NYWC Promoter/Wrestler John Curse

NYWC has become more competitive on the indy scene bringing in such talent as Al Snow, Marty Jannetty, Danny Doring, Simon Diamond, Mikey Whipwreck, and most recently, Mick "Cactus Jack" Foley. NYWC has also built up an annual event, called "The Psycho Circus", which is set to take place in January of 2005. NYWC has seen crowd numbers raise recently. Being one of only two promotions, to run regular wrestling events in NY, NYWC has faced some criticism from rival USA Pro Promoter Frank Goodman. In this interview, John Curse talks about NYWC, his wrestlers, the state of the indies, USA Pro Wrestling and much more.

To read John Curse's first interview with the DOI, go here: http://www.declarationofindependents.net/doi/pages/interviews/curse.html

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: John, it's been a while since you last did an interview with the DOI. How are you, and what have you been up to?

John Curse: I'm doing well, thanks. I have been very busy trying to juggle a wrestling school, federation, full time job at an International Investment Bank in Manhattan, and most importantly spend time with my family.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: In recent times, NYWC has been more aggressive with putting big names on their shows. The days of Dickie Rodz vs Ru Starr as the main event of an NYWC show seem long gone. How do you think the product has changed from when NYWC first started in February of 2003, to today's product, here in late 2004?

John Curse: As any new company does we have evolved, from our humble beginnings at Critical Mass in Hicksville, to the point where we are running shows at least once per month in larger venues throughout Long Island. We started with the vision of showcasing up and coming local wrestlers in family-friendly shows and to this day that is still our mission. We have put big names on our shows, a lot of times unannounced, as a surprise for our fans, and they have let me know that it is appreciated. The names, simply put, help to elevate our product. You will still see our home grown guys featured throughout the entire show.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: Mikey Whipwreck in late 2003 joined the NYWC fulltime and has been a big help and influence on the NYWC product. What are your thoughts on Mikey and how valuable is he to NYWC? How was NYWC different when he was not there?

John Curse: I can't say enough good things about Mikey and all he has done for me and the NYWC. He is one half of our booking team along with Tyler Payne, the head trainer of our school, the voice of reason at times( hard to believe), an insane madman at other times, a confidant and most importantly a friend. You will not find many people who have given as much to this business as Mikey and I feel he still has the same passion and dedication that he had many years ago. It's been a pleasure to have been trained by (towards the end of my training), and to be associated with somebody as knowledgeable and creative as Mikey. He has helped us move to the next level of Indy wrestling.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: You have been accused by several people, one from within the NYWC organization, for getting Steve Corino's World-1 show, which was scheduled, in the same building where NYWC runs, on 2/7/04 cancelled. What is your full side of the story on that incident? Did you want World 1 in the Deer Park Community Center? Why do you feel that so many people blamed you for this?

John Curse: I was all for World-1 running at the Center. It was scheduled the Saturday before our show and my train of thought was that there would be 500 to 600 people there that we would have been able to advertise our show to. Rest assured there would have been a flyer on every chair and our show posters plastered everywhere. Why was I blamed? Simple, the person who wanted it cancelled needed an easy scapegoat and picked me. Who would want it cancelled? Probably a promoter that would consider them a threat or a worker that couldn't get booked on the show. As far as I know the reason it was cancelled was because the money for insurance was never sent.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: How successful do you think was NYWC's first Psycho Circus event?

John Curse: Very successful, we had over 500 people, no one got seriously hurt and the crowd left happy. All without using big names to draw the crowd. It was such a unique concept, all the belts and the commissionership on the line, plus the sheer insanity of the stipulations and the ring set-up, half steel cage, barbed wire, the Psycho Circus jack-in-a box, tables , ladders, chairs and assorted weapons. It was an honor to be a part in that match. I anticipate the Jan. 22, 2005 Circus will be even wilder, we have some pretty cool things lined up.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: Johnny Ova has been the only wrestler to really leave NYWC and not associate with NYWC after leaving. Many people feel that Johnny Ova has been brainwashed by Bobby Reidel, and one NYWC wrestler, off the record to me, has called Johnny Ova the "Christian Helter Skelter of Wrestling". What are your thoughts on Johnny Ova and Bobby Reidel? Do you feel that Bobby warped Ova's mind?

John Curse: I love Johnny Ova, he's like one of my kids, just wish he would give me a call sometime. I feel the same for all my students. He has great talent and tremendous passion for not only wrestling but everything he does. Needs to eat a lot more and lift some heavy weights though. Would like to see him back in NYWC but he is booked solid throughout the year and our dates conflict. As far as Bobby warping his mind, yeah probably but I know there are a lot of things worse than being warped by God! Ova is happy, he wrestles all over the country and is getting to live his dream of being a pro wrestler out. I offer advice to all of my students, some take it some don't but just as any parent would we have to let our kids make their own decisions at times. Ova has made his and he is happy, just let him be.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: What are your thoughts on "The Oh Brother Tour"? (The PWA promotion run by Ted Dibiase, which promotes Religion and Wrestling) Would you ever work on those shows? Do you think it's morally wrong for a promotion to run shows with the intent of converting fans to Christianity?

