Interview conducted by Alex Marvez
Mike Sanders is at the forefront of the younger wave of talent being pushed by World Championship Wrestling. In the following interview, Sanders talks about his meteoric rise to prominence, his firing earlier this year by Power Plant director Paul Orndorff, his early days in the business and the state of WCW.
Q: Obviously, it's been a crazy time for you considering where you were last summer and where you are now in WCW. Have you had a chance to reflect upon your meteoric rise?
Sanders: "I'll tell you a funny story. In May when I was fired (from WCW), I sat back at that point and said to myself, 'Wow, they fired me. Do I really have what it takes to make it in this business?'
Then I found a few things out, that the reason was more personal than business. Three weeks later, Vince Russo gave me my job back. Since then, it's all been uphill."
Q: Sounds like a good lesson in backstage politics.
Sanders: This is a very political business, and that was this was about. It's unreal. But I will tell you this: It's not as political as it was two years ago because we're more of a team now."
Q: What happened with Paul Orndorff that resulted in you getting fired?
Sanders: Orndorff basically came to me one day and said . This makes me mad. I had spent the whole day at the (Power) Plant. They had a deal where at the end of the day you clean the rings. I had just cleaned all four rings when he called me into his office and said, 'We're not going to use you any more. (Eric) Bischoff and Russo decided to let you go.' That was a lie. Later on in a conversation with somebody, I found out how I got my job back. Basically, (Russo and Terry Taylor) were asking the girls who they liked working with at the Plant and they mentioned me. Taylor said he's no longer with us, and Russo said why? Who is he and why did we fire this kid, or something to that effect. To be honest with you, I don't think he ever knew who I was. He kind of did, but I give him and Taylor kudos, because they're the reason I got my job back."
Q: I've been impressed with your microphone skills, especially considering what little experience you've had. How did that evolve?
Sanders: "I think growing up, I always was able to talk to people. It's nothing I've ever worked on, to be honest with you. Even with the Power Plant training, you never got in front of a mike. Maybe once in a while they'll have a mike or get you in front of a video camera. But it never was anything like what it's like to go to a Nitro or Thunder or even an indy (promotion). But I've always been able to talk. Honestly, the first time I stepped out in front of a big crowd, I was scared to death. I didn't know how that would go. Then I started working with The Cat, and he was a real easy guy to work with. I had to turn it up a notch. If not, he will eat you up on the mike. And I've worked with guys who have given me a lot of advice. Different guys like Konnan and Kevin, these guys just told me to go out and be myself because it's much easier being yourself than somebody you're not. I started feeling comfortable with Cat. Honestly, when I sit back and think about it, even though I'm confident in what I do and feel I can go toe to toe with anyone from Flair to Cat when it comes to cutting promos or whatever, I still don't feel like I'm on a Flair level or Cat level or Rock or Austin. I still feel like I'm missing something. It's like there's one thing that's missing."
Q: I think it might have to do with the fact they don't give you nearly as much of a push in the ring during your matches than when on the stick.
Sanders: "When you run your mouth, you've got to be able to back it up and have the ring time to do it. Yes, that's part of it."
Q: How difficult was it being thrust into the spotlight without any extensive regional experience, especially backstage with some of the veteran performers?
Sanders: "To be honest with you, amongst the Thrillers, we're a tight group. We all wish the best for each other. We're there for each other. If one guy gets a push, we're there to support him. Now, on the other hand, as far as other guys in the locker room, there was a little bit of resentment. I wouldn't say jealousy. I got pulled aside a lot times and hear that guys would say they think I've got an attitude even though I was just as nice to anybody when I go into the locker room as I had been. People pulled me aside and said I had heat with the boys. What does that mean, heat with the boys? I didn't understand, to be honest with you. A good friend of mine said, 'The top stars in the business have got heat. As a heel, that's what you want is heat. Always gonna have that when you're put out there. But when you're put out there, all of a sudden people assume you've got the same attitude. That's not your fault. Don't change who are or start kissing ass. Just keep being Mike Sanders. If you've got heat, you've got heat.' I took the advice. I'm not gonna change. I talked to the Thrillers about feeling heat, so they were like, 'We've got your back. Don't worry about any of that.'"
Q: Obviously, there would be a lot of changes if Eric Bischoff buys WCW. How concerned would you be about the old guard returning and your push stopping?
Sanders: "Honestly, I was really concerned when I first heard. When we started going to Australia is when the word first got put out. It was like, 'Oh great, here we go again. The same scenario is going to happen.' Then when we got back, I decided that if we were gonna be sold, we were gonna be sold. There was nothing I could do about it.
I'm just hoping I'm good enough in my job that it may possible for whoever buys WCW to keep me, and if not, I could get picked up by one of the other federations. But if I don't and if everything stopped right now, I probably would be hurt. But I would know that I put 110 percent effort behind everything I've done and I don't hold my head down at all. I've been to the dance. Even though it's not the same as in 1997, I've done the best job I can do. If people can't see that, I'm still happy with myself.
Q: How and when did you break into the business at the Power Plant?
Sanders: "It was in January 1998. Five months later, I was on my first TV taping at Disney (World) in Orlando. Then I was on Saturday night TV when Terry Taylor was doing it. He quit WCW for a while and the TV stopped. Ordnorff picked up the Plant (job), and a year later in April 1999, I got my first contract. I got fired a year later. I used to do a lot of Saturday night TV, but that stopped when they cut that out."
Q: How did you make ends meet when you were starting out?
Sanders: "I've got a wife and two kids. My wife worked. I would bounce at bars. My dad owns a towing service and I did that. I worked with my father in the towing business before I tried out (for the Plant), which was a big shock for my dad. I always told him that I've got a dream and I was going to follow it. It's like the singers who pack their guitars and go to Nashville."
Q: Where are you from and did you grow up a wrestling fan?
Sanders: I'm from Cobb County, Ga. I watched Georgia Championship Wrestling growing up and I always had a love for it. I was somebody who always was a fan, but not a diehard fan. At the same time, I felt like I could offer people something in the entertainment industry whether it was as a comedian or whatever. I felt I had something to offer. This was just an opportunity to express myself.
"I'm 31 and I broke into the business at 28. I figured if I didn't do it now, I'd always be disappointed in myself for never trying to chase my dream. Basically, my dream always was to be out in front of the crowd entertaining people. Why wrestling? To be honest, opportunity. In Nov. 1997, I was talking to Dallas Page, Robbie Rage and some of the guys I knew at Main Event Fitness (outside Atlanta).
They said, 'If you think you've got what it takes, why don't you go try out?' I never knew it was that easy to try out."
Q: How much did you puke on the first day of training?
Sanders: "I didn't throw up, but out of the 18 guys in my class, only two or three didn't. Most of them dropped out 45 minutes into a three-day tryout. But I had four years in the U.S. Army and completed eight weeks of basic training. I compare that to my three-day tryout."
Q: How do you see your character evolving in 2001?
Sanders: "I hope to still see myself with WCW. I like the position I'm in right now. I just want to elevate myself with some of the other guys. I was reading in WOW Magazine about the way some of the guys up north are elevated when they wrestle with the top guys.
The top guys in the WWF try to develop talent. Those are going to be the top guys in wrestling in five to 10 years. I hope to see myself working with the top guys getting a rub and learning."
Alex Marvez's weekly pro wrestling column can be found in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Denver Rocky Mountain News and a host of other papers that subscribe to the Scripps-Howard News Service.
