February 17th, 2008

Each month HWA Online will conduct an exclusive interview with a member of the Heartland Wrestling Association.

In honor of Presidents Day, we caught up with the President of the Heartland Wrestling Association, Tim Tatum, and asked him five burning questions...

HWAOnline: This is the inaugural edition of Take 5 here on HWA Online, with that in mind, how much Miller Lite did you consume at your HWA presidential inauguration? 

Tatum: I lost count at 17.  I started doing my presidential duties the next morning and trust me, dealing with CHIKARA star, Hydra, is never an enjoyable experience, but doing it hung over at 8am made it worse.

The questions, get better right? 

HWAOnline: Rumor has it you will be making your first official presidential appearance at HWA CyberClash 3.0, can you tell us about it?

Tatum: I will indeed be making my first appearance at CyberClash 3.0 on March 7th.  The only hint I want to give is, expect new HWA Heavyweight Champion, BJ Whitmer, to take great interest in what I will do and say that evening. 

HWAOnline: One of the major decisions you've made as HWA President was the reinstatement of the HWA Cruiserweight Title and the retirement of the HWA Television Title, why the changes?

Tatum: If you look back at some of the greatest stars in HWA History and look at some of the greatest matches in HWA history, you will see the quality cruiserweight wrestlers and the great matches they had.  From Tarek the Legend to Jamie Noble to Billy Roc, HWA has always showcased some of the best cruiserweights in the world. 

Plus, here's a little "did you know?"  I was in attendance the night Tarek the Legend defeated The American Kickboxer to become the first ever HWA Cruiserweight champion, so I guess you could say the cruiserweight division holds a special place in my heart.  Tarek and Kickboxer were the reason I returned to future HWA shows and paved the way for me to join the wrestling business and achieve the success (and beer gut) that I have today with HWA and beyond.

I feel with the great cruiserweight athletes we have, in our region, in addition to the great stars who have recently debuted, like Billy Roc, the tremendous stars set to debut, like Johnny Gargano and Marion Fontaine, and the stars I am in talks with who have made waves across the country with Ring of Honor, the various territories of the NWA, and IWA Mid South, that we can have the top cruiserweight roster in the country and have that function as a cornerstone of the success HWA will have now and in the future!

HWAOnline: There's a lot of talk about the HWA's Open Door Policy. What is your take on some of the new talent that has made their way to the HWA? Will this new talent influx continue?

Tatum: I have been blown away with some of the new talent.  I think Billy Roc has potential to be a major superstar with the HWA. For March 7th, we've already announced the debuts of Vincent Nothing and Johnny Gargano, I have only seen and heard good things about these two athletes.  There are others that may debut on March 7th or in the future.  The fans should expect to see more stars from CHIKARA, as Eddie Kingston, Hydra, Amasis, and Tim Donst are just a taste of the great talent that CHIKARA showcases and the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory has produced.  Also, we saw Tim Lutz and Nikita Allanov of New Era Wrestling had an exciting match at HWA Outbreak, so I would expect to work out a deal with NEW Commissioner Nate Pelley to see those two or other members of the NEW Roster to compete in a HWA ring soon.

The new talent and our existing talent needs to stay on their toes, because it's really a case of sink or swim.  Just because someone has been apart of the HWA for years or had an exciting debut, doesn't guarantee a long term spot while the HWA is being run on my watch.  If a wrestler goes through a bad run and we feel they aren't on top of their game, they've got at least two dozen hungry wrestlers dying to take their spot and with my open door policy, I'll gladly give a chance to someone I feel deserves it.

HWAOnline: What is the best part of being HWA President? What is the worst part?

Tatum: The best part of the HWA is being apart of something special.  I expect HWA to grow and thrive and be bigger than it has ever been.  I see talented and hungry athletes reaching for the brass ring and making the most of their abilities and it's rewarding to know my actions are helping these hungry athletes become the headliners of tomorrow.  Not to name drop, but as I started out in the business as a lowly referee, I remember being on shows where CM Punk would travel 6 hours in hopes of getting booked and taking advantage of every chance he got to bust his butt, entertain, and achieve and now he's making thousands of dollars and performing at WrestleMania.  I just want to help give young, hungry athletes the opportunity to do the same.  Most importantly, I enjoy making the fans happy.  Without them, there'd be no HWA.  Every time a fan comes up to me at a show or posts a comment on My Space talking about how great the product is, it makes me feel good!

The worst part is making some difficult decisions.  I went from fan to referee to now HWA President. I've made a lot of friends during my time and sometimes you have to tell a guy you've know 8 years that there's not a spot for him on the show or that a young guy who promises to give you his all has to be told that he's not quite ready.  Even though people might not think it, it truly is business and not personal at all.