LadySports ::: TARA

Q & A: TARA

"I love being in the ring as a match unfolds around me."

by S. Mata

Sometimes it's easy to forget that when we talk about 'women in wrestling', we aren't just speaking of the wrestlers, or even the managers and valets. More and more often in recent years, positons which had heretofore been almost the exclusive domain of males have begun opening up to the distaff side of the sport. They are still so few in number, we here at LadySports Online like to highlight them when we can.
And so, it's our pleasure to introduce fans to a woman of many talents. Sometimes she's Tara the Referee; sometimes she's Commissioner Tara; sometimes she's Tara Jones, columnist for the Weekly Stunner. But whatever she goes by, she's a tough woman who means business in the tough business of pro wrestling!

The Stats:
Height:  5'3'
Weight:  110 lbs
Age: 27 (28 on December 9th)
Hometown: Sacramento, Ca

LadySports: Welcome, Tara. Can you tell us how you first broke into the business?
Tara: Thank you for having me. "Breaking into the business" is an odd term for any of us TWFers, but I can try. I got back into watching wrestling in 2001 while there was a local wrestling talk show called "Monday Night Crudo". The guests at the first show I was at were The Jake and The Colombian Firecracker from TWF. They were so entertaining, I spent over a year trying to find them on TV. Once I did, my fiance and I started posting on their website and they encouraged us to come out to a taping. At that first taping they desperately needed a referee for the last match of the day. I had seen a young woman named Christina...I had to give her a name check since I wouldn't be here if not for her...referee for another fed, so I thought just maybe I could pull it off. I offered, Jake let me do it, and the rest is history.

LS: Refereeing is a rare job for women in the sport. What is it about being an official which appeals to you?
T: I love being in the ring as a match unfolds around me. There isn't a better seat in the house for watching a match.

LS: What sort of training have you had?
T: Not much I admit. Our former senior official Juan the Ref gave me a little advice before my first match and gave me hints as I went along, but most of it I learned on my own. Most things can't be taught by someone else, like knowing when to make your presence known and when to fade into the background, or knowing which way a wrestler is going to roll after a pin. In terms of training taken into the ring, my dance training has actually been the most beneficial. You would be suprised how many times I have leapt and piroueted around wrestlers.

LS: Being the ref can be physically demanding. Have you ever had to insert yourself bodily into the action in order to break it up and restore order?
T: More times than I probably should. TWF is a no disqualification/no count out promotion so enforcing order isn't easy. I've been attacked on several occassions, more so since I became Commissioner.

LS: Have you ever found it hard gaining the respect of some wrestlers simply because you're a woman?
T: Once in awhile, but for the most part I'm just "one of the guys."

LS: Has anyone ever suggested to you that women don't belong wearing zebra stripes in the ring?
T: Plenty of times jokingly, but there was one person whose place we were taping at that said women had no place in a ring. I had been feeling isolated at the time and wondered if others felt that way, so I ended up taking about seven months off. It was all miscommunication, none of the wrestlers felt that way, and I regret the time that I missed. It did improve the lines of communication, so that is a plus.

LS: What sort of reactions do you get from the fans?
T: The reaction I get from the fans is amazing. Most referees are ignored or hated. The secomd I come out to the ring "Tara" chants start.

LS: You're also now the Commissioner of the Total Wrestling Federation. How did that come to pass?
T: That was all the fans doing. At "Rio Mania" last year I ended up on the wrong side of a Sick Case blow up. I got a black eye, a fat lip and a standing ovation from the fans when I came back out for another match. My popularity began to take off. Last October we had a debate for the Commissionership that I was moderating. The choice was between Dick Pierceall, a hated heel that had tried to run the company into the ground and Colombian Firecracker, a then-lackluster face. The crowd started calling for me to run. I was added to the ballot and won by a landslide. Colombian immediately turned on me and hooked up with my then worst enemy, Alex Morrow .

