Welcome to a brand new deep dive. I am incredibly
eager to get into today's material because we
are unpacking a story that completely defies
almost every conventional rule of career progression.
It really does. Yeah. And if you're joining us
today, you probably know the mission by now.
We take a stack of information biographies, historical
timelines, career retrospectives, and we extract
the absolute most compelling insights. We look
at the mechanics of how things actually happen
and what it all means for you. Exactly. And today,
we are tracing the life of Patrick Joseph Michael
Kenny. Now, depending entirely on which lens
you view the world through, you might know him
as an executive in the corporate marketing sphere,
or a highly recruited baseball prospect. Or,
as is most likely the case, the man who navigated
the incredibly volatile, often blood -stained
canvas of professional wrestling. Right, to become
the legendary Simon Diamond. It is a truly remarkable
narrative. We are working primarily from a comprehensive
biographical overview detailing his life, spanning
from his birth in 1968 in Wilmington, Delaware,
all the way to his current executive roles in
the modern wrestling industry. Yeah. But what
makes this material so rich isn't just the sequence
of events. It's the connective tissue between
these wildly different phases of his life. OK,
let's unpack this, because the sheer improbability
of his trajectory is what makes this so compelling.
We are talking about a man who essentially lived
three or four completely distinct professional
lifetimes within a single span. You have the
structured world of elite athletics, the polished
environment of corporate America, the chaotic
independent wrestling hustle, and finally the
executive boardroom of a major wrestling promotion.
It reads less like a biography and more like
a series of completely different novels featuring
the exact same protagonist. What's fascinating
here is how specialized skills from one domain
can unexpectedly fuel success in an entirely
different, seemingly unrelated industry. Yeah,
totally. When you analyze him, you really shouldn't
look at him purely as a sports entertainer. You
have to look at him as a master of reinvention.
Right. The discipline and strategic thinking
required for high level baseball, the psychological
understanding of consumer behavior derived from
corporate marketing, the narrative structure
learned from an English degree. None of these
were random detours. No, not at all. They became
the exact tools he weaponized to survive and
ultimately thrive in in the notoriously unpredictable
cutthroat business of professional wrestling.
That concept of weaponizing past experiences
is going to be the central thread here. So let's
go back to the very beginning and look at his
early life, specifically his time on the baseball
diamond. OK. So he was born in Wilmington, Delaware,
and attended the Selizianum School for Boys.
Which is an important starting point, actually.
How so? Well, a private all -boys Catholic preparatory
school like Selizianum is traditionally a very
structured, rigorous environment. instills a
specific type of discipline, both academically
and athletically. Right. The expectations are
very high. Exactly. And the culture is generally
focused on producing highly competent, driven
individuals. That foundational discipline is
critical to keep in mind as we watch him navigate
the chaos of his later career. And that discipline
clearly manifested on the baseball field. He
graduates high school in 1986, and right out
of the gate, he is presented with an immediate
life -altering proposition. This wasn't a minor
league development deal. No, it was the real
deal. It was. The San Diego Padres, a major league
baseball franchise, approached him with an offer
to play professionally as a catcher. That's huge.
I want you to really put yourself in those shoes.
Imagine being 18 years old, you've just finished
high school, and a Major League Baseball team
hands you a contract. For millions of kids, that
is the ultimate unattainable fantasy. It is the
absolute pinnacle of childhood sports dreams.
But this is where we see the first major pivot
in his life, and frankly, it speaks volumes about
his psychological makeup and his foresight. You
turned it down. He made the conscious decision
to turn the San Diego Padres down. He rejected
the major league contract because he wanted to
pursue a college education first. It's crazy
to think about. I think we need to pause and
really analyze the extraordinary level of maturity
or perhaps calculated pragmatism required for
an 18 year old to walk away from professional
sports money and prestige. It's almost unfathomable.
If you hand the average 18 year old athlete a
pro contract, they're assigning it before you
even finish explaining the terms. The allure
of major leagues is blinding. Precisely. But
consider the position he played. Catcher. Playing
catcher is arguably the most highly strategic
position on a baseball field. The catcher is
the field general. They call the pitches. Right.
They have to understand the psychology of the
batter. They have to manage the emotional and
physical state of their own pitcher. And they
have to maintain a constant real time awareness
of the overall state of the game. A catcher doesn't
just react. A catcher anticipates. Yes. He clearly
possessed that strategic, anticipatory mind even
at that young age. He seemed to recognize that
an athletic career is inherently fragile and
fleeting. Because injuries happen. Exactly. Whereas
a formal education provides a permanent, immutable
foundation. He was playing the long game before
the long game even started. That is a brilliant
way to frame it. He was looking past the immediate
gratification. So, he takes the road less traveled.
He does. He takes a job bartending at a sports
bar called Out of Bounds to presumably make ends
meet. And meanwhile, he attends Virginia Commonwealth
University VCU on a baseball scholarship. So
he has an abandoned baseball. Right. He's just
leveraging it to secure his education. He continues
to play at a high collegiate level, but he is
concurrently earning a bachelor's degree in English.
Which adds another fascinating layer to his intellectual
development. An English degree is not just about
reading classic literature. What is it about?
