The Wrestling home of Moondog Manson

MBR:: When people talk about legends in the pacific northwest, they usually bring up the name Ed Moretti. Ed has seen it all, and has done it all. Tonight I get to interview him, and find out what this legend...is all about.....

MBR:: First of all Ed, it's a great honor for me to be able to talk with you. I have quite a few things to ask, so in the words of a little skinny bald ref....let's get it on!...

MBR:: Ed I want us to go back in time for a second. I want us to travel to a place where bad feelings might rust in your gut. Let's talk about PWF.....Basically in your own words, tell the world what the real story is behind you and the PWF. From the knowledge I have, PWF was angry at the fact that you either wanted to, or did wrestle for someone else. PWF seems to be known for their antics of not allowing their wrestlers to wrestle for other promotions. Personally it doesn't make any sense to me. I thought Independent wrestlers were..well...independent. ...I think the record needs to be set straight one more time on what it is that went down between PWF and Ed Moretti. Can you please rectify the truth for the fans ??

Ed :: First off, let me say thank you for allowing me this opportunity to do this interview! I think interviews like this are very useful because it sets records straight, and allows the other side of the story to come out. The problems between me and PWF/ICW came up just after the first Tacoma show. Now I have been friends with Tim Flowers for over 20 years, and consider him a good friend. Tim met and became business partners with a guy named Jay Warner who lives in the Tacoma. Tim and Jay started promoting shows under the PWF banner, with the help of Randy Taylor. There was an apparent war going on between PWF/ICW and ECCW. Two other guys who are friends of mine, Randy Tyler & Mike Rosselli had also just started up Wrestleplex. I was very loyal to Tim in this whole situation, but it was well known I had friends in all the different federations. After a few misunderstandings with ECCW, I had made my peace with them, but remained a PWF/ICW wrestler. I had been told by Tim himself that he had met with Starr, and were not partners but had agreed to at least keep the doors of communication open. I thought this was great for Starr and Flowers because both their feds were gonna have to baton down the hatches with the third group Wrestleplex joining the mix. I felt that three groups would stretch the fanbase too thin, and everybody would suffer. I E-mailed Starr, Republic and Silverspoon with my thoughts and best wishes, and called Tim on the phone to also convey my support. I noticed a few days later, that my name was not being announced for the following PWF card in Tacoma, even though I had worked an angle to come back at the last show. I called Tim to ask about it and he said that it was due to budget constaints, and that it was nothing personal. I told him that I was the only one being cut from the card, and to be straight with me and he said that was all there was to it. It didn't seem right, but I believed him. A few days later, I was made aware of an E-mail Jay Warner had sent to someone that said Ed Moretti was fired from the PWF because he stabbed his long time friend Tim Flowers in the back by talking to the ECCW office. Once again, I called Tim to ask what the fuck was up, but was told again it was only due to budget reasons. I mentioned the E-mail Jay had sent, and Tim said he wasn't aware of it. I also reminded him of me telling him on the phone that I had E-mailed ECCW, and he said he had no problem with it as he had recently talked with Starr also. He said his problems were with Stuart Kemp, not Starr. Wrestlers at the following PWF Tacoma show had told me they were told I had been fired for stabbing Tim in the back, and Tim never told them otherwise. Even though he told me otherwise, that was the story out there, and I have never been booked with PWF/ICW since. Since they weren't using me anymore, I contacted the other groups and told them I was available for work. I have since worked a few shows for ECCW and they treated me very good, and I look forward to working for them again. I also believe, since none of us are under contracts, that we should be free to work for anybody who wants us, as long as it doesn't conflict with a previous agreed to event. I still consider Tim my friend, and always will. Its just unfortunate he has some snakes whispering in his ear. He's a good guy, has a very nice lady in Michelle, and I think the world of his daughter Amy, and I hope someday we can straighten this all out, even above and beyond wrestling. I wish Tim and his ICW well.

MBR:: Ed....Pound for pound, who do you think is the best wrestler today in the world ?? Other than Ed Moretti of course.

Ed :: There is NO WAY I'd ever consider myself one of the best….ever! I DO however, consider myself a decent worker who knows his craft, inside and out. You can't love something, spend your life devoted to something like I have wrestling, and not come out of it in a positive way. The Japanese wrestlers are in a league of their own as far as technical skills. On this side of the pond, I think Benoit, Angle, Eddy Guerrerro, Christopher Daniels, and Mike Modest come to mind when thinking of fantastic talent. HHH is coming into his own, also. These guys are all "Total Packages".

MBR:: Now Ed last year you worked for PNCW. For quite a while infact. PNCW then took a "break" from putting on shows. On their return show however, your name was not on the card. I emailed Pete Schweitzer (owner/promoter of pncw) and asked him where Moondog Moretti was. I was bummed at the thought that you wouldn't be at the next show, in which of course I would be attending. Pete emailed me back and told me that you and Buddy Rose decided to not work with PNCW again, as long as The Grappler was with PNCW. Now I know why Buddy quit working with PNCW...but the question is, why did you Ed ?? Was it because of creative differences with The Grappler ?? Or did something else make you want to stop working for Pete ??

Ed :: When Pete hired the Grappler to book his shows, I was very leery! Grap had booked for Don Owen in the last days of the Original Portland Wrestling, and I had felt that I had gotten the shaft during his tenure. I knew I was being punished for my alledged stooging to the commission, and they treated me like dirt. I would have done the same thing to someone else if they were a stooge. The difference was/is is that they have/had no proof…..it was all accuasations. They needed a scapegoat for all the problems they created, and I guess I was it. I had been through enough fucking hell, so I decided I wouldn't put myself in that position again. Nowadays, Grappler and I get along, but I live by the rule "a smile is just a frown turned upside down".