LS: The job of both a referee and a commissioner is to try and remain impartial, of course. But you're involved in a rather huge controversy with several TWF wrestlers right now. What can you tell us about this situation?
T: Oh boy. Let me start where I left off on the last question. After Colombian and Morrow attacked me during my post-election celebration several wrestlers came to my aid. One was Sick Case. The other two were Raz the Whip and G-Spot, who at the time were trying to be "good guys" after several years of trying to take over TWF. The helped me out again on several occassions, the last time at this year's "Rio Mania". After running off Colombian and Morrow YET again, they asked for a title shot for Raz. Raz deserved a shot, but I was worried about being accused of favoritism. The Jake also wanted a chance at the title, so G-Spot suggested a #1 Contender's Match. Raz and G pulled out a ton of dirty tricks to beat Jake and informed people that they weren't getting anywhere by being nice. Later that night we had our very first Cage Match. After a brutal battle lasting over half-an-hour, Chris Monk won back the title from Michael Nothing. Just after Mike shook Chris' hand, Raz and G came out to ringside and demanded Raz get his title shot right then. I refused, of course. G-Spot then pulled a large knife out and put it right to my throat! I was forced to give Raz his shot right then and there and hand him the title after a short "match". Funny enough, Edge did the same thing on Smackdown after Undertaker and Batista's Cage Match only a few weeks later! G-Spot had implied that I wasn't knowlegeable enough to be Commissioner, but I showed them by immediately announcing that Raz' first opponent would be the man EVERYONE fears, Sick Case. Raz and G proceeded to leg drop me at the next show while Sick Case's partner Anthrax turned on him and joined with Raz and G to form G-Force. Raz gave me a Psychodriver (a nasty modified Death Valley Driver) onto light tubes during the the finals of the Deathmatch Tournament the next night when I didn't count a fall when he wanted it. Sick Case won the tournament and another shot at Raz. This is where the question of impartiality has to come in. During the Scaffold Deathmatch between Raz and Sick Case, Raz was getting beaten like a drum. Sick Case took a moment to prepare his next assault and Raz began to beg me to get him out of the match. He swore up and down he loved me and he was sorry for anything he had done. I almost believed him. I think I wanted to believe him. Then my back started hurting from the Psychodriver and I knew he was full of it. Sick Case turned to me and said "This guy has been picking on you for months, it's time for some payback." He laid out Raz on his knee the way Raz had done to me and I dropped a leg right across his throat. Was it the right thing to do? I still don't know. Obviously it wasn't impartial, but was it warranted? I think so. He had attacked me more than once and I gave him back a small measure of the hell he had given me. Raz and Anthrax just won the Tag Team titles and I was the official for that match and in that case I was impartial. As Commissioner having to hand them power over me hurt, but I was the referee and they won the match fair and square amazingly enough. From here, who knows what will happen?

LS: Pro wrestling remains, to a large degree, very much male-dominated. As a commissioner, have you found yourself stymied by the so-called ‘Good Ol' Boys' mentality in the business? That is to say, are there certain individuals who don't give you your due because you're a woman?
T: Not that much. Some of the guys still don't get why I would want to even be on the show, let alone in the ring. TWF being "hardcore," some people view it as a very macho thing. Most of the time, like I said before, I'm "one of the guys" and my gender is ulimtately irrelevant to my job.

LS: If you had the power to change one thing in the entire business, what would that be?
T: The outrageous focus on size. TWF has people that would be told by just about any other fed around that they are "too small." If a match is done right, David can beat Goliath. Goliath also can beat David. Pushing people that can barely walk around the ring, let alone "know a wristlock from a wristwatch" strictly because of their size has led so many talented people down the steroid track to compete.

LS: If you could make a 'dream list' come true, which three wrestlers in the sport today would you most like to work in TWF?
T: Christopher Daniels, Kenta Kobashi and Alex Shelley.

LS: What is your opinion on women working the business, in any and all capacities?
T: They can work in any capacity they want. There is no reason for them not to.

LS: Who has influenced you the most in your career?
T: Christina, the female referee I mentioned earlier, has to be first. Jake definitely has influenced me. Juan as well. Sensational Sherri was the greatest female star when I was a kid and Molly Holly when I began watching again.

LS: Have you ever given any thought to stepping between the ropes as a competitor yourself sometime?
T: I have wrestled once, against Colombian Firecracker back in January. I'm not the most athletic person so I don't know if I will ever be in condition to be a regular competitor, but I would certainly get back in the ring as a competitor again if asked.

LS: Outside of the sport, what interests you the most? Music... television... hobbies?
T: I'm a total geek. I like playing Dungeons and Dragons and video games. I read a lot. I love hearing my fiance play guitar and sing with him when I get the chance.

LS: Do you have a personal motto?
T: I'm still standing.

LS: Any regrets?
T: The seven months I missed were the seven months when we transitioned from a backyard fed to a legitimate operation.

LS: Where do you see yourself in five years?
T: I would love to say, "In WWE or TNA as the first female referee in the major leagues", but that might be wishful thinking.

LS: What's the one bit of advice you would give to any woman interested in entering the business?
T: If you can't handle bad language and dirty talk, don't do it. You will never make it in a locker room if you are too easilly offended.

LS: Any last words for the fans?
T: Thank you to everyone that has supported me and the TWF as we have grown and matured over the years.

LS: Thank you, Tara, and good luck!
T: Thank you!

pics courtesy of Tara


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