Chris Masters Talks TNA

[It's Damn Real!]

This from an interview with Kayfabe Wrestling Radio:

"I mean, I really enjoyed working for TNA and the Ring Ka King project because it was a great crew all around; Jeff Jarrett was awesome. It was definitely a different environment from the WWE and I did do a dark match with them and it went very well, but I will say this: I am happy with what I'm doing because I'm able to have the freedom of my schedule in being able to book myself out there for indy shows. For instance, if I was with TNA right now, I wouldn't be able to do Crossfire, because they don't let their guys do TV gigs anymore. It's definitely something I have interest in, I mean it just comes out to my only passion is wrestling and I've devoted my whole life to it. So, you just have to look at what your options are on the table and, you know, there's not many. You pretty much have it laid out; you can do what I'm doing right now where you can aspire for TNA but the only place you're going to get rich is WWE. So that's just the comparison I make, throwing off TNA a little bit. I would definitely love to be with WWE again if possible but it's like a trade-off. WWE is a very stressful job that basically devours your life; you've got to be married to it and it's hard to always enjoy it. So, with what I'm doing now, you can't get rich but you can make a living and you can still perform the art of professional wrestling and just enjoy doing it.

"Not all indy shows are the best, obviously, but there's pockets here and there that you can go to, like Crossfire for instance, where you have live and passionate fans; if you have a venue that's built for 2,000 and it's filled, you get the same adrenaline rush as you would, say, for 19,000 people because you have that condensed energy. So, it's a lot of fun to me and I just enjoy doing it so I'm going to keep doing it as long as I can whether it be continuing indy wrestling, Whether it be TNA or WWE or Japan, whatever. But I'm also at other revenue streams, of course."

--

Sounds to me like Masters is quite happy on the open market as he is, collecting paychecks for work here and there, as opposed to whatever rigors come with being full-time. Not a bad option so long as the fans want to see him, but this is also hinging on a paycheck, not being seen on television specifically, which it seems he isn't all that concerned over.

Thoughts?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

While TNA is certainly more exposed than every other company in the states except for WWE, that doesn't mean that their guys are making a ton of money. If the various reports are all true, it seems that it's pretty much the opposite. We've all read articles & stories about how most talents are on a paid by appearance deal in which they're usually paid a few hundred bucks. It's sometimes months at a time before some of those wrestlers are used to any significant degree, meaning they're not making any money.

Again if true, I wouldn't be surprised if Masters makes much more money working on the indy scene than he would in signing with TNA. Masters isn't a major name like Hogan, Anderson, Hardy or RVD so there's not reason to expect he'd be one of the upper crust making bank. Because of Masters' past work in WWE and his connection with Ring Ka King, he's someone that could probably make pretty decent money on the indy scene.

A lot of people have asked why John Morrison hasn't made his way to TNA yet and the answer is probably the same reason: Morrison can probably make more money working the indy scene than he can by signing a contract with TNA. Morrison was a mid-card & tag team star in WWE and had his share of exposure & big moments, especially the last year or so he was with the company.

If Masters is happy doing what he's doing, more power to him. He'll never be a huge name without being in either WWE or TNA but Masters doesn't seem concerned with that.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Good for him. If I were him I wouldn't change anything either. If he's making enough money to sustain himself AND he's enjoying it then shit - that's jackpot right there.

Going to either company will ruin one thing and improve the other. Going to WWE kills the enjoyment but improves the money. Going to TNA hurts the money but improves the enjoyment.

I don't think any of us would drop to our knees and cry over never seeing Chris Masters on TV again and I don't think Chris Masters would regret not going to one of the two big companies again.

Good luck to him, he's got it figured out.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Hey, if Masters is enjoying himself on the Indy scene and is making a comfortable enough living while doing so under considerably less stress, good on him. There's no hard and fast rule that states that any professional wrestler has to function within the confines of WWE or TNA.

The think that struck me the most about the interview, though, is the fact that he ultimately would like to be back in the WWE because that's where the fame and fortune is. He sounds to me like a guy who is content to bide his time in the indies while waiting for the call from Stanford. Perhaps he feels that going to TNA would involve burning the bridges pertaining to a WWE return, so he is content to stay in the indies to avoid doing so. I think the additional revenue he could make in TNA as opposed to the indies (which in and of itself is debatable) would not be worth the risk of jeopardizing his ultimate goal.

Lets face it, a Triple A baseball player may enjoy the game at the grass roots level, and enjoy the stress free environment while waiting for the call up, but ultimately he aspires to crack a major league roster. I'm sure Masters is no different.

 

[Harddyboy77]

Good for him. If I were him I wouldn't change anything either. If he's making enough money to sustain himself AND he's enjoying it then shit - that's jackpot right there.

Going to either company will ruin one thing and improve the other. Going to WWE kills the enjoyment but improves the money. Going to TNA hurts the money but improves the enjoyment.

I don't think any of us would drop to our knees and cry over never seeing Chris Masters on TV again and I don't think Chris Masters would regret not going to one of the two big companies again.

Good luck to him, he's got it figured out.

You have no fuckin clue what you're talking about. This is one of the most biased posts I've ever seen on this site. Have you been in both WWE and TNA? Fuck no. You cannot say that WWE kills the enjoyment because guess what? You're not a fucking superstar.

 

[JVel]

You have no fuckin clue what you're talking about. This is one of the most biased posts I've ever seen on this site. Have you been in both WWE and TNA? Fuck no. You cannot say that WWE kills the enjoyment because guess what? You're not a fucking superstar.

