The Six-Step Process is a regular interview that we ran on both the Team Venom website and Team Venom Magazine and will run on this website on a regular basis. Basically we ask the same 6 questions in a kind of “quick-fire” interview with a random top independent talent. This week’s 6-Step is with one of the UK’s top announcers and hosts, Rob Matlman. Rob will also be hosting the Kevin Nash "Big Sexy" Tour in September.
1. What got you into wrestling?
I can answer this in 3 letters MR T. I am a child of the 80s and back then MR T was a huge star and pop culture icon and I was addicted to the A-Team. Because everyone who knew me knew this I was lent a VHS copy of wrestlemania where Mr T was fighting with some blonde man-mountain dressed in red and yellow. I was hooked from there on in - completely and utterly swept up in a wave of Hulkamania, which opened the doors for me to develop a love for wrestling which has never died. This is why when people moan about the amount of celebrity involvement in wrestling I am quick to point out that it is most peoples gateway into the sport, theres no point sticking to just one niche market if you are trying to expand and WWE was built on this idea especiallly with the early links to MTV and the Rock n Wrestle connection. Similar with John Cena - he like Hulk Hogan has transcended wrestling into popular culture and is a gateway for new fans to learn to love wrestling - its like the first song you love - its never a great song but it opens your eyes to a wonderful world of music - thats what Hulk Hogan and Mr T did for me with wrestling
2. What’s been your favourite experience that wrestling has given you so far?
There has been so many as i thank myself everyday that I get to live my dream - taking the anouncer job at Southside and House of Pain was definatly one because from my first day meeting Ben Auld and stixx I told myself i would do it, Having a few drinks with Ric Flair in Edingborough and getting told off by the hotel staff for being too loud (we were all wooooo - ing) was another, making a promo video for Kurt Angle which got a round of applause in every city we toured (and Jeremy Borash told me was really good), my video feud with Harvey Dale was great too. Far to many to choose from
3. Where has been your favourite place to work so far?
Again there are so many to choose - Nottingham and St Neots will always be special because of my love for HOP and Southside - I started going to shows as a fan here and am now hosting them. Southside in Stevenage is always a treat too - its such a great venue and the crowd are always up for it. Triple M always have a great time when we visit edingborough and i always look forward to that venue - but every date on those tours is special, the recent St Georges Day Mayhem show was one of the most fun shows I have ever done. I have found that every venue and city has a very different crowd which leads to a very different reaction - half the fun is working with the crowd and getting to know them. If i could work any town again it would be down to two -- Daventry where I (very briefly) promoted SCW, and Kettering my home town.
4. What would be your dream scenario?
At least every couple of months I try and get the Triple M boys to book MR T for a series of Q and A dates with me interviewing. Obviously I want British wrestling to grow and grow - I think we should really be making use of our veterans though - we have a rich history of wrestling and great minds still out there Johnny Kincaid, Marty Jones, Mal Sanders, Johnny Saint etc even Johnny Storm, Jody Fleisch have seen and done it all - I would love to see these guys held in much higher regard and used in the wrestlling circuit a bit more.
Other than that I would REALLY love to be the host of Wrestletalk TV
5. Who have been your favourite people to work with?
I could go on all day! KANE ARNELL AND BEAR - because we had some fun moments in HOP. LJ HERON because he is one of the coolest guys I know and might be my favourite wrestler. THE AULD FAMILY because they have always stuck by me. DALE MILLS AND ADAM CURTIS for the sheer amount of knowledge they passed on to me. TOMMY END - for not punching me when I announced his home town wrong twice. STIXX for being a great source of info and a gent. MISS BLACK at Full House for tolerating me being a pest and my feeble attempts at flirting. JOHN SHIPLEY because together we made LCW great. MATT EDGAR because without him i wouldnt be where I am. THE TRIPLE M TEAM - because every tour we do is the most fun - if we filmed it all we would make millions! To really narrow it down though its between JOE CONNERS AND PAUL MALEN - because when i first started promoting SCW i didnt have a clue about wrestling and booked two guys froom nottingham on a recommendation - when they both walked in the room it opened my eyes - theres a great quote from Chris Jericho saying that when he went to WWF from WCW he was like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz going from Black and White to Colour thats what happened to me when these two massive men walked into our venue and were absolute class acts - it was at that point i realised that when a wrestler walks through the curatin they need to have a presence and that i decided i neeeded to work for the HOUSE OF PAIN. the other name is HARVEY DALE because rarely do you find someone in this life that really compliments you and I have it with him. he is my evil twin and I believe the chemistry we have is something special and I love how he brings the best out of me. Also JOEL ALLEN who is the hardest working man I know and doesn't get the recognition he deserves - he needs to know how grateful I am for all is input into my career - I listen to every thing he says and take it on board
6. What does the future hold for you?
What does the future hold for me? God only knows - I didn't believe I would get this far! there's so much more to be learnt in wrestling and I reckon I will take more of an interest in the backstage side of things before too long - hopefully keep growing my skills, writing my blog and developing my name - it's always a huge honour for me when those within the industry compliment my work and trust what I do - I always believe that I am the least talented person on a show and am not there to get 'over' but to help the show run smoothly and enhance what the wrestlers are doing - so when they take time to tell me they like my work that's the best feeling in the world.
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