WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.879 One benefit of VIP membership is access to our back 2 00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:08.519 issue library, contemporaneous in depth insider reporting on pro wrestling 3 00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:11.759 in real time over the past thirty plus years and 4 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:13.599 throughout the year twenty twenty two. We're going to begin 5 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:16.000 our march through the year two thousand and two with 6 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:20.839 back issues posted each week in PDF and all text formats. 7 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:22.440 You can read it in a PDF format with our 8 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:26.120 original magazine slash newsletter style layout on your screen and 9 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:29.320 flip through the pages, or you can read a straightforward 10 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:31.960 all text format on your phone or tablet or laptop. 11 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:33.960 The back issues early in two thousand and two covered 12 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:37.200 the arrival of Scott Hall, Kevinash, and Holkogan to WWE 13 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:40.520 and all the controversy that came with them, plus my 14 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:43.880 cover story that broke the news on the planned launch 15 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:47.200 by Jerry and Jeff Jarrett of a promotion called TNA. 16 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:49.920 Also the early two thousand and two features are two 17 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:52.759 thousand and one Year in Review features, including ranking Pro 18 00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:57.280 Wrestling's most influential powerbrokers and our Torch year end awards, 19 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:01.119 the year in Quotes, and the top fifth stories ranked 20 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:03.960 in order from the year two thousand and one. So 21 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:06.959 go VIP and dive into our back issues. We have 22 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:09.120 most of our back issues available as soon as you 23 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:11.400 sign up, with new back issues week by week from 24 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:13.439 the year two thousand and two, one at a time 25 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:16.560 throughout the year twenty twenty two. Pw torch dot Com 26 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:19.920 slash go VIP. PW torch dot Com slash go VIP. 27 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:24.879 That's pwtorch dot Com slash go vip for full information 28 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:28.560 and our sign up form. It's more than podcasts. It's 29 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:32.680 an unmatched library of wrestling history, spending more than three decades. 30 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.599 As soon as you sign up, with more issues added 31 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:36.400 throughout the year. 32 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:51.239 Now, PW Torch and Speaker bring you the Waide Keller 33 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:54.959 Pro Wrestling Podcast. It's time for this week's Interview Classic, 34 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:58.319 where Wade Keller Interview is one of pro Wrestling's newsmakers. 35 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:04.280 Five years ago this week, I interviewed John Arezi, a 36 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:09.240 pioneer in pro wrestling radio, a predecessor to this podcast era, 37 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:13.479 and we talked about his new tellallbook, his new website 38 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:16.520 with Wrestling History Project, his return to pro wrestling with 39 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:21.400 new podcasts, and reflections on his history podcasting. We also 40 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:23.439 talked about current events at that time. Five years ago, 41 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:26.639 including the pandemic era of pro wrestling with cinematic wrestling 42 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:29.840 in the context of wrestling history and how wrestling was 43 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:33.840 presented in different ways over time. Also the Undertaker documentary series, 44 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:36.159 whether Major League Baseball could learn from pro wrestling in 45 00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:39.400 terms of operating safely or the two situations just too 46 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:42.479 different and more. John has seen it all, including the 47 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:46.360 inside of WWF rings and ringside photography. He has great 48 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:49.759 stories to tell. I definitely recommend his memoir. Then, in 49 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:52.039 the second half of the show, we present a September nineteenth, 50 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:55.439 nineteen ninety two episode of John Arezzi's radio show where 51 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:57.639 I was a guest along with Dave Meltzer of The 52 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:01.520 Wrestling Observer, and we talked about Controver, including Bill Watts 53 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:05.439 butting heads with top stars in WCW during his relatively 54 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:09.159 short stint as vice president. The first segment with John 55 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:13.360 Aresi dropped originally on July seventh, twenty twenty, and it 56 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:15.919 is today's weight. Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast five years Ago 57 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:24.280 Interview Classic four, Wednesday, July ninth, twenty twenty five. All right, 58 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:25.719 we're catching up with an old friend here on the 59 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:29.159 Wayekeller Pro Wrestling podcast. I'm John Arazie of the Pro 60 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:32.879 Wrestling Spotlight radio show. Guests on on my show many 61 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:34.439 times over the years. I've been a guest on his 62 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:36.439 show many times over the years. We're coming out of 63 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.080 the Fourth of July holiday. It was about a year ago, John, 64 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:40.879 that you and I met up for the first time 65 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:44.039 in decades at in Waterloo, Iowa. It's already been almost 66 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:44.439 a year. 67 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:49.080 How you doing, Wow, Yeah, it has been almost a year. 68 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:50.759 That was a great time in Waterloo at the Hall 69 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:51.120 of Fame. 70 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:52.319 Yeah, I'm doing really good. 71 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:52.520 Waight. 72 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:55.479 I'm kind of back in the wrestling business, which I 73 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:59.360 never really ever thought that would be, and now here 74 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:04.599 I am in full circle again. I recently divested myself 75 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:08.319 with the music business, in which I was in Nashville 76 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:11.919 for twenty years, and I decided to slowly, you know, 77 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:14.560 put my tone in the water. But now a lot 78 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:17.319 of things are happening, so this is almost a full 79 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:19.199 time gig for me back in wrestling. 80 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:24.639 Well, that's so fascinating. You have had about as many 81 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:27.519 roles as anybody could have in the wrestling business, and 82 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.360 you have kept up with the technology. You've been in 83 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:32.839 the business, You've been on the outside covering it. You've 84 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:38.879 done fanzines, radio podcasting. I know I'm leaving stuff out. 85 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:42.079 You've taken bumps of the ring and wrestled, obviously refereed, 86 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:46.519 ring announced run fan convention, voted yeah, and then promoted 87 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:50.759 here and over. It's just what have you not done? 88 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:55.199 I think I've done just about everything in the wrestling business. 89 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:00.759 I've never really been prominent with a national company, you know, 90 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:04.000 so I never worked for the WWF or WWE or 91 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:08.279 WCW or any of the major organizations. But I always 92 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:10.240 think what I did was kind of a little bit 93 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:14.600 cutting edge, a little bit before my time back in 94 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:20.160 almost anything I did. And now I'm kind of segued 95 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:25.839 into this historian role and i'm podcasting again looking back 96 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:31.199 at shows from thirty years ago, which you certainly have. 97 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:36.399 You put my name back there when you started to 98 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:40.000 put up the old Pro Wrestling Spotlight shows on your 99 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:43.720 VIP site, so that's what really got my name out 100 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:48.040 there again. But most recently, I mean, I'm kind of 101 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:53.240 doing Pro Wrestling Spotlight again on Facebook Live every Saturday. 102 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.240 It's a live show every Saturday, and we're getting a 103 00:05:56.279 --> 00:06:00.439 lot of people watching it, and I'm covering topical stuff, 104 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:02.879 like I brought on b Brian and Blair from the 105 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:06.079 CAAC a few weeks ago to kind of grill him 106 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:09.759 a little bit on why the reunion wasn't canceled yet, 107 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:12.319 So that was kind of topical, but I'm also yeah, 108 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:14.319 I mean, there was a good interview and he said 109 00:06:14.360 --> 00:06:17.079 he was now meeting with the hotel on July fifteenth, 110 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:20.040 and it's ninety nine point nine percent that this thing 111 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:22.240 will be moved to next year, which it will be. 112 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:24.240 I had to just kind of tell him what the 113 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:26.959 numbers were with COVID, and there was a lot of 114 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:30.199 outcry about he just didn't want to budge on it. 115 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:34.600 So you know, I have a news capsule through my 116 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:38.000 association now with slam Wrestling dot Net with Greg Oliver. 117 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.399 So yeah, so I'm covering topical stuff, but I'm also 118 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:48.319 bringing on my old friends like Nick Foley and had 119 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:51.480 the Power Twins on, and this past Saturday had Tom 120 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:55.360 Burke on, who's another wrestling historian who. 121 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:55.920 I knew from the seventies. 122 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:59.639 And I got a new website that's going to be launched, 123 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.360 you know, putting up all my archives that people have 124 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:06.439 never seen before. So I'm really back in it and 125 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:11.040 it's kind of nuts. But I'm back in it, you know, 126 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:12.439 And I have the book deal, the book. I got 127 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:14.480 a book coming out next year with E c W Press. 128 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.560 There's no escaping John. You think you're out and it 129 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:19.639 pulls you back in. But when you have back in, 130 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:23.399 when you when you have as much invested and the 131 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:27.120 networking and the knowledge and the content, it's like and 132 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.199 then there's an audience out there. I mean, it just 133 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:32.279 it's natural to not have it. I mean literally, the 134 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:34.199 cassette tees you gave me, we're sitting in an at 135 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:37.439 a collecting dust and to put them out there for 136 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:39.519 VP members. And I should note we're going to be 137 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:41.800 putting one of those up after my conversation with John 138 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:43.720 on today's show, so people can hear this really cool 139 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:47.600 retro radio show from the early nineties that when I 140 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:49.279 was a guest with John, and that'll be coming up 141 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:51.279 later on so you can get a sense of what 142 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:54.279 John has a massive collection of on his side of 143 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:57.720 things now. But I think there is a fascination with 144 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.759 with the evolution of wrestling media, the evolution of wrestling. 145 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:04.240 We've gone full circle back to studio wrestling. John, Yes, 146 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:07.879 but in two ways. You know, I wa power up, 147 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:11.639 you know, deliberately, and then you know, because of coronavirus, 148 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:14.199 you know, the everybody else having to go to it, 149 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:19.240 not by choice, but yeah, I mean you're you know, 150 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:22.519 you're talking about the the the the archived or the 151 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:25.920 vintage footage that you have, the photographs. I mean, I 152 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:28.920 just know from talking to you, like it's just sitting 153 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:30.600 here and I don't want to be the only one 154 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:31.519 who can see that stuff. 155 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:34.080 Yeah, I mean it was time. 156 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.879 And you know, ironically, when I got back in a 157 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:38.919 little bit, when I started a Twitter account and then 158 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:42.639 people remembered who I was, and then new fans who 159 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:44.919 had heard me for the first time because of the 160 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:49.799 towrds VIP site, and then when I started the podcast 161 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:54.879 and listeners from Pro Wrestling Spotlight from thirty years ago, 162 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:58.559 they were still out there. Yeah, and I you know, 163 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:02.639 I started bringing them on, you know, to also talk 164 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:05.679 to them about you know, there were kids who are 165 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:09.879 now adults and they were still fans. So it has 166 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:12.519 been really pleasing for me. And the one thing I 167 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.519 really am enjoying more than anything else is that because 168 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:18.879 I haven't dived too much into the politics of today's business. 