Interview with Robin
Interviewed by the Met Club

A realization that sneaks up on even long time fans of women's wrestling is that not only are there a goodly number of the wrestling producers who are women, but in actuality the majority of the longest running, most successful and influential video production houses are owned and operated by women.

Suzie "Robin" Johnson is one of the very rarest of women producers in that she didn't move from the mats to the directors chair only at the end of her competitive career, she has continued to actively wrestle in the majority of videos she makes.

Another area where Robin occupies a position that is quite rare is that she is equally comfortable and succesful in both sexy wrestling and real, competitve wrestling. Robin can burn the head off your VCR one day facing Tori Sinclair in a steamy, full-body wrestling encounter and then turn around and take the accomplished amateur wrestler Fuchsia to the sweaty limit in hard, down to the mat submission wrestling.

Bridging the worlds of entertainment and athleticism so effortlessly is a highly unusual ability.

Robin is also one of the first women who has had a succesful video wrestling career to accept wrestling sessions with fans. While there is now a small handful of popular wrestlers who have done both noteworthy video work and who will wrestle with fans, in the late eighties and early nineties, this was very rare.

What differentiates Robin and the tiny group of women in this industry who have been succesful and popular year after year is that they really enjoy wrestling. The renumeration for her work may be generous, but Robin does it because she loves it.

It shows in her work and is reflected in her personality.

She could be making a name for herself in lots of areas of endevor, but Robin really enjoys her work; her working relationships and where she's at.

In our time spent interviewing Robin we were charmed to find her exactly as she appears to her many fans- she is very bright, kind, funny, self confident and open. Here is a woman who has quietly and steadily climbed into the very comfortable position of a person getting to do what they want to do, the way they want to do it.

The amazing thing isn't just how many things she can do well, it's that she has been able to accomplish so much while maintaining, without blemish, all the wonderful attributes we've just mentioned. Robin makes it all look so easy, when we know only too well, it is anything but. Nice things do sometimes come to nice people.

We love it when that happens!

Robin "Well...I've been wrestling since I was 4 or 5. But, I think I discovered the fascination when I was 14, when I beat up a guy who lived on my street, when he was picking on my brother. After I wrestled him to the ground and made him whimper like the big baby he really was, he developed a huge crush on me, and stalked me constantly, trying to do anything to get me to wrestle him to the ground and beat him up again.

Of course, I always was one of the guys and was always popular with the guys as I was such a tomboy, although I loved being a girl, and having a feminine side. I don't think I really, consciously knew there was a fascination with women wrestling until I started to wrestle in videos. The more I found out, the more surprised I became. Why? I think because I really believe that as animals, it is natural to want to wrestle. Animals wrestle for many different reasons. It's a form of play, to assert dominance, etc. But, as humans, we've been given a set of social rules which forbid girls/women to wrestle. So from these unnatural social rules, spring man's extraordinary fascination and often obsession with female wrestlers because we are doing the "forbidden"."

Met "How did you first enter into the wrestling world as business?"

Robin "I was "discovered" in a gym I was working at as a personal trainer in the west village in NYC. I was approached by a guy who asked if I wanted to make a wrestling video. I also answered an ad for "dancer types" in a newspaper in NYC. They were looking for wrestlers.

It's a small world so I networked a lot. I wrestled for many different companies from 1989 until 1995. I worked for some of the pioneers, such as "Creative Films", "Special Interest Films", "Eric Stanton", "Joan Wise", "Deena Zarra", just to name a handful. I've worked for every major company worth mentioning. I've worked in the USA and Europe and have probably made well over 350 videos for 15 or more different

companies. I was the second woman to travel to do private sessions that I know of, in 1991. ( The first was Deena Zarra with her "Whistle Stop Tours"! Deena was always very creative! ) I started traveling when I moved to California so I could go back to NYC and still wrestle my regulars because I missed them. Then Malibu started to travel to NYC from CA and that set off a bunch of body builders traveling and then Wham! Bam! The internet got everyone linked and it's history! I started my own video production company in 1995."

Met "Why did you first enter in the wrestling world as business? Do you find that people involved in making videos primarily do so because it's just something they really want to do or is it a sound financial prospect?"

Robin "I entered first as a paid wrestler for extra cash on the side. But, I wouldn't have stuck it out if I didn't enjoy wrestling. I don't know why other people do it...I think the ones who stick with it are the ones who love it. A lot of female wrestlers come and go and so do a lot of video companies. The ones who hang about are the ones who are genuinely interested in what they are doing.

