ONLINE INTERVIEWS
The following interview was conducted by Garry White for therocksays.com on 7-20-00
On The Road With Garry White
Independent Wrestling Circuit
Where Hero's Are Made
Today I would like to address a very touchy subject in Professional Wrestling. In my opinion this subject shouldn't even have to be addressed, but you have some promoters and to my disappointment, some wrestling fans, that don't agree with the subject to which I'm about to embark upon "WOMEN WRESTLERS". In this day and age of equal opportunity why does this make people upset. I'm here today to try to set the record straight.
While traveling from city to city, I have a lot of time to ponder the situation. I've had opportunities to witness some of the most amazing athletes in the wrestling business today. I can tell you from personal experience that some of the woman (from now on I will address them as wrestlers) that I have encountered deserve to be in the business just as much as the men, in some cases more so. It's very hard for a man to break into the business, but for a woman it's almost impossible. These wrestlers train just as hard as the men, they take the same bumps as the men, they are asked to do the same things the men have to do, but they will never get the same respect the men get. In my opinion I think this stinks! In the past couple of years Pro Wrestling has seen some changes in this area. Chyna has came along and kind of turned things around to a certain degree, but we as wrestling fans have a long way to go. Because if the fans demand to see more women in this sport, the promoters would have to give them there due respect. I don't mean women like Ms. Elizabeth, Stephanie McMann, Ms. Kitty, Debra, and all the wannabes that has all the looks, but not one ounce of talent. I'm talking about women like Chyna, Lita, Ms. Jackie, Madusa and one of the most dynamic young ladies in the wrestling world today "DAKOTA". And she has so graciously consented to allow me the opportunity to interview her on this segment. In the Mid South area (Tenn, Ark, Ky, and Miss.) she will need know introduction, but to all the other wrestling fans across America please allow me to introduce "Dakota". I have watched her in several matches lately and each match she continues to amaze me. Her athletic ability in the ring is awesome. Her love for the sport shows with every move she makes in the ring. The fans love to see her perform and when her intro music begins the arena goes wild. She is currently the MSWA Women's champion, The WOWF Women's Champion and one half of the MSWA Tag Team Champions, a title usually dominated by men. And in this old wrestling fan's opinion, you can better believe that one day we will be seeing this amazing wrestler on WWF or WCW. She's that damn good!!!! I hope everyone enjoys the interview that I conducted this week, read on and judge for yourself.
GW = Garry White
DK = Dakota
GW. How long have you been in this sport?
DK. I have been in the business a little over 11/2 years now. I have not been in the ring the entire time. I was out with a knee injury for 4 1/2 months.
GW. What inspired you to get into wrestling?
DK. Willie, a young man who was developmentally disabled. Growing up I had watched wrestling with my brother, but after going to college, I played college basketball and did not have time to watch wrestling anymore. I was working as a Recreation Director at a facility for people that are disabled when I met Willie. Willie loved wrestling, and talked about it all the time. So I began to watch it just so I could carry on a converstion with him, and it did not take me long to get hooked again. I took Willie to all the local shows in our area and he soom made friends with all the wrestlers. Because of my size, the guys would ask if I wanted to learn to wrestle. My answer was always the same NO!!! I know how important wrestling was to Willie and I knew he would get a thrill out of seeing me get in the ring, so I finally agreed to the training. Willie never got to see me wrestle, he passed away 8 days before my debut. I soon discovered that it is not just Willie's love for wrestling that I was keeping alive, it is mine as well.
GW. How old are you. (stupid question to ask a lady)
DK. 31
GW. What is your height and weight (boy do I got nerve)
DK. 6'2" 220 lbs.
GW. What other sports have you participated in?
DK. I played college basketball for Williams Baptist and Arkansas State University.
GW. What are some of your hobbies?
DK. I coach special Olympics ( 8 different sports) decorate cakes and play on the internet.
GW. Who is your toughest opponent thus far?
DK. I wrestle against both men and women. There is a definite difference in the competition levels. When I wrestle women, Brianna Starr has been my toughest... We have wrestled all over West Tennessee and Kentucky. Against men it has been in the ring against Naughty By Nature (all 3 of them).
GW. Who trained you?
DK. I began training with local wrestlers in Arkansas, but soon after began training with "Rude" of Naughty By Nature. NOTE: This is another great Tag Team in the Mid South and I hope to feature them here ON THE ROAD real soon.
GW. What wrestler or wrestlers has inspired you?
DK. Chyna, she has set a whole new level of standards for women in this sport.
GW. What promotions have you worked for?
DK. Mis South Wrestling Association (Gibson TN.), NWA Mid South/WOWF (Dyersburg, TN), Old School Wrestling (Harding KY.), Tennessee Championship Wrestling (Brighton TN).
GW. What match would you say was your all time favorite?
DK. My all time favorite match would have to be when I won the MSWA Women title in Dresden TN. on April 8, 2000. I have had several highlights in my career thus far, including winning the NWA MId South/WOWF women's title in Dyersburg, Tenn on June 23, 2000, also the biggest highlight so far was winning the MSWA World Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in Gibson Tenn on July 16, 2000. I was told I made wrestling history with that win. I knew I was the first female to ever win a MSWA Heavyweight Title, but I was told I might possibly be the first female in any organization to ever hold a World Heavyweight Title.
GW. What would you like to see happen in your career?
DK. I would like to make it either to the WWF or WCW.
GW. Are you married? (I like to live dangerously)
DK. No, I haven't found a man that would put up with me. LOL
GW. What's your favorite type of music?
DK. Country
GW. Can you tell the fans which you like best, being a face or heel.
DK. I think the fans can see by looking at me which I prefer, and I will
leave it at that................
I would like to personally thank Dakota for her time and her honestly. Until next time Everyone, give it up for "DAKOTA"
with any questions or comments
