WF: Mikey, Wrestlingfever. de of course thanks you for your interest to take an interview with us.

MW: It’s my pleasure. I’m sorry it took so long. I get into the mood where all I’ll think about is wrestling and then out of nowhere I’ll go weeks without even thinking wrestling at all.

WF: We hope that you are feeling good at the moment.

MW: I’m feeling pretty good considering my body it’s wrecked. I have good days and bad. More good then bad thank god.

WF: What is the FIRST ECW Triple Crown Champion (Heavyweight, Tag Team, Television) doing nowadays?

MW: Not too much. I help run an INDY group here in NY. www. nywcwrestling. com. We’ve had a lot of success as a company turning out some really talented guys. Mikey from the Spirit Squad. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, The Amazing Red, The S.A.T.s, Quiet Storm, Mason Raige in OVW and Trent Baretta in FCW

WF: You are stepping in the ring since 1994, worked with the big promtions and it is safe to say that you are very experienced in the independent promotions as well. What is your favorite sector, being big or independent?

MW: My favorite sector was of course the original ECW. That place was home. If there was ever a total dysfunctional family ECW was it. All the misfits fit in.

WF: What was the difference between ECW on one side and WCW or WWE on the other?

MW: ECW was a place where everybody worked hard to have the best match of the night and Paul E gave everyone a chance to be their own character and gave us a lot of creative control. WWE pretty much scripts every line and develops a character exactly the way the WWE wants and unless you are a top guy, you do as your told. Lol. WCW was a disorganized mess, Nobody had a clue what was going on and the few that did have a clue didn’t care at all.

WF: How did you get into the wrestling business, specifically ECW?

MW: A friend of mine owned a ring that ECW rented and after we put it up I started doing spots and backflips and stuff. Joey Styles saw me and told Paul E to come watch and Paul asked me right there if I wanted to wrestle. As you well know, I said yes.

WF: Mikey, of course we have to talk more precise about ECW, the original! If you think about it today, what do you think was the most impressive thing about ECW and how did it affect wrestling business?

MW: The most impressive thing about the original ECW was we changed the way the WWE and the WCW presented their product. We were the original “Attitude Era”. WWE and WCW took what we were doing toned it down a little bit and made it mainstream.

WF: Unfortunately many of your former colleagues have passed away. Bam Bam Bigelow, Chris Candido, Mike Awesome, John Kronus to only name a few of them. What do you associate personally with your former wrestling colleagues?

MW: I’m not sure what I can associate personally with each of them but back then we all had this feeling of invincibility to us. We were doing things on a nightly basis that just wasn’t normal. We were ECW and as childish as it sounds nothing could hurt us or bring us down. We were grown men acting like teenagers. Unfortunately you have to grow up. Some of us were able to make the adjustment to “normal” life and others just couldn’t do it. It’s a shame cause in ECW we looked out for each other and had people around us living the same life and after ECW and WCW were gone a lot of guys had nothing else. It’s a hard adjustment going from the life we had to a life of 9-5 Monday through Friday job. I just hope this bad streak is coming to an end. It’s really hard to look back and smile. It’s not like we are all 75 years old and looking back and some of us have died. Most of these guys were in their mid 30’s. It’s sad.

WF: Let us talk about ECW one more time . You started as an underdog and climbed up the ladder. Do you still remember the beginning and the idea of your character?

MW: I just remember it going by really fast. I never knew the idea for my character until Paul told me that night what we were gonna do. I just knew that every night I was gonna get my ass kicked pretty bad and feel like hell in the morning.

WF: The winning of the Triple Crown Championship was a very important moment for sure. What do you remember of this day?

MW: I remember pinning Hak and seeing Mick running to the ring in his brown and white cow skin cowboy boots. Lol. I remember him saying to me congratulatins and hugging me. I couldn’t believe I was in the ring with Mick Foley and Tazz and Konan all holding me up as the ECW champion, As a oung kid in the business it was totally surreal.

WF: Do you have original ECW pieces of memory and if, which do you have?

MW: I don’t have anything. It’s a shame isn’t it.

WF: You wrestled against Public Enemy with Mick Foley on your side and won the Tag Titles. And unfortunately Public Enemy do not stay any longer with us. Do you watch your title wins nowadays sometimes?

MW: I don’t watch myself on tape. I get told all the time on on WWE 24-7 but I can’t watch. Especially if I know I’m wrestling somebody who’s passed away. It’s too sad.

WF: We know that you took the Heavyweight Title from The Sandman. The Sandman himself still thinks that he just was a champion for a small passage of time and this means almost nothing. Are you still in contact with your former buddies? Is there any talking about past ECW time?

MW: I’ll talk to guys here and there. I’m really bad at getting back to people as you can personally tell. Lol. I saw Sandman a few weeks ago and we were talking and laughing about the WCW Junkyard invitational.

WF: Axl Rotten once told me that the „New ECW“ is „no ECW“. What are you thinking about that and do you often watch the WWE Shows?

MW: I agree completely. It’s like seeing a Cover band of the Scorpions or Kiss. It’s the same but not the same. The new ECW is just a spinoff of Smackdown and Raw.

WF: How did you find out about the end of the ECW? - Could you tell us something about the backstage atmosphere? Many of them did not even want to work for Heyman or were already somewhere different...

MW: I think everybody knew it was over but not many people would say it out loud. Guys were looking out for themselves. I didn’t make a move to go anywhere else cause I had come back from WCW and that was brutal and I didn’t really think I could handle a 4-5 day road schedule.

WF: In 1999 you had some appearances in WCW. Could you tell us something about WCW's Hardcore Division? And did wrestler in the backstage had a different understanding of wrestling than in ECW?

MW: The hardcore division was just guys using weapons thinking that was hardcore. I don’t think most of them realized that hardcore was going out and working 110% and being innovative and doing everything in your power to have a great match.

WF:You are just 35 years old, you are standing in the ring for 14 years now and still take bookings for shows. Is there any possibillity to see you in germany? Unfortunately it did not happen in the past because of an injury.

MW: I’d love to come to Germany if anyone would have me. Get the word out!!! Mikey wants to come to Germany!!!!

WF: Mikey, what do you think of by reading the names below:

Paul Heyman: Genius – In a maniacal type of way. I owe him everything.

Tod Gordon: Was instrumental in giving me my break.

Shane Douglas: Taught me a lot and I think he gets a raw deal. He was always thinking of a way to make himself and the company better. Some people look down on people who talk to much.

Mick Foley: My idol

Rob Van Dam: Most talented Wrestler I’ve ever seen.

Sabu: The most hardcore and generous person I’ve ever met. Love him.

Public Enemy: Sorely missed :(

WF: We really appreciate and thank you for the interview and wish you all the best for the future!

MW: Thank you very much. Hopefully I’ll see you soon hint hint ;)

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