Welcome ladies and gentlemen, kids and all. Welcome to another edition of Around The Ring, and as always I am your loyal host, Eric. "If I could be serious for a minute..." Ah yes it is back. I had some requests to go back to it...so there ya go!! It may just stick!!

Let me start with the last Brainbuster winners. The first 10 to get it right are:

Gary Moscoe, Sandra Sanders, Joe Pereira, Mike Lay, Randy DiCarlo, Michael Hawkins, George Bovell, Lenny Duge, Michael Carman, Andrew Jones

Congrats to those above and to all of you that entered and got it correct.

I am still keeping the voting open from the last poll so check it out at:

http://www.aroundthering.com/pollnow47.html

Also don't forget to join us for the Thursday Night TNA chat which starts at 9pm EST. We are getting more and more people each week. Check us out at:

http://chatters.aroundthering.com

I think that's enough shameless self promotion for this article...so onto the meat and potatoes...

Before I get to my interview, I am just going to touch on some TNA stuff. Before I do that, I would like to give my condolences to the family of pro wrestler SD Jones who passed away.

Well what can I say. TNA has had its up's and downs. I am still not sure how I feel with the introduction of the "Main Event Mafia". What I do know is, I wish Booker would go back to being from Houston. This whole "In My Country..." thing is starting to get as old and tiresome as the King Booker...or King Bookaaaaaaaa angle in WWE.

I am a man of my word. I still have not watched WWE and I don't miss it. The strange part is, the more I try to get away from it, the more I see commercials and other stuff for the WWE Kool-Aid.

I was really liking the TNA set...with the separate entrance "tunnels" for the heels and faces. But now while they come out of different sides, they are on the same stage, and stage/screen is kind of reminding me of WWE a little. But hey, I still enjoy TNA more than WWE. There are more matches and even the match quality is better in TNA. But then I get the emails from people saying "Oh...TNA sucks...its too gimmicky!"
HELLO!!! It's wrestling!! That's what wrestling was built on. From the days when it was still a circus side show...on down to the likes of Gorgeous George to Superstar Billy Graham...to Jesse The Body...Macho Man...Bird Man Coco B. Ware...even your beloved Undertaker!! Do you think he is really from Death Valley?? You think he is really cold and clammy? You think that he really makes all the caskets?? I got a bridge to sell ya.

So whats wrong with gimmicks? Nothing. WWE has tried it seems to move away from the gimmicks and try to be just regular people. Whats fun about that? Absolutely nothing.

Lastly...the one thing I was upset with in TNA was a couple episodes ago, they had a tag team elimination match. While the finish wasn't predictable, they made the contestants predictable. There was no suprise...or two on ones. But overall, I have been happy with it.

Now onto the real business. I had the pleasure of doing an interview with a wrestler who was basically drummed out of OVW for no good reason. He is a really good guy and gives a great interview. Without further adieu here is Dean Visk...aka Jablonski...

Eric Knudsen: How are you and what are you doing these days wrestling wise?

Dean Visk: Well I am doing GREAT! Life is GOOD! It’s been awhile since I got back in the ring until recently I found my passion for the business again and started doing some Indies for FUN! I am a registered nurse and have a GREAT job teaching new nurses and plan on returning to school to get my Nurse Practitioner so I can practice Independently. I have plans on setting the Indies on fire again BUT have no plans on returning to the WWE or going to TNA. I want wrestling to be a FUN again!


EK: For those who may not know, who is Dean Visk?

DV: Dean Visk is on of the most entertaining characters in the history of Wresting that was never given the run up top.

EK: What kind of upbringing did you have? Were you an avid sports player?

DV: I was born and raised in a very nice middle class suburb of Pittsburgh Pa. Life was great! I have great parents and was very social and active. I was a saxaphone player and played in the band. I also was a track and field athlete. Later became a world class natural bodybuilder. I wanted to be in the wrestling business since I was 7 years old.


EK: I listened to an interview gave with In Your Head. And you made a joke that you "arent the brightest person on the block"
but you have a great college degree. What is the degree in and have or will you use it?

