Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 6:58:50 GMT -5
Sometimes, simply speaking of an event out loud whether it’s good or bad can bring about a sense of relief, a sense of closure to it. Eric Price had agreed to do an interview in three parts with Barbara Walters to describe his time in WCF and also his time as a wrestling promoter having owned the company outright to talk about the internal machinations and day to day business that up to that point had not been oft discussed.
One night prior, he had been warned by Sarah Twilight to keep his mouth shut however he decided to ignore such a warning and continue with his interview series and chronicle not only his career with WCF but also many of the unknown details of his plan with Sarah Twilight to take her to the World Championship.
Day II: Tuesday 9/24 – The World Title Run, A Plan Coming Together, and the Purchase of WCF
Scene I: After One, The Accident, and The Departure – 5:00 PM – Eric Price’s House in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The scene opens up in Eric Price’s house yet again. The sun setting in the background, the same cameras setup as the night prior along with the same two plush suede chairs, Barbara Walters sitting on the left, Eric Price sitting on the right, today wearing a different outfit, a cream colored sportcoat, a black shirt, and some cream colored pants. He has a smile on his face and also has the WCF World Title belt around his shoulder from when he was champion as the insignia on it has his name etched into it. There is once again a TV in the middle on a recently varnished brown table currently showing a spinning logo that says “Walters/Price: The Interview”. The camera crew is signaling cueing in Barbara Walters to begin part two of this interview series*
Barbara Walters: Ladies and gentlemen, good evening and welcome to the second part of my three part interview former WCF/EPPW owner and current WCF wrestler Eric Price. Last night, we covered his start in this business and his return to the business in 2012 to WCF. Last night if you recall, we left off when you won the World Title at One at the very beginning of this current calendar year and Jonny Fly had just beaten Seth Lerch to become the owner of the company. You had threatened to walk out on the company regardless if you were champion or not if Jonny Fly were to become the owner of the company. Tell us about that tumultuous time.
Eric Price: Well … I should have been on top of the world in some ways I won, I had just come off such a grand victory at the biggest pay-per-view of the year in WCF, One! Think of One like WCF’s Superbowl, this is the biggest stage and I not only entered in the main event but I won the damn thing, that was huge for someone in his first year with the company and I capped it off by becoming the top champion in the company … officially, I was THE MAN! Prior to One however, Seth and I had discussed the possibility of his loss … see, my contract was coming up for renewal and was expiring at the end of 2012. So instead of outright renewing, I talked to him and we decided to simply extend my contract to cover the show one week after One on January 13th, 2013. Basically, after 11:59 PM that day, I was a free agent. When Jonny Fly won ownership from Seth Lerch, I was not pleased but I thought about it quite a bit. I know some people really wanted me gone, particularly Jonny’s stooges Jay Price and Corey Black, they couldn’t wait for me to be gone especially since in Jonny Fly’s eyes, Jeff Purse was a million times more talented than me. Despite the fact that I had beaten Jeff more times and that I had convincingly beat him at One, politics reared their ugly head again as Jonny did not want me as his champion.
Barbara Walters: So from the get go you knew you couldn’t work with Jonny Fly?
Eric Price: I wouldn’t say from the get go. The paranoid part of me was telling me that but reality told me a different story, I thought I should be reasonable and go to the negotiating table with Jonny Fly and maybe try and work out a deal. But that night as I went out to celebrate my victory, Jonny Fly decided to exercise his authority and allow Jeff Purse to cash in his rematch that same night, which I thought was an obvious power play. But I could deal with that … then Jeff Purse as the new supposed head of Digital Media threatened to charge me for every media appearance I made and to cut my revenue from merchandise sales, which I thought was ludicrous. Like for example, this interview would cost me $150,000 per night, which is downright insane.
Barbara Walters: Oh wow.
Eric Price: But again, I could deal with that even and try to work something amicable out with them and I had contemplated doing so but it’s when I saw what he did to the former owner of the company Seth Lerch that I knew I had to seize the moment and take matters into my own hands.
*Footage is shown on the TV of Jonny Fly telling Seth that he can still keep a job with him
Jonny Fly: You can still be Seth. That’s such a great name; I wouldn’t want you to lose it. However, Lerch should be changed to Cretary. Seth Cretary. Sethcretary.*
Eric Price: When I heard that and saw that atrocity going on in the ring, I knew it was done. I was going to walk out on Jonny Fly and tell him to go to hell but before that, I had to deal with another matter, I had to deal with the title defense against Jeff Purse.
Barbara Walters: And that was the night Jeff Purse was run over with a car?
*Eric looks up, folds his hands for a second as he takes a deep breath, then looks directly at Barbara Walters*
Eric Price: Yes.
Barbara Walters: So did you and Sarah come up with the idea for running Jeff Purse over with a car?
Eric Price: Not quite. My original plan was simply to have him locked in the trunk of my car until the end of the show. Sarah however decided differently and we came up with the idea or trying to run him over to simply scare him straight or at least, that’s what I thought we had agreed upon.
Barbara Walters: This is the first time you’ve ever discussed the car accident of Jeff Purse and how it came about … why such an extreme measure though? It’s criminal!
Eric Price: It’s criminal yes hence why I did not want to run him over, that was not right. I just wanted to scare him straight but then when I saw what Sarah did, unbeknownst to everyone at the time, I was just as shocked as anyone.
Barbara Walters: So you had no idea that he was going to be run over?
Eric Price: Barbara … if I’d had an inkling of an idea that he was going to be run over, I would have warned Jeff myself because honestly, yes we had our issues but he did not deserve that! I … I had no words. I actually did not confront Sarah until later that evening. I had to put on a brave face however for the crowd when I celebrated my World Title run but truth be told, I was shocked and honestly I felt extremely bad for Jeff Purse and what had happened to him.
Barbara Walters: Then that night you walked out of WCF?
Eric Price: That’s correct. At the end of the show, Jonny Fly tried to take the title back from me when I announced that my contract was expiring and I decided to walk out. He tried to sic the locker room on me but I had a waiting limousine outside.
*Footage starts playing on the TV of Eric in the limousine as the roster and Jonny Fly run behind him with Eric Price holding up the World Title as he flipped the bird to Jonny Fly to end the show*
Barbara Walters: And you made that gesture to him on your way out?
*Eric laughs a bit*
Eric Price: Yeah … I had gotten away with it and I got to leave on my terms with the title still in hand. That night however, as I said … I confronted Sarah Twilight about what she did.
Barbara Walters: You were not in agreement with what she did?
Eric Price: Not at all, there was no way I would have allowed that had I known she was going to do it in advance. Then … of all the things I’d ever seen, just when I thought there was at least some level of decency in the world, she does the unthinkable. I see her actually writing a “Get Well” card to Jeff Purse pretending to be her friend … it was downright sick.
Barbara Walters: Now at the time, did anyone have any idea that Sarah Twilight had done this?
Eric Price: Apart from myself, no. Everyone blamed it on me and thought I was the obvious culprit and Sarah decided that for the good of the plan, it was best to stick to that story. I … I was stupid enough to continue with the plan and followed that directive, I knew it wasn’t right, I knew it was reprehensible but I did the worst thing imaginable and I actually made a joke out of it.
Barbara Walters: Why did you go with it though?
Eric Price: Why did I go with it? You know … that’s a damn good question Barbara, a damn good question. I’ve sat around for a week now or so and thought about everything that’s happened, all the good and all the bad and I thought about why I did what I did in regard to the Jeff Purse calamity and I can’t explain it, I honestly can’t. I guess in my mind I thought it was for the sake of business and I tried to keep in mind that I was separating my personal feelings for it all and keeping it all business but in the end, I was just lying to myself and masking it as best I could.
Barbara Walters: How did Sarah feel about all of this?
Eric Price: Oh publicly she even visited Jeff Purse in the hospital and acted as his friend wishing him the best and how she was going to get me under the pretense that I had done it, despite no evidence. Yet in reality, behind the scenes, she would vent to me how it brought her great orgasmic pleasure and yes, I just used that word … to pretend to be Jeff’s friend because it meant she had him in the palm of her hands. She derived some sick sensation from bringing up people’s hopes and dreams only to dash them later on … part of her mental issues in my opinion. Frankly, Sarah didn’t give a damn that she ran over Jeff Purse, she took a great sense of pleasure and pride in it as if she had just done the world a favor or something.
