This was my first time watching this shoot in over 10 years, so the content here was very fresh. I remember that Tammy said in her “Breaking Kayfabe” interview for Kayfabe Commentaries that she bullshitted most of her way through her previous shoot interviews, so I was aware going into this interview that I should be skeptical about any especially outlandish claims she makes. Honestly, though, I think a lot of the stuff she says here doesn’t sound too outlandish, and considering how fast she consistently talks, she either is a really good and quick ad-libber in this interview or she was exaggerating in the “Breaking Kayfabe” interview, and I think it’s more the latter. Do I think she’s credible with everything she says? No, but I’m also not going to automatically discount everything she says here because I want to enjoy the interview.
She had a lot of unique insight into living and working in Puerto Rico for World Wrestling Council (WWC), and how the experience deteriorated over time. This was actually one of the more interesting parts of the interview, as she really expressed disgust over her the quality of life and therefore her time there. The skeptic in me wonders whether the story about a woman shooting up drugs on a street corner is an example of her making up a story, but based on Puerto Rico’s reputation, I’m not going to immediately discount its authenticity. There’s a lot of talk in other shoot interviews about the Bruiser Brody days of Puerto Rico, but this interview shed a lot of insight into the more modern days of the territory. Perhaps the dramatized story about her being on her deathbed because of severe pancreatitis was an example of her exaggeration; there’s no way to really know with Tammy.
Maybe an example of her exaggerating is the part where she talks about Low Ki taking her chair at USA Pro. She makes it a point to say that three or four people were holding her back, but only one person was holding him back. I’ve personally heard from someone that was there that Ki had several people holding him back (Homicide, Boogaloo, and Da Hit Squad of Dan Maff and Monsta Mack). So, when watching these Tammy shoots, the viewer has to have an idea going of how much they are or aren’t going to believe. I guess it’s a personal decision, a matter of how much you do or don’t want to suspend disbelief.
There are two very personal parts of this interview. The first is the part about her long-time boyfriend Chris Candido’s sudden passing, and the second part is when she discussed her nine month affair with Shawn Michaels during their Kliq era WWE heydays. There was not only tears shed during the segment of the interview about Candido’s passing, but there was also some anger and frustration that Sytch got off her chest as to how Candido’s parents (especially his mother) handled his death. As far as the part where she discusses Michaels, I vividly recall that this interview was the first time she ever admitted to and talked about dating Michaels, so this shoot is historic in some respect.
It was ironic to hear her talk so positively about the police officer boyfriend she had at the time of this interview when years later, in 2011, New Jack claimed that she tried to hire him to kill the man after they had a nasty breakup. I remember I felt the same way watching her YouShoot when her then-boyfriend Damien Darling was off camera an she was talking so adoringly about him before their bitter split. This comes with the territory with someone who has had such ups and downs in her personal life since the interview took place.
Say what you want about Tammy’s credibility, but she has a good sense of humor and is very funny, and you can see why a renowned jokester like Candido got along with her so well for so long. Combining this comicality with what seems to be candid discussion of two sensitive personal topics, this is a solid interview worth watching. There are definitely worse ways to spend two hours.
PURCHASE: physical DVD – rfvideo.com/shootwithtammysytch2006.aspx, highspots.com/p/14450.html; digital – rfvideovault.com/media/tammy-sytch-2006-shoot-interview/94744, highspots.com/p/22565.html, titlematchwrestlingnetwork.com/media/tammy-sytch-2006-shoot-interview/94744
GRADE: B
INDEX OF TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Wrestling Vixxxens
- Missy Hyatt
- she and Candido deciding to ween off pills
- Sabu
- Puerto Rico (including the terrible living conditions and Carlito & Eddie/Primo Colón)
- Hack Meyers
- Florida indies such as MLW
- the advanced pancreatitis that almost killed her
- the Low Ki incident at USA Pro
- a similar incident with Jackie Gayda at USA Pro
- money she and Candido were owed by ECW
- Dawn Marie
- Candido’s time in TNA
- Candido’s leg injury
- over 15 minutes of talk about Candido’s subsequent death and its emotional impact on her
- deciding when to return to wrestling in front of a crowd again
- NWA CyberSpace/Shockwave/CyberSpace Wrestling Federation (CSWF)
- Billy Gunn
- starting to date again after Candido’s death
- her cop boyfriend
- male and female indie wrestlers with potential
- Bret Hart
- her affair with Shawn Michaels
- the notorious rib where someone defacated in Tammy’s food before she ate it
- Triple H
- Sable (Rena Mero)
- Vince McMahon
- how she got hired to WWE
- learning how to be a broadcaster in WWE
- Name Association: Bart Gunn, Louie Spicolli, Mick Foley, Tom Prichard
- regrets
- the divas in WWE at the time
- memorable ribs
- Henry Godwin
- Paul Bearer/Percy Pringle
- her autobiography
RUN TIME: 1 hr. 56 min.
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