169 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:21.879 I'm looking at it in a different perspective and it's 170 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:24.519 and it's in a way, I'm kind of just doing 171 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:27.159 what I want to do and what I enjoyed doing, 172 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:30.840 and that's having conversations with people. Similar to what you do. 173 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:33.720 You have conversations with people, but you cover the hard news. 174 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:37.519 For me, I'm just you know, I'm reliving the past 175 00:09:37.559 --> 00:09:40.759 from thirty years ago. I review a show from thirty 176 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:43.720 years ago on the podcast Pro Wrestling Spotlight Then and 177 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:47.080 Now and on the Facebook Live Show Now. It's just 178 00:09:47.159 --> 00:09:49.320 kind of a platform for me to be in front 179 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:53.159 of people on camera and bring on other guests with 180 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:58.440 the stream yard format, and it's really it's really kind 181 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:00.519 of relaxing for me to just kind of to talk 182 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:05.720 about wrestling. And because the last several years in Nashville, 183 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.440 I had been getting so disenchanted with the artists and 184 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.720 how young the artists were and they were changing their 185 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:14.240 philosophy and it wasn't like the old days. And I'm like, well, 186 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:16.279 you know, do I go back to wrestling or not, 187 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:20.159 because I'm not too far from retirement, and I decided 188 00:10:20.200 --> 00:10:25.279 that well, yeah, now it's time to kind of unearth 189 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:28.360 all of this stuff that I've had in boxes, and 190 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.720 I really it really kind of started with me selling 191 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:36.279 my house a few years ago in Franklin, Tennessee and 192 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:38.919 seeing all these wrestling boxes, not just not the ones 193 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:42.559 I gave you, but the eight milimeter films I shot 194 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:45.399 as a kid at Madison Square Garden in nineteen seventy 195 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:50.759 three and seventy four, ten thousand plus photographs negatives from 196 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:54.639 when I was a ringside photographer at Madison Square Garden. 197 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:59.120 And then all of the shows I promoted on videotape 198 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:01.879 that people have never seen, and all the interviews I 199 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:06.600 conducted with performers over the decades that no one has 200 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:10.000 ever heard before, they've never heard before. So I had 201 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:15.799 a wealth of archives, and I did have conversations with 202 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:20.159 the WWE initially, and they were so slow to do 203 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:22.799 anything or not do anything. I'd met with Ben Brown 204 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:25.919 several times there in their archives department. There was just 205 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:27.559 no deal on the table. It was just kind of 206 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:30.240 what's talk, Oh, this looks good, shoot this little pilot 207 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:33.799 for me. And then I was like, you know, I'm 208 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:37.120 not waiting anymore. I'm going to I see there's a 209 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:39.480 market for this stuff. I'm just going to start releasing 210 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.159 it myself, and that's how it happened. 211 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:43.960 All right, let's pause and set the table. This is 212 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:47.559 the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. It's an interview Tuesday 213 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:51.240 edition for July seventh, twenty twenty. I'm with Keller and 214 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:53.200 my guest is John Aresi, who has played so many 215 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:55.279 different roles in pro wrestling. He's got a book coming 216 00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:56.840 out where he's going to write about his whole journey 217 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:00.600 through pro wrestling, the music industry, which he scott out 218 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:04.399 of as a country music agent, talent agent, and then 219 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:07.159 also Major League Baseball. He had done pr for the 220 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:10.000 New York Mets. He's a passionate baseball fan. In fact, 221 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:12.399 we're going to talk about what baseball can learn from 222 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:14.919 pro wrestling when it comes to trying to succeed in 223 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:19.120 keeping everybody healthy enough to keep running shows or running games, 224 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:23.200 putting on games, and how those differences might be a 225 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:25.840 huge factor in whether baseball is actually successfully able to 226 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:28.320 get through their season. So so much coming up in 227 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:31.840 my conversation today with John. But then after that, we're 228 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:34.879 going to play a radio show that John hosted back 229 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:38.440 in September nineteen ninety two. September nineteenth to be specific, 230 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:42.080 it includes a guest appearance by me twenty eight years 231 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:45.279 ago talking about the hot topics in pro wrestling, including 232 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.360 the lack of medical coverage for WW wrestlers, Rick Rud's 233 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:52.279 contract situation in WW, the latest controversies with Bill Watts 234 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:56.360 running WW as Executive VP, and more. And then Dave 235 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:59.279 Meltzer joins a discussion talk about more with Bill Watts, 236 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.240 his blow ups with WW talent, Brian Pillman, and Paul 237 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:06.120 E Dangerously Paul Hayman. So that's coming up a full 238 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:08.279 hour of a retro radio show from twenty eight years 239 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:11.519 ago as a bonus added on to the end of 240 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:14.360 my conversation today with John. Now, let's get back to 241 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:17.559 the conversation with John. We're gonna talk cinematic wrestling, Undertaker's 242 00:13:17.639 --> 00:13:22.320 documentary series, as I said, Baseball and the pandemic challenges 243 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:24.679 that they face just like pro wrestling has, and more. 244 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:28.279 So here we go. We're about to go to a 245 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:30.799 commercial break. Why listened to commercial breaks when you can 246 00:13:30.919 --> 00:13:33.399 go VIP and experience our shows with the ads and 247 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:37.480 plugs removed. PW torch dot com slash go vip. That's 248 00:13:37.559 --> 00:13:40.519 pw torch dot com slash go vip for full details, 249 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:44.039 or go to Patreon Patreon dot com slash pw torch 250 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:47.200 vip ratestart as low as four dollars in ninety nine 251 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:49.480 cents to remove the ads and plugs through Patreon. Full 252 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:52.360 VIP membership starts at nine dollars in ninety nine cents 253 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:55.039 to treat yourself to a streamlined, AD and plug free 254 00:13:55.080 --> 00:14:05.320 listening experience with a VIP or Patreon membership. So let's 255 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:07.799 get up plugging right now, because I don't want to 256 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:09.919 get too deep into this with how people knowing how 257 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:14.399 they can explore more, to dive into what you're doing 258 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:16.960 and explore more what you're talking about here. So how 259 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:20.000 can people participate and support what you're doing? 260 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:23.399 Well, there are several ways, actually, I mean on all 261 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:28.360 the socials ats Twitter at John Rizzi, Instagram at JOHNA 262 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:32.960 Rizzi Facebook, there are two groups and they're both Facebook 263 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:38.320 dot com slash Johnarezzie's Matt Memories. There's a private group 264 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:41.039 and a public group and that's where the weekly live 265 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:45.080 show takes place at six pm Eastern every Saturday. You 266 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:49.559 go to Facebook dot com slash Johnarezzie's Matt Memories and 267 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:52.840 there'll be a live show. You'll see me live, who 268 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:56.960 would whoever? The guests may be that week. Also, the 269 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:01.320 website right now, you could sig up for it. It's 270 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:05.840 Mattmemories dot com, and you put in your information and 271 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:08.200 you get some bonus content right off the bat. 272 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:09.399 You get an old. 273 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.720 Little documentary I did about the first time I met 274 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:17.600 Freddie Blassie. You get some photographs, you get a little audio, 275 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:21.879 and then the full site will be launched, I would 276 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:24.600 say right now we're looking at around the first of August. 277 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:27.399 So those are kind of the ways that you could 278 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:31.440 keep up with me with all the different things that 279 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:33.279 I'm doing in the wrestling business now. 280 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:38.360 So when someone wants to support what you're doing and 281 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:40.879 get full access to it, the new site is the 282 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:43.799 best way. That's gonna ye behind a paywall. 283 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:45.759 Yeah, it'll be behind a paywall. It's probably gonna be 284 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:48.440 around seven bucks a month. There'll be discounts for a 285 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.440 longer periods of time. But I have a Patreon too, 286 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.799 I mean, that's what supports the podcast. I mean, because 287 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.720 we don't monetize it any other way, but Patreon, and 288 00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:01.879 and what the Patreon is is basically patri dot com 289 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:06.279 slash aresiaras easy I and that gives you. We have 290 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:08.879 fifty six shows up there now, the ones that you 291 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:11.480 never really had an opportunity to put on your site. 292 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:13.840 These are the early days. These are the first couple 293 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:15.240 of years. I remember. 294 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:17.600 I couldn't find them for so long a time, and 295 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:21.279 it wasn't until I sold my house when I found them. So, 296 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:24.559 I mean, so all of that stuff is up there now, 297 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:28.000 and we also put up bonus content. We put up 298 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:30.639 you know, I even have some shows from college that 299 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:32.960 are going up when I was in nineteen seventy five. 300 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:33.679 I started Pro. 301 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:37.120 Wrestling Spotlight when I was in college, and I have 302 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:41.120 those tapes. And there's also special interviews with some guys 303 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:44.519 like the Power Twins and some other special things that 304 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:46.759 are on the Patreon. But right now there's a full year, 305 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:51.159 a full year of shows from nineteen April ninth, nineteen 306 00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:53.519 eighty nine, the very first show prog Wrestling Spotlight on 307 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:58.039 commercial radio. And I think we just taped yesterday the 308 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:02.600 show from April twenty nine, nineteen ninety so it's still 309 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:04.880 a WNYG. We haven't even gone on to the bigger 310 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:08.119 stations yet, and I'm just about to start talking about 311 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:11.799 my very first wrestling convention in nineteen ninety on the podcast. 312 00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:17.119 So it's pwspod dot com that's free to listen every week, 313 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:20.720 but Patreon is Patreon dot com. Slasher RESI to get 314 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:25.720 full unedited versions of the shows with commercials that people strangely. 