Frankie Kazarian talks about TNA, X-Division, six-sided rings, more
Submitted by Matthew Tremley on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 at 2:33 PM EST







• Aaron Rift sent in the following:
  
  The 3rd edition of XMV (Xtreme Mayhem Video) is now online! Here are
  highlights from Mike Nagel and Jeff Meacham's video interview with TNA
  superstar "The Coolest" Frankie Kazarian:
  
  - Frankie said that TNA moving to a monthly PPV format is a good idea
  because it necessary to ensure that the company survives. He feels that
  too many weekly PPVs have run their course and there is only so much
  you
  can do with it. However, he said the weekly shows we good while they
  lasted. He said they could possibily get a new time slot with a
  two-hour
  show to build towards the monthly PPVs.
  
  - He talked about the rumors of TNA moving from FSN to FX. He said that
  if they if they had a two-hour show to develop characters and
  storylines, they could possibily compete with WWE down the line.
  
  - Frankie talked about being the champion for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla,
  and he mentioned that independant wrestling is a strange beast. He said
  you could have a stacked card and only draw 100 people, or you could
  have a card with several unknowns and draw 500 people. He says it all
  comes down to how the show is marketed and advertised. He said that PWG
  has a consistant fanbase and they do their best to increase attendance,
  but it is difficult because the business is in a downslide. He said
  they
  are doing better than a lot of other feds right now.
  
  - He talked about the Ultimate X match, he loved it because it was a
  totally new and unique concept. Working with AJ Styles and Michael
  Shane, he couldn't ask to be in there to two better guys. He called AJ
  one of the best wrestlers on the planet. He said he would do the match
  again at the drop of a hat. He talked about taking the Styles Clash,
  calling it "frightening" but the adreneline was going and he went with
  it. He said the cables are a legit 15 feet above the ring.
  
  - Frankie gave his thoughts on making the transition to the six-sided
  ring. He said the ring gives you more angles to do stuff. He said it
  helps some of the X-Division guys that do lots of flipping moves. He
  thinks it unique for viewers, especially on television in the United
  States.
  
  - He talked about which styles of wrestling he likes. He said that he
  prefers all types. He doesn't consider himself a certain style of
  wrestler, he likes to bring all different types of elements to the
  table.
  
  - Frankie talked about "The Coolest" gimmick, and it just evolved from
  him being himself. He said that working as a babyface is more difficult
  because anybody can say "You suck!" to a fan and get them to boo you.
  However, he really enjoys getting into people's skin. He was a babyface
  for a long time, so he prefers being a heel right now.
  
  - He spoke about the Nashville and Orlando fans, and he said that they
  were both passionate. He said that the Orlando crowd is really hot
  every
  week. He said that he escaped the Hurricane in Florida by the skin of
  his teeth. He said, even though they left Nashville, there is talks of
  doing PPVs or house shows there.
  
  - Frankie talked about his passion for the indys, but he said that 30
  years from now he still doesn't want to be working indy shows. In the
  last six months, he has cut back on his indy dates and picks and
  chooses.
  
  - He's very happy where he is today. He talked about his passion for
  wrestling, how he saved up all of his money and traveled across the
  country to train. He feels that he has come a long way in 6-7 years.
  
  - Frankie said that TNA shouldn't tone down the X-Division, because
  fans
  of the division are expecting high-impact moves, and the guys in the
  division can deliver the high-impact moves.
  
  - He spoke of his friendships with Michael Shane and Nova. He said that
  "Simon Dean" character was Nova's own idea.
  
  Streaming video version (Real Player required): href="http://nodq.com/nodq.cgi?xmv/xmv0921.ram">http://nodq.com/nodq.cgi?xmv/xmv0921.ram
  Downloadable video version (Real Player required): href="http://nodq.com/nodq.cgi?xmv/xmv0921.rm">http://nodq.com/nodq.cgi?xmv/xmv0921.rm
  Audio version (Windows Media Player required): href="http://nodq.com/nodq.cgi?xmv/xmv0921.wma">http://nodq.com/nodq.cgi?xmv/xmv0921.wma
  

  
  

  
  
  

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