Sam Roberts works as a producer on one of the most listened to radio programs in the country, The Opie & Anthony Show, and is also co-host of his very own radio program called "The Than & Sam Show". He also happens to be a huge wrestling fan and is involved in the huge New York State Wrestling Federation event on April 5th in New Rochelle, NY as one of the guest judges for the boxer vs. wrestler showdown between Larry Barnes and "Sweet & Sour" Larry Sweeney. Sam sat down with Indy Wrestling News and talked about the big event coming up, his love of professional wrestling, and his work in radio. 

For more information on the huge New York State Wrestling Federation show, go to www.nyswfwrestling.com! 

Adam: First off I'd just like to thank you for speaking with us today. You're actually our first interviewee we've had since the site launched in late December, which I'm sure is a career highlight for you! 

Sam: Haha, you bet, it's an honor to be interviewed by you.

Adam: Now you're here today to talk about the big New York State Wrestling Federation show in New Rochelle, NY on April 5th, but before we get to that let's talk a little about you. First, the obvious question is when did you become a pro wrestling fan?

Sam: Well, I've been a pro wrestling fan as long as I can remember.  I have no recollection of one specific time when I opened my eyes and said "wow, this stuff is great," it's just always been ingrained in my life.  I think I was just born with a wrestling gene.

Adam: Ha, I know exactly what you're talking about man. So, growing up and watching wrestling, was there any promotions that you specifically watched?

Sam: I was diehard WWF.  I'm only 24, so aside from GWF and your odd USWA show on ESPN or whatever, the territories were not around when I was growing up.  So it was either WCW or WWF, and for me, WCW was always just a bit below.  Around 1996 I became a huge ECW fan, and stuck with them until their last show.

Adam: Ha, that's exactly how it was for me too. Who were some of your favorite wrestlers growing up?

Sam: The first wrestler I was really obsessed with was probably Macho Man Randy Savage, until he broke my heart and went to WCW.  I was also a big Undertaker guy from the beginning, and in hindsight I always loved the gimmicks like Kamala, Papa Shango, even Repo Man.

Adam: Haha! You know, the Macho Man was in one of my favorite angles growing up. I remember being absolutely horrified when Jake the Snake took out his cobra and had him bite the Mach! You remember that?

Sam: Oh of course, I hated Jake the Snake because of that.  And to think... just a little earlier my heart had gone out to him because of Earthquake killing Damien.

Adam: I know man, I know! And I think Jake has had a hard time forgiving himself, he was despicable! You mentioned Taker, Kamala, Papa Shango and Repo Man. Would you say you were more into the cooky characters in general?

Sam: Yeah, on some level I was (and still am) in to any kind of colorful gimmick, I've always loved a good vignette leading up to a superstar's debut

Adam: I couldn't agree more, unfortunately that doesn't seem to happen much at all these days. What are some of the most memorable angles, incidents or whatever that you remember growing up?

Sam: Well of course the snake stuff, The Warrior getting locked in The Undertaker's casket, I loved Big Bossman's feuds with The Mountie and Nailz.  Of course Shawn Michaels turning on Marty Jannetty, all the early Doink angles, I could go on for a while...

Adam: Oh, I hated Shawn Michaels for putting Marty through the barbershop window!

Sam: Yeah, the visual of Shawn ripping the WWF Magazine picture of the Rockers together has always stuck with me and I never understood why Marty didn't get the breaks that Shawn did later on.

Adam: I know, for some reason I always was a Marty fan myself. I really miss that kind of stuff in todays wrestling, that seemingly genuine blood feud type of thing.

Sam: Yeah, a long, drawn out, arching story line.

Adam: Exactly. I mean that thing went on for years and, at least for me, never got old. I think that was one of the things that made ECW appeal to me, as the Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven feud was something that I would've seen when I was really younger.

Sam: Yeah, well that was a big thing with ECW, especially in the Raven/Dreamer era, as edgy as the content was, it could still bring you back to your youth because it was easy to believe that the story lines were real.

Adam: Totally man. I later became a fan of the old Memphis territory because they lived on that type of stuff. Do you go back and watch some of the territorial stuff?

Sam: Oh yes, you may not know this, but I defeated Mr. Fez Whatley from the Ron & Fez show on XM 202 in wrestling trivia to become XM 202's wrestling expert, I know my history.  I started tape trading in high school to become better experienced with the older stuff, and having WWE 24/7 now doesn't hurt either.  I've always liked World Class the best out of the territories, it just seemed so ahead of its time.

Adam: I did not know that! Totally, World Class was so ahead of it's time, I know that when the two documentaries came out I was really happy to see it get it's due because it seemed like Von Erich tragedies kind of overshadowed how revolutionary it was. So in general, you follow all wrestling, like the independents and foreign stuff?

Sam: I used to be a lot better about it.  Foreign stuff I'm not current on, but I'm not bad on stuff from a couple years ago.  As far as American indies I try to stay as current as I can.  I've been out of the tape trading game for a while, so I end up reading stuff here and there, and trying to get enough DVDs to keep up to date.  