315 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:28.680 Like, oh totally. Like it got to the point when 316 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:30.759 I was putting those up, I was like, Okay, I 317 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:33.160 don't think people need to hear the commercial, the commercial, 318 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:37.119 the multiple commercials every show every week, but I sponsors, Yeah, 319 00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:39.519 but I left some in, you know, And it is 320 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:42.559 like the jingles, the commercials, the live reies, it's part 321 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:45.039 of the flavor. It's part of bringing you, immersing you 322 00:17:45.079 --> 00:17:46.559 in that moment and in that time. And I mean 323 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:48.680 some people are like, you know, would prefer to just 324 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:51.960 get right to the wrestling. But I know there's people 325 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:53.839 who really enjoy the commercials. I mean, I have, like 326 00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:55.960 I used to tape on vhs, like movies when they 327 00:17:56.039 --> 00:17:58.079 are on TV. I'm like, I have, like, you know, 328 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:00.319 twenty five of my favorite movies on VHS. Can watch 329 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:02.079 him any time. It was like, you know, a completely 330 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:04.960 different world, like to be excited about that, But I 331 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:06.839 don't care about the movies anymore because they were edited 332 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:09.640 for TV. The picture quality is awful. I already own 333 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:11.720 a DVD version and a Blu Ray version, and we'll 334 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:13.720 end up giving those way of recycling them because now 335 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:16.680 they're all on Netflix or whatever. But I gotta save 336 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:18.720 it because of the commercials. You know, those are the 337 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:21.799 that's what brings you back, is the jingles and the 338 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:24.119 thing that's what really sparks memories and brings you back 339 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:25.279 to that era. Yeah. 340 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:27.400 I ran into a fan the other day. 341 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:29.839 I mean, he he wrote me an email and he 342 00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:32.319 had a little gift for me, and I met him 343 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:34.359 here on Long Island. He was from Long Island and 344 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:37.640 he was talking about how much he loves the commercials 345 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:40.200 and I'm like, wow, I mean, and that's not the 346 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:43.000 first person who said that. And your analogy is great 347 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:45.440 because now you're watching when you put an old tape 348 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:48.599 in for an old movie, Yeah, what was going on, 349 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:49.799 you know, fifteen. 350 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:52.640 Twenty years ago on those commercials. It's a different world. 351 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:54.480 And even like the local news anchors that you grew 352 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:57.079 up with and like, oh god, there's that news update, 353 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:59.640 Oh there's a building that's not there anymore, and yeah, 354 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:01.240 it's just like the old It's just yeah, it's it's 355 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:03.599 a fun nostalgia trip. And obviously you can get a 356 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:05.839 lot of this on YouTube now too if people put 357 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:09.200 content up and don't edit out the commercials, so well cool. 358 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:11.079 So yeah, I hope if if what people are hearing 359 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:13.880 here intrigues them, just you know, support It's it's great 360 00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:17.920 supporting small businesses during this time. And there's not many there. 361 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:19.599 I was just gonna say, not many. There's nobody else 362 00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:21.480 out there who has the content that John does that 363 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:23.960 he can put up, so dive on in and check 364 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:25.559 it out. He's been a great friend of the Torch 365 00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:27.920 over the years, and you know, letting us put up 366 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:30.400 those prosting spotlight shows on our VIP site. They're all 367 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:32.880 still there. But you don't get that, uh, you don't 368 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:34.359 get all of them. And you also don't get John 369 00:19:34.599 --> 00:19:38.079 revisiting them, and and that's, uh, that's hats to I 370 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:39.559 know you were listening back to when I would post 371 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:41.880 him on the VIP site on a weekly basis, but 372 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:45.119 like listening back and then sort of like commenting on them. 373 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:48.759 It's what's what's the best and worst part about that experience? 374 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.720 The worst part of it was. 375 00:19:54.279 --> 00:20:01.440 The fact that I was just not comfortable sometimes with 376 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:06.720 who I was back then. So I sometimes when I 377 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:10.119 listened to the old episodes, I'm like, wow, I was 378 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:12.079 I should have listened to that guest more, I should 379 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:15.000 ask that follow up question instead of always looking at 380 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:17.599 the clock and how I'm moving the show along. And 381 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:20.720 even with some of the listeners. There's a little kid 382 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:24.519 that called in years ago, George from linden Hurst was 383 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:26.640 his name, and I, you know, I hung up on 384 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:28.559 him a couple of times in advertently because he was 385 00:20:28.599 --> 00:20:30.279 like an eight year old. I was having a serious 386 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:32.480 discussion and he was like, John Rezay, I want to 387 00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:35.240 ask you a question. Do you think Ultimate Warrior is 388 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:37.720 gonna win at WrestleMania? And it has had nothing to 389 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.000 do with the topic. And now I've become this heel 390 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:42.200 because all the fans who have listened to this kid 391 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:45.680 now they feel sorry for him. And there's a you know, 392 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:49.240 a George from linden Hurst movement, And you know, I'm 393 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:52.920 constantly getting berated on social media because because I was 394 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:56.920 giving away prizes one week and I didn't give him 395 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:57.759 a Matt Watch. 396 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:58.960 Year book or something. 397 00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:03.160 And no, I'm still getting I'm getting hammered each and 398 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:07.039 every week. The best the best things about it is 399 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:11.119 reliving that time period, you know, from eighty nine and 400 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:14.000 reliving that Ricky Steamboat interview I did when he left 401 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:18.359 the NWA, that contract dispute, and then Jim Hurd coming 402 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:21.400 on to answer him the following week. And that's the 403 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:25.400 stuff I'm enjoying, and I'm looking forward to now, you know, 404 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:28.160 getting into the bigger station doing the convention. Then the 405 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:32.279 scandals hit and the show kind of evolved into this 406 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:37.279 can't be you know, hosted by ex wrestler John Anthony, Like, 407 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:40.720 why the hell did I even do that? That's embarrassing 408 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:43.720 for me. I had two matches and I shouldn't have 409 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:46.799 even been in the ring. And so I started the 410 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:49.799 show as former pro wrestler John Anthony and and that 411 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:52.160 lasted a year and a half. Then all of a sudden, 412 00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:54.559 I changed my name to John O. Rizzie, Like, you know, 413 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:56.839 people knew what it was me anyway. So those are 414 00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:59.279 embarrassing moments, but I mean it's just kind of cool. 415 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:02.519 I was all the years ago, and I'm comfortable with 416 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.480 it all, you know, And I think that's why I 417 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:07.279 got a book deal I mean it's because I've been 418 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:10.000 I've had a schizophrenic life. I mean, I changed my 419 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.400 name when I left wrestling in ninety six and people 420 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:15.599 thought I was in witness protection or died. I changed 421 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.480 my name to John Alexander, went into country music for 422 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:21.599 twenty three years, and no one in Nashville knew me 423 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:25.960 as John Arezi. So you know, the book is about 424 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:29.599 a guy with two identities, two separate names, two different 425 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:34.440 industries that were kind of high profile. And that's why 426 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:37.559 I think ECW Press gave me his deal. So it's 427 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:39.200 going to be a fascinating read when it comes out 428 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:41.559 next year too. So anyway, I'm nuts Wade. 429 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:44.960 So the book. How far into it are you? 430 00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:45.960 It's done? 431 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:46.960 Oh cool? Okay? 432 00:22:47.079 --> 00:22:47.680 Oh yeah, Matt. 433 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:50.480 The manuscript was handed in a couple of months ago. 434 00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:53.960 They're working on the cover design now, and it's going 435 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:56.759 to be called Matt Memories. I guess that'll get the 436 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:59.799 final approval. I wanted to call it. I should have 437 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.880 stayed in baseball. That's what my title was because I 438 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:05.359 worked for the New York Mets for a brief period 439 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:08.480 in the early eighties, and and that's where my passion 440 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:11.119 has always been. In baseball and then I get into 441 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:15.079 wrestling and country music. But at the end of the day, 442 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:16.920 it's like, you know what, I should have stayed in baseball, 443 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:19.559 but they didn't think that was marketable enough to the 444 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:20.960 audience that I was trying to hit. 445 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.279 That sounds like a subtitle Matt Memories I should have 446 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:25.000 stayed in baseball. 447 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:30.039 It's Matt Memories my wild ride in pro wrestling, country 448 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:31.519 music and with the Mets. 449 00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:33.079 Cool I like that. 450 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:37.319 So, what's an overview? What you had a lot to 451 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:37.880 write about? 452 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:38.119 Was it? 453 00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:39.640 Is it sort of? Is it just kind of an 454 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:42.160 all encompassing autobiography or do you pick out themes? 455 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:46.039 What's the It's a memoir about my entire life, and 456 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:49.480 it's co written by Greg Oliver, who's written fourteen books, 457 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:53.279 and Michael Holmes me CW Press was intrigued with the 458 00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:57.079 idea of my life and said, if you can get 459 00:23:57.079 --> 00:23:59.839 a good co writer you've never written before, I suggest 460 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:03.319 Greg Oliver or Scott Teal. I talked to them both. 461 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:06.559 Scott didn't really have time and Greg. Greg took the 462 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:10.119 project on because there was more than wrestling. If it 463 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:12.799 was just a wrestling he wouldn't have done it. Uh, 464 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:16.119 so it really it covers my life weight as you know, 465 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:19.640 as you know, growing up in Brooklyn, New York, in 466 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:23.400 an Italian family with a with a dad who was 467 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:27.759 on the edges of organized crime, growing up on Long Island, 468 00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:30.039 having a passion for the Mets, you know, a rough 469 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:33.200 family upbringing a lot of stuff in my life that 470 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:37.039 is revealed in the book. And then you know, my 471 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:40.480 fascination with wrestling as an early age and starting the 472 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:44.000 Freddie Blessi fan club, and then you know, going to 473 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:48.440 college and just kind of evolving with everything I ever 474 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:51.039 did in my life. And it's almost like this weight, 475 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:53.480 I mean, it's almost like what I look at it 476 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.359 now and I'm comfortable with this is that I never 477 00:24:57.160 --> 00:25:00.160 I never hit the Grand Slam myself, I mean, and 478 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:03.000 I never you know, worked for. 479 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:04.920 The WWE or WCW. 480 00:25:05.079 --> 00:25:09.079 I was never the head of Sony Records, but I 481 00:25:09.160 --> 00:25:11.920 helped a lot of people along the way. I mean, 482 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.839 I discovered a singer named Patty Lovelace in nineteen eighty 483 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:17.920 one who became a superstar and country music. I didn't 484 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:22.240 get her the record deal, but I was I kind 485 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:25.440 of equated as like a minor league manager in a way. 486 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:29.559 And I did the same for Sarah Darling in country music, 487 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:32.200 and I discovered a singer named Kelsey Ballerini who's one 488 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:35.880 of the top artists today. But I didn't take them 489 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:41.039 across the finish line myself, but I was there instrumental. 490 00:25:41.079 --> 00:25:46.519 I mentored, I guided, I believed in them, And so 491 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:48.960 there's a role there. And even in wrestling, you know, 492 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:52.720 I mean helping guys like McK foley and bringing on 493 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:55.559 my show and doing you know, and helping whoever I 494 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:58.519 can open the door for. And I hear I hear 495 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:03.119 things today from on Waltman and Conan and and all 496 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:05.640 these guys from years ago that I didn't realize I 497 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.039 was that impactful in their lives. You know, Am I 498 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:12.079 sitting here with an Emmy award? Am I sitting here 499 00:26:12.519 --> 00:26:14.559 in a mansion? Am I sitting here? 500 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:14.759 No? 501 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.559 I'm not. I don't have any of that. But I 502 00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:21.599 think that, how whyever, I'm here on this earth, and 503 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:26.000 whatever my role was here, it was maybe to be 504 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:29.039 that guy in the minor leagues to kind of like, 505 00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:31.720 all right, here is a diamond in the rough. 