David Sahadi interview

[The Doctor]

David Sahadi is currently the most hated man in Stanford-based WWE
Headquarters. Who is David Sahadi you ask? If you watched WWE TV
programming or saw one of their commercials teasing a PPV in the last 10
years, then chances are you saw his work as the Creative Director of
On-air Promotions. Mr. Sahadi currently works with TNA Wrestling is the
same capacity. If you saw the teasers for the PPV’s that sent goosebumps
up your arms, then you have seen his current work. This interview that
will give you behind the scenes access to how WWF/WWE operated, the
truth and fiction behind the infamous TNA milk and cookie delivery to
the WWE during a commercial shoot and what you can possibly expect from
TNA Wrestling in the coming months.

Alan Wojcik: Was wrestling part of your childhood and who were some of
your favorites?

David Sahadi: For a time it was. I grew up watching wrestling in the
late seventies on Saturday nights. My favorites were "Polish Power" Ivan
Putzki, Superstar Billy Graham, Captain Lou Albano and George "The
Animal" Steel. One manager who I despised at the time was Classy Freddie
Blassie, which was funny because he became one of my closest and beloved
friends when I joined WWE. I lost interest in the genre in the
mid-eighties, right before the first WrestleMania, because I thought the
characters were becoming too cartoony and the product a bit goofy.

AW: You went to college and graduated with a degree in mathematics, how
did that lead to television?

David Sahadi: It didn’t. Mathematics and television are on opposite ends
of the career spectrum. Math is associated with the logical side of the
brain while television appeals to the creative side. And I really
despised math by the time I graduated. If anything, getting a degree in
mathematics propelled me towards TV simply because it pushed me away
from mathematics. In the end, it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the
rest of my life.

AW: Was it aid from your dad that got you the job with NBC Sports and
talk about your initial duties with the network?

David Sahadi: Yes, my dad was instrumental in getting me into
television. When I graduated college I had no clue what I wanted to do
with my life. I spent that summer painting houses. It was quite sobering
to be twenty-one years old, out of college, and not having a direction
in life. That fall, my dad got me a job working Sundays at NBC Sports as
a logger for NFL football games. Basically I would watch a designated
game, chronicle all the plays, compile statistics, and help the
producers build highlights packages for the half-time and post-game
shows. It was both exhilarating and nerve-racking. When the football
season was over, I got an internship as a production assistant in the
sports promotions department and the rest, as they say, is history.

AW: You became Manager of On-Air Promotions for NBC Sports; tell me
about some of your favorite commercials people might remember.

David Sahadi: Probably none! Seriously. I really have no favorite spots
from my tenure at NBC. Yes, I did launch campaigns for the NFL, the NBA
on NBC, and the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, which was an exciting
endeavor in itself, but the spots were very conservative, straight
forward and boring. At the time, the network didn’t want to takes risks
or break away from the status quo no matter how hard I tried to push the
envelope. As an example, the first spot I cut for the NBA (which never
aired) featured hip hop music, flashy graphics and a quick-cutting
editing style. I even used edgy sound effects on the physicality as well
as the slam dunks. Management rejected it. Instead, they had me re-cut
the spot using slo-mos to the theme from the Broadway play, "Annie". No
sound effects. No edge. No impact. Enough said. Right then, I knew my
future wasn’t to be in network television.

AW: You worked with some of sports biggest names, please talk about
working with Bob Costas and Richard Ebersol.

