Greetings, fans! Lenny Zefring here, and I've got a pretty unique interview here, this one with one of the stars of women's wrestling, veteran competitor "Superstar" Stephanie Harper. And although I personally haven't followed women's wrestling that much, it was certainly interesting to get her perspective.
LZ: Good to meet you, Stephanie, and thanks for taking time to chat with me.
SH: My pleasure, Lenny.
LZ: So, I guess we can start with what might be a touchy subject for you...
SH: You mean, how women's wrestling tends to get shunned by many?
LZ: Well, yeah... if you don't mind me asking... why do you think that is?
SH: Honestly, it's not surprising... you look at how women's wrestling has developed in the United States and, many times, it isn't treated as seriously as men's wrestling is. I've seen it myself in plenty of promotions... you probably know the types of matches I'm talking about, right?
LZ: Like mud wrestling?
SH: Well, there is that... but it's more to it than that. I'm talking about the so-called fetish wrestling... where everything is done specifically to arouse people as opposed to truly entertaining them.
LZ: Out of curiosity... what's the production of those feds like?
SH: Very poor quality... in other words, it would never measure up to what you know as the top feds in history. Nothing like UWF, or RCW, or KCW... it's low quality in terms of production, talent, everything.
LZ: I see. But do you think that's solely the reason why women's wrestling doesn't get much respect?
SH: You mean, as in why people ask what's the purpose of having such a division in a quality fed?
LZ: Yeah, along those lines.
SH: I think women's wrestling, done properly, is something people who like men's wrestling can truly enjoy, but it's an acquired taste. You have to have the right audience for it... an audience that just wants to enjoy the athleticism and abilities of who is in that ring. And you have to find the right promoter... a promoter who truly wants to develop a good women's division and make it truly enjoyable for the fans who want to see it.
LZ: You think it can co-exist with men's wrestling?
SH: Absolutely... I don't see women's wrestling as taking away an audience from men's wrestling. I think women's wrestling can complement men's wrestling well. You look at the various divisions for men's wrestling, such as junior heavyweights and tag teams, and they add to the package, not take away from it. I think the same can apply to a women's wrestling division.
LZ: When we talk about men's versus women's wrestling, there's one issue that seems to come up often... mind if I ask you about it?
SH: Go ahead.
LZ: What about women trying to compete in the men's divisions? What is your opinion about that?
SH: I've seen that argument several times... on one hand, there are those who say that a woman could never win a fight against a man, and on the other hand, there are those who say everything in wrestling is all based on storylines and suspension of disbelief, so what's the big deal.
LZ: So how do you personally feel about the issue?
SH: Let me put it to you this way... say you have a heavyweight men's wrestler who weighs 250 pounds, and a junior heavyweight men's wrestler who weighs 150 pounds. You wouldn't buy into the smaller man winning a brawl... or in other words, an all-out fight... with the bigger man, right?
LZ: Probably not.
SH: But you don't see the smaller wrestler resorting to fisticuffs, do you?
LZ: Well... no. Or if they did, they usually come out on the losing end.
SH: Right... but my point is... the smaller wrestler isn't going to resort to fisticuffs to make the match believable. He's going to have to resort to other methods... perhaps by going to the air, or by trying to clip the larger wrestler's knees out, or use moves that rely on leverage as opposed to brute strength. Because those are believable tactics for a smaller men's wrestler to use against a bigger men's wrestler. You've seen that in most men's matches, right?
LZ: Right.
SH: So it comes back to making it a believable match... if you are going to have a woman wrestle a man, you need to look at how the two compare to each other and figure out what the gameplan is the woman would use against the man. If the woman is not as strong as the man, then it's the same thing as if it was a smaller man... you can't brawl and make it believable. You have to go about things differently.
LZ: You have wrestled one match against a man before... with Michael Bonn, correct?
SH: Right. That was done for the purposes of extending angles at the time. It's not something I plan on doing on a regular basis.
LZ: But I take it you kept in mind the things you needed to do to make the match believable?
SH: Yes. Bonn and I sat down and debated as to how the match should be laid out. I think we came up with a solution that worked and made for a believable match. Because I'm not a wrestler who does a lot of high-flying moves, we had to compensate for that. I'm just glad Bonn is somebody who was very willing to work with me and wasn't concerned about ego. Because I do know some men's wrestlers would never want to get into the ring with a woman.