It is essentially the intensive study of narrative
structure, communication, human emotion, and
persuasion. You are learning how stories are
built, how characters are developed, and how
audiences are manipulated through language. And
if there is any industry that relies entirely
on narrative structure, character development,
and manipulating an audience, it's professional
wrestling. Oh, without a doubt. We will definitely
see how that pays off later. But at the time,
his original plan His plan A was still focused
on the baseball diamond. Right. The goal was
to get his degree, secure his backup plan, and
then finally go play professional baseball. He
had the talent, he had the pedigree, and he was
ready. But then tragedy strikes. The injury.
He suffers a severe shoulder injury. For a baseball
player, and specifically for a catcher, a severe
shoulder injury is often a permanent death sentence
for a professional career. It's devastating.
The sheer mechanics of catching the constant,
rapid, high velocity throwing to second base
to catch base stealers, the physical toll of
framing pitches, the collisions at the plate.
Yeah, it all relies entirely on shoulder stability
and strength. When that goes, your utility to
a major league franchise drops to zero. And just
like that, the dream he had meticulously planned
out, the dream he had delayed in 1986 to get
his degree, was completely over. It vanished.
He was forced to reconsider everything about
his future. And this is where I want to connect
this directly to you, the listener. Think about
your own life and career. Have you ever had a
meticulously crafted Plan A completely derailed
by forces outside of your control? Most people
have at some point. Right. We all face moments
where the path we've plotted out is suddenly
blocked by a macroeconomic shift. a layoff, or
in this case, a physical injury. The psychological
resilience needed to pivot after a dream ending
physical trauma is immense. He could have easily
spiraled into bitterness. He had the elite talent.
He literally had the MLB offer previously, and
it was taken away by a physical limitation. But
instead of letting that closure define him, he
adapted. He looked at the assets he still had,
his degree, his intellect, his communication
skills, and he shifted his entire trajectory.
Which brings us right into the corporate world
of the early 19... By 1991, he is no longer a
baseball prospect. He is working as a marketing
executive for PepsiCo. It is a logical, albeit
drastic transition. Very drastic. From the baseball
diamond to the corporate boardroom of one of
the largest food and beverage conglomerates in
the world. But it makes sense when you consider
his background. How so? He has a degree in English,
so he understands communication and messaging.
He has the rigorous discipline of an elite athlete,
which translates very well to the competitive
environment of climbing a corporate ladder. He
understands how to position a brand. Exactly.
Here's where it gets really interesting. because
while he is working this comfortable corporate
job for a massive global brand, wearing a suit,
enjoying a stable income and benefits, he is
introduced to a local professional wrestling
trainer named Jim Kettner. And something just
clicks. A spark is ignited and he decides he
wants to become a professional wrestler. It is
on the surface a baffling leap. It really is.
I mean, think about the contrast. You are an
executive at PepsiCo. You are dealing with marketing
campaigns, corporate synergy, and board meetings.
Right. And you look at the grueling, physically
demanding, frequently dangerous, and often chaotic
world of 1990s independent professional wrestling.
And you say to yourself, yes. That is the career
path for me. But if we look closely beneath the
surface, the dots do actually connect in a profound
way. Okay, let's connect them. He begins training
under Jim Kettner in Salem, New Jersey. Now,
Jim Kettner was the driving force behind the
East Coast Wrestling Association, or the ECWA.
For context, the independent wrestling circuit,
often just called the Indies, is essentially
the minor leagues of professional wrestling.
It consists of smaller regional promotions. Yes,
where wrestlers learn their craft, perform in
front of smaller crowds in high school gymnasiums
or armories, and try to build a name for themselves
in hopes of getting noticed by the major national
television companies. a gritty, unglamorous proving
ground. Exactly. And once his training is complete,
he makes his debut in the ECWA. He adopts the
ring named Lance Diamond, and he starts teaming
up with another young, hungry wrestler named
Steve Carino. And here is where we have to address
why a PepsiCo marketing executive would excel
in this bizarre world. To understand this, we
have to define what professional wrestling actually
is at its core. It is not just simulated combat.
No, it is athletic performance art seamlessly
combined with high level real time marketing.
That's a great way to put it. Every single time
a wrestler steps through the curtain, they are
essentially a living, breathing brand attempting
to elicit a specific emotional and financial
response from a live consumer base. That is a
fascinating synthesis. So his background at PepsiCo
wasn't a departure. It was directly applicable
training. Absolutely. His corporate marketing
background combined with his bachelor's degree
in English gave him a massive, almost unfair
advantage over the typical indie wrestler. Because
wrestling is fundamentally about selling tickets.
Selling tickets, building a compelling personal
brand, and manipulating the emotions of an audience.
It relies heavily on promos. Which are the spoken
interviews and monologues wrestlers use to advance
storylines. Right. And it relies on deep psychological
manipulation during the matches to get the crowd
invested. So a performer who deeply understands
corporate marketing strategy. And who understands
narrative arcs and character motivations from
an English degree. They are going to grasp wrestling
psychology. infinitely faster than an athlete
who only knows how to execute a suplex or a drop
kick. Exactly. He understood the why behind the
moves, not just the how. He knew that a wrestling
match is just a story told through physical action,
and he knew how to tell a story. He wasn't walking
into the ECWA locker room. Just as a fan of the
sport, he was walking in as a seasoned marketer
who knew exactly how to package and sell a product.