506 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:33.119 Let me see if I could help them. 507 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:36.240 And there are a lot of stories like that in 508 00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:40.440 the book, So it's a little inspirational and at this 509 00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:43.039 point in my life, you know, sixty three years old, 510 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:47.359 I'm kind of satisfied with all of that. I'm really 511 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:50.440 comfortable on my own skin really for the first time 512 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:51.599 almost ever. 513 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:56.440 Wow, I'm looking forward to that. It's you talk about 514 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:59.799 your it's not ghostwriter, but your your co author. What's 515 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:00.880 what the term for? Greg Oliver? 516 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:03.240 He is a co writer on the book. 517 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:06.920 Co writer. Yeah. He and I were pen pals in 518 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:09.839 in uh in high school, like we would like, you know, 519 00:27:09.960 --> 00:27:12.599 type up our handwrite letters and just talk about stuff 520 00:27:13.079 --> 00:27:15.559 wrestling in life. You know, we're the same age, We're 521 00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:18.279 in the same grade and met each other in the 522 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:20.240 summer in between high school and college, although I think 523 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:21.960 he had to go to grade thirteen because it was Canada, 524 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:24.759 but it was a summer before I went to college 525 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:27.119 and we got to finally meet there. And we've we've 526 00:27:27.160 --> 00:27:30.440 seen each other at the Waterloo Hall of Fame convention 527 00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:32.759 for two or three of the years that that I've 528 00:27:32.759 --> 00:27:35.599 been going, he's been there. So that's super cool. Just 529 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:37.240 such a small world that. 530 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:38.920 Yeah, it is. He's he's such a great guy. 531 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:41.720 He's become such a good friend and in a lot 532 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:44.519 of ways when we were doing the project, and we 533 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:48.599 started on it really in the late summer early fall 534 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:51.480 of last year, and we'd talk on the phone several 535 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:53.559 times a week and I'd tell him my story and 536 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:56.400 then he'd write it up. But he became like a 537 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:59.359 psychologist to me in a lot of ways. This is 538 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:02.160 a lot of stuff I never thought i'd ever tell anybody, 539 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:04.480 and and it's all out there. It's it's like a 540 00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:07.720 purging of everything and all the mistakes that I made. 541 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:10.680 And I made a lot of mistakes, not just in 542 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:14.279 the wrestling but in other aspects of my life. But 543 00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:16.599 you'll learn you're supposed to learn from your mistakes and 544 00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:19.839 not repeat them. So but he was such a great 545 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:23.519 partner on the on the book, and the publisher and 546 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:24.920 Michael Holmes, they really love it. 547 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:28.400 They love the book. So I'm excited about. 548 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:31.200 It and I really think that it's going to be 549 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:33.200 a defining moment of my life. 550 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:35.640 Are you thinking there's going to be some people mad 551 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:38.640 at you? 552 00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:40.599 You know, I don't think there will be there. There 553 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:45.519 there's a couple of there's a couple of people in 554 00:28:45.559 --> 00:28:49.720 the book. There's probably if there's a. 555 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:50.359 Heel in the book. 556 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:52.599 There's a heel in the book and that and that's 557 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:57.039 based on my business in in country music at the 558 00:28:57.119 --> 00:29:00.400 label that I worked for as their vice president an end. 559 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:03.359 So if there's anyone that comes across a heel, it's 560 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:08.279 that individual, Patty Loveless. There's some stuff that I reveal, 561 00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:10.319 but you know, she talked about some of her early 562 00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:16.119 days as well. Uh So it's all true, I think. Uh, 563 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:20.640 I think I'm the person that kind of just purged everything. 564 00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:23.519 I mean, and there's also you know, there's a lot 565 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:26.000 of stuff about you know, the person that brought into 566 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:29.799 the wrestling business. There is a chapter uh that that's 567 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:33.000 called It's All My Fault and that's a chapter about Russo. 568 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:37.920 Uh So, so it's all in there and uh and 569 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:39.839 I think people are gonna say, you know, this guy 570 00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:41.880 is a pretty good guy and he just kind of yeah, 571 00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:46.000 he admits his mistakes and and I don't really cover 572 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:48.480 anything up. I mean, it's just it's all out there. 573 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:51.119 So it's it's gonna be interesting. I don't know where. 574 00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:53.319 I don't know how it's going to be received. I 575 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:56.039 think it'll be uh. I think it'll be a compelling 576 00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:57.559 read for anybody who picks it up. 577 00:29:58.440 --> 00:30:01.039 Uh cool. I look forward to and I'm glad Greg 578 00:30:01.160 --> 00:30:03.480 is writing it too with you, and I'm glad you 579 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:04.359 guys are hitting it off. 580 00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:10.359 Need an extra dose of positivity in your wrestling podcasts, 581 00:30:10.519 --> 00:30:13.680 will come join me Alan forel Over in the Progress 582 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:17.279 Paradise at Pterboo Torch VIP as we mask on the 583 00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:20.000 bright side of wrestling and focus on some of the 584 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:22.960 great matches and shows from around the world, be it 585 00:30:23.160 --> 00:30:27.440 the US, Japan, Europe or Mexico. There's always a place 586 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:30.279 for wrestlings past in the Paradise too, and we've done 587 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:33.319 fun historical shows such as the We Love Liger series 588 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:37.599 celebrating the glorious career of Jusian Thunderliger and our eye 589 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:39.799 was there when shows where our guests will join me 590 00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:42.200 to talk about a classic bout that they were in 591 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:45.799 attendance for. We love variety and you can expect lots 592 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:49.640 of it at the Prorest Paradise. Detailed pw Torch VIP 593 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:53.319 subscription information and a list of all the VIP benefits 594 00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:57.519 is available at pterwrew torch vip info dot com. And yes, 595 00:30:57.839 --> 00:31:01.680 all VIP podcasts are compatible with popular podcast apps on 596 00:31:01.799 --> 00:31:05.359 iPhone and Android devices, or you can stream them directly 597 00:31:05.400 --> 00:31:08.680 from our ad free VIP mobile side see you in 598 00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:09.359 the paradise. 599 00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:20.359 Let's I want to turn the page. I mentioned that, 600 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:22.680 you know, we've gone full circle on studio wrestling. I 601 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:24.519 want to get your take. Having watched for so long 602 00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:27.240 this the the you know, it's been a bit of 603 00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:29.319 an evolution since late March in terms of how the 604 00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:31.559 show is presented. But I'll never forget Sash and Bailey 605 00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:34.119 walking out on that first SmackDown with no audience and 606 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:36.240 the empty chairs in the background. I don't know whose 607 00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:37.720 idea was to lead the chairs out there. I guess 608 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:38.960 it was, you know, short turn around time and a 609 00:31:39.000 --> 00:31:41.000 crazy time in the world. But it was just eerie. 610 00:31:41.400 --> 00:31:43.599 And they're like playing to a crowd that wasn't there, 611 00:31:44.160 --> 00:31:46.319 and you're just we didn't know how, you know, we 612 00:31:46.359 --> 00:31:50.480 didn't know help a lot about the virus yet and 613 00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:53.839 the pandemic and how it would spread, and how dangerous 614 00:31:53.880 --> 00:31:56.440 it was to be doing these shows, and and it 615 00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:59.119 was just it was empty. It was weird. They went 616 00:31:59.160 --> 00:32:02.680 to a best of men and I've found myself now 617 00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:06.319 for the most part, just adjusting, and I think wrestlers 618 00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:09.839 have too to work, you know, and now there are 619 00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:13.079 people in you know, behind the plexiglass or in Aw's case, 620 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:16.519 in the crowd in kind of the outdoor door well 621 00:32:16.519 --> 00:32:18.880 not kind of a full fledged outdoor Daily's Place venue. 622 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:21.559 And now you're getting that that crowd reaction. It feels 623 00:32:21.640 --> 00:32:25.079 more normal, and it feels like what I watch growing 624 00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:26.960 up in the a w A, which is, you know, 625 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:30.359 wrestling in a TV studio or a real small venue 626 00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:32.599 with a row or two of people yelling and you 627 00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:34.920 can make out their voices and it is kind of 628 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:37.960 a throwback. And you know, we can incorporate baseball into 629 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:39.480 this a little bit because you know, all these you know, 630 00:32:39.480 --> 00:32:41.640 Minnesota Twins are testing positive for COVID. They want to 631 00:32:41.640 --> 00:32:44.920 get the season started late. What were your initial thoughts 632 00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:48.880 about if they could make this work both safety wise 633 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:55.319 and logistically making it worth watching, and and how do 634 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:58.200 you think they've done given the circumstances, even setting aside 635 00:32:58.720 --> 00:33:02.799 your personal enjoyment of it, just kind of objectively just 636 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:06.400 saying God with what they have to work with safety wise, 637 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:10.640 presentation wise, what are your kind of thoughts on the 638 00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:12.680 job that they've done well? 639 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:15.240 I mean when they first started when the when the 640 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:19.759 pandemic hit and things got canceled, I immediately thought that you 641 00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:21.400 should have canceled the WrestleMania. 642 00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:22.319 Uh. 643 00:33:22.359 --> 00:33:25.359 And when they continued that, I just I was just like, 644 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:27.839 this is ridiculous. It's WrestleMania. I mean, how could they 645 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:30.400 do this at a performance center? And other you know, 646 00:33:30.519 --> 00:33:34.240 vignettes and film segments, but a couple of those came 647 00:33:34.279 --> 00:33:38.839 across really good. Uh. But the the idea of seeing 648 00:33:39.559 --> 00:33:43.960 in the beginning nobody there and those empty chairs, it 649 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:46.519 was not done right. And then when they started to 650 00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:51.319 evolve it somewhat h then it became more enjoyable because 651 00:33:51.359 --> 00:33:53.759 now it is like back in the day when there 652 00:33:53.839 --> 00:33:58.079 was studio wrestling. It it is more palatable to watch 653 00:33:58.119 --> 00:34:02.039 as a product. And I think some of the performers, 654 00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:07.079 some of the athletes like Randy Orton and Edge are 655 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:11.280 doing incredible work not only on the mic but the 656 00:34:11.719 --> 00:34:14.960 work in the ring, so it is better to watch 657 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:18.719 and even an AEW as well. I mean, I think 658 00:34:18.760 --> 00:34:20.840 they had a little bit of a heads up and 659 00:34:20.920 --> 00:34:26.079 they started making it more enjoyable for the viewer faster 660 00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:29.239 than the WW. And the WW is catching up obviously 661 00:34:29.320 --> 00:34:31.400 because they you know, they don't let any grass grow 662 00:34:31.440 --> 00:34:34.159 under their feet at all. But as far as watching 663 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.840 it today, it's better than the beginning of the pandemic. 664 00:34:38.320 --> 00:34:41.880 So I can see myself turning it on more and more, 665 00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:45.679 and especially when you give the performers the opportunity to 666 00:34:45.800 --> 00:34:48.280 kind of like tell a story in a way that 667 00:34:49.320 --> 00:34:52.119 they hadn't been able to in front of the large crowds. 668 00:34:52.679 --> 00:34:56.719 So it's it's more engaging that way for me. But 669 00:34:57.400 --> 00:35:00.280 it's still an evolution, but it's getting much mo better 670 00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:02.400 to watch than it certainly was in March and April, 671 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:03.079 that's for sure. 672 00:35:04.039 --> 00:35:07.639 Yeah, there's it's it's put wrestlers in a position to 673 00:35:07.719 --> 00:35:10.679 have to perform in a completely different way, and yet 674 00:35:10.760 --> 00:35:13.400 not unlike the way a lot of wrestlers have performed 675 00:35:13.440 --> 00:35:17.360 over the years. Now, today's wrestlers, no matter how long 676 00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:19.800 they've been around, they've done backstage interviews, you know, the 677 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:22.039 afternoon before TV and it's just them in a camera 678 00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:24.119 and you know, producer and some other wrestlers after the side. 679 00:35:24.320 --> 00:35:27.000 But that used to be what wrest that was. I mean, 680 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:29.639 it was just rare that I saw a wrestler cut 681 00:35:29.639 --> 00:35:31.239 of promo in a ray like I do. I mean, 682 00:35:31.360 --> 00:35:33.599 it just wasn't done. It was all you know, me 683 00:35:33.639 --> 00:35:36.519 and Gen Oakland and Awa holding the microphone for wrestlers. 