Former ECW and WWE announcer Joey Styles recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard and below are some interview highlights:
On Kurt Angle’s reaction to the infamous ECW angle during which Sandman crucified Raven:
“Here is an Olympic gold medalist who won the gold medal for America in America with a broken neck,” recalled Styles. “I’m just thinking, ‘How the hell did Paul Heyman get this guy here? Why is Kurt Angle in this craphole of a building in Philadelphia?’”
Styles did not call the matches at the ECW Arena live unless the show was a pay per view, but would instead voice over commentary in post-production. After the interview with Angle, he began to watch the remainder of the show, and was actually standing between Angle and Heyman when Raven infamously crucified the Sandman onto a cross in one of the most controversial storylines in ECW history.
“So I’m sitting there watching this match, and that’s when Raven and his minions crucify the Sandman, à la our lord and savior Jesus Christ, on a wooden cross that the Sandman built himself because he was a carpenter,” said Styles. “Raven even put a barbed wire crown around Sandman’s head, like a crown of thorns. South Philly was a very Catholic community, and they were sitting in stunned silence—until they started booing. And it was not the good booing, either. It was the ‘we don’t want you doing this’ kind of booing.’
“I’m speechless, but Kurt Angle turns to me, assuming—maybe because I’m wearing a suit and tie—that I know what’s going on, and he starts screaming at me. ‘I can’t be a part of this, this is disgraceful, this is awful, I don’t ever want footage of me being here to ever air!’ I look to my left to get help from Paul, and Paul is gone. Paul left me alone with this angry, Olympic gold medalist heavyweight wrestler. I am just getting dressed down by Kurt Angle, nose to nose, right in my face. Paul left, he claimed, to go fix the situation. He damn well also wanted to avoid a screaming Kurt Angle. Then he sends Raven out to apologize for his using his ‘religious iconography’—and those were Raven’s exact words—and Paul, to this day, claims he knew nothing about it, which I don’t believe for a second.”
On his post-WWE career:
“Just when I thought my announcing career was long over, I am now announcing for three professional wrestling video-on-demand subscription services in Chikara, EVOLVE, and Beyond Wrestling,” said Styles. “Video-on-demand is the biggest game changer in pro wrestling.”
“When I announce for EVOLVE next on Saturday, November 12 from New York City, the internet pay per view is going to be broadcast on Floslam.TV as part of a brand new subscription service,” said Styles. “That is just my weekend job. I still work full time selling digital advertising. I’m back to doing what I did in my twenties—I’m commuting from Connecticut into Manhattan to sell advertising during the week, and on weekends, I’m calling wrestling matches. I’m 45 not 25, but I’ve got more energy now than I did then and I’m ready to go.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
