"The Long Lost Dillinger Interview"

I know this has been a long time coming. I've been slacking and I'll be the first to admit it. I've done quite a few interviews over the years and this was one of my favorites. As Dillinger is in the ring, he doesn't pull any punches when talking to him either. Id like to once again thank Steven Dillinger for his time in the UWA, and his time to do this interview. He truly his a unique person, and a lover of this business. We'll here it is, pretty much word for word, The Dillinger Interview......

Conversation started out with me asking him where he was from.. "From New Orleans, original Cajun. Born and bred down there, and actually my grandmother was half Cajun and half Cherokee Indian. She was the meanest lady I ever met in my life!"

Growing up in New Orleans, did you watch or attend any wrestling events?

"Yeah, you know my dad worked in construction and he worked late hours. The only thing we could do was on Monday nights, and that was go down to the wrestling matches. On Mondays they had the old Mid-South wrestling with Cowboy Bill Watts, Ted Dibiase, Junkyard Dog, a lot of the guys they call legends today are the ones I grew up watching. So every Monday they were down at the old Municipal Auditorium, and my dad and I would go. My dad was a big wrestling fan and I didn't even know it. One of the biggest thrills I got back then was meeting Junkyard Dog. He was one of the biggest men I had ever met in my life. You know that first time when your a kid and you see something, and you get that feeling you know you are hooked. So right then I knew I was hooked and I had to do this no matter what....No television wise, we used to pick up the old World Class Championship wrestling from out of Dallas, with the Von Erichs, Gentleman Chris Adams,
Tojo Yamamoto, and a young Jeff Jarrett."

Who were some of your favorites growing up, that might have influenced you?
"Well I gotta admit, even as a kid, I don't know what it was, but the bad guys always intrigued me. Funny story, when Cowboy Bill Watts was a good guy, I was waiting outside the door to get an autograph. He walked out the door and he actually pushed me aside. Well, Ted Dibiase, who had just became a bad guy, came walking right behind him and said, 'Look man, don't sweat it kid.' And he signed an autograph for me. So I figured there must be something there, cause the bad guys seem to be the good guys outside the building, and the good guys seemed to be the buttholes. My favorite of all time had to be Junkyard Dog. The man had the crowd eating out of his hand, I mean, anywhere he went. When I first saw Junkyard Dog he was a bad guy, and he would bring a shopping cart full of weapons to the ring with him. The first two minutes of the match he was picking out whether he was gonna use a pipe, a board, and when he had picked out out his food of choice, if you will, he got in the ring and just beat the crap out of the guy. I thought it was the greatest thing going. I was like, these guys are literally getting to beat the crap out of someone, and they are getting paid for it, and the cops aren't doing a damn thing about it. Hey this sounded like a thing for me.....I of course like all the favorites, Kerry Von Erich with all his moves and posing, and you know different guys had different styles, but I always seemed to lean towards the bad guys. Like I said though, Junkyard Dog was a huge influence on me, because the man put on a show. You know there were wrestlers, there were entertainers, and then there was just the Dog. He was an entity himself. You couldn't help but love him, and even if you hated him, he got in the ring and barked like a dog, and acted like he peed on people. It was great. it was one of the best shows I had ever seen. So, not only did I want to become a wrestler, but I figured from then I on, I was gonna do this sport and I was going to entertain people. One way or another, it didn't matter. I was going to go out there and give it my all, and just do what I could, and that's what I have always tried to do my whole career."

So how did you get your start wrestling?
"In 1990, I hate to kind of date myself there, but in 1990 I went to Texas to a school ran by Gentleman Chris Adams. It was a three day school, and he basically taught us the basics of wrestling and things like that. Now I had a year of wrestling in high school, watched professional wrestling my whole life, and had taken a year of Judo. So I knew the simple things, like how to kind of protect myself if I fell. Chris Adams' school was three days of a, what I learned real fast, take your money and kiss my ass kind of school. I say that about Gentleman Chris Adams, because there were a lot of people who ran those schools, I just happen to latch on to his. Another true story, as I am walking out with my bags, kind of yelling back at him some rather choice words about what I thought of him and his school. I had deposited my money, I figured I would give him my last two cents worth. A man came up to me, long blonder hair, big huge man, slapped me on the back and said, 'hey suck it up, and tough it out. That's the way we all start. If you keep at it one day, maybe you'll amount to something.' That man was, then, Stunning Steve Austin."

I knew that Chris Adams had trained Steve Austin, so he got your money too?
"Yeah this was back right after Chris had trained him, he was still learning and getting his spot. You know, it wasn't a big Knute Rockne speech, or even a big Bear Bryant flashback. I didn't hear any music in the background or anything. And, honestly, the smack really hurt, cause he smack me on the back of my head and neck. Anyway, it kind of wisened me up to the fact that, this sport is gonna be a little harder to get into than I thought. So from then on I went to Alabama. That's where I really started learning, well, where I got my start was Alabama."

