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Ranallo: It is Ranallo on the radio and uh I guess if we go by uh the old saying that you take your childhood pets name and the name of the street you grew up on. My adult movie name would be Sunny Burgess and my guest as this time was known as Gangrel in World Wrestling Entertainment but he has now entered a more respected profession. He’s a director of adult films. It’s my distinct pleasure to welcome David Heath to Fight Network Radio. How are you David?

David: I’m cool man. That’s a heck of a promo there.

Ranallo: So do you think there is room for Sunny Burgess in Miami Rumpshakers 2?

David: ahh…Miami Rumpshakers 2 is about finished but there is another one that is going to start shooting at the end of this month here.

Ranallo: Now first off David like seriously, I’ve followed your career way back since ah actually we do have a mutually territory in common. I got my play-by-play start for wrestling in Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. I know you were one half of the Blackhearts back then. What was that experience like working for the legendary Hart Family,

David: That was wild I mean, I met a lot of great…I learned so much in Calgary. That was one of the territories that is still embedded in my head everything. Bruce Hart…He was ribbing me half the time. That was a total rib but those ribs turned out to be valuable lessons but ah actually that where I lost my first tooth too. Stu knocked it out right before dinner…

Ranallo: I was going to say…did you ever get stretched in the dungeon by Stu because at 86 years old my friend he gave me raccoon eyes. They almost didn’t let me on a plane going back home to Vancouver.

David: I avoided him in the dungeon…it was just right before dinner he came down the stairs and says “what’s Bruce teaching you today” and I said he’s got us working on our punching and uh he goes he punches like a sissy and he grabs me and gave me one right in the jaw. I mean he clipped the tooth and sheared it off the jawbone.

Ranallo: Unbelievable…He is ah definitely…you know one of my all-time favorites and God rest his soul. Stu Hart a legendary promoter and like you say that whole family, you got to ah I guess ah meet all the animals and stuff in the Hart House? You got dinner with the dogs or the cats?

David: I met a lot of Cats …A lot of Cats.

Ranallo: All right. Well…man this is off to an interesting start already Dave. Ahh…what about this decision now to get out of professional wrestling and into the New Porn Order? How did this new career come about?

David: Well…I’m not out of professional wrestling. It’s just wrestling ah…maybe it just gotten too sleazy for me.

Ranallo: The ironic statement of 2007 right there. Unbelievable.

David: But no an opportunity came up. I met Summer Hayes. She was just training to work on a few shows and she said “Ohh would you be interested in directing porno?” and I…I don’t get much get blackballed from wrestling you know. I’ve teeter tottered, I’ve pondered about it and then I said you know why-why not, what do I have going on in my life right now. Kind of slow. I mean I’m still working every weekend out somewhere in Europe a lot but doing this opportunity with them is an opportunity for me ah to be able to stay home in the States a lot because I do about 6 months a year in England so now I could only do like 3 months a year in England.

Ranallo: So what is you know again I’m trying I’m mean…I’m not trying to be facetious here knock ya, I mean a guy has got to make a living and obviously ah…you know...the industry…the adult film industry is a huge industry, a very popular industry. What does it take though to be a director of porn? Like what, what kind of eye do you need to have David?

David: Ah it just…with these here…it’s not as hard as a regular movie. It’s um…it’s a more reality like ahh…the reality shows and more comic. So it’s really more… you’re really letting kind of roll in how it comes out just naturally. Just not a whole lot of too much of acting going on there. Just more of a reality type of deal you know

Ranallo: I’m one of the few people that actually have watch adult films because of the ah script myself I mean… these, these you know gratuitous sex scenes I don’t’ where they come from.

David: I mean they say pirates has changed things you know…it spend 3 million on a set and that but you won’t see 3 million spent on a set I’m on…It’s just all but it is more of a… it is a touch base on comedy and…it ‘s just, it’s just something I wanted to try. I thought what the hell.

Ranallo: Yah and can we, can we expect any wrestling themed adult videos or cameos may be ah some camel clutches by the Iron Sheik? I know he is always looking for a payday.

David: Hey You jabroni, young man. You come here. Oh you have it for Sheikie. I need a payday.

Ranallo: This guy’s great. I love it, I love it. Ah what about, ok here’s one for ya Val Venis? C’mon he’s gotta to be making a cameo?

David: Oh Val Venis well…

Ranallo: Gotta live the gimmick.

David: I mean, it would never put an active um…active ah, somebody active in wrestling still in front of the camera unless it was just like a cameo. Would never be like a sex scene or anything like that. Now Val…Val’s, he’s a pretty conservative guy. I don’t, I don’t, I don’t think he’s in you know into his politics. I don’t know he would walk that avenue anyway.

Ranallo: Yeah well ah tell us a bit ah about the project that you said is just completed Miami Rumpshakers 2. Give us ah, give us a bit about the plot you know, any plot twists and turns and uh…is there a, is there like a cliffhanger ending?