684 00:35:36.519 --> 00:35:39.159 They'd spent all afternoon doing interviews. They'd hit them for 685 00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:42.920 each local market. And so like the idea that wrestling 686 00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:46.079 had to adjust, it did. But it adjusted back to 687 00:35:46.440 --> 00:35:50.519 wrestlers having to perform in front of smaller crowds and 688 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:54.599 and in the ring and doing interviews without a huge 689 00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:57.719 audience to play to. And it's different and some have 690 00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:00.760 adjusted better than others, like Bailey was I didn't think, 691 00:36:00.920 --> 00:36:05.119 I don't think doing great with crowds, and she didn't 692 00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:08.280 do great initially without crowds, and she seems like someone 693 00:36:08.280 --> 00:36:11.480 who's found a group and is making it work. Drew 694 00:36:11.519 --> 00:36:14.440 McIntyre is like an ideal babyface champion right now to 695 00:36:14.519 --> 00:36:17.519 have because the way he you know, just last night, 696 00:36:17.559 --> 00:36:19.159 you know, looked in at the camera when he got 697 00:36:19.199 --> 00:36:21.039 to the ring, and you feel a connection with him 698 00:36:21.039 --> 00:36:23.840 because he knows how to connect with an audience at 699 00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:26.880 home while also being in a venue full of just 700 00:36:26.920 --> 00:36:29.800 you know, trainees reacting to him. It's been I mean, 701 00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:33.199 obviously I wish none of this was happening, but it is. 702 00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:36.360 And it's been fascinating. It's a fascinating chapter of the 703 00:36:36.360 --> 00:36:39.199 wrestling business we're in seeing wrestlers adjusted. And of course 704 00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:41.920 it's better with a full crowd of fans, but the 705 00:36:42.599 --> 00:36:44.960 way the matches are different, the way people like Osca 706 00:36:45.039 --> 00:36:48.079 and Nicky, who are so loud and create their own 707 00:36:48.199 --> 00:36:52.480 energy have gotten prominent positions, probably beyond what they would 708 00:36:52.519 --> 00:36:54.599 have had if they were in front of a crowd. 709 00:36:54.639 --> 00:36:58.199 Some wrestlers are benefiting and others aren't based on who 710 00:36:58.320 --> 00:37:04.920 can perform their character and deliver uh without that big crowd, 711 00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:07.400 and so you know, I mean, yeah, be better with crowds, 712 00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:09.639 but it's it's it's doesn't mean it's not interesting to 713 00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:12.239 watch the promoters and the wrestlers and everybody adjust. 714 00:37:13.159 --> 00:37:14.679 Yeah, I totally agree with you. 715 00:37:14.920 --> 00:37:19.679 I think the detriment to a point is that to 716 00:37:19.760 --> 00:37:23.920 make it really uber successful is to concentrate on those 717 00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:28.320 performers that are that are really knowing what they're doing 718 00:37:28.400 --> 00:37:31.320 and are connecting, that have that in factor. And there's 719 00:37:31.360 --> 00:37:35.880 a lot of there's a lot of performers that are 720 00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:38.239 there's so many of them, you know, how how do 721 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:41.840 you give everybody their time in the spotlight. You got 722 00:37:41.880 --> 00:37:44.639 to rise to the occasion. And that's what we're seeing 723 00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:48.920 with Bailey and Drew. And of course Edge has always 724 00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:51.679 been great, but and Orton has always been great. But 725 00:37:52.320 --> 00:37:55.440 these are these This is the time to shine for 726 00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:57.679 these folks. And if there is ever a time when 727 00:37:57.679 --> 00:38:01.639 there are crowds coming in again and on a large number, 728 00:38:02.519 --> 00:38:07.599 their popularities only in the explode in front of the 729 00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:10.039 live crowds and the pops that they'll get because of 730 00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:13.320 what they're doing now to connect with the viewer. 731 00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:16.719 Now, when we talk about things going full circle, promoters 732 00:38:17.239 --> 00:38:20.360 could tell how things were working out based on ticket sales, 733 00:38:20.400 --> 00:38:22.719 so they do a studio TV wrestling show pre tape 734 00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:25.199 promos wasn't live. They didn't have that instant focus group 735 00:38:25.239 --> 00:38:28.400 feedback on a large scale like wrestling promoters have been 736 00:38:28.440 --> 00:38:31.000 used to the last several decades. But they had house 737 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:34.400 shows and they could gauge on ticket sales, and then 738 00:38:34.440 --> 00:38:36.880 at house shows, you know the monthly big of brands events, 739 00:38:37.039 --> 00:38:39.159 they could decide, you know, in Memphis, how many tickets 740 00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:40.599 were sold in the Mid South Coliseum. You could tell 741 00:38:40.599 --> 00:38:41.440 if an angle worked. 742 00:38:41.239 --> 00:38:43.039 On TV or not drawing money? 743 00:38:43.199 --> 00:38:45.760 Yeah, who is? And you can't tell now, you know, 744 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:48.320 that everybody that ww network. There's an abb and flow 745 00:38:48.360 --> 00:38:51.280 that seasonal. You know, you can't really tell because you 746 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:53.000 know all the crowd response to people order it because 747 00:38:53.000 --> 00:38:56.440 they're really interested in the swamp match or the or 748 00:38:56.840 --> 00:38:59.360 is it because of what's going on with Nicky Cross? 749 00:38:59.400 --> 00:39:02.000 Like you. They can do surveys, they can have people 750 00:39:02.039 --> 00:39:05.880 study social media, but there is that disconnect and I'm 751 00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:10.400 not sure who's over and who's not at this point. 752 00:39:10.719 --> 00:39:14.480 It's just a big, big crowd reaction, right you got, Yeah, absolutely. 753 00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:15.800 So I know they have the minute by minutes, you know, 754 00:39:16.079 --> 00:39:18.280 and I know they you know, in a way, you 755 00:39:18.360 --> 00:39:20.440 just want gut instinct. You know, you want a pilot 756 00:39:20.480 --> 00:39:23.880 who knows when there's turbulence, you know, to fly the 757 00:39:23.880 --> 00:39:27.000 plane higher or lower straight through. And you hope wrestlers 758 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:29.239 and promoters kind of have that gut instinct. They don't 759 00:39:29.239 --> 00:39:31.440 need the instrument panel to tell them what to do. 760 00:39:32.079 --> 00:39:35.320 And sometimes, you know, following focus groups leads to some 761 00:39:35.880 --> 00:39:38.159 or you know, leads to some awful TV series and 762 00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:41.719 awful movies, and and so with wrestling. You know, Vincient 763 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:44.280 Mann right now is kind of going on his gut. 764 00:39:44.320 --> 00:39:47.239 You know. Tony Kahan triple each everybody involved in creative, 765 00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:50.559 in those decision making, they're kind of evaluating what they see, 766 00:39:50.679 --> 00:39:54.199 and it's giving some wrestlers some breathing space to try 767 00:39:54.239 --> 00:39:58.079 to get over without having a dead crowd just bury 768 00:39:58.119 --> 00:40:00.320 them instantly, because we've seen that. You know, even though 769 00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:03.079 Booker t buff bagwell match, you know that infamous Nitro match, 770 00:40:03.400 --> 00:40:05.519 it was like it was an awful match, but the 771 00:40:05.519 --> 00:40:07.599 crowd hated it. And if it's like, Okay, I'm done, 772 00:40:07.719 --> 00:40:09.800 that's all I needed to see. And Apollo Cruise had 773 00:40:09.800 --> 00:40:11.559 that happen to him a few times, Neil, he would 774 00:40:11.599 --> 00:40:13.400 go out there and there's no response and you could 775 00:40:13.400 --> 00:40:17.239 just tell, okay, you know, Vince's the crowd isn't into him. 776 00:40:17.280 --> 00:40:19.000 Sol Vince won't push him. But now a Paullo Cruise 777 00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:21.199 is getting a push and he's getting more TV time 778 00:40:21.239 --> 00:40:23.480 and there's more breathing space. I wonder if he's one 779 00:40:23.480 --> 00:40:27.679 of those wrestlers who win, there's crowds again in three, six, nine, twelve, 780 00:40:27.840 --> 00:40:32.320 eighteen months whatever. If you know, the timing plays a 781 00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:34.039 role in this, but if he watched out in front 782 00:40:34.079 --> 00:40:36.480 of a crowd, I bet he has a better chance 783 00:40:36.480 --> 00:40:39.519 to have fans react positively to him than if he 784 00:40:39.559 --> 00:40:41.199 had been in front of a crowd the whole time, 785 00:40:41.679 --> 00:40:45.519 fighting that initial lack of crowd reaction that would have 786 00:40:45.519 --> 00:40:46.039 defined him. 787 00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:48.079 Yeah. Absolutely. 788 00:40:48.159 --> 00:40:50.639 I mean it must be challenging for you to cover 789 00:40:50.679 --> 00:40:52.840 the business these days with all the you know, with 790 00:40:52.920 --> 00:40:55.159 the pandemic and everything that's going on. Or is it 791 00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:59.079 exciting for you to kind of see this the way 792 00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:03.360 the business is today because of the pandemic, because you 793 00:41:03.440 --> 00:41:07.360 do incredible job and and you know, it's got to 794 00:41:07.400 --> 00:41:09.840 be interesting for you to say the least. 795 00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:12.840 Yeah, I mean it's different. I mean I'm not like 796 00:41:12.880 --> 00:41:15.599 a Baseball beat beat writer who was traveling with the 797 00:41:15.639 --> 00:41:16.280 team everywhere. 798 00:41:16.360 --> 00:41:16.559 You know. 799 00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:20.119 My job has been you know, you know, largely desk based, 800 00:41:20.199 --> 00:41:23.119 laptop based for a long time. But it's it's a 801 00:41:23.119 --> 00:41:25.440 long stretch to go not seeing wrestling in person. Unfortunately, 802 00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:27.760 I saw you know, a couple of shows in pretty 803 00:41:27.800 --> 00:41:31.280 quick succession w BN NXT before this, but I really 804 00:41:31.280 --> 00:41:32.920 would have liked to have gone to an aw show 805 00:41:32.920 --> 00:41:35.519 by now, you know, and and and and I got 806 00:41:35.639 --> 00:41:37.880 you know, I was at all in but that wasn't 807 00:41:37.880 --> 00:41:39.400 officially a w but I mean I got a sense 808 00:41:39.400 --> 00:41:43.199 of it, so I feel good about that. But you know, 809 00:41:43.280 --> 00:41:46.639 so that's weird. But in terms of like, I wouldn't 810 00:41:46.639 --> 00:41:50.280 say it's it's like exciting, but it is different. And 811 00:41:51.079 --> 00:41:52.679 for as long as I've been doing this anything, you know, 812 00:41:52.679 --> 00:41:54.280 I'm gonna cover it no matter what. You know, whatever's 813 00:41:54.280 --> 00:41:57.000 happening I covered. So it's my job to show up 814 00:41:57.039 --> 00:42:02.840 and do it. And I found that people enjoy talking 815 00:42:02.880 --> 00:42:07.760 about wrestling adjusting to these circumstances. And you know I 816 00:42:07.760 --> 00:42:09.880 did on the Personal Torture newsletter this past week. I 817 00:42:09.880 --> 00:42:12.679 did a backpage editorial and just you know, laid out 818 00:42:12.719 --> 00:42:15.920 that you know, they haven't lost many viewers relative to 819 00:42:16.519 --> 00:42:18.679 what the pattern, what the year to year pattern was. 820 00:42:18.880 --> 00:42:20.199 You know, I think there's a belief out there that 821 00:42:20.239 --> 00:42:22.599 they've lost you know, forty or sixty percent of the 822 00:42:22.639 --> 00:42:25.079 viewership or something, and they haven't. I mean, viewership was 823 00:42:25.119 --> 00:42:28.280 going down anyway. So if you look at the pattern 824 00:42:28.280 --> 00:42:31.280 of the past couple of years for Ron SmackDown, because 825 00:42:31.280 --> 00:42:33.599 we don't have NXT on USA data or AWNT and 826 00:42:33.599 --> 00:42:36.400 T data, but the raw and SmackDown data suggests it's 827 00:42:36.440 --> 00:42:39.800 you know, single digit drop in viewership compared to what 828 00:42:39.840 --> 00:42:42.079 you would have predicted if you did the math in February. 829 00:42:42.480 --> 00:42:44.960 Now it's down more than five percent from a year ago, 830 00:42:44.960 --> 00:42:46.880 but there's always a drop off after Mania, and we've 831 00:42:46.920 --> 00:42:50.679 been seeing wrestling viewership on network TV eroad over time. 832 00:42:50.880 --> 00:42:53.199 But in terms of how much further needed drop than 833 00:42:53.239 --> 00:42:55.840 someone in February would have predicted if simply plugging in 834 00:42:56.159 --> 00:42:58.039 data points from the past couple of years, it's down 835 00:42:58.119 --> 00:43:03.000 single digits. So wrestling fans have of stuck around pretty 836 00:43:03.039 --> 00:43:05.159 close to what you would expect them to have stuck around, 837 00:43:05.360 --> 00:43:07.360 regardless of the pandemic and empty ragn and part of 838 00:43:07.400 --> 00:43:09.639 that's a credit to the promoters for adjusting. You know, 839 00:43:09.679 --> 00:43:13.480 Tony Kahan has this great Dailies Place facility and it's outdoors, 840 00:43:13.519 --> 00:43:17.840 and it's afforded him any test He started doing testing 841 00:43:17.840 --> 00:43:21.079 earlier than WWE did. And as Taz said last week, 842 00:43:21.079 --> 00:43:23.400 you know, they run a tight ship. They don't run 843 00:43:23.760 --> 00:43:26.599 a sloppy operation when it comes to safety. There's some 844 00:43:26.920 --> 00:43:29.599 issues I've expressed to Tony and publicly that I'm not 845 00:43:29.639 --> 00:43:33.119 happy with that they've done, But overall, they've had this 846 00:43:33.199 --> 00:43:35.800 great outdoor facility to work with that feels larger than life. 847 00:43:35.840 --> 00:43:38.960 And you know, Stephanie McMahon's making fun of him and Forbes, 848 00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:41.920 but having wrestlers at ringside reacting to it has worked 849 00:43:41.960 --> 00:43:45.079 out well for atmosphere, and so I think people who 850 00:43:45.119 --> 00:43:48.920 love wrestling have found out that most people like wrestling 851 00:43:49.079 --> 00:43:52.239 enough even without a crowd to follow the soap opera, 852 00:43:52.360 --> 00:43:57.039 character development and matches. You can support us on Patreon 853 00:43:57.199 --> 00:43:59.800 and get these shows with ads and plugs removed, The 854 00:43:59.840 --> 00:44:02.800 Way Killer Prossing Podcast, Wade Keller Prosing post shows, and 855 00:44:02.840 --> 00:44:05.880 the PW Torch Daily cast throughout the week with ads 856 00:44:05.880 --> 00:44:09.559 and plugs removed, plus a few bonus VIP shows throughout 857 00:44:09.559 --> 00:44:11.880 the month for just four dollars and ninety nine cents 858 00:44:11.880 --> 00:44:15.199 a month. Check it out patreon dot com slash PW 859 00:44:15.280 --> 00:44:19.679 Torch vip. That's patreon dot com slash PW Torch vip 860 00:44:19.920 --> 00:44:22.280 and you can also upgrade to other tiers and receive 861 00:44:22.480 --> 00:44:29.320 even more benefits through Patreon. I think one of the 862 00:44:29.320 --> 00:44:32.239 biggest things that defines this era is the the the 863 00:44:32.360 --> 00:44:36.280 cinematic wrestling match, and I'm curious, curious, John, what you 864 00:44:36.480 --> 00:44:39.880 think of that we've we've had in terms of cinematic 865 00:44:39.880 --> 00:44:42.519 matches WrestleMania. They had to make it feel special so they, 866 00:44:42.519 --> 00:44:44.079 you know, had two or three of those. I don't 867 00:44:44.079 --> 00:44:46.519 know if had Jordan counts. I guess it does. But 868 00:44:46.679 --> 00:44:49.079 music in the background, and now it's just a regular thing. 869 00:44:49.599 --> 00:44:51.639 What's your because remember the mini movies w W did 870 00:44:51.679 --> 00:44:53.599 and how outraged we all were when there were you know, 871 00:44:54.039 --> 00:44:56.440 little people chasing Davy boy Smith on a beach, in 872 00:44:56.480 --> 00:44:58.440 Vader on a ship or whatever. I have fever dreams 873 00:44:58.440 --> 00:45:01.800 that get mixed up with what I watched there, So 874 00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:04.320 it's not totally new. But talk about the history of 875 00:45:06.000 --> 00:45:10.199 cinematic dabbling into cinematic type presentation of wrestling, and how 876 00:45:10.280 --> 00:45:12.840 you think if you think that will last beyond this 877 00:45:12.840 --> 00:45:13.840 this pandemic period. 