LZ: They're currently pushing Tigress as the Meltdown champion in UWF, I see.
SH: Right.
LZ: Do you think they've made her run believable?
SH: If you look at the wrestlers she's been put up against, most of them have been smaller wrestlers... those who could compete in a junior heavyweight division. Of course, Tigress isn't somebody who relies on high flying and resorts to a different style of wrestling. I know some people may have raised their eyebrows when she beat Youth Gone Wild, but he's a wrestler who is, with his understanding, there to help elevate other talent. I know they gave her a win against a bigger man, but he was just brought over from UWF-E to fill a spot on the card and wasn't somebody who was going to be pushed higher up the card. Obviously, what UWF is doing is unusual, but I think they're doing as best they can to make it somewhat believable.
LZ: Do you think audiences could ever accept a woman as the top champion of a fed... as in, the fed's heavyweight championship.
SH: Probably not, because it does limit your options as far as getting believable matches at the top of the card. Of course, at one point, some people believed audiences would never accept a man whose weight classifies him as a junior heavyweight to be marketable as the top wrestler of a promotion, yet it has happened. But in those situations, it's generally the larger wrestlers in that class who are given that push. We haven't seen a 150-pound man pushed to that spot and I'm not certain myself if it would work. So, as far as a woman working in that spot... it wouldn't work at this time.
LZ: You have any interest in competing against men in the future?
SH: No. That's just my personal feeling. I'd rather let my work speak for itself in the women's division. And while I did enjoy that match I worked with Michael Bonn, I personally would want to be a regular competitor in a men's division.
LZ: Well, let's talk about your wrestling career now.
SH: OK, go ahead.
LZ: You've made it known about your start in a federation called the NWCI. I believe you have spoken pretty highly about that federation?
SH: I absolutely loved my time spent there. Bob Burkevics, the promoter of that federation, was one of the classiest people I ever worked with. He was all about having fun and never got greedy or seeking glory above all else. Looking back on what few of the tapes I've got of the matches, I know it might not hold up as much quality-wise to today's product, but I've looked at older shows for other popular feds of yesterday, and it's the same thing. But still, my NWCI experience is one I will never forget.
LZ: So when NWCI shut down, you decided to retire... what made you decide to come back?
SH: I just got that itch to compete again... I'm sure my sister would be back in the ring as well if her health allowed it. When she first had cancer, she tried to come back from it, but her comeback didn't last long. But she always had that competitiveness inside her... and yeah, I've got it too. So I had to come back to wrestling.
LZ: And yet you are a single mother. How difficult is that balancing that with your wrestling career?
SH: I'm sure you know about several wrestlers who have families and are able to carry on with their careers. I've been able to do that as well, but I'm lucky my sister and her husband have been so willing to help me out. Of course, I don't always get the time to spend with my son Danny that I'd like to, but I manage. At times I've taken brief absences from wrestling so I can spend time with my son and the UWF has always been gracious to me, to allow me that time.
LZ: How did you end up getting into UWF in the first place?
SH: Well, after I had competed in a few other federations, I soon found myself needing work. I had become friends with Tara Smith at the time and told her that I just couldn't find work anywhere in a promotion that I truly felt was a quality promotion. That's when Tara referred me to UWF and worked, along with another close friend of mine, Arielle Starr, to get me a contract with UWF.
LZ: What has it been like working for UWF?
SH: I couldn't be happier. I remember the first day I showed up for a taping of Saturday Night Rampage, and one of the first people to greet me was Crimson Joe Reed. He immediately made me feel welcome. That meant a lot to me when I was coming into a federation that had such a large roster of talent and always had high expectations for its shows. But since the time I've arrived, I've become friends with many of the wrestlers backstage, and plenty of the front office staff as well. It's truly been a pleasure to work for this company.
LZ: It's always seemed to me that UWF has taken a chance on a lot of wrestlers... some that other people have said really weren't that talented.
SH: [laughs] Well, I think you've seen that those wrestlers have ended up falling by the wayside. So it all sorts itself out in the end. Besides, I think we all know that the UWF, like many other federations, has seen this industry evolve and finds itself having to adapt. Those wresters who don't want to adapt... well, they go their own way.
LZ: I know you had one prominent wrestler who went his own way recently.
SH: Quinn Brown?
LZ: Yeah... you don't have a problem talking about him, right?
