Reloading, A Semi-Authorized Investigation of the Greatest Show on Earth (Part 2)
"Listen, are we freaking out about Erik Black ripping tubes in his living room while watching Avatar? No."
Fiona Love has been part of New Frontier Wrestling since the beginning and she’s barely turned 30. You look at her and you know she’s seen everything possible in this business, which is why President Mayfield has ingrained her into an Executive Producer role for television and Vice Presidential role in Marketing.
As the fabled right-hand woman of Craig Miles when he lifted the NFW out of a bar in Baltimore to it’s global popularity, she probably had no choice on seeing many things she’d never wish on someone else.
"Erik’s an entertainer, I’m not going to preach to the choir about weed for my own personal reasons, but he knows the rules and it’s our job to deal with them. He can either be smart about the rules and our office isn’t going to call him out for anything else except how he can help sell our tickets."
Fiona wryly smiles, "Or he’s not that smart and willing to lose the biggest paycheck opportunity of his life. It’s weird thinking that I’m starting my second decade here, but listen…" Fiona takes a deep inhale of air, sighing afterwards. "I partied with everyone Aidan Campbell to Nova to seeing one of Zane’s Circus celebrations…I’m not that girl anymore because it’s dangerous to my long-term health. A lot of the guys and girls who walked into New Frontier never thought like that, still don’t think like that…and let’s face it, the man who created New Frontier Wrestling never wanted and never will think like that."
Love’s smile fades away thinking about her mentor, "But he’s gone and to be honest, it’s a whole lot better to deal with a stoner taking bong hits and rocking on his Nintendo DS than Felix Red nodding out on heroin or damage controlling anything that Creed or Marcus Cameron committed on the road. I’ve bailed out plenty of people on some serious assault and battery charges for this fed at 3AM…and that’s not exactly how anyone should be spending their life."
NFW’s drug policy isn’t taboo, but it’s touchy. It’s new, it’s different for everyone and it may not be the worst thing to happen to anyone in their lives. I’ve felt like I’ve done acid after some NFW shows, and to my knowledge, I’ve never intentionally tried acid.
Live shows lasted more hours than you ever anticipated since Miles liked bringing in surprise bands to play for an hour or two. My first show…I thought the show had started from the crowd roars, only to find GWAR was playing in the ring. I had to ask someone if this was an NFW show and got offered pizza toppings, a flask of Jack and a fist in the air as they yelled "NOVUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Fiona laughs at this story of mine, "Did you figure out what the pizza toppings were? I heard that’s how Miles got him signed." Fiona quotes the air, "It’s not delivery it’s DiShroomo."
That was how I met the Hyperspace Kid as he like many other NFW fan favorites would be IN the crowd for any bands they liked.
"The Western Conference was a communal war zone. Disinformation was the information, so nobody trusted anything and knew where the battle lines were drawn. It was like living with 15-20 Vikings that wanted to get fucked up together and then try to kill each other. You crossed the lines when you had a hankering for fun…the Eastern Conference I wasn’t around for…but I can’t imagine that Michael Manson had any more rules than Craig Miles."
"Meaning there wasn’t any?" I ask rhetorically and Fiona nods.
"Wrestlestock I is all you need to watch to see how many rules there were in the West, that’s all I know." Fiona says with a small smile, I relate to her that I passed on it because I thought I might die after I heard about the weather.
"The derby was CGI, right?"
Fiona says nothing with a devious smile.
Joe the Plumber, Impulse, Rook Black and the Hollywood Wrecking Crew passed their drug tests, Fiona showing me the validity of the records and documents…which may or may not be a breach of employee confidentiality. Then again, what’s written on your NFW contract is usually a very, very difficult read.
"I was surprised that Eddie didn’t know about our ESEN contract expiration date, but Eddie’s just starting to care about our history so it can be forgiven." Fiona momentarily checks her blackberry for a message and continues, "Miles signed it as 9/9/09 ‘cause he figured if NFW made it that long, we flipped off the devil and lived to tell about it." Our discourse on contract renegotiations and how the drug policies, the newly structured wrestler contracts, production costs of agreement and general operations showed how much The Office of NFW has dramatically shifted since September of last year.
"Preexisting guaranteed contract are under Miles’ usual terms of agreements and we’re trying to hold onto any that we…" Fiona pauses and smiles, "…are legally allowed to proceed with according to our new legal analyst. I had to hire one," Fiona laughs adjusting her black-rimmed glasses with a disbelieving shake of her head, "Miles would kill us if he found out we really hired a lawyer." Fiona’s laugh and smile relax as she then looks me in the eye, "But that’s where Miles could cut costs and where Eddie’s…" Fiona smiles, "…focused on other things."
For any of us that had fault with Eddie Mayfield, you also have to understand that Craig Miles worked with an office staff of two since 2005. Before that, Quentin Sullivan still worked for New Frontier Wrestling as it’s President…and we all know how that went.
"It was me and Jimmy. I think Jimmy holds the Guinness record for how long he’s been an intern at one company and how many Guinnesses he’s been forced to chug while stamping documents as Miles goes through them on a combination of weed, whites," Love touches her nose, "and whiskey. Miles lived in a stream of consciousness that connected with NFW that was his job. Eddie’s job was to be it’s President after he’s gone and I think Eddie finally understands what he was BETTER than Craig at…and some things you can’t be unless you’re Craig. I mean, Miles’ mother…and this is just legend told to be by McGinnis after a couple of shots in New Mexico."