David: Ah no. It’s just different scenes. I’ve only did, on that one I’ve only did directed one scene and it’s just more of a comedy thing and it’s just me starting out. I was just breaking my cherry so to speak you know.

Ranallo: Oh.

David: So it was nothing really fancy on my part.

Ranallo: Popping your porn cherry!

David: The next one is going to be better you know so I’m looking forward to the next one.

Ranallo: So ah, when you say you are just directing the comedy aspects of it I mean what a, like so was it a non-sex scene that you directed?

David: Well no, there’s sex in it but um well I’ll read it to you. I…there is a guy…he had sex with a mannequin in it.

Ranallo: Oh this is getting too close to home. I took a mannequin to grad so please lets stop right there. Lets stop right there dude. Now here is one for you. Do you see a lot of parallels between both your new endeavors the adult film industry and professional wrestling I mean both in the characters that you meet in both industries? Both largely ignored by the mainstream.

David: It’s funny…They really seem to run parallel if you ask me, but the wrestlers and everybody they all really great with it but when you got them around like a, you know WWE which is expect I expect we understand they all of a sudden don’t “oh ah, what do you mean?” They all, you know they not know you all of a sudden you know. But it, I think this is the adult world is being more and more accepted. It’s almost like a trend like tattoos came in.

Ranallo: Right. Now you know they say that the best gimmicks in wrestling, the best personalities if you will are the ones that are closest to the real person; the real personality and ah a lot people might not know this but your…your gimmick of Gangrel, the character you had in wrestling wasn’t very far from David Heath the person was it? You actually do in embrace the Goth lifestyle?

David: I lived it for a long time back in 89 when I first broke in right at right after I came back from Calgary. You know I watched the movie the Lost Boys and I really dug vampires and I was into that. And I was married to Luna Vachon for the longest time, fellow Canadian up there. And ah… she told me it’s cool. So you know we live, we were out at clubs every night you know. I did live that lifestyle. I tamed it down when my kids came along I couldn’t go to school all the time with the PTA meetings. I had fangs bonded in permanent.

Ranallo: I was going to say….David I’m glad that you gave it up when the kids came along. I don’t know if the wife would want to breast feed a kid with fangs.

David: Ahhh…But now the kids are…yeah my youngest one is only…he’s 17 now and the other one is up grown and gone so…this is another reason, this is ok to start into now.

Ranallo: Right. We are talking with David Heath, better known as Gangrel back in his WWE days now directing adult films. And ah when you look back on your career David, what were some of the highlights for you. Was the Brood with Edge and Christian a highpoint?

David: Yeah well with, with Edge and Christian was the highpoint at WWF. I mean I really enjoyed working in Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling there. You had some really good highpoints at Budokan Hall there stuff as the Black Harts ironically enough. But yeah um…I loved the feud with Edge. It was great but um Christian has turned into one hell of a worker hasn’t he? I mean for pound for pound he might be the best guy out there if you ask me.

Ranallo: And I was going to ask you actually yeah about the fact that would you ever back then have a have projected that Edge and Christian would ascend to the spots they currently hold in WWE and TNA respectively?

David: I knew Edge would…cause basically I was there. I think my spot… I know it was my spot. My spot was to bring Edge in and blend him in with all the older guys because I was around so long. So my job was too basically to get him in where he can adapt and transform over because I knew they just wanted um…as a matter of fact Terry Taylor said it best. He said “strap a rocket to his rear end this kid is going to the top” about Edge you know. Christian was the biggest surprise. We used to call him ol’ squeaky wheel and then he turned out to be the damn best worker of them all

Ranallo: That’s awesome. What were some of your other memories? I mean obviously politics play a part, a huge part unfortunately in professional wrestling but were you, did you ever…I mean when you look back now and you’re still in the business you say but when it came to your run in WWF did you feel you were given ample opportunity to be the best you can be the gimmick that you had? Were people holding you back per say? What was it like backstage?

David: Ahh…it’s hard to say. You can speculated on a lot of things because…Vince McMahon, he told me once he would never use the Vampire character and then he gave creative control at one point to Vince Russo which indeed, which caused me slide into that loop hole and then he had a vampire character so I thought like I was probably always working against an up hill battle there because he said you know how many times…you know he was going to take his word back you know what I mean?

Ranallo: Right. Well wait, wait a minute. Are you just …are you putting over Vince Russo that he actually had a good idea?

David: Vince Russo had a huge role with that and the entrance and stuff.

Ranallo: Now I, I joke but I mean you were worked with Vince Russo. I mean, everyone seems to have a horror story when it comes with Vince Russo and especially now a ways with his booking. Obviously he gave you the opportunity to be who you were in WWE but what was he like as a, as a person? I mean does he deserve all the…you know…the hatred he has?

David: You know genius and insanity they run border line. You know what I mean . Love and hate. It’s all there but I what I can say about him is when he was there, everybody had a spot. Even the guy that got destroyed in 15 minutes on Jakk, he got destroyed for a reason. Everything had a reason. Everybody had a storyline. If it was little or minute or whatever, but it all led to something when he was there and everybody had a spot. They had something to do you know and that was cool about Vince Russo. He could be a jerk you know but any boss can be a jerk. You know anybody, anybody in any kind of power any artistic type of person you know it’s weird.

