JJ: Terry, dating back to your days as a full-time wrestler, who was your favorite promoter to work for and why?

TT: Paul Boesch. He ran a promotion in Houston. He was just a real solid, down to earth guy and great to work for.

JJ: What was it like working for Vince McMahon as a wrestler back in the late-eighties?

TT: It was great, I loved it. The thing with Vince was I went in as what I thought was a serious wrestler, fight to the death, legitimate, one, two three kind of guy. I came in there in a time where there was sheiks, geeks, American heroes. The truth of the matter is I was stupid, absolutely stupid. I went to Vince and Vince told me I looked more like a school teacher then a wrestler, so they put me with the Red Rooster gimmick and it went from there, the rest is history. There was part of it I didn't like at the time, but I was just plain and simple stupid. I didn't see what Vince saw and that was there is more to it then just going out there and wrestling.

JJ: Do you feel that if you put more in to The Red Rooster gimmick, that it could have got over?

TT: That's not true. People always come up to me and say "Why didn't you work hard at The Rooster gimmick?" or "Man you sucked at the Rooster gimmick you should have worked harder". I don't want to sound like Big Vito but f___ I worked hard, there's no question about it. I did my part of the show, I worked hard, I got paid, and I had fun with it too. So about me getting it over, the issue wasn't about me working hard just things work out a certain way.

JJ: Who were some of your favorite guys to work with back then?

TT: Curt Hennig. Curt's clumsy though, (laughs).  F___ he's gonna kill me when he reads this. I remember we were working once and I gave him a big clothesline and he kicked me right in the back, he did one of those spinny, whatever the f___ they are sells and I said to him (laughs) "Your the one who is supposed to be hurt what the hell is going on here?" I love Curt though, he was great. Ric Flair, I mean I worked with everyone, practically everyone and I loved it all. It was great.

JJ: When did you start to get involved behind the scenes in wrestling, more specifically as a booker?

TT: Way back in 1986, for Bill Watts and we were in Charlotte. It was my first taste, I was one of those kids who wanted to learn what it took to be on top, writing down finishes, looking at all aspects of a show, studying matches, how they are booked. Watts was a smart guy, he knew what he wanted. So I booked there for about three months, and then Ken Mantel took over for me, and he had a good run, a great run.

JJ: When did you start getting involved behind the scenes full-time after your wrestling career came to an end?

TT: Well, in early 1995, Eric Bischoff fired me. Face to face he just said, "We don't want to renew your deal". So I went to the training center (WCW Power Plant) and helped out with Triple H, The Giant Paul Wight, and some other guys and I was doing stuff over there and basically Eric called me in and told me he wanted me to be on the committee, then headed by Ric Flair and that's that.

JJ: Where did you go from there? Did you book during the NWO era?

TT: No, that was Eric Bischoff and Kevin Sullivan. For the next few years I helped with TV's, basically I was making sure, dealing with the guys and making sure that everything that was written on paper and that we set out to do ended up on TV. You can write a bunch of bulls___ on paper and write this and that, and it can be completely different from what someone goes out to the ring and does, so I helped out with the execution of the show.

JJ: Did you have a problem dealing with anyone who frequently wasn't up for what was booked, or something like that.

TT: I had no problems. Most of the guys knew what was going on, most of those guys were out there to make the product good and most of them were there, doing their job and working their asses off. Everyone was great and I had a great time doing it, you may hear me say it again in this interview but I am the biggest mark for wrestling in the entire world, and I am honored and privileged every time I come to work that I am able to do this, and of course in all professions people have problems, arguments, and all that bulls___ but everyone was great and professional for the most part.

JJ: Do you feel that wrestling has gone out of line, and although it has toned down that there is too much content inappropriate for children in both the WWF and WCW?

TT: No. Not at all, people may not like me for saying it but I love that stuff. Our audience likes it, you know, sex and violence. Excuse me, implied sex and violence. I mean I love it, it makes for good television. What people say is bulls___, you have car dealerships advertising cars with hot girls standing next to the cars? Why do you think the Dallas Cowboys have cheerleaders? It's all the same and it's all great.

JJ: In his run on top of World Championship Wrestling, do you think Eric Bischoff did a good job?

