Mike Quackenbush On Working At The WWE PC, Trading Holds With Chad Gable, Feeling Validated Now

- As noted, indie veteran and CHIKARA owner Mike Quackenbush was recently at the WWE Performance Center for a guest coaching gig. Quack also owns The Wrestle Factory school in Philadelphia and revealed that graduates Cesaro and Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey) were instrumental in WWE contacting him for the guest gig. His week with WWE just wrapped up but "Quack" also worked backstage as a producer for NXT live events. He spoke with WWE's website about working with the company. You can read the full interview at this link. Below are highlights:

What the week consisted of:

I got do a bit of observing, and then I got to do some coaching and training with beginners, intermediates and the advanced players ?those that are getting ready to depart NXT and go to the main roster. I got to do in-ring technique, one of my favorites. I got to oversee presentation class. I got to oversee the sessions where the guys and girls review their past performance and we give constructive criticisms and feedback.

Who were some of the WWE NXT talents he worked with:

One of the best things I got to do was spend some one-on-one time with specific talent that wanted to develop certain areas of their game. There was nothing I enjoyed more than having an hour in the ring with Chad Gable, who is simply one of the most outstanding performers I've ever been able to share a ring with. To trade holds and moves, to teach him and learn from him was such pleasure.

Feeling validated after working at the Performance Center:

I recall a study that was done a couple years ago where wrestling fans were asked to name any organization other than WWE. Less than two percent of them could do that. Less than two percent! If that's true, then I've spent my entire adult life laboring in relative obscurity. The things that I do, the things that I make, the theories I espouse, everything I've created, by and large, based on that study, has been in complete obscurity. Oftentimes, especially when it's something you're passionate about , you wonder, "What am I doing? Does it really have value? Does it have any influence?" You want to impact people and make a difference. To be down at the Performance Center and see how openly everything I believed about the art form was not just received, but embraced and celebrated, by people I knew, people I don't know or just met, even people I idolized, like Terry Taylor or Matt Bloom, it gave me a tremendous sense of validation.

Check out the full interview with Quack at this link.