Barbara Walters: So you knew Sarah was unstable?
Eric Price: At the time … I guess I lied to myself. I wanted to believe that she couldn’t really be that way and I simply continually lied to myself thinking she would change. See … part of the whole idea of her learning to be nice, yes it was her concept to supposedly in her words “trick the sheep” but to me … I was kind of hoping she would learn to like being nice, I really did have hope for that. But I guess the old adage that a leopard can’t change its spots remains true and the wolf, as she so often calls herself, remains true to its nature.
Barbara Walters: Back to you leaving the company though … so you left with the World Title in hand and then you highlighted your association with Gravedigger while Fly demanded the return of that belt.
Eric Price: That’s correct, I challenged Fly to a match to determine my own contract and to have it with the terms I saw fit. A lot of people misconstrued what I did as being afraid of defending the title or something but in reality, I just wanted to ensure that I made a point to the new leader of WCF that I would not be pushed around. So we had our match at the Payback pay-per-view and unfortunately I came up short against Fly … I made the mistake of underestimating him, came close to beating him but I didn’t win the match. I’m not going to gloss over and say that I was so close and it was basically a win because a loss is a loss and that’s what it was.
Barbara Walters: What resulted out of your loss?
Eric Price: Well … if I lost, the stipulation was that Fly would resign me but under his own terms and he did … except he essentially gave me the same contract I had before.
Barbara Walters: Did you ever find out why?
Eric Price: I did later on, at the time I foolishly thought he was being an idiot but I later found out he did it mainly because he had too much respect for the World Title and what it represented and he didn’t think abusing his power would prove anything. He figured it would be better for him to remain the bigger man and give me a fair contract … you know, I have a lot to say against Jonny Fly but at the same time, I maintain a lot of respect for the man. He and I have certainly had differences publicly but ultimately, he’s earned his success unlike some people in this business and he deserved his spot.
Barbara Walters: When we come back, we’ll cover Eric Price’s first title defense, the TV Title run of Sarah Twilight, and the first World Title match between Eric Price and Sarah Twilight and all the controversy surrounding it. We’ll be right back.
*The camera crew signals that filming has stopped*
Scene II: The First Title Defense, The TV Title Run, and The Chicago Screwjob – 5:20 PM – Eric Price’s House in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The camera crew is shown cueing in Barbara Walters as filming is about to resume*
Barbara Walters: And welcome back to the Eric Price interview, part two. We have so far discussed having Jeff Purse run over, your leaving WCF for a bit, and your match with Jonny Fly at the beginning of the year. But now let’s move on, at the same time as this was happening, Sarah Twilight had become the Television Champion and you were on your way to your first title defense at Timebomb. Tell us about that time.
Eric Price: Gladly. Sarah Twilight had beaten Terry Roberts for the TV Title in his open challenge, a moronic idea he had to try and elevate himself only to see himself get beaten. Anyway … Sarah Twilight had singles gold but it was not the gold she craved. In public, oh yeah she pretended to love that title and to do it for the fans but in private, she hated that title because in her mind, it symbolized mediocrity and she just couldn’t deal with that.
Barbara Walters: She lost the title just one month after winning it at Timebomb when you cost her the match.
Eric Price: My costing her the match … that was totally my idea … that anger you saw in her eyes was legitimate because she had no idea I was going to do that. I blindsided her that night and I did it because I had grown tired of listening to her complain about holding a title of mediocrity and disrespecting the championship but more than that, to show her that I too could surprise her if I wanted to do so.
Barbara Walters: That month you faced off against Steeltoe Joe in your first title defense.
Eric Price: That’s correct. I don’t know exactly how STJ got named the number one contender to my title but he did, not that I wasn’t happy to accept the challenge. I had promised I would retain the title that night and I did albeit in controversial fashion. That match was very interesting because in the front row, we had a girl named Jenna Stevens who was supposedly Sarah Twilight’s biggest fan invited personally by Sarah to be there.
Barbara Walters: You say supposedly, was she planted there by you or Sarah?
Eric Price: I found out later on that she was put there by Sarah Twilight herself however she was ignorant to all that was happening. In other words, she truly was a huge fan of Sarah Twilight and Sarah just used her for the plan but in the end, her actions and everything were all her own.
*Footage starts playing on TV of when Jenna throws soda right in the face of Eric Price during the World Title match*
Eric Price: The soda incident at Timebomb, I’ll never forget that. That was the most surprising moment I think of my entire career. I never had a fan do that before … just go nuts and throw their drink at me … I was just happy it was a cold drink and not a hot one. But yes, fact is I retained the title by disqualifying myself during that match because Sarah had told me it was imperative I retain it by any method I wished to use. I did what I had to do. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, but it happened.
Barbara Walters: Do you regret that action?
*Eric takes a deep breath and thinks about the question for a moment*
Eric Price: I don’t like to live with many regrets in my life but was that regrettable … yes, yes it was. I knew I could beat Steeltoe Joe but that look in Sarah’s eyes when she told me what to do … it was the kind of look that someone like an Adolf Hitler gives you to try and intimidate you. I wasn’t scared so much as to the consequences of failure as I was focused on simply executing the plan to success for her.
Barbara Walters: So you retained your title controversially and then the following month, Sarah dropped the bombshell on you that she would be facing you for the title at the Explosion pay-per-view at the end of March?
Eric Price: Yes. At this time, Genesis was making a resurgence and Rebellion had come on the scene.
Barbara Walters: Rebellion … you made a parody of them.
Eric Price: Yes I did. Although my intent was completely misunderstood … it was my way I guess of exposing the new talent to an audience because honestly, no one knew who Rebellion was and even now, no one remembers them. They squandered the opportunity I gave them although Morientes and Gable made a personal issue of it with me, in particular Mr. M held it against me. The rest just kind of faded into obscurity.
Barbara Walters: And you also had an incident with announcer Zach Davis.
*Eric chuckles a bit as he remembers*
Eric Price: Yeah … Zach Davis was an interesting man. He’s our play-by-play announcer and he’d been slandering me for so long so I showed him what a wrestling match was supposed to be and well … I kinda left it at that with him. He was out for a week after I gave him a World Title shot because he’s not a wrestler but I was rather firm with him.
Barbara Walters: It was that same night that you faced Zach that Sarah dropped the bombshell on you.
Eric Price: That she did and I was as shocked as anyone there because I had no idea she was doing that.
*Footage plays from the March 10th, 2013 edition of Slam toward the end where Sarah comes out and challenges Eric for the World Title. It shows Eric trying to strike her down with the title only for her to hit him with a Twilight Zone and leave him laying on the canvas.*
Eric Price: Yeah … she completely blindsided me with that announcement that she was challenging me for the World Title at Explosion 2013.
Barbara Walters: She never discussed it with you in advance?
Eric Price: Not at all, the first I knew of it was in that footage you saw of the show, which was airing live from Denver that night. I’ll never forget it either because of how she afterward approached me about it after telling me.
Barbara Walters: This I’m assuming was after the show, after this had happened off camera?
Eric Price: That’s right. We spoke in my hotel room after the show and she basically stormed in and told me and I’ll quote this because I’ll never forget those exact words “Your time at the top is up. I’ve allowed you your 15 minutes but it’s time for the rightful queen of WCF to take her place. You are the beta and I am the alpha and you will do the right thing and give me that World Title at Explosion.”
Barbara Walters: Your reaction?
Eric Price: I was in shock. I mean … I knew the plan was to have her be successful and become World Champion but she was basically telling me to give her the title and that was that as if she somehow controlled me.
Barbara Walters: What did you reply?
Eric Price: I didn’t even know what to say, I remember I told her that I would agree to that and acquiesce to her demands as she knew what was best for the plan.
Barbara Walters: So you were set to just give her the title?
*Eric smirks a bit*
Eric Price: Not exactly. I … I really thought on it and at the time, I also had my association with Gravedigger and Davey Ortega. But even worse than that, one week prior to Explosion, I had to defend my World Title by order of Jonny Fly against Frank Patrick Venable, one of Sarah’s associates. Again Sarah said I had to retain it in order for the plan to work properly.