TT: Yes, I did. Eric took a company that was losing a lot of money, and made it profitable again. He took risks, he knew what the people wanted. The concept of the NWO. Taking Sting and propelling him from the ceiling. He took guys who really no one would even give a chance and made things marketable, he ignored the wrestling taboo stuff, the bulls___ and did what was necessary to bring WCW to the top. There's only so much you can do and maybe he got burned out near the end, but while he was on top he quit worrying, and started telling stories that people wanted to hear and turned the company around, quite frankly.

JJ: So all is well in WCW, business is going great, etc. But you left for the World Wrestling Federation, when was it, late 1998?

TT: January 1999.

JJ: January 1999. Why?

TT: Well Jeff, I'll say this I was burnt-out. Admittedly Eric and I had a bit of a personality clash at the time, and we've talked it over many times since. But things just work out certain ways and so I went back to New York.

JJ: Do you feel Vince Russo deserves as much credit as he gives himself for the turnaround and success of the World Wrestling Federation?

TT: Absolutely. I'll tell you, Vince Russo is a smart, intelligent, creative guy. And what he had in the height of it's success, was Vince McMahon as an editor for his product. The entire company was booming, everyone had one vision, there was a clear way to go. Of course he deserves credit, and don't get me wrong, I am the world's biggest Vince McMahon fan but he does deserve that much credit, he had the entire company backing him and some people may not like to admit it, but he did a damn good job.

JJ: When Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara left for the WWF in October 1999, you didn't leave immediately. What was it like for the company as far as putting the shows together without them at first, and do you feel the way they left was unfair.

TT: We were caught with our pants down. We were left high and dry, Vince was s___ting bricks. The thing is though I have always tried to be a company man, if someone hires you and has you in your company you have to be loyal. Then again, you don't always know the full story. It goes back to the burning out thing, as much as you give and give and give in this business you've got to make decisions for yourself sometimes, and maybe they did leave New York high and dry, but that is the business of Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, and Vince McMahon. Would I have done it, I don't know, when I left WCW back in January 1999, I explained to Eric and I told him my reasons for leaving, and I told him I can give him my two week notice or I could leave now, and Eric said do whatever you want, so I did.

JJ: When Russo and Ferrara first started in WCW, with the whole Powers that Be thing, were you a fan of the product?

TT: Yeah, I liked it for the most part. The whole Powers that Be thing, f___, I don't like people kind of cluing you in on the show, I don't like people, as far as wrestling goes knowing what it took to get to the product, I want them to enjoy the product, but as far as us going "I'm gonna write you out of this" and basically bringing the whole booker concept to television, I didn't like it. It's like Darth Vader in Star Wars taking off his mask, and saying "Man, it's hot in here, I'm an actor named David Prowse and I was told to say this line". When people go to watch a movie they don't want to know what went in to the movie, they want to sit their asses down and enjoy it. And same goes for wrestling, I'm not quite so sure the wrestling fan wants to get rid of that intrigue. So, we all know that the people in movies are actors, what does that mean? So let's see them act. As far as the rest of the product goes though, it was good.

JJ: Do you feel Kevin Sullivan didn't get as much credit as he deserves for stepping in for Vince Russo when he was relieved of his duties in January of this year, and it sort of came to a point where no matter what Sullivan would put out, because of the way Russo was canned, that it wouldn't be good enough for the wrestling fan?

TT: I don't know, with Kevin. It's just, he is my mentor, he was always very good to me. There would be times where I would be pissed as hell at Kevin for doing this and doing that, and he would say to me "What am I stupid?". It's not as easy as it looks, because dealing with the talent, with production, I mean there are so many elements to putting a show together and things really, without going in to too much detail don't always come together the way you can hope. Kevin knows what he's doing, he's been in the business long enough, it's just really, in his position where there is no one guy, one boss, there is stuff you have to deal with. I have people writing me e-mails everyday saying "your so f___ing stupid, go home" or "Why don't you just put Goldberg vs. Steiner as the main program", it's like blindfolding me and asking me to describe the tusk of an elephant. A lot of people don't know the full story and derive in to things, and sometimes I just use Kevin's line, and I just say "What am I stupid?". We work our asses off and we do it for this company.

JJ: Do you think Tony Schiavone and the rest of the WCW announcing team are part of the problem? People say Tony brings a bad vibe to Nitro and Thunder.

