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A PW Torch VIP membership doesn't just give you add
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free access to these shows and a ton of other
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access to our unmatched vast library of wrestling history, our
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contemporaneous week to week coverage through our progressing Torch weekly
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newsletters dating back to the late nineteen eighties, along with
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streaming and download access to hundreds of retro radio shows
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from the nineteen nineties, including some of my interviews with
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wrestling's top newsmakers in the nineties, and also our podcast
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library dating back to the year two thousand and three.
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There's no larger, longer spanning pro wrestling podcast library than
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that that comes with a PW Torch VIP membership. Now
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we're approaching twenty years of podcasting, Go vip and dive
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into our post pay per view roundtables, our coverage of
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form interviews, and special format podcasts that we've done throughout
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the years. Pwtorch dot com slash go vip. We have
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PW torch dot Com, slash Go VIP.
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Now, PW Torch and Spreaker bring you the Wade Keller
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Pro Wrestling Podcast. It's time for this week's Interview Classic,
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where Wade Keller interviews one of pro wrestling's newsmakers.
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Ten years ago.
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This week on the Way Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast, I
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interviewed Mickkarsh, a long time wrestling announcer and a longtime
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president of the Nick Bockwinkle Fan Club before that, and
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he put out a great bulletin back in the pre
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newsletter days, covering not only Nick Bockwinkles squer but writing
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about professional wrestling. He got to be around Paul Hayman
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in Hayman's formative years in the AWA, and he talked
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about what it was like working with a late nineteen eighties,
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very young Paul Hayman. Also, what was Jake Roberts like
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at in India appearance that week that previous weekend, When
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did the AWA Vintage era really end? And what is
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the evolution of indie wrestling in the US. Mccars was
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a big support of indie wrestling, calling wrestling matches in
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the Minnesota in Upper Midwest region for decades and who
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did he think ten years ago were some of the
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top prospects in Minnesota? Have any of them shown up
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since then in nxt AW or WWE. This originally live
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streamed on August twenty eighth, twenty fourteen, and it is
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today's Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast Interview Classic for Saturday,
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August thirty first, twenty twenty five.
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All right, welcome to THEPW Torch Live Cast. I am
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Wade Keller, editor and publisher of the Pro Wrestling Torch
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newsletter since nineteen eighty seven, back when the AWA was
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in business, and also editor of PW torch dot Com
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since nineteen ninety nine. PW Torch apps on iPhone and Android,
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also MMA Torch apps on iPhone and Android, and host
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of VPW Torch Live Cast. Normally I host on Tuesdays
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and Fridays, but this week James Caldwell and I have
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switched days, so if you're looking for James and Greg
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they will be by tomorrow talking impact, raw, all kinds
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of stuff. Tune in at the normal time on Friday
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tomorrow for James Caldwell and Greg Parks. But today is
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Interview Friday, except it's Thursday, August twenty eight, twenty fourteen.
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But we'll still call it an Interview Friday just to
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confuse people. And today's guest is Mick Harsh, longtime wrestling announcer,
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former Torch columnists back in the early days of the Torch,
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going back even further, president of the Nick Bockwinkle Fan Club,
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and so many more, so many more biographical bullet points.
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Mick Carsh, welcome back to the program.
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Thank you Wade. Good to be here, buddy.
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What's the main thing I left off your bio that
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I should have included?
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No, I think he covered the goal as soon as
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as you said long time, that's pretty much. But as
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a matter of fact, you know, it's uh, it's thirty
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years this summer. It's an even thirty.
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So yeah, you just turned thirty. Congratulations. How does it
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feel to get be getting old?
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Whatever? And you know, actually, and I don't know if
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we talked about this before, my first television appearance, actually
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on an Awa show, was to plug a supervention that
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George Shire and I were doing in summer nineteen eighty four.
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And as it turns out, part of the angle, if
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you will, for our interview to put our convention over,
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was Jesse Ventura did a walk on. At the interview,
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Ken Resnick was talking to us putting over the event,
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and Jesse did a walk on and did his usual
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and you know, give all the awards to me and
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so on and so forth. And that was Jesse's last
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interview ever in the AWA.
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Really yeah, yeah, that's good trivia.
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As so, I chill not only another territory, but I
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build a guy's career in the AWA. But yeah, that
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was it. He left. I think the next day he
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submitted his resignation to Burn So.
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Wow, yeah, yeah, that's cool. I thought I had heard
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it all from you, but that's a new one. Yeah, yeah, cool. Well,
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I want to let listeners know we're gonna be all
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over the place today and if you do want to
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talk current events, we can talk about John Cena against
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brock Lesner, the follow up on Raw. On Monday, I
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talked to Jason Paul about this. On Tuesday, Bruce Mitchell,
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senior columnist for prosing Torch Newsletter, did a one hour
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plus audio show with me last night, which we posted
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dedicated almost entirely to in depth analysis of Raw on
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Monday and with a focus on Roman Reigns and Sina Lesner,
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which I'll be talking to mccarsh about on this show too.
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So you're open to call up if you have specific
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questions for Mick carsh. You can call if you don't
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want to. If you're listening to us live, but for
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any reason you can't participate on the phone, you are
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welcome to email us. Also in that email address is
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p W Torch Live Cast at gmail dot com. That
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is PW Torchlivecast at gmail dot com. I want to
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remind people real quick that the PW Torch Live Cast
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is brought to you by Audible, a leading performer.
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Check out the entire list.
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Audibletrial dot com, slash Pro Wrestling Torch. We have some
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new sponsors coming on board next week for the fall season,
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so y'all can look forward to some other cool deals
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that we'll be offering next week. Mick Carsh, you've been
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on the show multiple times. It's always a blast. We
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never know where we're headed when we start or where
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we'll finish. I kind of loosened the tie a little
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bit because you and I have known each other so
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long and we kind of see where things go. One
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thing in particular, I want to start with because I
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want to make sure we have time for this, because
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every time I've had you on, I've said I want
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to talk about indie wrestling, and we talk a lot
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about you know, brock Lesnor, John Cena, Roman Range, Wdwevensctmatrablht
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and a Roh sometimes, But indie wrestling has been such
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a big part of your life, a bigger part than me.
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But I've been to a lot of indies shows over
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the years. Was I went to a couple this summer,
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the ROH Show and then the community show in Hopkins
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next week by still the main wrestling, and it goes
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all the way back to the mid to late eighties
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out at Roper's and George's and Fridley with the emergence
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of Sean Waltman and Jerry Lynn. Do you remember your
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first indie show as a fan that you attended a
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non you know, a w a show basically, I guess.
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As you know, it's really interesting. I don't
remember going
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to an indie show as a fan. It's like all
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of a sudden there's the indie shows, which I knew about.
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I'd heard about him, hadn't attended Annie. And then the
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late Ray Webby called up and he said, you know,
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Eddie Sharky runs some stuff around town, and he says,
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you want to come down. Eddie's looking for a couple
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of guys to do. We're going to tape this for TV.
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And you know, I kind of jumped right in so
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as a fan, I truly, I mean, it sounds ridiculous.
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I don't remember actually attending an indie show before I
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actually sat down at the announced table.
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And you know, it's funny. I grew up watching the
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AWA here in Minneapolis Saint Paul, and I saw the dates,
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you know, in the cities for all these shows that
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weren't on a Sunday night at the St. Fallcivic Center,
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and they were all you know, a lot of them
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were driving distance from my house. But it didn't click
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with me as a kid, you know, before I got
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my driver's license to try to go to these shows,
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the smaller shows that the a w A Would run
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on a more regular basis, just outside of the Twin Cities,
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they were there weren't a lot, right in town, right, Mick,
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But just outside of the cities, the A w A
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would run some that were driving distance.
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Yeah, and Roger Kamp and Alda RuSHA actually promoted a
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lot of the you know, back at what they call
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the spot shows. Yep, but you know, it would literally
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go all over the state, not only in Minnesota, but
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of course they'd go into into the Dakotas and into
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Iowa and Wisconsin. And there were a ton of them.
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I mean, I look back on some of the results
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that I have and anywhere from man Cato to Cottage
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Grove to New Home, there seemed like there was always
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AWA Spots show going on at some high school gymnasium
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or junior high or some fundraiser. And again, amazingly, I
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think I went to one of those eight WA Spots
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shows back probably nineteen sixty nine ish at Stnglewis Park
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High School. And I don't remember going on the road
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for any of those other shows. I know, you, your
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former co host George Shire went to a lot of them,
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rode around with Marty O'Neill, But I didn't go to
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the spot shows. I mean I basically stayed in the
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Twin Cities and went to the Minneapolis and Saint Paul editoriums,
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and of course all the TV tapings. You know, I
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probably missed you know, five or six you know, in
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the sixties and the seventies from her TV. So yeah,
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but the AWA, they were busy all the time, even
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if they weren't running the big house shows in the
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Twin Cities.
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I don't are you on Twitter much? Mic, I'm not. Okay,
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I'm not.
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I've got a Twitter account and but I haven't used
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it very much.
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No.
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The reason I ask is one of your contemporaries, Patrick
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Roycie signed up for Twitter. And there's nobody on my
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feet who I see more often than him. He has
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just completely fallen in love with the technology and the Twitter.
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It's Andy and he's just you know, he has vinted
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pat racing. For those who aren't local here, he's a
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I think an award winning but I know he's a
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sports writer. He is just a phenomenal talent. I was
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just on his show for what what reason was it?
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What we're talking about? Maybe brock lesternt Resumini or something
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earlier this year and uh, just in you know, an
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institution and and he's on Twitter just being a smart
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ass all the time, you know, I mean just you know,
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he's going back and forth with people on Twitter and
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you know, being you know, his normal kind of edgy self.
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And and the other day he just made a reference
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to the A W A t V tapings at was it?
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Uh?
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Was it Channel eleven studios? W was it WCN?
Were
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those of letters back then? Yeah?
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It was.
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It was WT in the sixties when I was going
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as the TV. Yeah, yeah, Calhoun beach manor right across
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the street from Lake Calhoun. And then they moved out
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to the studios in Golden Valley for a while on
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the Carol Levan Studios, and then from there it was
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kind of like all over the place, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park.
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But when those of us who go back that far
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talk about the old studio days, and you know, I'll
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catch up with some old timers and they'll say, hey,
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I remember you don't want crusher and Mad Doug had
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that studio brawl or whatever that primarily took place at
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the WTC and studios at Lake Calhoun or across from
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the Lake Calhoun.
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Yeah, his reference was something about it it being the
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most significant thing that happened at that building compared to
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something else, that someone had said something else. I don't know.
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I'm trying to find it on Twitter. I wish I
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had pulled that up. I was just thinking about it
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talking to you that when you talk about those TV tapings, Mick,
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I am jealous. I would love to have gone. I mean,
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I'd love to have gone to so many more shows
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because I came in for my view of history at
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the tail end of what would be considered vintage AWA. Yeah.
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I got to see Ernngani's retirement match that was my
239
00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:05.519
first live event in nineteen eighty one against Nick Bockwinkel.
240
00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:07.200
I got to see Bobby Heenan in his prime. I
241
00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:09.840
got to see a young Kurt Henning last ten minutes
242
00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:11.960
with Adrian Adonis, which meant that Larry the Acts got
243
00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:13.840
to beat him up for a few minutes afterwards. I got
244
00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:16.519
to see Crusher in a pose down at age you know,
245
00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:18.600
I don't know if he was sixty yet, but in
246
00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:20.320
a posed down with Jesse the body venture at the
247
00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.399
peak of his physical performance, and of course the fans
248
00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:25.440
got to decide the winner, which upset
Jesse because you know,
249
00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:28.080
Crusher one. So I got to see, you know, a
250
00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:30.639
lot of vintage names, but it really was kind of
251
00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:32.919
the end. And then came the Hogan era, and then
252
00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:35.799
the Road Warrior era, and then whatever the hell the
253
00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:39.639
end of it was the Rochester era. But you got
254
00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:43.080
to see so much of vintage AWA and as say,
255
00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:44.759
when you say you went to all but one or
256
00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:48.519
two TV tapings, I mean, what there's It's such a
257
00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:52.519
different experience, Mick, what you got to experience as a
258
00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:55.759
fan versus And I'm not saying one is better than
259
00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:57.360
the other, because That's not what I'm here to do
260
00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.679
in this moment. But it's just an entirely different experience
261
00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:01.720
than people to just watched rivaly week and watch the
262
00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:04.039
network and maybe once a year go to a house show.
263
00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:08.279
Well, you know, the TV studio format itself, I mean
264
00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:10.840
it's so foreign to people. You know, if they look
265
00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:13.759
at the TV studio match now, you know where there's
266
00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:15.679
one hundred, one hundred and fifty people in the building,
267
00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:17.600
They're going to look at it and say, what is this?
268
00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:20.679
You know, where's the seventeen thousand people with signs all
269
00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:25.399
over the place and the pyros and everything else. As
270
00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:28.720
I look back on it, way that was, without a doubt,
271
00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:33.320
the greatest memories for me, or those were the greatest memories,
272
00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:37.960
probably from the mid sixties up until you know, probably
273
00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:42.720
the mid seventies, late seventies, before the AWA had their
274
00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:45.399
big boom, you know, with the Hogan era at the
275
00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:49.399
Saint Paul Civic Center. Yeah, because I mean, I hate
276
00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:52.159
to say it, this is my social life as a teenager,
277
00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:56.559
but I would go down my whole Saturday and this
278
00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.039
would be you know, maybe weekly, maybe bi weekly. It
279
00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:02.559
would start downtown at the Diakman Hotel, which is where
280
00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:05.639
the wrestling office was, and wait for the wrestlers to
281
00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:08.080
come in and get their itinerary and their paychecks and
282
00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.360
whatever else. Then you take the bus out to the
283
00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:15.039
TV studios at
Lake Calhoun, go to the studio matches
284
00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:18.440
which were live from sixty seven thirty. And then right
285
00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:20.279
after that you get in the car and you go
286
00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:23.159
down to the Mattresses to Minneapolis or Saint Paul Auditorium,
287
00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:26.200
you know, same night. And it was so great, and
288
00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:30.759
there's so many incredible phenomenal memories. And I mean I'm
289
00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:33.840
going back to you know, the mad Dog Vashon era,
290
00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:38.679
Cowboy Bill Watts, I mean Luthez, I mean seeing Luthez,
291
00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:41.279
you know, in a TV squash match against a guy
292
00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:45.360
in nineteen sixty seven, Killer Kowalski, I mean, the real
293
00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:48.519
the legends, And it was so great. It was so
294
00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:51.480
intimate in that studio, and of course after the matches
295
00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:54.120
the guys would go over to this interview backdrop and
296
00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:57.919
do their live promos in the studio without Q cards,
297
00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:01.320
you know, without telepropters or anything else, and there were
298
00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:04.559
so many angles in the studio. It was just it
299
00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:08.480
was just great. And you know what, when did it change?
300
00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:12.279
I think once the AWA got out of the care
301
00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:15.480
eleven studio and once they started doing you know, the
302
00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:19.559
crap with the Team Challenge series and everything else. I
303
00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:22.000
mean that that pretty much nail in the coffin.
304
00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:27.360
Yes, yes, do you have? Is there a moment in
305
00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:31.080
a w A history that that is the definitive transition
306
00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:36.440
from the golden years to whatever the next era would be?
307
00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:36.639
Like?
308
00:15:36.759 --> 00:15:38.480
Is there a moment in time or a show or
309
00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:40.720
a wrestler arriving or leaving or retiring that does it?
310
00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:44.399
Was it Vern's retirement or something else earlier or later?
311
00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:47.480
I don't think it was Vern's retirement because the AWA
312
00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:49.840
still had some some good years left in them.
313
00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:53.960
Yeah, thanks for downloading today's show. Take it to the
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325
00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:35.720
Well, I'm sorry, mack. Let me interjectcause I don't mean
326
00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:38.480
like that they had that they didn't have success after
327
00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:39.919
the end of the Golden Era. I guess I kind
328
00:16:39.960 --> 00:16:42.080
of mean like, is there in your mind a point
329
00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:44.759
where the AWA stop. It could have still been successful
330
00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:46.919
for another year or five years, but was there a
331
00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:49.919
point where it didn't feel like the AW Because to me,
332
00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.720
in May of eighty one, I think that AWA that
333
00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:56.480
I saw wasn't as different from the AWA in nineteen
334
00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:59.159
seventy five as AWAB came in nineteen eighty seven. If
335
00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:00.279
you get TWI drift on that.
336
00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:03.039
And you know, nineteen eighty seven, believe it or not,
337
00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:06.559
might be the cutoff point, okay, because in nineteen eighty
338
00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:09.680
six you're still doing wrestle Rock, you know, and you
339
00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:13.200
still got that loaded lineup in Stan Hansen and Nick
340
00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:17.599
and everybody else. Nineteen eighty seven, you know, I should
341
00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.759
back that. Where it changed for me is when they
342
00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:25.799
started doing this stuff out in Atlantic City, you know, Larry,
343
00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:28.680
and they go to the Tropicana. Yeah, back to me,
344
00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:32.160
all of a sudden, this isn't this isn't AWA anymore,
345
00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:34.440
because you're trying to compete with Vince on the glitz
346
00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:39.039
and glamour level and showcase. You know, we're we're in
347
00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:41.759
a big city. We're in Atlantic City or whatever. So
348
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:48.039
the small studio feel was gone. You know the fact
349
00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:51.359
that everything seemed to be taped more for a national
350
00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:55.160
market than your localized market. And you know, you could
351
00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:57.599
go right down to the arena after the TV and
352
00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:04.279
see the stuff. Lives felt so so generic, almost so
353
00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:07.359
I think that that for me, that really changed it
354
00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.680
because to me, the AWA you know, it was a
355
00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:14.119
big promotion, but it was our promotion, it was mine promotion.
356
00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:16.519
And then all of a sudden, you know you're on this,
357
00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:20.079
on this national stage. And I mean funny, I mean
358
00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.839
I got in when it was the national stage in
359
00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.480
Las Vegas. But still for me, it's melancholy about the
360
00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:29.799
days prior to that. So that might have been to
361
00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:33.359
me the definitive moment when yeah, this isn't TAWA I
362
00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:33.960
grew up on.
363
00:18:34.680 --> 00:18:36.559
I think that's perfect. I didn't know what the answer
364
00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:39.640
would be, but that is exactly the perfect answer. It's when, yeah,
365
00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:41.799
I think that matches up for me too. The first
366
00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:46.319
Sunday you tune in and it's not in this you know,
367
00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:48.640
I don't. They didn't. Did they advertise on television or
368
00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:50.480
mentioned on TV where they were with a TV or
369
00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:52.319
did they try to keep that on the lowdown for
370
00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:54.440
people outside of the Minneapol Saint Paul market who thought
371
00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:55.640
they were seeing local wrestling.
372
00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:56.559
All are you.
373
00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:59.000
Talking about when they went to the national stage.
374
00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:01.480
No before when they were just taping in Minnesota. Basically,
375
00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:06.200
did they did they mention nationally that they were in Minnesota,
376
00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:07.960
did they try to just kind of keep that quiet
377
00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:10.119
for people who outside who thought the AWA was their
378
00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:11.799
home market, even if it wasn't Minneapoli Saint Paul.
379
00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.279
Yeah, I mean you got to remember, they would they
380
00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:18.000
would take their matches were for national distribution, but they
381
00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:21.000
would go in and spend a whole day, seventeen eighteen
382
00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:24.720
hours taping promos for the individual markets. So if you're
383
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.720
in Green Bay or Chicago or whatever else, you know,
384
00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:31.680
it's still had sort of that this is our own feel.
385
00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:35.119
I don't believe, and I could be wrong. I don't
386
00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:37.400
think that they made a point of saying, hey, we're
387
00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:39.119
taping in Minneapolis. Yeah.
388
00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:39.960
I don't think so either.
389
00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.599
I don't think that they alluded to that, and that's
390
00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:47.119
probably a better thing. But yeah, so yeah, I mean
391
00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:52.680
it still had the feel that it was your own hometown.
392
00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.799
Because remember, I mean as often as they were running
393
00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:57.960
in Minneapolis, they were running that same circuit. They were
394
00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:00.400
going to Chicago, they were going to Green Bay, going
395
00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:05.440
to Rockford, Milwaukee, Denver, kind of on the same rotation
396
00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:09.640
that they were doing Minneapolis. So everybody showed, yeah, they're
397
00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:12.279
coming back in four weeks they're coming back in five weeks,
398
00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:15.599
so it still had the this is our own feel
399
00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:15.920
to it.
400
00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:19.079
Yeah, and yeah, that transition the first time because people
401
00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.920
I hope a WA. I'm asking four questions at once here.
402
00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:25.599
I hope the AWA. When it gets on WWE network,
403
00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:27.039
we get to see some of the and I don't
404
00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:28.440
know how many are out there, but some of the
405
00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:32.079
shows that are before the national, before they took the
406
00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:34.559
TV outside of Minnesota, you know, taped, and I don't
407
00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:36.799
know how much of that exists in terms of complete shows, Mike,
408
00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.240
do you have an idea outside of you know, snippets
409
00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:41.160
on bootleg DVDs and tapes out there?
410
00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:43.839
You know what. I don't knows that there's that much
411
00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:46.279
out there, to be honest with you. And the story
412
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:49.839
that I get, Wade is especially in the sixties, and
413
00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:53.799
I would just kill to get the stuff, especially Field
414
00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:57.240
Studio stuff from the nineteen sixties, the angles that they
415
00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:00.440
did went when Dick Fire was in his Doctor X everything.
416
00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:03.400
My understanding is that back in the day, they would
417
00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:06.559
tape and then they would tape over, they would tape
418
00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:08.880
over the tape, they would they would lasted, they get
419
00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:11.319
rid of it. So a lot of that stuff. I
420
00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.119
would have to say most of it, at least from
421
00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:16.119
the sixties is gone.
422
00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:21.440
Oh yeah, yeah, it's too bad. We'll shift off the
423
00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:23.759
A w A after this. Top this last topic here,
424
00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:27.559
But if WWE does introduce a lot of A w
425
00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:30.079
A footage on the network, would you want to be
426
00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.079
part of being flown in to do some wrap rounds
427
00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:35.559
or roundtables and discuss stuff like is that? Is that
428
00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:38.079
something that if you were invited or that you would
429
00:21:38.119 --> 00:21:40.240
want to participate in and be able to because there's
430
00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:43.680
very few people who have the ability to speak like
431
00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:46.240
you do, who also follow the A w A beginning
432
00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:49.680
to end and have such great memories of of all
433
00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:50.680
those prime yeers.
434
00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:53.880
I would love to I mean, yeah, obviously I said
435
00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:55.680
no to the WWF once before.
436
00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:57.720
Yeah, yeah, so.
437
00:21:57.680 --> 00:22:00.799
I certainly would love to do it. I guess is
438
00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:03.240
that I would think that a lot of the stuff
439
00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:07.839
they're gonna show is probably late seventies and on up,
440
00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:11.200
and a lot of eighties stuff, yeah, because I just
441
00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:13.559
don't think that sixty stuff is out there. But you know,
442
00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:16.000
to get to the point of your question, sure, I'd
443
00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:18.640
love to sit and talk about my memories of it.
444
00:22:18.920 --> 00:22:21.240
Yeah, that'd be a lot of fun. I hope they
445
00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:23.279
do have at least I'd love to see complete TV
446
00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:26.079
shows from the late seventies, and I know they're out
447
00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.200
there in terms of people who had the first generation
448
00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:31.599
of VCRs, but it'd be great to great to see
449
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:33.599
them in order. And I think people would be shocked
450
00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:36.880
at how different a TV show starts off. You know,
451
00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:41.000
no Piro, you know, no Fancy. I mean there was
452
00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:43.160
the intro music, which is just awesome, you know, the
453
00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:46.799
AWA intro music with all the countries being named. But
454
00:22:46.839 --> 00:22:48.240
then yeah, I mean it's just it's to the ring
455
00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:51.160
ding ding ding, squash match interview, squash match interview. But
456
00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:53.319
it was great. I mean, it absolutely worked for its
457
00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:54.839
moment in time, and there's things about it that would
458
00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:59.480
work today. But let's transition to today's indie scene, because
459
00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:01.680
it's all kind of started branching off for me talking
460
00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:04.079
about spot shows that AWA would run, and now that
461
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:07.680
there aren't home territories that run full time, indie wrestling
462
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:10.160
has become a bigger deal. But to your knowledge, how
463
00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:13.559
what was was there indie wrestling in the sixties and
464
00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:16.039
seventies and even early eighties, and how does it compare
465
00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:19.039
and how has it evolved over time as the national
466
00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:21.920
companies and national cable and papers, you have kind of
467
00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:23.359
changed the way fans look at wrestling.
468
00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:26.400
You know, I know that there were some indie shows
469
00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:32.880
going way back when the indie wrestling, to my knowledge, exploded.
470
00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:37.839
Of course, when when WWE WWF went national, then all
471
00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:40.400
of a sudden, everybody wants to be a wrestler. Everybody's
472
00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:45.000
running shows. I mean, my earliest recollections in the Twin
473
00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:47.839
Cities of the indie shows are the Eddie Sharki shows.
474
00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:50.559
And this is you know, even before I came on
475
00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:53.519
board with Eddie, which was nineteen eighty five, I know
476
00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:57.799
he had been running shows already at the place like
477
00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:00.920
the Viking Gym, which is in Northeast Minia listen, and
478
00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:03.319
then you know, some of the night spots around town.
479
00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:06.720
But I mean, I think you can look back in
480
00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:11.039
time and there's a pretty clear definitive time when all
481
00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:15.039
this really started. And again that's when wrestling started. Booman
482
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:18.160
now all of a sudden, and even back in the
483
00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:21.799
SNR days, you know, and we're going back only twenty
484
00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:23.720
five years. And I say that because in the scheme
485
00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:26.359
of things, you know, back you know, Vince started his
486
00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:30.400
explosion in eighty three eighty four. But back in when
487
00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:32.440
I was doing SNR, there were a couple of indie
488
00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:36.079
promotions in the state of Minnesota. I know that Jim
489
00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:39.680
Mitchell ran one the NCWA, there was a couple other guys,
490
00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:43.759
and of course Sharky's. But since that time, I mean,
491
00:24:43.799 --> 00:24:47.279
you look, oh my god, everybody. I don't know how
492
00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:49.839
many specific promotions there are just in the state of
493
00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:53.000
Minnesota right now, but I can't think of too many
494
00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:56.440
Saturdays where you can't watch wrestling someplace, whether it's in
495
00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:00.920
Crystal or in
Mora, or somebody's running a show. And
496
00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:03.119
you know that's just here in the state of Minnesota.