David Sahadi: Bob Costas is one of the most knowledgeable and astute men
I have ever worked with. He’s brilliant and passionate about the sports
he covers. He’s tough to work for because he expects perfection - but he
also demands it from himself as well. I remember one time I had a big
goof on the air, airing a highlights package that had the incorrect
paperwork to what Bob was narrating. It was live TV, and of course Bob
looked silly. Obviously, he blew up once we went off the air. But he
also pulled me aside, talked to me about how to prevent future errors,
and patted me on the back. He reassured me as opposed to emasculating
me. I will never forget that. He has a great, compassionate side to his
humanity. Richard Ebersol was intimidating to work with at the time in my
life. He came into the sports department from the Entertainment division
with a huge legacy and strong reputation. No one ever stood up to him or
challenged his decisions. He was surrounded by sycophants and "yes men".
Being a neophyte, the youngest manager of on-air promotions among the
three sports networks at the time, I lacked the courage to challenge
him. I disagreed with Richard on many things creatively, but I didn’t have
the confidence then to stand up to my convictions. But Richard was always a
wonderful man to me. He treated me with great respect. And he was
genuinely saddened when he learned of my decision to leave NBC. He tried
to convince me to stay, but I had already made a verbal commitment to
WWF and felt it wasn’t right to go back on my word. It was fun working
with Richard again during the XFL experiment, which I think had great
potential but was foolishly rushed and then prematurely cancelled. There
was great potential there that was never fully realized.

from [e-mail]

[The Doctor]

AW: Before the 1992 Summer Olympics WWF made you an offer to join the
company. What made WWF a better place then your position with NBC
Sports?

David Sahadi: The opportunity to grow, expand and develop my creativity.
I felt the network environment was too conservative, their thinking too
black and white. I wanted to do things differently, create from an
alternate perspective, shoot film, work on the different looks and
graphic packages of shows, and WWF gave me that opportunity.

AW: What were your initial impressions of Vince McMahon?

David Sahadi: Like most, I was intimidated by Vince before I even met
him. I had heard all the negative rumors that were circulating at the
time. When I walked into Vince’s office for my interview, he was wearing
sweats, blasting a heavy metal entrance music theme for one of his new
superstars and happily eating a hot meal. He came across more as a frat
boy than an executive for a global empire. It was a very casual
atmosphere at that was comforting. He embraced me warmly, spoke of his
mantra to, above everything else, just have fun, and made me feel
wanted. I walked out of his office with a whole different image of Vince
McMahon and knew right then it was the place I needed to be.

AW: I believe one of your first tasks was producing the Monday Night Raw
intro piece filmed on the roof of WWF Headquarters, known as the Titan
Towers. Talk about the spot and some other ideas Vince had for the spot.


David Sahadi: Actually, one of my first tasks was to produce the promos
and openings for the premiers of both RAW and Mania (a Saturday morning
magazine show). The graphics were awful – a lot of pinks and yellows
which are not colors you would associate with such a physical product. I
also introduced film and an editing style that was fast-paced and
cutting edge. Two years later, we filmed the opening for Raw on the Roof
that you mentioned. And the shoot was beset with a myriad of problems.
For one, Vince and I had a different vision. I wanted the feel to be
rebellious and attitudinal (this was before the era of attitude) while
Vince pitched a few ideas that were more campy and slapstick. We also
had plans to ignite pyro and burn a huge "RAW" logo in flames upon the
entire length of the roof. But there was a drought in CT at the time and
our pyro permits were pulled the day before the shoot. Our helicopter
also lost it’s spotlight midway through the shoot, as well as
communication with us on the ground, so we were simply winging
everything. The neighbors also complained to the Stamford police about
the noise disturbance. Of course, with a copter flying above and a live
band performing on the roof, it was had to hear their complaints or the
police trying to contact us so the shoot continued on until midnight!

AW: What was your work relationship like with Vince and Jim Ross?


David Sahadi: I had a wonderful work and personal relationship with all
the McMahons during my eleven years there, as well as with Jim Ross and
many of the talent. They treated me with reverence and respect and
embraced me like a family member. No complaints there. The only thing
that saddened me is that Vince treated me differently the moment he
found out I was leaving the company. I first told my boss, Kevin Dunn,
and said that I would give the company however much time they needed me
to stay until a replacement could be found, whether it be two weeks, two
months or half a year. Kevin decided on one month. During that last
month I never had a discussion with Vince about anything. He actually
avoided me in public. I had scheduled three meetings with Vince to say
goodbye, but all three were postponed. I couldn’t understand why he
turned a cold shoulder. After all, I wasn’t leaving the company to work
for the competition or to take another job elsewhere. I was quitting and
leaving everything behind. All I wanted to do was give him a hug and
express my gratitude for all he had done for me. The fact that I felt
dissed hurt on the deepest of levels, considering all I had done for the
company and the countless sacrifices I made. But a couple of months
later, once I was in the mountains, I let all the hurt go. I understood
why Vince felt awkward: he couldn’t understand why I was leaving. And
looking back I don’t blame him. How could he understand why I was
leaving when I didn’t understand myself? All I knew is that I had to
leave that company. My heart was no longer enamored with the product. My
soul needed to embark on a journey of discovery. My spirit longed for a
new adventure. So I walked away from everything, without a plan, with
trust that the Universe would lead me.