TT: Let me ask you a question, Jeff? Do you think it would be right of me just to criticize Tony, just another one of the guys who sacrifice and dedicate their lives. I got here at 8:00 this morning and am here right now it is 10:30 at night and I'm still working, we're writing tomorrow for 12 hours as well. Tony's got six kids, he works hard, travels from event to event and tries to do his job, and works very hard. For me to criticize Tony on something I know I couldn't do would just be part of the problem not part of the solution. There's so much more going on during our shows as far as Tony goes then just calling the matches, so him bringing down the show is stupid. I'm not gonna be negative, because of course there's always room to improve, but Tony can't be producer, make sure the video packages are good, have it so this guy cuts a good promo, for f___'s sake I can't even sit there for three hours at night at a tiny desk and not go to the bathroom six times, then do it the next night as well. People don't give him as much credit as he deserves.

JJ: You spoke about being part of the solution, not part of the problem. What do you feel is the solution necessary to turn this company around?

TT: The main thing is the motivation, attitude, which is what I feel we have. I do not question our effort. There are no guarantees in life except that everyone dies. You could die tomorrow, I could die tomorrow, there is no point spending the rest of your life waiting to die, it's about living it to it's best. I've been given a gift and am so fortunate to be in this business, and I wouldn't give it up for anything, that's the way most people in this company are. Believe me, I've had other jobs, and I wake up every day and thank god, I worked in restaurants, other places there is nothing like living out your dream like this. As far as a solution goes, there has to be one person in charge, full-time. One person in charge who lives this business, loves and breathes this business, and who is willing to make legitimate and final decisions whether they are popular or unpopular, and stand by them.

JJ: And who would you say is a good candidate for the job?

TT: Me. (Laughs)

JJ: What would you do if you got full 100% control of the company?

TT: I don't know, it's pretty odd to say. It's like saying If I became president of the United States, I would make sure we don't go to war. It's hard to say, hopefully we're on our way. I mean this week in the ratings we had a good second hour, and sure we have half the ratings of our competition and that's fine because they have a great product, they are smoking right now and deserve everything they have. But we're on a good wave right now, everyone is working hard and it needs to continue, I mean the new young talent is what we need to step up and we need more of the talent as well, it's a long process but I hope to be here for the long run.

JJ: Do you feel WCW Heavyweight Title has lost some of it's prestige due to the multiple title changes?

TT: Yes.

JJ: Thoughts on putting the title on David Arquette?

TT: I mean, maybe that was a bad idea in hindsight and it wasn't well received but you've got too look at the other half, which no one tends to look at. There is a man in charge, Vince Russo. It was his decision to put the belt on Arquette and we have to back him at 100%, I respect Vince Russo very much, and he wanted to put the belt on David Arquette, alright, we'll do it and I backed Vince Russo to the fullest because it wouldn't be right if I didn't.

JJ: Do you think Booker T. did a good job as World Heavyweight Champion?

TT: Absolutely fantastic job. Booker brought some of that prestige back as World Heavyweight Champion, he is awesome. Great in the ring, great on the microphone, he dressed great, had a lot of class, was on time, became a locker room leader, worked his ass off, just great.

JJ: Do you think Scott Steiner can bring that to the table as Heavyweight Champion?

TT: Yes, in a different way. He gives the title an edge that it didn't have, because Scotty is so legitimate, he's such an anti-establishment in every way. Quite frankly, Scott Steiner makes the Heavyweight Title cool again.

JJ: What happened back at the Thunder taping in late June where there was an issue with you and Scott where he refused to job to Mike Awesome, or something. There were reports he choked you, threatened, you assaulted you.

TT: It's bulls___. It never got that far. The fact is, Scotty is a passionate individual about this business and everyone who knows Scotty can tell you that. He was upset and as much as you may not think it, he is a company guy. It was just a situation where Brad Siegel went to bat for me and punished Scotty, who was very upset. The details of the punishment aren't necessary to go in to but the fact is, it's been worked out and the fact is, it's like me, Scotty loves this business and I have time for anyone who has a passion for the business and instead of telling other people about what goes on, or this and that if they say "Terry, I have a problem with what you wrote for", or "Can we change this?", I always have time for someone who cares about this business and product as much as I do.

JJ: Do you feel Bret Hart was out of line in his Calgary Sun column after the angle on a recent Thunder taping where he blamed Bill Goldberg for his injury and worked the angle where he came across as very bitter, and lashed out at WCW for forcing him to do something he didn't want to do, etc., etc.?