497
00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:04.759
You go to some of these other places you know
498
00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:07.359
that I hear about, you know, like Chicago. I talked
499
00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:10.680
to Sean Waltman, you know, last Saturday night, and Shawn's
500
00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.519
living in Philly right now, and he says there's so
501
00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:17.039
many shows out there for him every week. So this
502
00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:20.839
is why I've said that indie wrestling is the real
503
00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:25.279
pro wrestling in the United States. You know, WW and
504
00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:28.519
DNA are kind of you know, apparitions, if you will,
505
00:25:28.599 --> 00:25:33.400
because the grassroots wrestling, you know, in fifteen before fifteen
506
00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:36.960
hundred four hundred people. Is what's really going on each
507
00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:38.519
and every week someplace.
508
00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:41.160
Mick, I want to take just a moment to mention
509
00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:43.759
a couple in house notes, and then I want to
510
00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:45.400
take a couple of phone calls and people I hope
511
00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:47.079
for a while, and then I want to get back
512
00:25:47.079 --> 00:25:50.039
and delve more into indie wrestling in this discussion. But
513
00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:53.880
that's set the table nicely for that. We are running
514
00:25:53.880 --> 00:25:55.960
a sale right now for peterle Torch b Ip. If
515
00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:58.720
you all right, let's shift to phone calls. We have
516
00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:02.119
a local caller and since Mick, we're Minnesotans, let's kick
517
00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:04.319
off the callers on today's show with a Minnesotan. I
518
00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:07.680
believe this is Brian from Bloomington. Brian, is that you?
519
00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:12.279
It is indeed excellent. What have you got for micking
520
00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:13.400
me today?
521
00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:17.720
I had two questions. One was about Blackweesner, which I
522
00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:20.559
heard you talking about, and the occurrence in the mine
523
00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:22.559
event with John sein is kind of getting back some
524
00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:25.960
of the thunder, if you will, and my sense of
525
00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:28.920
being in WW that they're afraid of having a empire
526
00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:34.200
strikes back time period in where the bad guy is
527
00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:36.759
on top. And for a lot of my friends who
528
00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:39.519
love star Wars their favorite one because of course the
529
00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:42.640
second one in the first villogy, because the heroes are
530
00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:44.480
on the edge of the cliff with the knife at
531
00:26:44.519 -->
00:26:46.720
their throat, napped up out with the bad guy and
532
00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:49.880
WWS so afraid to do that? Have that ever happened
533
00:26:49.880 --> 00:26:52.039
to build that and pick a patient? I need one
534
00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:53.200
of the other guys with thoughts on that.
535
00:26:53.759 --> 00:26:55.440
I saw you in your email when you told me
536
00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:57.359
the topic you're calling about. You said, Empire strikes back,
537
00:26:57.400 --> 00:26:59.440
and I'm like, what, why are we talking?
538
00:26:59.559 --> 00:26:59.960
Why? Why?
539
00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:03.319
John? How about that's perfect? That's a great analogy, Mick.
540
00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:06.680
I know you're up to speed on things on Raw Monday.
541
00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:09.039
We've been talking about it all week on the live cast,
542
00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:12.160
John Cena after taking last week off but only eight
543
00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:16.720
days after this brutal beating from brock Lesner, is seems fine.
544
00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:19.240
He's one hundred percent ready for a rematch, bring it on.
545
00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:21.880
And I sort of felt that took and then he
546
00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:26.000
wrestled not one but two matches and dominated. I felt
547
00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:28.000
like that took something away from what was I thought
548
00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:32.400
just a historically monumental and excellent world title match at
549
00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:35.200
Summer Slam so different from the norm. What were your
550
00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:38.480
thoughts on Sina Lesner at SummerSlam and then the follow
551
00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:39.319
up on Ron Monday.
552
00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:42.319
I couldn't agree with you more Wade. I mean, you
553
00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:45.680
absolutely echoed exactly what I was thinking. First of all,
554
00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:48.319
the build up to the match I thought was terrific.
555
00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:52.640
The promos that they were giving, especially Lesner, were off
556
00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:56.440
the charts. The match itself again very historic. I mean
557
00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:59.359
I call it. You know, you got a championship match
558
00:27:59.440 --> 00:27:59.880
that base.
559
00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:00.640
He was a.
560
00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:05.680
Squash And to me, Sena not only should not have
561
00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:08.960
come back and looked so strong eight days later after
562
00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:11.559
getting the beating of his life. I think John Cena
563
00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:13.960
should have taken time off. I should have They should
564
00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:17.400
have kept him hidden for a while. And I agree
565
00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:19.839
with you completely. It took a lot of the steam
566
00:28:19.880 --> 00:28:22.279
out of this. I just think that there was so
567
00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:25.720
much potential. You know, if if you know, you don't
568
00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:27.720
hear from John John Cena for a while, we don't
569
00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:29.960
know where he is, we don't know how he's feeling
570
00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:33.000
after this this beating from Brock. Lesner comes back eight
571
00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:34.960
days later, and as you said, not only did he
572
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:38.279
look strong, he looked super strong, I mean, and in
573
00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:41.839
a sense I mean, poor poor Bray Wyatt, you know,
574
00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:45.119
was in a very process. I just I did not
575
00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:48.799
understand the reasoning behind that at all. I figured, if
576
00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:51.720
you're going to have another the rubber match between you know,
577
00:28:51.799 --> 00:28:54.319
Sena and Lessner, give it a while, give it six months,
578
00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:57.000
give it three months, whatever, to come right back for
579
00:28:57.119 --> 00:28:59.079
the next pay per view makes no sense to me
580
00:28:59.119 --> 00:28:59.400
at all.
581
00:29:00.200 --> 00:29:02.960
I haven't floated this theory yet, but Brian, I'll put
582
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:04.880
this out there because I think what you said is
583
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:06.880
kind of what I've been saying and thinking that that
584
00:29:07.160 --> 00:29:09.559
WWE is scared to have John Cena fans not being
585
00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:11.759
able to sleep at night because they're worried about John Cena.
586
00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:15.799
So let's just bring Sena back. Everything is happy, rosie cheeks,
587
00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:18.960
smiley faces, and all is well in the world. Again.
588
00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:22.440
Please keep watching our show. It's a feel good program. Okay. Yeah,
589
00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:24.359
so they're probably afraid of kind of a yeah an
590
00:29:24.359 --> 00:29:27.440
empire strikes back period. But I wonder if they didn't
591
00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:30.160
look at the data for SummerSlam and see that it
592
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.880
was the best numbers they've done since WrestleMania, and they
593
00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:36.640
felt like there was a lot of interest in that match.
594
00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:40.039
But the network launched what was at the end of February,
595
00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:45.039
so March, April, May, June, July, August. That puts us
596
00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:48.240
right now in a key stretch of time. This is
597
00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:51.680
a series of weeks, just a handful of weeks, that
598
00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:54.000
accounts for ninety percent of their subscribers. They just haven't
599
00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:56.400
had a lot of sign ups since. Obviously their market,
600
00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:59.720
the target market said oh, WrestleMania thirty. All I have
601
00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:01.160
to do is pay ten bucks a month for six months.
602
00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:03.519
I'm in. There
weren't a lot of people left. You know,
603
00:30:03.559 --> 00:30:05.039
if you weren't going to take advantage of that, you're
604
00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:06.880
probably not going to decide to sign up two months later.
605
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:09.039
It's going to be slower growth from there. But if
606
00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:12.160
they had a surge in subscriptions and their internal data,
607
00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:15.319
said Sina Lesnar, people went bonkers for it. They went nuts.
608
00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:17.519
We had huge viewership on the network. I wonder if
609
00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:20.319
they didn't sacrifice a lot of the common sense things.
610
00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:22.960
Brian you're saying, Mick, you're saying, and go, and Vince
611
00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:27.200
just impulsive. Vince just said, screw it, we need these
612
00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:29.559
people saw the first match. They're going to be intrigued
613
00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:32.279
by the rematch. We can't afford to wait. We need
614
00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:35.000
to just do the rematch. Now. Let's send Sena out there,
615
00:30:35.079 --> 00:30:38.160
Let's give his fans and give his fans a feeling
616
00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:40.319
that he's in good shape and ready for another fight.
617
00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:42.640
And let's get all these people who subs are dropping
618
00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:45.480
that we're sending emails to. Let's get them excited about
619
00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:47.119
the rematch and get them back on board right away.
620
00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:51.279
We can't delay. I'm wondering if that isn't as it
621
00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:54.559
might be the most simple explanation the first Sena Lesner
622
00:30:54.599 --> 00:30:56.240
did so well, Vince wanted to go right back to
623
00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:57.680
it because subs are dropping off and he wants to
624
00:30:57.720 --> 00:31:00.960
get those people back. Does that, Mick, as that business
625
00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:02.960
wise justifiable to you? If that is what happens, And
626
00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:04.200
does that even seem plausible to you?
627
00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:07.039
Well, I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if that was
628
00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:09.240
the reasoning. You know, if they saw the numbers and
629
00:31:10.039 --> 00:31:12.880
what have you. The problem that I have with this
630
00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:16.200
weight is twofold. First of all, even if you're going
631
00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:19.000
to bring back Sena Lesner, have a little intrigue, have
632
00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:23.640
at least a little bit of time in between. Whereas
633
00:31:23.720 --> 00:31:26.440
as I said, earlier, John Cena is licking his wounds,
634
00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:29.880
whatever the case may be. The other problem that I
635
00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:33.880
have with it is what the total ass kicking that
636
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:37.720
Sina took at the pay per view was that ever
637
00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:41.759
really addressed by John Cena when he came back out.
638
00:31:42.359 --> 00:31:45.039
You know, I had a horrible night. I let people down,
639
00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:50.880
you know, I I just it was like it wasn't
640
00:31:50.880 --> 00:31:54.079
even touched on. And you know, here's Sena's governance saying,
641
00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:56.880
you know, I want my rematch, and you know, let's
642
00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:58.599
do it again, and I'm going to be stronger. But
643
00:31:58.680 --> 00:32:02.079
there was no real explanation that I could kill for
644
00:32:02.279 --> 00:32:06.079
the beating of a lifetime on a pay per view
645
00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:09.799
main event. To my dollarge, there has never been anything
646
00:32:09.880 --> 00:32:13.000
like it. You know, think it back where a champion,
647
00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:17.000
especially at Johnson, was so totally dominated and there was
648
00:32:17.079 --> 00:32:20.960
no explanation. I understand rock Lesnar is the beast. I
649
00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:25.640
understand that that's what they're pushing, but again, you would
650
00:32:25.640 --> 00:32:32.279
think Sina would address it somehow.
651
00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:36.079
Be longing for some nostalgia or maybe you want to
652
00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:40.000
learn some wrestling history, don't miss the nineties Pass cast
653
00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:43.599
every Friday on the PW Torch. Daly cast Feed, Alex
654
00:32:43.640 --> 00:32:46.440
and Patrick will transport you thirty years into the past
655
00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:49.839
by taking you through the Torch issue from that very week,
656
00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:53.519
follow news from the WWF and WCW and all the
657
00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:56.759
happenings from across the wrestling industry in real time as
658
00:32:56.799 --> 00:33:00.279
The Torch reported it thirty years ago. That's then these
659
00:33:00.279 --> 00:33:03.680
pass casts every Friday on the PW Towards Daily cast Feed.
660
00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:19.279
We're all that's the way you see it or not.
661
00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:21.559
No, it is, and we're all on the same page.
662
00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:24.440
And we're also frustrated because you know you to me,
663
00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:27.079
wrestling is I mean not wrestling is a larger audience
664
00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:29.480
than the analogy I'm going to give. But there's a
665
00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:33.119
lot of authors who write mystery novels or books where
666
00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:36.000
the same character is in each book. You know, and
667
00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:37.880
and and there'll be an author and they have a following,
668
00:33:38.440 --> 00:33:41.319
and you want when you write that book, if you
669
00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:44.039
put your lead character, the lead hero, the baby face
670
00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:47.759
in jeopardy, you want you want to flip to the
671
00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:51.720
next chapter and
have that hero address the jeopardy that
672
00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:53.880
they're in and acknowledge it and then give you a
673
00:33:53.960 --> 00:33:56.759
reason for hope, give you a reason to believe that
674
00:33:56.799 --> 00:34:00.000
they can come back from this predicament, this this new enemy,
675
00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:01.880
or if you watched the Dexter series, there's signs where
676
00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:03.519
it looks like he's gonna be exposed, he's gonna be
677
00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:06.279
caught not you know, or this guy's gonna kill him,
678
00:34:06.279 --> 00:34:08.519
he's not gonna get to him first. Whatever. Just it's
679
00:34:08.559 --> 00:34:12.480
it's it permeates all of scripted drama and pro wrestling
680
00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:16.360
is in essence that and people can give comic book
681
00:34:16.360 --> 00:34:19.760
examples and movie examples and all that. We skip like
682
00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:22.920
three chapters, Mick, because I've pulled on my report just
683
00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:24.800
to refresh my memory a little bit as you were
684
00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:26.920
talking saying you know what did seem to say? And
685
00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:28.679
all he did is he walked out he had to
686
00:34:28.679 --> 00:34:30.800
never give up T shirt, which is fine, you know
687
00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:33.800
rab ross Felt t shirts. It's a good message. And
688
00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:36.480
then he interacted a little bit with the Three Legends,
689
00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:38.039
and then all he did is say I don't plan
690
00:34:38.079 --> 00:34:40.079
to take that being again because I'm gonna kick brock
691
00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:42.559
Lesner's ass, and he dropped the mic and left, like,
692
00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:45.119
make you're one hundred percent right. It's a long winding
693
00:34:45.199 --> 00:34:46.920
road to me saying you one hundred percent right? Where
694
00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:51.159
in there is John CeNAT acknowledging that he took a
695
00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:54.199
beating that he has not even close to ever taken before.
696
00:34:54.800 --> 00:34:57.320
And Mick, do you remember any and I've been have
697
00:34:57.400 --> 00:34:59.440
this in my notes task you was there ever a
698
00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:01.360
world title match that you know of in the AWA
699
00:35:01.559 --> 00:35:04.639
or otherwise where a promoter and a booker decided to
700
00:35:04.679 --> 00:35:08.199
take this route where the champion lost the title and
701
00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:10.480
took a beating in a way that made it look
702
00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:13.679
like it was a man against the child, and and
703
00:35:13.760 --> 00:35:16.880
that the hero had almost no hope of ever beating
704
00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:19.159
that heel, and then they told the story for a comeback.
705
00:35:19.280 --> 00:35:21.079
Is is anything come to mind that even comes close
706
00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:21.280
to this?
707
00:35:21.840
--> 00:35:26.559
No, absolutely not. I don't remember anything anything like that,
708
00:35:27.079 --> 00:35:30.320
and especially I mean I'm thinking going way back, but
709
00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:34.119
especially in the modern era, you know, I mean, it
710
00:35:34.320 --> 00:35:37.719
just it makes no sense. And talking about Sena coming
711
00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:42.599
out with his explanation, relax thereof the Seina said more
712
00:35:42.760 --> 00:35:45.559
prior to the match about how brock Lesner was a
713
00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:48.679
beast and how he knew he was in for an
714
00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:53.119
ass kicking and hyping the match than he did afterward
715
00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:56.719
when he actually got the ass kicking. And I mean,
716
00:35:56.760 --> 00:35:59.760
to me, it's a perfect opportunity again for Sina to say,
717
00:36:00.719 --> 00:36:03.719
I let the see nation down. Brock Lessener is every
718
00:36:03.800 --> 00:36:06.599
bit as great as as I thought he was gonna be.
719
00:36:06.880 --> 00:36:09.440
And whatever the case may be. And on. You know,
720
00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:11.599
he took out the taker and now he's taken on me.
721
00:36:11.719 --> 00:36:13.199
I'm the in for the fight of my life. But
722
00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:16.039
damn it, I'm gonna brush myself off. I'm gonna regroup,
723
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:18.400
and I'm gonna go get him. But there was nothing
724
00:36:18.719 --> 00:36:21.159
no it was to me, it was totally slapp.
725
00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:23.880
And Mick, no and no offense to the promo. You
726
00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:26.880
just exactly what I expected and thought Sena would give.
727
00:36:26.880 --> 00:36:29.119
And I wanted him to just deliver the promo his life.
728
00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:32.159
But that what you said is in rocket science because
729
00:36:32.199 --> 00:36:35.360
it's what every babyface has ever done when they've been
730
00:36:35.400 --> 00:36:37.679
down and out. That's the speech you give. It's progressing
731
00:36:37.719 --> 00:36:39.320
one on one. And the reason for that, Mick, is
732
00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:43.599
it is the obvious thing to do, like sure, And
733
00:36:43.719 --> 00:36:47.599
so what what blows my mind is you just cut
734
00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:52.000
a really good promo essentially for John Cena that he
735
00:36:52.039 --> 00:36:53.679
can put in his own his own words, stretch it
736
00:36:53.679 --> 00:36:55.280
out tight, now do whatever he wants. Put a spin
737
00:36:55.320 --> 00:36:58.039
on it. But that is absolutely what he should have done,
738
00:36:58.079 --> 00:37:00.920
and I think what everybody was expecting, including his fans,
739
00:37:01.159 --> 00:37:05.239
and I am sort of at a loss for why
740
00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:08.440
they skip that and it to me and I don't
741
00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:09.960
want this to be a bast John Cena thing, because
742
00:37:09.960 --> 00:37:12.079
sometimes I think he's the victim
of Vince McMahon being
743
00:37:12.400 --> 00:37:14.159
you know, as people call him now, a crazy old
744
00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:18.880
man too just makes decisions on a whim. But John
745
00:37:18.920 --> 00:37:21.159
Cena has some cloud in that company, and I just
746
00:37:21.239 --> 00:37:23.880
think either he doesn't stand up enough for what he
747
00:37:23.880 --> 00:37:26.039
thinks he should be doing as a character, or he's
748
00:37:26.119 --> 00:37:28.960
actually not that in tune with certain things that a
749
00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:31.599
lead babyface wrestler should be in tune with. Because to me,
750
00:37:32.440 --> 00:37:35.599
I think he should have said, wait a second, if
751
00:37:35.599 --> 00:37:37.559
this were real and I took this kind of beating,
752
00:37:38.440 --> 00:37:40.079
this is what I would be thinking, and this is
753
00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:41.920
what I'd want to communicate to my fans. I feel
754
00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:44.440
like we're kind of skipping a couple chapters here, and
755
00:37:44.480 --> 00:37:47.360
he didn't say that. And when I wrote my initial report,
756
00:37:47.400 --> 00:37:48.800
when I was typing it up as I watched it,
757
00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:51.599
I thought, well, okay, this is a start. You know.
758
00:37:51.719 --> 00:37:53.480
He hit a few points but I didn't think he
759
00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:54.760
was going to come back later in the night just
760
00:37:54.760 --> 00:37:56.440
beat the hell out of bray White and then even
761
00:37:56.480 --> 00:37:58.559
have another match where he's you know, fired up on
762
00:37:58.599 --> 00:38:00.519
the ring apron wanting a hot tag. There was no
763
00:38:00.599 --> 00:38:02.719
follow up. I'm I think we're all just kind of
764
00:38:02.719 --> 00:38:04.199
in a little bit of a shock for the lack
765
00:38:04.280 --> 00:38:08.159
of wrestling. I acumen shown here that at least something
766
00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:10.239
close to the bare minimum was done for that next
767
00:38:10.280 --> 00:38:11.440
logical chapter in this mix.
768
00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:14.360
Well, you know, I think you touched on a very
769
00:38:14.360 --> 00:38:16.639
good point. I mean, we we would assume that Scena
770
00:38:16.760 --> 00:38:19.760
has cloud with the company about how much cloud, I
771
00:38:19.760 --> 00:38:23.159
mean does Vincent do in Triple H And the writers say,
772
00:38:23.159 --> 00:38:24.920
all right, this is what we want you to do.
773
00:38:25.199 --> 00:38:26.920
We don't even want you to go out and mention
774
00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:29.719
the beating that you took, i know, start hyping the rematch.
775
00:38:29.880 --> 00:38:30.360
Yep uh.
776
00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:34.079
You know, let's have everybody forget about what happened. And
777
00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:36.280
you know, you know, we don't want people to think
778
00:38:36.320 --> 00:38:38.639
for one second that maybe you don't stand the chance John,
779
00:38:38.920 --> 00:38:41.159
So just go out like you're pissed off and you're
780
00:38:41.199 --> 00:38:43.920
going to go get him next time. Makes no sense
781
00:38:43.960 --> 00:38:47.400
to me. I I just again totally flat when he
782
00:38:47.480 --> 00:38:49.320
put when he came out, well, first of all, when
783
00:38:49.360 --> 00:38:52.400
they said John Cena is going to address WW when
784
00:38:52.440 --> 00:38:54.280
they hyped it the week before, I thought, all right,
785
00:38:54.320 --> 00:38:56.719
this is going to be interesting. Yeah, you know, see
786
00:38:56.719 --> 00:38:58.320
what he's going to say and how he's going to
787
00:38:58.360 --> 00:39:00.599
approach this. When he came into the ring, you know,
788
00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:03.039
he walked down the aisleand know where he wasn't smiling,
789
00:39:03.159 --> 00:39:05.320
he had that serious luck on his face. And then
790
00:39:05.360 --> 00:39:07.159
you got the legends in there with him. I think
791
00:39:07.239 --> 00:39:10.159
this is really gonna be good. And he had started
792
00:39:10.679 --> 00:39:15.639
it was just like I thought, wait a minute, what
793
00:39:15.639 --> 00:39:17.719
what else am I This is something here.
794
00:39:17.960 --> 00:39:19.199
I'm not going to give it away here because I
795
00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:20.920
want to move on to some other things. But John
796
00:39:20.960 --> 00:39:23.599
Piermarini create a team member in WWE two thousand nine,
797
00:39:23.639 --> 00:39:25.719
twenty ten. He's been on this show many many times.
798
00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:28.079
He's part of the PW Torch All Star panel that
799
00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:31.199
answers your questions on our website PW torch dot com
800
00:39:31.239 --> 00:39:33.719
throughout the week plug plug plug. But that's who I'm
801
00:39:33.760 --> 00:39:36.760
talking about. He and he just for the News Fighter
802
00:39:36.760 --> 00:39:38.239
this week. I asked him, you know, what would you
803
00:39:38.280 --> 00:39:40.880
have done if the rematch was booked, and he said, well,
804
00:39:40.880 --> 00:39:42.320
first of all, I want to book the rematch this soon.
805
00:39:42.360 --> 00:39:44.639
But if I'm if that's what was the decision that
806
00:39:44.760 --> 00:39:46.960
was made, here's how it would have made the best
807
00:39:46.960 --> 00:39:48.320
of it was seen it in the ring with Hogan,
808
00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:50.559
Michaels and Flair. I thought he gave a brilliant answer
809
00:39:50.679 --> 00:39:56.000
for how to make the too soon rematch and the
810
00:39:56.000 --> 00:39:58.000
circumstances on raw was seen as standing in the ring
811
00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:00.000
with a mike with Hogan, Flair and Michael's I think
812
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:03.440
I thought his suggestion was fantastic and absolutely blew away
813
00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:06.840
anything WW did with it. So people who aren't VIP
814
00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:08.800
or people are a VIP members
or if they're print
815
00:40:08.880 --> 00:40:11.159
us utter subscribers, and we certainly invite people to subscribe
816
00:40:11.199 --> 00:40:13.000
to the print edition to be mailby or mailbox too.
817
00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:16.239
That is also available at PW Torch dot com, slash
818
00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:20.440
go VIP. Check out Pierre Marini's suggestion because I endorsed
819
00:40:20.480 --> 00:40:22.800
it wholeheartedly in the newsletter. For a reason, Brian, I
820
00:40:22.840 --> 00:40:24.360
want to throw back to your still on hold. Did
821
00:40:24.400 --> 00:40:25.960
we adequately just for question and do you have any
822
00:40:25.960 --> 00:40:27.480
follow up on anything that we've talked about?
823
00:40:29.119 --> 00:40:31.119
Yeah, I just wanted to add as I was listening,
824
00:40:31.119 --> 00:40:33.239
but you kept talking about skipping chapters, and it really
825
00:40:33.280 --> 00:40:35.119
reminds me of the book that first half read in
826
00:40:35.199 --> 00:40:38.039
high school and then was reiterated several times through college,
827
00:40:38.039 --> 00:40:40.639
which is Joseph Campbell's series of books about the hero's
828
00:40:40.719 --> 00:40:42.920
journey and how he has to go through that. I mean,
829
00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:46.159
every film or every story of some sort follows that
830
00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:48.559
in some way. WW likes to skip big parts of that,
831
00:40:48.679 --> 00:40:51.840
the chapters you're talking about, which to me doesn't allow
832
00:40:51.880 --> 00:40:53.519
me to invest and I'm sure for most of the.
833
00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:57.159
Audience absolutely at the top point, Yeah, go ahead.
834
00:40:58.760 --> 00:41:01.559
My next question to you, guys were recently twitch tv,
835
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:05.559
which is a user generated video game streaming service basically
836
00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:08.519
where people put up themselves playing video games. Yep, some
837
00:41:08.599 --> 00:41:11.239
of the most popular ones that they've generated a lot
838
00:41:11.280 --> 00:41:13.960
of money doing this. They were recently sold or bought
839
00:41:13.960 --> 00:41:17.639
by Amazon for one billion dollars. Do you think there's
840
00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:21.039
there's an opportunity or a market where something where some
841
00:41:21.239 --> 00:41:23.719
vendor someone to put together a service where people could
842
00:41:23.719 --> 00:41:26.239
get indie content from around the world, maybe just the
843
00:41:26.320 --> 00:41:29.199
United States at first, but then Japan, Mexico on a
844
00:41:29.280 --> 00:41:31.360
service like that. I know Roku has a couple of
845
00:41:31.800 --> 00:41:34.880
niche wrestling you know companies on there, but someplace where
846
00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:38.679
everyone can go a counterpowder or counter to the ww network.