Barbara Walters: So you went out there and continued to fight for her?
Eric Price: On the surface, yes. In reality though, at that point I was in it for myself and I did what I had to do and with some controversy, I beat Frank Patrick Venable. Yes, I stole the match from him and I admit that but at the time, I justified it to myself as being all part of the plan. But I wasn’t even thinking of Frank Venable at the time, not at all … in my mind was Explosion. It was almost as if Sarah had placed an ultimatum on me telling me that I had to give her the title or else. And I will admit that for a moment, I even contemplated doing just that.
Barbara Walters: So what happened in Chicago?
Eric Price: Well … I played the role of the paranoid champion who was convinced he was losing his title and trying vehemently to convince himself that it was not going to happen … it was less of a role and more of a reality. A lot of people didn’t realize what was going on, not even the Pantheon administration at the time had any idea of what was occurring. At Explosion, I came up with a plan … I talked to my friend Davey Ortega who was set to go through with the original plan of giving her the title but then I convinced him and said what if she didn’t win that night. He was confused but he supported me in my endeavor.
Barbara Walters: So what did you come up with?
Eric Price: Essentially, I knew Sarah would never give up, she would just keep on going and going and going until I really decimated her and I didn’t want to end her career or shorten it in any way. Therefore we decided to go with option B, which was essentially that we would ensure my victory.
Barbara Walters: Colloquially, this has become known as the Chicago screw job. Now comes the direct question to you, did you screw Sarah Twilight out of the World Title on that night?
Eric Price: Before I answer that, let me offer a little insight into what drove my decision. If a man is put into a position that is rather precarious and he’s only left with one real choice to save himself, then he’s not really wrong in making said choice as it’s all he can do. Sarah left me with no alternative as she liked to believe she was holding all the cards but that’s just not true, I was the champion, I was the headliner, I was the marquee, that meant I held the real power so with my friend Davey Ortega, we did what was necessary that night.
*Eric takes a deep breath before continuing*
Eric Price: That night … I knew what we were going to do that night was going to cause controversy the likes of which had not been seen in a long long while.
Barbara Walters: So did Sarah know what you were going to do in the match?
Eric Price: She didn’t have a clue. As far as she knew, the plan was we were going to have the match but eventually, I would lay down and give her the title. It would look realistic but in the end, this was supposed to be her grand moment. No one knew of the arrangement except for Sarah and I regarding me supposedly giving her the title; as far as the new plan, only Ortega and I knew. So … we started the match and did everything as planned and then I bumped the referee, knocking him down. And well … it’s easier if I walk you through the footage.
*Footage from the Explosion 2013 Main Event starts playing on the TV showing Ortega as the referee already as Eric is ducking away from Sarah*
Eric Price: Okay … so Ortega was already the official here as the designated official had been knocked down. She was getting in Sarah’s face here about her using closed fists and then Sarah punches Ortega right in the face and then throws him over the top rope so he’s out of the equation for now. She’s distracted so now …
*The footage continues and shows Sarah throwing Ortega over the top rope and as Sarah turns around, Eric surprises her with a Ca$h Flow executed perfectly on her*
Eric Price: So I surprise her with my finisher and then I get the designated official, Stanley Moser, shake him a bit to wake him up to make the count as I covered Sarah! 1 .. 2 … but not a 3!
*The count is shown and it’s not three as Eric is just downright losing it, nearly pulling his hair out screaming “WHY?! WHY WON’T YOU STAY DOWN?!” to Sarah*
Eric Price: And there you see me screaming at why she won’t stay down. That was all expected but here’s where it all changed. I start beating up senior official Stanley Moser and throw him out of the ring and Ortega is still kind of out but I manage to will him in the ring. Sarah is kind of out so she is not aware what is going on.
*The footage continues showing Ortega dragging himself in and then Eric grabbing Sarah’s legs and placing them in a sharpshooter and even before it’s fully locked in, Ortega calls for the bell awarding the match to Eric Price via submission.
Kyle Steel: The winner of this match and STILL your WCF World Heavyweight Champion … ERIC PRICE!*
Eric Price: Sharpshooter applied, the bell was rung, and I walked out that night still the World Champion. Sarah had no idea what had just happened as Ortega and I rushed out of there. We had a waiting car and everything. So to answer your question … did I screw Sarah Twilight out of the World Title that night? In a word … yes, yes I did. I did screw her out of the title and I’d do it again if given the chance because the fact is, she thought she just deserved to be handed a title but I was not going to do that so I did it mainly to prove a point and teach her a lesson. I didn’t realize at the time the problem I had caused.
Barbara Walters: When we come back, the Aftermath of Explosion, and what led to your purchase of WCF! Stay tuned.
*The filming stops as the camera crew signals for a 5-minute break*
Scene III: She Knows! – 5:45 PM – Eric Price’s House (Back Porch) in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The scene opens up showing Eric Price getting some fresh air on his back porch during the break of his interview*
Eric Price: I screwed Sarah Twilight! Haha … I SCREWED THAT BITCH!
*Eric laughs a bit at this as his phone rings and he picks up his cell phone*
Eric Price (on cell phone): Hello? (pause) Hey Seth, what’s going on?
*Eric puts his cell phone on speaker*
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): She knows!
Eric Price (on cell phone): What do you mean she knows?
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): She knows that it was me that hired you back to WCF!
*Eric smiles*
Eric Price (on cell phone): So?
*Seth responds to Eric with great concern and urgency*
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): SO?! SO?! So she wants my head and is furious over what I did. She’s threatening me.
Eric Price (on cell phone): Seth … relax, she won’t do anything to you. Worst case, tell her I forced you into it with blackmail or something, make her believe that you had no choice in the matter and that you had to do it or something bad was going to happen to you. She may not care but at least she won’t wholly blame you for the situation.
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): So you’re back in War now but she is out for blood with you!
Eric Price (on cell phone): Let that bitch be, I don’t care about her! She stabbed me in the back and you know it and now she’s going to pay. I know I can’t hurt her with emotions but I can certainly take the one thing she so desperately craves and that’s the WCF World Heavyweight Championship! Ironic isn’t it Seth?
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): What’s that?
Eric Price (on cell phone): When I owned the company as EPPW, I never held the World Title and never granted it to myself but yet when the management that doesn’t want me as champion is around, I gravitate toward the title and do it in spite of their constant sabotage. Sarah will be no different and she’s going to have to get used to the idea that she is NOT the best.
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): Well … in all fairness, I do hope that Sarah doesn’t win.
Eric Price (on cell phone): Me either. I want to win don’t get me wrong but I really want to make sure she doesn’t win either. Gotta go, have to finish up this interview tonight.
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): Okay, talk to you after War, good luck champ!
*Eric smiles as he hangs up the phone thinking about the possibility of a second World Title run as he walks back into the house and the scene fades to black*
Scene IV: The Aftermath of Explosion, The WCF Purchase – 6:00 PM – Eric Price’s House in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The scene opens up in the living room of Eric Price once again with the camera crew cueing in Barbara Walters to resume the interview of Eric Price*
Barbara Walters: Welcome back to the Eric Price Interview. Before the commercial break, we were discussing the results of Explosion and how you did in fact screw Sarah Twilight out of the World Title.
Eric Price: That’s correct.
Barbara Walters: What happened after that? What happened to the plan between you and Sarah Twilight?
Eric Price: That’s an interesting one and a story I don’t think anyone but myself and Sarah are really privy to and I doubt she’d share it so I will tell it. Well, after what happened at Explosion, I knew Sarah would be pissed at me. I tried to contact her all week but she refused to take my calls. We had Slam coming up one week after Explosion and I decided to do what I’d always dreamed of doing in this business, I hosted an appreciation night in my honor. Sure, it was egotistical but I had just beaten Sarah Twilight, a feat unto itself!
Barbara Walters: So Sarah refused to talk to you initially after this.
Eric Price: Correct. I however proceeded on as if nothing had happened and all was well, I had no idea what was in store for me that night. You see … she and FPV came up with this plan against me to do two things … firstly, outright humiliate and embarrass me, secondly to secure herself a rematch against me for the World Title. It’s kind of funny now and you’d wish hindsight were 20/20 because if Frank knew then what he knows now, he would have never, ever helped Sarah.