TT: Let me tell you, Jeff. Bret Hart is a great guy and a wonderful family man. Unfortunately Bret is stuck with the aftertaste of something that happened to him in 1997, in Montreal that he isn't willing to forget, that made him bitter. Not a bitter person but bitter towards the WCW, or rather this business. Bret's great, and is one of the best ever. At at 6'0, 230 pounds should have never been the success he was. He's a guy that day in, day out, he would go through the stress of the business, one city here, another the next and give the fans their 30 bucks worth and work his ass off, not just when he wanted to but every night he stepped in the ring. As far as the column he wrote, it's hard to tell why he did it, because the company is paying him to make these appearances and do his job, and it's kind of like biting the hand that fed him. You have to have a certain amount of loyalty to an employer and be clear on what you do and what you want to do, and I think Bret may regret it. It's like me going on national TV and saying I beat my wife, or I hate my wife without telling her or talking it over with her first.

JJ: What do you think went wrong during Vampiro's tenure in WCW?

TT: Nothing went wrong, so to speak. Vamp worked really hard, got over and was a good employee. The fact is he hurt his head and the next night, because he's such a good employee and a team player, he agrees to wrestle, and he got pissed off about certain things. Maybe he's getting bad advice, but he made a decision not to return to WCW, and maybe he went over the edge with the Juggalo thing but Vamp is a decent guy Jeff and he's called me a few times and is very apologetic, and we've talked and it's fine. I like Vamp and wish him luck.

JJ: How would you describe the morale in WCW right now?

TT: As good as it can be, we are all fighting for a common cause and we know that everyone needs to stop bitching and work hard, and that's what we're doing. We know we are in a bad position but we're fighting, and everyone is trying, you have to realize that.

JJ: Do you feel Scott Hall deserves another chance in WCW?

TT: I'd rather not comment on that.

JJ: Do you feel it was wrong of Goldberg to refuse to wrestle in Germany at the event there because of something that happened decades and decades ago?

TT: You see, there you go again Jeff, you don't know the other half of the story. The truth is, there is a group of neo-nazi's in the area that we were going too, and there were death threats to Bill. So for Bill to go to Germany in front of 10,000 people any of which can basically bring whatever they want in to the building, and the promoter and the building really can't do anything about it, I don't think it's unfair of Bill Goldberg to request not to work the show. He gives his heart and soul to this company too and for us to force Bill to work the show in Germany when the man is legitimately afraid and turned off by the whole situation would not only make us bad employers but bad human beings, and we're not gonna to that to Bill or anybody.

JJ: Is Torrie Wilson still with the company as of this moment?

TT: It's not my area as far as contract negotiations go, I consider Torrie a friend and whatever she does with her career is her business, not the people's.

JJ: Do you seriously think Sid vs. Scott Steiner will draw for the biggest PPV of the year, Starrcade?

TT: God I'm hoping it will. People think we're not thinking before we do things, we're here hours and hours and hours and hours writing this, we were in Rockford, we got back on Tuesday where I had to go to the doctor because I have a mental illness, and today and tomorrow we're gonna write the best shows that we can. You know, we're not stupid. We know Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner is the match everyone wants to see, but before we do that we've got to establish other people as major players first. We can't just ditch the Goldberg streak, it's a long term thing. It would be stupid and illogical just for the sake of people wanting to see Goldberg vs. Steiner on our part just do ignore logic and end the angle. If we just ended the streak and put Goldberg in vs. Steiner, then people would say "Oh, you guys are stupid you ditched the streak just so you could get ratings with Steiner vs. Goldberg", I mean we're working hard to tell a story, and it's as simple as that.

JJ: Do you think Lance Storm deserves better then the push he has gotten over the past couple months and do you think he has what it takes to be a major player in WCW?

TT: Absolutely. He has it all. He's very good and has a great future ahead of him in WCW and will have great success in the ring and financially from this company.

JJ: In your opinion did the loss of The Radicalz have an impact on WCW's product?

TT: Sure it did, I mean those guys are great talents and are huge stars in this business. It definitely has an impact on the product when people like that leave the company, but you've just got to keep on going.

JJ: Is there anything you want to say to all the wrestling fans reading this as if you are talking to each of them individually?