Who was you working in Alabama?
"In Alabama I was working with three guys. Two of them were real well known, one of them wasn't as popular, but he had been real big in Texas at one time. The man that trained me was Alan Martin, he was a member of a tag team called the Rock-nRoll RPM's. Now ever one hears Rock-n-Roll and thinks,'oh its just a cheap imitation of the Rock-n-Roll Express.' Well, yes it was, but Shawn Micheals also got his start like that too, thank you very much. So Alan Martin, another guys named Mike Jackson, and the quenessitial jobber of jobbers in the 1990's, Randy Barber, anyone that remembers watching World Championship Wrestling will remember Randy Barber. Him and these other two guys trained me. Alan Martin specifically, because he was the most hated man in Alabama. So the reason Dillinger has the Path of Rage, is because of Alan Martin.

Alan Martin's partner in the RPM's was Mike Davis right?
"Yes Maniac Mike Davis, who passed away a few years back. They worked in World Class, Louisiana, and hit the Southeastern coast. They worked a lot for Continental Championship Wrestling. It was huge in Alabama. It was to Alabama what World Class was to Texas. So they were both well known, and well hated. There were many nights we had to call the cops to get out of the shows, yep they were hated."

Where was your first match and who was it against?
" Well my first was in a place called the Cow Palace. Now say that name, and people think your talking about San Francisco. Well actually it was the Hog Palace, and the reason being was it was in a little town in Alabama, and it was the place where they weighed hogs during the fair. My first match was during the fair, and they had a lot of hogs. Needless to say that fresh aroma was not potpourri. It was against Mike Jackson, and of course back then I was smaller than I was now. I was about 285 and he was, soaking wet, about 145, and he beat me. Back then they had gave me the name 'The V Man'. The v was for victory, which was funny, because for the first year and a half I never won a damn match. I guess there was some irony there. So little by little I found out that the lessons from wrestlers kept getting harder and harder."

Speaking of the V Man, and gimmick. What were some of your best or worst?
"Well The V Man was probably the worst. I also did dark matched for WCW and WWE(WWF at the time), and I used the name Tommy Stevens. I used that name because Tommy Stevens was a friends of mine from school who always got the hell beat out of him. Anybody that knows anything about a dark match, knows, that what happens, is you get the hell beat out of you. So I used Tommy Stevens for that. I did a few shows later in my career in North Carolina, and I used the name Darian Blade. I used that name because it seemed like every match, or almost every match, someone was bleeding. So I thought I might as well have a name that goes with it. I actually had a promoter that wanted me to use the name the Archangel, and wanted me to go out to the ring and every time I knocked a guy down, spread my arms and flap them like wings. That lasted all of one match, I felt like a flying Dumbo out there. Steven Dillinger is probably the closest to what my name was in Alabama, which was The Equalizer. I've seemed to always use the one word names, I mean Duh, maybe cause I'm stupid, I don't know. Dillinger is pretty much the same as The Equalizer, except Dillinger is probably meaner. It may be because he's older, I don't know, or because he's a little more beat up now, I'm not sure. Each one has a different meaning to me. One of them is when I was training, one was when I did dark matches, so each one holds a special place. The V Man got used, really, until I got tired of it, and then it blossomed into the Equalizer. I guess Dillinger would have to be my favorite. He is a guy that the fans either love to hate him, or hate to love him. I've never seen such confusion on the fans faces when I walk out to the ring. It's really funny to me, because people love to boo me, and I love for them to do just that. I always want to get them so mad they throw stuff at me, I don't care. I am a three hundred pound man that throws a drop kick, that's not afraid to come off the top rope, and the fans respect that. So they boo me, but they boo in a sense of reverence. Dillinger is more my actual persona, if you will, that has to be the character that means the most."

