Post by Wyle E. Coyote on Jan 12, 2019 15:59:07 GMT -6
Justin Roberts
20 Questions
August 7, 2000
1. How and when did you get in the wrestling
business?
In 1996 I was helping out on a wrestling hotline
which lead to a "guest ring announcer" spot on a
local Sonny Rogers show. From then on I became
their regular announcer. I had been exposed to
the business for quite a few years before this,
when my cousin worked security for the Rosemont
Horizon and would let me hang out backstage as
a little kid.
2. Describe Justin Roberts, the announcer, to us.
I try to do more than just introduce the contestants
and winners. In between matches I like to work up
the crowd, and during the shows I try to narrate
the events so there's never any confusion and the
angles at live events are easier to follow.
I do impersonations so sometimes my "other voices"
will come out during the show. I have been told
that I'm like a mixture of Michael Buffer,
Howard Finkel, Vince Mcmahon, and Adam Sandler,
combined with my voice and personality to become
Justin Roberts.
3. What are your strengths in the wrestling
business?
I have a love for the business. As a kid I wanted
to get in, I started from scratch and I have
achieved this. I put a lot of time, thought, and
hard work into my job. Daily events keep this
business constantly changing, and by keeping up
with what's going on, you stay on top.
4. What have been your top athletic accomplishments
other than professional wrestling?
Um, when I announced for the Special Olympics
this year. I attempted the running long jump and
beat the participants' scores
(I did this after they left the field).
5. Who is your favorite all-time wrestler?
I've always admired Lord Steven Regal, he has a
lot of character and is an excellent worker.
6. What is the best card you've ever worked on?
The AWA event in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
5,000 screaming people along with great matches
and a few strong angles really made the show
entertaining and fun to work.
7. What is the first card you ever saw live?
Slaughter and Hogan on top at Rosemont Horizon,
around WM7.
8. What is the best match you ever saw live?
Too many, but one of my recent favorites is
Lee Pasko and Chris Candido.
Great match and very entertaining.
9. Quick comments ...
a) Dale Gagner ...
Gave me a huge opportunity by hiring me in
the first place. He has taught me a lot on
the road and at the shows. He used to be
an announcer, so he knows that announcers
should not be local dj's, but rather
pro-wrestling announcers. Very creative.
b) Golden Lion ... Lion is probably the nicest
guy you can ever work with, and has great
theme music.
c) King Kong Bundy ... Haven't seen him for a
while, but he's always been there for me if I
have questions or concerns. He was the first
"name" I ever worked with. It's always fun to
count how many times he says "brother" on a
roadtrip.
d) Road Warrior Hawk ... A guy I used to look
up to when I was younger, and not a
disappointment when I worked with him in June.
He warms up to new people real quickly.
e) Danny Dominion ... Great worker, and trainer.
I've seen a lot of good Dominion matches.
f) Adrian Lynch ... Don't know where he went
after I worked with him in Nevada. Now there's
this built, skinny guy calling himself Lynch.
Man can he get heat and hold some really good
matches-Lynch/Navajo Warrior--Lynch/Pearce.
g) Doink the Clown ... Depends where I'm at.
I have seen some really bad clowns in my day,
but it seems as if the farther west I go,
the better they get.
h) Golga ... Name sounds familiar.
i) Sheik Adnon Al-Kassie ... My roomate.
Mistaken for Anthony Quinn by myself early
on as well as a lot of people in public,
he's the pimp. He can still get the heat.
Gives a lot of good pointers to the workers
on how to get over and what moves work and
what moves don't.
j) Larry Briscoe ... Didn't have much of a
character to him back in September, so Dale
"repackaged" him, and he has completely
changed since then. As a "corporate stooge"
for the AWA. He is hilarious.
k) Luminious Warrior ... Big guy, good worker,
kind of like Hellwig without the hassels.
l) Jonnie Stewart ... Cracks me up. Very good
on the mic, gets heat like I have never seen
before, and puts on some very entertaining
matches. He gets a lot of really weird ideas,
some don't work, but the majority do.
m) George Steele ... Still gets carded at the
bars. George is a great guy who has overcome
a lot of odds. I'm happy that he is still
working, and even happier to be working with
him. Another great guy to ride with-very
interesting, entertaining, and wise.
n) Sgt. Slaughter ... Sarge is great.
