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Jeff Gorman was a staple of the Pittsburgh independent scene throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. He announced for the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) and its predecessors and was asked to announce the early Ring of Honor (ROH) shows before they were forced to change their financial plans. He left professional wrestling in 2003 after the birth of his daughter, but has recently appeared in IWC to promote his new book, This Side of the Mic, which chronicles his 11-year career in the business. The book is available from Barnes and Noble at http://ww.bn.com. One can also order it from Gorman himself. I recently conducted an interview by e-mail with Gorman for World Wrestling Insanity (WWI) about This Side of the Mic, Gorman’s experiences in both IWC and ROH, the current stars of IWC and Dave Prazak. The results can be found below. WWI: You retired from play-by-play at International Wrestling Cartel in 2003 to look after your child. How has fatherhood been treating you? Jeff Gorman: As much as I love being a pro wrestling announcer, nothing in life has brought me as much joy as being a father and husband. My girl is three years old, and I take care of her full-time. Gracelin is a bright, beautiful child, and I love to teach her new things. She can already count to five in five languages. WWI: Other than looking after your child, what have you been up to since your retirement? JEFF: The biggest thing I’ve done was to write This Side of the Mic, a book about my11 years in the ring. It also deals with my family, my other sportscasting ventures, as well as my attempts to be an actor and a baseball player. I’m also a sportswriter for a weekly paper and a notary. I also recently made my debut as a mixed-martial arts (MMA) announcer for an Ohio-based group called Fightfest. In addition, I’ve made a couple of return trips to the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) to announce, say hi to my friends, and sell a few books. WWI: How does announcing mixed martial arts compare to announcing professional wrestling? Do you agree with Terry Funk's prediction that MMA-styled professional wrestling, such as that of Japan's Big Mouth Loud promotion, is the future of the industry? JEFF: There are fewer holds to call in mixed martial arts, but they pop up a lot faster. Pro wrestling has a gazillion holds with different names based on what country the wrestler is from, or what pet name a wrestler gives his move. But I like that - it's a challenge to try to get all of the moves right. I don't think MMA-style pro wrestling is THE future, but it may be part of the future. There is room for a lot of different styles, from sports entertainment to pure wrestling to hardcore to lucha. I think an MMA-style group could find a big group of fans and be part of that equation. WWI: How did you get involved in the wrestling business? JEFF: I was announcing football, baseball and basketball in the early 1990s when I went to my first indy show in Mansfield, Ohio. I gave the promoter, Kid Collins, a tape of my baseball work, and he came me a shot on his next show. WWI: How did you get involved with the International Wrestling Cartel in particular? JEFF: “Beef Stew” Lou Marconi recommended me to Steel City Wrestling promoter Norm Connors, and Norm started using me in 1995. I have announced for him ever since, whether its has been Steel City, the invasion of PWX or more recently in IWC. WWI: You called the very first Super Indy Tournament won by Super Hentai. What was that experience like? JEFF: I was a little nervous, because I knew that tape would get out to a lot of people since Low Ki, Chris Daniels, CM Punk, Colt Cabana and Chris Hero were involved, along with our usual crew. I did ring announcing and solo commentary, and fortunately it went well. I got some good reviews, and I think that helped my career a bit. WWI: Did you have any idea at the time that the tournament, won by Delirious this year, would go on to become of the independent wrestling’s most popular tournaments? JEFF: Well, it’s funny because I missed Super Indy tournaments 2-4, so I just went from 1 to 5. It was a much bigger deal than I could imagine. I never thought Super Indy would have a press conference, pre-show matches and a video screen detailing the past tournaments WWI: Do you still watch International Wrestling Cartel shows regularly? If so, what are your opinions on new talents such as Dennis Gregory, John McChesney and Shiima Xion? Just this past weekend Gregory won the IWC Heavyweight title from Shirley Doe, a long-time IWC standby.
JEFF: I announced at Summer Sizzler 3 when Denny won the title. Aside from that and Super Indy V, I’ve only watched No Excuses (AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy) on tape since I left. I think the local guys have really turned the corner and put on some solid shows from top to bottom. Denny has actually been around as long as I have. He has held just about every title in Pittsburgh. McChesney is doing well with his “proving to himself that he can beat Low Ki again” storyline. I’m very happy for Xion that he is getting to go to Japan for DDT. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jason Gory and Raymond Rowe hit it big as well.
WWI: You announced some of the early Ring of Honor events. How did that come about?
JEFF: They were looking for an announcer in the first year (2002) and Norm Connors recommended me to them.
WWI: Was there a feeling at the time that Ring of Honor would go on to become the most-successful independent wrestling promotion in North America, as it has since become?
JEFF: Yes, there was. From the moment Ring of Honor started it was clear that the idea was to bring the best indy talent and focus on the action in the ring. I really felt like I made the All-Star team when they hired me.
WWI: How would you compare working with Norm Connors in IWC to working with Cary Silkin, Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky in ROH?
JEFF: The ROH guys were great and very professional to work with. The difference with Norm is that he is one of my best friends. We’ve been buddies for more than 10 years, and if we never worked in wrestling again, we would still be friends.
WWI: IWC DVDs are now released through ROHWrestling.com. How do you feel about the working relationship between the two promotions?
JEFF: That’s great, since ROH has such a global following. I hope everyone around the world starts to realize how good IWC is getting.
WWI: Do you fear that ROH selling IWC DVDs at $5/each, 1/4 of the price of a regular ROH DVD, makes IWC looks minor league by comparison?
JEFF: No, I don't. There are so many ROH tapes out there, that if fans are able to tack on an IWC show or two for a low price, that's all we can ask. I think the fans decide what is major- or minor-league based on what they see in the ring.
WWI: You have explained in past interviews that you left Ring of Honor because they couldn’t afford to pay an outside announcer. Were you disappointed that ROH chose to go with Dave Prazak when they did decide to bring in a permanent play-by-play man from outside the immediate ROH family?
JEFF: Actually, they decided to shift the cost of an announcer (me) toward improving the look of the show (cameras, lighting, etc.). It worked, although I was disappointed because I had been waiting for that big break for eight years. I appreciate the fact that ROH still allowed me to work on their Midwest shows. They brought in Prazak four months after I had announced my decision leave the wrestling business for a while. But David wasn’t an outsider - he had worked on the Midwest shows for about a year when they made him the full-time play-by-play guy. I’m really happy for David and he’s doing a great job.
WWI: What led you to write a book, Behind the Mic, available at http://www.bn.com, about your experience in the wrestling industry? How did the book deal come about?
JEFF: I realized about five years into my career that I had a lot of stories to share with future kids and grandkids. When I left the ring, I thought it would be a perfect time to write them down as a gift to my family. The best way for fans to get the book is to e-mail me directly at gormanbook@yahoo.com. That way I can autograph the book for them. My wife and I published the book through a website called
WWI: James Guttman often asks wrestlers in they could wrestle anyone from any era, who would they choose. If you could call any match featuring wrestlers from any era in any venue, what would it be?
JEFF: My dream would be announce at the very top level of the WWE at Wrestlemania. Rather than pick the stars of the past, I would love to see someone like C.M. Punk, Colt Cabana, A.J. Styles or Homicide in the main event.
WWI: Other than your book, do you have anything you’d like to plug? A website, perhaps?
JEFF: I’m starting to write sports for a website called (http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/11449/jeffrey_gorman.html)
You can pick up "This side of the Mic" by clicking here.
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