Chicago’s Southtown Star’s Jessi Virtusio interviewed Gabe Sapolsky on the eve of last weekend’s DG USA show. He talked about everything from his bit break in ECW, to being fired in ROH, to his job in DG USA, to the return of the Monday Night Wars. That gave him a chance to point out problems with both promotions while putting his own over:
“I hope TNA does great on Monday nights. The big thing that concerned me is, when TNA and WWE went head to head, the last segments on both shows were performers who were in their primes more than 10 years ago. …That’s not doing anything to build toward the future,” he said.
“With Dragon Gate USA, we’re featuring the very cream of the crop today. You’re dealing with the best talents from Japan, and Davey Richards (is) the most talented on the independent scene today. (We want) today’s stars to be pushed and given that spotlight. … People might not be too familiar with who (BxB Hulk) is. He is one the most charismatic wrestlers today and one of the most exciting wrestlers today. Whether doing hard kicks or high-flying, the guy does it all with great personality and a great deal of charisma. Shingo, Yamato or the Chikara guys, those are the guys that need to carry us in the future.
“The guys at TNA and WWE, really their best days are a decade behind them. It makes me worry a little bit about the future. The new stars need to rise up. Every form of entertainment is driven by new styles, new theories — whether it’s TV, movies, music, etc. Professional wrestling is not any different. You’ll see the very cream of the crop and the best of them in Dragon Gate USA.”
He also used a culinary analogy to describe the difference between WWE and DG USA shows:
We like to say we’re a premium product. WWE is the McDonald’s of wrestling. They serve a lot more people than we do, and they sell a lot more hamburgers than we do. What we are is that really fine restaurant, one that is not a chain restaurant. You go to that restaurant for that special dining experience, and that’s what we try to do with Dragon Gate USA.”
He also talked about the show’s card (mentioning that Super Crazy and Brian Kendrick want to make people forget about their WWE runs and putting over the tag team three way as a match he’d pay money to see), working with Chicago based promotion AAW, and the promotion’s philosophy of quality over quantity:
Our goal is to really give fans first-class treatment, give them no filler. Everything is main event-quality, the most exciting show possible. That, I feel, really makes us stand out.