He's very quiet out of the ring, but
in the ring he becomes a different person.
He's one of the tough guys you want to stay
away from during his match. If you stand too
close to the apron, you never know what may
happen. Some people learn this the hard way.
o) Nitro Girl Fyre ... Nice girl, I don't
think the wrestling aspect is what she wants,
just became part of it for the dancing.
Dancing on Nitro and touring with indies in
small towns all over the U.S. are two totally
different things.
p) Heaven ... Happy to see him with the AWA
belt. Good worker, and one of the nicest guys
you could ever work with. He has fun with
what he does and makes the most out of it.
Always has his 8x10 handy.
q) Hell ... Twin brother of Heaven, and just
as nice of a guy. Great worker, singles or
tag. My tour guide for New York, and he too
has an 8x10 by his side at
all times.
r) Honky Tonk Man ... Working with HTM is
great, especially when he's heeling.
I've seen him get some HEAT. Kind of reminds
me of Andy Kaufman reading a book to the live
crowd because they wanted Latka--he will sing
his song 10 times straight if he has to.
s) Ace Steel ... Another great Chicago worker.
I have never seen a bad match out of him,
and like Dominion he shares his knowldge of
the biz with his students and you get more
guys like...
t) Colt Cabana ... Colt is a young guy with a
definite future ahead of him. Colt had a
phenomenal match in October and has come a
long way since then, if that says anything.
Recently started Captain Colton Cabana III,
the arrogant all-star who has been knocked
in the head too many times. He has done very
well in a short period of time, and it's
Just the beginning.
u) Iron Sheik ... Probably the reason why I
like road trips so much. I don't think there
are more stories out there about anyone else.
I love when he walked out on Springer and
completely ignored the script, just going
into his anti-Hogan routine.
Everybody loves Sheiky.
v) Navajo Warrior ... So he hasn't been that
active in the midwest, but he should.
Great worker out of the west. I've never seen
a more over guy who hasn't worked for the 3.
You would think when he comes out to the ring
that he's one of New York's top guys.
Very much over, and is one of the few guys
who is given advice and takes it.
w) Lee Pasko ... Probably not known for his
name, but whatever gimmick he uses he is one
of the best workers out there. Another guy who
is slowly working in the midwest from the west,
a great guy and very creative-especially when
he works with.
x) Ballard Brothers ... Shane and Shannon.
These are 2 guys I would love to see working
shows in the midwest. Twin brothers doing the
"Slapshot"gimmick, they come up with the most
creative routines I have ever seen.
Besides their great work ability they are very
cool down to earth, sarcastic : people.
y) Sonny Rogers ... Walking encyclopedia,
gave me my first opportunity, has a great tan.
z) "Diceman" Ronnie Vegas ... He and Bobo Jr
is a main event all over the country
oooh yeeaaah.
10. What has been the highlight of your
wrestling career so far?
Taking a Leukemia patient out of the crowd and
making him guest time keeper. After which, I brought
him in the back and introduced him to everyone
-he told me that was the coolest thing ever,
and by doing something simple like to make someone
happy, I was happy. Wrestling-wise, I would say
working with a lot of the guys I used to watch
growing up, and working with some of the
current guys like The Rock and Vampiro.
11. What has been the low point of
your career?
The Fargo, ND sound system.
12. Who would you really want to work with
locally and nationally that you haven't?
Locally, the Minnesota and Wisconsin guys that
I hear so much about and have never seen,
and nationally Rey Mysterio Jr because I like
introducing the names in Spanish.
13. Who has been the biggest influence on you
in the business?
Dale has taught me a lot, and I have also
learned a lot from working for him.
Navajo Warrior "The Father of Wrestling on
the West Coast" looks out for me when I'm at
school in the west. He took me under his wing
when I first went out there and is a very big
influence on me. I have been fortunate to work
with some really great people and I respect
all of them for this--to name a few, it's the
guys like Heaven and Hell, Adrian Lynch, Adnan,
Dominion, and Pasko.
14. Who do you think is the most underrated
wrestler on the indy circuit today?
I really don't know of anyone that is
under-rated. The way I see it is that
there are so many indies out there, with so
many indy guys-it's hard for everyone to make
it to the top. I guess if you are really good,
you will make it to the top of your respective
group-and then hopefully move up from there.
It's a challenge, you have to really want it.