Barbara Walters: So Sarah wanted a rematch against you and she was going to force you into it if need be but you said it was also about embarrassment, what happened or what did they do to you?
*Eric makes an expression of uncertainty while scratching his neck and tugging on his ear as he is clearly embarrassed about discussing what occurred but presses on regardless*
Eric Price: During the appreciation night, Sarah Twilight and Frank Venable came down to the ring, Frank with what at the time I thought was a real gun and well … I’ll let the footage explain it.
*Footage from the April 7th, 2013 edition of Slam starts playing:
Eric Price: (crying and screaming frantically now) THERE! I SIGNED IT! YOU HAVE YOUR MATCH, YOU HAVE YOUR TERMS! YOU HAVE ALL OF IT! ALL THAT YOU WANT! PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME GO!
Sarah takes the contract from Eric, smirking. She gives FPV a nod to let the champ go...however.
FPV: Fuck it, I have to do it!
Sarah Twilight: Frank...No...wait!
Eric's eyes widen and he trembles and screams in terror as his life flashes before him. Eric clasps his hands together and he starts praying. His pants darken in color around his groin and the crowd is laughing at him.
FPV: I'm sorry, Sarah.
Eric Price: OH GOD! I'M GONNA DIE!
Shannan Lerch: I can't watch this!
Zach Davis: Frank...don't do it!
The soaking stains on Eric's pants only grow larger and FPV...pulls the trigger.
Zach Davis: HOLY SH—
Eric opens his eyes as he feels some moisture rolling down his head that is neither his sweat or his own tears...which, he has had plenty of going on tonight. Instead, he sees Frank again pull the trigger and a golden, bubbly carbonated liquid squirts at him. Eric grows red in the face as Sarah, FPV and everyone in the crowd begins to laugh their asses off at him. Gravedigger and Ortega, realizing there is no longer a threat begin back toward the ring, but they are cut off by Prophecy, who hop the guardrail and block their path. FPV now squirts the liquid into his own mouth.
FPV: Damn I love Monster!
Eric looks like he is ready to burst as he realizes he's been had. Sarah motions the cameraman to focus in on Eric as she comments to the capacity crowd.
Sarah Twilight: His name is Mr. Eric Price, and he just pissed his pants!*
*Eric is now shown live during the interview as he knows the footage is rolling with his hand over his eyes in absolute embarrassment*
Eric Price: That was probably the most humiliating moment I’ve ever experienced in my life. It was part of Sarah’s way of getting back at me for what happened at Explosion but what happened after that is even worse. I was forced into a rematch with her even though she didn’t deserve it; at this point the plan was dissolved and it just became a rivalry with myself versus her and I was out to prove a point to her yet again.
Barbara Walters: And that’s when the Aftermath pay-per-view happened?
Eric Price: Yes. In the middle of this too, Steeltoe Joe joined my cause and my group.
Barbara Walters: What brought him into the fold? Weren’t you two enemies?
Eric Price: Not necessarily. We had a mutual disagreement mainly because Tek hated me but in the end, Steeltoe Joe and I never really had an issue apart from Timebomb and that was strictly business. What happened was that Joe had some issues in his personal life and I just happened to be there and wished him the best as I thought any good person should do. He then approached me and little did I know that Genesis wasn’t really supporting him the way they should have. He lost some dear loved ones and I simply passed on my condolences and then he contacted me about joining up with me and I welcomed him with open arms.
Barbara Walters: So he joined you by helping you beat up Sarah Twilight?
Eric Price: Yes, I was proving a point to Sarah that anything she can do I can do better. She had turned Genesis into her own little fan club so I decided to up the ante and steal away a member from the group and I had him go to work. Then one week later, he assault his former “brother” Tek as he so deserved because despite being told what happened, Tek tried to act like everything was fine and that there was no reason for Joe’s legitimate anger. Regardless, Joe was firmly in the camp of Eric Price at the time and then Aftermath arrived.
Barbara Walters: This was the big rematch between you and Sarah Twilight, which according to her was going to be on her terms and you were not told those terms until the actual event, correct?
Eric Price: Yes, that’s correct. She came up with this sick and sadistic concept known as abject humiliation and she made it so that we had to beat each other up so bad until one or the other quit. That is a match I will never ever forget as I was beaten, battered, bruised, and injured. Not only was the match itself awful, I lost the World Title that night and at the end of the match, Jeff Purse returned only to attack me viciously … although truth be told, I can’t say I blame him considering the fact that it seemed that I was the run who ran him over at that time.
Barbara Walters: So that night you lost the World Championship? Did this resolve the tension between you and Sarah?
Eric Price: In her mind at least it seemed to have done so as a little after the match, we were both in the hospital badly beaten. She came up to me however and told me that finally the rightful and real World Champion had captured her trophy and that she hoped this little lesson would remind me who was really in charge of things.
Barbara Walters: So she was asserting her dominance this way?
Eric Price: Essentially, yes. Basically, in her mind she taught me the lesson she needed to and in her own way reminding me that she ran the show and that I should never, ever make decisions unilaterally. On the surface, I didn’t complain match but I knew it was a matter of time with her so I simply kept my eye on her but at the same time, I still held out a glimmer of hope for change in her.
Barbara Walters: Did you try to regain your title?
Eric Price: No. Aftermath really caused me to be injured for a few weeks so I basically sat back the following weeks in terms of wrestling and just took my time off … I was on the show but not in a wrestling capacity. Instead Sarah asked me to redeem myself by fabricating a relationship between her and Jeff Purse to enrage Kari and all I had to do was take pictures of them in compromising positions.
Barbara Walters: Why?
Eric Price: Why did I agree to it or why did she come up with this?
Barbara Walters: Both I guess. I agreed to it mainly to avoid further injury as I was beaten up rather badly; I didn’t particularly think it was ethical to do this but I wanted to make sure I didn’t get more injured. As far as who came up with it, this was all her though I never really understood why she wanted to enrage Kari so bad … I think it was mainly to stir the pot and to make the dagger even more powerful when she turned her back the WCF fans because ultimately, her goal was to win the World Title and then spit in the faces of all the people who supported her along her journey.
Barbara Walters: Why would she want that?
Eric Price: As I said before, she is mentally unstable and she derived some sick pleasure from it, I don’t really know the why further than that.
Barbara Walters: During this time, Jonny Fly started agreeing with a lot of your positions, how did that come to be?
Eric Price: That was simple, I had video evidence, Jeff Purse kept insisting that I ran him over with zero proof and Jonny Fly simply sided with me because I had actual proof, not just hearsay.
Barbara Walters: That makes sense. Now, as he was owner of the company, it can be assumed that you talked to him about buying the company, correct?
Eric Price: Yes. Actually, he approached me first. He was tired of running the company and having to deal with all the work related to being an owner in this crazy business so he decided to say to hell with it and he sold the controlling interest of the company to me!
Barbara Walters: Interesting. What made you interested in buying the company though? You were an active competitor, not a manager.
*Eric chuckles a bit*
Eric Price: Perhaps not but it seemed like a great piece of business to acquire at a decent price and more than that, I knew I could run the company and make it better by the day. So unbeknownst to Sarah and to most people, I negotiated with Jonny Fly and we came to a generous agreement in which I would buy his controlling shares of the company and assume ownership of it at Asesinato De Mayo 2013, which I did.
Barbara Walters: Can you disclose the amount for which you purchased the company?
Eric Price: Due to confidentiality and an NDA, I’m afraid I cannot but it was a good amount of money and I felt it was worth it.
Barbara Walters: Okay, so at this point, Sarah Twilight is the World Champion, Jeff Purse is back but looking for revenge against Eric Price with assistance from his friend and “closer than friends” friend Sarah Twilight as they are also having an affair without telling Kari the truth.
Eric Price: That’s correct. I never felt right about involving Kari or Jeff Purse that way because honestly, I had nothing against them save for Jeff beating me up at Aftermath but that was small compared to being run over a car so I understood his anger.
Barbara Walters: Excellent. Tomorrow night, we’ll conclude part III of this interview, which will include the transition to EPPW, its rise and fall, as well as the reveal of the real Sarah Twilight and your thoughts on her betrayal and how you came to nearly marrying her. Tune in tomorrow night, so long.