TT: Yeah. I have a fifteen year old kid from Canada, and he e-mails me every week and he's a smart kid you know, and he's sending me ideas as far as writing, and he says "Why doesn't 3 Count wrestle against The Jung Dragons more? They have such awesome matches" and I say, I mean no disrespect to The Jung Dragons and Three Count but nobody gives a rats ass about them. It's not to say they aren't awesome talents and aren't gonna go far in this business, because they are and they are great kids but we believe, the casual fan who makes up most of our audience wants to see the established stars, and that's what we're trying to accomplish here. I used to think it's about wrestling wrestling wrestling and that's part of the reason why I didn't succeed in the ring. It's about having great back stories and fantastic matches as the payoff to the storylines. We have 42 wrestlers under contract to WCW, we have 22 segments every Monday night for Nitro. That is not even close to enough talent that we need, so we can't just put two guys out there with no story and going out and wrestling, or tag team matches for that matter. We've got to create new talent that people care about and that may mean acquiring new talent from outside the promotion.

The patient is sick. Like and kind of long term illness, you don't get sick immediately and you don't get better immediately. It's a long road and we're taking two steps forward, one step back. You know, it goes back to the talent. Three months ago would you have said The Natural Born Thrillers are ready for the position they are in? Maybe they weren't but he only way to teach someone how to swim is to throw 'em in the water, and that's what we're doing. The Thrillers are being put in tough spots and when one of their segments doesn't turn out so good, it's not because of a lack of effort to improve themselves and the company, and I think they have done wonderfully. To the fans, we are gonna work our asses off to give you a good product.

JJ: Want to end off with a bit of word association?

TT: Sure.

JJ: Jeff Jarrett.

TT: Consummate professional, great guy. One of the best in the business. I knew he had it even when he was doing that bulls___ with Steve McMichael.

JJ: Shane McMahon.

TT: A great guy, he has so much to offer, same goes for the entire McMahon family, Shane has a great future ahead of him and we got along very well. The only thing with Shane is I don't know if he can fill his dad's shoes because they might be unfillable, because I am the world's biggest Vince McMahon mark. He's a genius.

JJ: Would you ever return to the WWF?

TT: When I left the WWF the last time, Vince and Linda told me that if I ever wanted to return, the door was open, so who knows. The thing is though, I am a WCW guy. I've helped them book, the people are good, I've been here through thick and thin.

JJ: Ed Ferrara.

TT: Very smart. A good writer, and one of the wittiest and funniest guys I've ever met in my life.

JJ: The XFL.

TT: Football. I hope it succeeds.

JJ: Bill Goldberg.

TT: A great guy and a great human being. He really is fantastic. We were in Australia on the last night of the tour and he was so happy with the crowd's we got, and myself and Doug Dillenger were the only people he told about this, that after the show he told anyone in the audience that if they wanted to stick around, they could come down to ringside and get an autograph. Booker T. heard about it as well and agreed to do it, this is what makes me proud to be part of the business. Bill didn't have to do this, he must have signed 3,000 autographs that night and as much as people criticize Bill, I dare anyone to say that what he did wasn't a great act of class.

JJ: Sean O'Haire.

TT: The next Rock, or Dwayne Johnson like superstar. He has it all and is gonna be huge.

JJ: Steve Austin.

TT: One of the funniest and coolest guys I know who just happens to be a wrestler. He is damn good at what he does and success couldn't have come to a better guy.

JJ: Dustin Rhodes.

TT: Talented wrestler, he's kind of between eras, it's hard to tell with Dustin. He had a great thing going with Golddust. He wants to work, you know, he calls here very often and says "I'm ready to work, please let me help and contribute to this company", and we are in the process of plans to bring him back to television we just need to make sure the gimmick is appropriate and won't get us in too much trouble.

JJ: The PTC.

TT: Don't know much about them, but I do know they nobody tells me how to raise my children.

JJ: David Flair.

TT: His father is the greatest entertainer in the history of our sport. David, has the pizzaz gaga bulls___ down like his father, but he is young as far as in-ring goes and that all comes over time, but don't get us wrong we are gonna work him and work him and he has a good chance of being a star in this business, and not just because of his last name.

JJ: Finally, Terry Taylor.

TT: Hard working. Dedicated. The biggest mark for this business in the entire world, honored to be living a dream and doing something he wanted as a child and even after living the business for all this time is still honored and privileged. After all that I've gone through, a car wreck, different regimes, blown up knee, I can honestly say I don't regret a thing I've done in this business, and I probably never will.

JJ: Thank you very much for your time Terry.

TT: Thanks Jeff, I appreciate it.

December 2000