And in this case, the product he was selling
was himself Lance Diamond. And that strategic
analytical mindset quickly pays dividends. He
doesn't languish at the bottom of the card. He
begins to rapidly ascend the ranks of the independent
circuit. Because he stands out. His character
work and his understanding of audience manipulation
are far more refined than his peers, which perfectly
positions him for the massive shift that happens
next. We move into the late 1990s, specifically
May of 1998. OK, the independent grind pays off
and he is officially hired by Extreme Championship
Wrestling, universally known as ECW. That's a
huge milestone. Now, for those who might not
be wrestling historians. We have to provide some
context on what ECW was in 1998. It was not a
polished corporate product. Not at all. It was
the gritty, rebellious, hyperviolent alternative
to the mainstream wrestling giants of the era.
It was characterized by broken tables, barbed
wire, incredibly passionate and demanding fans,
and a counterculture ethos that completely revolutionized
the industry. Getting hired by ECW in 1998 meant
you were stepping onto the bleeding edge of the
industry. It was the most creatively influential
promotion in North America at the time. It was
a pressure cooker environment where only the
most adaptable and compelling characters survived.
His very first match for ECW takes place in York,
Pennsylvania against a highly athletic wrestler
named Nova. Right. But the truly pivotal moment
for his career identity comes a few months later
in August 1998. This is when the Lance Diamond
persona, the character he had built from scratch
on the indies, is permanently retired. He officially
changes his ring name to Simon Diamond. And the
origin of that specific name is incredibly telling
regarding his integration into the culture of
the business. It really is. He chose the name
Simon as a direct homage to the real legal surname
of his mentor. The legendary wrestler Dean Malenko.
Yes. Dean Malenko's actual birth name is Dean
Simon. I find that detail so striking. Professional
wrestling is a business literally built on deception,
on hiding behind larger -than -life characters
in fictitious aliases. Exactly. For him to take
his mentor's actual legal family name as his
own stage name is a massive statement. It signifies
a profound level of respect and highlights the
crucial importance of mentorship in the wrestling
business. Because wrestling operates heavily
on an oral tradition. Passing down knowledge,
psychology, and technique from one generation
to the next in the locker room and on the road.
For him to publicly adopt his mentor's real name
shows a deep understanding of the heritage of
the sport. It's a signal. It tells the locker
room, the promoters and the deeply knowledgeable
ECW fan base that he is a serious student of
the game. It says, I am endorsed by and I am
honoring Dean Milenko. Who was widely regarded
as one of the greatest, most technically proficient
wrestlers on the planet. It immediately grants
him a level of inherent credibility. And once
he becomes Simon Diamond. he really starts to
lock into his persona. Fast forward a bit to
May 2000. Okay. During a tournament to crown
new ECW World Tag Team Champions, he is paired
with a wrestler named Swinger. Now, in modern
wrestling, tag teams are often thrown together
for a few weeks and then forgotten. Right, they
break up constantly. But this alliance with Swinger
was not a fleeting storyline. This tag team partnership
would endure for five consecutive years. In the
transient chaotic landscape of professional wrestling,
a five -year contiguous partnership is practically
an eternity. It is incredibly rare. It indicates
two things. First, that they had an undeniable
organic chemistry both in the ring and in their
promotional interviews. And second, it shows
that the fans consistently bought into their
dynamic. A promoter isn't going to keep a team
together for half a decade if it isn't generating
a reaction and selling tickets. They were a well
-oiled machine. and they even expanded their
ranks. By mid -2000, Diamond and Swinger joined
forces with another ECW standout, CW Anderson.
Right! And together they became a formidable
faction, really ascending the ranks of the ECW
promotion. Diamond was firing on all cylinders,
utilizing his marketing brain to generate massive
reactions from the notoriously tough ECW crowds.
He knew exactly how to push their buttons. But
as anyone familiar with the economics of late
90s wrestling knows, the good times in ECW were
built on a crumbling financial foundation. Yes.
Despite its massive cultural influence and rabid
fan base, Extreme Championship Wrestling was
hemorrhaging money. By early 2001, the company
was staring down the barrel of total bankruptcy.
It is the complete collapse of an era. The company
he worked so hard to reach is physically falling
apart around him. Paychecks are bouncing, the
television deal is lost, and suddenly he is forced
to urgently seek employment elsewhere. He needs
a lifeline. And he almost lands the biggest life
raft possible. He begins direct negotiations
with world championship wrestling WCW, which
is backed by Time Warner and was one of the two
massive national giants. He was dealing directly
with a key WCW executive named John Laurinaitis.
It looked like he was going to successfully make
the jump from the sinking ship of ECW straight
into the corporate stability of WCW. But then
the rug is violently pulled out from under him
and the entire industry once again. The negotiations
abruptly fall through. Why? because in March
2001, the World Wrestling Federation completely
purchases WCW. If we connect this to the bigger
picture, you have to fully grasp the sheer terrifying
volatility of the professional wrestling industry
during this exact winter of time. It was unprecedented.