847
00:41:39.320 --> 00:41:41.559
Okays, cool question. I would like to say first, Brian,
848
00:41:41.559 --> 00:41:44.639
that Pro Wrestling Torch is for sale perpetually for one
849
00:41:44.880 --> 00:41:47.920
billion dollars. So if anybody out there, you know, wants
850
00:41:47.960 --> 00:41:50.519
to buy Pro Wrestling Torch, I'll throw in the library,
851
00:41:50.840 --> 00:41:53.400
the live cast, the trademark, one billion dollars. Just want
852
00:41:53.440 --> 00:41:55.480
to throw that out there. Thanks. I thought that's where
853
00:41:55.480 --> 00:41:58.079
you're going, Brian. If you thought I could have a buyer, Mick,
854
00:41:59.599 --> 00:42:04.239
what about out distributing indie shows and in a more
855
00:42:04.360 --> 00:42:06.199
organized way on the internet and finding a way to
856
00:42:06.239 --> 00:42:08.639
generate some revenue and support indie wrestling through something along
857
00:42:08.639 --> 00:42:10.119
those lines. I think that's kind of what Brian was
858
00:42:10.119 --> 00:42:12.719
getting at. What do you think I mean? I know
859
00:42:12.760 --> 00:42:16.159
the Steel Domain show out in Hopkins was a pay
860
00:42:16.159 --> 00:42:21.000
per view and ROH the week before taped their show
861
00:42:21.079 --> 00:42:23.599
in Hopkins, Minnesota, which is just west of Minneapolis but
862
00:42:24.159 --> 00:42:28.199
eight minute drive, and they taped the show for distribution.
863
00:42:29.199 --> 00:42:31.599
So you know, indie wrestling, there's a way to see
864
00:42:31.599 --> 00:42:33.480
it in ROH is kind of a hybrid in between.
865
00:42:33.559 --> 00:42:36.199
But there's a way to see a lot of indie
866
00:42:36.199 --> 00:42:37.920
wrestling if you want to. But would you like to
867
00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:40.280
see some sort of organization that would allow people to
868
00:42:40.320 --> 00:42:43.880
sit down and basically click on a map that maybe
869
00:42:43.880 --> 00:42:46.480
on a computer screen if they were a member or
870
00:42:46.559 --> 00:42:48.920
pay perview or just a member, to get all access
871
00:42:48.920 --> 00:42:50.840
and click on a screen and go right now, here's
872
00:42:50.840 --> 00:42:52.599
a live show or here's something from last night that's
873
00:42:52.599 --> 00:42:55.400
been uploaded, and you can watch local indie wrestling on
874
00:42:55.440 --> 00:42:57.960
you know, a single handheld in most cases, I.
875
00:42:58.280 --> 00:43:00.320
Think in series, that would be a great idea, and
876
00:43:00.360 --> 00:43:02.719
I think a lot of people would would take advantage
877
00:43:02.719 --> 00:43:05.199
of that. And I mean, if you think there's there's
878
00:43:05.280 --> 00:43:09.079
internet buzz right now and people voicing their opinions, imagine
879
00:43:09.559 --> 00:43:11.440
you open up that cat of worms for the for
880
00:43:11.480 --> 00:43:15.480
the indie wrestling theme. I think what I'm guessing Wade
881
00:43:15.599 --> 00:43:20.199
is because the indie wrestling world is so discombobulated sometimes,
882
00:43:20.679 --> 00:43:24.320
I mean with
no shows and with technical problems and
883
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:28.960
with production. You know, you mentioned handheld cameras, you know,
884
00:43:29.159 --> 00:43:33.159
and you know again in dark and VFW Hall's or whatever.
885
00:43:33.280 --> 00:43:37.960
I'm not sure that it would be feasible maybe for
886
00:43:38.440 --> 00:43:42.719
half a dozen fifteen independent promotions. But I think from
887
00:43:42.760 --> 00:43:46.199
a technical standpoint, the promotions that would be involved in
888
00:43:46.280 --> 00:43:48.960
something like that would really have to step their game up.
889
00:43:49.760 --> 00:43:55.559
I'm not sure if people or that people would subscribe
890
00:43:55.599 --> 00:43:57.719
to a service like that if they're going to see
891
00:43:57.719 --> 00:44:00.559
the same stuff over and over again, thirty people, you know,
892
00:44:00.679 --> 00:44:05.079
in a building, you know, with garbage cans, tables and chairs,
893
00:44:05.119 --> 00:44:07.559
That makes no sense. I think that would maybe get
894
00:44:07.599 --> 00:44:10.679
boring after a while. But I could see certainly, you know,
895
00:44:10.719 --> 00:44:13.519
the lead indie promotions, you know, whether it's Steel Domain
896
00:44:13.639 --> 00:44:17.079
or whatever, that I could see possibly happening in the
897
00:44:17.159 --> 00:44:22.840
sense like Championship pressing from Hollywood and Championship pressing from
898
00:44:22.880 --> 00:44:26.400
the Twin Cities, and you know the group that they've
899
00:44:26.400 --> 00:44:29.840
got going now, that kind of conglomeration or organization. Of course,
900
00:44:30.159 --> 00:44:32.960
that I could see something like that happening on a
901
00:44:33.079 --> 00:44:35.679
large scale with all the you know, hundreds and thousands
902
00:44:35.679 --> 00:44:36.960
of indies. I don't think so.
903
00:44:37.840 --> 00:44:39.760
It would be interesting if there was like a Reddit
904
00:44:39.920 --> 00:44:43.280
type setup where the most popular shows would just move higher,
905
00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:46.280
Like there'd be a way like if there was indie
906
00:44:46.280 --> 00:44:49.039
shows and it would reset itself say every three weeks.
907
00:44:49.039 --> 00:44:52.000
But there'd be if an indie show got watched, somebody
908
00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:54.840
could raid it, and the ones that were the most
909
00:44:54.880 --> 00:44:57.639
watched and the most rated are the most highly rated
910
00:44:57.639 --> 00:44:59.840
would show up on a list and it could lead
911
00:44:59.880 --> 00:45:03.199
to or like Imager or you know whatever the websites
912
00:45:03.199 --> 00:45:05.760
are where you know, people vote with the thumbs up
913
00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:08.920
to get something a funny picture or quote moved to
914
00:45:08.960 --> 00:45:12.360
the top. You could kind of have this like democracy
915
00:45:12.519 --> 00:45:18.119
of indie fans giving the proper credit to an indie show,
916
00:45:18.519 --> 00:45:21.719
an indie promotion that is producing good shows with wrestlers
917
00:45:21.719 --> 00:45:23.559
you should see. You could click and find out more
918
00:45:23.559 --> 00:45:25.639
details on the promotion of the card or what match
919
00:45:25.639 --> 00:45:27.400
in particular to look for. But it'd be kind of
920
00:45:27.400 --> 00:45:31.000
cool to have like this huge democracy of indie fans
921
00:45:31.840 --> 00:45:33.960
shining a spotlight on shows that deserved it.
922
00:45:35.159 --> 00:45:37.719
You know what's the offshoot of that would be, of course,
923
00:45:37.840 --> 00:45:39.519
is it would be kind of like the trash Bag
924
00:45:39.559 --> 00:45:42.679
Wrestler's website where all of a sudden, you know, you
925
00:45:42.840 --> 00:45:46.000
have this network of the absolute worst indie shows ever
926
00:45:46.320 --> 00:45:48.960
in the history of the world, and people would rate
927
00:45:49.039 --> 00:45:54.320
those two. Yeah, people would gravitate towards the horrible ones too.
928
00:45:54.440 --> 00:45:57.159
So yeah, I mean, is it feasible, I don't know.
929
00:45:57.280 --> 00:45:59.800
Would it be an entertaining idea? Sure?
930
00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:02.480
Yeah, I mean it does come down to how many
931
00:46:02.519 --> 00:46:06.000
people out there nationally with so much good wrestling today
932
00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:11.199
available ring what Ring of Honor offers hits. It's like
933
00:46:11.280 --> 00:46:14.039
the elite of indie style wrestling combined with and then
934
00:46:14.079 --> 00:46:15.679
you add you know, T and A got two hours
935
00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:18.039
a week for the time being at least, and you
936
00:46:18.079 --> 00:46:21.239
have WWE five six five hours a week on cable
937
00:46:21.519 --> 00:46:24.239
main Event and other original program plus pay per views,
938
00:46:24.239 --> 00:46:29.119
and then unprecedented access even before the network, just through
939
00:46:29.159 --> 00:46:31.679
YouTube and all that. But now with the network there's
940
00:46:31.800 --> 00:46:35.599
so much good wrestling that's accessible. What truly is the
941
00:46:35.679 --> 00:46:38.239
audience level? And would it pay for the design and
942
00:46:38.280 --> 00:46:40.480
the upkeep of an indie wrestling website. And it's not
943
00:46:40.480 --> 00:46:42.519
a dig at indie wrestling, it's just it would really
944
00:46:42.519 --> 00:46:45.440
be the long tail. It'd be the fragmented small things.
945
00:46:45.480 --> 00:46:48.239
But that's I guess. What would interest me about taking
946
00:46:48.239 --> 00:46:50.239
Brian's idea and expanding on it a little bit would
947
00:46:50.239 --> 00:46:53.079
be it would give a chance, even if the audience
948
00:46:53.079 --> 00:46:56.480
started small, to give a sense of order to the chaos.
949
00:46:56.599 --> 00:46:58.599
If fans were voting for the best wrestling and they
950
00:46:58.639 --> 00:47:00.960
got followings,
and they're going to run a new show
951
00:47:00.960 --> 00:47:03.559
on Thursday night, maybe they only draw forty five people.
952
00:47:03.599 --> 00:47:07.000
But what if the internet quote, the Internet says this
953
00:47:07.039 --> 00:47:08.760
is the indie show to watch this week, this is
954
00:47:08.760 --> 00:47:11.519
the best show lately. They could actually get more attention
955
00:47:11.599 --> 00:47:13.880
on the show, and then the indie promoters would get
956
00:47:13.920 --> 00:47:16.079
money based on how many people actually view their show.
957
00:47:16.119 --> 00:47:20.239
So they'd get a reward for the show being better
958
00:47:20.320 --> 00:47:23.000
than everything else in getting that act and getting that acclaim.
959
00:47:23.039 --> 00:47:25.199
Then you know, you run the thirty second ads, you know,
960
00:47:25.280 --> 00:47:27.760
video ads to add some revenue, and now indie wrestlers
961
00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:30.199
well make you know, the indie wrestlers won't see the money,
962
00:47:30.239 --> 00:47:31.440
but the promoters maybe get.
963
00:47:31.280 --> 00:47:31.800
A little bit.
964
00:47:33.719 --> 00:47:36.199
Right or the announcers, you know everybody all.
965
00:47:36.239 --> 00:47:41.079
Right, Well, the anouncers don't deserve any more money. Oh sorry, sorry.
966
00:47:42.840 --> 00:47:46.840
Anytime you're watching WWE Raw or SmackDown or aw Dynamite
967
00:47:46.920 --> 00:47:49.280
in particular, send us an email if you've got thoughts
968
00:47:49.280 --> 00:47:51.320
on the show, or a topic you want us to address,
969
00:47:51.440 --> 00:47:55.920
or a question for us. Wadekeller Podcast at Pwtorch dot
970
00:47:55.920 --> 00:48:00.320
com Wadekeller Podcast at peakwtorch dot com. If there's anything
971
00:48:00.320 --> 00:48:01.840
else going on in pro wrestling that you want us
972
00:48:01.840 --> 00:48:04.880
to address on our main podcast during our mailbank segments,
973
00:48:05.320 --> 00:48:08.559
that same email applies Wade Keller Podcast at pw torch
974
00:48:08.639 --> 00:48:11.480
dot com. We invite that interaction. Let us know what
975
00:48:11.519 --> 00:48:13.760
you think of what we're saying, and let us know
976
00:48:13.800 --> 00:48:15.840
what you want us to talk about and ask us
977
00:48:15.880 --> 00:48:23.239
specific questions. Wade Keller Podcast at pw torch dot com.
978
00:48:23.400 --> 00:48:25.280
You know, but that's that's another thing too, Like that
979
00:48:25.320 --> 00:48:27.360
would be part of the mix. Like any promoters would
980
00:48:27.360 --> 00:48:29.880
have an incentive to make sure that good announcers were
981
00:48:30.480 --> 00:48:33.039
announcing their shows because that would be part of this
982
00:48:33.119 --> 00:48:35.599
kind of democracy of any wrestling. So anyway, I don't
983
00:48:35.599 --> 00:48:37.559
have the technical ability to do it, but I would
984
00:48:37.599 --> 00:48:40.159
like to say, copyright TDH Communications.
If you would like
985
00:48:40.199 --> 00:48:42.440
to use that idea, contact me because it's now mine.
986
00:48:43.880 --> 00:48:45.199
I like it though. I think that'd be fun that
987
00:48:45.239 --> 00:48:47.000
would give me. I would I'd be like, Hey, I'm
988
00:48:47.039 --> 00:48:49.320
in the mood for some wrestling. I'm burned out on WWE.
989
00:48:50.480 --> 00:48:52.800
I've watched my ro on my ROH for the week,
990
00:48:53.199 --> 00:48:54.760
but I just want to see if there's a rising
991
00:48:54.800 --> 00:48:57.039
star and it could be a pretty fun thing. I'd
992
00:48:57.079 --> 00:48:58.239
like to see something like that happen.
993
00:48:59.559 --> 00:49:02.760
Yeah, yeah, I wasn't detegrating the indie scene either.
994
00:49:02.880 --> 00:49:03.199
Oh I know.
995
00:49:03.400 --> 00:49:05.159
Yeah. I mean obviously you know.
996
00:49:05.159 --> 00:49:06.639
You do that off air enough Mac, But I know
997
00:49:06.679 --> 00:49:08.239
you say, Wade, I'm not gonna rip them on air.
998
00:49:08.960 --> 00:49:12.199
There's tens of thousands of emotions a run, and certainly
999
00:49:12.280 --> 00:49:15.280
I mean in that mix of all those promotions, there's
1000
00:49:15.360 --> 00:49:17.559
some great stuff out there. And you're right. I mean
1001
00:49:17.599 --> 00:49:20.079
if that were showcased, if they started out with that
1002
00:49:20.239 --> 00:49:22.079
forty five people and all of a sudden they got
1003
00:49:22.079 --> 00:49:25.199
a worldwide audience, you know, it could really shine a
1004
00:49:25.280 --> 00:49:27.679
light on them. But you know, great idea. But you
1005
00:49:27.719 --> 00:49:30.719
know you fronted Wade and we'll be good to go.
1006
00:49:31.119 --> 00:49:33.920
Sounds good. Well, then people can hear you're announcing, which
1007
00:49:33.960 --> 00:49:35.800
I have said is the best in the business. There's
1008
00:49:36.559 --> 00:49:38.440
We've talked about it before. I don't want to necessarily
1009
00:49:38.480 --> 00:49:41.440
go go in detail again, but the philosophy that you bring,
1010
00:49:41.599 --> 00:49:44.719
which is the second I put that headset on, assuming
1011
00:49:44.719 --> 00:49:47.519
the any promoter can afford the headset for you. As
1012
00:49:47.519 --> 00:49:50.599
soon as you put the headset on. It's real, and
1013
00:49:50.840 --> 00:49:54.679
the babyfaces are cast as baby faces for a reason
1014
00:49:54.920 --> 00:49:59.679
because they have character traits that make the world work,
1015
00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:03.960
because stealing and cheating and lying is frowned upon in
1016
00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:06.480
society because people who are good at what they do
1017
00:50:06.519 --> 00:50:09.719
then don't get ahead. The person who deserves the job
1018
00:50:10.119 --> 00:50:13.239
the construction company that deserves to get hired by the
1019
00:50:13.280 --> 00:50:15.559
mayor the city is the one who does a good job,
1020
00:50:15.599 --> 00:50:17.320
not the one who does a crappy job but bribes
1021
00:50:17.360 --> 00:50:22.039
them and so and sometimes it seems obvious, but it's like,
1022
00:50:22.079 --> 00:50:23.480
I feel like I have to remind people in the
1023
00:50:23.679 --> 00:50:26.599
kind of ruthoesque nonsense that there are no heels and faces.
1024
00:50:26.599 --> 00:50:29.239
It's all shades of gray b s. There are good
1025
00:50:29.239 --> 00:50:31.199
people in the world who do good things and live
1026
00:50:31.280 --> 00:50:33.559
on an honor code, and then there's complete jerks out
1027
00:50:33.559 --> 00:50:36.320
there who will lie, cheat and steel. Eddie Garro's thing
1028
00:50:36.360 --> 00:50:38.119
was fun while it lasted, but in a way it
1029
00:50:38.159 --> 00:50:40.639
ruined wrestling because it's likely cheat and steel woo let's cheer.
1030
00:50:40.960 --> 00:50:44.199
No nobody wants to be lied to, cheated, or stolen from.
1031
00:50:44.480 --> 00:50:46.079
I don't want someone to break into my garage right
1032
00:50:46.119 --> 00:50:49.000
now and steal my bikes. So you as an announcer
1033
00:50:49.039 --> 00:50:52.039
just bringing it back to wrestling, you get upset when
1034
00:50:52.079 --> 00:50:54.599
a heel cheats and to bring it to Monday's row
1035
00:50:54.679 --> 00:50:58.000
for a moment. My biggest outrage when I watched Raw
1036
00:50:58.360 --> 00:51:01.519
wasn't John Cena dropping on his promo. It probably should
1037
00:51:01.519 --> 00:51:03.840
have been, but it wasn't. It was that Cain booked
1038
00:51:03.880 --> 00:51:07.480
himself and seth Rawlins against Roman Reigns in a two
1039
00:51:07.559 --> 00:51:10.159
on one match, and there wasn't even a hint from
1040
00:51:10.159 --> 00:51:15.039
the announcers that that was unfair, outrageous and in a
1041
00:51:15.360 --> 00:51:19.920
completely an abuse of power. There was none of that outrage, Mick.
1042
00:51:19.960 --> 00:51:21.719
If you were announcing that show, you wouldn't need to
1043
00:51:21.800 --> 00:51:23.760
have anyone in the headset to tell you when a
1044
00:51:23.800 --> 00:51:26.679
heel uses and abuses power to create a two on
1045
00:51:26.679 --> 00:51:28.760
one match that puts a rising baby face like Roman
1046
00:51:28.800 --> 00:51:32.920
Reigns in jeopardy against two men. That is something that
1047
00:51:32.960 --> 00:51:35.320
you want the fans to be upset because heel heat
1048
00:51:35.360 --> 00:51:37.400
is the key to wrestling working. But when the announcers
1049
00:51:37.400 --> 00:51:39.760
aren't putting heat on the heels and they're just acting like, ah, yeah,
1050
00:51:39.800 --> 00:51:41.639
if I had the power, I do that too, it's
1051
00:51:41.639 --> 00:51:43.360
hard to get heal heat. It's cheating everybody when the
1052
00:51:43.360 --> 00:51:44.480
announcers don't do their job.
1053
00:51:44.960 --> 00:51:47.239
Well. Of course, first of all, like you said, it's
1054
00:51:47.280 --> 00:51:49.559
not rocket science. I mean, yeah, that's what I do
1055
00:51:49.679 --> 00:51:52.320
because that's the way it's supposed to be. And like
1056
00:51:52.400 --> 00:51:54.320
you say, when I put that headset on, there's good
1057
00:51:54.320 --> 00:51:56.079
guys and bad guys, and it's always going to be
1058
00:51:56.119 --> 00:51:59.480
that way, and that you know, it's as proud of
1059
00:51:59.480 --> 00:52:02.000
it as I am. There's a lot of people that say, Ohtamon,
1060
00:52:02.159 --> 00:52:03.519
you know, in this day and age, you know, what
1061
00:52:03.559 --> 00:52:04.639
do you get so fired up?
1062
00:52:05.880 --> 00:52:06.719
What do you say to that?
1063
00:52:07.440 --> 00:52:11.519
It's my I mean for starters. And then secondly, I
1064
00:52:11.559 --> 00:52:15.079
think to your point, wait about the announcers not reacting
1065
00:52:15.119 --> 00:52:18.199
to an abuse of power by Cain or whatever. Yeah,
1066
00:52:18.880 --> 00:52:22.400
no wonder, people don't care. No wonder people are in
1067
00:52:22.480 --> 00:52:25.519
that gray area. No wonder, they don't really boo the
1068
00:52:25.519 --> 00:52:28.440
heels and really cheer the baby faces. Because if the
1069
00:52:28.480 --> 00:52:30.639
announcers don't care, why should I.
1070
00:52:30.840 --> 00:52:34.000
Right, I don't even think it crosses fans' minds that
1071
00:52:34.280 --> 00:52:36.760
it was something they should be upset about. We didn't
1072
00:52:36.800 --> 00:52:39.880
have I mean, Roman reigns shouldn't complain, but Roman reign
1073
00:52:39.920 --> 00:52:43.599
should be given my time to say I'm willing to
1074
00:52:43.840 --> 00:52:45.639
I'm willing to stand up to these two people, but
1075
00:52:45.639 --> 00:52:48.360
there should be the interview and promo should be crafted
1076
00:52:48.400 --> 00:52:51.159
in a way where the fans can tell this is
1077
00:52:51.239 --> 00:52:53.320
not a good situation for Roman reigns. It's a power
1078
00:52:53.360 --> 00:52:56.039
It's like a power play in hockey. But nobody committed
1079
00:52:56.079 --> 00:52:58.000
a foul like Rohen Rains didn't do anything to deserve
1080
00:52:58.039 --> 00:53:00.760
to be quote a man down. And that's the whole
1081
00:53:00.760 --> 00:53:02.840
problem with the whole structure of a heel authority figure.
1082
00:53:02.840 --> 00:53:06.119
Because Mikederrope, where did I read it? It was on
1083
00:53:06.199 --> 00:53:10.360
a I forgot the website, a very popular pop culture website,
1084
00:53:10.599 --> 00:53:12.639
and it was a It was an article on wrestling
1085
00:53:12.679 --> 00:53:14.960
Round the Wrestle any Time, and the opening paragraph was
1086
00:53:15.159 --> 00:53:18.199
everybody knows what you need for a wrestling show is
1087
00:53:18.199 --> 00:53:20.119
is a good guy a bad guy in a heal
1088
00:53:20.159 --> 00:53:23.000
authority figure and you know something along those lines, And
1089
00:53:23.039 --> 00:53:27.719
I was like, no, no, that's that is. The heel
1090
00:53:27.760 --> 00:53:30.119
authority figure was the start of things going way way
1091
00:53:30.119 --> 00:53:33.000
off course, and wrestling has been way better off for
1092
00:53:33.119 --> 00:53:37.440
decades when you actually had an authority figure who cared
1093
00:53:37.440 --> 00:53:40.079
about law order, even playing field and rules, because that's
1094
00:53:40.119 --> 00:53:42.639
how heels get heat because they're cheating the system.
1095
00:53:43.199 --> 00:53:45.679
Wait. I grew up and as you know, was Wally Tarble,
1096
00:53:45.960 --> 00:53:48.239
you know, and you know when the heels, I don't
1097
00:53:48.239 --> 00:53:50.159
care if they used a chair or whatever they did.
1098
00:53:50.599 --> 00:53:53.239
Wally came out and he waived that singer and threatened
1099
00:53:53.239 --> 00:53:56.800
the fines and suspensions. And that's what it's all about. Yeah.
1100
00:53:56.840 --> 00:54:00.480
And not only do the do the announcers not care,
1101
00:54:00.519 --> 00:54:03.559
but when you see the abuse of power by the
1102
00:54:03.559 --> 00:54:08.480
the heel authority figure every single week when they hotshot
1103
00:54:08.519 --> 00:54:10.800
an angle, you know, whether it was back in the
1104
00:54:10.880 --> 00:54:13.079
day with Vince doing it or now with Triple H
1105
00:54:13.159 --> 00:54:16.199
doing it, or when MZP was doing it in TNA
1106
00:54:16.400 --> 00:54:20.199
or Dixie Carter, it's same old, same old. So you
1107
00:54:20.239 --> 00:54:23.360
know it's which babyface is going to get screwed this week?
1108
00:54:23.679 --> 00:54:27.360
Oh hum? Ye say that's basically what it is. Same plotline,
1109
00:54:27.400 --> 00:54:29.199
same storyline every week.
1110
00:54:29.960 --> 00:54:32.760
It's frustrating and disappointing. It can be so much better.
1111
00:54:32.800 --> 00:54:34.159
I want to get another call in here from a
1112
00:54:34.199 --> 00:54:35.880
VIP member. Has been an old long time. This is
1113
00:54:36.159 --> 00:54:41.440
Scott Scott lesson not City you're calling from. Go ahead,
1114
00:54:41.440 --> 00:54:43.840
Scott seven seven three.
1115
00:54:45.440 --> 00:54:46.719
Not Chicago.
1116
00:54:47.159 --> 00:54:49.199
Oh sorry, Forts, I go ahead. What have you got
1117
00:54:49.199 --> 00:54:57.119
for Mick and I today? Are you still there? Hello? Okay,
1118
00:54:57.320 --> 00:55:01.639
all right, sorry about that. Give a call back, Nick.
1119
00:55:02.000 --> 00:55:06.079
Let's let's go ahead and talk about, uh, the show
1120
00:55:06.079 --> 00:55:08.880
that you were at. It was Saturday night, right, yes?
1121
00:55:09.039 --> 00:55:11.920
And what what it wasn't Superior, Wisconsin? What was the city?
1122
00:55:12.079 --> 00:55:15.480
It was Redcliffe, Wisconsin, just outside of Superior.
1123
00:55:15.599 --> 00:55:16.239
Okay, yep.
1124
00:55:16.960 --> 00:55:20.519
This was a heavy unrestling promotion. David Savid yep. And
1125
00:55:20.679 --> 00:55:22.599
it was at a
casino, so there was a nice
1126
00:55:22.639 --> 00:55:25.840
little budget and a lot of the h A lot
1127
00:55:25.880 --> 00:55:30.760
of former big names with w W attended the show,
1128
00:55:30.840 --> 00:55:34.800
plus uh plus a real solid lineup of matches. It
1129
00:55:34.920 --> 00:55:36.599
was a real good event all the way around.