What's been some of your favorite matches of feuds that have stuck with you?
"I remember one match, I was working a show for Mike Jackson, and I was a good guy. I was getting booed by the crowd. I guess they really didn't believe in the character that I was doing, so I got mad, and I started yelling out in the ring. I started being a bad guy right then and there in the ring. I found out I was pretty good at it, and actually I was better at than the guy I was in the ring with. So this other guy named Nightmare Ted Allen, came out of the dressing room after me and just smacked me across the head. He started cussing at me and yelling at me, and it wasn't even his show. Well, a month later I went to Rome, Georgia to work for the same Ted Allen. He says to me,'I'm gonna put you in there with Bullet Bob Armstrong tonight.' I said, 'OK.' Bob was a good guy. We get in the ring, and we lock up. He pushed me into the turnbuckle, threw my arms over the ropes, and says,'welcome to school you little ass.' Then he proceeded to chop me fourteen times. Once I got my breath back, he threw me to another corner, and chopped me 15 more times, and said,'do you need some more schooling I've got two corners left.' I said, 'No sir, I've been schooled, and I understand perfectly.' That's the match that I learned to shut the hell up and do what your told....I've had a lot of fun matches, Coffin matches, a match where I busted a 2 liter of pop on a guys head, it went everywhere. All my matches with Eric Adamz, although painful, and I do mean painful. For anyone that says its fake, get in there with both of us and see what happens. Although they were painful, I enjoyed them. Lately, as far as matches go, I've got to give some props out to my big man Billy Marshall. Man that hot dog match was funnier than a fart in church. That and the fact that Dillinger, a three hundred pound man, was scared of clowns. That also seems to stand out, because it totally took the fans by shock. I love to see a shocked look on the fans faces. When I saw how it went over, I may not have shown it in the ring, but I went
to the back and just belly laughed. It was hilarious to me. To be honest, during that hot dog match, I had a hard time keeping a straight face in the ring. That's why I had to run to the back, I was laughing so hard I literally choked on my chewing gum. Those really stand out and are special to me."

It's good you brought up the Hot Dog match, because Billy Marshall had wanted to know what you really thought of them.
"I love Billy Marshall to death for the simple reason, Billy's like me. He's a big guy, we don't put no crisco or oil on our bodies, we don't have the long hair, and we don't wear spandex. Big guys' can't wear spandex too well, when your big spandex is a more of a privilege not a right. Billy is one of those guys that goes out there every week for the fans. Does what he can, and leaves it all out there. He gives it his best. You can tell he really has a love for this sport. The Hot Dog match actually came up just on a whim. It was just an idea that came up, and we just went with it. We saw the crowds reaction, and it went over well. Funny this was, if everyone remembers, I dropped a leg on the hot dog, that was improv. We didn't really know what to do, we hadn't really discussed what to do at the end, but i thought about doing something that would make Billy laugh. I didn't tell him I was going to do it, and really I was going to splash the hot dog and count it out, or drop a leg. I went with the leg drop because if I would have splashed I would have probably busted my gut open. So I said what the hell and just leg dropped it, that's how that match ended like that, it was total improv, we hadn't even talked about it. I just figured what the hell and I'll throw something out there."

What's been some of your favorite places to work through the years?

"I actually worked Thompson-Bowling Arena. I did a dark match with Bobby Eaton, and he doesn't even remember me. I worked in Nashville, I did have a chance to work Smokey Mountain. When I was getting ready to go, I go told by the booker, they didn't need me. That's one I wished I could have worked. I've worked all over Alabama, I've worked Georgia, Ive worked all over the north coast of Florida. I actually got to work in the Sportatorium in Dallas TX, before it got closed down. Pretty much the south east is where I've been, I did wrestle some matches in Virgina and West Virgina. Now, as a matter of fact this weekend, I'm double booked. One in North Carolina, and one in South Carolina. Thank God I'm right on the boarder, or I'd really be screwed. This out here is a new area for, to just see if Dillinger can break out and what he can do. I've enjoyed myself, you know, each match and each place is special to me. I love Alabama, cause that's where I started. The people down there were great. There's this one lady in particular, I'm going to put her name out there. She was the most wonderful lady in the world. Her name was Dodie Gerngnan. A lot of guys got there start through her. She was like a second mom to most of the guys. She ran real good family shows down in Birmingham, and Montgomery. Different places all have different meaning to me. Even the smell at the Hog Palace, every time the fair comes to town, and I smell the cows and things. I remember that smells like I place I wrestled once."

What was the lady's name again, so I spell it right?
"Her name was Dodie Gerignan. I keep in touch with her, I call her about once a month. She's out of the wrestling business now, shes gotten older and can't really do as much. I tell you though, she is one nice lady. I wished everyone had a chance to work with someone, when they first start out, just like her. She really took care of you. Now, she used to wrestle before to, so didn't care to kick your ass. She had no problems doing that. As far as really helping you along, and teaching you the business, like booking and things like that. My experience comes from Dodie. We sold out a show on Christmas Eve. I didn't think it would happen but it did. That just goes to show you what kind of a lady she was. We did some free shows for Children's Hospital down there. We did a benefit show the Wal-Mart, and we wrestled in the rain. There were only about 5 people standing there, and she said,'boys they paid their money, and they paid to see a show. Get out there and give them a show.' We wasn't going to tell her no. I mean, she would have killed us, but aside from that, we were paid to be wrestlers. That's what we did. That match was fun for me because I did a splash a got everyone there wet. I had fun...I love the UWA. I think the Green Acre Flea Market is a crazy place. The fans are awesome, they are loud, especially towards the end, with the 'Donovan Daniels Sucks' thing. I came out the back, and I got in the middle with these guys, cause it was fun. Greatest thing I had ever heard, it was funny. I like places like that. I've wrestled places where it's like, wrestling in a church. I like loud crowds, and obnoxious crowds. I like kids that will boo you. I like it all."

