#kentucky | sh*tloadsofwrestling (2024)

sh*tloads Of Wrestling Interview: Cortland Moore[April 16th, 2018]

Wrestling fans from Owensboro, Kentucky are more than familiar with Cortland Moore. The former evil spokesman turned beloved manager is a focal point of the World Wrestling Alliance, where Moore serves as the manager of Alexander Knight, Kahaji Khan, and even“The Wild Eyed Southern Boy” Tracy Smothers. Moore has been managing for six years and has shared the squared circle with the likes of“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Tatanka, The Hurricane, Rikishi, Brian Christopher, and Carlito, among many others. Whether he’s putting his hands on wrestlers behind the referees’ backs or simply getting slugged out for his trouble, Cortland has guaranteed responses from every crowd he’s been in front of. SOW sat down with Moore for this very cool interview learning a lot about the manager, who’s also an aspiring audio engineer and musician with Type 1 diabetes.

SOW: Every wrestling manager has a story where their fascination with wrestling started by watching wrestling, but at some point, their calling became managing. Do you remember the exact point that you knew you wanted to be a manager?

Moore: Growing up, and still to this day, Stone Cold Steve Austin is my number 1 reason for loving professional wrestling. It wasn’t until 2012 when I joined the World Wrestling Alliance, that I found managing to be something I could do, and do well. It really helped me in the long run. As a Type 1 diabetic, I haven’t always taken the best care of my body, so managing has been less taxing on my body than, say, getting in the ring!

SOW:What are some lesser-known managers that you studied while crafting the man people know you to be?

Moore: There was one specific gentleman that really struck a chord with how he presented himself and how he came across to the fans. His name was Benjamin Bedford and he managed a gentleman named ‘The Mauler’ JB Payne. The suit he wore, the facial expressions, they really impacted me for the better.

SOW: If you were signed to the WWE right now and they allowed you to choose what wrestler you would manage, who would it be, and why?

Moore: There is so many people right now in the WWE that I’d love to manage. If I had my pick, I’d go with Asuka. She’s undeniably a force in the ring and a huge personality. To be the mouth piece for her would be huge. Not to mention, how different it would be to have a male manage a female in the ring. That’s not too common these days. (Editors note: Has he seen my work!?)

SOW: Every manager has that one moment that someone FINALLY got their hands on them and just laid them out. What would you say your biggest moment in that regard has been?

Moore: Having been in the receiving end of a few beat downs, I’d say my biggest moment was the end of 2012. The match was Alexander Knight, who I managed, versus Dakota France. The stipulation was that if Alexander Knight lost, Dakota got 5 minutes alone in the ring with me. Of course, Dakota goes on to win the match. I hadn’t been touched since I had debuted, so when he finally hit me with a superkick, then fans went crazy.

SOW: Do you have any specific interactions with fans that stand out more than others?

Moore:Yes. Yes I do. Often times, it’s easy to grab a fans sign and rip it up right? Easy enough. As I’m making my way around the ring I see a poster primed and ready to be ripped up. I go up to the fan (who’s about 12-13 years old), grab the poster and rip it up, throwing it in the ground to stomp and spit all over it. Little did I know, she had this poster signed by her favorite wrestler (Dakota France). I heard about this poster and how much the fan and her parents hated me for the better part of 2 years. It worked out for her in the long run because Dakota gave her a signed pair of sunglasses!

SOW: There's always at least one wrestler that every manager would love to slap across the face. Who is that, for you?

Moore:Oh man, there’s quite a few I’d like to smack some sense into. I’m going to say Chris Waddell, aka CCW. Mainly due to the fact that everyone wants to slap their boss every now and again right? He deserves it for putting a stipulation in a match that if Alexander Knight lost, I’d have to wear a French maid dress. Which I wore for a good part of like 3 months!

SOW: What's the biggest struggle of being a wrestling manager?

Moore: I’d say the biggest struggle is trying to find your place in the match, on the microphone, and in the show in general. You want to be out there and get the attention but not take away from your client and from the match itself. It’s tricky to do so but very fun when you accomplish it.

SOW: Being Cortland Moore means meeting a lot of people you aren't going to get along with for one reason or another. Does that ever affect you, and do you think that your role on an event gives you an automatic sneer from a lot of the wrestlers?

Moore:I feel sometimes that I get looks from people because I help out in other capacities back stage. Almost like people think I get special treatment because I have other things I do. I have to earn my spot on the cards just like anyone else. I don’t let it bother me, because at the end of the day, the show must go on and we are all there to do the same thing, which is: entertain.

SOW: When told that you have some mic time, do you prefer to practice with bullet points or just let the words flow?

Moore:I like to just go with the flow. That’s not to say that I don’t have bullet points. I usually know within a few points what I’m going to say. But off the cuff is so much more fun! A live microphone is a dangerous yet fun tool. Depending on how you use it, you can elicit any range of emotions from love to hate, happiness to sadness all while making sure that the people know what’s happening and how it’s going to happen.

SOW: If wrestling fans wanted to boo Cortland Moore in person, where can they do so next?

Moore: I’d like to hope they cheer me! They certainly did back in March at the World Wrestling Alliance event called The War! Right now, you never know where I am going to turn up! I bet if everyone shows up, Cortland Moore signs in hand and chanting “We want Cortland!”, that we can make something happen! I haven’t gotten out a lot lately and ventured to other wrestling promotions. I’ve pretty much stayed WWA my whole career. So for now, if you want to see me act a fool or get beat up, go over to YouTube and find the World Wrestling Alliance on there, you can certain catch some episodes of the Hysteria program with me on them! Is that a shameless plug?

Oh here’s some more! Check out the World Wrestling Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube @ WWAISNOW. There are a lot of cool WWA shows coming up and who knows where I’ll show up at or who I’ll show up with!!