Love leans back and shakes her head, "Someone mothered by a big-time LA rock record industry legal consultant that cleaned up Zeppelin’s Riothouse and fathered by the promoter that conjured up the 1978 Crusher Cody vs. Carribean Kid feud should never have been allowed to be born into life."
President Dennis Edward Mayfield on the other hand, was born from the South, he was a latch-key kid and his only family is the single mother that brought him up on her own. He came from a different world than Miles, but they shared many of the same tastes and beliefs when it came to wrestling.
"Eddie’s heart is in that ring, I’m sure if he wasn’t our President he’d be itching to get back in an NFW ring in some way." Fiona smiles, "He’s Eddie Mayfield, he likes the spotlight. But he doesn’t have the demons down deep like Craig did and he took the full test from Craig. He didn’t have to keep standing in Dallas, he did. He went through with everything, he could’ve tapped and they would’ve played it off down the road…but Eddie’s a wrestling traditionalist first and foremost."
I’m glad I’m recording this, Fiona’s speaking gets faster as she thinks out loud. There’s no emotional overtones, a matter-of-factness in her observations.
"Craig got in that ring as the known owner, Eddie’s making sure the shows stay entertaining...but he knows that for NFW to flourish, he needs to cultivate or find the talent." Fiona pulls out seven plane tickets, "Eddie’s got to go to 3 NFW shows and 4 scouting trips in the next two weeks. That’s where he’s cutting costs, he wants to find his own pipelines. Miles did it by selling himself in the ring, Eddie’s doing it by what he wants to see in it."
We’re touring the newly renovated West Wing of New Frontier Wrestling Headquarters. They’ve increased their guest lounge to include a glass walled conference room should an interview request happen. "Miles only held interviews on the road, he came to the offices for two straight 20 hour days a week."
I get full disclosure on some failed drug tests…and not surprisingly, Shawn Hart’s entourage leads the league. "Black got caught for weed, but he’s had 60 days since his last test and we’re giving him a shot. Same thing for Flyer…I mean that’s not totally surprising, none of them were."
"Joe wasn’t surprising?"
"If Joe Plummer is huffing down canisters of Glade that’s his deal, he may talk about drugs…but until you start seeing it in the results, just remember we still are in the business of entertainment. We don’t want to completely abandon our audience."
The corporate office, "The West Wing" has been completely changed. Standard cubicle walls are gone and it literally looks as if they wanted to build the office version of a CIC in the middle. Complete with hanging flatscreens, projectors and monitor wall.
"We’re tuned to ESEN and ESEN classic at all times, we’re reviewing A LOT of scouting tapes every Wednesday morning. Eddie feels the need to randomly shout out ideas regardless of whether anyone’s around, so I got rid of the offices and cubicles. That spirit’s always been what’s important about NFW let alone what can make it awe-inspiringly entertaining and chilling to put together. It’s that weird core of ideals, we pretty much hang out in the middle…yell and cuss at each other and from there, we’re trying to shape the future."
Love smiles saying the next line, "the New Frontier. It was always about staying ahead of the curve, Miles got so far ahead in his own head that he was playing chicken with everyone. I think Eddie is more of a President, he’s just going to stay enough ahead to show everyone who’s in the lead."
It’s a big statement since the staff of the office has only increased from a trio to a dozen. Most everyone’s young, hungry and in some way connected to the beginning. Jimmy the Intern is now Jimmy the Tech. Responsible for figuring out how to archive every nook, cranny and detail into the internet, your phone and your television.
Natrone Rice has signed a contract to be the lead host and co-director for NFW Brawl, reshaped for today’s media and now being simulcast through satellite radio and television. Aside from Love, Rice and Jimmy, nobody on the staff is over 30 years old.
"I think all our position titles reflect the fact we multi-task so much. Even Eddie’s, whether anyone believes that."
I ask if Mayfield’s blatant partialism is a conflict of interest for the long-term development she seems to be speaking so strongly about.
"Joe the Plumber isn’t being tested every show because he passed his first drug test, even though we all think that Eddie would’ve used the propaganda’s hype to further any agenda he’s got on cameras. On the other hand, Castor Strife is being tested every show he’s at because he FAILED that test. He’s lost 20 pounds because he’s not on the juice. Castor Strife is supposedly one of the first wrestlers Eddie would support because he breaks the rules. Now, that’s all behind the scenes. In front of the cameras at Crash 50, Eddie Mayfield was in position to SCREWJOB Joe the Plumber..."
Love laughs and continues, "Instead, he raised his hand in victory."
For a moment, I’m convinced. No wonder she’s in charge of marketing, I just bought that Eddie Mayfield wasn’t the bad guy.
Maybe, there’s no bad guy in it. Just a new direction, a new mindset, a new beginning with many new faces.
Maybe, it’s just two words that still bring a smile to every legend in the industry.
Maybe, it’s just a…
New Frontier.
Link:
http://nfw.e-wrestling.org/
|
|
|
|
|