*The film crew signals for the filming to cease for the day as the scene fades to black*
One night prior, he had been warned by Sarah Twilight to keep his mouth shut however he decided to ignore such a warning and continue with his interview series and chronicle not only his career with WCF but also many of the unknown details of his plan with Sarah Twilight to take her to the World Championship.
Day II: Tuesday 9/24 – The World Title Run, A Plan Coming Together, and the Purchase of WCF
Scene I: After One, The Accident, and The Departure – 5:00 PM – Eric Price’s House in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The scene opens up in Eric Price’s house yet again. The sun setting in the background, the same cameras setup as the night prior along with the same two plush suede chairs, Barbara Walters sitting on the left, Eric Price sitting on the right, today wearing a different outfit, a cream colored sportcoat, a black shirt, and some cream colored pants. He has a smile on his face and also has the WCF World Title belt around his shoulder from when he was champion as the insignia on it has his name etched into it. There is once again a TV in the middle on a recently varnished brown table currently showing a spinning logo that says “Walters/Price: The Interview”. The camera crew is signaling cueing in Barbara Walters to begin part two of this interview series*
Barbara Walters: Ladies and gentlemen, good evening and welcome to the second part of my three part interview former WCF/EPPW owner and current WCF wrestler Eric Price. Last night, we covered his start in this business and his return to the business in 2012 to WCF. Last night if you recall, we left off when you won the World Title at One at the very beginning of this current calendar year and Jonny Fly had just beaten Seth Lerch to become the owner of the company. You had threatened to walk out on the company regardless if you were champion or not if Jonny Fly were to become the owner of the company. Tell us about that tumultuous time.
Eric Price: Well … I should have been on top of the world in some ways I won, I had just come off such a grand victory at the biggest pay-per-view of the year in WCF, One! Think of One like WCF’s Superbowl, this is the biggest stage and I not only entered in the main event but I won the damn thing, that was huge for someone in his first year with the company and I capped it off by becoming the top champion in the company … officially, I was THE MAN! Prior to One however, Seth and I had discussed the possibility of his loss … see, my contract was coming up for renewal and was expiring at the end of 2012. So instead of outright renewing, I talked to him and we decided to simply extend my contract to cover the show one week after One on January 13th, 2013. Basically, after 11:59 PM that day, I was a free agent. When Jonny Fly won ownership from Seth Lerch, I was not pleased but I thought about it quite a bit. I know some people really wanted me gone, particularly Jonny’s stooges Jay Price and Corey Black, they couldn’t wait for me to be gone especially since in Jonny Fly’s eyes, Jeff Purse was a million times more talented than me. Despite the fact that I had beaten Jeff more times and that I had convincingly beat him at One, politics reared their ugly head again as Jonny did not want me as his champion.
Barbara Walters: So from the get go you knew you couldn’t work with Jonny Fly?
Eric Price: I wouldn’t say from the get go. The paranoid part of me was telling me that but reality told me a different story, I thought I should be reasonable and go to the negotiating table with Jonny Fly and maybe try and work out a deal. But that night as I went out to celebrate my victory, Jonny Fly decided to exercise his authority and allow Jeff Purse to cash in his rematch that same night, which I thought was an obvious power play. But I could deal with that … then Jeff Purse as the new supposed head of Digital Media threatened to charge me for every media appearance I made and to cut my revenue from merchandise sales, which I thought was ludicrous. Like for example, this interview would cost me $150,000 per night, which is downright insane.
Barbara Walters: Oh wow.
Eric Price: But again, I could deal with that even and try to work something amicable out with them and I had contemplated doing so but it’s when I saw what he did to the former owner of the company Seth Lerch that I knew I had to seize the moment and take matters into my own hands.
*Footage is shown on the TV of Jonny Fly telling Seth that he can still keep a job with him
Jonny Fly: You can still be Seth. That’s such a great name; I wouldn’t want you to lose it. However, Lerch should be changed to Cretary. Seth Cretary. Sethcretary.*
Eric Price: When I heard that and saw that atrocity going on in the ring, I knew it was done. I was going to walk out on Jonny Fly and tell him to go to hell but before that, I had to deal with another matter, I had to deal with the title defense against Jeff Purse.
Barbara Walters: And that was the night Jeff Purse was run over with a car?
*Eric looks up, folds his hands for a second as he takes a deep breath, then looks directly at Barbara Walters*
Eric Price: Yes.
Barbara Walters: So did you and Sarah come up with the idea for running Jeff Purse over with a car?
Eric Price: Not quite. My original plan was simply to have him locked in the trunk of my car until the end of the show. Sarah however decided differently and we came up with the idea or trying to run him over to simply scare him straight or at least, that’s what I thought we had agreed upon.
Barbara Walters: This is the first time you’ve ever discussed the car accident of Jeff Purse and how it came about … why such an extreme measure though? It’s criminal!
Eric Price: It’s criminal yes hence why I did not want to run him over, that was not right. I just wanted to scare him straight but then when I saw what Sarah did, unbeknownst to everyone at the time, I was just as shocked as anyone.
Barbara Walters: So you had no idea that he was going to be run over?
Eric Price: Barbara … if I’d had an inkling of an idea that he was going to be run over, I would have warned Jeff myself because honestly, yes we had our issues but he did not deserve that! I … I had no words. I actually did not confront Sarah until later that evening. I had to put on a brave face however for the crowd when I celebrated my World Title run but truth be told, I was shocked and honestly I felt extremely bad for Jeff Purse and what had happened to him.
Barbara Walters: Then that night you walked out of WCF?
Eric Price: That’s correct. At the end of the show, Jonny Fly tried to take the title back from me when I announced that my contract was expiring and I decided to walk out. He tried to sic the locker room on me but I had a waiting limousine outside.
*Footage starts playing on the TV of Eric in the limousine as the roster and Jonny Fly run behind him with Eric Price holding up the World Title as he flipped the bird to Jonny Fly to end the show*
Barbara Walters: And you made that gesture to him on your way out?
*Eric laughs a bit*
Eric Price: Yeah … I had gotten away with it and I got to leave on my terms with the title still in hand. That night however, as I said … I confronted Sarah Twilight about what she did.
Barbara Walters: You were not in agreement with what she did?
Eric Price: Not at all, there was no way I would have allowed that had I known she was going to do it in advance. Then … of all the things I’d ever seen, just when I thought there was at least some level of decency in the world, she does the unthinkable. I see her actually writing a “Get Well” card to Jeff Purse pretending to be her friend … it was downright sick.
Barbara Walters: Now at the time, did anyone have any idea that Sarah Twilight had done this?
Eric Price: Apart from myself, no. Everyone blamed it on me and thought I was the obvious culprit and Sarah decided that for the good of the plan, it was best to stick to that story. I … I was stupid enough to continue with the plan and followed that directive, I knew it wasn’t right, I knew it was reprehensible but I did the worst thing imaginable and I actually made a joke out of it.
Barbara Walters: Why did you go with it though?
Eric Price: Why did I go with it? You know … that’s a damn good question Barbara, a damn good question. I’ve sat around for a week now or so and thought about everything that’s happened, all the good and all the bad and I thought about why I did what I did in regard to the Jeff Purse calamity and I can’t explain it, I honestly can’t. I guess in my mind I thought it was for the sake of business and I tried to keep in mind that I was separating my personal feelings for it all and keeping it all business but in the end, I was just lying to myself and masking it as best I could.
Barbara Walters: How did Sarah feel about all of this?
Eric Price: Oh publicly she even visited Jeff Purse in the hospital and acted as his friend wishing him the best and how she was going to get me under the pretense that I had done it, despite no evidence. Yet in reality, behind the scenes, she would vent to me how it brought her great orgasmic pleasure and yes, I just used that word … to pretend to be Jeff’s friend because it meant she had him in the palm of her hands. She derived some sick sensation from bringing up people’s hopes and dreams only to dash them later on … part of her mental issues in my opinion. Frankly, Sarah didn’t give a damn that she ran over Jeff Purse, she took a great sense of pleasure and pride in it as if she had just done the world a favor or something.
Barbara Walters: So you knew Sarah was unstable?