The Monday Night Wars, the massive boom period
where WWF and WCW battled for supremacy was over.
In the span of just a few months, the two biggest
alternatives to the World Wrestling Federation,
ECW due to bankruptcy and WCW due to a corporate
buyout, both ceased to exist as independent entities.
The industry went from a thriving, competitive,
lucrative marketplace with three major national
companies employing hundreds of wrestlers to
an absolute unassailable monopoly. literally
overnight. It was an extinction level event for
wrestling jobs. Hundreds of incredibly talented
performers were suddenly scrambling for work
in a landscape where the primary employer no
longer had any competitors. Exactly. When a monopoly
forms in a highly specialized field like this,
the leverage completely shifts away from the
workers, the independent contractors and consolidates
entirely with the corporation. If you weren't
one of the lucky few absorbed into the WWF buyout,
your options evaporated. You went from making
a comfortable six figure living performing on
cable television to suddenly fighting for scraps.
Wrestling for 50 bucks in drafty armories and
high school gymnasiums just to keep your skills
sharp. It is yet another profound moment where
his resilience is put to the ultimate test. Think
about it, his primary employer goes completely
bankrupt. His backup plan is bought out by the
competition before he can sign the contract.
He is left entirely in the wilderness effectively
starting over. But true to the central theme
of his life, he doesn't quit. He adapts. Which
brings us to his survival tactics between 2001
and 2003. He proves that he can navigate the
fallout of the monopoly. He embraces the independent
hustle. He doesn't sit by the phone waiting for
the WWF to call. No, he goes out and creates
his own market value. He travels extensively,
working for promotions like USA Professional
Wrestling, Border City Wrestling up in Canada,
and the World Wrestling All -Stars, which did
tours internationally. He was everywhere. He
essentially became a highly sought after freelance
consultant, but in the context of professional
wrestling. He used the equity he had built as
Simon Diamond in ECW and monetized it across
a factored landscape of smaller companies desperately
needing recognizable stars. And his most notable
and strategic stint during this wilderness period
was in a promotion called Major League Wrestling
or MLW. This is where he spearheads the formation
of a faction called the Extreme Horsemen. He
reunites with his former ECW allies Steve Carino
and CW Anderson. They also add another major
ECW name, Justin Credible, to the mix. And to
add a layer of absolute legitimacy, for a brief
period they were even managed by the legendary
wrestling figure, J .J. Dillon. Which is an incredibly
brilliant strategic and marketing move on his
part. Let's break down why. Well, the Four Horsemen
is arguably the greatest, most respected faction
in wrestling history, originally featuring Ric
Flair and managed by J .J. Dillon. Right. By
creating the Extreme Horsemen, aligning with
established television -tested names like Carino,
Anderson, and Credible, and actually securing
the authentic legendary manager J .J. Dillon,
he immediately elevated his own status. From
former ECW guy to main event premium attraction.
Exactly. It proves his ability to consistently
conceptualize high -profile packages and align
himself with top -tier talent. He knew exactly
how to package himself to look like a massive
star, even when the industry was in a downturn.
Precisely. It showcases his undeniable value
as a stable, reliable, and highly intelligent
performer in a very turbulent indie scene. If
you were a promoter, running a show in 2002.
You knew that if you booked Simon Diamond, you
weren't just getting a wrestler. You were getting
a professional who understood high level marketing,
who could anchor a main event faction, who could
deliver a compelling promo to sell your local
tickets and who could deliver a safe, psychologically
sound match in the ring. He was an anchor in
a very stormy sea. And that level of professionalism
eventually caught the attention of the next major
player to enter the industry. But 2003, a brand
new national promotion was attempting to fill
the massive void left by the deaths of WCW and
ECW. This company was TNA or total nonstop action
wrestling. And this kicks off a massive new chapter
for him. On July 9th, 2003, he and his longtime
partner Swinger make their TNA pay -per -view
debut. TNA was a crucial development for the
industry. It offered a viable, televised alternative
to the WWE monopoly. And for him, it represented
a return to national prominence. And he and Swinger
hit the ground running immediately. They wasted
absolutely no time. They immediately began a
heated feud with one of TNA's foundational tag
teams, America's Most Wanted. Which consisted
of Chris Harris and James Storm. Right. To gain
an edge, Diamond and Swinger actually enlist
the services of a manager, Glenn Gilberti, to
act as their strategist. And the plan works flawlessly.
On August 27, 2003, Simon Diamond and Swinger,
defeat America's most champion, wanted to win
the prestigious NWA World Tag Team Championships.
Winning those recognized championships so quickly
solidifies his position in this new national
landscape. It signaled to the audience and the
locker room that he wasn't just an ECW nostalgia
act. He was a foundational pillar and a champion
in this new alternative brand. He was a top guy.
They held those titles until November 19th. The
championship reign ended in controversy when
the titles were held up, meaning vacated, following
a highly disputed ending to a match with a faction
known as the Three Live Crew. But despite losing
the belts, his value was established. However,
the wrestling business demands constant evolution.
If a character stays stagnant, the audience gets
bored. So he goes through some major identity
shifts. In 2004, the historic five -year tag
team partnership with Swinger finally fractures.