1130
00:55:37.079 --> 00:55:38.400
Who are some of the names that were out there?
1131
00:55:39.360 --> 00:55:43.159
Well, let's see, uh, the Steiner brothers were there, and
1132
00:55:43.360 --> 00:55:46.960
Roddy Piper was there, and Sean Waltman and of course
1133
00:55:47.760 --> 00:55:52.760
Booker T was there and hardcore Holly it was. It
1134
00:55:52.840 --> 00:55:55.519
was I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody, but it was a
1135
00:55:55.519 --> 00:55:59.480
pretty loaded lineup. Yeah, and you know they and again,
1136
00:55:59.639 --> 00:56:03.840
you know, heavy on wrestling is kind of an anomaly
1137
00:56:04.119 --> 00:56:07.760
in wrestling. Circles today on the indie level because they
1138
00:56:08.360 --> 00:56:11.880
showcase a lot of the great young talent here in
1139
00:56:11.880 --> 00:56:14.960
the state of Minnesota the Upper Midwest. But also they
1140
00:56:15.000 --> 00:56:18.400
have a propensity to bring in big names, whether it's
1141
00:56:18.400 --> 00:56:21.679
a Rick Flair or you know this lineup that I
1142
00:56:21.679 --> 00:56:24.920
should mention Jake Roberts, I don't know how I could. Yeah, yep,
1143
00:56:25.320 --> 00:56:28.480
miss Jake. Jake was there as well, so all in all,
1144
00:56:28.719 --> 00:56:34.360
very enthusiastic crowd top to bottom. Roddy Piper was tremendous
1145
00:56:35.079 --> 00:56:37.599
with the crowd. I've seen him at Califlower Alley Club
1146
00:56:37.679 --> 00:56:40.320
a couple of times when he's kind of inundated with people,
1147
00:56:40.400 --> 00:56:42.480
so he's you know, he doesn't get a chance to
1148
00:56:42.559 --> 00:56:45.280
kind of, you know, interact with the fans. But he
1149
00:56:45.480 --> 00:56:50.239
was great. Booker T. I put a Facebook interview up
1150
00:56:50.280 --> 00:56:52.559
that I had done with Booker T where it was
1151
00:56:52.639 --> 00:56:55.599
kind of heavy on promoting his reality of wrestling promotion.
1152
00:56:55.880 --> 00:56:56.079
Yep.
1153
00:56:56.360 --> 00:56:58.559
I can't think of a greater guy that I've had
1154
00:56:58.599 --> 00:57:01.320
the opportunity to work with him talk about fan friendly
1155
00:57:01.760 --> 00:57:07.000
and just just congenial, terrific. But again, back to the
1156
00:57:07.039 --> 00:57:11.280
show itself, was really really good and apps off to
1157
00:57:11.320 --> 00:57:13.239
the promotion just a great job.
1158
00:57:13.719 --> 00:57:15.400
It's a tough question to answer, and I want to
1159
00:57:15.400 --> 00:57:16.760
go back to talk about some of the bigger names
1160
00:57:16.760 --> 00:57:18.440
on the show, you know, the nationally no names. But
1161
00:57:18.599 --> 00:57:20.239
there's a tough question to ask because I know you'll
1162
00:57:20.239 --> 00:57:23.199
feel bad and you know later if you leave somebody out.
1163
00:57:23.239 --> 00:57:26.119
But can you name one, two or three guys on
1164
00:57:26.199 --> 00:57:28.559
the Minnesota Andy scene that if somebody sees their name
1165
00:57:29.199 --> 00:57:32.239
on an indie lineup, they should pay particular attention to
1166
00:57:32.280 --> 00:57:35.159
their match because you think, one they maybe they'll go
1167
00:57:35.199 --> 00:57:36.960
nowhere else but any wrestling, but they really give your
1168
00:57:36.960 --> 00:57:39.800
money's worth on the indie show. And two do some
1169
00:57:39.840 --> 00:57:42.199
guys fall into the category of this guy should be
1170
00:57:42.320 --> 00:57:45.159
brought into developmental by WWE. They've got potential to be
1171
00:57:45.199 --> 00:57:45.880
a national star.
1172
00:57:46.599 --> 00:57:48.599
I think there's kind of a mix and a lot
1173
00:57:48.599 --> 00:57:51.559
of them kind of blur the lines. So I'll I'll
1174
00:57:51.559 --> 00:57:54.679
just throw the names out there. And what I'm doing, wait,
1175
00:57:54.800 --> 00:57:57.199
is kind of combining the guys that work for SDW
1176
00:57:57.239 --> 00:57:59.960
and the heavy on wrestling promotions because those are real
1177
00:58:00.199 --> 00:58:02.000
the ones that I've been involved with lately.
1178
00:58:02.119 --> 00:58:03.400
Yeah, yep, I.
1179
00:58:03.400 --> 00:58:07.199
Would say Aria Davari, the younger brother Sean Davari to
1180
00:58:07.320 --> 00:58:11.719
me is just exceptional. Why this kid hasn't made it
1181
00:58:11.800 --> 00:58:14.239
yet on the national level, I don't know, but I
1182
00:58:14.280 --> 00:58:16.280
would say if you see his name on a poster,
1183
00:58:16.800 --> 00:58:18.800
come out and see him. There's no question about it.
1184
00:58:19.280 --> 00:58:23.039
Uh Luke Hawks and Scott Summers who work as Kings
1185
00:58:23.039 --> 00:58:26.320
of the Underground for the Heavy un Wrestling promotion, always
1186
00:58:26.360 --> 00:58:31.760
great great stuff. The Steel Domain Northern State Champ Hopshot,
1187
00:58:31.840 --> 00:58:36.400
Danny Duggan who works extent extensively up in Canada and
1188
00:58:36.440 --> 00:58:39.599
he's got a cohort up there that we steal. Domain
1189
00:58:39.679 --> 00:58:44.440
brings in aj Sanchez Larrock who wrestles as the Canadian Crusher.
1190
00:58:45.719 --> 00:58:51.119
Another guy that I would say, you know certainly. Ricky
1191
00:58:51.239 --> 00:58:54.199
Love is a kid who wrestles in Iowa. Based out
1192
00:58:54.199 --> 00:58:58.320
of Iowa. Is the guy, Yeah, really talented.
1193
00:58:58.400 --> 00:59:00.320
He impressed me month.
1194
00:59:00.840 --> 00:59:04.239
Yeah, he's got a great, great attitude. And of course
1195
00:59:04.280 --> 00:59:06.199
every once in a while you get the Cabanas and
1196
00:59:06.199
--> 00:59:09.840
the Pierces come into town too. But I think speaking
1197
00:59:09.880 --> 00:59:12.920
for those two promotions, there's so much talent out there,
1198
00:59:13.199 --> 00:59:16.880
and why these guys haven't gotten an opportunity yet to
1199
00:59:16.960 --> 00:59:20.519
appear on the national stage, I don't know. They certainly should.
1200
00:59:21.039 --> 00:59:23.960
Do you think today it's tougher for an indie wrestler
1201
00:59:24.960 --> 00:59:28.719
than to get noticed nationally than it was five or
1202
00:59:28.760 --> 00:59:29.519
fifteen years ago.
1203
00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:33.800
Oh, absolutely, no question about it. And this is something
1204
00:59:33.800 --> 00:59:36.480
that I actually had asked Booker t about because he
1205
00:59:36.599 --> 00:59:38.599
was talking about, you know, the young guys trying to
1206
00:59:38.599 --> 00:59:42.000
break into the business, and I asked him that specifically.
1207
00:59:42.039 --> 00:59:45.320
You know, everybody looks at WWE and some guys have
1208
00:59:45.480 --> 00:59:47.400
that in their head, you know, someday I'm going to
1209
00:59:47.480 --> 00:59:50.239
make it and their full throttle, their full steam ahead.
1210
00:59:51.159 --> 00:59:51.280
You know.
1211
00:59:51.400 --> 00:59:54.320
An example would be Eric Rowan, you know, a local
1212
00:59:54.360 --> 00:59:59.519
guy who made it huge in WWE. And basically what
1213
00:59:59.559 --> 01:00:02.119
I was at scheme Booker is because of the lack
1214
01:00:02.159 --> 01:00:05.760
of territories and the lack of major promotions, is not
1215
01:00:05.800 --> 01:00:08.159
a lot of places to go. So can that be
1216
01:00:08.239 --> 01:00:11.000
a detrimat as far as you know? He mentally to
1217
01:00:11.079 --> 01:00:13.840
some of these guys, thinking on ww will never hire me.
1218
01:00:14.159 --> 01:00:15.719
This is as far as I'm going to go. It
1219
01:00:15.800 --> 01:00:17.840
is what it is, And he didn't think so he
1220
01:00:17.960 --> 01:00:20.320
just said, you know, you know, keep your keep your
1221
01:00:20.360 --> 01:00:23.800
nose to the grindstone, and you just never know. Certainly
1222
01:00:23.800 --> 01:00:25.800
the odds are against him from what it was five
1223
01:00:25.880 --> 01:00:29.159
years ago is ten years ago. There's no doubt about it.
1224
01:00:29.199 --> 01:00:30.519
But you know you can do it.
1225
01:00:30.599 --> 01:00:33.159
You just never know who's going to get noticed. I
1226
01:00:33.239 --> 01:00:35.119
look at some of the guys that I mentioned just
1227
01:00:35.159 --> 01:00:38.679
a minute ago, and I'm floored that they haven't that
1228
01:00:38.760 --> 01:00:41.480
they haven't made it for whatever reason. I just don't
1229
01:00:41.480 --> 01:00:44.079
get it. And I think Aria Davari is probably at
1230
01:00:44.079 --> 01:00:45.039
the top of that list.
1231
01:00:45.360 --> 01:00:48.920
Yeah, yeah, he's He's I've just sort of assumed he
1232
01:00:49.000 --> 01:00:50.880
didn't want to make it nationally because he had a
1233
01:00:50.880 --> 01:00:54.039
good job outside of wrestling, because he's so good when
1234
01:00:54.039 --> 01:00:56.079
I see him on the indie shows. When I have
1235
01:00:56.159 --> 01:00:58.639
seen him on indie shows, I'm just like, if I
1236
01:00:58.960 --> 01:01:00.840
assume he could get a job wanted one, you know,
1237
01:01:00.920 --> 01:01:02.599
I mean, like, I mean, he's not a big he's
1238
01:01:02.639 --> 01:01:04.320
not big, so I mean, there's only so many spots
1239
01:01:04.400 --> 01:01:06.840
nationally for smaller guys. But how did not even TEA
1240
01:01:06.840 --> 01:01:08.320
and A bring him in for X Division work.
1241
01:01:08.920 --> 01:01:10.920
I know, I don't understand that at all. And of course,
1242
01:01:10.960 --> 01:01:13.119
you know, with with his U the lineage, you know,
1243
01:01:13.159 --> 01:01:15.320
with his brother, you know, Sean Debar, you sat at
1244
01:01:15.360 --> 01:01:18.159
death and maybe you're right I mean maybe it's because
1245
01:01:18.239 --> 01:01:20.800
you know locally, you know, if if you got a
1246
01:01:20.880 --> 01:01:22.679
if you got a job, and you've got a full
1247
01:01:22.679 --> 01:01:25.039
time job and you're making a decent living, and you
1248
01:01:25.159 --> 01:01:28.239
don't want to roll the dice, you know, and see
1249
01:01:28.239 --> 01:01:30.440
what happens and quit that full time job. Another guy
1250
01:01:30.480 --> 01:01:33.599
who's been around forever, I mean Mitch Paradise. You know,
1251
01:01:33.639 --> 01:01:36.000
you've seen Mitch work in the indie scene here for
1252
01:01:36.079 --> 01:01:38.840
a long long time. And I always felt that Mitch
1253
01:01:38.960 --> 01:01:41.360
had the look. You know, there's a lot of guys
1254
01:01:41.400 --> 01:01:43.119
out there that look like Mitch. But I thought he
1255
01:01:43.199 --> 01:01:45.480
had the attitude. I thought he had the chrism. I
1256
01:01:45.480 --> 01:01:47.519
thought he had to look. But he's another guy, you know,
1257
01:01:47.599 --> 01:01:51.239
he just, for whatever reason, he stayed close to close
1258
01:01:51.280 --> 01:01:54.360
to home and worked his full time job and you know,
1259
01:01:54.440 --> 01:01:56.760
taking care of his family and he's happy. You're that
1260
01:01:56.840 --> 01:01:58.559
way just wrestling once or twice a month.
1261
01:01:59.360 --> 01:02:02.480
Uh the uh Saturday night show, And I had I
1262
01:02:02.519 --> 01:02:04.360
wanted to attend that show, but it was it was
1263
01:02:04.400 --> 01:02:06.480
a family get together at the States Fair, and it
1264
01:02:06.599 --> 01:02:09.239
was a long enough drive. What was about five hours, Mick.
1265
01:02:09.800 --> 01:02:12.000
Yeah, it was. It was a long way up there.
1266
01:02:12.039 --> 01:02:14.760
Yeah, yeah, yeah, if I could have made a work
1267
01:02:14.760 --> 01:02:16.639
I really wanted to, because that would
have been a
1268
01:02:16.679 --> 01:02:18.800
fun show and a fun atmosphere. But I'm glad what
1269
01:02:18.840 --> 01:02:20.199
you said about Booker T. I'm glad to hear what
1270
01:02:20.239 --> 01:02:21.800
you said about Booker T because he's been He's been
1271
01:02:21.800 --> 01:02:23.880
on the live cast twice. He's been a great guest
1272
01:02:23.880 --> 01:02:26.480
both times. Both of those interviews, the free part and
1273
01:02:26.519 --> 01:02:29.320
the VP Exclusive after show are part of our library
1274
01:02:29.320 --> 01:02:31.840
when you sign up for VP membership, and Booker's been great.
1275
01:02:31.880 --> 01:02:35.079
We've won transcriptions of his interviews on the show on
1276
01:02:35.239 --> 01:02:37.800
the live from the live cast in the Prossing Torch newsletter.
1277
01:02:38.000 --> 01:02:42.280
He is he is somebody who just he just impresses
1278
01:02:42.360 --> 01:02:46.280
me even more in Person's not the right word, but
1279
01:02:46.559 --> 01:02:48.679
in the phone conversationally. Then I think he gets a
1280
01:02:48.760 --> 01:02:51.400
chance to show off on these kind of heavily scripted
1281
01:02:51.400 --> 01:02:54.119
bullet points pre shows and post shows and stuff like that,
1282
01:02:54.440 --> 01:02:57.920
like there's more there than I think the WWE atmosphere
1283
01:02:58.039 --> 01:02:59.840
brings out in him. And we also saw that Mick
1284
01:03:00.199 --> 01:03:03.000
with Sean and Rick and Hulk on Monday Night, three
1285
01:03:03.119 --> 01:03:06.480
legends who have all drawn money not being heavily scripted,
1286
01:03:07.000 --> 01:03:11.480
being put in a situation heavily scripted, obviously so awkwardly,
1287
01:03:11.599 --> 01:03:14.679
so to the point that I think Michael's just clocked
1288
01:03:14.679 --> 01:03:18.280
out flair, scared to upset the card after what happened
1289
01:03:18.320 --> 01:03:21.440
a year ago, and you know, very tenuous. And then
1290
01:03:21.559 --> 01:03:23.559
you know, Hulk's Hulk. I mean, he's just happy to
1291
01:03:23.599 --> 01:03:25.639
be making a paycheck again after losing a lot of
1292
01:03:25.639 --> 01:03:28.159
money through a lot of personal issues. But it just
1293
01:03:28.440 --> 01:03:31.400
it was, you know, you talk about Booker and how personable,
1294
01:03:31.440 --> 01:03:33.719
and when that it's almost like when the camera's not on,
1295
01:03:34.000 --> 01:03:36.079
he has more charisma than when it is based. And
1296
01:03:36.119 --> 01:03:38.480
I blame that a lot on the circumstances. It is
1297
01:03:38.559 --> 01:03:41.239
kind of disapointing because going back to you talking about
1298
01:03:41.280 --> 01:03:42.920
being at the TV tap things, in those promos where
1299
01:03:42.920 --> 01:03:46.079
there were no scripts, wrestlers used to just know their character.
1300
01:03:46.320 --> 01:03:48.559
They knew how to draw money. The promoter hired them
1301
01:03:48.559 --> 01:03:50.719
because they knew
how to draw money, and they would
1302
01:03:50.760 --> 01:03:53.000
hand them a microphone and go do your thing. And
1303
01:03:53.039 --> 01:03:57.440
now the McMahon's are hiring carpenters, and the carpenters show
1304
01:03:57.519 --> 01:03:59.920
up and they say, Okay, this is how you use
1305
01:04:00.039 --> 01:04:02.880
a hammer, and this is the type of nail you'll use,
1306
01:04:03.159 --> 01:04:05.480
and it's like, no, we're wrestlers, let us do our thing.
1307
01:04:05.679 --> 01:04:07.119
It's a shame that that doesn't happen more.
1308
01:04:07.159 --> 01:04:16.000
Now, I'm Kelly Wells, host of the seven Star podcast,
1309
01:04:16.159 --> 01:04:18.840
the new Ongoing Torch Show covering the world of New
1310
01:04:18.920 --> 01:04:22.519
Japan pro wrestling. We'll drop new episodes as major shows
1311
01:04:22.559 --> 01:04:24.920
and noteworthy events dictate.
1312
01:04:25.360 --> 01:04:26.760
And I'm Chris Lansdowe.
1313
01:04:26.880 --> 01:04:29.320
Join us as we cover the ever changing landscape of
1314
01:04:29.360 --> 01:04:31.920
New Japan as they navigate an era with no lack
1315
01:04:31.920 --> 01:04:32.320
of talent.
1316
01:04:32.679 --> 01:04:34.880
But I really need to create some new styles.
1317
01:04:35.280 --> 01:04:36.280
You can stream then your.
1318
01:04:36.199 --> 01:04:38.760
Seven Stop podcasts now from Pro Wrestling Talk.
1319
01:04:51.519 --> 01:04:54.239
Well, you know, as far as dances concerned, and you
1320
01:04:54.360 --> 01:04:57.239
got to remember, yeah, these guys are wrestlers, but you
1321
01:04:57.280 --> 01:05:00.000
know demseil kell yea, it's entertainment. It's a weekly entertain
1322
01:05:00.039 --> 01:05:02.280
in the show. You know, it's not a wrestling show.
1323
01:05:02.400 --> 01:05:05.119
So just like a sitcom, just like a drama, just
1324
01:05:05.159 --> 01:05:07.599
like whatever. You know, we're going to give you your
1325
01:05:07.679 --> 01:05:09.679
lines and this is the way we wanted want you
1326
01:05:09.760 --> 01:05:12.159
to do it, and you know, so on. So yeah,
1327
01:05:12.199 --> 01:05:14.519
that's that's horrible. I mean, you know, again, compared to
1328
01:05:14.559 --> 01:05:17.639
the days when I was growing up where the mad
1329
01:05:17.679 --> 01:05:19.480
dogs in the world would come out in the back
1330
01:05:19.519 --> 01:05:21.679
windows and they would just say, you know, Nick, we're
1331
01:05:21.719 --> 01:05:23.800
going to be in the in Molly, go out there
1332
01:05:23.800 --> 01:05:26.400
and do two minutes about Dusty Rhoades, you know, and
1333
01:05:26.480 --> 01:05:30.519
he would do it just real quickly on Booker Key again.
1334
01:05:30.760 --> 01:05:31.800
Yeah, the end of night.
1335
01:05:31.880 --> 01:05:35.320
And I think this goes to what you said about
1336
01:05:35.360 --> 01:05:38.880
the interaction, you know, Booker when the cameras are not on.
1337
01:05:39.719 --> 01:05:41.000
I went up to him at the end of the
1338
01:05:41.079 --> 01:05:43.760
night and we actually he got involved in a couple
1339
01:05:43.760 --> 01:05:46.039
of couple of things that you know, and end of
1340
01:05:46.079 --> 01:05:48.119
the evening with a spinner Ronie, which of course made
1341
01:05:48.119 --> 01:05:51.719
everybody happy. But and he kind of helped us, you know,
1342
01:05:51.800 --> 01:05:54.360
put together some of the finishes and so on. But
1343
01:05:54.400 --> 01:05:56.159
at the end of the night, I said, you know, Booker,
1344
01:05:56.280 --> 01:05:58.039
it was so great to work with you. Thank you
1345
01:05:58.079 --> 01:06:01.920
for coming out. And he you could feel a sincerity
1346
01:06:02.000 --> 01:06:05.519
in him. He said, no, thank you. You guys brought
1347
01:06:05.519 --> 01:06:08.400
me in. You didn't have to. You called me. I
1348
01:06:08.480 --> 01:06:11.159
came in. You put me over, you put the promotion over.
1349
01:06:11.719 --> 01:06:14.320
And I said, but you're you're you're so damn aviable
1350
01:06:14.400 --> 01:06:17.159
and agreeable and with everybody, and he said, my mother
1351
01:06:17.199 --> 01:06:19.400
told me it doesn't cost anything to be nice to people.
1352
01:06:20.039 --> 01:06:23.880
That he seemed to be the you know, the.
1353
01:06:23.280 --> 01:06:23.960
The Booker team.
1354
01:06:24.280 --> 01:06:27.519
So anyway, yeah, it was a great event. And now
1355
01:06:27.639 --> 01:06:32.039
you know, kind of my own segue, just just steal domain.
1356
01:06:32.159 --> 01:06:34.039
Hopefully we can we can talk about what we got
1357
01:06:34.079 --> 01:06:34.559
coming up to.
1358
01:06:34.960 --> 01:06:37.480
Absolutely well, I do want to just plug Booker T's book.
1359
01:06:37.840 --> 01:06:39.480
He's coming out with another one later this year. I
1360
01:06:39.480 --> 01:06:42.199
think it's coming out later this year. But the first
1361
01:06:42.239 --> 01:06:44.480
book he put out is just it's on Amazon. Just
1362
01:06:44.639 --> 01:06:47.800
entered Booker T. It'll pop up highly recommended. And uh,
1363
01:06:47.960 --> 01:06:49.639
Bruce Mitch. I think Bruce Mitchell's on with me. The
1364
01:06:49.639 --> 01:06:52.119
first time I had an interviewed Booker about that book,
1365
01:06:52.559 --> 01:06:55.239
and we did a long form interview. The transcription is
1366
01:06:55.239 --> 01:06:57.119
also available in the Torch news letter and the archives
1367
01:06:57.119 --> 01:07:02.079
online on the VPP site. Absolutely worth reading the book
1368
01:07:02.159 --> 01:07:04.920
because it and it's not a lot about wrestling, and
1369
01:07:04.960 --> 01:07:06.800
I don't want to say that to scare people away
1370
01:07:06.840 --> 01:07:08.639
from reading it if they're wrestling fans. There's some in
1371
01:07:08.679 --> 01:07:11.119
there and some good stuff in there, but it really
1372
01:07:11.159 --> 01:07:13.360
is just an amazing journey. And yes, if you write
1373
01:07:13.360 --> 01:07:16.480
a book
about yourself, you're probably going to probably going
1374
01:07:16.559 --> 01:07:18.400
to try to make yourself look good. But the nice
1375
01:07:18.400 --> 01:07:23.320
part about Booker is his the the detailed stories he
1376
01:07:23.360 --> 01:07:26.880
gave about the real choices that he was, the forks
1377
01:07:26.880 --> 01:07:28.280
in the road that he took in life, and when
1378
01:07:28.280 --> 01:07:30.480
he took a wrong one and how he righted that wrong.
1379
01:07:31.119 --> 01:07:32.840
I just think is an inspirational book. I'm not sure
1380
01:07:32.880 --> 01:07:34.800
at what age i'd recommend a kid read it, but
1381
01:07:34.960 --> 01:07:38.440
I think it would be a great book for teenage kids,
1382
01:07:38.639 --> 01:07:41.679
especially if they're in tough situations to read, because I
1383
01:07:41.760 --> 01:07:43.639
just think it's one of those books that just has
1384
01:07:43.719 --> 01:07:46.760
great moral lessons in it because Booker lived it and
1385
01:07:46.800 --> 01:07:50.320
went through it, including time in prison. So I want
1386
01:07:50.360 --> 01:07:52.119
to wanted to give another shout out to his book
1387
01:07:52.119 --> 01:07:53.639
because it really was good and we look forward to
1388
01:07:53.639 --> 01:07:55.840
having back on the show. Yeah, Mick, let's let's talk
1389
01:07:56.079 --> 01:07:58.239
about your uh, what you got coming up with still
1390
01:07:58.280 --> 01:08:00.559
Domain Wrestling, Buel Maine.
1391
01:08:00.760 --> 01:08:02.880
You know, we just came off that the show on
1392
01:08:02.960 --> 01:08:07.760
Hopkins and now coming up September sixth for the fans
1393
01:08:07.800 --> 01:08:11.039
in the local Twin Cities area. Here we're at the
1394
01:08:11.119 --> 01:08:15.159
Richfield American Legion with a television taping and a big
1395
01:08:15.239 --> 01:08:19.119
card and if Paradise Again is going to be there
1396
01:08:19.159 --> 01:08:22.319
in aj Learrock And a guy that I mentioned or
1397
01:08:22.359 --> 01:08:25.640
should have mentioned earlier on is a kid Darren Corbyn.
1398
01:08:26.039 --> 01:08:29.039
And oh yeah, when you talk about the guys that
1399
01:08:29.079 --> 01:08:32.840
are kind of sleepers out there, and nobody really talks
1400
01:08:32.840 --> 01:08:34.800
about it, but they remember him. They'll go to a
1401
01:08:34.880 --> 01:08:37.720
show and they'll say, you know what, that redheaded kid
1402
01:08:37.760 --> 01:08:39.840
that I saw, Man, he was good. And I'll tell
1403
01:08:39.840 --> 01:08:43.760
you what's great about Aaron Corban. He's he's kind of
1404
01:08:43.800 --> 01:08:46.000
like the Ann of Pearson the sense that he transcends
1405
01:08:46.000 --> 01:08:49.520
both ears. He's he's a modern day wrestler, so he
1406
01:08:49.600 --> 01:08:52.520
knows how how the kids work today, but he's also
1407
01:08:52.560 --> 01:08:54.920
got that foot in the old school and he interacts
1408
01:08:54.960 --> 01:08:57.600
with the crowd and he cuts the greatest heal promost.