SH: No, not at all... will you let me speak freely?
LZ: Sure, say what's on your mind.
SH: I always thought Quinn was a nice guy, but it seemed, from the start of the Marshall Law angle that's been going on in UWF the past year, that he was becoming withdrawn from the rest of the locker room. Many of the wrestlers would be backstage gathering together, talking about the angle, and several of us bouncing ideas off each other as for what could be done. For a time, I will admit, there wasn't as much discussion and people were just letting things flow, taking everything as they came along.
LZ: Right.
SH: And then we had some discussion about what could be done to really give the angle some teeth... we had the idea about a big brawl that would involve the entire roster, thus showing just how chaotic Marshall Law was making things. But Quinn... well... he just seemed so withdrawn from all these discussions, wanting to do his own thing, and not being happy with the direction of the overall angle.
LZ: So you think he lost touch with the rest of the locker room and what everybody else wanted?
SH: I don't think he lost touch... he knew how other people felt. He was just becoming much harder to work with as a result of everything that happened. So the end result was he ultimately decided to leave.
LZ: You think the UWF will be better off with him no longer there?
SH: I really don't want to be too harsh on Quinn, because he is a nice guy. But I do think he made the right decision to leave... he didn't seem to be enjoying himself, and if you aren't enjoying what you are doing, you need to move on.
LZ: What have you personally thought of Marshall Law?
SH: I have to agree with what some people said backstage that, initially, things started off well, but then it started to lose steam. But what's been done the last few months has certainly given the angle some teeth again. I think it's definitely been a good thing for UWF overall because it shook things up a bit, and this was during a time in which people felt the wrestling industry overall was slowing down and a shake-up was needed somewhere..
LZ: I'd like to talk about the people you've competed against or have known, but maybe word association would be best for that?
SH: Sure, that's fine.
LZ: OK... Marissa Monet.
SH: Tough as nails. I personally consider that Gold Rush match with her to be the best match of my career.
LZ: Tigress.
SH: She works stiff as hell, but I wouldn't mind working with her again.
LZ: Erin McCoys.
SH: From my conversations with her, I always found her to be a nice person. I know she got a lot of flack from others in the industry, but I do wish her the best in whatever she is doing now.
LZ: Tara Marshall.
SH: Very unselfish, quite the opposite of her on-screen character.
LZ: Sierra Browne.
SH: One of the most competitive women I've wrestled. And she's truly one of the greats of women's wrestling.
LZ: Arielle Starr.
SH: One of my best friends and very underrated.
LZ: Tara Smith.
SH: And my other best friend. And she's also very competitive and yet another of the greats of women's wrestling.
LZ: Mind if I do word association with some of the men's wrestlers?
SH: Sure, go ahead.
LZ: Joe Reed.
SH: The epitome of what a locker room leader is all about. I know he's enjoying retirement, but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing him return, just to provide that leadership he is known for.
LZ: Scott Daniels.
SH: Very dedicated to his craft. His first priority has always been to give the audience what they want.
LZ: Michael Bonn.
SH: He's got a big future ahead of him. He's already made his mark in the junior heavyweight ranks and I know he'll do the same in the heavyweights.
LZ: Kyle Lee.
SH: He knew how to run a fed and make it fun. MBC may not have been everyone's cup of tea but I enjoyed my time there. And he's also underrated as a wrestler.
LZ: Chris O'Brien.
SH: He's a character... but he's also very professional and believes in doing what's best for the business at all times.
LZ: Luke Kinsey.
SH: He'll have an impact on UWF if he sticks it out. He's got a good work ethic and knows how to get an audience to react to him.
LZ: One final question... what do you see for yourself in the future?
SH: Well, I've had my run as the women's champion and it was a blast. I've still got issues to settle with Donna Tetreault, of course, so you can expect those to be simmering in the coming months. After that... who knows. Right now, I'm just going to enjoy my time in the UWF and use the wisdom I've gained from my years of wrestling to help some of the other talent that's rising up through the ranks of women's wrestling.
LZ: Hey, thanks a lot, Stephanie. It really was great to talk with you.
SH: Same here... take care, Lenny.
- Lenny Zefring is the lead announcer for Championship Fighting Federation and head interviewer for Just The Facts! 3001. If you wish to setup an interview with Mr. Zefring, please e-mail us at [email protected] with the details