Even if you are the best indy worker out there
you may still go unnoticed by the big 3.
15. How much time do you spend on wrestling
each week?
Too much, but I enjoy it so I don't even notice.
It's always in the back of my mind.
I see a weirdo on the street and think-new
gimmick!
16. What is the one thing that surprised you
most about the wrestling business?
How many people are out there running training
schools, and haven't been trained themselves.
Nothing is held back anymore, there are a lot
of tv specials these days that don't hold
anything back. Fortunately, it's so popular
right now, I guess it doesn't matter.
17. Give us a brief summary of your career.
1989-I meet Warrior and Kerry Von Erich at my
hotel in Wisconsin---start watching WWF to see
these guys on tv. I become a fan and at some
point decided this is what I want to do.
Jump to 1996, I'm on a wrestling hotline
that lands me a guest announcing spot for PWI.
End up working their 1 show every 5/6 months.
Leave PWI for college. Read about Dale Gagne
reforming the AWA and holding an event near
my school. Send in my stuff from high school,
boxing, and t.v., get hired for their 1st
show--meet Navajo Warrior at this show--begin
working shows w/ him near school, and become
AWA's full time ring announcer.
18. What is the one thing you would most like
to improve on?
Anything that I'm told needs improvement.
I watch my tapes, and try to catch any mistakes
and improve from them. I always look for feedback
so I can learn from my mistakes and get better.
19. If you could book one match, what would it be?
Well, if this meant that they would be riding to
the show together-Tony Dennuci and Yokozuna managed
by Adnan and Iron Sheik vs. anyone, that car ride
would be enough. In reality I would like to see
Heaven and Hell vs Ballard Brothers, a rematch
between Adrian Lynch and Navajo Warrior, and
Vampiro vs. Lee Pasko vs. Colt Cabana.
20. What is your goal in wrestling in
the next year?
I would love to work in front of a WWF scout
just so I could be told what to improve on,
and use the couple of years that I have left
in college to improve my skills so when I
graduate I will be ready. I would like to
continue working the indies as much as possible
and work with all of the people I already work
with in addition to working with new people.
This is a very interesting business, and every
show is a new experience. I have a lot of fun
and hope that it will continue.
Check out www.JustinRoberts.net
20 Questions
August 7, 2000
1. How and when did you get in the wrestling
business?
In 1996 I was helping out on a wrestling hotline
which lead to a "guest ring announcer" spot on a
local Sonny Rogers show. From then on I became
their regular announcer. I had been exposed to
the business for quite a few years before this,
when my cousin worked security for the Rosemont
Horizon and would let me hang out backstage as
a little kid.
2. Describe Justin Roberts, the announcer, to us.
I try to do more than just introduce the contestants
and winners. In between matches I like to work up
the crowd, and during the shows I try to narrate
the events so there's never any confusion and the
angles at live events are easier to follow.
I do impersonations so sometimes my "other voices"
will come out during the show. I have been told
that I'm like a mixture of Michael Buffer,
Howard Finkel, Vince Mcmahon, and Adam Sandler,
combined with my voice and personality to become
Justin Roberts.
3. What are your strengths in the wrestling
business?
I have a love for the business. As a kid I wanted
to get in, I started from scratch and I have
achieved this. I put a lot of time, thought, and
hard work into my job. Daily events keep this
business constantly changing, and by keeping up
with what's going on, you stay on top.
4. What have been your top athletic accomplishments
other than professional wrestling?
Um, when I announced for the Special Olympics
this year. I attempted the running long jump and
beat the participants' scores
(I did this after they left the field).
5. Who is your favorite all-time wrestler?
I've always admired Lord Steven Regal, he has a
lot of character and is an excellent worker.
6. What is the best card you've ever worked on?
The AWA event in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
5,000 screaming people along with great matches
and a few strong angles really made the show
entertaining and fun to work.
7. What is the first card you ever saw live?
Slaughter and Hogan on top at Rosemont Horizon,
around WM7.
8. What is the best match you ever saw live?
Too many, but one of my recent favorites is
Lee Pasko and Chris Candido.
Great match and very entertaining.
9. Quick comments ...
a) Dale Gagner ...