1409
01:08:57.880 --> 01:09:00.840
And if you remember a couple of years ago when
1410
01:09:00.880 --> 01:09:04.359
he wrestled Tommy Dreamer at the Jerry Lynn retirement show,
1411
01:09:05.439 --> 01:09:08.399
you know, Dreamer actually put him over, which is really
1412
01:09:08.439 --> 01:09:10.399
something you know, I had gone in and I was
1413
01:09:10.439 --> 01:09:13.000
kind of helping with stuff that evening and you know,
1414
01:09:13.680 --> 01:09:15.479
asking Dreamer, what do you want to do, and he says,
1415
01:09:15.520 --> 01:09:18.760
you know, let's put the kid over and and Corbyn
1416
01:09:18.840 --> 01:09:23.039
works really hard. He's got a great personality. We're very
1417
01:09:23.079 --> 01:09:26.520
happy to have him on the show. Aria Davari is
1418
01:09:26.560 --> 01:09:29.840
going to be there again. The Golden Idol our old
1419
01:09:29.920 --> 01:09:35.479
buddy has surfaced here in the Minnesota and very enthusiastic
1420
01:09:35.520 --> 01:09:38.319
to get back into wrestling, you know, some twenty three,
1421
01:09:38.399 --> 01:09:41.439
twenty four years later. A lot of young guys on
1422
01:09:41.439 --> 01:09:45.039
this card that we're looking forward to seeing. And Benjamin
1423
01:09:45.079 --> 01:09:49.159
Saylor the professional main stay here in the Twin Cities area.
1424
01:09:49.199 --> 01:09:52.039
And on top of it, the big key here it's
1425
01:09:52.079 --> 01:09:56.119
fan appreciation night Steel Domain. We got a pretty loyal following,
1426
01:09:56.159 --> 01:09:59.520
as you know. With the end, people come out and
1427
01:09:59.600 --> 01:10:02.600
you can in front of our Championship Wrestling from the
1428
01:10:02.600 --> 01:10:06.720
Twin Cities banner, either with a wrestler or myself or
1429
01:10:06.760 --> 01:10:09.359
you know, if you don't want me anywhere near you,
1430
01:10:09.359 --> 01:10:11.640
you know, you can pose with some of your friends.
1431
01:10:11.680 --> 01:10:15.760
We'll take your email address down, send me the photograph
1432
01:10:15.840 --> 01:10:19.760
free of charge. There's going to be a drawing for kids.
1433
01:10:20.000 --> 01:10:22.520
One lucky kid. If you can imagine this way, and
1434
01:10:22.600 --> 01:10:25.399
if if if you or I were just a little
1435
01:10:25.399 --> 01:10:27.479
bit younger, how great this would be we get we
1436
01:10:27.520 --> 01:10:29.600
would get to go into the ring with an hellier
1437
01:10:30.159 --> 01:10:35.880
promoter Ed Hall. Yes, the guy that they call the Architect,
1438
01:10:35.880 --> 01:10:38.039
and he will remind you of that that he's called
1439
01:10:38.039 --> 01:10:47.119
the Architect. He will present the Northern States Championship Belt
1440
01:10:47.479 --> 01:10:49.920
to a youngster who wins a drawing in the middle
1441
01:10:49.920 --> 01:10:53.960
of the ring, get your picture taken, special kids prices,
1442
01:10:54.560 --> 01:10:57.720
and
we're going to have giveaways all night long, some trivia.
1443
01:10:58.119 --> 01:11:00.439
George Shire is going to be there doing broad casting
1444
01:11:00.439 --> 01:11:03.000
with me, so you know, the trivia questions will probably
1445
01:11:03.079 --> 01:11:06.680
go back to about nineteen twenty seven something like that,
1446
01:11:06.840 --> 01:11:10.359
and George and I called our first match together. Yeah,
1447
01:11:10.920 --> 01:11:13.520
So it's going to be fun. We urge every to
1448
01:11:13.520 --> 01:11:16.039
come out. Everybody to come out. It's an internet taping,
1449
01:11:16.159 --> 01:11:21.680
fan friendly atmosphere and a good time. It'll be September sixth,
1450
01:11:21.880 --> 01:11:25.479
Saturday evening, seven thirty bell time. The American Legion in
1451
01:11:25.560 --> 01:11:28.479
Richfield is a sixty system Portland, easy to get to,
1452
01:11:29.119 --> 01:11:30.840
so looking forward to that one.
1453
01:11:30.840 --> 01:11:33.239
It's going to be fun, absolutely, Mick, do you have
1454
01:11:33.239 --> 01:11:34.800
a few more minutes for a couple more subjects on
1455
01:11:34.840 --> 01:11:35.880
the VIP side of things?
1456
01:11:36.000 --> 01:11:36.279
Sure?
1457
01:11:36.680 --> 01:11:38.760
Okay, cool, let's go ahead, and I've got more I
1458
01:11:38.760 --> 01:11:41.439
want to talk about, including your experience with some of
1459
01:11:41.079 --> 01:11:45.119
the names you mentioned, Piper Steiners, Bob Holly, Sean Waltman
1460
01:11:45.159 --> 01:11:47.960
about from Saturday show. I took some notes on a
1461
01:11:48.000 --> 01:11:49.399
little bit of follow up on some of our indie
1462
01:11:49.399 --> 01:11:53.399
discussion and also WW raw so and the Paul Hayman
1463
01:11:53.439 --> 01:11:55.319
DVD too. We haven't even touched on that, so maybe
1464
01:11:55.359 --> 01:11:57.920
a lot time for that, and because you were around
1465
01:11:57.960 --> 01:12:00.479
him in his early years in the AWA so good
1466
01:12:00.479 --> 01:12:03.119
discussion so far. VIP members, just hold tight because if
1467
01:12:03.119 --> 01:12:05.159
you're listening to us on the VIP audio feed, you'll
1468
01:12:05.159 --> 01:12:06.600
get to hear the rest of the show. If you're
1469
01:12:06.600 --> 01:12:09.640
not a VIP member, encourage you to go VIP. There's details.
1470
01:12:10.279 --> 01:12:12.119
Easy way to find details is just to go to
1471
01:12:12.239 --> 01:12:15.359
pw torch dot com or the PW torch app We
1472
01:12:15.479 --> 01:12:18.000
have at the very top of the listing details on
1473
01:12:18.079 --> 01:12:19.920
the special offer. If you want to go right to
1474
01:12:19.960 --> 01:12:23.560
the sign up page PW torch dot com slash go
1475
01:12:23.760 --> 01:12:26.520
vi IP, sign up for the one month, the three
1476
01:12:26.520 --> 01:12:29.560
month or the one year VIP online membership option and
1477
01:12:29.720 --> 01:12:32.640
enter three three three Torch and that'll get you
in
1478
01:12:32.640 --> 01:12:35.239
the door for a full month of VIP access. And
1479
01:12:35.520 --> 01:12:39.399
you get everything. Everything that's we've ever done and put
1480
01:12:39.439 --> 01:12:42.000
online is available. We don't rotate stuff in and out.
1481
01:12:42.159 --> 01:12:46.840
So I really can't stress enough how much there is
1482
01:12:46.880 --> 01:12:50.279
to dig into. If you're a WWE network subscriber. Make
1483
01:12:50.359 --> 01:12:52.479
you you joked earlier about you know, bad indie wrestling,
1484
01:12:52.479 --> 01:12:54.279
and you know there's ways to just make fun of wrestling.
1485
01:12:55.199 --> 01:12:57.359
It's not a coincidence that I say if you want
1486
01:12:57.359 --> 01:12:59.600
to get together with your friends and watch really bad
1487
01:12:59.600 --> 01:13:02.680
wrestling on the WDWET network. There have been some really
1488
01:13:02.680 --> 01:13:04.399
bad pay per reviews over the years, and the best
1489
01:13:04.399 --> 01:13:06.359
way to find out which ones are the worst is
1490
01:13:06.600 --> 01:13:09.560
to go VIP and flip through some of our back issues,
1491
01:13:09.600 --> 01:13:11.840
because there have been some awful pay per views, and
1492
01:13:11.880 --> 01:13:14.560
you can follow along with my match reports on these
1493
01:13:14.600 --> 01:13:17.640
Clash Champions Saturday Night. It's made events pay per views ros.
1494
01:13:17.680 --> 01:13:20.600
Now they're putting up nitros. All of our nitel coverage
1495
01:13:20.600 --> 01:13:23.199
every episode was covered in the newsletter. Follow along and
1496
01:13:23.239 --> 01:13:26.079
hear what I had to say about that show about
1497
01:13:26.079 --> 01:13:28.680
each match, star ratings and all that, and then roundtable
1498
01:13:28.720 --> 01:13:33.439
reviews from familiar names. Going back twenty years. Mark Madden
1499
01:13:33.560 --> 01:13:36.560
was a Torch columnist and Bruce Mitchell for the last
1500
01:13:36.600 --> 01:13:39.239
twenty plus years. Jason Poul was on the Torch staff
1501
01:13:39.279 --> 01:13:42.039
for many years to the modern era. With everybody that
1502
01:13:42.079 --> 01:13:43.359
you hear on the live cast, you get a lot
1503
01:13:43.359 --> 01:13:45.239
of round table reviews one to ten scores from pay
1504
01:13:45.279 --> 01:13:47.760
per views. It's a great companion, especially if you're sitting
1505
01:13:47.760 --> 01:13:49.560
down with your laptop of your tablet in your hand
1506
01:13:49.720 --> 01:13:51.279
and you can just flip through those issues while you're
1507
01:13:51.279 --> 01:13:53.199
watching the network. It helps you pick out something really
1508
01:13:53.239 --> 01:13:56.880
good or if you're in the mood, something really really awful.
1509
01:13:57.279 --> 01:14:00.199
But we hope you'll visit pwtorch dot com every day,
1510
01:14:00.399 --> 01:14:03.560
that is pwtorch dot com and download our app. If
1511
01:14:03.600 --> 01:14:05.680
you're an
mm A or UC fan, check out MMA
1512
01:14:05.760 --> 01:14:09.119
torch dot com and our free MMA Torch app. Also,
1513
01:14:09.439 --> 01:14:12.960
we've got every single day news articles and editorials and
1514
01:14:13.000 --> 01:14:15.479
special features up covering the world of mixed martial arts
1515
01:14:16.079 --> 01:14:19.000
at our sister brand, MMA torch dot com. Follow me
1516
01:14:19.039 --> 01:14:22.560
on Twitter at z Wade Keller t H E w
1517
01:14:22.760 --> 01:14:25.479
A d E K E L l e R, and
1518
01:14:25.760 --> 01:14:29.000
you can also follow our brand at PW Torch. You
1519
01:14:29.039 --> 01:14:31.680
can also look us up on Facebook at Facebook dot com.
1520
01:14:31.680 --> 01:14:34.279
Slash Pro wrestling Torch. And finally, I just want to
1521
01:14:34.279 --> 01:14:36.920
give a big thanks. We are the number in this
1522
01:14:36.960 --> 01:14:38.960
We had a fun conversation on Twitter about this, Mick.
1523
01:14:39.159 --> 01:14:42.640
If you take out the podcast by Steve Austin, Jim Ross,
1524
01:14:42.640 --> 01:14:46.439
and Chris Jericho, we are the number one pro wrestling
1525
01:14:46.520 --> 01:14:51.520
podcast in iTunes, and pretty consistently so. If so, Steve
1526
01:14:51.520 --> 01:14:54.039
Austin gave the sinister laugh, and I was joking back
1527
01:14:54.039 --> 01:14:56.479
and forth with him on Twitter about it that last week.
1528
01:14:56.520 --> 01:14:58.239
I told him that he'd had the sinister laugh, like
1529
01:14:58.239 --> 01:14:59.319
I used to be able to brag about being the
1530
01:14:59.359 --> 01:15:01.880
number one wrestling on iTunes until you came along. But
1531
01:15:01.960 --> 01:15:03.640
you know, if you're gonna lose to someone, you want
1532
01:15:03.640 --> 01:15:05.479
it to be Steve Austin. But we're in the top
1533
01:15:05.520 --> 01:15:08.720
fifty most of the time in the sports category, number
1534
01:15:08.720 --> 01:15:12.840
one other than those three, and somebody did some faithful Torch.
1535
01:15:12.960 --> 01:15:15.560
The IP member did some figuring, and we're actually the
1536
01:15:15.600 --> 01:15:18.800
fifteenth biggest podcast in the sports category if you take
1537
01:15:18.840 --> 01:15:22.600
out podcast ones, wrestling shows and ESPN and fantasy football.
1538
01:15:22.920 --> 01:15:24.880
I'm not sure what's left after that because that pretty
1539
01:15:24.920 --> 01:15:28.159
much covers most sports podcasts, but we're top fifteen, not
1540
01:15:28.199 --> 01:15:32.079
counting ESPN Fantasy Football or ross Jericho and Austin. So
1541
01:15:32.079 --> 01:15:34.319
I feel pretty good about that, and a big thanks
1542
01:15:34.359 --> 01:15:36.520
to our listeners because I had put on a call
1543
01:15:36.560 --> 01:15:39.039
to action. iTunes pays attention to a lot of things
1544
01:15:39.039 --> 01:15:40.800
and they don't tell you exactly what it is, but
1545
01:15:40.880 --> 01:15:44.079
one of them is high scores for reader ratings and
1546
01:15:44.399 --> 01:15:48.199
activity in the review section that tells iTunes this podcast
1547
01:15:48.279 --> 01:15:51.000
is being updated regularly and the users care enough to
1548
01:15:51.039 --> 01:15:54.000
write a review. So we really do encourage and invite
1549
01:15:54.039 --> 01:15:55.720
you if you're a fan of the show. If you're
1550
01:15:55.760 --> 01:15:57.640
not a fan of the show, please don't listen to
1551
01:15:57.680 --> 01:15:59.560
this part. But if you are a fan of the show,
1552
01:15:59.720 --> 01:16:01.920
go to iTunes and give us a five star rating
1553
01:16:02.199 --> 01:16:04.239
and write up a little review to let people know
1554
01:16:04.279 --> 01:16:07.199
out there, with all the wrestling podcasts out there, why
1555
01:16:07.359 --> 01:16:10.560
the Torch stands above the rest. We've been doing this.
1556
01:16:10.600 --> 01:16:12.880
I've been doing this for going on twenty seven years now,
1557
01:16:13.119 --> 01:16:15.520
and did a show at Kfan back in the early nineties.
1558
01:16:15.560 --> 01:16:18.399
Nine hundred line updates throughout the nineties and now tons
1559
01:16:18.399 --> 01:16:21.439
of podcasting and this has just been a blast to do.
1560
01:16:21.479 --> 01:16:23.600
We're approaching our five year anniversary of doing the live
1561
01:16:23.640 --> 01:16:28.239
cast every single weekday later this year, and the support
1562
01:16:28.239 --> 01:16:29.680
that you guys have shown us and the growth that
1563
01:16:29.720 --> 01:16:31.600
we have had month to month and year to year
1564
01:16:31.600 --> 01:16:35.039
has been fantastic. So thank you everybody for that, and
1565
01:16:35.279 --> 01:16:37.800
we hope you'll subscribe if you haven't already on iTunes
1566
01:16:37.840 --> 01:16:39.920
or wherever it is you listen to podcasts. Nick, thanks
1567
01:16:39.960 --> 01:16:41.800
for your patience. While I got some of that business
1568
01:16:41.800 --> 01:16:43.520
out of the way, do you want to plug anything
1569
01:16:43.520 --> 01:16:47.000
else at all that you've got going on besides Saturdays
1570
01:16:47.359 --> 01:16:48.920
or week from Saturday still to main show.
1571
01:16:49.439 --> 01:16:53.079
A couple of things just to mentioned about Facebook. Yeah,
1572
01:16:53.119 --> 01:16:56.600
there is a SLICKT Mixed wrestling fan page that I
1573
01:16:56.680 --> 01:17:00.560
started up a few months ago, and basically you talk
1574
01:17:00.600 --> 01:17:03.960
about wrestling heavy on the old school post a lot
1575
01:17:03.960 --> 01:17:07.439
of pictures and sometimes the YouTube's of matches from days
1576
01:17:07.479 --> 01:17:12.720
gone by. So I encourage people it is an invite
1577
01:17:12.880 --> 01:17:15.760
or you know where I would accept your request to join,
1578
01:17:15.840 --> 01:17:18.680
please do. And the other thing is I just started
1579
01:17:18.720 --> 01:17:22.720
something called the Body, Slams and Pinfalls marketplace, and that's
1580
01:17:22.720 --> 01:17:25.399
for people who are interested in buying or selling or
1581
01:17:25.399 --> 01:17:28.600
trading wrestling memorabilia. And I'm finding that believe it or not.
1582
01:17:29.760 --> 01:17:33.039
It's interesting that less and less people are doing it
1583
01:17:33.399 --> 01:17:37.159
then used to it, and it's very interesting. I don't
1584
01:17:37.159 --> 01:17:39.760
know why that trend is, but there's still some of
1585
01:17:39.840 --> 01:17:41.720
us old geezers out there that want to see the
1586
01:17:41.760 --> 01:17:44.760
old tapes and magazines and programs. And if you're one
1587
01:17:44.760 --> 01:17:48.880
of those again, it's the body Slams and Pinfalls marketplace
1588
01:17:49.119 --> 01:17:50.159
on Facebook.
1589
01:17:51.319 --> 01:17:53.960
Excellent, Nick, thank you so much for your time. Let's
1590
01:17:54.439 --> 01:17:56.840
just transition right now to the VIP after Show. Thank
1591
01:17:56.840 --> 01:17:59.399
you everybody for joining us here at PW torch Live
1592
01:17:59.479 --> 01:18:01.880
task dot That's where you can find the live show
1593
01:18:02.119 --> 01:18:06.680
streaming and also access to our archives pwtorch livecast dot com.
1594
01:18:06.680 --> 01:18:09.239
But VIP members listening to us on the VIP audio stream.
1595
01:18:09.279 --> 01:18:12.159
On the other side of this music from Kids on Bridges,
1596
01:18:12.359 --> 01:18:15.520
it will be the VP Discussion VIP after Show with
1597
01:18:15.680 --> 01:18:25.000
wrestling announcer and former Torch contributor and friend Miccarsh.
1598
01:18:25.800 --> 01:18:27.439
You don't have to wait for the way Keller Pro
1599
01:18:27.479 --> 01:18:29.439
Wrestling post show to find out what I thought of
1600
01:18:29.520 --> 01:18:31.760
Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. Each week, you can check
1601
01:18:31.800 --> 01:18:34.640
out my reports that are updated live throughout Raw and
1602
01:18:34.720 --> 01:18:38.960
SmackDown at Pwtorch dot com. My written report will tell
1603
01:18:39.000 --> 01:18:41.359
you what's happening in detail in case you missed the show,
1604
01:18:41.680 --> 01:18:44.319
and it will also analyze key segments and give my
1605
01:18:44.439 --> 01:18:47.720
random thoughts end quips on what I am watching as
1606
01:18:47.760 --> 01:18:49.720
it airs. So check it out every Monday night and
1607
01:18:49.800 --> 01:18:55.520
Tuesday night at pewtorch dot com. That also applies to wwepayperviews.
1608
01:18:55.520 --> 01:18:57.880
I cover those live at pw torch dot com with
1609
01:18:57.920 --> 01:19:00.600
a detailed written report with star ratings, and of course
1610
01:19:00.600 --> 01:19:03.000
you can find other TV reports from other contributors to
1611
01:19:03.039 --> 01:19:06.920
pw torch such as nxt roh Impact Wrestling and more.
1612
01:19:07.279 --> 01:19:09.960
Check it out pw torch dot com your first stop
1613
01:19:10.119 --> 01:19:12.640
for TV and pay per view written
reports.
1614
01:19:41.840 --> 01:19:43.199
Mick, I hope I didn't get you too much eat
1615
01:19:43.199 --> 01:19:44.479
back calling you a friend at the end of the show.
1616
01:19:44.479 --> 01:19:47.880
There no, no, no, that's fine weight. I've been called
1617
01:19:47.920 --> 01:19:52.960
worse by worse, So thank you. We are longtime friends.
1618
01:19:52.960 --> 01:19:56.039
And I remember nineteen eighty seven you came up to
1619
01:19:56.079 --> 01:19:58.399
me at the Minneto Riam with a couple of page
1620
01:19:58.479 --> 01:20:00.760
news letters and say, hey, I should read this and
1621
01:20:00.800 --> 01:20:03.920
tell me what you think. And now, God bless you,
1622
01:20:04.000 --> 01:20:06.640
it's been such a great run for you. And you
1623
01:20:06.640 --> 01:20:08.840
know you're a class at my friend.
1624
01:20:09.159 --> 01:20:13.399
Thank you very much. I saw Mike Mike Rosen, the
1625
01:20:14.800 --> 01:20:17.159
wrestling columnist for The Observer in the Torch. Mister Mike
1626
01:20:18.000 --> 01:20:20.720
out at the Steel the main show a few weeks back,
1627
01:20:20.760 --> 01:20:23.680
several weeks back, and he reminded me of the first
1628
01:20:23.680 --> 01:20:26.840
time that he saw the Torch and he wrote me
1629
01:20:26.880 --> 01:20:28.199
a note back. It was you know, I sent him
1630
01:20:28.199 --> 01:20:29.840
some copies and then he wrote me a note back.
1631
01:20:30.079 --> 01:20:32.640
And this is classic, mister Mike, he said, He said,
1632
01:20:32.680 --> 01:20:34.560
he told me, and I probably had this letter somewhere
1633
01:20:34.560 --> 01:20:36.439
if this story is true, and I think it is.
1634
01:20:36.960 --> 01:20:39.399
He said in the letter to me, if you are
1635
01:20:39.439 --> 01:20:43.359
a teenager, or he said, if you're thirty year older,
1636
01:20:43.600 --> 01:20:45.960
you've got some work to do. If you're in your twenties,
1637
01:20:46.039 --> 01:20:48.600
it's a good start. And if you're a teenager, I'm impressed.
1638
01:20:49.319 --> 01:20:53.800
So something along those lines. But I'll take it. And
1639
01:20:53.840 --> 01:20:59.279
he was right. So but anyway, that's I had forgotten that.
1640
01:20:59.319 --> 01:21:01.000
But then there was of my brain that thought, I
1641
01:21:01.000 --> 01:21:03.319
think I kind of remember something like that. And it
1642
01:21:03.359 --> 01:21:06.720
took a while for for me to see Mike at
1643
01:21:06.720 --> 01:21:08.800
a wrestling show recently. I was blown away when somebody said,
1644
01:21:08.840 --> 01:21:10.760
I think that's Mike in the front row. But it
1645
01:21:11.039 --> 01:21:12.399
was great to see him there. And I know he
1646
01:21:12.439 --> 01:21:14.600
had a last talking to George Shire about all of
1647
01:21:14.680 --> 01:21:17.680
George Shire's programs and how George used to buy like
1648
01:21:17.720 --> 01:21:20.399
fifteen or twenty programs and mail him out, you know,
1649
01:21:20.439 --> 01:21:22.680
and then he'd get people all over the country to
1650
01:21:23.119 --> 01:21:28.079
mail him their programs from the local territorial wrestling Yep, yeah,
1651
01:21:28.159 --> 01:21:31.520
cool stuff. All right, I want to say one thing
1652
01:21:31.520 --> 01:21:34.760
about Stephane McMahon. We're talking about the heel authority figures,
1653
01:21:35.239 --> 01:21:36.960
and in my notes here it's going to be kind
1654
01:21:36.960 --> 01:21:39.199
of random here in the after show, but Stephanie, after
1655
01:21:39.239 --> 01:21:43.039
her match at SummerSlam, went to ring after playing this
1656
01:21:43.119 --> 01:21:47.439
horrible nasty heel, went to ringside and hugged her kids
1657
01:21:48.239 --> 01:21:52.680
and acted just all like this sweet, nice mother who
1658
01:21:52.760 --> 01:21:55.760
loves her children. And we know she loves her children.
1659
01:21:55.800 --> 01:21:57.720
But do we want to be reminded of that mick
1660
01:21:58.119 --> 01:22:03.039
on a wrestling show when we were just talked into
1661
01:22:04.000 --> 01:22:07.399
watching the show because ostensibly we want to see Stephanie
1662
01:22:07.439 --> 01:22:10.479
McMahon get beaten up because she's this horrible nasty prima donna.
1663
01:22:10.880 --> 01:22:13.760
I like that would have never happened in any other era,
1664
01:22:13.800 --> 01:22:15.680
and it's it's one of those other anicals we talked
1665
01:22:15.680 --> 01:22:17.479
about the announcers not being outraged at the two on
1666
01:22:17.479 --> 01:22:20.680
one match with Caana and Seth against Rains. It's just
1667
01:22:20.720 --> 01:22:24.560
another little thing that chips away at fans being able
1668
01:22:24.560 --> 01:22:26.039
to do what I think fans want to do, which
1669
01:22:26.079 --> 01:22:28.439
is get absorbed in it and be given a story
1670
01:22:28.439 --> 01:22:30.560
that they can believe in without being hit over the
1671
01:22:30.600 --> 01:22:32.520
head with a reminder that what they're watching is is
1672
01:22:33.079 --> 01:22:34.199
is just all made up.
1673
01:22:34.680 --> 01:22:37.880
Way, that's that all suspension of disbelief and that and
1674
01:22:37.960 --> 01:22:41.680
it grows not only for you know, hardcore wrestling fans
1675
01:22:41.720 --> 01:22:44.399
and believers that you will, but for us too. I mean,
1676
01:22:44.479 --> 01:22:47.159
we you know, we want to get caught up and
1677
01:22:47.520 --> 01:22:50.359
just for that two hours or three hours, and we
1678
01:22:50.439 --> 01:22:52.800
don't need to be reminded, you know that this a
1679
01:22:52.880 --> 01:22:55.279
script and we don't you know, to me, it's like
1680
01:22:55.319 --> 01:22:57.960
when I watch a TV show on HBO or whatever,
1681
01:22:58.000 --> 01:23:00.840
the making of such and such. I don't want to
1682
01:23:00.880 --> 01:23:02.199
see the making of such and such.
