From Scott Hensley: Over the last 9 years I’ve had some awesome opportunities to work with a lot of very knowledgeable and talente...
From Scott Hensley:
Over the last 9 years I’ve had some awesome opportunities to work with a lot of very knowledgeable and talented people inside the world of professional wrestling from Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. I wanted to make a list to highlight some of my favorite people to work with and explain why. I’ve spent years with some of these people and others I’ve barely done anything with. I think there are some common themes but that each of these is very unique and different.
1. Ace Rockwell – Rockwell is a respected young veteran in the Chattanooga area. He’s probably not a name that a lot of people know outside of the Southeast. Wrestling wise, he got some looks, has gotten to work some big names, but has mostly cemented himself as a solid wrestler capable of having captivating matches that have delivered in the ring and registered with the fans for the last 10+ years. He’s a guy who believes in giving back and most of the Chattanooga area guys can tell a story about some way that he’s helped them at some point thru training, opportunities, advice, or networking. Ace cares about the details and he cares about things making sense. I had a conversation with him driving down the road before a show one time where he was asking me what sense it would make for anyone to sit in a corner while some guy parades around and then does 3 back handsprings from one corner to another to hit the guy standing in the corner. It was a legitimate question and sums up the “Does it make sense?” approach that Ace brings to the ring and behind the scenes. With some Georgia area guys getting bigger opportunities now like Xavier Woods, Dash Wilder, and Gunner – the wrestling world can see the iron that sharpened the iron in a mentor role or as a peer at NWA Anarchy. Rockwell has a family now but continues to make an impact from time to time including an emotional and physical match with another man that I have the utmost respect for, Tank, at Empire Wrestling’s last show. Rockwell had a hand in training Chattanooga standout Chase Jordan, as well as trained former Empire champion Logan Alvey, and current up and comer Gunner Miller. Rockwell is also the driving force behind the Scenic City Invitational Tournament, which will occur this year on August 5 & 6. Last year’s event featured Jimmy Rave, Corey Hollis, Moose, Kongo Kong, Caprice Coleman, Anthony Henry, Chip Day, Tank, Mark Vandy, KT Hamill, Joey Lynch, , Jason Collins, Gunner, Gunner Miller, Chrisjen Hayme, and Rockwell. This year’s tournament has 3 entrants announced so far with Jimmy Rave, Lio Rush, and John Skyler.
2. Dan Wilson – The Dragon, The Reverend, whatever moniker you may know him by – Wilson is a bottomless pit of wrestling knowledge. He gave AJ Styles the moniker “Phenomenal” which he describes as “like calling grass: green” and he’s worked as an interviewer, commentator, manager, booker, authority figure, and promoter over the last decade. Wilson is one of the best speakers in wrestling and has recently lent his talents to Empire Wrestling along with running NWA Chattanooga several years ago. He’s a guy that I’d describe as humble but rightfully confident. He’s worked with a lot of people in the business, worn many different hats so to speak, is insanely talented but isn’t someone that is going to brag about it in an obnoxious way. Wilson’s booking has a strong Bill Behrens influence of having everything mean something, hiding weaknesses, playing up strengths, and crafting stories, characters, and relationships that the fans want to see and the wrestlers want to be a part of.
3. Andrew Alexander – Andrew Alexander would probably tell you he had an average wrestling “career”… unless you’re a hot girl…and then he was a huge superstar and did some WWE spots (he did actually do some WWE spots)… but all kidding aside - Alexander was the booker of Empire Wrestling and also showed what I call the Bill Behrens influence of making everything meaningful and pulling the most out of what you have rather than going out to spend big money to bring in the big names in an attempt to draw. Alexander is a guy that can come off as harsh but he’s a guy that I think is so emotionally invested in his visions that he just wants people to care as much as he does. As a wrestler, Alexander had a tag run primarily throughout Georgia with Kyle Matthews as The Hollywood Brunettes and then was a featured singles wrestler at NWA Chattanooga. He’s a hands on kind of teacher who I’ve actually not worked with an awful lot but I’ve seen him work his magic and help to develop almost anyone who was willing to listen to him and invest in what he wanted to do. There's something special about the people in wrestling that make everyone around them better and Andrew is one of those people.
4. Bill Behrens – I figured since I’ve already mentioned him twice that I should go ahead and throw him out here. Bill is a guy who has everything that makes a wrestling show successful behind the scenes. He has experience, he has vision, he has respect, he has connections, and he’s a master crafter who along with Todd Sexton, has booked some of the most compelling stuff with some of the best talent in Georgia in recent years. Bill worked with us from time to time at NWA Chattanooga and I worked with him at NWA Main Event in Nashville for a small amount of time. It’s not that I have a lot of personal experience working with him but when I did, I saw the importance of being the captain of the ship. A wrestling show runs so much smoother when the wrestlers respect the person they’re working for. That respect is earned through knowing what you’re doing and having a track record of successes. As previously mentioned, Bill has helped quite a few talents become “TV Ready” and has influenced the booking styles of those that have worked for him in the past.