878 00:45:14.920 --> 00:45:16.679 Well, I mean, it was very difficult for me to 879 00:45:16.760 --> 00:45:19.920 see it when it happened when it started. But the 880 00:45:19.960 --> 00:45:23.199 thing is, you know, I was a fan since the sixties, 881 00:45:23.239 --> 00:45:25.920 so I saw the evolution of this business go from 882 00:45:26.559 --> 00:45:29.960 so many different ways in so many different places. But 883 00:45:30.159 --> 00:45:37.119 now it's an evolution and the cinematic cinematic matches AJ 884 00:45:37.239 --> 00:45:40.400 styles versus Undertaker. I was like, what the hell is this? 885 00:45:40.599 --> 00:45:44.960 But but once it evolved, it kind of drew you in, 886 00:45:46.039 --> 00:45:50.360 even the fiend you know that that was pretty interesting 887 00:45:50.400 --> 00:45:53.679 to watch, and so you get kind of like, all right, 888 00:45:53.679 --> 00:45:55.199 this is the way it is now. So if you 889 00:45:55.320 --> 00:45:58.400 love the business, and if you love wrestling, if you 890 00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:01.400 still enjoy it, you're gonna have to change with the times. 891 00:46:01.440 --> 00:46:04.880 And was it did it have to happen just because 892 00:46:04.880 --> 00:46:09.960 of the circumstances. Yes, but you know, and a lot 893 00:46:09.960 --> 00:46:12.119 of people, because I am a purist in a lot 894 00:46:12.119 --> 00:46:16.920 of ways and a historian, I still I see the 895 00:46:17.000 --> 00:46:21.199 value in the cinematic matches and I'm not gonna just 896 00:46:21.239 --> 00:46:24.960 say they suck. When I first saw it, it was so 897 00:46:25.039 --> 00:46:29.599 bizarre to me that I was like, immediately instinctually, you 898 00:46:29.719 --> 00:46:32.280 get and what do they do? They're killing the business. 899 00:46:32.360 --> 00:46:34.400 It's over, you know, Da da da da da. But 900 00:46:34.440 --> 00:46:36.039 then when you get into it and you kind of 901 00:46:36.079 --> 00:46:39.719 get drawn in, it's like, well this kind of is 902 00:46:39.800 --> 00:46:42.119 pretty good and they really pulled it off. 903 00:46:43.159 --> 00:46:46.719 Yeah, it's it's it is, you know you. I've seen 904 00:46:46.840 --> 00:46:48.760 enough wrestling over the years to see it go through 905 00:46:48.800 --> 00:46:51.599 a lot of stages, and there's there's things that are 906 00:46:51.639 --> 00:46:54.360 done that I think are not for me, and there's 907 00:46:54.400 --> 00:46:56.719 but might be okay for business. And there's things that 908 00:46:56.760 --> 00:46:58.960 I've seen done that I think are okay for me, 909 00:46:59.039 --> 00:47:02.440 but not good for business. And I you know, like 910 00:47:02.639 --> 00:47:06.119 I think there's in the context of a cinematic match. 911 00:47:06.159 --> 00:47:08.039 I mean, we've been through a lot with Undertaker, you know, 912 00:47:08.079 --> 00:47:10.159 we went through a lot with Papa Shango. This is 913 00:47:10.239 --> 00:47:16.679 not you know, there's been unrealistic characters and skits in 914 00:47:16.719 --> 00:47:18.719 wrestling for a long time. I remember it was a 915 00:47:18.800 --> 00:47:20.239 very big deal in a buried a live match with 916 00:47:20.320 --> 00:47:23.320 Undertaker or or you know where he there was a 917 00:47:23.320 --> 00:47:25.519 cam inside the casket and it's like, how did that 918 00:47:25.559 --> 00:47:27.119 get in there? How how do we that had to 919 00:47:27.159 --> 00:47:29.800 be filmed later? Somebody emailed the other day and I 920 00:47:29.800 --> 00:47:32.480 talked about this on the vip Keller hotline in Hamilton, 921 00:47:32.639 --> 00:47:35.000 like they they're supposedly filming a play and I haven't 922 00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:37.679 seen it yet, but it's filming a play. But there's 923 00:47:37.800 --> 00:47:40.880 close ups at times of a shot of the stage 924 00:47:40.920 --> 00:47:43.239 of someone on the stage, and that there's no camera 925 00:47:43.280 --> 00:47:45.400 there when they go to the wide shot, so suddenly 926 00:47:45.440 --> 00:47:46.920 you're taken out of the moment. You go, oh, wait 927 00:47:46.960 --> 00:47:49.679 a second. They re enacted that and spliced it in, 928 00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:53.800 and it's it throws you off because the narrative structure 929 00:47:53.880 --> 00:47:56.119 is we're filming a play but soddenly and it's like 930 00:47:56.280 --> 00:47:58.480 the dash cam shot when Shane mc man's head went 931 00:47:58.480 --> 00:48:00.159 through a windshield. It's like, how do the camera it 932 00:48:00.159 --> 00:48:01.760 in there? Why? Why didn't know to put a camera there? 933 00:48:01.800 --> 00:48:05.599 It's dumb and so in the context of a wrestling match, 934 00:48:05.639 --> 00:48:07.440 I don't want to see that. I didn't like when 935 00:48:08.920 --> 00:48:13.119 UH on NXT where UH there was a shot inside 936 00:48:13.639 --> 00:48:18.239 the trunk and it wasn't a cinematic match. So how 937 00:48:18.280 --> 00:48:20.559 did Roderick? How was there a camera there we could 938 00:48:20.559 --> 00:48:23.119 see his reaction whatever? Like, But if it's if you 939 00:48:23.199 --> 00:48:25.119 take it into this other world and you just pick 940 00:48:25.119 --> 00:48:27.840 it up and lift it out of the narrative structure 941 00:48:27.880 --> 00:48:30.280 that wrestling normally is in and drop it into a 942 00:48:30.320 --> 00:48:34.960 different box called cinemas cinematic wrestling, there's a whole different 943 00:48:34.960 --> 00:48:38.480 set of rules. I'm willing to accept it, especially given 944 00:48:38.480 --> 00:48:41.559 the circumstances we're in. You've got to be creative and 945 00:48:41.800 --> 00:48:44.159 you have to be flexible in these times. But I 946 00:48:44.280 --> 00:48:46.519 just want when there's a match in the ring, I 947 00:48:46.599 --> 00:48:48.719 want and I want there to be a certain structure 948 00:48:48.719 --> 00:48:51.440 they follow. But when you when you're in the cinematic realm, 949 00:48:51.519 --> 00:48:53.960 I'm I'm willing to just let go and be entertained 950 00:48:53.960 --> 00:48:55.679 by it, and so far it largely happened. 951 00:48:56.000 --> 00:48:57.639 Yeah, I mean, you have made it just that's that's 952 00:48:57.679 --> 00:49:00.599 an incredible good point because I I'm right on the 953 00:49:00.599 --> 00:49:03.280 same page with you. I mean, when you're taking out, 954 00:49:03.360 --> 00:49:05.679 when you're taking that cinematic match and you're putting it 955 00:49:05.679 --> 00:49:07.840 like you're picking up this is something different and special. 956 00:49:08.360 --> 00:49:10.320 But the other points that you bring up, you know, 957 00:49:10.400 --> 00:49:13.079 haved that camera get in the car or in the trunk. Yeah, 958 00:49:13.119 --> 00:49:15.719 that's the stuff that I don't agree with either, but 959 00:49:16.199 --> 00:49:19.199 you know your analogy of that was spot on. 960 00:49:21.199 --> 00:49:21.440 Yeah. 961 00:49:21.480 --> 00:49:24.679 I could see the cinematic stuff being special and that 962 00:49:24.840 --> 00:49:27.679 has its own place in the business today because of 963 00:49:27.800 --> 00:49:33.920 the circumstances. So yeah, I mean I remember, you know, 964 00:49:34.159 --> 00:49:37.519 things crazy back in the seventies in a way, there 965 00:49:37.599 --> 00:49:41.239 was a little TV show from Caracas, Venezuela, and I 966 00:49:41.280 --> 00:49:43.039 forgot the name of it, but the head characters with 967 00:49:43.159 --> 00:49:46.159 a woman walking with a sheep and someone carrying ice 968 00:49:46.280 --> 00:49:50.239 and and clowns, and it was way before w W 969 00:49:50.840 --> 00:49:53.480 anything else. I forgot the name of it, but I 970 00:49:53.519 --> 00:49:56.239 was compelled to watch it every week because it was 971 00:49:56.280 --> 00:50:00.079 so bizarre and so crazy and different from seeing and 972 00:50:00.119 --> 00:50:02.440 O Sam Martino Barho, Professor Tanaka. 973 00:50:02.639 --> 00:50:04.960 You know, there's a bunch of people google youtubeing and 974 00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:07.320 googling key terms right now trying to find what you 975 00:50:07.480 --> 00:50:08.079 just described. 976 00:50:08.400 --> 00:50:10.039 Yeahs Penezuela. 977 00:50:10.159 --> 00:50:12.119 I forgot what the name of the show was, but 978 00:50:12.159 --> 00:50:15.159 it was on for several years, and the Mummy was 979 00:50:15.199 --> 00:50:18.360 a character in it, and this guy Elsa Tario Joe 980 00:50:18.559 --> 00:50:23.360 was like a vent like a like a missionary, and 981 00:50:23.400 --> 00:50:25.639 there's some there is some video. 982 00:50:25.440 --> 00:50:26.480 Of it on YouTube. 983 00:50:26.519 --> 00:50:30.480 Ironically, when like Jerry Lawler, when he would take over 984 00:50:30.519 --> 00:50:32.320 booking for Jerry Jared, so it kind of rotate to 985 00:50:32.320 --> 00:50:34.960 stay fresh. And when Jerry Lawler would take over, you 986 00:50:35.039 --> 00:50:37.199 knew he did because there'd be a gorilla in a cage, 987 00:50:37.440 --> 00:50:39.440 like a guy in a gorilla outfit in a cage 988 00:50:39.480 --> 00:50:41.840 like you just he'd do weird stuff. Yet he was 989 00:50:41.880 --> 00:50:44.400 also you know, a traditionalist who hated what fensic Man 990 00:50:44.440 --> 00:50:47.400 was doing, which always found funny. You know, Lawler would 991 00:50:47.400 --> 00:50:49.480 get outlandish with stuff but then be super I mean 992 00:50:49.519 --> 00:50:51.679 when I interviewed Jerry Lawler before he worked for the 993 00:50:51.800 --> 00:50:54.840 WOF there was I mean, other than maybe Jim Cornett 994 00:50:54.880 --> 00:50:57.679 nobody is critical that I interviewed of vinsic Man than 995 00:50:57.719 --> 00:51:01.320 Jerry Lawler. You know, he's running a and he's you know, 996 00:51:01.400 --> 00:51:03.440 really because Jerry was old school, you know, it's hard 997 00:51:03.440 --> 00:51:04.920 for him to break k fabe. Even with me in 998 00:51:04.960 --> 00:51:07.519 an interview for the Torch, he would, you know, it's 999 00:51:07.599 --> 00:51:10.199 just a good tell. It was difficult when I would 1000 00:51:10.199 --> 00:51:12.519 interview Nick Bockwinkle, it was like, oh, he just he 1001 00:51:12.559 --> 00:51:15.039 didn't want to do it, you know, Greg Gania, he 1002 00:51:15.159 --> 00:51:17.920 just I don't think he still will, you know, as 1003 00:51:17.920 --> 00:51:19.719 in a I told the story a few times, but 1004 00:51:19.760 --> 00:51:21.800 I was in a radio I was doing a radio 1005 00:51:21.800 --> 00:51:24.639 show with Greg Gania here in Minnesota, and we're in 1006 00:51:24.639 --> 00:51:27.320 the lobby before we get brought into the studio and 1007 00:51:27.719 --> 00:51:30.719 I said, like, I think I said babyface, and Greg's like, 1008 00:51:30.840 --> 00:51:33.960 sh the reception is still hear you mm hmm. It 1009 00:51:34.079 --> 00:51:36.559 was like he didn't want like an industry term that 1010 00:51:36.679 --> 00:51:39.440 I was privy to but also writing a newsletter about 1011 00:51:39.519 --> 00:51:41.679 that it was advertising to people to subscribe to. He 1012 00:51:41.719 --> 00:51:44.239 didn't want the receptionist to hear me use an industry term. 1013 00:51:44.679 --> 00:51:48.000 So wrestling's always had people who think it should be 1014 00:51:48.000 --> 00:51:51.519 one thing trying to fiercely protect that because they felt 1015 00:51:51.559 --> 00:51:53.679 it was vital to its success or vital to just 1016 00:51:53.719 --> 00:51:55.920 the tradition of what it should be. And yet there's 1017 00:51:55.960 --> 00:51:59.840 been crazy stuff. David McLean's Pow in Glow Glow first 1018 00:52:00.599 --> 00:52:02.719 that when that aired on the syndicated blocks in the 1019 00:52:02.760 --> 00:52:05.679 mid eighties, I mean it was I hate I did 1020 00:52:05.719 --> 00:52:07.880 not like it. It was not for me. It was 1021 00:52:08.199 --> 00:52:12.480 way too campy. Yeah, yeah jinks, yes, exactly, way too campy. 1022 00:52:12.760 --> 00:52:16.280 It didn't the wrestling wasn't good. It wasn't presented as real. 1023 00:52:16.559 --> 00:52:19.119 And I thought it was making making fun of what 1024 00:52:19.159 --> 00:52:21.800 pro wrestling was. And it didn't belong on a wrestling block. 1025 00:52:21.840 --> 00:52:24.840 It belonged somewhere else where. People who didn't like wrestling 1026 00:52:24.880 --> 00:52:26.960 but thought they knew what wrestling was wanted to laugh 1027 00:52:27.000 --> 00:52:30.679 at it. And so you know it, there's no I 1028 00:52:30.679 --> 00:52:32.920 remember when I interviewed Luthet's you know, he didn't like 1029 00:52:33.199 --> 00:52:36.119 and Anthonia RockA, Oh he's an acrobat, he's not a wrestler, 1030 00:52:36.559 --> 00:52:39.519 and he was, you know, didn't want You know, everybody's 1031 00:52:39.559 --> 00:52:41.679 got what made them a fan or what they think 1032 00:52:41.719 --> 00:52:45.519 wrestling should be. Yeah, and there's things that work and 1033 00:52:45.599 --> 00:52:47.760 things that don't, and by the way, there's things that 1034 00:52:47.840 --> 00:52:51.039 I don't like that I don't think are good for 1035 00:52:51.079 --> 00:52:53.440 the business, but I'll critique it and say, if you're 1036 00:52:53.480 --> 00:52:56.119 gonna do it, even though I don't think you got to, 1037 00:52:56.760 --> 00:52:58.320 you can do it better than you're doing it. And 1038 00:52:58.320 --> 00:53:00.320 here's how, you know, Like and I get to that 1039 00:53:00.360 --> 00:53:02.199 mode too, where it's like it's not about me just 1040 00:53:02.239 --> 00:53:03.920 saying I don't like it and they should be doing it, 1041 00:53:03.960 --> 00:53:05.360 so I'm not going to talk about it. I'm like, Okay, 1042 00:53:05.360 --> 00:53:07.000 I don't like it, and I don't think you should 1043 00:53:07.000 --> 00:53:10.320 do it, but if you're gonna, at least do a 1044 00:53:10.320 --> 00:53:13.320 good version of it. And so sometimes I find myself 1045 00:53:13.800 --> 00:53:14.599 in that world too. 1046 00:53:15.119 --> 00:53:18.199 Yeah, I mean, just look at what we covered Wade, 1047 00:53:18.360 --> 00:53:22.800 I mean, in the groundbreaking early days of the Torch 1048 00:53:23.280 --> 00:53:26.079 and what Dave did with the Observer and on the 1049 00:53:26.159 --> 00:53:29.159 radio side, what I did with Pro Wrestling Spotlight. I mean, 1050 00:53:30.079 --> 00:53:34.519 we were in an era that this business was so 1051 00:53:34.679 --> 00:53:40.360 protected and k fabe was still very prominent, and it's 1052 00:53:40.400 --> 00:53:43.760 totally different today. Obviously, I mean the current is, you know, 1053 00:53:43.920 --> 00:53:47.000 certainly torn down, but look at you know, even guys 1054 00:53:47.000 --> 00:53:50.360 like Bruno San Martino, how he protected the business almost 1055 00:53:50.400 --> 00:53:52.960 until you know, his last couple of years of life 1056 00:53:53.000 --> 00:53:58.360 in a way changing times. I mean, the business constantly evolves, 1057 00:53:58.400 --> 00:54:02.440 and it's got to be challenging, challenging for you know, 1058 00:54:02.559 --> 00:54:07.480 journalists like yourself to just kind of see all the 1059 00:54:07.599 --> 00:54:10.679 changes and not throw your hands up but embrace it 1060 00:54:10.679 --> 00:54:13.880 in a way, but also give it constructive criticism. 1061 00:54:13.960 --> 00:54:16.880 Then hopefully and hopefully people are listening to. 1062 00:54:17.480 --> 00:54:23.079 Yeah, I enjoy covering perfect I enjoy watching wrestling, like 1063 00:54:23.119 --> 00:54:24.679 I mean, there's some things I enjoy more than others. 1064 00:54:24.679 --> 00:54:26.280 And there's things I wish I had time to enjoy, 1065 00:54:26.519 --> 00:54:28.440 but they just don't fit into my schedule and it's 1066 00:54:28.480 --> 00:54:30.199 not part of my work. And there's times I just 1067 00:54:30.320 --> 00:54:32.840 I'm better at what I do if I have some 1068 00:54:32.920 --> 00:54:35.000 free time where I'm not thinking about work and I'm 1069 00:54:35.039 --> 00:54:39.079 not watching wrestling. It's just so so there's there's things 1070 00:54:39.079 --> 00:54:40.519 that I wish I had time to enjoy about the 1071 00:54:40.519 --> 00:54:43.559 professional wrestling industry disconnected from my job. But it's very 1072 00:54:43.559 --> 00:54:47.239 hard to watch wrestling and actually be mentally disconnected from 1073 00:54:47.239 --> 00:54:50.719 my job to kind of recharge. So all but all 1074 00:54:50.760 --> 00:54:52.880 of that said, because of the way that I approach 1075 00:54:52.960 --> 00:54:56.639 the coverage, everything that changes about the wrestling industry is 1076 00:54:56.679 --> 00:55:00.360 really interesting to me, Like I I what never is 1077 00:55:00.360 --> 00:55:03.119 happening that has some level of popularity that people want, 1078 00:55:03.159 --> 00:55:05.800 that there's an audience to hear analysis of it and 1079 00:55:05.840 --> 00:55:08.440 have it covered and and keep up on the news 1080 00:55:08.519 --> 00:55:11.159 aspect of it. I'm fascinated by it. I've just I've 1081 00:55:11.239 --> 00:55:13.519 been a fan long enough and I've covered it long enough. 1082 00:55:13.920 --> 00:55:16.639 Whatever is around the corner, I'm going to be there 1083 00:55:16.639 --> 00:55:19.199 to analyze it. I want to know are they why 1084 00:55:19.239 --> 00:55:22.119 are they doing it? Is it a good version of 1085 00:55:22.239 --> 00:55:24.079 what they're trying to do or is it a shoddy, 1086 00:55:24.679 --> 00:55:26.239 half assed version of what they're trying to do with 1087 00:55:26.360 --> 00:55:28.000 So I'm going to call them out on it. Is 1088 00:55:28.039 --> 00:55:31.039 it really creative and well done but maybe not good 1089 00:55:31.039 --> 00:55:32.679 for business, or is it really creative and well done 1090 00:55:32.840 --> 00:55:34.400 and could lead to a boom in the business and 1091 00:55:35.039 --> 00:55:37.360 I enjoy that. So, you know, kind of going full 1092 00:55:37.360 --> 00:55:39.639 circle back to the to what we're going through now, 1093 00:55:40.880 --> 00:55:43.760 it's it's a it's a really interesting chapter on my job. 1094 00:55:44.000 --> 00:55:46.239 I didn't know where we were headed, you know, if 1095 00:55:46.239 --> 00:55:48.119 you go back to April, I didn't know where we'd 1096 00:55:48.159 --> 00:55:50.440 be in July, and I don't know where we're going 1097 00:55:50.480 --> 00:55:51.880 to be in October, although I have a better idea. 1098 00:55:51.880 --> 00:55:53.000 I think we're going to be right where we are 1099 00:55:53.039 --> 00:55:54.840 now in October. I think Wesling's going to be similar 1100 00:55:55.119 --> 00:55:59.360 unless there's you know, big COVID upbreaks, and. 1101 00:55:59.039 --> 00:56:03.960 Yeah, I think until there's a vaccine, I can't imagine 1102 00:56:04.360 --> 00:56:08.400 things getting back to normal really until twenty twenty two. Really, 1103 00:56:08.400 --> 00:56:11.679 I think that's if it's going to get back to normal, 1104 00:56:12.239 --> 00:56:13.920 it'll happen the year after next. 1105 00:56:14.000 --> 00:56:16.679 I think in the way twenty twenty is going, I mean, 1106 00:56:16.719 --> 00:56:18.599 I knock on what I shouldn't say it, but we 1107 00:56:18.719 --> 00:56:20.000 might have a second pandemic before. 