What's been the biggest change in the industry, since you started?
"That's real simple, it's one word, its a double edged sword, it's called the Internet. Back when I started, if I beat the crap out of Billy Bob, and his nephew, or brothers, or sons, same difference if your in Kentucky, saw it. Well they had to go tell this one and and that one, and it had to spread one at a time. Now we finish a match, and the mat is not even cold yet, and somebody has already found out about it on the Internet. Sometimes that's good, because these little shows, that don't have a big promotional budget, can get the word out easier to the fans. And well, of course you can't please all the fans all the time, and they get on there and they say things. You know, they try to ruin a show, or they get on there a act like they are smarter than the average bear. We call them smart marks sometimes. A lot of times people try to get on there and ruin something. If you take all the fantasy out of life, life kind of sucks. There's got to be something to believe in. I understand people wanting a better show and stuff, but there are ways to go about it better. Not just ruin stuff. The Internet, for as much good as it's done, its also kind of a hindrance. It's really hard to work around it, because if you've got a match next week. Then ever body is going to weighing in on that match during that week, so your like, well hell, this is going to suck, or they are expecting the Earth to open up and angels to fly out. So I better do something good. A lot of times it puts pressure on the guys, so many of the newer guys today, as long as they can get into the ring without tripping and falling over there
own damn boots. All of a sudden they are professional wrestlers. So sometimes the pressure is needed. That's why I say the Internet is probably the biggest change for the business. I can't say for the better or for the worst, its a little bit of both.

PART 2

OK, what's been like the biggest change in the
workers, since you started?
"I would say attitude. Some good attitude out there,
some not. When I was coming up, places like the UWA
were considered 'backyard' wrestling. Now I know
'backyard' is a cuss word, I might as well come out
and say the 'F' word. You know attitude goes a long
way. Workers when I was coming up, I knew guys that
paid three thousand dollars to train three months, and
they got the crap kicked out of them. Even Tom
Pritchard himself talked about how the Iron Sheik but
the hell out of him, for a few months, while he was
training him. This was how we trained, now you got
these guys that, as long as they pay, and they can get
in the ring without tripping over themselves. They go
out and get some Tom, Dick or Harry to sew them a pair
of tights, and go to Wal-Mart and adjust some boots.
Monday through Friday they are flipping burgers, and
on the weekends, they are professional wrestlers. What
sucks about that, is everyone in that arena knows that
this jackass has been flipping burgers all week,
because they get up there Saturday and they suck. Now
with these smaller places becoming more prominent,
since Vince is trying to buy up everything. All of a
sudden these'backyard' or 'outlaw' federations, that
we called them when I was coming up, now become
'Independant' federations. it makes them sound
important. It's out of these organizations that we
drew people like, I don't know, AJ Styles, and Brian
Danielson, The Fallen Angel, people like this are
growing out of the 'Independants' groups. So
'Independents' became important, and you can see how
some of those workers have busted their butt to really
make a difference, and it's really about attitude.
Yes, I still believe in wrestling. I'm not the guy
that's crying and saying,'it's still real to me damn
it.' You know that guys should be DDT'd on the damn
porch. I'm one of
those guys that believes that wrestling still has
something. Screw the Globetrotters, screw the circus,
this is wrestling. We get in there and we tell a
story, and we act. Sometimes we bleed, sometimes we
yell, and sometimes we shake hands. Sometimes
everyone, including the ref, is knocked out. That's
why when Dillinger gets mad, he punches the hell out
of everybody. You never know what to expect, you know,
and it's the greatest show that we can have, but it's
a lot about attitude. Do you want to be the guys with
the long hair in the spandex, that comes out there and
bangs the chick that comes to the arena, fine go be a
Chippendale dancer. I don't have time for you. It's
like, put on a show, then worry about everything else.
Some guys have that attitude, some guys have a good
one. I'm going to give one guy some props out there
right now, this is a Dillingerism, you can use it if
you want to. Travis Sawyer. This young man will go far
in this business. Because his attitude is good, his
actions are good, his ring work is improving. Then he
goes unchecked. If they will just let him go and find
himself, he will be one of the premier workers going
today. I've talked to the boy, and I like his
attitude. I wish more people had his work ethic and
attitude. Another guy I have to give a shout out to,
and boy is Cabbie
going to be pissed, but Donovan Daniels. Even though
when Donovan Daniels first started, I would have like
to have mopped the mat with him. Donovan as far as
being a bad guy, has more genuine heat, than anything
I ever saw. And that, when you are a bad guy, that is
what you want. He did what he needed to do, so I give
both those two men props. I know I'm leaving some
other guys out, and someone will say,'hey you didn't
mention me,' well screw you. This is my interview, so
you all can kiss my a**...What I'm saying is attitude
goes a long way. Either you got a good one, or you've
got a bad one. A good one isn't sucking up to a
promoter, or stuff like that. It's what you want to
do, do you want to make it in this sport and go far.
hey let's face it, your not going to make a million
bucks unless you go work for Vince, and look how many
farm leagues he has working for him. Vince has got
people kissing his a**, coming out of his a**, or his
head or anything else. He can go take a crap and he
will have four workers there ready to wipe it. It's
not about kissing butt, it's about knuckling down,
getting your butt in the gym, getting in the ring and
practicing, and doing what you need to do. They're a
lot of little Independent federations around like, SAW
up in Gatlinburg, where guys are knocking down and
doing what they need to do, because their attitude is
right. A lot of wrestling is about attitude. With the
right attitude your either gonna make it far in this
business, or you're going to wind up hurt. You get in
the ring with Dillinger, and you 've got a bad
attitude, believe me, I've been in this business a
long time, I will beat it out of you. I don't care
how, I will yank it out of you. That's just the truth,
that's just the kind of guy I am."