AW: Did you have day to day dealings with Linda McMahon?

David Sahadi: She is a great businessperson one of the classiest people
I know. I have so much respect for her. When I met Linda to say goodbye,
I broke down in her office and couldn’t utter a single word. She hugged
me, spoke the words I couldn’t speak, and made me feel wonderful. She is
one of the most compassionate, benevolent beings I know and I send her
my love.

AW: Fans that I am friend with aren't big fans of Stephanie, what is
your view of Ms. McMahon-Levesque?

David Sahadi: I like Stephanie, but I think she was put in a difficult
position and asked to do too much too soon. I don’t feel she was ready
for the role of head writer when it was given to her. And I think
Stephanie, like Vince, tries too hard to control everything. She would
do well to trust people around her more, and be a unifying force as
opposed to one which alienates. She also works her butt off. I remember
seeing her in the gym – after one of her typical fourteen hour days –
doing work on…the treadmill! Poor girl. I admire her work ethic and her
unyielding commitment, but I sincerely hope that one day she realizes
there is a vast, beautiful world outside of the WWE. And I truly hope
she finds happiness, if she hasn’t already.

AW: At one point Shane McMahon was on-air as talent, now he is behind
the scenes. What are your thoughts on Shane-O-Mac?

David Sahadi: Over time Shane has really risen in my eyes. I respect the
fact that at one point not too long ago he decided to scale back his
responsibilities and spend more time with his wife in NYC. He wanted to
appreciate life. I really think he gets it now. Man, being Vince’s son
must have been a heavy burden growing up. Talk about a huge shadow to
emerge from. But I also think a few years down the road Shane will
surprise everybody and become the savior the WWE needs and restore it to
great heights.. He listens to people. Shane is also very approachable
and personable. I do consider him a friend, even though we have not
spoken since I left. One day, I hope we bump into each other somewhere,
share a beer, look back and laugh at the insanity – and fun - of it all.

from
[e-mail]

[The Doctor]

AW: One of the most memorable promos was the "Legends" spot with retired
WWE personalities Gorilla Monsoon, "Classie" Freddie Blassie, Killer
Kowalski among others. How did this spot come about and what was the
office reaction to your work?

David Sahadi: The "Legends" spot is probably my favorite commercial
because it resonates with me on so many levels. First, it was a
follow-up to the first "Athletes" spot which initiated the era of
Attitude. That first Attitude spot was conceived by Chris Chambers
during his two-month sabbatical in the summer of 1997. Chris is a
brilliant thinker, a phenomenal producer and a man of great vision and
integrity, the last of which is rare to find, not just in the wrestling
business but the television industry as a whole. He is also one of the
few men who were instrumental in turning the company’s fortunes around
in the late nineties. Anyway, the "Legends" spot was the sequel to that
first spot. The vision came to me late one night after a conversation
with my dear friend, the late Freddie Blassie. The first spot featured
current talent putting themselves over, a more powerful spot I believed
would be one featuring the legends of the past putting over the new guys
of today. I put the shoot together and gathered the talent without ever
letting Vince know what I was doing. The day of the shoot, I got a call
from my boss saying Vince was livid that I was shooting a spot with
old-timers in this era of attitude and new, younger superstars. He
didn’t believe the concept fit the new image of attitude the WWF was
promoting. A week later, when Vince saw the finished spot for the first
time, he broke down and cried. It touched him that deeply. And his
reaction also touched me. It didn’t matter what anyone else might think
of that spot. The simple fact that I touched Vince emotionally meant the
world to me. I felt I did him proud.