Eric Price: At the time … I guess I lied to myself. I wanted to believe that she couldn’t really be that way and I simply continually lied to myself thinking she would change. See … part of the whole idea of her learning to be nice, yes it was her concept to supposedly in her words “trick the sheep” but to me … I was kind of hoping she would learn to like being nice, I really did have hope for that. But I guess the old adage that a leopard can’t change its spots remains true and the wolf, as she so often calls herself, remains true to its nature.
Barbara Walters: Back to you leaving the company though … so you left with the World Title in hand and then you highlighted your association with Gravedigger while Fly demanded the return of that belt.
Eric Price: That’s correct, I challenged Fly to a match to determine my own contract and to have it with the terms I saw fit. A lot of people misconstrued what I did as being afraid of defending the title or something but in reality, I just wanted to ensure that I made a point to the new leader of WCF that I would not be pushed around. So we had our match at the Payback pay-per-view and unfortunately I came up short against Fly … I made the mistake of underestimating him, came close to beating him but I didn’t win the match. I’m not going to gloss over and say that I was so close and it was basically a win because a loss is a loss and that’s what it was.
Barbara Walters: What resulted out of your loss?
Eric Price: Well … if I lost, the stipulation was that Fly would resign me but under his own terms and he did … except he essentially gave me the same contract I had before.
Barbara Walters: Did you ever find out why?
Eric Price: I did later on, at the time I foolishly thought he was being an idiot but I later found out he did it mainly because he had too much respect for the World Title and what it represented and he didn’t think abusing his power would prove anything. He figured it would be better for him to remain the bigger man and give me a fair contract … you know, I have a lot to say against Jonny Fly but at the same time, I maintain a lot of respect for the man. He and I have certainly had differences publicly but ultimately, he’s earned his success unlike some people in this business and he deserved his spot.
Barbara Walters: When we come back, we’ll cover Eric Price’s first title defense, the TV Title run of Sarah Twilight, and the first World Title match between Eric Price and Sarah Twilight and all the controversy surrounding it. We’ll be right back.
*The camera crew signals that filming has stopped*
Scene II: The First Title Defense, The TV Title Run, and The Chicago Screwjob – 5:20 PM – Eric Price’s House in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The camera crew is shown cueing in Barbara Walters as filming is about to resume*
Barbara Walters: And welcome back to the Eric Price interview, part two. We have so far discussed having Jeff Purse run over, your leaving WCF for a bit, and your match with Jonny Fly at the beginning of the year. But now let’s move on, at the same time as this was happening, Sarah Twilight had become the Television Champion and you were on your way to your first title defense at Timebomb. Tell us about that time.
Eric Price: Gladly. Sarah Twilight had beaten Terry Roberts for the TV Title in his open challenge, a moronic idea he had to try and elevate himself only to see himself get beaten. Anyway … Sarah Twilight had singles gold but it was not the gold she craved. In public, oh yeah she pretended to love that title and to do it for the fans but in private, she hated that title because in her mind, it symbolized mediocrity and she just couldn’t deal with that.
Barbara Walters: She lost the title just one month after winning it at Timebomb when you cost her the match.
Eric Price: My costing her the match … that was totally my idea … that anger you saw in her eyes was legitimate because she had no idea I was going to do that. I blindsided her that night and I did it because I had grown tired of listening to her complain about holding a title of mediocrity and disrespecting the championship but more than that, to show her that I too could surprise her if I wanted to do so.
Barbara Walters: That month you faced off against Steeltoe Joe in your first title defense.
Eric Price: That’s correct. I don’t know exactly how STJ got named the number one contender to my title but he did, not that I wasn’t happy to accept the challenge. I had promised I would retain the title that night and I did albeit in controversial fashion. That match was very interesting because in the front row, we had a girl named Jenna Stevens who was supposedly Sarah Twilight’s biggest fan invited personally by Sarah to be there.
Barbara Walters: You say supposedly, was she planted there by you or Sarah?
Eric Price: I found out later on that she was put there by Sarah Twilight herself however she was ignorant to all that was happening. In other words, she truly was a huge fan of Sarah Twilight and Sarah just used her for the plan but in the end, her actions and everything were all her own.
*Footage starts playing on TV of when Jenna throws soda right in the face of Eric Price during the World Title match*
Eric Price: The soda incident at Timebomb, I’ll never forget that. That was the most surprising moment I think of my entire career. I never had a fan do that before … just go nuts and throw their drink at me … I was just happy it was a cold drink and not a hot one. But yes, fact is I retained the title by disqualifying myself during that match because Sarah had told me it was imperative I retain it by any method I wished to use. I did what I had to do. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, but it happened.
Barbara Walters: Do you regret that action?
*Eric takes a deep breath and thinks about the question for a moment*
Eric Price: I don’t like to live with many regrets in my life but was that regrettable … yes, yes it was. I knew I could beat Steeltoe Joe but that look in Sarah’s eyes when she told me what to do … it was the kind of look that someone like an Adolf Hitler gives you to try and intimidate you. I wasn’t scared so much as to the consequences of failure as I was focused on simply executing the plan to success for her.
Barbara Walters: So you retained your title controversially and then the following month, Sarah dropped the bombshell on you that she would be facing you for the title at the Explosion pay-per-view at the end of March?
Eric Price: Yes. At this time, Genesis was making a resurgence and Rebellion had come on the scene.
Barbara Walters: Rebellion … you made a parody of them.
Eric Price: Yes I did. Although my intent was completely misunderstood … it was my way I guess of exposing the new talent to an audience because honestly, no one knew who Rebellion was and even now, no one remembers them. They squandered the opportunity I gave them although Morientes and Gable made a personal issue of it with me, in particular Mr. M held it against me. The rest just kind of faded into obscurity.
Barbara Walters: And you also had an incident with announcer Zach Davis.
*Eric chuckles a bit as he remembers*
Eric Price: Yeah … Zach Davis was an interesting man. He’s our play-by-play announcer and he’d been slandering me for so long so I showed him what a wrestling match was supposed to be and well … I kinda left it at that with him. He was out for a week after I gave him a World Title shot because he’s not a wrestler but I was rather firm with him.
Barbara Walters: It was that same night that you faced Zach that Sarah dropped the bombshell on you.
Eric Price: That she did and I was as shocked as anyone there because I had no idea she was doing that.
*Footage plays from the March 10th, 2013 edition of Slam toward the end where Sarah comes out and challenges Eric for the World Title. It shows Eric trying to strike her down with the title only for her to hit him with a Twilight Zone and leave him laying on the canvas.*
Eric Price: Yeah … she completely blindsided me with that announcement that she was challenging me for the World Title at Explosion 2013.
Barbara Walters: She never discussed it with you in advance?
Eric Price: Not at all, the first I knew of it was in that footage you saw of the show, which was airing live from Denver that night. I’ll never forget it either because of how she afterward approached me about it after telling me.
Barbara Walters: This I’m assuming was after the show, after this had happened off camera?
Eric Price: That’s right. We spoke in my hotel room after the show and she basically stormed in and told me and I’ll quote this because I’ll never forget those exact words “Your time at the top is up. I’ve allowed you your 15 minutes but it’s time for the rightful queen of WCF to take her place. You are the beta and I am the alpha and you will do the right thing and give me that World Title at Explosion.”
Barbara Walters: Your reaction?
Eric Price: I was in shock. I mean … I knew the plan was to have her be successful and become World Champion but she was basically telling me to give her the title and that was that as if she somehow controlled me.
Barbara Walters: What did you reply?
Eric Price: I didn’t even know what to say, I remember I told her that I would agree to that and acquiesce to her demands as she knew what was best for the plan.
Barbara Walters: So you were set to just give her the title?
*Eric smirks a bit*
Eric Price: Not exactly. I … I really thought on it and at the time, I also had my association with Gravedigger and Davey Ortega. But even worse than that, one week prior to Explosion, I had to defend my World Title by order of Jonny Fly against Frank Patrick Venable, one of Sarah’s associates. Again Sarah said I had to retain it in order for the plan to work properly.
Barbara Walters: So you went out there and continued to fight for her?