DV: I thank the Lord everyday that my parents made me go to college before allowing me to pursue Pro Wrestling. It made getting released from WWE a lot easier. I didn’t have to go flip burgers or bounce at the “Double Deuce” HE HE! I have several nursing degrees. I am a RN BSN. It means I can do more than just a registered nurse. Let’s just say I will always have steak and beer in my fridge with the education I have. I am currently using it and love my job!


Eric Knudsen: You were training with HWA. What were the days like there?

Dean Visk: Some of the best of my life brother! I was with a great group of guys and made some life long friends. Friends are something very hard to find in the wrestling biz; but, I can truly say we all suffered and gave our blood, sweat, and tears, for something we loved. If I ever leave Cincinnati, I will have left a piece of myself here! I really didn’t realize how great that time was in my career until I started working for the WWE.
We were all so HUNGRY for success that we gave 110% in practice and 220% on show nights for practically no money at all; we just loved being in the ring. I think you lose that once you make it to WWE and in becomes more of a business.


EK: You have said that you were teamed up with Chet Jablonski and that you should have been brought up to WWE or OVW in 2002 or 2003 but Les Thatcher didn't feel you were ready. In retrospect, do you think he was right or were you really ready?

DV: We were ready. We were more ready than ever! Chet and I paid our dues in the ring at that time. HWA was under developmental contract and we had all the “contact guys” with us and Chet and I were drawing the crowds!!!!! The A squad with Pepper Parks and Brock Guffman with us drew more heat than any of the contract guys!!! We were main eventing all the shows, we had the tag titles, and we were not even given a chance at a contract back then and didn’t know to speak up! We were afraid to speak up! If I were to do it over I would have drove to Stamford myself and asked Vince to sign us. We trusted Les to offer us up; but, he would have never felt we were ready. Don’t get me wrong I love Les; but, I don’t agree with him not giving us a chance!


EK: How do you feel about Les Thatcher?

DV: Like I said I love Les, he is a great trainer. He taught me the right way!


EK: You finally got called to OVW along with Chet. What was it like being in OVW? Who were some of the people you worked with?

DV: At that time OVW was a magical place! We had such a great close knit group of guys and we didn’t allow any political non sense in the locker room! We had myself, Ken Dykstra (Doane), Bobby Lashley, CM Punk, Ken Kennedy, Paul Birchill, The Heartthrobs, Gunner Scott (Brent Albright), Deuce and Domino, The rest of the Spirit Squad, (Johnny, Nick, Mikey), Idol Stevens, Mickey James, Beth Pheonix, dude, I could go on and on and on. What an AWESOME group! We had Al Snow teaching us wrestling and Paul Heyman teaching us promos it was wrestling HARVARD!!!!!


EK: While you were in OVW, there was an incident with the Million Dollar Man and days later you were released. What happened?

DV: I was not trying to be disrespectful to Ted. I was only repeating what I had been taught was important in the wrestling business: DRAW MONEY!!!!!!!!! I was given a great gimmick that was supposed to be a combo of Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer and Warrior. IT WAS OVER HUGE!!! I had JUST come back from a serious injury. I did a match for the road agents Ted being BRAND NEW with the company and had not seen me work. I guess I hit a sensitive note in him and he went off on me in front ofall the boys saying “you need to find a new hero kid, the Ultimate Warrior was nothing, he was not a star, he would have been nothing if it wasn’t for guys like me!” I was not about to let ANYBODY rip me like that in front of my peers!!! SO…I simply asked(since Warrior according to Ted was nothing) “Didn’t Warrior draw money??” ; I did the house shows that weekend and was released Monday morning. I never got my answer; but, I know he knows that Warrior did then and will now draw more money than Million Dollar man ANY DAY!!!!!


EK: How much of you is your character and how much of your character is you?

DV: I think I am very much that intense guy in a lot of aspects of my life. I am very driven to succeed. I can also be very laid back.


Eric Knudsen: In wrestling, what are your strong points, and if any, your weak points?

Dean Visk: My microphone skills are definitely my strongest points. My weak points are not understanding why wrestlers have to take crazy bumps to tell a story. We don’t need to do all that. Look at how wrestling was in the 80’s and 90’s when it was highest. Matches were simple not crazy!