AW: The WWF made a splash of sorts during the Super Bowl a few years
back, please give some insight to its infancy to airing.

David Sahadi: I have to give Vince Russo some props here. My original
concept for "Another Day at the Office" featured Vince McMahon
throughout the entire spot giving us a tour of the WWF headquarters as
all hell breaks out behind him. Russo suggested that the WWF Superstars
should be featured delivering those lines instead. It made a huge
difference in both the creativity and the humor of the commercial. The
spot airing in the Super Bowl really made all of us in the company feel
proud because we felt as though we had finally made it. We had proved
our critics that we could excel in the main stream media. We were all
now able to hold our heads high. We felt that all the years of hard work
and sacrifice had finally paid off.

AW: One of the funniest spots was for a NO Mercy PPV involving Kane and
baseball great Pete Rose. It was featured on WWE Confidential, talk
about working with those two men and why couldn’t you talk about the
famous house in the shoot, which looks an awful like the Psycho house?

David Sahadi: Kane has always been one of my favorite talents to work
with. He is such a nice guy and just a pro on the set. Pete Rose, on the
other hand, often proves to be quite difficult. His motivation, I feel,
is usually his fee, not the integrity of the creative. The night of the
shoot, we only four hours contracted to work with him. Once we reached
that limit, he began to get a bit testy. Fortunately, Jess Ward from
Tough Enough 2 was on hand, and she used her charms to tame the beast.
To Pete’s credit, he was totally cool with the creative and didn’t mind
being the butt of several jokes in the spot. For that I respect him. The
reason we couldn’t mention the famous house is because it is owned by
Universal and they didn’t want us to capitalize on its notoriety without
due compensation.

AW: One of the most controversial shoots was during the HHH/Kane feud
and the fictional Katie Vick where HHH fornicated with her supposed
corpse. At any point did you think this is going too far?

David Sahadi: It went way too far. I was embarrassed by it. I was
embarrassed to be an employee of the company. And I was embarrassed at
myself for not having the guts to make a stand after it aired. In a TV
production meeting two days after the airing, the super top level
producer made it clear in no uncertain terms that this was the direction
the company was taking, and if anyone was uncomfortable with that
vignette they should stand up and speak or leave the company right now.
No one stood, though many wanted to. Including myself. I’m embarrassed I
didn’t. If then I was where I am now, emotionally, I would have made a
statement and walked right out the door.

from [e-mail]

[The Doctor]

AW: Were there any wrestlers that you considered favorites to work with
and possibly talk about some of the difficult people to work with?

David Sahadi: Taker, Chris Jericho, Kane, Trish Stratus, The Rock and
even Brock Lesnar were just a few of the talent I loved working with
because "they got it". They knew spending an entire day (Or in Taker’s
case an entire night) on a set filming a spot not only was good for the
product but good for their characters as well. As producers/directors,
we are not in this to win awards: we do what we do to put talent over.
Putting talent over puts the overall product over. Those guys mentioned
never complained, were always enthusiastic, accepted creative input as
well as gave it. Triple H was also great to work with in the beginning.
Over time, he became more and more difficult. It came to a point where I
was hoping I didn’t have to use him in a shoot, and often devised
creative of which he was not needed. Speaking of favorite WWE wrestlers
to work with, I must now include Frankie Kazarian in that category!
Frankie filmed a spot with me in the California desert one summer night
four years ago. It was the No Mercy baseball spot where Kane hit the
dribbler to the pitcher and then all the WWE wrestlers did run-ons.
Frankie played three roles: the catcher, the fielder that Edge first
nailed and the third baseman. He took six stiff garbage can shots from
Farooq and never once complained. When I walked into the TNA locker room
for the very first time, it was heartening to see him there. He’s such a
nice, benevolent person besides being a tremendous athlete. I wish him
all the best in the WWE. I know it was a difficult decision for him to
leave a place he loved so much. But it’s a win-win for Frankie: if he
doesn’t like it up there, he will be welcomed back with open arms.

AW: What were the factors that led to you resigning from WWE and did the
McMahon’s try to get you to reconsider?

