Original diva returns to San Antonio
Yahoo
Newsvine
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Google
Reddit
Fark
As far as San Antonio and Tammy Sytch are concerned, this weekend is a case of better late than never. Sytch, better known in pro wrestling circles as Sunny, “the original diva,” will be in the Alamo City to take part in River City Wrestling’s card that’s being billed as “Sunny Days are Here Again.”
Sytch has gone on record via YouTube detailing a “nine-month” courtship in the 1990s with San Antonio native and World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Shawn Michaels. She very nearly was a San Antonio resident as a result. She managed, and sometimes romanticized, some of the industry’s best-known talent in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling. She’s outlived some of that talent, including Chris Candido.
Sytch, 36, discussed her career, her reign of Internet immortality, her chance at Playboy fame and her latest visit to S.A. with 210SA by phone from her home in New Jersey.
What brings you to this San Antonio RCW card, and what role will you play?
They found me online through Facebook. One of the guys who runs the show, Shawn Hernandez, who also wrestles in TNA (Total Nonstop Action) as Hotstuff Hernandez, thought it would be a good idea, and I got the call.
Is it a one-night thing, or will you be a regular?
I’m there for the whole weekend. For now, it’s just one show. But you never know what happens if I get a good response from the fans.
You’ve had such a wide-ranging career in the business. What sticks out the most?
Oh, geez, there’s 19 years worth to think about. I started out when I was 17. So many high points. One of the coolest things occurred when I was in the WWF — I was the most downloaded celebrity. AOL called me and said I was downloaded more than Pam Anderson and Cindy Margolis, who was No. 1 at the time. To think that over a million people downloaded one certain picture of me, I thought, “Wow, that was really cool.” I thought to myself, “I’d rather download Pam Anderson” (laughing). I guess winning the tag-team championship as a manager was great, too.
How much credit should you receive for influencing the role and overall presence of divas in wrestling?
I like to call myself the original diva. Hunter, well, Triple-H, called me that on the 15th anniversary of Raw (in December 2007). The girls that came before me — Miss Elizabeth, Sherri Martel, Marlena — they all gave something special to the company. Miss Elizabeth was pretty and great to look at. Sherri was a good wrestler but not all that pretty or great on the mic. When I came along, (WWE owner) Vince McMahon said, “Whoa, she’s pretty and great at what she does. We actually can market her to the fans.” It feels good to know I was the first one that caused all this that’s going on with the divas today, even though we weren’t called divas back then.
Favorite wrestler(s) you managed and why?
The (2000 version of) LOD (Legion of Doom), Road Warrior and Hawk, was so much fun. You gotta admit they were the coolest tag team. The only thing cooler would’ve been managing Ric Flair. I still swear that I have to manage Ric Flair before I’m done (laughs).
What advantages and disadvantages were there in managing someone you were linked with romantically?
The advantages were you didn’t have to worry about traveling by yourself on the road. The disadvantages were that a lot of the other guys would get jealous. They’d be alone on the road three months at a time without their wives and girlfriends. But there’s always more fighting involved when you’re around your boyfriend 24-7.
You won Top Manager and Best Buns at the 1996 Slammys. Considering you were up against four guys (Shawn Michaels, Goldust, Razor Ramon and the 600-plus-pound Yokozuna) for the latter, was that more a tongue in cheek (no pun intended) thing? Or is it something you’re genuinely proud of?
Oh, of course, it was (tongue in cheek). But the company thought highly of me, and I was thrilled about that. You could’ve given (Best Buns) to Shawn Michaels. I mean, come on, he’s got a great ass.
What really happened when you left the WWF the first time?
I’ve read some crazy stuff on the Internet — that I said I had a miscarriage and couldn’t provide documents. But given that I’ve never been pregnant, hmmm, I don’t know where that came from. Basically, I wasn’t happy with the direction they had me going in. After a successful run at managing, I was modeling Stone Cold Steve Austin T-shirts, and they were telling people to call a 1-800 number to order them. I was bored out of my mind and frustrated. I had so many creative ideas. Paul Heyman of ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) — I called him The Hypnotist because he can make you believe anything — he called and told me they’d let me do whatever I wanted for the same money I was making in WWF. So, hmmm, I thought: model T-shirts or be a creative part? I went out on the (WWF) pay-per-view and told them I’d quit. If I look back on it, quitting a company on their pay-per-view is probably not the way to go. I wouldn’t have done it that way. If I had to do it all over again, I probably would’ve never left the WWF
How did it feel participating at Wrestlemania 25 two months ago in Houston, meeting the fans and taking part in the 25-diva battle royal?
It was so cool. They gave me a call four months before Wrestlemania. It took me about 30 seconds to say yes, then I hung up the phone and realized I’m not a wrestler, and I’ve never done a battle royal. What am I doing? I dieted and trained; it was almost like getting ready for the prom. I was getting hair extensions and meeting a lot of people I’ve never met before. The girls are all sweethearts — I was shocked. After Fan Axxess, I had to sign 500 autographs at the Midday Madness. The Hall of Fame was the best part of the weekend, though. I’m big on history and nostalgia. (Announcer inductee) Howard Finkel, he’s been a friend forever, and (wrestling inductee) Terry Funk is the crazy uncle of the business. He’s always been there for me since I was 17 and in this business. I’m a people person, and I get along with everyone I meet. It’s nice to hear thousands of people chanting your name.
What about the rumors that you were contacted by Playboy but didn’t pose?
I was the first (WWF woman) it was offered to. At the time, in ’96, me and Marlena were the only women in the WWF. I was on the road for a few months, then home for three days, then on the road for two months again. I got a phone call on my first day home. It was Vince. He wanted to meet in person. The first thing on my mind was, “I’m getting fired.” So on my second day off, I drove an hour and a half to Stamford, Conn., which I didn’t really want to do. But I got in a room with Vince, (broadcaster and director of talent) Jim Ross and Lisa Wolf, a woman who worked there to help the women in the company. And they told me that Playboy had called. And I was like, “So.” I didn’t get it right away. I was young, and I was known to push people’s buttons. I was maybe 23 at the time. I was still very immature mentally. Also, my father had just passed away a year and a half earlier, and I thought, “If I do this, he’s going to be rolling around in his grave.” When Rena (Sable) Mero got hired, Playboy called her, and shedid it. She likes to say she was the first one who was offered, but she wasn’t even in the company when I was asked.
How do you look back on your life in and out of the ring to this point?
Oh my God. Life in the wrestling business is a roller coaster, and I think that will be the title of my book someday (laughs). Nineteen years at any job, you’re always going to have ups and downs in your career. If you have a perfect life, then you must be sent straight from heaven because life isn’t perfect. I used to get very upset if things didn’t go my way. I’ve become mellow and laid back. My mind-set is “Live for the next day.”
Jay Nanda | 210SA contributor
(0)