Teddy Long News

Thanks to The Detroit News for the following interview with SmackDown General manager, Teddy Long:

How did you get involved in pro wrestling?
I've been in pro wrestling for a total of 23 years. I started by putting up the ring and taking the ring down; I started going to the ring, getting wrestlers' jackets and stuff. Then I had my first job as referee, then I went from refereeing to managing, and God blessed me to become general manager of SmackDown!

Was the goal always to get where you are now?
I never had any idea I would become general manager of SmackDown! I managed a lot of guys - I managed the Undertaker before he became the Undertaker, when he was "Mean" Mark Callous. I had the opportunity to manage Butch Reed and Ron Simmons, they were Doom, the first black Afro-American tag team champions. And that was as far as I thought I would ever go.

What do you enjoy most about being in the business?
The best part about it is this is my life's dream. I've wanted to do this all my life, and to make it as far as I've made it, I'm blessed. I enjoy the road, the traveling. It's kind of hard sometimes, we do a lot of driving, but that's part of the game, you know what I mean? Back in the day, we didn't have plane tickets, we had to drive everywhere that we performed. So to have a plane ticket now is kind of like a pot of gold.

What's the worst part about being on the road?
Being away from home and getting trapped in a snowstorm in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- and I've had that happen.

Complete this sentence: If it weren't for _______, I wouldn't be here today.
If it weren't for God. And let's add Vince McMahon in there. In my office, if you watch TV, there's two pictures: I have one of Dr. Martin Luther King and one of Mr. McMahon. My slogan to that is Dr. King made it possible, and Vince McMahon made it happen.

How big is WrestleMania to this business?
WrestleMania is one of the biggest events in the world, and to be a part of WrestleMania is like going to heaven. Even if you ain't on the card, just be there. Get your face in the place! That's what it means. It's like the Grammys!