They separate, and it actually devolves into
a bitter feud against each other. During this
storyline, he undergoes what is known in wrestling
jargon as a face turn. And for those unfamiliar
with the terminology, a heel is the antagonist,
the villain, whose job is to cheat, antagonize
the crowd, and generate hatred or heat. And a
face. A face, short for baby face, is the protagonist
the hero the crowd is supposed to cheer for.
Up until this point, Simon Diamond had been a
masterful, arrogant heel. But now he flips the
script. To facilitate this face turn and connect
with the audience on a more genuine level, he
temporarily strips away the arrogant Simon Diamond
persona. He embraces his real -life heritage
and starts wrestling under his actual name, stylized
as Irish Pat Kenny. It's a classic, highly effective
psychological tactic in wrestling. By dropping
the stage name and highlighting his legitimate
Irish roots, he removes the barrier of the character.
He is presenting a more authentic, relatable
version of himself. Which naturally invites the
audience to empathize with him and support him
in his feud against his former treacherous partner.
It shows his versatility as a performer. He doesn't
just know how to make people hate him, he knows
how to make them root for him. He experiments
a bit during this period too. He briefly wrestles
under a masked persona renamed The Empire Saint.
But shortly after, he isn't booked for TNA television
for several months. But here is where that relentless
work ethic shines again. During that downtime,
he doesn't just sit at home in Delaware collecting
a downside guarantee. It gets on a plane. The
records show he spent three weeks competing in
Japan with the Zero One Wrestling promotion.
Which highlights an incredible dedication to
his craft. The Japanese style of professional
wrestling, often referred to as strong style,
is vastly different from the American television
style. It is far more physically punishing, martial
arts based, and presented as a legitimate athletic
contest. If the American television product didn't
have a creative storyline for him that month,
he didn't view it as a vacation. He flew across
the world to immerse himself in a completely
different wrestling culture. Continuing to hone
his skills and expand his international value.
And when he finally returns to TNA Television,
he returns with a renewed focus. At the Slam
Adversary Pay -Per -View event on June 19, 2005,
he comes back. But he abandons the Irish pack
Kenny Hiro persona. He reverts to the villainous,
arrogant, highly effective heel version of Simon
Diamond. He steps out from the curtain at Slammiversary,
teaming up with a massive, imposing wrestler
named Triton, whom Diamond brilliantly refers
to as his insurance policy. They defeat the team
of Sonny Siaki and Apollo, but the wrestling
business is unpredictable, and Triton completely
disappears from the company the very next month.
So, left without his heavy, Diamond has to pivot
again. At the No Surrender event later in 2005,
Diamond walks out to the ring, takes a microphone,
and introduces a struggling wrestler named David
Young. Diamond cuts a masterful promo, a spoken
monologue suggesting that in David Young he had
found a diamond in the rough. It is excellent
wordplay, perfectly leaning back into his marketing
and English degree roots. She isn't just presenting
a new partner. He is branding him. Exactly. And
this branding exercise grows into a full -fledged
faction. It becomes officially known as the Diamonds
in the Rough, when a highly athletic wrestler
named Elick Skipper joins them a month later
at the sacrifice event on August 14th. He is
right back in his comfort zone, acting as the
mouthpiece, managing the strategy, wrestling
in six -man tags, and using his credibility to
elevate younger talent within a faction. But
just as things are stabilizing creatively, the
story takes a wildly unexpected, genuinely terrifying
and very real turn the very next month. You are
referring to the geopolitical realities of international
touring, specifically the incident in Bhopal.
Yes. This is one of the most intense storytelling
set pieces in his entire career. In September
2005, DNA is attempting to expand its global
footprint. He has sent on a two -week promotional
tour of India. He, along with fellow TNA wrestlers
Sanjay Dutt and Sharkboy, are traveling to several
Indian cities. Their goal is to promote the debut
of TNA's flagship television show, Impact, which
was launching on the ESPN Star Sports Network
across Asia. Which was a massive, highly lucrative
television deal for TNA. India represents a colossal
media market, and professional wrestling has
historically been wildly popular there. The goal
of sending talent over was to generate localized
media buzz and drive viewership for the network
premiere. But on September 28th, in the city
of Bhopal, the situation spirals completely out
of control. They are scheduled to appear at a
promotional event. However, the local organizers
vastly underestimated the popularity of the product.
The attendance exponentially exceeded the venue's
capacity. The records explain that roughly 1
,000 passionate fans were physically excluded
from the event because there simply wasn't any
room left. and those 1 ,000 fans did not just
go home quietly. A massive terrifying riot breaks
out outside the venue. It is a stark visceral
reminder of the immense global reach of professional
wrestling and the very real unexpected dangers
that come with it. You are performers sent halfway
across the world to do PR interviews and sign
autographs and suddenly you are trapped inside
a building with a literal riot raging outside.