Eric Price: On the surface, yes. In reality though, at that point I was in it for myself and I did what I had to do and with some controversy, I beat Frank Patrick Venable. Yes, I stole the match from him and I admit that but at the time, I justified it to myself as being all part of the plan. But I wasn’t even thinking of Frank Venable at the time, not at all … in my mind was Explosion. It was almost as if Sarah had placed an ultimatum on me telling me that I had to give her the title or else. And I will admit that for a moment, I even contemplated doing just that.
Barbara Walters: So what happened in Chicago?
Eric Price: Well … I played the role of the paranoid champion who was convinced he was losing his title and trying vehemently to convince himself that it was not going to happen … it was less of a role and more of a reality. A lot of people didn’t realize what was going on, not even the Pantheon administration at the time had any idea of what was occurring. At Explosion, I came up with a plan … I talked to my friend Davey Ortega who was set to go through with the original plan of giving her the title but then I convinced him and said what if she didn’t win that night. He was confused but he supported me in my endeavor.
Barbara Walters: So what did you come up with?
Eric Price: Essentially, I knew Sarah would never give up, she would just keep on going and going and going until I really decimated her and I didn’t want to end her career or shorten it in any way. Therefore we decided to go with option B, which was essentially that we would ensure my victory.
Barbara Walters: Colloquially, this has become known as the Chicago screw job. Now comes the direct question to you, did you screw Sarah Twilight out of the World Title on that night?
Eric Price: Before I answer that, let me offer a little insight into what drove my decision. If a man is put into a position that is rather precarious and he’s only left with one real choice to save himself, then he’s not really wrong in making said choice as it’s all he can do. Sarah left me with no alternative as she liked to believe she was holding all the cards but that’s just not true, I was the champion, I was the headliner, I was the marquee, that meant I held the real power so with my friend Davey Ortega, we did what was necessary that night.
*Eric takes a deep breath before continuing*
Eric Price: That night … I knew what we were going to do that night was going to cause controversy the likes of which had not been seen in a long long while.
Barbara Walters: So did Sarah know what you were going to do in the match?
Eric Price: She didn’t have a clue. As far as she knew, the plan was we were going to have the match but eventually, I would lay down and give her the title. It would look realistic but in the end, this was supposed to be her grand moment. No one knew of the arrangement except for Sarah and I regarding me supposedly giving her the title; as far as the new plan, only Ortega and I knew. So … we started the match and did everything as planned and then I bumped the referee, knocking him down. And well … it’s easier if I walk you through the footage.
*Footage from the Explosion 2013 Main Event starts playing on the TV showing Ortega as the referee already as Eric is ducking away from Sarah*
Eric Price: Okay … so Ortega was already the official here as the designated official had been knocked down. She was getting in Sarah’s face here about her using closed fists and then Sarah punches Ortega right in the face and then throws him over the top rope so he’s out of the equation for now. She’s distracted so now …
*The footage continues and shows Sarah throwing Ortega over the top rope and as Sarah turns around, Eric surprises her with a Ca$h Flow executed perfectly on her*
Eric Price: So I surprise her with my finisher and then I get the designated official, Stanley Moser, shake him a bit to wake him up to make the count as I covered Sarah! 1 .. 2 … but not a 3!
*The count is shown and it’s not three as Eric is just downright losing it, nearly pulling his hair out screaming “WHY?! WHY WON’T YOU STAY DOWN?!” to Sarah*
Eric Price: And there you see me screaming at why she won’t stay down. That was all expected but here’s where it all changed. I start beating up senior official Stanley Moser and throw him out of the ring and Ortega is still kind of out but I manage to will him in the ring. Sarah is kind of out so she is not aware what is going on.
*The footage continues showing Ortega dragging himself in and then Eric grabbing Sarah’s legs and placing them in a sharpshooter and even before it’s fully locked in, Ortega calls for the bell awarding the match to Eric Price via submission.
Kyle Steel: The winner of this match and STILL your WCF World Heavyweight Champion … ERIC PRICE!*
Eric Price: Sharpshooter applied, the bell was rung, and I walked out that night still the World Champion. Sarah had no idea what had just happened as Ortega and I rushed out of there. We had a waiting car and everything. So to answer your question … did I screw Sarah Twilight out of the World Title that night? In a word … yes, yes I did. I did screw her out of the title and I’d do it again if given the chance because the fact is, she thought she just deserved to be handed a title but I was not going to do that so I did it mainly to prove a point and teach her a lesson. I didn’t realize at the time the problem I had caused.
Barbara Walters: When we come back, the Aftermath of Explosion, and what led to your purchase of WCF! Stay tuned.
*The filming stops as the camera crew signals for a 5-minute break*
Scene III: She Knows! – 5:45 PM – Eric Price’s House (Back Porch) in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The scene opens up showing Eric Price getting some fresh air on his back porch during the break of his interview*
Eric Price: I screwed Sarah Twilight! Haha … I SCREWED THAT BITCH!
*Eric laughs a bit at this as his phone rings and he picks up his cell phone*
Eric Price (on cell phone): Hello? (pause) Hey Seth, what’s going on?
*Eric puts his cell phone on speaker*
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): She knows!
Eric Price (on cell phone): What do you mean she knows?
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): She knows that it was me that hired you back to WCF!
*Eric smiles*
Eric Price (on cell phone): So?
*Seth responds to Eric with great concern and urgency*
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): SO?! SO?! So she wants my head and is furious over what I did. She’s threatening me.
Eric Price (on cell phone): Seth … relax, she won’t do anything to you. Worst case, tell her I forced you into it with blackmail or something, make her believe that you had no choice in the matter and that you had to do it or something bad was going to happen to you. She may not care but at least she won’t wholly blame you for the situation.
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): So you’re back in War now but she is out for blood with you!
Eric Price (on cell phone): Let that bitch be, I don’t care about her! She stabbed me in the back and you know it and now she’s going to pay. I know I can’t hurt her with emotions but I can certainly take the one thing she so desperately craves and that’s the WCF World Heavyweight Championship! Ironic isn’t it Seth?
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): What’s that?
Eric Price (on cell phone): When I owned the company as EPPW, I never held the World Title and never granted it to myself but yet when the management that doesn’t want me as champion is around, I gravitate toward the title and do it in spite of their constant sabotage. Sarah will be no different and she’s going to have to get used to the idea that she is NOT the best.
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): Well … in all fairness, I do hope that Sarah doesn’t win.
Eric Price (on cell phone): Me either. I want to win don’t get me wrong but I really want to make sure she doesn’t win either. Gotta go, have to finish up this interview tonight.
Seth Lerch (on cell phone): Okay, talk to you after War, good luck champ!
*Eric smiles as he hangs up the phone thinking about the possibility of a second World Title run as he walks back into the house and the scene fades to black*
Scene IV: The Aftermath of Explosion, The WCF Purchase – 6:00 PM – Eric Price’s House in Pacific Palisades, CA
*The scene opens up in the living room of Eric Price once again with the camera crew cueing in Barbara Walters to resume the interview of Eric Price*
Barbara Walters: Welcome back to the Eric Price Interview. Before the commercial break, we were discussing the results of Explosion and how you did in fact screw Sarah Twilight out of the World Title.
Eric Price: That’s correct.
Barbara Walters: What happened after that? What happened to the plan between you and Sarah Twilight?
Eric Price: That’s an interesting one and a story I don’t think anyone but myself and Sarah are really privy to and I doubt she’d share it so I will tell it. Well, after what happened at Explosion, I knew Sarah would be pissed at me. I tried to contact her all week but she refused to take my calls. We had Slam coming up one week after Explosion and I decided to do what I’d always dreamed of doing in this business, I hosted an appreciation night in my honor. Sure, it was egotistical but I had just beaten Sarah Twilight, a feat unto itself!
Barbara Walters: So Sarah refused to talk to you initially after this.
Eric Price: Correct. I however proceeded on as if nothing had happened and all was well, I had no idea what was in store for me that night. You see … she and FPV came up with this plan against me to do two things … firstly, outright humiliate and embarrass me, secondly to secure herself a rematch against me for the World Title. It’s kind of funny now and you’d wish hindsight were 20/20 because if Frank knew then what he knows now, he would have never, ever helped Sarah.
Barbara Walters: So Sarah wanted a rematch against you and she was going to force you into it if need be but you said it was also about embarrassment, what happened or what did they do to you?