There's been many wrestlers who have stated in interviews that WWE basically consumes your life with the constant hectic schedule, causing burnout and wrestlers asking for stints of time off because of it. WWE offers a lot of money but for some who can't cope as wel with the constant schedule, causes some to stop enjoying their line of work and require recuperation periods.

WWE is the major leagues and where all the money is at, while TNA is more known by its wrestlers, based on their interviews, for having a more tight knit family feel with significantly less stress and the ability to have a life and family. That's why Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle have openly stated that they greatly enjoy their time in TNA, while others like RVD are in the company purely for that reason. Even guys like Daniels, Storm, Roode, and Styles have stated that they love the TNA style and the less stressful environment and schedule keeps them feeling fresher.

It's just nice to see Masters get his priorities in line. If he's perfectly happy making a living on the indies, then best of luck in the world to him. There's the saying that if you truly enjoy what you're doing then you'll never "work" a day in your life. It seems like he may have found that.

 

[GameOver]

Good for him. If I were him I wouldn't change anything either. If he's making enough money to sustain himself AND he's enjoying it then shit - that's jackpot right there.

Going to either company will ruin one thing and improve the other. Going to WWE kills the enjoyment but improves the money. Going to TNA hurts the money but improves the enjoyment.

I don't think any of us would drop to our knees and cry over never seeing Chris Masters on TV again and I don't think Chris Masters would regret not going to one of the two big companies again.

Good luck to him, he's got it figured out.

Actually i think TNA is lose lose for the most part, granted we don't know everyone's contracts but the census does seem to be handshake paid per appearance contracts, ie you don't get paid unless you are in the select few, and how can you enjoy working for a company that has more talent then they can use and doesn't even effectively use the ones they can, sure the lighter schedule is good but what use is that if you don't even appear on TV for months at a time

as opposed to Indy where he is a big fish and could get work anywhere and still only be getting a paid per appearance same as TNA but could arrange conceivably to work a few appearances a week for several weeks then take a break and live off that pay, no pressure, only answer to yourself and lastly staying out of TNA leaves the doors open to returning to WWE at any point

Good for him, sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and is not bitter

 

[Zeven_Zion]

You have no fuckin clue what you're talking about. This is one of the most biased posts I've ever seen on this site. Have you been in both WWE and TNA? Fuck no. You cannot say that WWE kills the enjoyment because guess what? You're not a fucking superstar.

He said it himself, dipshit. "It takes over your life, you have to be married to your job".

Does that sound like "oh boy I get a stiffy every time I go to work" to you?

 

[MisterRob]

He said it himself, dipshit. "It takes over your life, you have to be married to your job".

Does that sound like "oh boy I get a stiffy every time I go to work" to you?

No, he didn't say that. He said, "you've got to be married to it and it's hard to ALWAYS enjoy it." Nice try, though. Any job, and that goes for both WWE and TNA, you're not always going to enjoy it. He clearly did enjoy his time with WWE, and he'd be back doing it if he had the opportunity, as he did twice before.

He specifically said: "I would definitely love to be with WWE again if possible but it's like a trade-off."

 

[Cereal Killer]

Well let the guy carry on with what he wants. The only thing this article speaks out to me is that Masters isn't signing with TNA which means that he won't be in Aces And Eights which is a disappointment because he needs that attention now and the Aces need some star power; Devon, Gallows and rumoured people like Garret Bischoff aren't all that interesting, Masters could change that for the team because of his popularity, talent an because the fans want to see him already.

I agree with Zeven Zion; Working for WWE kills your enjoyment whereas TNA gives you a small pay. Someone said that TNA pays you per appearance (which is true) however if the creative has nothing for you for months, it would appear to be that you won't get a pay but you can still work for some indy's in he time being. For those that don't know, they can appear in Indy shows that won't be on DVD. So yes, they still make a decent living, TNA don't pay you much but you can still live on their money.

Good luck to Masters though.

 

[Rayne]

I'm always suspicious of the "I'm perfectly happy doing what I am" speech. It seems that an awful lot of performers make that speech, then appear on Raw or Impact a few months later.

If he's happy, that's awesome. That's the goal, right? Do something you love, and be financially secure doing it? Good on him. Maybe I'm cynical, but whenever I hear this speech, I hear "I'd like to work with you, but don't lowball me because you think I need cash or fame." Which, again, good on him.

I always liked Chris Masters. He wasn't this great performer, but he had the classic professional wrestler's build. Then he got off the juice, and had less of a professional wrestler's build. And I confess that I doubled over laughing when he titty-bounced to "Crazy Train", which, like most things, was funny exactly three times before it got annoying and repetitive.

 

[xavyer]

As allways, people have good points, but even if it hurt fans, it's not written that if he's not in the WWE he has to go to TNA, or vce versa, if he's perfectly happy in crossfire, or on the indie scene, and making good enough money, then that's where he will be for a good period of time, and like some of you said, a lot of superstars leave the WWE because of the tough schedule, they never get to see their family much, and they are allways tired, sometimes the only time off they have is when they get injured, and also you got to look at this from his side, in the WWE he wasn't used much, and he's a big deal in the independent circuit, and he's much happier there, so if he's happy, let him enjoy it, best of luck to him.......

 

[fenderjapan]

For a guy whose whole angle is his physique we will likely never see him in any job where he has to take a drug test.

Its a shame too, I liked him. Even the 3/4 scale slimmed down post steroids Chris Masters. I think he worked better slim...Bobby Lashley with his MMA build moves a lot better than with his inflated WWE build.