The infrastructure simply couldn't handle the
cultural phenomenon that wrestling represents
in that region. The emotional investment of the
fans turned into a dangerous mob mentality when
they were denied access. Thankfully, the historical
records confirm that none of the three TNA wrestlers,
Kenny, Dutt or Sharkboy, were physically injured
in the chaos. But it perfectly encapsulates the
chaotic, unpredictable reality of the wrestling
business. You can go from cutting a promo in
Orlando, Florida, to surviving a riot in Bhopal,
India, in the span of a week. It really puts
the travel schedule into perspective. From the
very real danger in India, he returns safely
to America in October 2005. And shortly after,
we get what is arguably my favorite conceptual
crossover in this entire deep dive. Oh, the baseball
angle. Think all the way back to the beginning
of our discussion. Yeah. Remember his deep baseball
roots? Remember the 1986 Major League Baseball
contract offer from the San Diego Padres that
he turned down? Yeah. Well, in December 2005,
TNA Creative brilliantly decides to mine his
actual life story for an on -screen storyline.
It is the perfect example of art imitating life,
bringing his narrative full circle. It's genius.
TNA initiates a major angle, a storyline involving
Simon Diamond and the actual real life catcher
for the Chicago White Sox, A .J. Piersinski.
Now context is key here. The Chicago White Sox
had just won the 2005 World Series. Piersinski
was a massive mainstream sports star at that
exact moment. TNA brings Piersinski in and they
build a feud between the World Series catcher
and the wrestler who used to be a highly recruited
catcher. This culminates in a massive six -man
tag team match at the Turning Point pay -per
-view event. The Diamonds and the Rough Diamond,
David Young, and Elick Skipper face off against
the team of Chris Sabin, Sanjay Dutt, and Dale
Torborg. And standing proudly in the corner of
Sabin, Dutt, and Torborg, acting as their manager,
is AJ Pierczynski. It is a phenomenal collision
of his two distinct worlds. You have Patrick
Kenny, the young man who possessed the talent
but consciously gave up a life behind home plate,
now stepping into a wrestling ring on national
television to face off against the reigning World
Series champion catcher. It blends mainstream
sports credibility with wrestling theatrics seamlessly.
The diamonds in the rough actually lost that
specific match at turning point, but the crossover
angle was so successful that they continued it.
In March 2006, Piersinski returns to TNA television,
and he is once again confronted in the ring by
Simon Diamond. But this time, Piersinski didn't
come alone. During the physical altercation,
Diamond ends up getting struck in the head with
a steel chair by none other than the legendary,
highly volatile manager of the Chicago White
Sox, Oz Gillen. You truly could not script a
more poetic, surreal moment. The highly disciplined
young man who turned down a Major League Baseball
contract in 1986 ends up getting walloped with
a steel folding chair by a Major League Baseball
manager on a national wrestling broadcast exactly
20 years later. It is the absolute epitome of
sports entertainment. It perfectly encapsulates
how unpredictable his choices made his life.
It's an incredible visual, but this specific
era Right around the time he's taking chair shots
from Ozzy Gillen marks another highly significant
professional transition for him. He begins to
transition away from being a full -time in -ring
performer. He moves behind the curtain and officially
becomes a road agent for TNA. This is a critical
pivot. We need to clearly define what a road
agent sometimes called a producer actually does
because it is arguably the most difficult job
in the company. The road agent is the essential
bridge between the creative writers and the physical
wrestlers. When the writer says we need wrestler
A to beat wrestler B in 10 minutes to build to
next month's pay -per -view. The road agent is
the one who sits down with wrestler A and wrestler
B and helps them construct the physical match.
Exactly. They dictate the pacing. They plan the
psychological beats. They ensure the safety of
the performers and they communicate the promoters
ultimate vision. They manage the egos of the
talent. They manage the timing of the live television
broadcast and they are responsible if a match
falls apart in the ring. It is a role that requires
an encyclopedic understanding of wrestling psychology,
extreme diplomacy, and flawless time management.
And who better to manage the psychology of a
match and the egos of the talent than a former
corporate marketing executive with an English
degree who also survived ECW. He was tailor -made
for the role. However, the realities of the television
business eventually caught up to him. On November
3, 2008, he is officially released from his contract
with TNA. The company explicitly cited mandatory
budgetary cuts as the reason for his dismissal.
Which introduces us to the cold, hard financial
realities of the corporate side of the wrestling
industry. You can be incredibly valuable behind
the scenes. You can be the glue holding a television
broadcast together. But at the end of the day,
you are still an employee subject to the financial
calculus of a television production company facing
budget constraints. If the spreadsheet dictates
a reduction in overhead, even the most competent
producers can be let go. But as we've learned
with him, closed doors rarely stay closed for
long. That brings us to the next phase of his
career, firings, rehirings, and the ECW invasion.
The turnaround following his release is surprisingly
fast. Less than a year later, on September 18,
2009, TNA Wrestling publicly announces that he
has been rehired. He is brought back to his exact
role as a road agent. But the context is fascinating.
He was brought back specifically to replace two
of very prominent men who had just been fired
by the company Jim Cornette and BG James. This
raises an important question about the cyclical
nature of wrestling employment and the true value
of indispensable backstage knowledge. Clearly,
after executing those initial budget cuts and
subsequently letting go of veterans like Cornette
and James, TNA management realized very quickly
that they had created a massive unmanageable
hole in their live production team. Producing
live wrestling is a highly specialized still.