Adam: Back tracking just a little bit, as no conversation about 90's wrestling is complete without this question. WrestleMania 6, who's side were you on? Were you a Hulk Hogan kind of guy, or were you down with the Ultimate Warrior?

Sam: As exciting as the Warrior was, he was still a bit of a new kid on the block, so it would be hard for me to go against Hogan.

Adam: Looking back, after becoming smarter to wrestling, does it astonish you how good that match really is?

Sam: Yeah, it really does.  I guess sometimes when you get the right vibe, the right story, the right time, and the right place, you can pull a good match out of anyone.  It would have been an absolute disaster for a match with that much hype not to be legendary.

Adam: Agreed. We'll talk more about your radio stuff in just a few, but has there ever been an attempt to get the Warrior on one of the radio shows you're involved with? I mean, clearly that would be fantastic radio, am I right?

Sam: Yeah, actually when he came out and said all the homophobic stuff about Heath Ledger after he died, I tried to get him on the phone, but couldn't reach him.

Adam: That is horrible, horrible news. I watched a video of you being fed by Mick Foley, and there was someone on YouTube who left a comment saying "this is the first time I've seen Sam and he's a bigger faggot that (sic) I pictured... no one is that juvenile." Maybe that was Warrior's way of responding to your inquiries? And in a related question, how big of a faggot are you?

Sam): Haha, huge.

Sam, Mick & a Triple H bib

Sam: Well, my hair's not red, I'm not Jewish, and I'm probably not spoiled (but who am I to say). As far as a job, as long as you don't mind working for free and eating shit for a year or so, I could get you an internship.

Adam: Bummer! Now, the video itself is interesting. In it you meet Mick Foley who even feeds you some food. What was more absurd? That, or the fact that there is actually a Triple H bib?

Sam: The Triple H bib did catch me off guard, as did the child sized WWE boxer-briefs they tried to get me to put on. The most absurd thing about the whole situation is probably that I can't just eat a bite of steak like a man.

Adam: That was my next question. I've met MIck Foley and he didn't feed me! What makes you so special, huh? What was that thing about anyway, you just don't like steak? I tried watching the video but I suspected you were going to vomit and that really grosses me out. 

Sam: Well, I have a weird psychological thing and only eat a select few foods, and really can't handle any others (ie steak and rice).  Being the radio powerhouse that The Opie & Anthony Show is, they were able to get Mick Foley to come in and make me prove it.

Sam with Vincent K. McMahon

Sam: No, he really didn't need to introduce himself, and yes, it was intimidating. The WWE treats us really well at O&A, and they sent me and another guy (ERock) to the Wrestlemania press conference last year.  Vince did maybe three interviews, and we were able to get one, which was really just a cheap excuse to get pictures with him. Unfortunately, ERock's picture came out blurry because my hand was still shaking while holding his camera.

Adam: Haha. You've also met Shane McMahon too. When you met Shane did Vince appear out of no where and say "And this is my son Shane", and if not did Shane at least do his little dance?

Sam: Haha, he did neither, but Shane was really cool and easy going.

Adam: That's cool man. Now there's a picture on your MySpace featuring Steve Blackman looking rather stoic. Is that what he does just before he kicks someone in the face?

A rather stoic Steve Blackman

Adam: You must've been going nuts seeing all those old characters back. Seeing Skinner, The Repo Man and the gang really made my night.

Sam: Oh yeah, that was probably the best part.

Adam: And Sunny looking good again! Can't forget that!

Sam: Yeah, I had just met her at a convention a couple weeks before.

Adam: Was that really cool? I mean, she was SO hot during the 90's!

Sam: Oh yeah, getting to see all those characters from the 90's and before is ridiculous.

Adam: So what stuff do you keep up today with? Are there any indy groups out there, or do you just stick mostly to WWE? Pay any attention to TNA at all?

Sam: I watch all WWE, I sometimes watch TNA (I always tape it) but it's really pretty bad.  I like what Ring of Honor is doing, but it's tough to stay up to date, same with Chikara and groups like that.

Adam: What wrestlers are you digging these days?

Sam: Santino I like a lot, CM Punk is one of the few guys I still mark out for.  I like a good HHH match, and always like seeing Balls Mahoney on TV.  Oh, and of course, "Sweet & Sour" Larry Sweeney

Adam: Haha, we're gonna get to him in just a few, but first lets talk a little bit about your radio gigs. I hear you're on the radio or something?

Sam: Ha, well, yes, I'm a producer for The Opie & Anthony Show on XM and Terrestrial radio stations, as well as a host of the Than & Sam Show on XM.

Adam: Opie and Anthony? They are what the kids call "shock jocks" right? I think I saw a movie about them. Was it called "Private Parts"? It was, wasn't it!? Which one's the black chick?

Sam: No, no, you're thinking of the other guy!

Adam: Oh, my bad. The guy who was the narrator for the "Wonder Years" and was one of the robbers in "Home Alone"? He was real good in "Very Bad Things", but I don't know what he was thinking doing "Bushwhacked".

Sam: Haha, yes, of course, Daniel Stern!

Adam: You'd think they could've gotten a better actor than the jabroni they casted as him in that movie, you know?