David Sahadi: As I said earlier, I no longer believed in the product. It
got stale, trite, boring and predictable. It felt like a bad soap opera.
I also didn’t like the attitude of the leadership in the company, people
who belittled and manipulated and callously controlled the emotions of
others as if they were indentured servants, pushing buttons and pulling
their strings on a whim. There is a feeling of darkness and malaise that
seemingly permeates the entire company today. So many people are
miserable in their jobs but are convinced they would be worse off if
they leave. That’s a reflection of the cult-like mentality there. It is
sad. But to be honest, the most important factor that led to my
resignation was simply me. I needed to leave a career behind so that I
could grow as a person. I was living the "good life" – high-paying job,
nice cars, big house in the country - but at the same time I was
suffering from the soul sickness of modern society. We live in a world
of pretense and superficiality, where there is a premium placed on the
material. I had reached a point in my life where this illusory world had
lost all its appeal. I wanted something deeper, more profound in life.
So I quit my job, sold my house and all of my possessions, and simply
jumped back into life. The experiences I’ve had and the adventures I’ve
enjoyed have been amazing. I’ve never been happier.

AW: Looking back on your time with WWF/WWE, were there any regrets?

David Sahadi: I don’t regret anything in life. We all make mistakes and
encounter hardships from time to time. But these challenges are really
blessings because hopefully they leave us with invaluable lessons
learned. In life, pain is inevitable; misery is an option. And God
promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

AW: How did you come to work for TNA Wrestling and what did you know
about the product before accepting the contract offer?

from [e-mail]

[The Doctor]

David Sahadi: Jeff Jarrett. That’s the answer to both questions. He’s
the reason I came to TNA and at the time he was all I knew about TNA.
After I left WWE, I spent a year traveling cross-country, camping and
hiking in the great National Parks of this country. I was content to
spend the rest of my life in the mountains, hiking and writing books.
Last summer, while living in the mountains of North Carolina and having
just finished my first novel, a small Connecticut-based ad agency (CDHM)
contacted me and asked if I could arrange a meeting with Jeff. I was
just supposed to be the middle man, the connection. When the meeting was
arranged, they then asked if I would attend. Being only four hours away
from Nashville, I agreed. In that meeting, Jeff made an immediate
impression on me with his enthusiasm, his spirit and his heart. To know
Jeff Jarrett, the person, is to know a truly wonderful and caring human
being. Sitting in that meeting, listening to him speak, believing in his
dream and knowing that he needed my help, I was torn. I was living a new
life I loved, but I also felt the pull to help a friend in need. I saw
Jeff’s passion, his commitment, his love for this business. And I
decided to lend a hand only as a favor to Jeff. I didn’t care about the
money, or the lack thereof. I just wanted to help him. I agreed to "come
out of the mountains", as Jeff and I joke, for three months only to help
TNA make the transition to monthly pay-per-views. It’s been seven months
and I’m still here. The amount of respect I have for Jeff, and now all
of the talent at TNA, is immense. Jeff is an amazing human being and a
good friend. If for some reason he was to leave TNA tomorrow, I would
leave, too.

AW: The night of the Victory Road PPV your opening video sent chills
down my spine and I am sure I am not alone, what was the inspiration
behind it?

David Sahadi: Thank you for the kind words, Alan, especially coming from
someone like you. Victory Road was an important night, not just for the
company as a whole but for every single one of the athletes in the TNA
locker room. The cold open I did wasn’t designed to wow audiences or
garner critical acclaim. My sole intention was to produce a piece that
served as a tribute to these great young stars, to show them my respect,
admiration and gratitude for the people they are and the things that
they do in the ring. No disrespect to the WWE talent, but I have never
seen a greater core of athletes than those in TNA. These kids are simply
amazing. They are dreamers, believers, men who make incredible
sacrifices because they care so much about the business. They desire so
much to please the fans. Alan, you’ve seen the monthly pay-per-views,
and these guys just go all out and leave nothing behind. That piece was
solely for them. I meant every word I wrote. They represent what’s still
good in this business. They inspire me and have made me a believer in
this business again. To them I say "thank you".