1108 00:56:20.079 --> 00:56:23.840 Yeah, it's already surging in so many places, and the 1109 00:56:23.880 --> 00:56:27.039 second wave, so they say, is not here yet. But 1110 00:56:27.639 --> 00:56:32.280 people aren't listening, and there's so many conflicting viewpoints. And 1111 00:56:32.480 --> 00:56:34.800 you know, the one thing I can't even imagine is 1112 00:56:34.880 --> 00:56:38.559 when baseball starts and seeing baseball in front of no people. 1113 00:56:39.760 --> 00:56:42.719 Well, I've been leading there because oh I have I 1114 00:56:42.719 --> 00:56:44.800 want to. I want that's one of my closing topics 1115 00:56:44.800 --> 00:56:46.920 for me. Okay, but so say that because I want 1116 00:56:46.920 --> 00:56:48.639 to say that to the last, last last thing. 1117 00:56:53.599 --> 00:56:57.800 In twenty twelve, NXT transitioned into the developmental system and 1118 00:56:57.920 --> 00:57:01.199 ultimately the brand you see today. On the Torch VIP 1119 00:57:01.440 --> 00:57:05.519 Podcast NXT Eight Years Back, we'll be taking a weekly 1120 00:57:05.559 --> 00:57:08.079 look at this page in NXT's early history. 1121 00:57:08.960 --> 00:57:12.159 Join Kelly Wells and me Tom Stout from PWT Talks 1122 00:57:12.280 --> 00:57:15.000 NXT every Saturday as we go eight years back to 1123 00:57:15.039 --> 00:57:17.760 the day to track NXT's rising talents and why they 1124 00:57:17.760 --> 00:57:21.719 did or didn't work out, exclusively for PW Torch VIP members. 1125 00:57:28.239 --> 00:57:31.639 I want to bring up Undertake. Yes, Undertaker, we talked. 1126 00:57:31.639 --> 00:57:34.400 You're talking about people protecting the business until the end, 1127 00:57:35.119 --> 00:57:38.639 you know, Brunoso Martino, you know my situation. I mean, like, 1128 00:57:38.639 --> 00:57:41.000 because a Torch Talk series, if if people start at 1129 00:57:41.000 --> 00:57:43.159 the beginning of the Torch Talk series and read through 1130 00:57:43.239 --> 00:57:45.599 from the late very late eighties all the way you 1131 00:57:45.639 --> 00:57:49.400 know through today, there's an evolution to how people in 1132 00:57:49.440 --> 00:57:54.440 the business, wrestlers, announcers, promoters, bookers, managers, how they talk 1133 00:57:54.480 --> 00:57:56.760 about wrestling. And some people were just willing to just 1134 00:57:57.360 --> 00:58:01.719 speak freely, Polly Dagerously, Paul Hayman, Cornet, Eddie Gilbert. You 1135 00:58:01.760 --> 00:58:03.559 know there are people like I'm just gonna you know, 1136 00:58:03.679 --> 00:58:05.400 Sean Walman, you know, I'm just gonna talk openly about 1137 00:58:05.440 --> 00:58:07.679 the business. They're of that generation. And then there were 1138 00:58:07.719 --> 00:58:09.480 people who just couldn't you know, I mean, it was 1139 00:58:09.519 --> 00:58:12.039 just they just couldn't do it, you know, Nick Bockwinkle 1140 00:58:12.159 --> 00:58:13.840 and others. And then there are people who are so 1141 00:58:13.880 --> 00:58:15.840 far removed from the business, like Luthz, where they're like, 1142 00:58:15.840 --> 00:58:17.599 screw it, I don't like what's going on today. I'm 1143 00:58:17.639 --> 00:58:19.400 not protecting it because this isn't what I was part of. 1144 00:58:19.679 --> 00:58:23.880 So there's such a but Undertaker is a modern example 1145 00:58:23.920 --> 00:58:27.960 of somebody who was one of the last holdouts protecting 1146 00:58:28.000 --> 00:58:33.679 his character. Now. I actually don't keep up so much 1147 00:58:33.719 --> 00:58:36.480 on social media and how wrestlers portray themselves that I 1148 00:58:36.519 --> 00:58:39.800 don't know, like what wrestlers out there are have an 1149 00:58:39.800 --> 00:58:43.800 on air character that are protecting it. But NICKI Cross 1150 00:58:43.840 --> 00:58:46.440 for example, or Randy Orton, two very very opposite people, 1151 00:58:46.880 --> 00:58:49.000 but they've both sort of protect their character. I think, 1152 00:58:49.119 --> 00:58:51.440 you know what I mean, likes there's the on air character, 1153 00:58:51.480 --> 00:58:53.119 and I don't think there's a lot of interference that 1154 00:58:53.119 --> 00:58:55.280 they put out there in social media to make people 1155 00:58:55.760 --> 00:58:59.360 know that they're to confirm that they're massively different than 1156 00:58:59.400 --> 00:59:01.280 what we see on tea. And I still think there's 1157 00:59:01.360 --> 00:59:03.199 value in that. You know, just like stand up comedians 1158 00:59:03.239 --> 00:59:06.000 who have a certain stick and a certain audience that 1159 00:59:06.039 --> 00:59:08.239 they develop, they don't go on social media and go 1160 00:59:08.400 --> 00:59:11.360 I might have had a liberal slant on that perspective, 1161 00:59:11.400 --> 00:59:13.320 but my real life use are very different. They don't 1162 00:59:13.320 --> 00:59:16.079 want to do that, it'll ruin their act. Undertaker was 1163 00:59:16.119 --> 00:59:18.280 in that school. I thought he and he's talked about 1164 00:59:18.320 --> 00:59:20.639 it in this documentary Anto to Be Network, and it's 1165 00:59:20.639 --> 00:59:24.079 been shocking John to hear Undertaker talk out a character 1166 00:59:24.119 --> 00:59:26.920 as somebody who held out for so long. What do 1167 00:59:26.960 --> 00:59:29.840 you think about that? Is that surprising to you that 1168 00:59:29.960 --> 00:59:33.159 he finally gave in, whether it was for finances or 1169 00:59:33.199 --> 00:59:36.599 he just wanted to go to the autograph circuit and 1170 00:59:36.679 --> 00:59:39.119 it sort of unraveled and unrolled from there and to 1171 00:59:39.559 --> 00:59:42.360 what it is. But talk about Undertaker sort of being 1172 00:59:42.360 --> 00:59:46.920 the last old school holdout now just speaking freely, it was. 1173 00:59:47.360 --> 00:59:53.440 For me it was really very surprising. And what started 1174 00:59:53.480 --> 00:59:56.840 it was when he did the interview with Steve Austin 1175 00:59:57.079 --> 01:00:00.440 on the Network and that to me as an eye 1176 01:00:00.480 --> 01:00:04.599 opener when he was that honest, And then of course 1177 01:00:04.679 --> 01:00:09.519 following the documentary series, which I think was fabulous and 1178 01:00:09.840 --> 01:00:14.360 the way he opened up, and that documentary series was incredible. 1179 01:00:14.559 --> 01:00:17.000 I mean I watched it all. I've watched every. 1180 01:00:16.840 --> 01:00:21.039 Episode twice, and yeah, he protected it till the very 1181 01:00:21.159 --> 01:00:23.840 end until he was ready because it was obviously the 1182 01:00:23.920 --> 01:00:27.440 last ride. You know, will he come back for another WrestleMania. 1183 01:00:28.239 --> 01:00:31.599 I doubt it. You know, all these guys, you know, 1184 01:00:31.800 --> 01:00:34.760 they think they could retire, but they always try to 1185 01:00:34.760 --> 01:00:37.480 do one more. But I think in his case, he 1186 01:00:37.599 --> 01:00:39.480 told the story the way he wanted to tell it, 1187 01:00:39.519 --> 01:00:41.360 and he opened up when he felt it was the 1188 01:00:41.440 --> 01:00:45.559 right time to do it, and I was I really 1189 01:00:45.599 --> 01:00:48.840 have to give it, you know, thumbs up all the way. 1190 01:00:49.880 --> 01:00:52.400 It was probably the best thing I'd seen in years. 1191 01:00:54.079 --> 01:00:57.360 To me, if you turned down the volume and blacked 1192 01:00:57.400 --> 01:01:00.000 out Undertaker's face, I'd still be glued to the screen 1193 01:01:00.480 --> 01:01:03.559 because of the backstage footage, like and you know we 1194 01:01:03.599 --> 01:01:05.880 talk about old school people, Ricky Steamboat was backstage in 1195 01:01:05.880 --> 01:01:08.760 one of them, and in the shot with Undertaker, and 1196 01:01:08.880 --> 01:01:11.960 Steamboat had that little look over his shoulder like why 1197 01:01:12.000 --> 01:01:13.719 the f is this camera pointed at me? 1198 01:01:14.039 --> 01:01:18.079 And because that was never that was never something that 1199 01:01:18.119 --> 01:01:19.559 the Undertaker would allow. 1200 01:01:19.519 --> 01:01:21.519 And Steamboat would have liked it. You know Steam, you 1201 01:01:22.159 --> 01:01:25.880 helo guy, and he's a little prickly Steep. It's a 1202 01:01:25.880 --> 01:01:28.000 little prickly. Yeah, he's got his nice guy image on 1203 01:01:28.000 --> 01:01:30.639 on air, but he's not. It's a little different in 1204 01:01:30.679 --> 01:01:32.679 real life. And he's someone who would shoot a look 1205 01:01:32.679 --> 01:01:35.599 to somebody who's invading his space and his privacy. And 1206 01:01:35.639 --> 01:01:37.519 it turns out, oh yeah, it's a documentary, and I 1207 01:01:37.519 --> 01:01:39.480 forgot the business is different than it was back when 1208 01:01:39.519 --> 01:01:42.000 I first started. And so to me, I can just 1209 01:01:42.039 --> 01:01:44.880 watch that and take Undertaker out of it, and take 1210 01:01:44.880 --> 01:01:48.039 out the sound and just the behind the scenes footage 1211 01:01:48.039 --> 01:01:51.239 watching people with their guard down to a great degree, 1212 01:01:51.239 --> 01:01:53.440 not entirely because there's camera, you know, cameras backstage, but 1213 01:01:53.719 --> 01:01:56.519 seeing that interaction is fascinating. I mean, I remember my 1214 01:01:56.519 --> 01:01:59.840 first time's backstage at wrestling events and whether it was 1215 01:01:59.880 --> 01:02:01.840 in shows in the eighties or in the very early 1216 01:02:01.920 --> 01:02:05.199 ninety starting to go backstage at at at wrestling events, 1217 01:02:05.199 --> 01:02:08.039 and it is just fascinating. And now it's such an 1218 01:02:08.039 --> 01:02:10.280 open book. You know, if you haven't been through years 1219 01:02:10.280 --> 01:02:14.679 of having that closed off, it doesn't it's it's it's 1220 01:02:14.719 --> 01:02:17.559 not a shocking to see it, but it's still fascinating. 1221 01:02:17.599 --> 01:02:19.920 I think, and Tony Khan's been someone although it's different 1222 01:02:19.960 --> 01:02:22.239 with being the elite, but the aw product and Tony 1223 01:02:22.280 --> 01:02:25.000 Kahn they don't go they don't take you backstage like 1224 01:02:25.119 --> 01:02:28.519 it's there's an interviewer and there's the ring. And he 1225 01:02:28.639 --> 01:02:31.519 kind of wanted the backstage setting to be a little 1226 01:02:31.519 --> 01:02:34.159 bit more sacred again as opposed to w B, where 1227 01:02:34.159 --> 01:02:36.079 it just you know, cameras pointing everywhere and you know, 1228 01:02:36.199 --> 01:02:38.360 just catching people hanging out backstage in the interviewing. So 1229 01:02:39.039 --> 01:02:41.599 we still it's it's an evolving and I don't I 1230 01:02:41.639 --> 01:02:43.840 wonder if there's not going to be kind of a springback, 1231 01:02:45.079 --> 01:02:49.679 uh to to there's to protect I don't want to 1232 01:02:49.679 --> 01:02:54.159 say protecting business, but screening viewers from creating a mystique again. 1233 01:02:54.400 --> 01:02:56.440 I remember Mickey James an interview with Pat McNeil like 1234 01:02:56.440 --> 01:02:58.360 twenty years ago on The Torch, just said, we're all 1235 01:02:58.440 --> 01:03:01.719 becoming too familiar with fans and the mystique isn't there 1236 01:03:01.760 --> 01:03:03.840 because of it. And I wonder if the kind of 1237 01:03:03.840 --> 01:03:06.960 the next big thing is going to be kind of 1238 01:03:07.000 --> 01:03:09.559 all that Undertaker's taken it to the far end of 1239 01:03:10.000 --> 01:03:12.920 opening everything up. If the next big thing is going 1240 01:03:13.000 --> 01:03:15.559 to be actually closing the curtain again, So you create 1241 01:03:15.599 --> 01:03:18.079 a mistique that fans, whether they realize it or not, 1242 01:03:18.280 --> 01:03:23.760 might enjoy more because they have some questions left that 1243 01:03:23.840 --> 01:03:26.800 aren't answered by going onto a website or a documentary 1244 01:03:26.800 --> 01:03:27.400 on the network. 1245 01:03:28.400 --> 01:03:31.039 Well, I have to say that if they do that, 1246 01:03:31.920 --> 01:03:34.400 I'm all in. I would love to see the curtain 1247 01:03:34.440 --> 01:03:38.400 closed again, as much as I helped open it in 1248 01:03:38.480 --> 01:03:42.480 my tiny way back covering the business back when I 1249 01:03:42.519 --> 01:03:45.199 started PROG Wrestling Spotlight. But yeah, I mean, if they 1250 01:03:45.199 --> 01:03:47.199 could bring back that mystique a little bit and close 1251 01:03:47.239 --> 01:03:51.000 that curtain and give the fans something to think about 1252 01:03:51.239 --> 01:03:54.360 and not you know, expose their personal lives the way 1253 01:03:54.760 --> 01:03:58.079 they do on social media, it would be better for 1254 01:03:58.079 --> 01:03:58.639 the business. 1255 01:03:59.360 --> 01:04:05.639 Yeah. Anytime you're watching WWE Raw or SmackDown or AEW 1256 01:04:05.800 --> 01:04:08.400 Dynamite in particular, send us an email if you've got 1257 01:04:08.400 --> 01:04:10.239 thoughts on the show or a topic you want us 1258 01:04:10.239 --> 01:04:14.039 to address or a question for us. Wadekeller Podcast at 1259 01:04:14.199 --> 01:04:19.199 pwtorch dot com, Weadkeller Podcast at pewtorch dot com. If 1260 01:04:19.199 --> 01:04:20.920 there's anything else going on in pro wrestling that you 1261 01:04:20.960 --> 01:04:23.400 want us to address on our main podcast during our 1262 01:04:23.400 --> 01:04:28.000 mailbank segments that same email applies Wadekeller podcast at pwtorch 1263 01:04:28.039 --> 01:04:30.880 dot com. We invite that interaction. Let us know what 1264 01:04:30.920 --> 01:04:33.199 you think of what we're saying, and let us know 1265 01:04:33.239 --> 01:04:35.280 what you want us to talk about and ask us 1266 01:04:35.280 --> 01:04:45.679 specific questions. Wadkeller podcast at pw torch dot com. All right, 1267 01:04:46.679 --> 01:04:49.079 I want to talk a little baseball with you. You're 1268 01:04:49.079 --> 01:04:52.079 a Mets fan and you've got to meet this in baseball. 1269 01:04:52.079 --> 01:04:53.199 I know it's a big part of your life. 1270 01:04:53.480 --> 01:04:53.760 M h. 1271 01:04:54.639 --> 01:04:57.480 What do you think is going to happen? I mean 1272 01:04:58.119 --> 01:05:02.639 they're back together working on out COVID positive cases. Do 1273 01:05:02.679 --> 01:05:06.159 you think the season will start as scheduled? And do 1274 01:05:06.199 --> 01:05:09.000 you you know we asked wrestling fans asked that question 1275 01:05:09.039 --> 01:05:10.639 of themselves. Do I want to watch it without a 1276 01:05:10.639 --> 01:05:14.480 crowd and most are who would have been watching otherwise? 1277 01:05:16.239 --> 01:05:18.679 Do you think base do you think it'll work? And 1278 01:05:18.920 --> 01:05:21.760 what do you think baseball could learn for pro wrestling? 1279 01:05:21.760 --> 01:05:23.679 I doubt they've learned anything because it seems like there's 1280 01:05:23.719 --> 01:05:25.519 wrestling going on in the whole world doesn't know it. 1281 01:05:25.519 --> 01:05:27.519 The rest non fans don't know it, like they just 1282 01:05:27.559 --> 01:05:30.119 talk like there's it's amazing. How if you're not a 1283 01:05:30.159 --> 01:05:31.920 wrestling fan, you don't even know it's actually still going 1284 01:05:31.920 --> 01:05:33.719 on because they still talk about there's no there's no 1285 01:05:33.800 --> 01:05:35.800 sports or live entertainment. There is, there's no to be 1286 01:05:35.800 --> 01:05:40.239 an a w But what what could baseball learn from 1287 01:05:40.599 --> 01:05:43.679 how wrestling has been presented? Uh, so far. 1288 01:05:45.360 --> 01:05:47.840 I think they need to get more intimate and I 1289 01:05:47.880 --> 01:05:51.719 think that that will be accomplished with micing a lot 1290 01:05:51.760 --> 01:05:54.400 of the ballplayers, you know in the field. They did 1291 01:05:54.400 --> 01:05:57.639 an experiment last year and and had some games where 1292 01:05:57.679 --> 01:06:00.519 the players were miked, and it was really cool. I 1293 01:06:00.519 --> 01:06:04.079 think they got to do that, and they got to 1294 01:06:04.119 --> 01:06:08.119 focus in more on close up shots and and and 1295 01:06:08.239 --> 01:06:10.559 shoot it a little bit differently. You know, it's baseball 1296 01:06:10.559 --> 01:06:15.400 and all, but you got to handle the presentation because 1297 01:06:15.440 --> 01:06:18.159 of the situation in a different way. 1298 01:06:18.360 --> 01:06:20.159 And we'll see if that happens or not. 1299 01:06:20.760 --> 01:06:24.800 I still have a funny feeling inside of me that 1300 01:06:25.239 --> 01:06:28.639 there's going to be no baseball. I think there's too 1301 01:06:28.639 --> 01:06:32.599 many questions, and when you have players who are testing positive, 1302 01:06:33.119 --> 01:06:35.960 and when they test positive, they have to be quarantined 1303 01:06:37.519 --> 01:06:41.320 and they're being very secretive about it. I think there's 1304 01:06:41.360 --> 01:06:44.199 still as much as I want to watch it and 1305 01:06:44.239 --> 01:06:46.480 I'll watch it in front of nobody. I'll watch it 1306 01:06:46.559 --> 01:06:50.960 because I miss it so desperately. I still have a 1307 01:06:51.000 --> 01:06:56.039 gut feeling that something is going to happen that prevents 1308 01:06:56.079 --> 01:06:59.400 the season from starting. And it's only a few weeks away. 1309 01:07:00.239 --> 01:07:02.119 I hope it doesn't happen, but I just have this 1310 01:07:02.199 --> 01:07:04.360 gut feeling, you know, I miss it so much. I 1311 01:07:04.440 --> 01:07:09.639 miss it terribly, and you know, just I was driving 1312 01:07:09.719 --> 01:07:11.840 up here in March to twelve to pick my nephew 1313 01:07:11.960 --> 01:07:13.760 up to go to spring training, like we have for 1314 01:07:13.800 --> 01:07:17.719 twelve years consecutively, and that's the day they canceled it. 1315 01:07:18.039 --> 01:07:19.679 And then I show up in New York and we're 1316 01:07:19.679 --> 01:07:22.119 all disappointed. I was like, let's go anywhere they may 1317 01:07:22.199 --> 01:07:24.440 change it, but then it was like no, the crap 1318 01:07:24.519 --> 01:07:27.800 really hit the fan the following day and I decided 1319 01:07:27.840 --> 01:07:30.559 to ride this pandemic up with my family in New York. 1320 01:07:30.599 --> 01:07:32.880 But baseball has been a part of it, Waite. What 1321 01:07:32.920 --> 01:07:36.119 I'm doing right now every single day with my nephew, 1322 01:07:36.599 --> 01:07:41.800 we're playing MLB the Show on PlayStation four, which is 1323 01:07:41.880 --> 01:07:44.360 so realistic and I never, you know, haven't played a 1324 01:07:44.400 --> 01:07:47.119 video game in years, and we're playing the Mets season, 1325 01:07:47.159 --> 01:07:51.519 and we're in August right now, and that's our baseball fix, 1326 01:07:51.760 --> 01:07:55.239 but we missed the real thing. I'm hoping. I'm hoping 1327 01:07:56.719 --> 01:07:58.800 that we could see baseball again, But I still have 1328 01:07:58.840 --> 01:08:01.880 a funny feeling that it's still maybe a little bit 1329 01:08:01.880 --> 01:08:03.559 too dangerous, you know it. 1330 01:08:04.480 --> 01:08:08.119 Pro wrestling might be, it's not. It's not like one 1331 01:08:08.199 --> 01:08:11.119 hundred percent safe, of course, doing what they're doing, but 1332 01:08:11.159 --> 01:08:17.560 it's uniquely exponentially safer than team sports because teams have 1333 01:08:17.600 --> 01:08:19.279 to practice together to get good. 1334 01:08:20.000 --> 01:08:21.920 Yeah, and there's so many more of them. 1335 01:08:21.800 --> 01:08:25.000 And there's so many more of them, and there's so 1336 01:08:25.159 --> 01:08:28.079 many teams. It's like when you think about a pro 1337 01:08:28.159 --> 01:08:32.319 wrestler's month, if if in ideal circumstances, And let's be honest, 1338 01:08:32.359 --> 01:08:35.560 not all wrestlers. Some are listening to Tucker Carlson nonsense 1339 01:08:35.920 --> 01:08:38.239 and and think masks don't do anything, even though Tucker 1340 01:08:38.279 --> 01:08:39.920 Carlson a couple months ago said, of course, the science 1341 01:08:39.960 --> 01:08:42.239 is their masks do stuff. I mean, it's just insane, 1342 01:08:42.279 --> 01:08:44.880 you know. I mean, but there's people who are hearing insane, 1343 01:08:45.279 --> 01:08:47.840 non scientific things for god knows what reason. That's going 1344 01:08:47.880 --> 01:08:51.239 to kill tens of thousands of people. But that said, 1345 01:08:51.279 --> 01:08:53.199 so not every wrestler is being as safe as they should. 