Throughout your career, what would you have to say
would be your personal biggest career highlight?
"Personal career highlight, Nashville, wrestling Ric
Flair. It was about a six minute match, and to be
honest Flair took the beginning, and Flair took the
end, and I took everything else. I was nervous as
crap. He told me I was nervous as crap, and he kept
telling me I was nervous as crap. It was a very good
match for me. Another one was working with, God rest
his soul, Junkyard Dog. When I was in Alabama, not
only did I get to meet Junkyard Dog, but I got to
wrestle Junkyard Dog. That was a thrill of a lifetime.
As a matter of fact, I stayed in continuous contact
with Junkyard Dog right up until his death. That was
the guy I grew up watching. It was a shame he passed
away. I've gotten to meet a lot of people in this
business. Shoot, in Tennessee, I've got to meet people
like Chase Stevens, AJ Styles, Ricky Morton, Tracy
Smothers, who is probably one of the craziest mothers
I've ever met in my life. He is the coolest. I've got
to meet a lot of people, and do a lot of jobs. I did a
job with the Undertaker, back in the heyday. Wrestled
the Steiners, in WCW. So in my career I've got to work
and meet a lot of interesting people, and do a lot of
things. There are always certain things that stand
out. A lot of the guys I've wrestled then, are now
called legends. So that's kind of cool, that I've been
part of it. I'm also like well crap, that makes me
feel old. I don't know which one I like better. So as
far as greatest hits, Junkyard Dog without a doubt. I
literally cried the day he passed away. I was just
broken, because we had got to travel a lot together
back in Alabama, and up and down in Georgia, after he
got released by WWE. He was a great guy, a humble guy,
and I really can't say enough about him. It makes you
appreciate wrestling. It used to be who's winning what
title, and now it seems like your reading who's dying.
I just read the other day about another guy passing,
Mike Awesome, no someone else...Bad News Allen. I'm
like, almost everyday you turn around someone is
dying. There were a few guys that I was supposed to
wrestle that ended up dying before I could. One of
them, I was actually supposed to be going to Puerto
Rico with, was Eddie Gilbert. I had talked to him on a
Sunday, he was at a hotel with Missy Hyatt. I talked
to him that Sunday, and I was supposed to go out there
on Saturday, sure enough on that Thursday or Friday
morning I got the call that he had passed away. These
days you just never know, that's why whenever these
fans get a chance to see one of the older legends,
take the chance and go see them. Take a chance on
meeting them too, you never know what's going to
happen."