You can't just hire a producer from a local news
station to do it. They desperately needed someone
who already commanded the absolute respect of
the locker room. Who inherently understood the
chaotic mechanics of television production. And
who knew the specific nuances of the T &A product
inside and out. He wasn't just a convenient choice.
He was the logical, reliable, necessary choice
to stabilize their backstage environment. He
was the steady hand on the wheel. But even though
he was thriving in his producer role behind the
curtain, the allure of the ring is strong. very
strong. On July 15, 2010, he makes a massive,
highly publicized return to television during
an episode of Impact. And he doesn't come alone.
He aligns himself with a massive group of fellow
ECW alumni who suddenly appear in TNA. We're
talking about absolute legends of the hardcore
era. Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Stevie Richards, Rhino,
brother Devin, Al Snow, and the hardcore icon
Mick Foley. Together, this group launches a full
-scale on -screen invasion of TNA. It was a massive
highly successful nostalgia angle. It capitalized
entirely on the deep lingering affection and
loyalty that the wrestling audience still harbored
for the defunct extreme championship wrestling
brand, even a decade after it went bankrupt.
It was a brilliant way to pop the television
ratings. The invasion storyline escalates week
after week, culminating in a major corporate
concession on television. TNA president Dixie
Carter agrees to give the ECW alumni complete
control over their own reunion pay -per -view
event. The event was titled Hardcore justice,
the last stand. It was heavily marketed as a
celebration of the hardcore wrestling style and
a final definitive farewell to the legacy of
the ECW brand. And for an event of that historical
magnitude, he naturally steps away from the producer's
desk and dusts off his wrestling boots. He absolutely
does. He fully returns to the classic, arrogant
Simon Diamond persona that made him famous. During
the pay -per -view, he teams up with his old
reliable partner, Johnny Swinger, and they add
Kid Cash to form a six -man tag team. They faced
off against another legendary ECW faction, the
full -blooded Italians, specifically... Little
Guido, Tony Luke and Tracy Smothers. Now, Diamond
Swinger and Cash ended up losing the match, but
the outcome was secondary. It was a phenomenal,
deeply emotional moment for the longtime fans
to see Simon Diamond back in his element, orchestrating
the crowd and honoring the legacy of the company
that put him on the map. It perfectly highlights
his unique versatility within the industry. There
are very few people who can meticulously produce
the logistical run sheet for a television show
on Tuesday and then seamlessly transition into
a highly compelling in -ring performer on a global
pay -per -view on Sunday. He bridged the gap
between management and talent effortlessly. He
was truly a multi -tool player for that company.
He even stepped into yet another completely different,
highly specialized on -camera role. On May 8th,
2012, he actually substituted for the legendary
wrestler Taz as a color commentator on the TNA
Explosion broadcast, joining the veteran broadcaster
Jeremy Borash in the booth. And we should clarify
what a color commentator does. The play -by -play
announcer calls the physical moves The color
commentator's job is to fill the spaces between
the moves with insight, psychological analysis
of why a wrestler is targeting a specific body
part, and narrative context that advances the
storyline. Live broadcast commentary is incredibly
difficult. It requires lightning -fast quick
thinking, an encyclopedic knowledge of the product,
and the verbal dexterity to enhance the narrative
for the viewing audience without ever overshadowing
the physical in -ring action. Once again, you
see his English degree and his marketing background
paying massive dividends and a specialized role.
He truly wore every single hat available in that
company. But, as is the nature of the wrestling
business, all chapters eventually conclude. The
historical records note that on June 19th, 2017,
after dedicating nearly a decade and a half to
the company in various roles, he finally left
Impact Wrestling. He departed alongside other
backstage veterans like Shane Helms and Al Snow.
It marked the definitive end of a massive, transformative
chapter in his life. But as anyone who has followed
his career trajectory up to this point could
guess... Leaving TNA was certainly not the end
of his professional journey. Not at all. And
that brings us to the modern era, the final phase
of our timeline, the executive resurgence and
personal trials. Bringing the story up to the
present day, he has taken on a massive executive
role with one of the oldest, most historic brands
in all of professional wrestling, the National
Wrestling Alliance or the NWA. He is currently
utilizing all of his accumulated knowledge as
their Director of Talent Relations. The Director
of Talent Relations is arguably the most complex
and emotionally demanding executive position
within any wrestling promotion. You are the literal
liaison between the corporate management and
the roster of wrestlers. You are responsible
for negotiating contracts, handling sensitive
internal grievances, managing the hiring process,
and executing the firings. To succeed in that
role, you need a paradoxical skill set. You need
the deep empathy and understanding of a former
wrestler who knows the physical and emotional
toll of the road, but you simultaneously need
the cold, objective calculus of a corporate executive
protecting the company's bottom line. When you
look at him, a man who has been a PepsiCo marketing
executive, a grueling independent wrestler, a
main event television star and a meticulously
organized road agent. He is perhaps uniquely
perfectly qualified for this exact executive
role. And even with all those executive responsibilities,
he still occasionally pops up on screen to assert
his authority. The records mentioned a great
moment at the NWA 73rd Anniversary Show pay -per
-view where he had to physically intervene. breaking
up a chaotic ringside brawl between the NWA world
champion Nick Aldis and his challenger Trevor
Murdoch. He clearly still possesses that commanding
authoritative presence. But as we analyze this
incredible professional journey, we also have
to acknowledge the man behind the persona. The
biographical sources shed light on his personal
life, which has contained its own deeply complex
human chapters. Yes, the biography provides necessary
details regarding his long term relationships
and the personal trials he navigated alongside
his career. The records show that he had a very
high profile seven year relationship and engagement
with wrestling personality Don Marie. They started
dating in October 1998 after having been friends
for almost two years. They planned to marry,
but the relationship ultimately ended and they
separated after seven years together. Later in
his life, he married Candace Kenny and they built
a family together. having two children with their
first child being born in 2010. It is worth noting
that navigating a long term, committed, romantic
relationship while both parties are working within
the relentless, exhausting travel schedule of
professional wrestling is notoriously difficult.
