The Color Of Cash

To understand how Scarsdale's money has such a big impact, we should see how he obtained his money in the first place. "The story of my fortune is simple," states Scarsdale "I hit the lottery, and I promised that no one would benefit from it but myself."

So how does Scarsdale use his money to manipulate and influence In your Face Wrestling? One way is hiring an inner circle of wrestlers. This band of wrestlers has been used by Scarsdale as bodyguards, enforcers and even his tag partners. Some people have referred to Scarsdale’s hired wrestlers as "Henchmen", Scarsdale disagrees. "Contracted associates." What about those who are Scarsdale's "contracted associates?" How do they feel about being in his payroll? Probably the one wrestler, who has spoken the least in the federation, has the most prolific comment.

WAR has been employed by Scarsdale on numerous matches. "Wrestling is a form of conflict, conflict is always money," says WAR. "Even our own independence is based on money, our battle cry in the revolution was 'No taxation, without representation'." His eyes squint sinisterly when he says: "When it comes down to it, it is always about money."

Another one of Scarsdale’s "regular" employees in the past was Al Jihad. "I am a professional wrestler, means I get paid to wrestle, be it by the owner of a company or by someone like Scarsdale; I do not see any difference in who writes my check at the end of the day."

So with this vast fortune, how does Scarsdale manipulate and coerce IYFW? "It is a matter of accessibility," says one IYFW official who wants to remain anonymous. "Scarsdale's fortune can open a lot of doors, or least able to get his point across faster than the normal channels. It is not illegal, but it does provide him accessibility to us that is not available to other wrestlers."

Another source inside IYFW who does not want his name to be revealed has a darker interpretation of Scarsdale’s financial influence. "He has been able to adjust the outcomes of matches," says this unnamed source. "Once there was a wrestler who Scarsdale was to face, this guy was on a hot streak, he couldn’t lose," said the source. "Scarsdale was to wrestle this man, so he used his influence to get it scheduled at a later date. Scarsdale then was able to get this wrestler scheduled to face one of the toughest men in IYFW, that match took a toll out of this guy, so when Scarsdale finally faced him, [Scarsdale] was able to beat a weaker opponent."

So what, other than money, is a benefit being hired by Scarsdale? "The benefits are more than financial" again says Al Jihad "Look at the number of tag teams Scarsdale has been part of. If you stick with him, and you get the opportunity to tag a lot with him, you may end up owning a tag belt."

Fame is another benefit of being under his employment; "Scarsdale can hire the best" says one hopeful applicant to be the next "contracted associate." "So when you are on his payroll, people take notice, especially the bookers."

What are the costs associated with being an employee of Scarsdale? He does want to get his money's worth. The associates are there to do his bidding, but mostly to protect him, as a result they put their career on the line when you work for him.

"There are allot of people gunning for Scarsdale," says WAR "That means you are not only watching your back, but his also, when they do attack, it is your job to step in in take the punishment. You end up taking twice as much punishment because you are taking the punishment for yourself as well as for him. You get hired by Scarsdale, expect some injuries sometime."

The biggest cost when Scarsdale's money influences you is your reputation; "When that situation arose about Scarsdale getting his match rescheduled (see above), some members of management were not trusted from that day forward" says the unnamed IYFW official. "There was no proof of any illegal activity going on, but he had to resign."

How about Scarsdale himself, what are the downfalls of being rich in IYFW? "People just don't know how to make the best of their own situation," says Scarsdale. "Like most people, the fans are afraid of being successful and rich, so they hate those, like me, who have become rich and powerful." Scarsdale continues, "Good for me that I do not care about what the fans think anyways." A smirk comes over Scarsdale’s face "If I needed fans cheering for me, I would pay them to do it."

What is the future for Scarsdale? "My fortune can open so many doors, it can buy me so many things," proudly states Scarsdale. "And you have not even begun to see what I can do with it, and trust me I have lots and lots of money still waiting to be used here in IYFW."