I've asked a lot of the same questions I asked Billy
in his interview, so I will ask another one. What's
been your support system through the years?
"It's funny, and not a lot of people in the UWA know
this, but I'm married now, and I have a son. My first
wife hated wrestling with a passion, so I didn't
really have that support. My mother, she still hates
it. She prays to God every night, that I break my leg,
or something, so I never wrestle again. My wife now is
my support, she loves me and she understands my love
for the business. I can thank them again, and I'll be
honest with you. I know this sounds crazy, and it may
sound corny, but it's the God's honest truth as sure
as I'm standing here, I still believe in this
business. I believe in what it stands for, not all the
crap that Vince has made it, and the people that have
perverted it. All these 'hardcore', let's bust a light
tube over your head, what the hell. That's a bar
fight, that's not wrestling. I
believe in wrestling, I believe in one guy wrestling
another guy, and putting on one of the greatest shows.
I believe in pissing people off so bad, that they
invite somebody back with them, to see if they can
close that big son of a bitch's mouth. That's
entertainment, that's why I'm in this business. I want
people to come back, just to see if I'll shut up, then
I may not even shut up. I believe in what I do, in
this sport. I love what I do, I love entertaining
people. I get out there and hang someone from a chain,
or I'll do like Eric Adamz would do and pour rubbing
alcohol in their eyes, then I'll get out there and run
from a couple of clowns, you know. If Dillinger could
be remembered for one thing, it would be that he went
out there, with every bit of his three hundred pound
body, he went out there and entertained the fans.
That's all I've ever wanted to do, because deep down
inside, real deep down inside Dillinger, I am just a
fan that's living out a dream. That's what I do. I've
got that support from my family, there is also my
drive to do this, and of course the fans. Do I want
the fans hugging and buying my picture, hell no,
people please, boo me more. I hate everyone of you
rednecks. I enjoy the
fact that you come out, and you pay your hard earned
money to see me get my a** kicked. Because, you can't
beat up your boss, you'll get fired, you can't go out
and smack a cop, you'll go to jail, you can't hit your
wife, unless you have OJ Simpson's attorneys,
but if you watch Dillinger, you can live vicariously
through my actions and my movements."

I'm sure you've had your share of bumps and bruises,
what's been some of your worst injuries?
"Concussions. My head was split open by a promoter,
who hit me with a two by four. I was in the dressing
room bleeding, he came in there and grabbed me by the
hair and said,'we haven't finished the match yet.' The
worst one was, I had this guy do what he thought
was a moonsault, but it looked more like a moonfart,
and broke my ankle. When I got to the back he said it
was the first time he had ever practiced it, so I
broke his nose. It put me out of wrestling for almost
six years. It was the worst. I'll be honest with you,
Halloween Horror IV, was probably one of the most
physically challenging matches I've ever had. I was
beat up, I was cut, I had thumb tacks in my head. For
most people that don't remember it, I encourage you to
get the video tape, and watch the ending. I was
completely got knocked unconscious. I really don't
remember exactly what happened, I remember the hit,
that's about it, and falling off the top rope. The
next thing I remember was one of those security guys,
Keith I believe, over me, squeezing my hand
saying,'Dillinger, are you ok man, your not dead are
you?' I looked at him and was like,'would I have my
eyes open if I was dead?' I was out of it, but from
what I understand it was a hell of a match...Hey if
you don't like bumps and bruises, if you don't like
blood lose, if you don't like chops to the chest, and
stuff like that, then you better be sitting your a**
on the sideline eating nachos, because wrestling is
not for you.'