AW: I was hanging out with you the night you found out WWE was filming
their now aired Royal Rumble 2005 commercial in Universal Studios. What
led to the now infamous Milk and Cookies delivery by Tracy Brooks, Abyss
(carrying balloons), Bill Banks, Tim Welch, Jeremy Borash, 3 Live Kru
and Shane Douglas?

David Sahadi: Oh boy. You touched on a nerve there. It’s an incident
that has brought me tremendous personal pain. Here goes: When we learned
that WWE was shooting a commercial at Universal studios we were stunned.
We couldn’t figure out why, of all places, they were coming down here.
As you know, Universal Studios is the home of TNA. It is where we tape
all of our weekly shows and broadcast each of our PPVs. And the timing
was just three days after Victory Road. So we saw opportunity here, a
chance to proudly pound our chests, so to speak. We wanted to create a
package that highlighted all the amazing things that happened in that
historic week, of which the WWE was only going to be a part. Within that
one week we had our first-ever monthly PPV, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and
the Macho Man made their dramatic returns to professional wrestling, we
had our first-ever prime-time specials airing on the Best darn Sports
Show Period, and now even the WWE stars were coming to our home. We
wanted the spin to be that all this was happening because TNA had now
become the "epicenter of the wrestling world." The "Cookies and
Balloons" incident wasn’t meant to embarrass or humiliate the WWE or
anyone particular person there. It was intended to be light-hearted and
fun. I mean, come on, the monster Abyss attempting to greet WWE
superstars by handing out balloons is hysterical! Who wouldn’t chuckle
at that? (obviously, they didn’t). So during a break in their filming,
we simply walked from our studios, where we were filming some post
Victory Road pieces, to the common area just outside theirs to "welcome"
them to our home. By the way, we were allowed to be there. We didn’t
cross any lines. After about five minutes we left. At that moment, it
really was a non-story because none of the top WWE stars where outside
at the time. They were all huddled inside their studio. The "welcome"
only became an issue because WWE made it an issue. Their overreaction
was absurd. They reportedly filed a letter of complaint with Universal.
They threatened to sue if we aired the footage. And I received a barrage
of hateful e-mails and expletive-laden phone calls from so-called
friends at WWE that were hurtful, venomous and shocking to say the
least. They took the incident personally even though there was nothing
personal about it. They claimed we tried to humiliate and embarrass
them, which we did not. They claimed I put several people’s jobs in
jeopardy, which is ridiculous if that was the case. They claimed I made
them victims. Victims of what? Their own arrogance, foolish pride and
ignorance? Four months later, the only casualty of this incident is my
dad. For nearly fifty years he worked on and off for the company, first
for Vince Sr. and later Vince Jr. Most recently, he was on the WWE
payroll since 1998, procuring main-stream publicity and contributing
with PR work outside of the wrestling world on such events as the Mike
Tyson press conference, the XFL and arranging for professional athletes
to attend RAW shows across the nation so that they could be seen live on
TV. Well, as a way to get back at me, they cut my dad from the payroll.
My dad is 74 years old. He has no savings. He has no retirement. The
only income he had left was that monthly WWE check, and they took that
away. What they did to him is sick and deplorable. It speaks volumes to
the quality of certain people in charge there. Shame on them, Alan.
Shame on them.

from [e-mail]

[The Doctor]

AW: Were you surprised by the legal action taken by WWE since they had
done the WCW Invasion spots in the late 90’s?

David Sahadi: Yes. Especially because we didn’t disrupt their shoot, we
didn’t lamthingy any of their characters, we weren’t mean, aggressive or
violent, and we didn’t take any "money out of their pockets". Nor did we
try to make them look bad: they did a good job of that themselves. What
we did was light-hearted and fun, not disruptive like the Invasion
stunts WWF pulled in the nineties. And it definitely was not
mean-spirited, unlike the personal attacks WWF launched on Ted Turner
with the Billionaire Ted vignettes. Speaking of Billionaire Ted, it’s
ironic because in many ways Vince has become the very embodiment of the
callous, bullying, buy-anything-I-want character he once detested and
parodied back in the day.