Ranallo: Do you still follow WWE?

David: No. You know honestly I haven’t watched it much at all. I popped in TNA and said hello to some people last week. Matter of fact, I saw old Vince Russo there.

Ranallo: Yeah, yeah that’s right and of course Christian a big star there now as well. What, what do think about the pro wrestling business now days? I mean you’ve been around for a while. You were back in the late 80s as you said a working in Calgary one of the better territories to really cut your teeth as a professional wrestler. You’ve worked in Japan. You had a big run with WWE. What about the pro wrestling industry today? Are you a fan of the overall industry? Do you think with everything’s happening you know the Benoit tragedy, the steroid scandals again?

David: I just miss the territories man; I’m not a big fan of anything going on now. I…Honestly I just wish I can work in Japan and just get on with my life and stay busy but that’s even gotten hard over there. Japan is not even doing well. Mexico is about the only place doing good right now. I do miss the territories. It’s just a bunch of gaga now. I was lucky to get that run in WWF at the time when they were at their peak at the hottest but I mean shortly after that, it just all kind of it just started deteriorating if you ask me. But that’s just my opinion…

Ranallo: Well I, but it seems to be a prevalent one my friend and again, you know I don’t think we are too far apart in age and you know I started very young as well in territory 16 and there were lot of areas for guys in this business whether it was announcers, managers, wrestlers to really get their experience and become big names if given the opportunity. But now it’s kind of the double edge sword. You know Vince expanding in 84, 85 there. A lot more money for the workers but also less positions and now we are see people that are coming you know straight from Hollywood or whatever these…

David: You know sometimes I think they walk through a gym and go “damn he sounds like Bruce Hart” “You kind of a…a big…hey you want to wrestle?” I think that’s all they do. They just go grazing through the Gym and find the biggest monster they can and send him off to developmental and see if they can make anything out of him. I don’t know what’s going on but um

Ranallo: You were recently brought back though to the WWE. You were hired to be part of the ECW promotion and we had heard that you were going to be put in a vampire faction with Kevin Thorn and Ariel.

David: Well actually they gave me, they actually…the last. I’ve been hired back twice in the last two years here. The last time they hired me back, they said your start date is June 13th; you’re going to have like, you’re probably going to be the top babyface or at least you’re going to be in the top four or whatever baby faces in the company we’re bringing in. You’re going to do the vampire thing all over again, do it right. They hired me, told me go home, drop some weight. I dropped down to about 245, 250. Hung in there… then June 13th came, it left.

Ranallo: Who? Who do you blame that? I mean who do you blame for that?

David: I don’t know. I just…

Ranallo: Like Who? I obviously you were…were you dealing with John Laurinaitis?

David: Yeah, I do with John but John has always been a cool with me I know Johnny since back in All Japan back in 89’. So I’ve known Johnny a long time but I just…they got so many people they’re just shuffling things around. They probably had Kevin there already at TV all the time and they just…the women there and it just. I don’t think it really got over so they figure they wouldn’t even go back to that…Beating the dead horse. I mean…with over the Brood and all that but I don’t think he got over the Kevin Thorn thing and they just probably said well this isn’t going to work.

Ranallo: Are you one those gentlemen and performers that would like that one last run or are you content to be directing adult films right now? And working part time?

David: Adult film thing is a totally new thing for me. I don’t know, trust me I know. It’s just um…I’m treading some funny waters here you know. It’s like on the…if I’m out at the Playboy mansion next month and they got me at Vegas for the AVN awards. It’s all new territory but no I’m, no I definitely my passion is always wrestling and um…I’ll always want to be a wrestler. Wrestling, you don’t quit wrestling. Wrestling quits you!

Ranallo: Yeah that’s...isn’t that the truth. You said you stopped by TNA. Any chance of maybe doing something with them down the road now they’ve expanded to two hours beginning tomorrow night?

David: Well…no, I don’t know. You know, there’s a little bit of talk but nothing, nothing from office or anything like that. I just basically stopped in to say hello to Christian and uh Traci Brooks and what not and visit a few people. It was more of a social thing because I actually down there meeting with ahh the people for the New Porn Order to sign that movie deal.

Ranallo: Well I…I just want to say David remember the name Sunny Burgess. Ahh…could be a huge, huge star if you know what I mean. I understand he’s hugely talented.

David: Awsome!

Ranallo: Alright David. It’s been a pleasure talking with you my friend. Best of luck!

David: Thanks for having me.

Ranallo: Yeah and hopefully we see you back in the ring soon.

David: Ok.

Ranallo: Alright. David Heath. Better known as Gangrel, now a director with New Porn Order. This is ah Sunny Burgess. You are listening to Fight Network radio on Hardcore Sports Radio Sirius 186. {plug}