This was a question I got from the UWA message board.
I believe it was STFMaryville that asked me to ask you
your Steiner Brothers story. I was going to ask about
funny stories from you, so I'll ask about this one.
"Ok, actually it splits me, cause it's a funny story,
but it's one of those stories that points to attitude,
like I mentioned earlier. This is a story that will
teach young guys about attitude. This was back in the
heyday, when the Steiners Brothers were the Steiner
Brothers, and they were pretty much killing people. In
the wrestling we call it snug or stiff, I prefer to
call it beating the crap out of somebody, because
people were getting hurt. They weren't the only team
doing it, The Road Warriors were very well know for
leaving people limping back from the ring. We were in
Montgomery, Alabama. I was in the back, and in the old
days when you did dark matches, they ushered you in
and told you who you were going to be wrestling. Then
you sat in the back and waited, till the guys came in.
Well, it just so happened that night that they paired
me up in a tag team, with a guy, and I apologize, I
don't remember his last name, but we called him
Broadway Joe. He was a big guy and he did a 'Moondog'
gimmick. I really didn't like him, because he was very
mouthy. He wrestled for another outlaw federation,
than the one I wrestled at, and I really didn't like
him. So anyway, the next thing I see is Rick and Scott
Steiner coming in, and I was like,'oh crap', because
they were just know to be real stiff with whoever they
were working with. They came up to me, and was
like,'hey I'm Rick and hey I'm Scott.' I had my head
down, and was like,'I'm Tommy.' under my breath I was
like,'I'm the guy who's a** you will be beating
tonight.' That's how I felt. Well they told us they
were going to do some of our signature moves and
probably pin one of you guys with a Steiner Line. They
were being easy that night, because they
had to travel the next day to Birmingham for a show.
Well, the next thing I know, Broadway Joe started
running his mouth, about how he can do a Steiner Line
just as good as them, and he starts telling them all
the moves he can do. They were like,'really you can do
that, we will have a good match then.' I'm sitting
there and I'm not Catholic, and I'm sitting there
doing Hail Mary's, because I knew we were dead. I
mean in the old days you did not talk to these guys.
You accepted the fact that they were going to beat the
crap, and WCW or WWE was going to pay you handsomely
for it, and they did pay good by the way. So we go out
to the ring, and I'm cussing him the whole time,'you
big freaking idiot, don't you know what you've done to
us, you have just signed our death match.' He said,'no
man, they said they would work with us.' We get to the
ring, and they start playing the Stiner's music. This
was back in the Michigan heyday, when they wore the
Michigan jackets to the ring. Rick and Scott Steiner
come to the curtain, and they take off they're
jackets, and they run to the ring. At this point, I'm
thinking of my last will and testament, because I knew
we were just done for. Rick jumps in and he grabs Joe,
Scott comes in a grabs me by the hair, and looks at me
and says,'if you know what's good for you, you will
get out and stay out.' I had enough time to mouth
out,'yes sir', and, wham, I go flying out through the
ropes. So I laid on the ground for the best part of
five minutes, and the noise I heard inside that ring
sounded like the Apocalypse. I heard nothing but
grunts, and groans, and beats, and stomps. I almost
went to sleep, laying there for so long. People are
yelling at me,'come on, your not hurt that bad. Get in
there and help him.' I'm thinking under my breath,'the
hell with you, I know what's going on in that ring
right now.' So they next thing I know, I hear the
people going oooh and ahh, and then I didn't hear
anything. Then I heard this sound, that sounded like a
tree branching snapping, and they whole arena in
Montgomery just went,'uuuuhhhaaggggg.' It wasn't a
cheer, it wasn't a boo, it was like an 'oh my
God.' Really I was curious, and I wanted to look up
into the ring and see what was happening. But, I
remember this man, who made two of me, telling me not
to get up, so, there I laid. I didn't move until they
had to move me, because they were putting a gurney
into the ring. What happened was, they did their
Steiner Bulldog off the top rope, and, basically, held
on to the guy on the way down. Thus, I pretty much
think, that he tore up some vertebrae in his neck,
broke a rib, almost punctured a lung, and he went to
the hospital. I remember being in the back, and
wanting to get dressed as fast as I could and leave. I
thought maybe they were finished with him, so it was
my turn. So, I'm throwing my gear, and what little bit
of cash I had into my bag. I turn around, and come
face to face with Scott. I'm standing there going,'oh
crap here it goes.' He just looked at me and he
goes,'where's your partner?' I said the only thing I
could say at the time, and that was,'I don't even like
the guy. I'm not sure sir, I think he went to the
hospital.' And yes I did call him sir, I don't
care if people think I'm breaking character or what, I
called him sir. Scott, then, took some money and
said,'well if you see him, give him this. It's his
payoff. When you see him give it to him.' Then he just
turned around and walked out the door. From then on, I
learned a lesson, if you ever go to a dark match, or
you ever work a legend, Sit Down and Shut Up. That's
how I am now in the dressing room. I got to my own
corner, and get dressed, keep my mouth shut, ask
anybody back there. When it's time to wrestle, I
wrestle. Even some of the older guys have commented on
the way I carry myself back there. That stuck in my
mind. This guy, Joe, he looked like Billy
Marshall. So imagine Billy being up on someones
shoulders and getting bulldogged to the mat. It was a
massacre, and they were known to do that, but why in
the world this guy ever opened his mouth, I never
knew. Even now, when I help guys train or whatever, I
tell them,'watch your attitude, because you never
know.'..Speaking of attitude, I was watching some
video the other day of UWA, and it seems like there's
a guy that has problems with that, Justin Karma. Which
I think they will rename him Stretch Armstrong, cause
he's getting the crap stretched out of him too. I have
a feeling now, and I don't want him threatening me,
because I will over from North Carolina, and finish
the job, but I have a feeling his problem has a little
bit to do with attitude. Your attitude will go a long
way in this business. If you PO the wrong person, it
will come back to haunt you. So that is the lesson
from Dillinger, girls and boys, put up your beer and
write it down. If you PO the wrong person with your
attitude, it will hurt you. If you impress the right
person with your attitude, you will go a long, long
way in this sport."