AW: Were you in favor of the footage being aired with the WWE talent
blocked out?

David Sahadi: I was in favor of the footage airing, but I would have
preferred the talent not be blocked out.

AW: Is it true that WWE Executive Kevin Dunn told all WWE staffers to
break any ties they had with you and how did you feel upon getting that
news?

David Sahadi: That is my understanding. And the news felt horrible on a
very profound level. This happened right after I joined TNA, even before
"cookies and balloons". Of course, I wasn’t there when he made that
edict, so I’m not sure the exact words that were spoken. What I heard
was that during a production meeting he claimed I was now working for
"the enemy" and that if anyone communicated anything about the business,
either via e-mail or phone conversation with me, it would be grounds for
immediate termination. That struck fear in a lot of people there.
Naturally, even friends were afraid to talk to me or respond to e-mails.
I thought that was completely pathetic. It a reflection of the paranoia
that thrives there. I still care for a lot of people in WWE, both in the
locker room and in production, and I still wish them success. And
contrary to what some might think, I am not "the enemy". The enemy, if
there is one, lies deep within.

AW: Truth or rumor John "Big" McGuirk (sorry if I mispelled this)
threatened you and threats were made to your father.

David Dahadi: I think I know who you are talking about, but I think you
mispronounced his name. All I know is that he was at Universal that day
and really took the whole thing personally. My understanding is that he
was hurt because I didn’t call or warn him so that he could protect
himself. Warn him of what? Protect himself from what? Cookies and
balloons? Please. I know he felt slighted or betrayed, but I didn’t feel
I needed to warn anyone at WWE of something I thought was quite
innocuous and would only be funny under the element of surprise. Yes, I
have been told that there are a couple of people there who have
threatened to inflict serious physical harm on me. My attempts at
reconciliation a couple of months ago were met with scorn and
vindictiveness. But I’d rather not mention the names of those supposed
antagonists. They need to be pitied, not berated. They are simply not
clear-headed, drunk on the Kool Aid. They need to see a perspective
outside of the WWE’s heliocentric point of view. It is sad. I feel sorry
for them.

AW: You have filmed several spots for TNA, what has been your favorite
to create?

David Sahadi: The cold opens for the PPVs, though not commercials, have
been my favorite creations so far because they have emotionally touched
so many people backstage. That is my ultimate reward. I have yet to film
my favorite spot. That will happen soon. However, I did film IDs of all
the TNA talent with lightning strikes back in September that we use in
promos, packages, opens, etc. That is my favorite shoot for two reasons:
we have gotten a lot of bang for the dollar as this simple shoot has
elevated the production value of so much of what we do, and the talent.
Yes, the talent. Let me explain: when I did similar ID shoots at WWE, it
was like pulling teeth to get many of the talent to be a part. Some felt
like it was a burden. When I did this shoot at TNA, there was a line of
talent out the door waiting to participate. I was amazed. Some stood in
line for hours for their two-minute role! Toward the end, I was running
out of film and really had to conserve so that I could accommodate
everyone. That is testament to the incredible attitude the TNA athletes
have and the lengths they will go to improve the product. Again, they
really are an amazing collection of talent in more ways than one. I am
fortunate to work with them.

AW: What do you hope the future holds for you and TNA Wrestling?

David Sahadi: For me I just want to help in any way I can because Jeff
and his dad Jerry are friends and I believe in the product and I believe
in the talent. For TNA, I truly feel they can take it to the next level.
But it takes time. The product is a lot better now than it was a year
ago; it will be a lot better a year from now than it is today. The
growth process is slow, and not without pain, but it is happening. I
just hope the fans continue to support TNA because it does have the
chance to explode in the future. What I do – dramatic promos, fancy
graphics, etc - is merely "garnish" as Jim Ross would say. The meat and
potatoes is what happens inside the ring. It all begins with the talent.
And I am not alone when I say that the in-ring product of TNA, as
evidenced by the incredible, jaw-dropping spots, the superb quality of
the matches on the top of the card as well as the inspired wrestling
throughout the entire PPV card, already exceeds that of the WWE. They
can’t touch what TNA does in the ring.

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