12 QUESTIONS WITH... TNA LEAD ANNOUNCER MIKE TENAY (FSM 98; Oct 2013)

FSM: First of all, Mike, please tell us how you got started in the business.
Mike Tenay: I had a wrestling newsletter between 1966 and 1973, which I started when I was 11 years old. There were fan clubs for particular wrestlers, but a dedicated newsletter was pretty unusual. I was such a big fan of wrestling, and there really wasn't anything like it at the time.
I set up a group of around 50 to 75 correspondents, not only in the United States, but also in England, Japan and Australia, who would exchange the results and information regarding wrestlers coming and going from various territories. This was all done by mail! (laughs) I'd take all of that data and put it into a monthly newsletter forms. Alongside that, I was writing for several of the newsstand wrestling magazines of that era.
I'd call that being on the fringes of the business, but I first became interested in wrestling in 1962, back in Los Angeles when I went to my first matches at the Olympic Auditorium. There was a part of L.A where you could find the Japanese wrestling magazines, and my dad would drive me around, looking for them all. It was such a different perspective on the business then, compared with today; I'd even go to the library to go through old newspapers on microfilm, looking for historic results and stories.

A number of fans would have first seen and heard you on the WCW/AAA When Worlds Collide pay-per-view in 1994. What had you done in the years since the newsletter?
I'd remained a fan, and pursued ventures outside the wrestling business. I worked in a sports betting shop at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino, and then became involved in an overnight sports radio show, when a customer mentioned it to me. I remember talking about wrestling at around 2am, and all the call lights lit up like they'd never seen before (laughs).
I did that from around 1991 to 1996, and WCW actually ended up sponsoring the show, mainly around the time they had pay-per-views to promote. They also hired me for the WCW Hotline, and things snowballed from there to where I was given the opportunity to announce on When Worlds Collide. The WCW announcers at the time didn't want to get involved with it because their lack of knowledge would be exposed, so Chris Cruise volunteered to do it, and when (promoter) Gary Juster asked me to work alongside Chris, I accepted. I had a great, natural background in lucha libre from growing up in the L.A area, and I'd made a dozen or so trips to Mexico to watch wrestling.

How different was the switch from the radio show to announcing on a pay-per-view?
When I was a young fan - around 15 or 16 years old - going to the Olympic Auditorium, there was a several-year period where I would bring a tape recorder and announce the matches on the live show, and I'd trade those tapes with my correspondents on the newsletter. Even back then, I gravitated towards writers and announcers more so than the athletes or the performers themselves.
Doing that pay-per-view was totally different to working on the radio show, with all it involves, but what a learning experience! I think there's a difference between being nervous and on edge, and I was more excited than nervous. I had done my homework, and felt at ease with the background of things.
At no point was it discussed that I'd be hired by WCW if I did well, but I really did go into it thinking, "What do I have to lose?" I was trying to come at things from a different perspective - something that hadn't really been done by wrestling announcers at that time - and attack it more like a sports broadcast. The critical response from viewers, the wrestling media and WCW management was terrific, and that show opened up so many doors for me.

In your own eyes, has your commentary style changed much down the years?
I think it had to, from several different standpoints. When I was brought into WCW it was pretty much as the "international wrestling expert"; I'd announce on matches featuring talent from Japan, Mexico or other places, along with play-by-play from Tony Schiavone, and colour from the likes of Bobby Heenan or Dusty Rhodes, so the dynamic had to change as it was now a four-man announce booth.
Those guys would get a kick out of deferring to me for the nuts and bolts, because I had so much knowledge. Bobby would say things like, "I bet you've got this guy's driving licence number," and things like that. It made it easier for them. Even when they were making fun of my knowledge, they were putting me over.
I then got the chance to replace Steve "Mongo" McMichael, who was becoming a wrestler, on the Nitro commentary team, and that was again different - now I was the third person in the booth. My first chance to do play-by-play came on the syndicated WCW shows, then eventually Thunder, so just from the standpoint of job description it has changed so much. Analyst, to commentator, to play-by-play announcer.

What is the most difficult part of being an announcer?
The extra things are something I find much more challenging than the actual show itself, such as preparation in the lead-up to events. I love the prep work, of course, because I love the history of the business, but preparing to call a live show is something else. But so long as you are prepared, you're going to feel comfortable.
Working alongside our producers, David Sahadi and Keith Mitchell, is brilliant. Keith goes back to the WCW days, and even before that with World Class Championship Wrestling, and he's a very calming voice in your headset. I'm not going to say I've never been shouted at, but he believes you get a lot more out of somebody by speaking with them calmly. We may get told, during a match, that Segment 3a on the format is being moved to Segment 5, which is just an example of having to think on your feet.
Also, you have to be prepared for everything and anything that might come up, because we do so many of the shows on live television. One example would be the neck injury to Buff Bagwell in WCW, where time seemed to stand still, or the Jesse Sorensen situation in TNA. Those are tough because of your concern for the individual, but you have to connect with the audience at home, too.
Another would be at Hard Justice 2006, when the roof caught fire - that was an interesting situation to be put in (laughs). Don West, the cameraman and myself were the last people to be evacuated from the building, and we had to fill around 40 minutes of air-time. I've called in excess of 2,000 television shows, so there's an automatic feel that comes with that repetition, but I think the ability to handle that situation is one of my proudest moments. If you spend 10,000 hours working on any particular subject, you're going to become comfortable with it to the extent of being able to convey knowledge to people.