Sam: Oh, i know!

Adam: So Opie & Anthony on XM? I'm from Vermont where we just got indoor plumbing. I don't even own a computer, I'm at the public library using their trusty Macintosh LC III. So I don't even know what an XM is.

Sam: Ah, well, XM is Satellite radio.  Broadcast throughout the U.S. and Canada uncensored.

Adam: Sweet. What channel are they on? This is clearly their big break, these Opie & Anthony guys. Tomorrow they'll be stars, I'm calling it.

Sam: Channel 202. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Adam: So what's it like working in radio?

Sam: Fun, unpredictable, exhausting, creative, not necessarily in that order.

Adam: And you got started in it as a intern, right?

Sam: Yeah, I was going to school in Syracuse and started interning the summer before I graduated.  I went back to Syracuse for my senior year, but drove back down to New York every time I had more than one day off and showed up to work at the studio.  Once I graduated, I basically just kept showing up until they had to pay me.

Adam: Haha! So in wrestling terms you went from being Isaac Yankem, DDS to Kane?

Sam: Yeah, or Unibomb while I was doing Syracuse radio.

Adam: Oh snap, Smokey Mountain baby!

Sam: I told you I was the expert!

Adam: Haha, I'm impressed! So are the college years what you'd consider to be your Fake Diesel years?

Sam: Sure, that works.

Adam: So now you are a producer for The Opie & Anthony Show. Tell us a little about that and the show in general.

Sam: Well, the show is just guys talking to each other about the way they see things, and exploiting the occasional transient.  I basically have to find a good amount of audio everyday that they can fill their 6 hours a day with (news stories, weird online stuff, etc.) and also to video tape anything that goes on in the studio that would translate visually, and throw it online.

Adam: So, I mean, it's a pretty nice job eh?

Sam: Yeah, other than the 3:15AM wake up calls, it works for me!

Adam: Ha ha. Well they better be ready to give you a raise cause www.IndyWrestlingNews.com is gonna take them to the top baby!

Sam: I should hope so, I wouldn't have granted this interview otherwise!

Adam: See, now you've got the hang of it! You also have your own show too, The Than and Sam Show. Tell us a little bit about that show. I assume it's some show that airs at 3AM on some college radio station in between blocks of Weezer and Modest Mouse music, right?

Sam: Almost, we're part of the Saturday Night Virus, a rotating line up of shows that airs Saturdays at 9pm on XM 202. The website is www.thanandsam.com.

Adam: Get those plugs in man, get 'em in! This XM thing, I'm gonna have to look into it. Sounds like it's on the verge of becoming something big!

Sam: Yeah, we've got a couple of subscribers.

Adam: Now let's get to what this interview is really about. So how did you get involved with the New York State Wrestling Federation show? Did you just kinda hear about it being at your old school and decide to strong arm the promoter into allowing you to appear?

Sam: Well, I've gone to most of the shows that they've done around New Rochelle over the past few years, and when I heard they were coming back, I just called up the promoter and asked if he needed any help.  As luck would have it, he needed a judge.

Adam: Yeah, the judge for the boxer vs. wrestler showdown between "Sweet & Sour" Larry Sweeney and Larry Barnes. Now, I saw a video on YouTube where Larry Sweeney interrupted you. That was kinda rude.

Sam: Yeah, I didn't know where he came from, but I guess he has his ear to the streets.

Adam: He's got to. He's a all-star agent man, he's got his hand on the pulse of the world. He's quite the trip, isn't he?

Sam: Yeah man, he rules!

Something shady is happening...

Sam: Wink?  No, there's too much on the line in this match, and frankly, I wouldn't want my integrity questioned.  This match will be called in a fair and balanced way.

Adam: Both of them low balled you, didn't they?

Sam: I don't appreciate these allegations!

Adam: My apologies, it's just important that we keep the integrity of pro wrestling. Some fake athlete from a fake sport like boxing coming into something real like Wrestling, and rumors of pay offs, it's troubling.

Sam: I know it.

Adam: Have you ever thought about getting in the ring and wrestling?

Sam: Yes, certainly, but I lack the physique and athletic ability.

Adam: Oh, c'mon, throw a hood on you and put you in a Chikara ring and you're all set.

Sam: Well, wrestling fans, stay tuned, you never know what's coming next!

Adam: That's what I'm talking about! That Than guy looks pretty big, you could probably be a tag team or something. Maybe even his manager? Maybe it should be you two against Team 3-D?

Sam: Not a bad idea!

Larry and Sam

Sam: Yes, you'd have to book me on a wrestling show and make me cut a ridiculous promo, and as far as who wins, you never know, but I will say that Sweeney is most comfortable in that wrestling ring, so I might have to give the edge to him.

Adam: Before you go, do you got any stuff you wanna plug one last time? 

Sam: Just the usual, Opie & Anthony every weekday morning on XM and terrestrial radio and Than & Sam on XM.

Adam: Alright man, in all seriousness, thank you for your time, I appreciate it a bunch man! Think about those plugs baby, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours!

Sam: Haha, you got it man, and thank you.