1683
01:23:02.960 --> 01:23:06.319
Yes, you know, I.
1684
01:23:06.279 --> 01:23:08.159
Don't want to. I don't want to have the main
1685
01:23:08.279 --> 01:23:11.319
character stop and you know, in the middle and say, okay,
1686
01:23:11.359 --> 01:23:13.279
this is how this is done. Or go hug their
1687
01:23:13.359 --> 01:23:15.560
kid or kiss their dog or whatever they're going to do.
1688
01:23:16.000 --> 01:23:18.239
I agree with you, and I think it is just
1689
01:23:18.479 --> 01:23:23.600
another another example of the I don't want to see disrespect.
1690
01:23:23.960 --> 01:23:27.680
You know. It's it's just like disinterested in keeping any
1691
01:23:28.439 --> 01:23:32.640
any sense of believability alive. I mean, I won't even
1692
01:23:32.720 --> 01:23:36.079
use the you use the word k fate keeping sable.
1693
01:23:36.319 --> 01:23:39.039
I mean that's that's long since been dead and buried.
1694
01:23:39.439 --> 01:23:43.960
But have some semblance of this is real. I mean,
1695
01:23:44.520 --> 01:23:47.000
at least go hug your kids after the show, take
1696
01:23:47.159 --> 01:23:50.079
on the back, hug them. You know. It's bad enough
1697
01:23:50.079 --> 01:23:52.119
when John Cena goes out and the hugs is damn,
1698
01:23:52.159 --> 01:23:56.359
you know. But I mean when Stephanie's hugging her kids,
1699
01:23:56.960 --> 01:24:00.920
uh you know again as after her vile performance against
1700
01:24:01.199 --> 01:24:04.199
against Bribella, It's like, wait a minute, what are you doing?
1701
01:24:04.319 --> 01:24:07.560
What are you doing? Can you just maintain character for
1702
01:24:07.600 --> 01:24:10.560
another few minutes and then take your kids backstage?
1703
01:24:10.960 --> 01:24:14.680
Exactly? And I know some people you gave the example,
1704
01:24:14.720 --> 01:24:16.880
they say, well, you know, come on, Mick, why are
1705
01:24:16.880 --> 01:24:19.520
you taking it so seriously? Everybody knows it's fake. It's
1706
01:24:19.560 --> 01:24:22.239
like everybody knows movies are fake, but they, like you said,
1707
01:24:22.479 --> 01:24:25.199
you don't want to be reminded of it while you're
1708
01:24:25.319 --> 01:24:29.960
watching the movie. I don't understand, and I think it's
1709
01:24:29.760 --> 01:24:31.840
a there's kind of a I don't know if the
1710
01:24:31.840 --> 01:24:33.560
word chip on the show there's a right kind of
1711
01:24:33.560 --> 01:24:37.680
cliche or term to use. But there was something that
1712
01:24:37.840 --> 01:24:40.159
happened along the way in the last twenty five years
1713
01:24:40.199 --> 01:24:44.680
where people in wrestling went from protecting so to speak,
1714
01:24:44.760 --> 01:24:47.640
protecting KFE, protecting the business, you know, protecting the secret,
1715
01:24:48.000 --> 01:24:50.039
guarding the way the business operated, and they just go
1716
01:24:50.199 --> 01:24:52.880
the complete opposite, which is we don't want to insult
1717
01:24:52.920 --> 01:24:56.680
anybody by actually pretending it's real or being realistic. Even
1718
01:24:56.720 --> 01:24:59.279
in the context of the actual show. It's so inconsistent
1719
01:24:59.640 --> 01:25:01.520
and it it really is frustrating, and I think bad
1720
01:25:01.680 --> 01:25:06.199
for business and not not catering to the fans. I
1721
01:25:06.279 --> 01:25:09.640
don't think you're serving the fans when you're Stephanie McMahon.
1722
01:25:09.920 --> 01:25:14.079
Even Stephanie going on Twitter talking about how she got
1723
01:25:14.079 --> 01:25:16.640
into character for SummerSlam, you know, like I got into
1724
01:25:16.640 --> 01:25:18.800
my evil, evil alter ego for Summer Slim. I'm like,
1725
01:25:18.800 --> 01:25:19.439
I don't even want to.
1726
01:25:19.399 --> 01:25:22.640
See that waited. See. I mean, it's so night and day.
1727
01:25:22.640 --> 01:25:24.800
And remember who you're talking to here. I mean, you know,
1728
01:25:25.000 --> 01:25:27.680
in terms of the old school guy, I mean it's
1729
01:25:27.840 --> 01:25:31.000
night and day and it went south. I mean it
1730
01:25:31.960 --> 01:25:35.439
really torpedo and it avalanched all at once. Everybody's all
1731
01:25:35.439 --> 01:25:38.439
of a sudden doing a shoot interview, everybody's doing an expose.
1732
01:25:38.800 --> 01:25:41.039
And I don't know if this is after Eddie Mansfield
1733
01:25:41.039 --> 01:25:43.079
and Jim Wilson did their thing. I don't know if
1734
01:25:43.079 --> 01:25:46.439
that was the defining moment or whatever. But on the
1735
01:25:46.600 --> 01:25:49.640
national scale, and even you know, I'll see like a
1736
01:25:49.760 --> 01:25:53.760
bully ray posting something on on Facebook where he'll say,
1737
01:25:53.800 --> 01:25:57.279
don't you people understand it's just a storyline. Don't tell
1738
01:25:57.319 --> 01:26:00.479
me that, yeah, you know, don't tell the average you know.
1739
01:26:01.039 --> 01:26:03.880
And again people aren't stupid. Yes, people know what it is,
1740
01:26:04.520 --> 01:26:08.199
but don't sham it down everybody's throat. And you had
1741
01:26:08.199 --> 01:26:11.640
the perfect example there. You know, a movie isn't real.
1742
01:26:11.720 --> 01:26:14.199
You know, the bad guy on television is real, you know,
1743
01:26:14.279 --> 01:26:17.439
the Tony Soprano character. But you get into it, you
1744
01:26:17.600 --> 01:26:21.039
want to have that escape, and you know, just just
1745
01:26:21.079 --> 01:26:23.600
for a few minutes, just for a few hours, just
1746
01:26:23.800 --> 01:26:27.640
let me submerge myself in this fantasy world without ruining
1747
01:26:27.640 --> 01:26:29.399
it for me. And that goes the same for the
1748
01:26:29.399 --> 01:26:32.760
announcers too. And even if these it's funny, even at
1749
01:26:32.800 --> 01:26:35.720
indy shows. And this has been a bone of contention
1750
01:26:35.880 --> 01:26:39.159
with me, Wade. And I'll grant you that a lot
1751
01:26:39.199 --> 01:26:41.680
of the crowd that goes to the indie shows is
1752
01:26:41.760 -->
01:26:45.520
friends and family of the workers. But you know, when
1753
01:26:45.560 --> 01:26:48.199
you go in there and you wrestle, and then right
1754
01:26:48.239 --> 01:26:50.520
after the match is over, after you've just you know,
1755
01:26:50.560 --> 01:26:53.840
gone into a light tube match with the guy, and
1756
01:26:53.880 --> 01:26:56.760
then you go out and talk to his family and
1757
01:26:56.800 --> 01:26:59.239
you sit with him in the bleachers five minutes after
1758
01:26:59.239 --> 01:27:02.079
the show is over. I can't stand that either. Yeah,
1759
01:27:02.119 --> 01:27:05.239
so you know it's it's maybe it's an old codured talking,
1760
01:27:05.279 --> 01:27:10.399
but keep some of the believability in your product. Otherwise,
1761
01:27:10.479 --> 01:27:13.279
why do it? That's that's another thing. Why do this?
1762
01:27:13.640 --> 01:27:17.119
Why if you're a mixed foldy, why drop seventy feet
1763
01:27:17.560 --> 01:27:20.359
and have your your tooth coming through your nose and
1764
01:27:20.399 --> 01:27:23.399
then tell everybody, well, you know this is scripted and
1765
01:27:23.399 --> 01:27:26.560
blah blah blah. Why keep raising the bar at at
1766
01:27:26.640 --> 01:27:28.640
the same time telling everybody this is fake?
1767
01:27:29.000 --> 01:27:32.000
And I think it's it's like wanting that corporate acceptability,
1768
01:27:32.199 --> 01:27:34.800
and you're serving corporations in Wall Street instead of the
1769
01:27:34.800 --> 01:27:35.680
fans when you take that.
1770
01:27:35.640 --> 01:27:39.399
Approach, that's right, that is perfectly stated. Yep, you're right, yep.
1771
01:27:39.800 --> 01:27:41.880
And it's just it's time for promoters to say, we
1772
01:27:41.920 --> 01:27:45.000
know what we're doing and we and there's a lot
1773
01:27:45.039 --> 01:27:48.079
that we do that. You know who who gave the
1774
01:27:48.920 --> 01:27:51.319
who was it? It was somebody locally who said and
1775
01:27:51.359 --> 01:27:52.520
it's going to come to me after I say it.
1776
01:27:52.520 --> 01:27:56.399
I think the best answer to is wrestling fake? Was
1777
01:27:56.720 --> 01:27:58.319
everything you see really happens?
1778
01:27:59.279 --> 01:27:59.720
Perfect?
1779
01:28:00.159 --> 01:28:03.479
Yeah, that's all that needs to be said. So it's fake,
1780
01:28:03.600 --> 01:28:06.199
right hey? And my response if I'm in the wrestling industry,
1781
01:28:06.239 --> 01:28:09.079
everything you see really happens, I mean what just that's
1782
01:28:09.119 --> 01:28:11.319
all you need to know. Then just enjoy it. And
1783
01:28:11.600 --> 01:28:12.960
the job of the promoter, of the wrestlers and the
1784
01:28:13.000 --> 01:28:17.800
bookers is to create an immersive, consistent narrative that draws
1785
01:28:17.840 --> 01:28:19.880
me into that universe. That's why we go into movie
1786
01:28:19.920 --> 01:28:22.199
theater and they turn off the lights and there aren't
1787
01:28:22.239 --> 01:28:24.439
windows because you don't want to be reminded of the
1788
01:28:24.439 --> 01:28:26.239
outside world when you're in a movie theater. That's a
1789
01:28:26.319 --> 01:28:29.600
distraction and there's a reason that the stunt men. I
1790
01:28:29.680 --> 01:28:32.199
sunging to Steve Bauston about this last week. The reason
1791
01:28:32.239 --> 01:28:34.800
that stunt men get paid pretty good money is because
1792
01:28:34.920 --> 01:28:38.439
Hollywood wants people to take bumps in movies that look real.
1793
01:28:38.960 --> 01:28:41.680
Because you don't want people watching a movie to go, boy,
1794
01:28:41.760 --> 01:28:45.000
that looked fake or be remind you don't want to
1795
01:28:45.000 --> 01:28:47.720
make a boom mic dangling in the picture. I think
1796
01:28:47.720 --> 01:28:49.600
it was, you know, like that's going to remind you
1797
01:28:49.640 --> 01:28:52.279
there's a microphone. These people that it's just it. It
1798
01:28:52.359 --> 01:28:56.119
is so amazing that the industry has devolved to the
1799
01:28:56.119 --> 01:29:00.439
point where they're so eager at every opportunity to break
1800
01:29:01.159 --> 01:29:03.720
character at the worst time. That doesn't serve the fans.
1801
01:29:03.760 --> 01:29:04.880
They should be serving the fans.
1802
01:29:05.479 --> 01:29:07.399
Well you got on, you know, you take a look
1803
01:29:07.399 --> 01:29:09.600
at if some of the crowds as you talk about,
1804
01:29:09.640 --> 01:29:12.760
and the fans that they're serving. When people start chanting
1805
01:29:13.399 --> 01:29:17.319
about JDL, or they start chanting Michael Cole, Michael Cole
1806
01:29:17.399 --> 01:29:20.399
while an angle is going on in their board, nobody's
1807
01:29:20.479 --> 01:29:24.039
taking anything seriously. When when the fans are yelling you
1808
01:29:24.159 --> 01:29:27.680
aft up at a move, nobody's taking it seriously. And
1809
01:29:27.880 --> 01:29:30.279
when Stephanie McMahon comes out and the hugs her kids,
1810
01:29:30.279 --> 01:29:33.119
you know, right after. You know, on the pay per view,
1811
01:29:33.399 --> 01:29:37.039
nobody's taking it seriously from top to bottom. You know,
1812
01:29:37.479 --> 01:29:40.880
you could list a million reasons why people just look
1813
01:29:40.960 --> 01:29:43.800
at it as an event. They don't look at it
1814
01:29:43.840 --> 01:29:47.079
as anything serious and let's just go have a good time,
1815
01:29:47.159 --> 01:29:48.439
make some noise and who gives a.
1816
01:29:48.479 --> 01:29:52.680
Rat ask now? And I would even say, what if
1817
01:29:52.680 --> 01:29:56.560
it is just an event and just in entertainment experience,
1818
01:29:57.079 --> 01:29:59.239
at least do it well. And the way to do
1819
01:29:59.279 --> 01:30:01.920
it well, and if it's quote just that is to
1820
01:30:01.920 --> 01:30:05.119
have that consistent, immersive narrative that doesn't take you out
1821
01:30:05.159 --> 01:30:08.079
of the moment.
And that's what's frustrating. I think Stephan McMahon,
1822
01:30:08.119 --> 01:30:09.720
you know, you go to her Twitter page and it's
1823
01:30:09.720 --> 01:30:11.880
a bunch of pictures of her, and I shouldn't say
1824
01:30:11.880 --> 01:30:13.560
a bunch, but there's a lot of good things on
1825
01:30:13.560 --> 01:30:16.920
her Twitter feed, but there's pictures of her with sports
1826
01:30:16.920 --> 01:30:21.720
announcers and ESPN people and corporate corporate higher ups and
1827
01:30:21.800 --> 01:30:25.800
politicians stuff. It's like something about the Man family wants
1828
01:30:25.880 --> 01:30:29.279
to be so badly accepted as something more than just
1829
01:30:29.399 --> 01:30:32.479
pro wrastling promoters. And I think that it ends up
1830
01:30:32.520 --> 01:30:35.039
doing damage to the product because I think Stephanie goes
1831
01:30:35.039 --> 01:30:38.000
and hugs our kids as her way or posting on Twitter,
1832
01:30:38.319 --> 01:30:40.560
you know, here's me getting in character for my alter ego.
1833
01:30:40.680 --> 01:30:43.800
I think she does it because her actual target audience
1834
01:30:44.239 --> 01:30:46.680
in her job are those corporate people that she wants
1835
01:30:46.680 --> 01:30:49.600
to rub shoulders with, not serving the fans the best
1836
01:30:49.600 --> 01:30:51.520
product possible. And I don't even think it crosses her
1837
01:30:51.560 --> 01:30:54.119
mind that the actual people she should be serving are
1838
01:30:54.159 --> 01:30:56.319
the fans. And she would actually be more accepted in
1839
01:30:56.359 --> 01:31:01.880
corporate culture if she was proud and embraced and stayed
1840
01:31:01.880 --> 01:31:04.479
consistent with her character. And therefore I would argue to
1841
01:31:04.520 --> 01:31:06.479
draw more money in higher ratings. That's what's going to
1842
01:31:06.520 --> 01:31:09.199
get you accepted in Wall Street and corporate Yeah.
1843
01:31:09.319 --> 01:31:12.239
I completely agree with you. And it's a total disdain,
1844
01:31:12.800 --> 01:31:15.479
you know, for I think it's a disdain for professional
1845
01:31:15.479 --> 01:31:19.279
wrestling itself. And you know, when Vince says we're WWE,
1846
01:31:19.560 --> 01:31:23.000
we're entertainment, We're not wrestling. Don't use the word wrestling effort.
1847
01:31:23.319 --> 01:31:25.239
I think that pretty much says it all. And the
1848
01:31:25.319 --> 01:31:28.239
sad part about it, I think Stephanie McMahon, in her
1849
01:31:28.399 --> 01:31:34.119
role in her character is terrific. I know, yes, she's
1850
01:31:34.239 --> 01:31:38.159
very very you know, hateful, you know, you know, along
1851
01:31:38.199 --> 01:31:41.000
the lines of a Dixie Carter, although maybe not that hateful,
1852
01:31:41.039 --> 01:31:43.880
but I mean she's so good at what she does
1853
01:31:43.960 --> 01:31:46.399
and then the turn that switch and go out and
1854
01:31:46.399 --> 01:31:50.319
the huge your kids. You know, it just doesn't work
1855
01:31:50.359 --> 01:31:50.600
for me.
1856
01:31:51.560 --> 01:31:53.079
Let's do a couple of email questions make if you
1857
01:31:53.119 --> 01:31:53.560
got time?
1858
01:31:53.960 --> 01:31:54.279
Sure?
1859
01:31:54.479 --> 01:31:59.039
Okay. Scott from Jamesburg, New Jersey, just sent this one in.
1860
01:31:59.720 --> 01:32:01.800
I enjoying hearing Mack on the live cast. My question
1861
01:32:01.840 --> 01:32:05.000
relates to the AWA documentary on WWWA Network. Jerry Lawler
1862
01:32:05.039 --> 01:32:07.640
claimed he was never paid for Superclass three. Greg Gania
1863
01:32:07.880 --> 01:32:10.000
had a different memory. Can you shed them insight into
1864
01:32:10.039 --> 01:32:10.920
what happened at that time?
1865
01:32:11.720 --> 01:32:14.640
You know, I don't know because I've heard both stories, okay,
1866
01:32:14.640 --> 01:32:18.079
and it wasn't there. I've heard it mentioned over and
1867
01:32:18.159 --> 01:32:21.319
over again though that Lawler either wasn't paid or got
1868
01:32:21.359 --> 01:32:24.359
paid very little. Something had to happen. I mean, if
1869
01:32:24.479 --> 01:32:27.319
if Lawler all of a sudden there's no showing all
1870
01:32:27.359 --> 01:32:30.960
these events after SuperClash and you know, and they have
1871
01:32:31.119 --> 01:32:34.119
this falling out, something had to happen. Plus, if you
1872
01:32:34.199 --> 01:32:39.760
remember the live gate for that superclass was frendous. It
1873
01:32:39.840 --> 01:32:43.720
was absolutely horrible. And you know, and again a few
1874
01:32:43.760 --> 01:32:45.840
years ago, well more than a few maybe six seven,
1875
01:32:45.880 --> 01:32:51.560
eight years ago, at Califlower Alley, a somewhat inebriated Tavo Guerrero,
1876
01:32:52.680 --> 01:32:55.840
you know, is said to vern you know, and Verne,
1877
01:32:56.479 --> 01:32:59.760
maybe on purpose or maybe not, said he didn't ring
1878
01:32:59.800 --> 01:33:02.159
remember for who he was. But Chavo Guerrero is going
1879
01:33:02.239 --> 01:33:04.800
up and said, you never paid me for that event
1880
01:33:04.920 --> 01:33:08.039
in Chicago. So I guess if you're gonna believe one
1881
01:33:08.039 --> 01:33:09.960
way or the other, you know, you kind of believe
1882
01:33:10.000 --> 01:33:13.640
the story that seems to be surfacing over and over again.
1883
01:33:14.199 --> 01:33:17.119
Clearly Greg is going to have a different story. But
1884
01:33:17.760 --> 01:33:19.520
you know, whether or not it happened that way, I
1885
01:33:19.560 --> 01:33:22.199
don't know I had. I was gone from the AWA
1886
01:33:22.319 --> 01:33:24.560
by then. But I've heard over and over again some
1887
01:33:24.720 --> 01:33:28.840
people very disgruntled their over their payoff or lack thereof.
1888
01:33:29.399 --> 01:33:33.319
Another email from on Nelson, he says, how was Larry's
1889
01:33:33.319 --> 01:33:35.319
abisco as a w A champion and how would you
1890
01:33:35.359
--> 01:33:37.600
rank him? I've heard stories the only reason he was
1891
01:33:37.600 --> 01:33:39.279
a champion in the Nine Days of a w A
1892
01:33:39.399 --> 01:33:42.560
was because he was married to Verne's Vernkanya's daughter. You
1893
01:33:42.560 --> 01:33:44.279
can pretty much compare it to Triple H being married
1894
01:33:44.319 --> 01:33:46.960
devinsic Man's daughter Stephanie. I really hope the a w
1895
01:33:47.000 --> 01:33:48.600
A wrestling from the seventies to the end, well one
1896
01:33:48.640 --> 01:33:50.640
day show up on the WWW network.
1897
01:33:51.960 --> 01:33:56.399
I think considerably where the ADWA was when Larry came on.
1898
01:33:57.039 --> 01:34:00.079
I think he was a pretty good champion. You know,
1899
01:34:00.319 --> 01:34:03.640
there's people that will talk about Larry's actual inring ability.
1900
01:34:04.359 --> 01:34:06.960
I know he's got his detractors because Larry was a
1901
01:34:07.000 --> 01:34:10.000
lot about stalling, you know, and you could have a
1902
01:34:10.039 --> 01:34:13.159
twenty minute Larry's Obisco match ten minutes of it was falling.
1903
01:34:13.560 --> 01:34:16.279
I think at the time, you know, he was a
1904
01:34:16.279 --> 01:34:16.960
great talker.
1905
01:34:17.199 --> 01:34:19.279
Oh he was so good. Yeah, and he.
1906
01:34:19.359 --> 01:34:22.920
Had he had legend behind him. I mean, his reputation
1907
01:34:23.119 --> 01:34:27.119
preceded him, so clearly there was some credibility to Larry's Obisco.
1908
01:34:28.279 --> 01:34:30.439
He's one of the most underrated promo guys when you
1909
01:34:30.479 --> 01:34:32.760
count that Awa era especially. I mean he was the
1910
01:34:32.760 --> 01:34:34.199
reason to watch the shows at that time.
1911
01:34:34.760 --> 01:34:37.279
He was fantastic. I mean talking about Larry Land and
1912
01:34:37.279 --> 01:34:40.439
everything else. And I mean Larry's great, I mean the
1913
01:34:40.479 --> 01:34:43.239
gift of Gab was never his shortcoming. So I think,
1914
01:34:43.279 --> 01:34:45.920
you know, considering where the AWA was, I mean, whether
1915
01:34:45.920 --> 01:34:49.039
you were transitional champion doesn't really work because it was
1916
01:34:49.079 --> 01:34:51.399
a transition to basically shutting the doors.
1917
01:34:51.680 --> 01:34:52.560
Yeah, what happened?
1918
01:34:53.680 --> 01:34:56.880
I think you know, in the annals of aw A Wrestling,
1919
01:34:56.920 --> 01:34:59.920
I don't think it's really fair to compare Larry to
1920
01:35:00.079 --> 01:35:02.920
the Backwinkles and the Ganias and Crushers and mad Dog
1921
01:35:03.159 --> 01:35:05.600
because he didn't have that long to run with the scrap.
1922
01:35:05.760 --> 01:35:08.680
I think he was good for what he was when
1923
01:35:08.720 --> 01:35:09.079
he was.
1924
01:35:16.319 --> 01:35:18.720
Are you a fan of AW looking to sit back,
1925
01:35:18.840 --> 01:35:21.920
relax and listen to some like minded podcasters who share
1926
01:35:21.920 --> 01:35:24.279
your passion? Do you want to be topped off the
1927
01:35:24.359 --> 01:35:26.720
ledge after a segment that has you wondering what the
1928
01:35:26.800 --> 01:35:29.199
heck are they thinking? Do you want to join a
1929
01:35:29.199 --> 01:35:32.319
discussion on what AW is doing right and what they
1930
01:35:32.319 --> 01:35:35.159
could do to improve? Then join me Joel and me
1931
01:35:35.319 --> 01:35:38.119
Greg for the All of the Conversation Club every Friday
1932
01:35:38.159 --> 01:35:41.920
on the pw torch Live Cast. Fee search pw Torch
1933
01:35:41.960 --> 01:35:44.840
in your podcast app and subscribe to pw torch Daily
1934
01:35:44.920 --> 01:35:48.239
Cast or stream our shows directly from pw torch dot com.
1935
01:35:48.520 --> 01:35:51.439
Find full details on the PW Torch Daily Cast lineup
1936
01:35:51.680 --> 01:36:04.720
at PW Torchdailycast dot com.
1937
01:36:04.960 --> 01:36:07.159
Tigers everything is that. And I don't think Larry got
1938
01:36:07.159 --> 01:36:09.239
the title because he was champion. I think Larry was
1939
01:36:09.359 --> 01:36:12.920
around to be given the title he deserved to have
1940
01:36:13.000 --> 01:36:15.399
because he was the best guy they had, because he
1941
01:36:15.479 --> 01:36:17.800
was married to Verne's daughter. I don't think Larry would
1942
01:36:17.800 --> 01:36:20.039
have worked for the AWA or been affordable. He probably
1943
01:36:20.039 --> 01:36:22.720
would have been somewhere else at that time if he
1944
01:36:22.760 --> 01:36:25.039
wasn't married to the boss's daughter. But he was I
1945
01:36:25.079 --> 01:36:28.399
think probably universally seen as, if not the best choice,
1946
01:36:28.439 --> 01:36:29.800
one of the top two or three people to give
1947
01:36:29.800 --> 01:36:32.399
the bell to and be made eventing with during that era.
1948
01:36:32.960 --> 01:36:35.119
Well, and remember, I mean Larry's getting this title in
1949
01:36:35.159 --> 01:36:37.800
what nineteen eighty nine, nineteen ninety and he had actually,
1950
01:36:37.840 --> 01:36:39.640
you know, he had worked for the AWA back in
1951
01:36:39.680 --> 01:36:43.000
what eighty five when he first came in and they
1952
01:36:43.000 --> 01:36:45.720
gave him whatever championship that was back at the time.