E.K.: I have heard you are a fan of the Ultimate Warrior. Would you ever want to have a character that was an updated version of that?

D.V.: That was the plan brother!


E.K.: I have a fan question...do you think you can beat Super Dream Machine?

D.V.: Dream Machine is a MONSTER and has no regard for his opponents. He has the “if he dies he dies attitude which makes him very dangerous in the ring! I am very glad we are good friends, I would not want to be on his bad side.


E.K.: LOL...Has anyone ever told you that you look like Brock Lesnar?

D.V.: F U


E.K.: If you had a choice of WWE or TNA, who would you go with?

D.V.: WWE is and always will be the big dance! WWE is were the money is. I do hear though that despite smaller paychecks the workers in TNA are very happy there. That sometimes is more valuable than money.


Eric Knudsen: You mentioned in another interview, that TNA doesn't have big enough wrestlers for you for it to be believable. But what about Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, Kevin Nash, Booker T, The Dudleys, Team 3D, Abyss, Kip James and even Rhino??

Dean Visk: First you can google me and see photos of me standing next to Angle, he is not a very big man at all; Matt Morgan is big, Abyss is big, Nash is old, Booker is smaller than me, Devon is jacked but again, I am more jacked, Kip James is my height but again, I am more jacked, and Rhino looks great standing next to AJ; but, he is only like 5’7”. TNA is not going to let anyone be bigger than Abyss and I am happy for Chris(Abyss) he is one of the nicest guys in the biz! It is very difficult for big men to work in the TNA ring.


E.K.: You were trained in HWA and learned Kayfabe. Can you explain to the fans what that means and do you feel it has hurt wrestling to have come out and said that finishes are predetermined and such? Or do you feel that kayfabe was truely insulting the fans intelligence?

D.V.: Because I am a student of Kayfabe I will not explain what that is out of respect to those that paved my way. I feel Vince breaking kayfabe will KILL Sports Entertainment eventually; but, there will ALWAYS be Pro Rasslin’ somewhere in some barns, county fairs, and in High school gyms all over this nation somewhere when Sports Entertainment is long gone! There will always be some form of wrestling a purer form, where the WRESTLING means something not the big boobs on the divas and the crazy stupid bumps! That’s why I’m back on the Indies!


E.K.: Do you think WWE tends to put their wrestlers into one character or category and not let them showcase their true talents? And do you think WWE tends to ignore the tag team division?

D.V.: YES, YES, and YES, WWE is a MESS! It is NOT the wrestling I loved watching as a kid. I’m surprised people even still watch it; oh ya I forgot, people don’t as much anymore. House shows are a PERFECT example. When my father took me to see a house show the place was packed!!!! Sold out! Now, WWE is lucky to get a thousand people! I remember going to see wrestling and it was 30 thousand plus! The house shows were where all the big matches happened. The TV built up to the house shows. People tuned in to see their favorites squash a jobber like George South, and PAID to see the big matches when they came to town. Now, why pay to see a house show when I can stay home and watch for free on Monday night or get 10 of my best buddies over and throw some change in a jar to get the pay-per-view instead of paying 25-30 bucks a piece to go see the big matches live. TV and pay per view has KILLED the mystic of the business! As for tag teams, WWE creative is NOT creative enough to write great stories for tag teams and WWE refuses to let the boys do their own thing for fear they might get “too over” and steal the spot light from the likes of HHH; Taker; Cena; ect. It’s just stupid and bad business!!!!


E.K.: You obviously have friends from HWA and OVW that have made it to WWE and are successful. As I am sure you are happy for them, but do you have any hard feelings or ask why you haven't gotten an opportunity in WWE?

D.V.: No hard feelings toward at all, seeing my friends is the ONLY reason I still tune in to wrestling. Do I think I can make money for WWE, yes! Do I think WWE dropped the ball on Dean “the Cooler” Visk ABSOLUTELY! I am still JACKED and am and have always been DRUG-FREE!!!! When I walk into a room people ask “are you a rassler?” I bet that doesn’t happen to several guys that are currently on the roster!