The divorce and separation rates in the industry
are incredibly high. But building a family later
in life often brings a necessary profound level
of grounding and perspective, particularly for
an individual who spent decades living out of
a suitcase on the road. And speaking of profound,
deeply personal matters, the sources also document
a very serious legal and personal event. In 2009,
he filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against a former
priest at the Salesianum School, the very high
school he graduated from back in 1986. Dealing
strictly with the historical facts provided in
the source material, this legal filing highlights
an immensely heavy, deeply personal trial occurring
entirely outside the view of the cheering wrestling
public. Throughout this deep dive, we have analyzed
his career as a fascinating series of professional
pivots, strategic marketing decisions, and athletic
successes. However, this event serves as a stark,
sobering reminder of the deeply human elements
and the immense gravity of real -life events
that individuals carry with them, often in silence.
The immense courage required to step forward
publicly and file a lawsuit of that specific
nature, confronting a deeply painful history
stemming from one's childhood, requires a profound,
almost incalculable level of personal resilience.
It underscores that behind the arrogant, larger
-than -life Simon Diamond persona that entertained
millions is a man navigating the severe complexities,
traumas, and realities of the real world. It
absolutely frames his entire journey with a profound
sense of strength. To have carried that weight,
while simultaneously building, losing, and rebuilding
this massive multifaceted career across different
industries is staggering. It gives a completely
different weight to the concept of resilience
we've been discussing. Okay, so what does this
all mean? We've covered decades of incredibly
dense history. We've gone from the high school
baseball diamond in Delaware, to the corporate
boardrooms of PepsiCo, to the blood -soaked rings
of ECW, to the production truck of TNA, and finally
to the executive suite of the NWA. How do we
ultimately distill the essence of his life? Based
on everything we've unpacked, I look at his life
as an absolute master class in extreme adaptability.
That is the perfect synthesis, extreme adaptability.
He went from being a highly recruited Major League
Baseball catching prospect, to a corporate marketing
executive, to a gritty independent wrestler,
to a national television star, to a backstage
producer, and finally to an executive director.
He never once let the closing of one door dictate
the definitive end of his story. When the shoulder
gave out, he pivoted to marketing. When the corporate
world wasn't fulfilling, he pivoted to wrestling.
When ECW died, he pivoted to the Indies. When
his in -ring career wound down, he pivoted to
production. And that is the core takeaway, the
vital lesson I want to leave with you, the listener.
Think deeply about the trajectory we just mapped
out. when the door to your original dream forcefully
closes. Whether it's a blown out shoulder in
college ending your athletic career or the sudden
bankruptcy of the company you dedicated years
to. How do you respond to that adversity? Do
you fold and accept defeat? Or do you quickly,
strategically reinvent yourself to become a diamond
in the rough in a completely new uncharted field?
His life definitively proves that your specialized
skills Your ingrained discipline, your deep understanding
of human psychology, your communication and marketing
abilities are not locked to one specific job
title. They are entirely transferable. They can
be repurposed, repackaged, and weaponized to
conquer entirely new worlds, provided you have
the courage to make the leap into the unknown.
The skills are always transferable. You just
have to be willing to apply them in a place you
never expected. To wrap up this deep dive, I
want to leave you with one final provocative
thought experiment to mull over on your own time.
We've talked extensively about his incredible
ability to pivot and adapt to circumstances.
But I want you to think about how drastically
differently professional wrestling history might
have played out if a young 18 -year -old Pat
Kenny had simply signed that initial contract
with the San Diego Padres back in 1986. If he
goes straight to the MLB, he never attends VCU.
He never gets the English degree. He never works
for PepsiCo. He never meets Jim Kettner in New
Jersey. He never becomes Simon Diamond. If Simon
Diamond doesn't exist, does the iconic extreme
horsemen faction ever form in MLW? Does the ECW
tag team division look completely different in
its final years? It is a massive industry altering
butterfly effect that potentially changes the
entire creative landscape of 90s and 2000s professional
wrestling. And it all hinges entirely on a teenager
in Delaware deciding he wanted to go to college
instead of playing professional baseball. It
is a truly fascinating alternate timeline to
consider. It shows how one practical decision
can alter the entertainment landscape for millions
of people decades later. It really is. Thank
you so much for joining us on this extensive
deep dive into the incredible multifaceted life
of Simon Diamond. Keep adapting, keep reinventing,
and we will see you next time.