1953
01:36:46.000 --> 01:36:48.119
I forget even what they called it. And then of
1954
01:36:48.119 --> 01:36:50.600
course his run with Scott Lead at Russell Rock and
1955
01:36:50.600 --> 01:36:54.279
seems like that. So Larry had established himself for about
1956
01:36:54.359 --> 01:36:58.199
five six years prior to getting the Strafts, so certainly
1957
01:36:58.239 --> 01:37:00.960
he you know, Mary Diverns, the didn't hurt, but I
1958
01:37:01.000 --> 01:37:03.640
agree with you he was the best choice at the time,
1959
01:37:03.680 --> 01:37:04.159
no doubt.
1960
01:37:04.560 --> 01:37:08.159
YEP. I also want this is also from Nelson. He says,
1961
01:37:08.720 --> 01:37:10.399
way back in the late nineteen eighties, could you have
1962
01:37:10.439 --> 01:37:12.640
ever envisioned seeing Paul Hayman having the career that he
1963
01:37:12.680 --> 01:37:15.079
is now having now with WWE and being the owner
1964
01:37:15.199 --> 01:37:18.119
before that of ECW Mick. I've teased it, we talked
1965
01:37:18.159 --> 01:37:21.479
about it the DVD came out, documentary Paul Hayman's career.
1966
01:37:22.159 --> 01:37:25.600
You were around him sometimes during some of those early times.
1967
01:37:26.439 --> 01:37:28.399
Did you ever envision him going on to do what
1968
01:37:28.439 --> 01:37:28.800
he's done?
1969
01:37:29.720 --> 01:37:32.760
No? I mean I knew how brilliant he was back
1970
01:37:32.800 --> 01:37:35.039
at the time. And first of all, I got to say,
1971
01:37:35.079 --> 01:37:37.119
I haven't seen the DVD yet, but it's one that
1972
01:37:37.159 --> 01:37:38.359
I absolutely want.
1973
01:37:38.199 --> 01:37:38.560
To look at.
1974
01:37:38.720 --> 01:37:42.479
I've heard nothing but great things about it. Back when
1975
01:37:42.560 --> 01:37:45.399
Paul and Paul and I kind of had a similar
1976
01:37:45.479 --> 01:37:48.399
start in terms of taking pictures for the magazines and
1977
01:37:48.800 --> 01:37:51.760
writing stories for the Wrestling News and what have you,
1978
01:37:52.199 --> 01:37:55.520
and when Paul came in in eighty seven. I think
1979
01:37:55.520 --> 01:37:58.439
I've mentioned this before talking to you. He and I hit
1980
01:37:58.439 --> 01:38:01.760
it off right away, but talking to him at the time,
1981
01:38:01.840 --> 01:38:04.439
he would approach vern and Greg with a lot of
1982
01:38:04.520 --> 01:38:07.960
ideas and he was very frustrated that they wouldn't listen
1983
01:38:08.000 --> 01:38:10.640
to his ideas, you know, because they were kind of
1984
01:38:10.680 --> 01:38:13.079
set in their ways. I always knew he had a
1985
01:38:13.119 --> 01:38:15.439
great in mind for the business, you could tell, kind
1986
01:38:15.439 --> 01:38:19.279
of like Eddie Gilbert the same thing. Did I envision
1987
01:38:19.399 --> 01:38:23.159
him actually becoming such a key player in wrestling, No,
1988
01:38:23.880 --> 01:38:27.239
but more power to him. I just I'm thrilled for
1989
01:38:27.359 --> 01:38:30.359
the guy. I'm still waiting for my phone call, you know,
1990
01:38:30.640 --> 01:38:34.640
to replace Joey Styles, but I'm guessing that probably won't happen.
1991
01:38:35.720 --> 01:38:39.199
But I've got nothing but respect for Paul. I think
1992
01:38:39.199 --> 01:38:43.119
he's a genius. And yeah, more power to him.
1993
01:38:44.279 --> 01:38:48.520
The the early days of Paul Hayman and and what
1994
01:38:48.560 --> 01:38:51.119
you said about him and maybe having ideas that didn't
1995
01:38:51.159 --> 01:38:53.119
jell with Vernon Greg. There was a quote in the
1996
01:38:53.119 --> 01:38:55.920
documentary where Stephen McMahon said
something to the effect of
1997
01:38:56.000 --> 01:38:59.479
it took Paul Hayman what it took Paul a while
1998
01:38:59.600 --> 01:39:02.640
to real lies that he didn't he wasn't the boss.
1999
01:39:02.680 --> 01:39:04.720
He doesn't know own WWE and that he has to
2000
01:39:04.720 --> 01:39:07.520
answer to the mcmants that this is not his company.
2001
01:39:07.560 --> 01:39:09.199
She put it more concisly than I just did. But
2002
01:39:09.239 --> 01:39:10.800
it took Paul a while to realize this wasn't his
2003
01:39:10.840 --> 01:39:12.560
company and he had to do what we told him
2004
01:39:12.560 --> 01:39:14.920
to do. Paul's always had an issue with that because
2005
01:39:14.960 --> 01:39:19.199
Paul is crazy smart, and when it comes to professional wrestling,
2006
01:39:19.359 --> 01:39:22.279
it just he's in that top handful of people in
2007
01:39:22.359 --> 01:39:25.920
terms of historical knowledge and then staying with the times
2008
01:39:25.920 --> 01:39:29.119
and evolving with the times. A lot of people just
2009
01:39:29.239 --> 01:39:31.319
kind of pick an era that they think is the
2010
01:39:31.359 --> 01:39:34.199
way it should have been and the best time, and
2011
01:39:34.239 --> 01:39:37.439
when it changes, they kind of don't know how to adapt,
2012
01:39:37.479 --> 01:39:39.760
and that happens to bookers and promoters and wrestlers and
2013
01:39:39.840 --> 01:39:42.439
a lot of fans. Paul just evolves with times. He
2014
01:39:42.479 --> 01:39:45.199
doesn't even really like to look back at ECW and
2015
01:39:45.239 --> 01:39:48.680
have that be his defining time period because that was
2016
01:39:48.760 --> 01:39:50.520
right for that moment in time. But he's moved on
2017
01:39:50.840 --> 01:39:54.000
and the documentary I think covers that well. But from
2018
01:39:54.520 --> 01:39:56.720
a talent standpoint, right now, Mike, we complained a lot
2019
01:39:56.760 --> 01:39:59.720
about Ron Monday, but Paul Hayman lately is you know
2020
01:39:59.760 --> 01:40:02.439
which about Larrzibisco in nineteen ninety being the reason to
2021
01:40:02.439 --> 01:40:05.239
tune into the AWA. He was still good during that stretch,
2022
01:40:05.479 --> 01:40:08.520
the reason to watch Raw if you hate everything else
2023
01:40:08.520 --> 01:40:11.760
about the company, at least DVR and and speed up
2024
01:40:11.960 --> 01:40:14.600
to the Paul Hayman promos because he did good promos
2025
01:40:14.600 --> 01:40:16.000
back in the AWA, back in the day. I mean,
2026
01:40:16.000 --> 01:40:18.079
you knew he was a good promo guy, but I
2027
01:40:18.119 --> 01:40:20.359
think he's doing the best work almost by far, of
2028
01:40:20.359 --> 01:40:20.880
his career.
2029
01:40:21.760 --> 01:40:24.520
He's amazing. And you know, back in the day the AWA,
2030
01:40:24.640 --> 01:40:26.159
you know, he'd come out and he'd cut a two
2031
01:40:26.199 --> 01:40:30.119
minute program or promo with Adrian Adonna's talking about Tommy
2032
01:40:30.119 --> 01:40:32.680
Wildfire Rich or whatever, and you know kind of when
2033
01:40:32.680 --> 01:40:34.800
he went to Cotton Mantle and expanded a little bit.
2034
01:40:35.199 --> 01:40:38.239
But my god, you give this guy a microphone and
2035
01:40:38.279 --> 01:40:41.039
the like the promo he cut on Raw last Monday night,
2036
01:40:41.720 --> 01:40:45.199
you know, without the without teleprompters, without cute cards. He's
2037
01:40:45.199 --> 01:40:50.920
out there winging it for ten fifteen minutes NonStop, absolutely brilliant,
2038
01:40:51.279 --> 01:40:54.560
gets incredible heat, and you know he kind of treads
2039
01:40:54.640 --> 01:40:59.520
that fine line between you know, shoot and and yes.
2040
01:41:00.279 --> 01:41:03.479
And I am so entertained by him, and he continues
2041
01:41:03.520 --> 01:41:06.079
to be more amazing. Like you say, wait, every time
2042
01:41:06.159 --> 01:41:10.880
you hear him, he's mesmerizing. He's absolutely mesmerizing. And I just, uh,
2043
01:41:11.399 --> 01:41:12.840
I just get a huge kick out of it.
2044
01:41:12.880 --> 01:41:15.920
Whenever he's on the footage from the A W A
2045
01:41:16.039 --> 01:41:18.319
during his era, there's some good stuff and some not
2046
01:41:18.359 --> 01:41:20.960
some good stuff. But given what Paul Hayman has eventually
2047
01:41:20.960 --> 01:41:22.880
done in his career that I'm glad that there is
2048
01:41:22.880 --> 01:41:24.479
some footage of him in the WA that'll make it
2049
01:41:24.560 --> 01:41:25.199
under the network.
2050
01:41:26.119 --> 01:41:26.319
Yeah.
2051
01:41:26.399 --> 01:41:28.079
And it was fun back then too. I mean, not
2052
01:41:28.119 --> 01:41:30.039
only the Tommy Ridge thing, but when he brought in
2053
01:41:30.159 --> 01:41:32.000
Dennis Condri and or you know, when he was.
2054
01:41:32.039 --> 01:41:34.800
The original man that express Randy Rhodes, him and Randy
2055
01:41:34.920 --> 01:41:35.880
Roth and you.
2056
01:41:36.119 --> 01:41:38.640
Could see it back then, and uh, you know, and
2057
01:41:38.640 --> 01:41:42.159
and his AWA tenure was not that long. I mean
2058
01:41:42.199 --> 01:41:44.600
he was he was kind of in and gone pretty quickly.
2059
01:41:44.640 --> 01:41:47.159
And whether or not, that's a reflection of kind of
2060
01:41:47.199 --> 01:41:49.359
the same thing that Stephanie was saying. You know that
2061
01:41:49.479 --> 01:41:52.479
you know, he didn't mind his p's and q's necessarily
2062
01:41:52.479 --> 01:41:56.239
he had his ideas and and uh, you know they
2063
01:41:56.560 --> 01:42:00.199
weren't utilized or whatever. But you see the evolution motion
2064
01:42:00.359 --> 01:42:01.039
of this kid.
2065
01:42:01.640 --> 01:42:01.880
Kid.
2066
01:42:02.119 --> 01:42:04.800
I'm thinking back to eighty seven and it's just the
2067
01:42:04.880 --> 01:42:09.159
transformation and the staining power. He's phenomenal. He is really,
2068
01:42:09.720 --> 01:42:10.920
really a gifted guy.
2069
01:42:11.760 --> 01:42:14.199
We talked about Larry's Bisco's world title reign, and we
2070
01:42:14.279 --> 01:42:15.920
talk about, you know, kind of the the end of
2071
01:42:15.960 --> 01:42:19.600
the AWA. I don't think about this a lot because
2072
01:42:19.600 --> 01:42:21.119
it just it was kind of it just was kind
2073
01:42:21.119 --> 01:42:24.920
of a petering out of a w A but Super
2074
01:42:24.960 --> 01:42:26.800
Clash four. I think it was their last show ever
2075
01:42:26.840 --> 01:42:28.960
at the Saint Pacific Center. I looked it up here
2076
01:42:28.960 --> 01:42:32.520
online April eighth, nineteen ninety at the same Palcific Center,
2077
01:42:33.079 --> 01:42:37.640
Larry's Abisco against Mister Saiito with Nick Bockwinkle as the
2078
01:42:37.680 --> 01:42:40.000
special referee. Do you remember being at that show, Mick,
2079
01:42:40.840 --> 01:42:43.079
I'm sure I was, and for the life of me,
2080
01:42:43.159 --> 01:42:45.319
I couldn't tell you how, how the finish was or
2081
01:42:45.359 --> 01:42:48.359
anything else. I didn't miss too many shows back then,
2082
01:42:48.399 --> 01:42:49.520
so I'm sure I was there.
2083
01:42:49.560 --> 01:42:53.520
But yeah, that it's sad when I hear you talking
2084
01:42:53.520 --> 01:42:57.159
about things like that way because I know how absolutely
2085
01:42:57.880 --> 01:42:58.600
dead in the water.
2086
01:42:58.720 --> 01:42:59.479
The aw A.
2087
01:42:59.680 --> 01:43:01.720
Was a time, and you know, prior to that in
2088
01:43:01.840 --> 01:43:05.319
nineteen ninety June of ninety when they did the Twin
2089
01:43:05.399 --> 01:43:09.319
Wars ninety uh in Minneapolis, when they when they brought
2090
01:43:09.319 --> 01:43:12.279
in the Zubisco, when they brought in Nikita Koloff and
2091
01:43:12.279 --> 01:43:14.880
and Rick Flair and Brian Pillman. Yes, and the only
2092
01:43:14.960 --> 01:43:16.800
drew about four thousands for that show.
2093
01:43:17.159 --> 01:43:17.359
Yep.
2094
01:43:18.119 --> 01:43:22.119
That that was another telling moment. You know what it's
2095
01:43:22.359 --> 01:43:23.640
we're getting close here, you know.
2096
01:43:24.039 --> 01:43:26.960
Yeah, I shot ring sight at that show and it
2097
01:43:27.079 --> 01:43:29.159
was a bloody Flair Pilman match, but you know, glad
2098
01:43:29.159 --> 01:43:30.159
I got to be there for it. But you know,
2099
01:43:30.159 --> 01:43:33.079
looking around the building, it was just this this sight
2100
01:43:33.239 --> 01:43:35.720
of so many great A w A moments and there's
2101
01:43:35.800 --> 01:43:38.720
Rick Flair and there's this upcoming Starbrian Pillman, and you're
2102
01:43:38.800 --> 01:43:42.680
just thinking, you know, looking at that, just sparse, scattered
2103
01:43:42.720 --> 01:43:46.760
crowd in this legendary building, this you know, historically significant building.
2104
01:43:46.840 --> 01:43:48.840
And it was that, you know, I mean, you know,
2105
01:43:48.960 --> 01:43:51.760
just drawing a couple thousand people for SuperClash four in
2106
01:43:51.800 --> 01:43:53.840
the lineup, I mean, it was the main event on
2107
01:43:53.920 --> 01:43:57.000
the show was the Trooper and Paul Diamond. The Trooper
2108
01:43:57.039 --> 01:43:58.840
was Del Wilkes, who would go on to be the Patriot,
2109
01:43:59.560 --> 01:44:02.319
and Paul I'm in against Destruction Crew, Mike Ynis and
2110
01:44:02.319 --> 01:44:04.079
Wayne Boom who had gone to be the Beverly Brothers.
2111
01:44:04.239 --> 01:44:05.800
That was the main event in a cage match that
2112
01:44:05.840 --> 01:44:07.439
followed the world title match because it took time to
2113
01:44:07.479 --> 01:44:10.079
set up in the cage. And then John Nord against
2114
01:44:10.119 --> 01:44:12.840
Copena Maximus who had gone to be Yo Kazuna. Tully
2115
01:44:12.840 --> 01:44:17.479
Blanchard against Tommy Dreamer or Tommy Jammer. Excuse me. Jammer
2116
01:44:17.600 --> 01:44:20.520
was a Eddie Sharky Trainey who worked indie shows and
2117
01:44:20.560 --> 01:44:23.279
I'm sure we're cheap that night, Baron von Rashki, one
2118
01:44:23.319 --> 01:44:24.960
of the last holdouts you know from some of the
2119
01:44:24.960 --> 01:44:28.760
Glory Days against Colonel the Beers, Texas Hangmen against Brad
2120
01:44:28.840 --> 01:44:32.479
Rings and the late DJ Peterson and Jake Milliman against
2121
01:44:32.479 --> 01:44:34.439
Todd Becker and the Opener. I mean, that's just that
2122
01:44:34.600 --> 01:44:38.079
just lineup just does not do justice to you know,
2123
01:44:38.159 --> 01:44:40.199
the a w A. And I don't it's not a show.
2124
01:44:40.199 --> 01:44:42.239
I'd want people to watch and get an idea that
2125
01:44:42.239 --> 01:44:43.880
that's what the a w A was about, because that
2126
01:44:44.039 --> 01:44:47.600
was I mean, it's just it's just it's it's it's
2127
01:44:47.600 --> 01:44:51.119
just a patchwork mix of available talent trying to put it.
2128
01:44:51.199 --> 01:44:53.119
You know, trying to put a name like SuperClash on
2129
01:44:53.159 --> 01:44:55.239
it and put it in the St. Palcivic Center and
2130
01:44:55.319 --> 01:44:59.279
help that Bockwinkle Intobisco in Saiedo and and and Baron
2131
01:45:00.119 --> 01:45:02.760
are enough to draw because nobody else there, you know,
2132
01:45:02.840 --> 01:45:04.600
really was a draw at that point.
2133
01:45:04.760 --> 01:45:08.079
It was sad. And you know, you've got the veterans,
2134
01:45:08.159 --> 01:45:10.520
like you said, like Nick and Baron, you know, kind
2135
01:45:10.560 --> 01:45:12.479
of hanging on at the end there, you know, Vern
2136
01:45:12.560 --> 01:45:15.359
going to the old Guard and then the undercard. As
2137
01:45:15.359 --> 01:45:20.840
you said, certainly your generation way of wrestling fans. That's
2138
01:45:20.840 --> 01:45:23.279
what a lot of people remember about the AWA. And
2139
01:45:23.359 --> 01:45:27.520
that is so sad because and this kind of shows
2140
01:45:27.800 --> 01:45:31.239
how quickly things spiraled downhill, because as I mentioned, you
2141
01:45:31.279 --> 01:45:34.920
go back just like four years to Wrestle Rock and
2142
01:45:35.000 --> 01:45:38.119
you look at that lineup of talent that they had,
2143
01:45:38.199 --> 01:45:40.920
and a couple of years even before that with Bruiser
2144
01:45:40.960 --> 01:45:44.399
Brody and Jerry Blackwell, and then you know, you guys
2145
01:45:44.479 --> 01:45:47.800
like this and all of a sudden nineteen ninety it's
2146
01:45:47.840 --> 01:45:50.359
not even a shell of what the AWA was.
2147
01:45:50.840 --> 01:45:54.439
It happened quickly, it unraveled. You know, it seemed long
2148
01:45:54.520 --> 01:45:55.960
at the time, you know, I mean, it was a
2149
01:45:56.039 --> 01:45:57.960
number of years, and there were a lot of careers
2150
01:45:57.960 --> 01:46:00.760
that got started and some that endedduring that time, but
2151
01:46:01.159 --> 01:46:05.840
it did unravel. And yeah, to me, Brody Blackwell in
2152
01:46:05.880 --> 01:46:07.359
the timeline, I have to I'd have to check your
2153
01:46:07.439 --> 01:46:10.039
tire's book, but Brody Blackwell was kind of maybe the
2154
01:46:10.119 --> 01:46:13.840
last truly great feud that drew in the AWA.
2155
01:46:14.960 --> 01:46:17.920
I would absolutely agree with that because I'm thinking even
2156
01:46:18.359 --> 01:46:21.079
wrestle rocks the matches that they well, you know what,
2157
01:46:21.159 --> 01:46:25.840
I guess maybe for singles matches, Brody Blackwell was probably
2158
01:46:25.880 --> 01:46:29.319
the greatest, the last of the great feuds. Yeah, taking feuds,
2159
01:46:29.359 --> 01:46:32.119
I think if you go into nineteen eighty six, one
2160
01:46:32.119 --> 01:46:35.800
that was really really underrated was the Rockers and Buddy
2161
01:46:35.880 --> 01:46:40.720
Rose and Doug Summers. Yes, and I'm but again, you know,
2162
01:46:40.800 --> 01:46:43.439
in the scheme of things, you know, to the national
2163
01:46:43.479 --> 01:46:46.520
wrestling fan who looks at the landscape of wrestling, as
2164
01:46:46.560 --> 01:46:50.520
great as those matches were, the perception was, wow, this
2165
01:46:50.680 --> 01:46:54.159
is still you're still two three notches below what Vincent,
2166
01:46:54.359 --> 01:46:55.760
MWCW are doing.
2167
01:46:57.319 --> 01:46:58.920
Give yourself a reason to look forward to going to
2168
01:46:58.920 --> 01:47:02.399
the mailbox each week with a PW Torch newsletter paper copy.
2169
01:47:02.560 --> 01:47:06.960
Subscription details at PW Torch dot com slash paper copy.
2170
01:47:07.159 --> 01:47:09.960
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2171
01:47:09.960 --> 01:47:12.520
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2172
01:47:12.560 --> 01:47:14.800
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2173
01:47:14.880 --> 01:47:18.560
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2174
01:47:18.560 --> 01:47:22.680
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2175
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2176
01:47:26.920 --> 01:47:30.520
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2177
01:47:30.600 --> 01:47:33.800
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2178
01:47:33.800 --> 01:47:36.840
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2179
01:47:36.880 --> 01:47:40.239
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2180
01:47:40.720 --> 01:47:43.199
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01:47:43.359 --> 01:47:46.399
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2183
01:47:55.239 --> 01:47:59.039
Yeah, alright, it's the ESPN era, the Show Vote era,
2184
01:47:59.319 --> 01:48:03.159
and the Rock against Rosen Summers was along with Paul
2185
01:48:03.239 --> 01:48:06.600
Hayman promos and then later ons Ebiscal promos. There's a
2186
01:48:06.680 --> 01:48:09.000
few scattered things in the late eighties that made that
2187
01:48:09.159 --> 01:48:11.279
that were redeeming qualities about the a w A. And
2188
01:48:11.279 --> 01:48:12.960
there's probably more. If I went and looked back at
2189
01:48:13.000 --> 01:48:15.840
some of the results and stuff, you know, not too
2190
01:48:15.880 --> 01:48:21.479
many more. You're right, Larry Nelson's reaction to Tommy Rich
2191
01:48:21.640 --> 01:48:23.760
in the ring, where he got so giddy and excited
2192
01:48:23.800 --> 01:48:26.720
at one point, is one of the classic all time
2193
01:48:26.960 --> 01:48:30.960
you know, little little moments from that era. Larry Nelson's book.
2194
01:48:30.960 --> 01:48:33.920
I just read that on a road trip just a
2195
01:48:33.960 --> 01:48:37.359
few weeks ago and was just just what a what
2196
01:48:37.479 --> 01:48:39.239
an eye And I won't say eye opening, because nothing
2197
01:48:39.239 --> 01:48:41.760
shocks me about wrestling, but the specific of what went
2198
01:48:41.800 --> 01:48:44.079
on during his years in the a w A. And
2199
01:48:44.279 --> 01:48:47.760
I mean specifics, you know, in terms of who zipper
2200
01:48:47.880 --> 01:48:50.159
was being unzipped by whom, in what setting, in front
2201
01:48:50.199 --> 01:48:52.399
of whom at you know, after shows and stuff. It's
2202
01:48:52.439 --> 01:48:56.079
just crazy stuff. The the late Larry Nelson. I hate
2203
01:48:56.119 --> 01:48:59.439
to say he died earlier this summer, but to me, yeah,
2204
01:48:59.479 --> 01:49:01.479
I asked what the transition was and you kind of said,
2205
01:49:01.520 --> 01:49:03.960
you know, when the tapings moved, and I would say,
2206
01:49:04.000 --> 01:49:05.520
and I don't know how much it matches up pretty
2207
01:49:05.520 --> 01:49:08.319
well to me, The Rockers against Rose and Summers was
2208
01:49:08.359 --> 01:49:13.119
a different wrestling promotion than Brody Blackwell. The AWA that
2209
01:49:13.439 --> 01:49:16.800
hosted Brody Blackwell still to me, felt like the AWA.
2210
01:49:16.880 --> 01:49:19.119
Even though it was after Hogan and after Verne, it
2211
01:49:19.359 --> 01:49:22.119
felt like the AWA. It still had the remnants of
2212
01:49:22.199 --> 01:49:26.439
that seventies glory days and it was just something completely
2213
01:49:26.560 --> 01:49:30.119
different and almost hopeless when the Rockers were doing their thing.
2214
01:49:30.399 --> 01:49:32.760
Not unredeeming. There were still good things, but it was
2215
01:49:32.840 --> 01:49:34.560
hopeless in the sense that it is not the Major
2216
01:49:34.640 --> 01:49:37.000
League anymore. And when somebody says that their nose grows.
2217
01:49:37.520 --> 01:49:40.800
Well yeah, yeah, absolutely. And you know, of course, when
2218
01:49:40.800 --> 01:49:42.760
I was doing the stuff on ESPN, and you know
2219
01:49:42.880 --> 01:49:45.920
my intro whenever we came back from commercials more great
2220
01:49:46.039 --> 01:49:50.920
Major League Wrestling action, Okay, whatever, I think the transition there,
2221
01:49:50.960 --> 01:49:54.439
and you mentioned Brody and blackwell, that's perfect. You have
2222
01:49:54.560 --> 01:49:57.439
a transition now to young guys, you know headline in
2223
01:49:57.520 --> 01:49:59.560
your shows. I mean not only you know, guys likes
2224
01:49:59.600 --> 01:50:01.720
the Midden Rockers, but all of a sudden you're bringing
2225
01:50:01.800 --> 01:50:04.920
in a DJ Peterson or a Mix Snow.
2226
01:50:04.840 --> 01:50:08.640
Or guys like Jam Jam and Mitch Snow Jam and.
2227
01:50:08.680 --> 01:50:12.600
Mitch Snow God bless her. You know. It's uh, it
2228
01:50:12.840 --> 01:50:17.479
was almost like and this is not to denigrate indie wrestling,
2229
01:50:17.960 --> 01:50:21.439
but it was almost like a glorified indie promotion. After
2230
01:50:21.479 --> 01:50:24.640
a while, I know you still had your your remnants
2231
01:50:24.680 --> 01:50:28.439
of the main event guys, but in between, you know,
2232
01:50:28.560 --> 01:50:31.239
you had a lot of a lot of the younger guys,
2233
01:50:31.279 --> 01:50:34.039
you know, just getting started on the national scene or whatever.