MBR :: Ed, do you ever vision yourself working for John Lucarelli and SWS/WCP ?? There's a lot of controversary surrounding him as of late, and most of the wrestlers I talk to say they don't want anything to do with him. What's your take on John, and his promotion ??

Ed :: My take is this….I'm an independent contractor…..nobody owes me nothing, and I owe nobody else nothing. If a promoter calls me up and we come to terms, and the dates are open, my ass is there…..100%! I have been booked by SWS/WCP on one occasion, but was mysteriously cancelled out. I'll stay optimistic…for now.

MBR:: Ed I don't really follow APW. I know you have wrestled with them before however. I also heard that while there, you managed to snatch the APW title, but you only had it for about 10 minutes. What was the reasoning behind this ?? Was it a salute to you and all that you've done for this business ?? Or something else ??

Ed :: I have been friends with Roland Alexander( who runs APW )for over 30 years. We used to see each other at the matches when we were kids. He brings me in for shows when he can, and when my schedule allows. Most of the guys in APW are like extended family. I was booked to wrestle Honky Tonk Man for the APW Title, but for his own reasons, didn't show. They awarded me the belt on forefit, and I lost it later that evening to a fantastic wrestler and great guy, Funboy Donovan Morgan. He deserves it…hard worker….good attitude!

MBR :: Ed, whose the biggest name in this business, that you've wrestled against ??

Ed :: I wrestled all over the world against many big names. I guess my biggest match career wise would have been against Flair at Gay World Stadium in Singapore…1984. I got to wrestle my idol Ray Stevens on an AWA show in Oakland, California in 1980 or 1981. That was a bigger thrill to me than working with Flair. Both those guys "took me to school"!!!!!

MBR :: I've heard that you either currently do, or have,....served on the Oregon boxing/wrestling commission. Oregon fans are wanting the WWF and WCW, etc...to come to Oregon. Do you see the commission lowering it's strict rules of pro wrestling anytime soon ?? The fans really want to see the big leagues make a return to Portland, do you see this ever happening in the future ??

Ed :: That's true, I did serve on the Oregon Boxing and Wrestling Commission for about a year. I figured hell, they accused me of being THE STOOGE anyway, so when the State Police Superintendant called me up and asked if I'd be interested in sitting on the panel, I said yes. They had no representative from the wrestling world, just all old boxing guys, and they knew absolutely nothing about wrestling, and even looked down on it. They were jealous because wrestling drew more than boxing, although they loved seeing the tax money come in from the gates. WWF and WCW won't come here because of the drug testing. They also want to run in the Rose Garden as opposed to the Memorial Coliseum, and the Rose Garden has strict policies regarding the use of pyro. Outside of the once-a year drug test, the rules have become almost a joke now, and I even feel now that there is no need for a commission. It is also common knowledge (but rarely admitted) that the last couple of times WWF came to Portland, the building wasn't even half-full. Fans here don't want to admit that, so they just blame the commission. The thing people need to remember is….its not the commissions job to promote the sports they regulate. They are to regulate whatever is promoted. These days however, that too is a joke!

MBR :: Ed...if you could...please name some of the promotions you've worked for. For the sake of your time, just name a couple that the fans might be familar with.

Ed :: Portland Wrestling, ECCW, ICW/PWF, All Star Wrestling(Tomko), All Japan Pro Wrestling, Atlantic Gran Prix Wrestling, PNCW, OWF, APW, Big Time Wrestling, World League Wrestling, NWA Central States, just to name a few. In 23 years, its been lots.

MBR :: I'm sure that in this business you've made a lot of enemies, and a lot of friends. Who are the friends in wrestling that you still keep in contact with ?? Past and present.

Ed :: Yes indeed, I made a lot of good friends over the years, and I love em' all!!! Sure, there are guys I have no use for, and wouldn't pee on them if they were on fire, but I don't consider them enemies. I can't think of anyone I'd consider an enemy, but maybe they'd see me as one. That's their loss. We are all brothers in this business, just some of them you get along with better than others. My friends are THE BEST, and they know who they are.

MBR :: Ed you've been in a lot of matches, and have had a lot of good matches. I'm sure it would be real hard to pick just one match that you worked that you would call your favorite. But...that's exactly what I'm asking you. What is Ed Moretti's greatest match of all time ?? Where, who, when, and how.

Ed :: My greatest match to me would be the one with Ray Stevens. I was in heaven, and when he came up to me after and shook my hand and said "hellava match kid, you followed my every move…thanks kid" I knew I'd made it.

MBR :: Ed please describe your relatsonship with Lonnie Mayne....

Ed :: Lonnie came to wrestle in California in the mid-seventies, and I loved his style. He was a great heel, and very unorthodox. I copied lots of Lonnie's mannerisms and his bumping style. My whole style is made up of about ten different wrestlers, with lots of Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson in there, but mostly there is Lonnie. We became friends after awhile, and when he found out I was trying to get into the business, he was very encouraging. He also made me feel very welcome once I got in, and could always find a way to make me laugh when I'd get down. Even though he's been dead since 1978, he still can when I think of him. A few years after his death, and I felt I was ready, I took the name MOONDOG out of respect for him, and everything he'd done for me…knowingly and unknowingly. I didn't copy him, but used some of his "stuff" and added some "stuff" from others and in Idaho in 1980, Ed Moretti became Moondog Moretti. He was the original Moondog, and there will NEVER be another like him. I still miss my friend Lonnie, everyday.

MBR :: Well Ed it's been my honor doing this interview with you. I hope we can do it again sometime. ...To find out more about Moondog Ed Moretti, or to just talk to him...email him at... Vndlayind1@aol.com