I was kind of forced into the video production world. When I moved from NYC to California, I was asked by one of the video producers that I worked for in NYC, to produce some videos with girls out here, for their company, which I did. They would select the girls and tell me what they wanted and I'd produce it and they'd pay me. Well, after producing 4 or 5 videos for them, they wanted a boxing video and another wrestling video with facesitting...which I produced. But instead of paying me, they said the videos were the worse pieces of crap that they had ever seen. I sent the videos to a friend of mine, who is a private client, as well and he loved them. I struggled with the idea of starting my own company or not, as a was a couple thousand dollars out of pocket and had 2 videos on my hands....well I decided, finally, to try and here I am. It was not an easy decision."

Robin "I am producer/director, marketer, technical person, coach, den mother, definitely keeper of the money box, referee (sometimes), recruiter, psychologist and above all TALENT. I hire myself more than anyone else!!! I have a helper now who fills orders, etc, which has helped free up time so that I can keep in shape and workout at the dojo."

Met "Do you consider yourself a creative type or manager get-things-done type?"

Robin "I'm a creative type by nature, but I can be very managerial when I have to be."

Met "What were your expectations or goals when you started in the wrestling business?"

Robin "I had no expectations or goals as far as the wrestling was concerned when I started. I will continue as long as I enjoy what I'm doing. When I no longer enjoy it, I'll do something else that I enjoy."

Met "How did reality intrude upon those original dreams and expectations?"

Robin "Well, I guess I should say that I have other dreams and goals which I've put on the backburner because I fell into the wrestling business and stayed there this long. But, I'll get around to those at some point or other if it's meant to be."

Met "What were you unprepared to deal with when you got the business up and running?"

Robin "I had no idea how popular I was and I had no idea how much it would hurt when someone would put me down. That's why I steer clear of chat rooms, etc. I put 110% of my energy, my heart and my soul into my wrestling business and 99.5% of the feedback I get is positive. But, the .5% of negative comments still bother me. I think I deal with it much better now than I did when I started. I dismiss anyone who doesn't have anything valid to say. I do, however, embrace constructive criticism because it can only help my business."

Met "What was the biggest surprise you had when you started rolling tape on your first match?"

Robin "Well, my first competitive match was with a woman named Tracey for Joan Wise and I was surprised at her enormous ego. I was very very nervous and I felt badly that she had such an attitude. It certainly didn't seem like much of a sport. I wiped the mat with her. Her husband kept trying to stop the match, saying that I was choking her. I guess my biggest surprise was that I won. But, I don't like wrestling women or men with big egos. If you lose, there's always something to learn. I've wrestled some of the best and lost. I've wrestled some of the best and I've won.

As far as my own company is concerned is that it's very hard to do competitive matches in which you are one of the opponents for your own company, because if you hire someone you are always looking out for their safety. Then you have to fight them. It's not easy mentally to do."

Met "Does is make any sense that a woman would head up a company that caters to a male fantasy? What could you possibly understand about something as personal and specific as a male sexual turn on?"

Robin "Ha Ha Ha Ha Hee Hee Ha ha Ha! You really make me laugh! I deal with soooooo many different men with different fantasies. Most men who run their companies only understand where their own sexual turn on is coming from and keep making the same type of videos over and over and over, which is fine for the guys who are in tune with them.

I make a variety of wrestling/fetish and competitive wrestling videos. I understand that guys are unique and everyone wants something different. I listen to them. I learn from them. Ok, I laugh now, but I can honestly say that it took some time to understand where the fantasies and fetishes were coming from. But now I really believe that I understand men better than they understand themselves. So now I can laugh at your question!"

Robin "Not really. I watch a lot of videos because of work, but if I have free time, I'd rather go to a foreign or independent film at the cinema. or go out and have a good meal and a glass of wine (or 2!). I'm only human!"

Met "How much of your work is stickily business and how much your personal vision of what the product should be- in other words: if 75% of your customers wanted you to move your videos in direction X but you and perhaps 25% of your customers wanted to see videos move in direction Y, what do you do? Answer the demand fully even if it's not really what you personally are interested in shooting or compromise or what?"

Robin "If 75% of my customers want X, then I'll produce 75% of my material as X. The other 25% will be Y. I shoot a lot of custom videos which I enjoy doing. I do my best to give my customers what they want. Personally, what I love most is mixed videos...wrestling guys and dominating them in a fun, playful way (because this is from my childhood). This is popular but there are a lot of other types of wrestling which are popular."

Met "What's the best video you've made and why?"

Robin "Well, I don't know. My best selling video was "Footjitsu V-080". I kind of like my live events because they are very challenging to put together and because the wrestling is real. Plus I love seeing the guys have such a good time. I have a few all time favorite mixed videos because I had so much fun while I was making them. They are V-099 "Let's make a deal", V-052 "Sibling Rivalry, V-096 "Double Jeopardy", V-016:"My New Neighbor, Panty Nose"...and V-26 is another great one because it's a mixed competitive match and although, I didn't enjoy the making of the video...I liked the outcome because it's pretty intense."