Gave me a huge opportunity by hiring me in
the first place. He has taught me a lot on
the road and at the shows. He used to be
an announcer, so he knows that announcers
should not be local dj's, but rather
pro-wrestling announcers. Very creative.
b) Golden Lion ... Lion is probably the nicest
guy you can ever work with, and has great
theme music.
c) King Kong Bundy ... Haven't seen him for a
while, but he's always been there for me if I
have questions or concerns. He was the first
"name" I ever worked with. It's always fun to
count how many times he says "brother" on a
roadtrip.
d) Road Warrior Hawk ... A guy I used to look
up to when I was younger, and not a
disappointment when I worked with him in June.
He warms up to new people real quickly.
e) Danny Dominion ... Great worker, and trainer.
I've seen a lot of good Dominion matches.
f) Adrian Lynch ... Don't know where he went
after I worked with him in Nevada. Now there's
this built, skinny guy calling himself Lynch.
Man can he get heat and hold some really good
matches-Lynch/Navajo Warrior--Lynch/Pearce.
g) Doink the Clown ... Depends where I'm at.
I have seen some really bad clowns in my day,
but it seems as if the farther west I go,
the better they get.
h) Golga ... Name sounds familiar.
i) Sheik Adnon Al-Kassie ... My roomate.
Mistaken for Anthony Quinn by myself early
on as well as a lot of people in public,
he's the pimp. He can still get the heat.
Gives a lot of good pointers to the workers
on how to get over and what moves work and
what moves don't.
j) Larry Briscoe ... Didn't have much of a
character to him back in September, so Dale
"repackaged" him, and he has completely
changed since then. As a "corporate stooge"
for the AWA. He is hilarious.
k) Luminious Warrior ... Big guy, good worker,
kind of like Hellwig without the hassels.
l) Jonnie Stewart ... Cracks me up. Very good
on the mic, gets heat like I have never seen
before, and puts on some very entertaining
matches. He gets a lot of really weird ideas,
some don't work, but the majority do.
m) George Steele ... Still gets carded at the
bars. George is a great guy who has overcome
a lot of odds. I'm happy that he is still
working, and even happier to be working with
him. Another great guy to ride with-very
interesting, entertaining, and wise.
n) Sgt. Slaughter ... Sarge is great.
He's very quiet out of the ring, but
in the ring he becomes a different person.
He's one of the tough guys you want to stay
away from during his match. If you stand too
close to the apron, you never know what may
happen. Some people learn this the hard way.
o) Nitro Girl Fyre ... Nice girl, I don't
think the wrestling aspect is what she wants,
just became part of it for the dancing.
Dancing on Nitro and touring with indies in
small towns all over the U.S. are two totally
different things.
p) Heaven ... Happy to see him with the AWA
belt. Good worker, and one of the nicest guys
you could ever work with. He has fun with
what he does and makes the most out of it.
Always has his 8x10 handy.
q) Hell ... Twin brother of Heaven, and just
as nice of a guy. Great worker, singles or
tag. My tour guide for New York, and he too
has an 8x10 by his side at
all times.
r) Honky Tonk Man ... Working with HTM is
great, especially when he's heeling.
I've seen him get some HEAT. Kind of reminds
me of Andy Kaufman reading a book to the live
crowd because they wanted Latka--he will sing
his song 10 times straight if he has to.
s) Ace Steel ... Another great Chicago worker.
I have never seen a bad match out of him,
and like Dominion he shares his knowldge of
the biz with his students and you get more
guys like...
t) Colt Cabana ... Colt is a young guy with a
definite future ahead of him. Colt had a
phenomenal match in October and has come a
long way since then, if that says anything.
Recently started Captain Colton Cabana III,
the arrogant all-star who has been knocked
in the head too many times. He has done very
well in a short period of time, and it's
Just the beginning.
u) Iron Sheik ... Probably the reason why I
like road trips so much. I don't think there
are more stories out there about anyone else.
I love when he walked out on Springer and
completely ignored the script, just going
into his anti-Hogan routine.
Everybody loves Sheiky.
v) Navajo Warrior ... So he hasn't been that
active in the midwest, but he should.
Great worker out of the west. I've never seen
a more over guy who hasn't worked for the 3.
You would think when he comes out to the ring
that he's one of New York's top guys.
Very much over, and is one of the few guys
who is given advice and takes it.
w) Lee Pasko ... Probably not known for his
name, but whatever gimmick he uses he is one
of the best workers out there. Another guy who
is slowly working in the midwest from the west,
a great guy and very creative-especially when
he works with.
x) Ballard Brothers ... Shane and Shannon.
