Castagnoli has been signed by the WWE, reported for duty at their farm league FCW in Tampa, and has been rechristened Antonio Cesaro. He has already had some singles match in FCW. In terms of in-ring talent, he is light years ahead of basically every other person in the FCW system, and is as good, if not better than 95 percent of the on-air "talent" that populates WWE programming. Claudio is imbued with a tireless work ethic, and given the chance, he'll outshine, or simply overshadow, any but the very highest-caliber wrestlers walking the planet. Doesn't matter what they call him."
On WWE needing to expand training facilities: "How you could assemble 76 prospects under one roof and think any appreciable progress could be made is beyond me. But then again, I don't have a billionaire's money to play with. Even with some of the finest minds in all of wrestling stationed at FCW - Ricky Steamboat, Joey Mercury, Dusty Rhodes, Steve Keirn, Norman Smiley - the numbers have to overwhelm them. If they only had to train the most passionate, hardest-working prospects out there, that would be one thing. But they also have to convince bikini models and bodybuilders to become pro-wrestlers as well. It is an unenviable task. No wonder the new people that get called up to TV stumble around the ring like rank amateurs."
Chikara's first iPPV and thoughts on company's future: "This is a big step forward for us. Chikara has always been on the forefront of emerging technologies, but the iPPV medium, in its infancy, did not really deliver the way our fan base demands. We had to bide our time, wait for the right moment, and make sure we could give the kind of product to our global fan base that they deserve. And that time arrives on November 13th. It will be interesting to see how the reception of High Noon impacts Season 11, and what lies ahead."
In : Interviews