Met "What's the best wrestling video you did NOT make?"

Robin "The best wrestling video that I did not make would be Beatrice Goffin's Tournament is 1997. I was there and wrestled in 2 of the matches. She had about 10 or 12 girls there. We were all very competitive in the matches but hung out and socialized the rest of the time. Beatrice and her husband and her "royal court" were very good at getting you to do your best wrestling as well as entertaining you. I'd like to be able to put something like that together."

Met "Who are some of the best wrestlers in the business? Why?"

Robin "Me! Beatrice Goffin because she's just so good. Helen of Virago is great and so is Ziggy; Christine Dupree is amazing and so is Fuschia...and Ana Leal is very good, too. And then there's Maggie Jennings from London. These are all very good, very strong and very technical wrestlers. And they have all beaten me in matches, unfortunately. But they were great matches! and Lisa Marie from New Zealand whom I've never wrestled because she is super strong and still looks like a barbie doll. Oh and Tina Antman, because she's still trying to beat me after 9 years! And Malibu because she's skilled, she's got a great sense of humour and she likes wrestling guys, like me!"

Met "Who would you love to produce but have not yet done so?"

Robin "Who would I love to produce? Hmmm, Well, there's no one that jumps in my mind. I'm always looking for new talent but I'd love to get my hands back on Lisa Marie from New Zealand and Maggie Jennings from London. I've produced them but would love to do more with them. And of course, Tina Antman and maybe a new wrestler who has been trained by Beatrice Goffin- I can't think of her name right now."

Met "What would you like to do with your product that you have not yet been able to accomplish?"

Robin "Get in my best shape and condition ever without this stupid knee injury getting in my way!"

Met "What would be your dream match to film? Here's a blank check, no limits."

Robin "Hmmm....Lisa Marie vs Maggie Jennings would be a great one. I'd love to wrestle Tina Antman again and then spank her bare butt for the grand finale! Madonna vs Jennifer Lopez would be interesting. I'd put my money on Madonna. And I'd still love to wrestle Gerard Depardieu, who I've wanted to wrestle for 10 years ever since I had a dream about wrestling him. Oh and Ralph Fiennes would be fun. Maybe I could put a smile on his pretty English face!"

Met "Can you watch a wrestling video and tell if a man or woman produced it?"

Robin "That depends on the kind of video it is. I'd say 95% of the time, yes."

Met "What does a woman bring to a shoot that a man might not?"

Robin "Well, perhaps a sense of humour. Plus, I'm very conscious of the amount of time the girls are hired to work. I try to get a shoot done in maximum 2 hours. When you work for the guys, they kind of don't mind if they have pretty girls around for hours. But, that's understandable, right?"

Met "What has changed for the better in the industry in your time? "

Robin "Well the internet has opened up more avenues and brought the sport a little more above ground. Other than that, the fact that there are more talented wrestlers around."

Met "What has changed for the worse?"

Robin "Too many companies that sell crap videos. Too many girls who get into it just for the money, as far as private sessions are concerned. Bottom line, if someone is spending their money on a video or a session, then they should get quality. There's a lot of sludge out there."

Met "Many of the young women wrestling today were in diapers when the Tropicana Club was in its' glory. Now that nightclub wrestling is merely a blip on America's pop cultural memory- do you find it hard now to find women to wrestle who have any idea what you are trying to produce much less get them fired up to try it? ."

Robin "Oh my god, most look at me like I'm crazy. It's very very hard to find girls to do this kind of work. Because it's a combination of athletic and sexy. Strippers and dancers, etc are happy to take their clothes off but when it comes to wrestling...most don't even want to try. They don't want a bruise or any aches and pains. The athletic types think that even bikini wrestling is a sex show. It's hard to find open minded, athletic women."

Met "Are the wrestlers basically the same as they were when you started?"

Robin "Well, a lot of the girls are much more technical than when I started. I went to learn jujitsu because of two of my opponents. I didn't even know what tapping out was at one time!"

Met "Do you think the huge segment of America that likes to watch pro wrestling valets pull hair at ringside will ever be ready for your type of wrestling?"

Robin "Hmmm, I just don't know. Pro wrestling is a type of comic theatre. I find it very crude and barbaric but, then again, what do I know? They are making a hell of a lot of money."

Met "Where do you see the industry in 10 years? Do you think this industry will expand, stay roughly the same or also eventually disappear like nightclub messy wrestling?"

Robin "Oh, it will definitely keep expanding because there is a real interest from men all over the world in this. It's part of that animal thing I spoke of earlier. It's not going to go away."