These are 2 guys I would love to see working
shows in the midwest. Twin brothers doing the
"Slapshot"gimmick, they come up with the most
creative routines I have ever seen.
Besides their great work ability they are very
cool down to earth, sarcastic : people.
y) Sonny Rogers ... Walking encyclopedia,
gave me my first opportunity, has a great tan.
z) "Diceman" Ronnie Vegas ... He and Bobo Jr
is a main event all over the country
oooh yeeaaah.
10. What has been the highlight of your
wrestling career so far?
Taking a Leukemia patient out of the crowd and
making him guest time keeper. After which, I brought
him in the back and introduced him to everyone
-he told me that was the coolest thing ever,
and by doing something simple like to make someone
happy, I was happy. Wrestling-wise, I would say
working with a lot of the guys I used to watch
growing up, and working with some of the
current guys like The Rock and Vampiro.
11. What has been the low point of
your career?
The Fargo, ND sound system.
12. Who would you really want to work with
locally and nationally that you haven't?
Locally, the Minnesota and Wisconsin guys that
I hear so much about and have never seen,
and nationally Rey Mysterio Jr because I like
introducing the names in Spanish.
13. Who has been the biggest influence on you
in the business?
Dale has taught me a lot, and I have also
learned a lot from working for him.
Navajo Warrior "The Father of Wrestling on
the West Coast" looks out for me when I'm at
school in the west. He took me under his wing
when I first went out there and is a very big
influence on me. I have been fortunate to work
with some really great people and I respect
all of them for this--to name a few, it's the
guys like Heaven and Hell, Adrian Lynch, Adnan,
Dominion, and Pasko.
14. Who do you think is the most underrated
wrestler on the indy circuit today?
I really don't know of anyone that is
under-rated. The way I see it is that
there are so many indies out there, with so
many indy guys-it's hard for everyone to make
it to the top. I guess if you are really good,
you will make it to the top of your respective
group-and then hopefully move up from there.
It's a challenge, you have to really want it.
Even if you are the best indy worker out there
you may still go unnoticed by the big 3.
15. How much time do you spend on wrestling
each week?
Too much, but I enjoy it so I don't even notice.
It's always in the back of my mind.
I see a weirdo on the street and think-new
gimmick!
16. What is the one thing that surprised you
most about the wrestling business?
How many people are out there running training
schools, and haven't been trained themselves.
Nothing is held back anymore, there are a lot
of tv specials these days that don't hold
anything back. Fortunately, it's so popular
right now, I guess it doesn't matter.
17. Give us a brief summary of your career.
1989-I meet Warrior and Kerry Von Erich at my
hotel in Wisconsin---start watching WWF to see
these guys on tv. I become a fan and at some
point decided this is what I want to do.
Jump to 1996, I'm on a wrestling hotline
that lands me a guest announcing spot for PWI.
End up working their 1 show every 5/6 months.
Leave PWI for college. Read about Dale Gagne
reforming the AWA and holding an event near
my school. Send in my stuff from high school,
boxing, and t.v., get hired for their 1st
show--meet Navajo Warrior at this show--begin
working shows w/ him near school, and become
AWA's full time ring announcer.
18. What is the one thing you would most like
to improve on?
Anything that I'm told needs improvement.
I watch my tapes, and try to catch any mistakes
and improve from them. I always look for feedback
so I can learn from my mistakes and get better.
19. If you could book one match, what would it be?
Well, if this meant that they would be riding to
the show together-Tony Dennuci and Yokozuna managed
by Adnan and Iron Sheik vs. anyone, that car ride
would be enough. In reality I would like to see
Heaven and Hell vs Ballard Brothers, a rematch
between Adrian Lynch and Navajo Warrior, and
Vampiro vs. Lee Pasko vs. Colt Cabana.
20. What is your goal in wrestling in
the next year?
I would love to work in front of a WWF scout
just so I could be told what to improve on,
and use the couple of years that I have left
in college to improve my skills so when I
graduate I will be ready. I would like to
continue working the indies as much as possible
and work with all of the people I already work
with in addition to working with new people.
This is a very interesting business, and every
show is a new experience. I have a lot of fun
and hope that it will continue.
Check out www.JustinRoberts.net