Featured Article: Joey Abs

Joey Abs: It was a big disappointment. I thought I had everything in the palm of my hands, I thought I everything was going good for me. Pretty much got taken of World Wrestling Federation programming, to re-train and to find something that was marketable so I could make them money and make myself money with. And I wasn't too - our crew has changed a lot and I've got to meet a lot of really good guys and got to wrestle a lot of really good talented athletes and a lot of good friends of mine. I wouldn't trade it for anything, I had a good experience in Memphis, it was a good learning experience and no matter what comes from this, I've learned a lot. Maybe I've learned humility, if nothing else, that nothing is guaranteed in this world, just, take every day as it comes. 
J: Do you ever get discouraged, where you think you are going to hang up the boots?
JA: Yea, it's very discouraging to, somebody who's been doing it for seven years, and I thought I was ready, and it gets discouraging. And I don't know what my options are, continuing on with this business. I mean, there's not many companies to work for. Overseas, I'm gonna to go to Japan with some of my friends, some old partners - the Dupps, they're back on the same track I am, looking for work, Joey and Christian, of course, they're good kids and we're gonna work it out for something, something will come up. I'd like to go out on a better note than getting told that I can go home, I'd rather that to be my decision than someone else's [clip]
And I'm gonna be moving back to North Carolina at the end of this week, I dunno, I dunno what...
J: What do you do in North Carolina when you're not wrestling?
JA: I'm gonna work for my dad, same thing I was doing for ten years when I was trying to make for it. Work in a body shop, fixing cars, driving a wrecker, doing whatever. We've got nice trucks and I can always work for him, I won't starve, but I'm just not be doing what I intend to do for the rest of my life, if I was ready to quit. I wasn't ready yet, so, I don't think I'm gonna hang up the boots right away. I think I'll give it a shot, see what opportunities come up. [clip]
The guys that are going on, continuing on, I've just got to offer them - I've tried to give everybody a little bit of me, so they could remember me and could have something to go with and maybe they learned something from me. I hoped everyone learned something, whether it was good or bad, that they could take something from my experience and incorporate into their working style or whatever, it's great. Lance, I was originally saying, he's gonna take my suplexes and take my forearms and do all of that stuff, and you know, take my moves and stuff that I do. I think I do, it'll be a little piece of me that he'll remember every time he's out there. And someone will remember, 'hey, he used to work with Joey Abs - maybe he got that from him.' [clip]
There's a lot of good guys here - I'd like to thank you, you've always worked hard for us [mumbling] doing all the stuff. Terry Golden's a good guy, and he tried his hardest at getting us all out of here. At first, we were kinda against Terry, thought he was a slave driver or something, but he always had our best interest at heart, and some time it takes [mumbles] And the fans of MCW, who came out, whether there were 50 of them or a 1000 of them at the big shows. We had tornados, we had all kinda of stuff, and sometimes we had freezing cold and a hundred degrees, you never know what you're gonna get with this little towns, and I'll remember this for a long time, and all the guys behind the scenes who make this thing work. [clip]
J: There's one guy we don't have the ability to interview for this program, who was down here for a long time - Pete Gas.
JA: My roommate here for a long time, my roommate for over a year. We moved down here, started down here with the posse thing, that broke up but we remained best friends throughout the whole thing. Pete's a great guy, I learned a lot and I hoped he learned a lot from me. We talked every night around the shows, and find out what we needed to do, what he was missing, what I was missing, what he liked about what my matches, what he wanted to try to incorporate into this style, He was a good wrestler, a good listener, he took criticism well, that's a lot of guys problem, they don't take criticism well. That's a lot of guys problem, they don't take criticism well. Pete was always good and I missed him, and wished him the best, and I was probably one of the first guys he called when he found out he was coming home too. He messed up his life and went to Puerto Rico and all that, and I really wish he would've gotten a different opportunity, I don't think that Puerto Rico thing was what he needed right then, but what do I know; I've been fired from every territory there is, take it from Tracy Smothers. [clip]
Lance Cade (yelling from off camera): Joey Abs couldn't tie my boots!
JA: Shut up, I'm in here trying to do an interview, you a[bleep]!
J: Lance Cade, tell me about Lance Cade
JA: Lance Cade, one of the young up and comers! He's apparently going on to Cincinnati. Wish him the best, he's a good kid and he'll do well.
J: Is he as dumb as he looks?
JA: I'm afraid to say he is. [clip]
J: Joe, I've understood you've mellowed kinda out since you've been here in Memphis Championship Wrestling?
JA: (angry) You think that I've mellow- What are you talking about? Don't sit over there with that stupid looking grin on your face, Jett!
J: Well-
JA: Just because I've put you over once and said you were a  good 'tape editor', don't get an attitude with me - what are you looking at? I'll take that chair and shove it straight up your ass! You little skinny [bleep]! You damn drunk! What's wrong with you? Don't sit over there and smile at me! I'll be the hair off of you, jack[bleep]ss! This interview is over! 

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