E.K.: Do you feel that you have to really abuse your body in the ring night in and night out to get fan reaction anymore?

D.V.: No, fans will respond to what you give them if you do it right! Look at the Boogie Man, if they used him right he could be MONEY! He doesn’t have to wrestle a great match! He’s the BOOGIE MAN!!!! Boogie men don’t have to be scientific wrestlers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have a personality that is larger than life and a great gimmick you will get over without having to abuse you body. People don’t like it when I say this but, the guys in this business said to be great wrestlers had no personality and I would flip the channel to see what the other company had on when they hit the ring. The guys that are said to horrible in ring wrestlers were the ones with the larger than life personalities that people wanted to watch and they were the guys that were cashing the biggest paychecks! Who made more money Hulk Hogan or Fit Finley?? I rest my case!


E.K.: Injuries seem to be a part of wrestling. What injuries have you had in your career?

D.V.: I am lucky my injuries were few. I only had one serious injury. I ruptured my abdominal muscles and couldn’t get out of bed for 3 weeks. I rehabbed fast; soon got released after.


Eric Knudsen: What is a typical day like for Dean Visk?

Dean Visk: On weekdays, I have breakfast, go to the gym to do cardio for an hour, then get ready for work, go to my Nursing job that I love! I then go to the gym and train with weights after work, I go home and watch my shows and have dinner, then do it all again the next day. I may play poker in the evening which is another one of my passions!


E.K.: Past or present, who would like to wrestle and why?

D.V.: Ted Dibiase so I can stiff the f@#! out of him!!!!


List Of Favorites

Book – Arnold’s Encyclopedia of a Bodybuilder

Food – Pizza Shack Pizza in Pittsburgh PA; IT’S THE BEST!!!!

Color – Gold and Black together!

Actor - Nick Cage

Actress – Uma Thurman

Movie - Pumping Iron

Sinful Food – Fried seafood from the shore

Wrestler - Kerry Von Erich (God rest his soul)

Match - the entire first run of the Von Erich VS the Freebirds


E.K.: What is the cooler?

D.V.: Ask Kenny Dykstra(Doane)


E.K.: Do you have a funny wrestling story you can share?

D.V.: GEEZ I have a ton! How about the time Brain Danovich from Tough Enough and I walked into a show we weren’t even booked on and got put in the main event, tore the house down, drew hundreds of people at 10 bucks a ticket, was told by the promoter how great we did and how much money we would make working for him on the next show and got paid with a sausage sandwich and a funnel cake! Now that’s rasslin’ at it’s finest!!!!!!!!


E.K.: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to be a wrestler?

D.V.: Go to college first!!!!!


Eric Knudsen: I will give you a name and you give me in one word what you think:

Vince McMahon - Power

Hulk Hogan - BROOOOOOOTHER!

Ultimate Warrior - ENTERTAINING

Triple H - OK

Kurt Angle - cool

WWE - TOP

TNA - GOOD

Ric Flair - GREATEST

Samoa Joe – who?

Dean Visk – COOOOOOLLLLLEEEEEEEERRRRR!!!


Eric Knudsen: In closing, do you have any words for the fans? Do you have a website?

Dean Visk: The reason I am returning to the ring is for the fans! I don’t currently have a site YET; but, I will soon have my myspace page up and running soon. STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to thank Dean Visk for a great interview and his time and patience!! You rock man!

Now onto:

***The Last Brainbuster***

Q: Q: Who is the one and only man to ever lift and slam Haystacks Calhoun?

A: There are actually two people. The one who got the credit for it was Bruno Sammartino. Someone else who did it was Bulldog Brower.

***This Weeks Brainbuster***
(Be sure to send all answers and/or comments to ericknudsen@aroundthering.com. Remember to include your name.)

Q: Born on August 25, 1942, this famous wrestler went under the name "Red McNulty". Who is he better known as in the wrestling community?

Well thats it for me. Thank you for joining me for this edition of Around The Ring. I am Eric, that’s my opinion and I am standing by it!!