2234
01:50:34.319 --> 01:50:36.920
So I agree with you completely. It was an entirely
2235
01:50:37.399 --> 01:50:40.159
different promotion than what we saw in nineteen eighty four.
2236
01:50:40.279 --> 01:50:42.279
And again, i'll take it as far as wressel Rock,
2237
01:50:43.039 --> 01:50:46.640
you know, into nineteen eighty six. To me, that's really
2238
01:50:46.760 --> 01:50:49.640
when things started to change a little bit. And even
2239
01:50:49.680 --> 01:50:53.079
Wrestle Rock, you know, you have Backwin Glen Hanson, uh,
2240
01:50:53.239 --> 01:50:55.920
you know, as a feud, but a lot of that
2241
01:50:56.159 --> 01:50:56.840
was patchwork.
2242
01:50:56.880 --> 01:51:01.039
To wrestaurant Resa Rock, I'm a little bit more willing
2243
01:51:01.079 --> 01:51:05.439
to say wrestle Rock was not was Wrestle Rock represented
2244
01:51:06.279 --> 01:51:11.319
a patients in a coma twitching a little like or
2245
01:51:11.439 --> 01:51:15.159
you know, it's probably not the best analogy, but something was.
2246
01:51:15.319 --> 01:51:18.479
It was like this last big effort to make a splash,
2247
01:51:18.640 --> 01:51:20.960
do a big show. They brought so many names in
2248
01:51:21.039 --> 01:51:22.920
from the outside because they didn't have the capacity to
2249
01:51:23.000 --> 01:51:25.760
do their own super show, so there were all these
2250
01:51:25.880 --> 01:51:29.520
names being brought in from outside. The AWA territory. So
2251
01:51:29.840 --> 01:51:31.640
to me, that was a super show, but it wasn't
2252
01:51:31.640 --> 01:51:34.000
really an AWA show, even though the logo was stamped
2253
01:51:34.039 --> 01:51:36.319
on it to me, you know. And then and then
2254
01:51:36.359 --> 01:51:38.520
we had Jared Jared on last year on the show
2255
01:51:38.560 --> 01:51:41.199
and he talked in depth about progressing USA and the
2256
01:51:41.239 --> 01:51:43.600
attempt to do that, and he walked through and really
2257
01:51:43.680 --> 01:51:47.039
fascinating detail behind the scenes stuff with that, And that
2258
01:51:47.239 --> 01:51:49.920
also was kind of like when AWA did that, it
2259
01:51:50.039 --> 01:51:51.720
was sort of like, well, they can't stand on their own,
2260
01:51:51.800 --> 01:51:54.279
you know, they need other people in wrestle Rock wasn't
2261
01:51:54.800 --> 01:51:56.880
an AWA show where people paid to see the a
2262
01:51:57.079 --> 01:52:00.279
WA stars. It was the novelty of the dome, the
2263
01:52:00.359 --> 01:52:03.159
novelty of these stars from outside the territory coming in
2264
01:52:04.000 --> 01:52:08.640
and you know, Verne coming out of retirement. But it's yeah,
2265
01:52:08.920 --> 01:52:11.760
it was a big show. It was fun. I obsessed
2266
01:52:11.760 --> 01:52:13.520
about it for you know, a couple of months leading
2267
01:52:13.600 --> 01:52:14.880
up to it. I mean I was, I was an
2268
01:52:14.880 --> 01:52:17.960
a w A homer and absolutely loved thinking about it
2269
01:52:18.039 --> 01:52:20.000
and was hoping for a bigger crowd and all that.
2270
01:52:20.199 --> 01:52:24.159
But looking back historically, it feels like something other than
2271
01:52:24.560 --> 01:52:28.520
what Brody Blackwell to me is is lineage wise tied
2272
01:52:28.600 --> 01:52:32.279
to Vern and Nick and Crusher and Russell Rock had
2273
01:52:32.359 --> 01:52:34.000
some of those people on that show, but it didn't
2274
01:52:34.039 --> 01:52:35.439
feel like the same promotion anymore.
2275
01:52:35.680 --> 01:52:38.239
I agree, And as you know, what I was saying
2276
01:52:38.359 --> 01:52:40.640
is those matches too, there was a lot that was
2277
01:52:40.720 --> 01:52:43.239
just kind of thrown together. I mean, you know, Windham
2278
01:52:43.279 --> 01:52:47.199
and Rotunda against against the sabulous Ones, Giant Boba and
2279
01:52:47.319 --> 01:52:50.560
Bulldog Bob Brown for him and Safe, Yes, I.
2280
01:52:50.600 --> 01:52:52.920
Mean he was even Race Martell, wasn't it. Race against
2281
01:52:52.920 --> 01:52:53.720
Martel was that.
2282
01:52:54.159 --> 01:52:57.239
Yes, and terrific match, But but what sense did it
2283
01:52:57.359 --> 01:52:59.840
make in the scheme of things outside of you know,
2284
01:53:00.119 --> 01:53:03.439
maybe Bockwingle and Hanson Again, you had kind of the
2285
01:53:03.479 --> 01:53:06.920
feud with between Larry's Ofbisco and Scotland Do so that's
2286
01:53:06.960 --> 01:53:09.680
a novelty match. But the rest of it, as you said,
2287
01:53:09.920 --> 01:53:12.359
was just bringing in names. And an argument could be
2288
01:53:12.479 --> 01:53:14.840
made that that was happening in nineteen eighty five two
2289
01:53:15.239 --> 01:53:17.840
with Pro Wrestling USA, where all of a sudden you're
2290
01:53:17.840 --> 01:53:20.279
bringing in your Terry Funks and your Bob Backlands and
2291
01:53:20.600 --> 01:53:24.279
your Sergeant Slaughters and whatever. So yeah, I think you
2292
01:53:24.359 --> 01:53:27.439
make a very valid point, and in terms of AWA lineage,
2293
01:53:27.680 --> 01:53:31.600
where it really still felt like THEAWA was nineteen eighty four.
2294
01:53:32.199 --> 01:53:34.239
Yeah, I think that was a cutoff point and it
2295
01:53:34.359 --> 01:53:37.399
became something else, and there were worthwhile things, exciting things,
2296
01:53:37.479 --> 01:53:40.800
things worth watching on the network. But if a WA
2297
01:53:41.199 --> 01:53:43.720
library makes it onto the network someday and somebody's listening
2298
01:53:43.800 --> 01:53:47.199
to this and they're watching eighty six and on, that's
2299
01:53:48.159 --> 01:53:52.279
that's that's more not the AWA than the end of Nitro.
2300
01:53:52.399 --> 01:53:55.479
And WW was not what Nitro was at the beginning,
2301
01:53:55.600 --> 01:53:57.800
you know, like I mean, the just the dying, the
2302
01:53:57.960 --> 01:54:01.119
dying months of w CW was just pathetic. But I
2303
01:54:01.159 --> 01:54:03.640
would say it was more more closely tied to the
2304
01:54:03.680 --> 01:54:05.920
glory days of Nitro than even the late eighties were
2305
01:54:06.000 --> 01:54:07.520
to the early eighties of a WAT.
2306
01:54:07.640 --> 01:54:09.560
And you know, for an AWA guy, you know, like
2307
01:54:09.640 --> 01:54:12.520
myself and George and guys you grew up with it,
2308
01:54:12.800 --> 01:54:14.159
it was really painful.
2309
01:54:14.600 --> 01:54:15.640
I mean, yes, it was.
2310
01:54:16.079 --> 01:54:18.600
It was brutal to watch, and it was brutal to
2311
01:54:18.680 --> 01:54:21.079
be there towards the end two
Yeah, and.
2312
01:54:21.159 --> 01:54:22.960
It had to be tough on Vernon, Greg, you know,
2313
01:54:23.680 --> 01:54:26.880
oh yeah, they burned through a lot of money. You know,
2314
01:54:27.000 --> 01:54:28.880
I mean I don't think great, I mean, I don't
2315
01:54:28.880 --> 01:54:31.239
think Greg sold cars for years because it's what he
2316
01:54:31.319 --> 01:54:33.399
wanted to be doing, you know, I mean, you know,
2317
01:54:33.640 --> 01:54:35.319
I mean it this was these were people who were
2318
01:54:35.359 --> 01:54:38.600
local celebrities, riding high you know, Vern's home on Lake Minnetonka,
2319
01:54:38.640 --> 01:54:41.079
which is a very expensive, prestigious place to live in
2320
01:54:41.119 --> 01:54:44.199
the Twin Cities, and and and to be you know,
2321
01:54:44.359 --> 01:54:46.840
the talk of the town and celebrities, and to have
2322
01:54:47.000 --> 01:54:51.359
it just crumble so quickly, you know, I mean, you
2323
01:54:51.520 --> 01:54:54.560
go from eighty three and eighty four when things were
2324
01:54:54.600 --> 01:54:58.279
still pretty damn good. It was just it's for I mean,
2325
01:54:58.319 --> 01:55:01.359
it really is Vince mcmahonum in buying up the talent.
2326
01:55:01.479 --> 01:55:04.239
I mean, you can't, it's not There's so many things
2327
01:55:04.279 --> 01:55:07.560
you can blame Vernon Greg for in AWA, for being
2328
01:55:07.600 --> 01:55:10.399
their own worst enemy at times, but it really was.
2329
01:55:10.720 --> 01:55:13.359
It really it's hard to you have to say. The
2330
01:55:13.439 --> 01:55:15.920
number one reason was somebody came in and just hired
2331
01:55:15.920 --> 01:55:16.880
away the heart of the company.
2332
01:55:17.840 --> 01:55:21.479
You got to remember and talk about, you know, how
2333
01:55:21.720 --> 01:55:24.159
it had to be embarrassing for them, basically because you
2334
01:55:24.279 --> 01:55:27.520
mentioned the hometown celebrity and the AWA. I mean, you're
2335
01:55:27.560 --> 01:55:30.880
in business for how many years, you know, rock solid
2336
01:55:30.960 --> 01:55:33.119
at the top, and that's all he talked about it.
2337
01:55:33.119 --> 01:55:36.079
And then all of a sudden, so fast, and I
2338
01:55:36.199 --> 01:55:39.840
mean it really was quickly, everything is crumbling, and the
2339
01:55:40.199 --> 01:55:43.960
spotlight was on vern I think on the AWA, the
2340
01:55:44.079 --> 01:55:48.359
legacy of the AWA. Vince makes some reference to everybody
2341
01:55:48.600 --> 01:55:51.720
was expecting the great vern Gania to come up with
2342
01:55:51.880 --> 01:55:54.000
some formula that was going to even up the odds
2343
01:55:54.039 --> 01:55:57.319
and maybe send the WWF packing, and he didn't do it,
2344
01:55:57.479 --> 01:56:00.319
and then you know it just oneing after another, boom
2345
01:56:00.319 --> 01:56:04.119
boom boom and mushroomed and yeah, very very sad. I
2346
01:56:04.359 --> 01:56:06.359
just you know that that's
kind of why I live
2347
01:56:06.439 --> 01:56:08.720
in the past and watch as much AWA stuff as
2348
01:56:08.760 --> 01:56:10.720
I can, because you know.
2349
01:56:10.960 --> 01:56:11.960
That that was it for me.
2350
01:56:12.199 --> 01:56:13.239
In a sense. It still is.
2351
01:56:14.319 --> 01:56:17.760
Yeah, Mick, thank you. When we talk a w A,
2352
01:56:17.880 --> 01:56:19.359
the time flies by, even when we talk about the
2353
01:56:19.399 --> 01:56:21.600
bad era of the a w A in the end
2354
01:56:21.640 --> 01:56:25.000
of it, but it is. I think it's almost therapeutic
2355
01:56:25.199 --> 01:56:28.000
to talk to somebody about it, you know, the the
2356
01:56:28.600 --> 01:56:31.640
crumbling years from I guess we've decided eighty five on
2357
01:56:32.920 --> 01:56:34.520
and to kind of put it in perspective. But I
2358
01:56:35.039 --> 01:56:37.039
think it's a service to people who want to know
2359
01:56:37.079 --> 01:56:38.880
wrestling history. The a w A was one of the
2360
01:56:38.920 --> 01:56:41.039
Big three. You don't hear the term big three anymore.
2361
01:56:41.079 --> 01:56:44.039
There's probably fans who considered themselves longtime fans who have
2362
01:56:44.800 --> 01:56:47.359
never uttered the words in the conversation about pro wrestling
2363
01:56:47.600 --> 01:56:50.239
Big three. And it's amazing, you know, but we're that
2364
01:56:50.319 --> 01:56:53.439
far removed from there being a Big three. A w
2365
01:56:53.600 --> 01:56:55.720
A is one of them because they didn't murder it,
2366
01:56:55.760 --> 01:56:57.880
because it didn't evolve into ww and get bought out
2367
01:56:57.880 --> 01:57:01.399
by WWF. They of UA history just doesn't get the
2368
01:57:01.439 --> 01:57:05.159
same attention that w W and the nw A get.
2369
01:57:05.720 --> 01:57:09.960
Yeah, it's it's very sad, but you know, the historians
2370
01:57:10.079 --> 01:57:13.960
like like you keeping it alive and bringing the bringing
2371
01:57:14.000 --> 01:57:16.439
it back to the forefront. You know, I really appreciate
2372
01:57:16.479 --> 01:57:17.960
it every time I get a chance to be on
2373
01:57:18.079 --> 01:57:19.960
with you. Wait, not a lot of people that could
2374
01:57:19.960 --> 01:57:22.640
sit and talk a w A, and so it's it's
2375
01:57:22.720 --> 01:57:25.159
kind of frustrating for me, and and this is great.
2376
01:57:25.319 --> 01:57:28.199
I really appreciate. I have a blast every time I'm on.
2377
01:57:28.319 --> 01:57:29.560
With you real quick.
2378
01:57:29.760 --> 01:57:29.880
I know.
2379
01:57:29.920 --> 01:57:31.560
We talked about Jake Roberts earlier at the show with
2380
01:57:31.640 --> 01:57:33.439
him Saturday. We wish him well. There's a lot of
2381
01:57:33.479 --> 01:57:37.199
reports that that he is in ICU and in bad
2382
01:57:37.319 --> 01:57:41.439
shape because of uh that he's been thick for a
2383
01:57:41.479 --> 01:57:45.000
couple of weeks and it could be double pneumonia. TMZ
2384
01:57:45.159 --> 01:57:46.800
is on the story right now too, So we wish
2385
01:57:46.880 --> 01:57:48.840
Jake the best. A friend of the Live cast did
2386
01:57:48.880 --> 01:57:50.920
a great interview with us earlier this year. Make you
2387
01:57:51.000 --> 01:57:53.000
at a chance to him on on on Saturday Night?
2388
01:57:53.039 --> 01:57:54.000
How did he appear to you?
2389
01:57:55.000 --> 01:57:57.960
You know, something was wrong and and I mean again
2390
01:57:58.279 --> 01:58:00.399
to the point where I really couldn't know what was
2391
01:58:00.479 --> 01:58:03.039
going on, because with Jake you never know. But he
2392
01:58:03.399 --> 01:58:06.720
really seemed real fidgety, and then he had a couple
2393
01:58:06.800 --> 01:58:09.560
of coughing Jakes. He didn't look really good. I know,
2394
01:58:09.720 --> 01:58:11.880
he said that his back hurt and he was really
2395
01:58:11.960 --> 01:58:13.800
really tired. I mean, it got to the point where
2396
01:58:14.319 --> 01:58:16.640
there was going to be a Piper's fit with Jake,
2397
01:58:17.079 --> 01:58:19.079
and we were thinking, hey, do we really want Jake
2398
01:58:19.159 --> 01:58:19.760
to go out there?
2399
01:58:19.840 --> 01:58:20.520
This isn't good.
2400
01:58:20.920 --> 01:58:24.720
Well he went out there, but clearly, yes, something was wrong.
2401
01:58:24.800 --> 01:58:27.279
And if he stabbed double pneumonia, if it was you know,
2402
01:58:27.359 --> 01:58:30.079
four or five days ago, I could absolutely see that
2403
01:58:30.199 --> 01:58:32.640
it was starting in back back a week ago.
2404
01:58:33.239 --> 01:58:36.840
Yeah, and but good experiences with Piper, any any fun
2405
01:58:36.920 --> 01:58:37.600
stories or anything.
2406
01:58:37.960 --> 01:58:40.319
Yeah, I mean I I just I couldn't really get
2407
01:58:40.399 --> 01:58:41.279
too close to him.
2408
01:58:42.359 --> 01:58:45.159
The line of the smell, what's yet, because of the
2409
01:58:45.199 --> 01:58:48.560
smell very hardy, very dry.
2410
01:58:48.960 --> 01:58:49.079
Uh.
2411
01:58:49.600 --> 01:58:53.359
There was a line for his autograph, oh, okay, a
2412
01:58:53.479 --> 01:58:57.239
mile long at the meet and greet. But he was very,
2413
01:58:57.439 --> 01:59:01.039
very amiable, very friendly. Just talk to him real briefly,
2414
01:59:01.159 --> 01:59:03.800
and I had him sign something for me a photo
2415
01:59:03.880 --> 01:59:07.000
we had taken at Collie Flower Alley Club. It looked
2416
01:59:07.039 --> 01:59:08.760
like he was happy to be there. And he went
2417
01:59:08.840 --> 01:59:11.359
out and he did his pipers fit with Jake, and
2418
01:59:11.399 --> 01:59:14.199
then Mitch Paradise got involved, and I think I think
2419
01:59:14.279 --> 01:59:15.960
Roddy had a pretty good time. As a matter of
2420
01:59:16.000 --> 01:59:18.079
fact that at the end of the night, after the show,
2421
01:59:18.159 --> 01:59:20.479
he came out and signed autographs for another half an hour,
2422
01:59:20.600 --> 01:59:22.119
so I think it was a good night for him.
2423
01:59:22.279 --> 01:59:23.800
That's cool. And how about hardcore Holly?
2424
01:59:24.640 --> 01:59:27.720
Hardcore Holly. I didn't get a chance to talk to Okay,
2425
01:59:28.359 --> 01:59:31.319
he looked like he was kind of in a bad mood,
2426
01:59:31.359 --> 01:59:34.479
although that was just me from a distance. But he
2427
01:59:34.640 --> 01:59:37.439
wrestled this Luke Hawk's kid that I had mentioned earlier
2428
01:59:38.520 --> 01:59:43.520
and actually put Luke Haawks over, but very appreciative crowd
2429
01:59:43.880 --> 01:59:45.920
for Holly. They gave him a standing ovation and he
2430
01:59:46.039 --> 01:59:49.720
actually came back to the ring and I acknowledged the crowd.
2431
01:59:49.800 --> 01:59:51.439
So good effort from him in the ring, I mean,
2432
01:59:51.520 --> 01:59:53.640
like a good veteran effort putting over a young guy.
2433
01:59:54.199 --> 01:59:57.279
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, they you know, I mean they were
2434
01:59:57.359 --> 02:00:00.319
trading chops pretty good in there, you know, the Holly chops. Yes,
2435
02:00:00.479 --> 02:00:03.720
and yeah, he worked hard. I thought it was very,
2436
02:00:03.880 --> 02:00:04.239
very good.
2437
02:00:04.359 --> 02:00:06.479
He's a regular on this show and he is the
2438
02:00:06.640 --> 02:00:09.399
nicest person in the universe when he's on our show.
2439
02:00:09.760 --> 02:00:11.319
And then there's people who have been around him over
2440
02:00:11.359 --> 02:00:13.680
the years who are like, who is that guy impersonating
2441
02:00:13.720 --> 02:00:15.680
Bob Holly who keeps coming on your show? Because that's
2442
02:00:15.720 --> 02:00:17.680
not the Bob I knew. So I'm trying to figure out,
2443
02:00:17.760 --> 02:00:20.079
you know, did he change or is it just he
2444
02:00:20.279 --> 02:00:21.960
likes me but nobody else in the world, Like, I
2445
02:00:22.000 --> 02:00:24.720
can't figure it out, but yeah, it's it's it's good
2446
02:00:24.760 --> 02:00:27.199
to hear that, even though he looked grumpy, that he
2447
02:00:27.359 --> 02:00:29.159
put in a good effort to put over a local guy.
2448
02:00:29.359 --> 02:00:31.720
Final final guys, Steiners, do you have any any stories
2449
02:00:31.720 --> 02:00:32.800
from them? Or any observations.
2450
02:00:33.239 --> 02:00:35.039
Well, the only things that I would I would say,
2451
02:00:35.039 --> 02:00:36.800
and I didn't get a chance to talk guy either
2452
02:00:36.880 --> 02:00:39.600
dam Scott Steiner or Scott Steiner. I mean as as
2453
02:00:39.720 --> 02:00:42.840
he usually is Rick Steiner. If you haven't seen him
2454
02:00:42.880 --> 02:00:46.039
for a while or haven't seen a picture of him,
2455
02:00:46.039 --> 02:00:49.439
you're not going to recognize Rick Steiner look completely different,
2456
02:00:49.560 --> 02:00:51.039
looked like he'd lost a lot of weight. As matter
2457
02:00:51.079 -->
02:00:53.800
of fact, he wrestled in a T shirt instead of
2458
02:00:53.880 --> 02:00:56.560
the instead of the single it. I was told that
2459
02:00:56.640 --> 02:00:58.720
he got hurt at some point in the match, something
2460
02:00:58.840 --> 02:01:04.199
happened will leg or something. But I mean they worked.
2461
02:01:04.279 --> 02:01:06.920
I mean, you know again, you know what Scott Steiner match,
2462
02:01:07.000 --> 02:01:09.279
you know what it's going to be. And the guys
2463
02:01:09.319 --> 02:01:11.479
that they work were a couple of big powerhouses from
2464
02:01:11.520 --> 02:01:14.199
the local area here, the Black Stallion and John Johnson.
2465
02:01:14.640 --> 02:01:16.720
So not a lot of finesse, just a lot of
2466
02:01:16.760 --> 02:01:19.600
punch kick, but pretty solid, pretty solid match.
2467
02:01:19.920 --> 02:01:21.800
Cool well, Mike, thanks, I want to be a couple
2468
02:01:21.880 --> 02:01:23.640
more notes in there, and you know, just acknowledge the
2469
02:01:23.720 --> 02:01:25.319
Jake situation because I know you were around them just
2470
02:01:25.680 --> 02:01:28.760
a few days ago. So sure, very good. Make thanks
2471
02:01:28.800 --> 02:01:31.279
as always with a tour mark and I couldn't be
2472
02:01:31.319 --> 02:01:33.239
more appreciative of the time you've given us and great
2473
02:01:33.279 --> 02:01:36.439
conversation and we were all over the place, wide, wide
2474
02:01:36.479 --> 02:01:38.800
range of topics. But that's what's great about having you
2475
02:01:38.840 --> 02:01:39.159
on the show.
2476
02:01:39.840 --> 02:01:42.920
Thank you, Wade. I really appreciate it and continued success
2477
02:01:42.960 --> 02:01:44.279
and we'll see you soon.
2478
02:01:44.520 --> 02:01:46.920
I hope to see a Saturday. I'll be on Saturday.
2479
02:01:48.000 --> 02:01:48.439
We'll see you.
2480
02:01:48.520 --> 02:01:50.560
That sounds good. Thanks all to me. I have you
2481
02:01:50.640 --> 02:01:53.000
members for joining us and on behalf the mccarshwaight Keller
2482
02:01:53.119 --> 02:01:53.560
signing off.
2483
02:02:10.880 --> 02:02:13.359
Invite you to email the show with feedback or questions
2484
02:02:13.439 --> 02:02:16.720
or comments. That email address is Wade Keller Podcast at
2485
02:02:16.840 --> 02:02:21.319
pewtorch dot com. That's Wadekeller Podcast at pw torch dot com.
2486
02:02:21.520 --> 02:02:24.199
Also welcome your feedback on Twitter. Even follow us on
2487
02:02:24.319 --> 02:02:28.039
Twitter at PW torch and follow me at the Wadekeller
2488
02:02:28.359 --> 02:02:31.479
That's at PW Torch and at the Wade Keller.
2489
02:02:33.479 --> 02:02:36.479
Searching for more great pro wrestling talk, then join me.
2490
02:02:36.640 --> 02:02:40.159
Jason Powell host them the free weekly Pro Wrestling Boom podcast.
2491
02:02:40.560 --> 02:02:42.840
Each week, he'll hear the latest news and analysis from
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02:02:42.920 --> 02:02:44.960
me and my team at Pro Wrestling dot Net along
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with other pro wrestling media members, plus the Pro Wrestling
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02:02:47.960 --> 02:02:51.319
Boom podcast features long form interviews with notable names in
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02:02:51.359 --> 02:02:55.239
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2498
02:03:04.399 --> 02:03:06.319
Thanks for listening to our podcast. Did you know we
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02:03:06.399 --> 02:03:10.920
also have a website pw toorch dot com. Daily news updates, editorials,
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and my live TV coverage covering Raw, Dynamite and SmackDown
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02:03:28.279 --> 02:03:31.279
Need an extra dose of positivity in your wrestling podcasts,
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2509
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2514
02:03:59.039 --> 02:04:01.359
When shows where our guests will join me to talk
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02:04:01.399 --> 02:04:03.880
about a classic bout that they were in attendance for.
2516
02:04:04.560 --> 02:04:07.000
We love variety and you can expect lots of it
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2536
02:05:08.880 --> 02:05:13.000
In twenty twelve, NXT transitioned into the developmental system and
2537
02:05:13.199 --> 02:05:16.479
ultimately the brand you see today. On the Torch VIP
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02:05:16.720 --> 02:05:20.760
podcast NXT Eight Years Back, we'll be taking a weekly
2539
02:05:20.840 --> 02:05:23.319
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2540
02:05:24.279 --> 02:05:27.439
Join Kelly Wells and me Tom Stout from PWT Talks
2541
02:05:27.560 --> 02:05:30.199
NXT every Saturday as we go eight years back to
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02:05:30.319 --> 02:05:33.000
the day to track NXT's rising talents and why they
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did or didn't work out Exclusively for PW Torch VIP members.
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