Do you have any tips on enunciation or how to react naturally when trying to get information out there so quickly as an announcer?
I think it's important to have it in your own head that what you're announcing is important, and project that. Also, you won't reach a certain level in wrestling without that ability to communicate, and enunciate.
Having the ability to react naturally to certain surprises is a great thing to have. You're caught up in the moment, but are also the voice of the fans, and have to convey that shock, anger or whatever it is you're trying to sell. The knowledge of what's going to happen can help, as it'll enable you to tell the story the way that the creative team wants that story told. It's a two-way street, however, because if you don't react the way they want you to, it's counter-productive.

Take us through your preparation for a TNA pay-per-view.
I'm always looking at every match, looking to tell the background of the guys involved - especially if it's somebody new coming into the company - and at the same time trying to look at the styles of the wrestlers. Pay-per-view matches give a much easier platform to tell that full story, because of the length of the matches; so often in a TV match, a play-by-play announcer's job is not only to get the talent over, but to sell certain aspects for the company, as well as the TV network you're involved with.

How important is having a good interaction with your broadcast partner?
It's probably right near the top, in terms of working as a team to tell the story. I find that I'm always trying to play to the strengths of my broadcast partner. The interaction has been very different, going from working with Don West for so many years to working with Taz. When Don started, he didn't have much knowledge of the business, but became quite a good announcer for someone who started off knowing very little about professional wrestling.
With Taz, we have the wrestler's perspective when it comes to providing analysis; I might ask about the effects of a hold, or the mindset of being in a tag team match. The interaction you have with your partner is dependant on their background and ability, whether that's working with Jeremy Borash, whom I've known for 15 years, or Bobby Heenan, who's one of the wittiest colour commentators who ever lived. Then getting to work with Dusty Rhodes and Tony Schiavone, I couldn't ask to have worked with better people. It's been a blur, but a fun one.

Is it easier or more enjoyable for you now that Taz acts as an antagonist?
I love that - it's so much fun. The first three years we worked in tandem, there were a fair amount of disagreements on commentary, but obviously nothing like there is now with the Aces & Eights situation. None of the banter is ever scripted between Taz and I; it's simply knowing the filter of your character, and being off the cuff. It takes my "company representative" character and turns it up a few notches. Instead of sitting there with somebody who agrees with everything you're saying, there's animosity there, and that's been really fun.

Is there a match that you're most proud to have called?
Personally, I always love the X-Division matches from the earlier years of TNA; those ones involving AJ Styles, Low-Ki and Jerry Lynn. I loved that era, because we were establishing the company on the back of this talent, and it was a proud extension for me from helping establish the cruiserweight division in WCW, with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, Eddy Guerrero et cetera. The X-Division matches were so important to the initial survival of TNA, progressing from weekly pay-per-view, to Fox Sports and eventually Spike TV.
I think for me, rather than one match, there are just moments where you're proud overall. For example, what a privilege it was to be asked to talk at Sting's TNA Hall of Fame induction, or to be in the Georgia Dome in front of 60,000 people in WCW. It's so hard to put a label on one particular match, as I look at it more as a body of work.

What question are you asked most by people wanting to make it as an announcer?
So many people come up at fan interaction events and say they want to be in the wrestling business, but aren't physically able to be a wrestler. They maybe want to be a referee, or write the TV show, or even be an announcer. The hardest part for me is that while I never want to discourage anybody, there are only around 10 people who get to make their living as a full-time wrestling announcer, certainly in the U.S, and those guys have been in their spots for a long time.
Wrestling doesn't have too many openings to make a full-time living being an announcer, because there are only the two major organisations. The colour commentators are all former wrestlers, so there's no opening there. So, I don't like to ruin people's dreams, but I have to be realistic with them. Anything you can do journalistically, even for local promotions, really helps. Let's face it, there aren't many people lucky enough to do their audition tape at When Worlds Collide.

Finally, is there a piece of advice you've received as a commentator that stands out?
As I was just starting properly in WCW, Gordon Solie came to me and said, "I see something in you. If you would like, I'll meet with you after every show and tell you what you did right and what you did wrong."
Think of how competitive both the wrestling and television businesses are; once you get that job, other people want it, or to not see you be successful in it. Gordon was so comfortable in his position that we had this period I was able to go to him. "I'll meet you at the bar" - that was his deal! (laughs) So, again, I guess it wouldn't be one particular piece of advice, but instead the ability to have his knowledge.
We had a mutual friend, who was with Gordon right before he passed. He asked him about regrets that he had, and he said he regretted not having more time to get to work with me, because he left WCW shortly after I'd joined. That blows my mind, that he thought so much of me.
Gordon emphasised to me the need to be that great storyteller, but to gain respect for your knowledge. He also told me to work together with the broadcast partner that you have, as well as management, and be prepared for anything that can happen.
Credibility, believability and the ability to connect with the audience gives that comfort zone feel and respect.

TNA Impact Wrestling is returning to the UK and Ireland in January/February 2014 for live events in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, London and Birmingham. Tickets are available now from www.GigsAndTours.com