John Curse: Personally I don't think mixing religion and anything works but who am I to say. I would work on one of those shows, wrestling is wrestling to me, it's what I love to do. Is it morally wrong for PWA trying to convert fans to Christianity? No, simply because I think anyone going to those shows knows in advance what they are going to see. If you went to an NYWC and we tried to convert people to Christianity it would not be morally wrong but I feel it would be unacceptable and would be deception on our part.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: What is considered the good thing to do, as a major player in NYWC, you don't abuse your power, and put yourself all over the shows. With that said, what do you think has been your best match in NYWC? Do you ever see yourself in a main event championship program?

John Curse: I think it would either be me vs Mayhem w/ The Rat Pack or me and Livewyre(Mondo) vs Dickie Rodz and Mason Raige. As far as being in a Championship program I highly doubt it though I will do whatever is best for the company. As a worker I do whatever is asked for me by our Bookers without question. NYWC was not started so I could put John Curse over, it was started to give guys a place to work and showcase their talent.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: Tyler Payne recently got accepted into the NYC PD and is only working for NYWC exclusively, after showing signs of breaking out, in other promotions such as SSCW, CSWF and JCW. Do you think Tyler's wrestling career or chances of doing anything big are shot, now that he's becoming a police offer?

John Curse: I think Tyler needs to get his career in order which is much more important than wrestling right now. This is exactly what he is doing. He will be on a probationary period of two years where he will not be able to participate in pro-wrestling matches. However he will still be involved behind the scenes, booking and doing whatever is necessary for the company. This company means as much to him as it does to me, he's been with me since the very beginning, was one of the first students at Critical Mass and is a close friend and someone I can trust. I wouldn't say his chances of doing anything big in wrestling are shot, he is in his mid 20's and is very talented. The only thing holding him back is it's very difficult for him to work with an air freshener hanging from his nose.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: Tyler Payne was the main piece in NYWC, and arguably the best overall wrestler in NYWC. With Tyler's role now reduced, due to his NYC PD work, how has that affected NYWC? Tyler was the biggest heel in NYWC and now it seems that other wrestlers were rushed to that spot. (Nuke for example) How much has losing Tyler as a main player affected NYWC?

John Curse: At this point his role has not been reduced. We like to keep things fresh by pushing different guys at different times. Take for instance Dan Barry. He is one of our top guys, held the Light-Heavyweight belt several times last year and still puts on outstanding 5 star matches every show even though he hasn't been in the title hunt as of late. Nuke has a lot of talent and is and put on very entertaining matches with Mikey, he stepped up and did what was necessary for the company.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: What has been NYWC's biggest moment in your eyes?

John Curse: It's hard to say, some things that stand out are Livewyre's farewell match, Dickie getting powerbombed through the ring, the Psycho Circus, and the Walt Whitman and JFK shows in front of our largest crowds. The article in Newsday on December 12, 2004 was a highlight as well.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: What is with NYWC always having surprises on shows and not advertising them? You have had Al Snow, Marty Jannetty and Mick Foley all show up unannounced. Do you think this sets up the fans for disappointment when you don't have a surprise? Do you think you'd generate more money if you could advertise these names?

John Curse: They are unannounced for different reasons. One is the element of surprise. In Mick's case he appeared on our show unselfishly for two of our loyal fans and asked us not to announce him in case he could not make it. Mick would have definitely helped us draw more fans if advertised. We will not have surprises every show, regardless our fans always leave happy. They always get their money's worth. But as you can see from other promotions in this day and age names are not really drawing in these parts.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: NYWC has recently broken out of the Deer Park Community Center, and has started running shows all over Long Island. Does NYWC want to expand to other territories such as Queens, Connecticut, New Jersey or anywhere else?

John Curse: Slowly but surely you will see us all over NY in 2005. Possibly Connecticut, and probably not New Jersey as we all know the market is a little too saturated there. We will go anywhere there are fans that want to see us perform.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: USA Pro Promoter, Frank Goodman, has constantly and consistently bashed the NYWC product time and time again. What are your thoughts on Frank Goodman? Why do you think Frank bashes NYWC when he's never seen the product?