5. Greg “Woody” Hullender – he’s become the spot show king of Georgia and has one of the best, most loyal crews you’ll find anywhere as they run all sorts of different towns and venues, while remaining consistent in their approach. Woody has trained, mentored and influenced dozens upon dozens of young wrestlers and workers including Ace Rockwell, Shaun Tempers, Dan Wilson, Andrew Alexander, and Jessco “Rufus Black” Blue. Woody is the king of giving back and recently totaled up that he’s raised over $50,000 for different causes over the last several years. Whether he’s running his Blue Ridge based DSCW or the traveling GPW with business partner Darrell Morris, you know he’s going to put out a show with good action and stories that is family friendly and sends everyone home feeling like they got their money’s worth. Woody recently gave me the opportunity to call the action for AJ Styles' last independent match before a sold out crowd in Canton, GA.
6. Drew Delight – Drew and his wife Susan were the owners of Empire Wrestling. Drew is an extremely talented wrestler but an even better guy when it comes to caring about his family, fans and the people that work for him. Delight is a guy that will climb in the ring and give the fans a heck of a show but isn’t the kind of owner that wants to make himself the center of everything. Drew and Susan were great partners in running the first ever Scenic City Invitational and are again partnering up this year to lend a helping hand. For years, he and his family made sacrifices to bring quality professional wrestling to North Georgia and his son Brandon is making the transition from referee to professional wrestler himself with a great head on his shoulders, as well. I like to work with passionate yet sensible people and Drew and his family fit into that category. They’re the people you can’t help but appreciate because they truly love professional wrestling, as I believe everyone on this list does.
7. Shane Noles – this may come as a surprise because I’ve barely spent any time with Shane and have only briefly done commentary on a couple of Peachstate Shows. Noles is very much in the same vein as Drew Delight. He’s a promoter that will lace up the boots and is talented in the ring yet isn’t wanting to make it “The (Insert Promoter Name Here) Show”. He’s a guy with a vision who surrounds himself with talented people to create something great. Shane Noles smiles when he talks about his product. Let me say that again. He SMILES when he talks about his product! It’s certainly not all smiles, all the time but he’s another guy who sticks his neck out there to put something out and deals with all the headaches that come with that…in the name of loving professional wrestling and creating something that gives fans a place to see a quality product, along with gives talented wrestlers and personalities a place to showcase their abilities in interesting programs that mean something.
8. Paul Adams – I got to work with Paul at SAW in Nashville and later Southeastern Championship Wrestling in Knoxville by pure happenstance. I got his number from a wrestler friend of mine because I had a referee friend of mine who was making trips from the Chattanooga area to the Nashville area and wanted an opportunity reffing. Paul said he needed a ring announcer also – I gave it a try as he gave me a try and I think it worked out well. Paul does something that seems like such a little thing… but it’s EVERYTHING…. He prints out the card for the night and hangs it up for everyone to see. Why is that such a big deal? Because it means he’s thought about each and every match and segment BEFORE the show. Paul has a vision and tells simple but interesting stories with very talented people. He builds things to capture people’s attention. He’s also an awesomely obnoxious heel manager. Paul isn’t afraid to give guys advice or help develop guys but he wants to put guys in positions that he knows they can already do… because that makes sense and creates a good product. He doesn’t work against the grain or insult peoples’ intelligence by putting people in situations where they’re likely to fail. I'm thankful for the opportunities Paul has given to me and hope there will be more in the future.
9. Will Owens – Owens has been a staple of North Alabama for probably 15+ years now as a wrestler and promoter. He gave me my first opportunity to ring announce and taught me so much about running a show with his Ultimate NWA promotion. Owens may be one of the cheapest men in wrestling but it’s an amazing and wonderful thing to see someone stretch out what they have but not stretch beyond their means, especially in a wrestling world full of money mark promoters who flush money away as a hobby rather than as an actual business. The first time I saw Will Owens, I HATED watching him work. He isn’t going to be doing any Ring of Honor style matches(which is funny because he trained Corey Hollis) but what he is going to do is get the attention of everyone at the show and elicit an emotional reaction to his evilness or his buffoonery(what a great word). Owens did a lot of great fundraiser shows that helped a lot of great causes and gave guys like Chrisjen Hayme, Patrick Bentley, Adam Roberts, Adam Jacobs, and Corey Hollis a constant place to showcase their skills along with guys like Amos Moses who entertained crowds and were a big part of Ultimate NWA.
10. The Washington Bullets – Everyone else I’ve named above is someone who works behind the scenes but I wanted to put over the Washington Bullets (Jon & Trey Williams) as guys that actually influence my decision to do a show or not. I went to Knoxville to work on their TV because of Paul Adams. I stayed because of the Washington Bullets. The show they left was the show I left. This is a team that gets a “curtain sellout” from the boys in the back because they’re that exciting to watch. They can make a crowd love them or hate them. They have superhuman athleticism and over the top personalities that make me love professional wrestling. I know they’ve recently worked some with Ring of Honor and have branched out from Georgia to AML in North Carolina but I’m extremely excited any chance I have to work with them and look forward to whatever opportunities may come their way.
There’s a ton of guys I’ve enjoyed working with so I want to give a huge thank you to these guys on this list and all of those guys not on the list as well.
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