*Eric makes an expression of uncertainty while scratching his neck and tugging on his ear as he is clearly embarrassed about discussing what occurred but presses on regardless*
Eric Price: During the appreciation night, Sarah Twilight and Frank Venable came down to the ring, Frank with what at the time I thought was a real gun and well … I’ll let the footage explain it.
*Footage from the April 7th, 2013 edition of Slam starts playing:
Eric Price: (crying and screaming frantically now) THERE! I SIGNED IT! YOU HAVE YOUR MATCH, YOU HAVE YOUR TERMS! YOU HAVE ALL OF IT! ALL THAT YOU WANT! PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME GO!
Sarah takes the contract from Eric, smirking. She gives FPV a nod to let the champ go...however.
FPV: Fuck it, I have to do it!
Sarah Twilight: Frank...No...wait!
Eric's eyes widen and he trembles and screams in terror as his life flashes before him. Eric clasps his hands together and he starts praying. His pants darken in color around his groin and the crowd is laughing at him.
FPV: I'm sorry, Sarah.
Eric Price: OH GOD! I'M GONNA DIE!
Shannan Lerch: I can't watch this!
Zach Davis: Frank...don't do it!
The soaking stains on Eric's pants only grow larger and FPV...pulls the trigger.
Zach Davis: HOLY SH—
Eric opens his eyes as he feels some moisture rolling down his head that is neither his sweat or his own tears...which, he has had plenty of going on tonight. Instead, he sees Frank again pull the trigger and a golden, bubbly carbonated liquid squirts at him. Eric grows red in the face as Sarah, FPV and everyone in the crowd begins to laugh their asses off at him. Gravedigger and Ortega, realizing there is no longer a threat begin back toward the ring, but they are cut off by Prophecy, who hop the guardrail and block their path. FPV now squirts the liquid into his own mouth.
FPV: Damn I love Monster!
Eric looks like he is ready to burst as he realizes he's been had. Sarah motions the cameraman to focus in on Eric as she comments to the capacity crowd.
Sarah Twilight: His name is Mr. Eric Price, and he just pissed his pants!*
*Eric is now shown live during the interview as he knows the footage is rolling with his hand over his eyes in absolute embarrassment*
Eric Price: That was probably the most humiliating moment I’ve ever experienced in my life. It was part of Sarah’s way of getting back at me for what happened at Explosion but what happened after that is even worse. I was forced into a rematch with her even though she didn’t deserve it; at this point the plan was dissolved and it just became a rivalry with myself versus her and I was out to prove a point to her yet again.
Barbara Walters: And that’s when the Aftermath pay-per-view happened?
Eric Price: Yes. In the middle of this too, Steeltoe Joe joined my cause and my group.
Barbara Walters: What brought him into the fold? Weren’t you two enemies?
Eric Price: Not necessarily. We had a mutual disagreement mainly because Tek hated me but in the end, Steeltoe Joe and I never really had an issue apart from Timebomb and that was strictly business. What happened was that Joe had some issues in his personal life and I just happened to be there and wished him the best as I thought any good person should do. He then approached me and little did I know that Genesis wasn’t really supporting him the way they should have. He lost some dear loved ones and I simply passed on my condolences and then he contacted me about joining up with me and I welcomed him with open arms.
Barbara Walters: So he joined you by helping you beat up Sarah Twilight?
Eric Price: Yes, I was proving a point to Sarah that anything she can do I can do better. She had turned Genesis into her own little fan club so I decided to up the ante and steal away a member from the group and I had him go to work. Then one week later, he assault his former “brother” Tek as he so deserved because despite being told what happened, Tek tried to act like everything was fine and that there was no reason for Joe’s legitimate anger. Regardless, Joe was firmly in the camp of Eric Price at the time and then Aftermath arrived.
Barbara Walters: This was the big rematch between you and Sarah Twilight, which according to her was going to be on her terms and you were not told those terms until the actual event, correct?
Eric Price: Yes, that’s correct. She came up with this sick and sadistic concept known as abject humiliation and she made it so that we had to beat each other up so bad until one or the other quit. That is a match I will never ever forget as I was beaten, battered, bruised, and injured. Not only was the match itself awful, I lost the World Title that night and at the end of the match, Jeff Purse returned only to attack me viciously … although truth be told, I can’t say I blame him considering the fact that it seemed that I was the run who ran him over at that time.
Barbara Walters: So that night you lost the World Championship? Did this resolve the tension between you and Sarah?
Eric Price: In her mind at least it seemed to have done so as a little after the match, we were both in the hospital badly beaten. She came up to me however and told me that finally the rightful and real World Champion had captured her trophy and that she hoped this little lesson would remind me who was really in charge of things.
Barbara Walters: So she was asserting her dominance this way?
Eric Price: Essentially, yes. Basically, in her mind she taught me the lesson she needed to and in her own way reminding me that she ran the show and that I should never, ever make decisions unilaterally. On the surface, I didn’t complain match but I knew it was a matter of time with her so I simply kept my eye on her but at the same time, I still held out a glimmer of hope for change in her.
Barbara Walters: Did you try to regain your title?
Eric Price: No. Aftermath really caused me to be injured for a few weeks so I basically sat back the following weeks in terms of wrestling and just took my time off … I was on the show but not in a wrestling capacity. Instead Sarah asked me to redeem myself by fabricating a relationship between her and Jeff Purse to enrage Kari and all I had to do was take pictures of them in compromising positions.
Barbara Walters: Why?
Eric Price: Why did I agree to it or why did she come up with this?
Barbara Walters: Both I guess. I agreed to it mainly to avoid further injury as I was beaten up rather badly; I didn’t particularly think it was ethical to do this but I wanted to make sure I didn’t get more injured. As far as who came up with it, this was all her though I never really understood why she wanted to enrage Kari so bad … I think it was mainly to stir the pot and to make the dagger even more powerful when she turned her back the WCF fans because ultimately, her goal was to win the World Title and then spit in the faces of all the people who supported her along her journey.
Barbara Walters: Why would she want that?
Eric Price: As I said before, she is mentally unstable and she derived some sick pleasure from it, I don’t really know the why further than that.
Barbara Walters: During this time, Jonny Fly started agreeing with a lot of your positions, how did that come to be?
Eric Price: That was simple, I had video evidence, Jeff Purse kept insisting that I ran him over with zero proof and Jonny Fly simply sided with me because I had actual proof, not just hearsay.
Barbara Walters: That makes sense. Now, as he was owner of the company, it can be assumed that you talked to him about buying the company, correct?
Eric Price: Yes. Actually, he approached me first. He was tired of running the company and having to deal with all the work related to being an owner in this crazy business so he decided to say to hell with it and he sold the controlling interest of the company to me!
Barbara Walters: Interesting. What made you interested in buying the company though? You were an active competitor, not a manager.
*Eric chuckles a bit*
Eric Price: Perhaps not but it seemed like a great piece of business to acquire at a decent price and more than that, I knew I could run the company and make it better by the day. So unbeknownst to Sarah and to most people, I negotiated with Jonny Fly and we came to a generous agreement in which I would buy his controlling shares of the company and assume ownership of it at Asesinato De Mayo 2013, which I did.
Barbara Walters: Can you disclose the amount for which you purchased the company?
Eric Price: Due to confidentiality and an NDA, I’m afraid I cannot but it was a good amount of money and I felt it was worth it.
Barbara Walters: Okay, so at this point, Sarah Twilight is the World Champion, Jeff Purse is back but looking for revenge against Eric Price with assistance from his friend and “closer than friends” friend Sarah Twilight as they are also having an affair without telling Kari the truth.
Eric Price: That’s correct. I never felt right about involving Kari or Jeff Purse that way because honestly, I had nothing against them save for Jeff beating me up at Aftermath but that was small compared to being run over a car so I understood his anger.
Barbara Walters: Excellent. Tomorrow night, we’ll conclude part III of this interview, which will include the transition to EPPW, its rise and fall, as well as the reveal of the real Sarah Twilight and your thoughts on her betrayal and how you came to nearly marrying her. Tune in tomorrow night, so long.
*The film crew signals for the filming to cease for the day as the scene fades to black*