John Curse: He bashes us because he does not like competition and we are at this point the top fed in the area. We may not have more fans at our shows, but the quality of our shows far surpasses UXW/USA Pro. I'm not saying he doesn't have some of the best wrestlers anywhere because he does, but our shows are well thought out, storylines and angles are built over time and are, for the most part followed through. We don't put people on our shows simply because they sell tickets, in fact we do a very small amount of presale. The same wrestlers that he consistently bashes on his hotline are the same ones he cries about when they no longer care to work for him. I wouldn't stoop to his level as far as the way he criticizes NYWC shows. Obviously he doesn't watch his own shows or he wouldn't have a bad word to say about NYWC. In the Newsday article about NYWC the writer asked us all about our thoughts on USA Pro. This would have been a great opportunity for us to reciprocate and bash USA Pro but not one person did so. I guess that's being mature and professional.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: In your last interview with the DOI, you said this about Frank Goodman,
"The King of NY. We speak occasionally and I couldn't say a bad thing about him. Any of the rumors I've heard about Frank I have been able to dismiss. He's made opportunities available to many of my students and I am grateful. I'd do anything to help him if necessary (except let him use my ring at the Elk's Lodge, I still have nightmares about that from ECW)".
Do you still feel the same way about Frank?

John Curse: At this point I take everything he says with a grain of salt. There has been some childish games going on between Frank, Sean the Mic, Myself, Mikey and Wayne that I really don't have the time to waste on nor the desire to. It's like the game grapevine to some extent. It's all very transparent to me. I recall one particular event last summer when Mikey, Wayne and I were at Ozzfest at Jones Beach sitting right next to each other. I got a call from Frank complaining about my guys not wanting to sell tickets for his shows and some other nonsense about me telling them not to work for USA Pro, which as a worker myself I would never tell a fellow worker to turn down a payday. After the call I tuned to Wayne and Mikey and told them to expect a call from Frank shortly. Within 15 minutes all three of us were contacted, each being told different stories. To put it mildly we were all very amused. We all realize that anything told to the Mic goes back to Frank and anything told to Frank goes back to the Mic. I've known this for quite some time. There is alot of other BS that I don't really care to get into at the moment.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: What are your thoughts on message boards, and who do you think is posting all the negative posts about NYWC? Do you think it is a coincedence that once Frank Goodman says something on his hotline, it winds up on the message boards 15 minutes later?

John Curse: It's not a coincidence, if it's not Frank posting then it's one of his Lackeys. There seems to be about two or three people doing 99% of the posting. Anyone claiming I fake post should ask Sean the Mic how many times I said I would give him my work and home IP addresses and he can check. The extent of my fake posting was two posts about an inside joke regarding a very well known NJ promoter, a pair of hip hugger jeans and a vibrating Razor Ramon doll. I think I would look like an immature a**hole if it turned out I was on message boards bashing other promoters, promotions, their families or other workers. Not my style.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: Is there a true USA Pro vs NYWC feud? What are your thoughts on only Southern Vinny Stylin being the only Critical Mass Wrestler on USA Pro shows?

John Curse: Any of the guys from NYWC can work wherever they want but must keep in mind that if they are getting continually buried on other local shows they will get buried on ours too. The only thing I would be concerned about would be our Champions working there because undoubtedly they would not be used properly. As far as SVS goes NYWC is his home, USA is nothing more than a payday.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: Would a USA Pro vs NYWC invasion/angle ever work?

John Curse: It would not work because at the end of the day who really cares about USA/UXW or NYWC and some non-existent internet fabricated heat? Has an inter-indy invasion angle ever worked?

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: What are your thoughts on Mikey Whipwreck leaving USA Pro? What are your thoughts on Wayne leaving USA Pro to work NYWC?

John Curse: Mikey was asked to take a pay cut and refused. He would rather spend time with his family and work for NYWC where he is appreciated and is helping to build something unique from the ground floor up. He was not fired. Wayne on the other hand is a different story. Wayne saw tremendous potential, as did Iceberg, in NYWC and they approached myself and Greg Stengel about investing in NYWC. They have been an invaluable asset to the company as part owners and bring enthusiasm and desire to our company. Iceberg might be a dick but he is very organized and business savvy, and Wayne works harder at building and promoting the fed and school than anyone.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: What are your thoughts on NYWC being called a ticket selling promotion? Can NYWC draw in Deer Park if the wrestlers don't sell tickets?

John Curse: We don't force our guys to sell tickets to be on the shows but rather use them as convenient ticket outlets. We don't do a lot of presale and selling tickets is not a requirement to be on our shows. We drew over 700 at JFK Middle School and Walt Whitman schools with less thank 100 presold. I think that should answer the question, however our fan base is centered around the Deer Park Community Center as it is our home building.

Out of curiosity do you consider USA Pro a ticket seller fed? Frank has told me just about every guy on the show sells tickets except for the big names. Do you think being called a "ticket seller fed" has a bad connotation to it?

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: I wouldn't call USA Pro a ticket seller fed, but I would say they have alot of ticket seller matches, which coincedentally featured NYWC guys at times. I don't think any of their single champions (outside of the retired ticket seller title) have ever sold tickets. I don't think any of their tag champions have ever sold tickets, in recent years. In fact, the last ticket seller to hold a title in USA Pro would be one of the NYWC Promoters, in Wayne. I do think a "ticket seller fed" has a bad connotation to it because it makes the wrestlers look like they only get on a show because they know how to push tickets, and not because of their skill or talent.