Ok, so what advice would you give someone out there,
that's wanting to get into this business?
"First, it would be, make sure this is something you
really want to do. Make sure you are willing to
dedicate yourself, not only to wrestling, but work out
time. You hear a lot of guys going,'I'm in the gym all
the time.' Well that's good, but there is a big
difference between gym time and ring time. You know
ring time, actually, take more out of you than say
running a mile or riding a stationary bike for an
hour. So be sure you can dedicate yourself. Also,
wrestling is a hard business. We do a lot of shows for
very little pay. It's very hard to get to the top. I
mean, you've got a guy like CM Punk sitting in ECW,
and I think he may have ticked off one of the people
there, I don;t know for sure, because he's not really
going anywhere. Why? He's a good talent, ROH used the
hell out of him. So why is that, well that's just the
way it goes. It's a long way just getting to ROH and
shows like that. I appreciate all the independents, I
appreciate Danny Ray, because he's got an independent
that works there, and allows you to do stuff. I
appreciate all the people that let these people train.
Little money and long hours, get used to it, and there
are a lot of nights you walk around with an ice bag,
or an ace bandage, or something like that. Wrestling
looks very glamorous from behind the yellow rope, but
once you step in the ring it's a whole different deal.
So think about it, and if you really want to get into
the show be a ring announcer, or be a good color by
color person, because God knows, we need them. So if
you really want to do this be ready to give your whole
heart, mind, and soul to it. Another thing I would say
to someone, is, you better have another career picked
out in case wrestling don't work. Nine out of ten guys
don't make it. We've got some guys in UWA, that are
very good at what they do. They may have worked some
of the big shows, and think they have made it, but
hey, your not under contract, so hey. Really though,
they are getting paid the same as all the other guys
on the card. So, just make sure that you've got
something else to fall back on."

Well, here's the most requested question I got from
the web board. That is, when are you returning to the
UWA?
"The way it looks now, I'm going to be gone until the
end of May. I'm scheduled to he here until then, so I
don't see myself getting off. I don't see my getting
back until May, and the way they are talking now about
my job, I don't know if I'll be back in the UWA at
all. So, as it stands now, it should be towards the
beginning of summer. Back to Dillinger, I can
guarantee there are a few things that I am going to
settle when I get back. First one, I've never been
given a rematch for the UWA Southern Heavyweight
title. When Dillinger comes back, you can call it his.
Secondly, if he's still there, Donovan Daniels. You
still suck, and I'm going to shave your head, because
you look like a damn llama. I just want to take care
of you because you've worn a dress, and you've worn
that ugly baboon's a** on your shoulder for a while, I
figure it's time you wear a bald head with it. To be
honest, I would love to have a one
on one match with Willie B. Badd. Simply because I
respect him. He's a huge big man, and he's an agile
big man. I had a match with Billy Marshall, and I
tested myself. So, I'd like to have one with Willie,
and test myself on him. I know he's in a awesome team
with the Death Row Inmates, but I'd like to just
challenge him myself. The Now, I've seen them on
video, shew. I think they suck. When I get back, if
they are still The Now, they will be called The Then,
because that's when The Now will end. It ain't going
to take a whole tag team, it ain't going to take The
Heat Seekers whcih are two, it ain't gonna take Death
Row, which are two. It will take one six foot two,
three hundred and forty pound man, of muscle, steel
and sex appeal, to knock both of those little punks
and their little fa**ot manager out of there. And
that's The Path of Rage, Steven Dillinger. Maybe when
I come back from this working stuff, I'll have enough
money to buy the UWA, and I can just kick Danny Ray
and The Outlaws out of there. You never know with
Dillinger, anything can happen, and, like I like to
tell STFMaryville, That's Just The Kind of Guy I Am."

Here's another one, and it's from Cabbie I think. If,
and when you come back to UWA, do you think you will
have a manager to guide you?
"Well, the one thing that has made Dillinger so
special. Dillinger is one of those guys, where I don;t
think a mouthpiece or a manger would help me, or
really hurt me. I will say this, I want to give a
shout out to Cabbie. That man is a hell of a guy. He
emails me, like once a week almost. I can promise you
this, if I get a return match for the UWA Southern
title, I will make a special deal where I will,
probably elect one person to escort me to the ring.
Not manage me, but escort me to the ring. I think that
is about as close as I will ever get to a manager. I
don't think I really need a manager. I tried it
before, I had a manager once and it worked ok. I don't
know, I'm not really sure about a manager. For the
fans that are diligent, someone like Cabbie, I could
see them escort me to the ring. I think that would be
kind of cool. Why not? Tell me what the guys birthday
is, and what the hell, I'll let him walk me to the
ring."

Any final thoughts or messages you'd like to leave out
there?
"To all the fans in UWA, I want to say thank you very
much. The year and a half that I've spent there, with
you guys, has been an awesome ride. It's made
everything special for me. So, I hate everyone of you
for that. To all the guys that I work with back there,
keep on doing the same thing you;ve been doing. Just
keep working hard at it. To everyone else, try to get
along with your life without a little bit of
Dillinger. I know it will be hard, but try to do it.
Go do whatever you have to, to get on with life
without me. Right now, all I can say, is,'There is
nothing finer, than Dillinger kicking a** in
Carolina."

Well, that's pretty much got it wrapped up. Once again
thank you for your time, and everything else you have
gave for our entertainment.
"No thank you. I've really enjoyed this, it got me out
of the semi-funk I had gone into. Thank you."


-Razor X