1346 01:08:53.239 --> 01:08:56.560 But ideally a wrestler could self isolate at home, you know, 1347 01:08:56.760 --> 01:08:58.520 work out. There's ways to work out where you don't 1348 01:08:58.560 --> 01:09:01.239 go to a public gym, you know, stay in shape 1349 01:09:01.359 --> 01:09:06.600 and then drive themselves to the building and isolate in 1350 01:09:06.640 --> 01:09:09.920 the locker room. Social distance from the producer, social distance 1351 01:09:09.920 --> 01:09:11.960 from the opponent when they work out the match. You're 1352 01:09:12.000 --> 01:09:15.600 wearing a mask anytime you're anywhere but alone or you know, 1353 01:09:16.199 --> 01:09:18.119 far enough away from someone. And then you go to 1354 01:09:18.199 --> 01:09:21.039 the ring and there's a referee and another wrestler and 1355 01:09:21.199 --> 01:09:24.199 you have eleven minutes of you know, give or take 1356 01:09:24.239 --> 01:09:28.600 five minutes of close contact, and then it's over and 1357 01:09:28.680 --> 01:09:30.640 you go back and maybe you stay for another taping 1358 01:09:30.720 --> 01:09:34.119 or not if you have another match, and that's it. Now, 1359 01:09:34.239 --> 01:09:36.720 that's not zero danger. There's a referee who could be 1360 01:09:36.960 --> 01:09:38.960 a super spreader who gets it and then gives it 1361 01:09:38.960 --> 01:09:42.199 to everybody else. And ideally they're rotating referees and all that. 1362 01:09:42.439 --> 01:09:48.039 Ideally referee would be wearing masks. But all that said, 1363 01:09:47.680 --> 01:09:51.560 if you play on a baseball player or NBA players 1364 01:09:51.600 --> 01:09:56.319 week or month, it's exponentially different. It's way more dangerous. 1365 01:09:56.720 --> 01:09:59.640 And so we've had positives in wrestling, and it's been 1366 01:10:00.079 --> 01:10:04.479 people who interview wrestlers with a microphone that is held 1367 01:10:04.520 --> 01:10:06.479 up to them and they're within a foot of them. Needlessly, 1368 01:10:06.520 --> 01:10:09.439 they could be doing split screen headset interviews, but they're not. 1369 01:10:09.479 --> 01:10:12.039 They're having all these people hold microphones for people, and 1370 01:10:12.039 --> 01:10:14.239 it's just I'm still flabbergasted that they are doing this. 1371 01:10:14.319 --> 01:10:18.239 It just feels so unnecessary and more dangerous than most 1372 01:10:18.239 --> 01:10:20.199 other things that are happening on wrestling shows, and a 1373 01:10:20.239 --> 01:10:21.840 lot of them and the producers are the ones who 1374 01:10:21.840 --> 01:10:24.800 have tested positive that we know so far. I don't 1375 01:10:24.840 --> 01:10:28.279 know how you have baseball, basketball, football, hockey and not 1376 01:10:28.600 --> 01:10:35.359 have it be exponentially more positive COVID cases, even if 1377 01:10:35.359 --> 01:10:37.399 they try to isolate in a bubble for a season. 1378 01:10:37.439 --> 01:10:40.800 I just, I mean, I hope, like you, it works. 1379 01:10:40.840 --> 01:10:43.439 But with you, what is that the Giants today delaying 1380 01:10:44.560 --> 01:10:47.039 their practice because there's a delay in getting test results back. 1381 01:10:47.239 --> 01:10:50.520 There's Minnesota Twins players testing positive. You've got players opting 1382 01:10:50.560 --> 01:10:54.439 out of even participating. I just, I mean, I'm I 1383 01:10:54.479 --> 01:10:56.159 don't know what's gonna happen either. I hope they can 1384 01:10:56.199 --> 01:10:58.680 figure it all out, but all it takes is out 1385 01:10:58.680 --> 01:11:00.720 of however many hundreds of baseball play, there are just 1386 01:11:00.760 --> 01:11:03.680 a few who are listening to the wrong people on 1387 01:11:03.720 --> 01:11:06.039 television or the wrong relative, or belong to the wrong 1388 01:11:06.079 --> 01:11:08.600 Facebook group chat, and they're going to have information that 1389 01:11:08.640 --> 01:11:11.800 goes completely against science, completely against everything that a well 1390 01:11:11.840 --> 01:11:16.000 informed person who can decipher fact from nonsense can do. 1391 01:11:16.199 --> 01:11:17.880 And they're gonna be the ones who bring it into 1392 01:11:17.920 --> 01:11:20.760 that bubble and spread it, and it can ruin it 1393 01:11:20.800 --> 01:11:23.119 for everybody, because I do think there is a safe 1394 01:11:23.159 --> 01:11:25.920 way to run baseball. There's a safe way to do anything. 1395 01:11:25.960 --> 01:11:29.840 But you got to isolate everybody for two weeks and 1396 01:11:30.439 --> 01:11:32.960 everybody who's going to be in contact with anybody, and 1397 01:11:33.000 --> 01:11:35.319 then separate them from their families, and it's it. Is 1398 01:11:35.359 --> 01:11:36.880 it worth it? It's not going to be worth it 1399 01:11:36.920 --> 01:11:37.079 for some? 1400 01:11:37.880 --> 01:11:42.760 Yeah, I think the problems, the potential problems certainly can 1401 01:11:42.840 --> 01:11:45.720 raar their head in any given time. And all it 1402 01:11:45.760 --> 01:11:51.119 takes is one superstar or one anyone to get incredibly 1403 01:11:51.199 --> 01:11:54.800 sick from this virus and then it's over yep, and 1404 01:11:54.880 --> 01:11:57.439 they're gonna stop it, yep. And it could they could 1405 01:11:57.479 --> 01:11:59.600 play a couple of games, they can play a week, 1406 01:12:00.439 --> 01:12:04.880 but it seems like it's inevitable that something is going 1407 01:12:04.960 --> 01:12:07.880 to happen, and that's the worst thing that can happen 1408 01:12:07.960 --> 01:12:10.279 is to start the season and then all of a 1409 01:12:10.279 --> 01:12:14.560 sudden it's over and everyone's going to feel devastated, not 1410 01:12:14.680 --> 01:12:18.039 just for the person or players that have been affected 1411 01:12:18.520 --> 01:12:22.560 by this, but the fan base, the sport, everything. I mean, 1412 01:12:22.600 --> 01:12:27.920 it's just we're in uncharted waters, uncharted territory here, and 1413 01:12:27.960 --> 01:12:30.319 no one knows what the right well, the right thing 1414 01:12:30.399 --> 01:12:32.239 is to wear a mask and to wash your hands 1415 01:12:32.279 --> 01:12:36.159 into socially distance. That's the right thing too, but there's 1416 01:12:36.199 --> 01:12:39.239 too many unknowns and too many variables out there right now, 1417 01:12:39.319 --> 01:12:42.520 and at least we got wrestling right. 1418 01:12:43.039 --> 01:12:43.399 Yes. 1419 01:12:47.479 --> 01:12:50.479 Searching for more great pro wrestling talk, then join me 1420 01:12:50.640 --> 01:12:54.359 Jason Powell, host of the three weekly Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast. 1421 01:12:54.560 --> 01:12:56.760 Each week you'll hear the latest news and analysis for 1422 01:12:56.880 --> 01:12:58.960 me and my team at pro wrestling dot Net along 1423 01:12:58.960 --> 01:13:01.920 with other pro wrestling media members. Plus, the Pro Wrestling 1424 01:13:01.960 --> 01:13:05.279 Boom Podcast features long form interviews with notable names in 1425 01:13:05.319 --> 01:13:09.039 the pro wrestling industry. Subscribe and iTunes, Stitcher, Downcast, and 1426 01:13:09.079 --> 01:13:12.239 all your favorite secondary apps, or visit us directly at 1427 01:13:12.239 --> 01:13:23.159 pwboom dot com. Once again, that's pwboom dot com. 1428 01:13:23.199 --> 01:13:25.520 Well, John, I'm not shocked we went longer than we 1429 01:13:25.600 --> 01:13:28.239 plan But anything y else you want to bring up 1430 01:13:28.239 --> 01:13:30.359 before we wrap up, I don't want to sign off 1431 01:13:30.239 --> 01:13:32.079 if you had made a mental note to bring something up. 1432 01:13:32.399 --> 01:13:35.279 No, I think we've covered just about everything, and I 1433 01:13:35.359 --> 01:13:38.960 certainly really enjoyed reconnecting with you. It's been quite a while. 1434 01:13:39.000 --> 01:13:40.840 I know we saw each other last year, but we 1435 01:13:40.880 --> 01:13:45.319 haven't really talked on a podcast or in a professional 1436 01:13:45.399 --> 01:13:49.079 setting for a long time. So it's been really cool 1437 01:13:49.119 --> 01:13:51.439 to hear from you and for you to allow me 1438 01:13:51.520 --> 01:13:52.279 to do this with you. 1439 01:13:52.640 --> 01:13:55.119 I'm glad it worked out. Good luck with your project again. 1440 01:13:56.000 --> 01:13:58.880 Tell people social media and how to connect at Well. 1441 01:13:58.960 --> 01:14:01.640 Your website's Matt memory com and that's the main place 1442 01:14:01.640 --> 01:14:01.760 to go. 1443 01:14:01.960 --> 01:14:04.520 Yeah, that's the sign up and that's not launched yet, 1444 01:14:04.560 --> 01:14:08.680 but certainly go to the Facebook dot com John Orazi's 1445 01:14:08.680 --> 01:14:12.039 Matt Memories to see the live Saturday night show six 1446 01:14:12.119 --> 01:14:17.640 o'clock Eastern each Saturday. And then is the podcast pwspod 1447 01:14:17.680 --> 01:14:20.680 dot com Pro Wrestling Spotlight Then and Now takes you 1448 01:14:20.800 --> 01:14:25.840 back thirty years to listen to a show with me 1449 01:14:25.920 --> 01:14:29.439 and hosted by co hosted by Brian last So I'm 1450 01:14:29.520 --> 01:14:34.079 enjoying that part of it. And that's really it. I mean, wait, 1451 01:14:34.119 --> 01:14:35.239 thank you, I appreciate it. 1452 01:14:35.279 --> 01:14:36.800 So, John, this is a show I'm going to play 1453 01:14:36.800 --> 01:14:38.279 for people, give them a taste of what they can 1454 01:14:38.319 --> 01:14:41.000 get a ton of and like more than anywhere else 1455 01:14:41.039 --> 01:14:43.359 with your stuff. There's a ton of them on peopleWe 1456 01:14:43.399 --> 01:14:47.479 torch vip too, but without your updated content and reactions 1457 01:14:47.520 --> 01:14:52.479 to it. September nineteenth, nineteen ninety two, and it is 1458 01:14:52.479 --> 01:14:55.079 the debut episode of Progrestling this week that followed the 1459 01:14:55.079 --> 01:14:58.279 person Spotlight radio show that you hosted, and I'm on. 1460 01:14:59.039 --> 01:15:04.560 I'm a guest, and we talk about controversies with Bill 1461 01:15:04.560 --> 01:15:08.640 Watts running WSW. Also Dave Meltzer joins you then to 1462 01:15:08.680 --> 01:15:11.039 talk about blow ups with Bill Watts and ww talent 1463 01:15:11.079 --> 01:15:14.439 including Brian Pillman and Paul Hayman. So that's the fun episode. 1464 01:15:14.479 --> 01:15:18.119 We're going to put up a window into what you 1465 01:15:18.159 --> 01:15:22.359 did twenty about twenty eight years ago. 1466 01:15:23.319 --> 01:15:23.920 Very cool. 1467 01:15:25.079 --> 01:15:28.079 So people enjoy it. Thanks Jaan so much. We'll talk 1468 01:15:28.119 --> 01:15:29.319 hopefully and not too low. 1469 01:15:29.720 --> 01:15:30.520 All right, thank you, Ed. 1470 01:15:31.000 --> 01:15:34.720 All right, So here we go. The September nineteenth edition 1471 01:15:35.439 --> 01:15:39.760 of John Arezzi's radio show with me as a guest 1472 01:15:39.760 --> 01:15:42.359 analyst and then after that Dave Meltzer joining him to 1473 01:15:42.359 --> 01:15:44.520 talk about CERN events and wrestling. This's a lot of fun. 1474 01:15:44.640 --> 01:15:46.479 Enjoy this and don't forget if you become a PW 1475 01:15:46.600 --> 01:15:49.279 towrs VIP member. Hundreds of retro radio shows from the 1476 01:15:49.319 --> 01:15:52.600 nineteen nineties are instantly available. Tons hosted by John Orezzi 1477 01:15:52.600 --> 01:15:55.399 out of New York and Tons hosted by me out 1478 01:15:55.439 --> 01:15:58.439 of the Minneapolis Saint Paul area on Kfan Radio in 1479 01:15:58.479 --> 01:16:01.479 the early nineties, and more so go vip or at 1480 01:16:01.520 --> 01:16:04.439 least check out details go to PW torch dot com 1481 01:16:04.479 --> 01:16:07.720 slash go vip. As we mentioned, times are tough in 1482 01:16:07.760 --> 01:16:12.159 the advertising marketplace right now. Our revenue is We're an 1483 01:16:12.199 --> 01:16:14.000 ad based business in a lot of ways, and our 1484 01:16:14.000 --> 01:16:17.239 revenue is way down, another sharp decline this month already. 1485 01:16:17.439 --> 01:16:19.720 So you can show support for us and help a 1486 01:16:19.720 --> 01:16:22.319 small business during these times by becoming a member. And 1487 01:16:22.439 --> 01:16:24.039 rates are as low as eight dollars and twenty five 1488 01:16:24.119 --> 01:16:26.600 cents a month with a one year membership. A one 1489 01:16:26.600 --> 01:16:29.359 month membership is just nine dollars in ninety nine cents. 1490 01:16:29.359 --> 01:16:32.600 To check out all the features, so go read about 1491 01:16:32.600 --> 01:16:34.039 it and then sign up. It just takes a couple 1492 01:16:34.039 --> 01:16:39.920 of minutes. Pwtorch dot com slash go vip so many benefits. 1493 01:16:40.000 --> 01:16:41.880 I think you'll love it. Give us a try. PW 1494 01:16:41.960 --> 01:16:44.479 torch dot com slash go vip. 1495 01:16:51.720 --> 01:16:54.640 Hi you've been wrestling fans, John A. Rizzi Here for 1496 01:16:54.680 --> 01:16:59.359 our return edition. Here WNYG for the Pro Wrestling This 1497 01:16:59.399 --> 01:17:03.319 Week Show. If I've never heard this type of program before, 1498 01:17:03.319 --> 01:17:05.880 I'm just gonna inform you that we're gonna have a 1499 01:17:05.920 --> 01:17:07.279 lot of fun here. We're gonna talk about all the 1500 01:17:07.359 --> 01:17:11.359 latest pro wrestling news that's breaking each and every week 1501 01:17:11.399 --> 01:17:11.880 out there. 1502 01:17:11.960 --> 01:17:14.119 And if those of you are. 1503 01:17:14.039 --> 01:17:17.159 Listening for the first time don't know my background, I'm 1504 01:17:17.159 --> 01:17:20.600 a former pro wrestler myself, have been covering the business 1505 01:17:21.279 --> 01:17:23.920 for a long time, about twenty years or so, and 1506 01:17:25.079 --> 01:17:27.640 we get right behind the scenes when we talk about 1507 01:17:27.640 --> 01:17:31.079 pro wrestling. We don't pull any punches here, and there's 1508 01:17:31.119 --> 01:17:32.920 a lot of things that are breaking each and every 1509 01:17:32.960 --> 01:17:36.039 week in the business that we're gonna go over and 1510 01:17:36.079 --> 01:17:38.079 we're gonna have a good time with this program. So 1511 01:17:39.439 --> 01:17:41.399 just keep the doll where it is and for the 1512 01:17:41.439 --> 01:17:45.439 next hour, you'll be entertained and informed about the world 1513 01:17:45.479 --> 01:17:46.720 of professional wrestling. 1514 01:17:47.039 --> 01:17:49.199 Now, it's been a while since I've been here WNYG. 1515 01:17:49.319 --> 01:17:53.079 Matter of fact, I started my program Pro Wrestling Spotlight, 1516 01:17:53.119 --> 01:17:56.000 which is currently on in New York City station WEVD. 1517 01:17:56.600 --> 01:17:59.640 We started that program right here back in April ninth, 1518 01:17:59.760 --> 01:18:00.680 nineteen eighty nine. 1519 01:18:00.720 --> 01:18:02.720 And we're back here to. 1520 01:18:02.680 --> 01:18:06.000 Inform the fans and give them a little bit a 1521 01:18:06.039 --> 01:18:09.000 further coverage of pro wrestling, which these days you certainly need. 1522 01:18:09.720 --> 01:18:12.560 Now it is my first show back here. What is 1523 01:18:12.600 --> 01:18:13.439 this an alarm. 1524 01:18:13.159 --> 01:18:15.239 Clock we'd have sitting in here? First of all, I 1525 01:18:15.319 --> 01:18:19.640 think makes a lot of noise. Smash it. I think 1526 01:18:19.680 --> 01:18:21.039 I will get it out of it. And this is 1527 01:18:21.079 --> 01:18:24.000 my engineer, Tom Good Evening, Oh good after no good morning. 1528 01:18:24.319 --> 01:18:27.359 Tom went to school with my sister, Donna West Babylon. 1529 01:18:27.439 --> 01:18:31.359 Here Donna West Babylon High School band together. Pretty wild. 1530 01:18:31.640 --> 01:18:33.279 It was even the more amazing when I walked. I 1531 01:18:33.279 --> 01:18:34.720 had seen her in ten years and I walked to 1532 01:18:34.760 --> 01:18:36.359 the station when I got hired, and all of a sudden, 1533 01:18:36.479 --> 01:18:38.920 bamned there. It was give me get that out of there. 1534 01:18:38.920 --> 01:18:41.640 You get this one. Actually, it's the wooden one. It's 1535 01:18:41.640 --> 01:18:44.840 the wooden it's the wooden clock there it is? Is 1536 01:18:44.840 --> 01:18:47.399 that what it is? Yeah? You know it's got that 1537 01:18:47.479 --> 01:18:49.760 big two and a half horse to come to Moto 1538 01:18:50.800 --> 01:18:53.840 be around here. I tell you we're gonna have a 1539 01:18:53.880 --> 01:18:55.119 lot of fun, and I'm gonna call in now. 1540 01:18:55.159 --> 01:18:56.880 I'm gonna tell you fans out there who are listening 1541 01:18:56.920 --> 01:18:59.840 to pro wrestling this week, that we will be taking 1542 01:19:00.119 --> 01:19:03.359 phone calls later on. We're expecting to hear from Wade 1543 01:19:03.439 --> 01:19:06.640 Keller and a little bit from a pro wrestling torch. 1544 01:19:06.680 --> 01:19:08.920 A lot of stuff happening in World Championship Wrestling which 1545 01:19:08.920 --> 01:19:11.840 we need to talk about. But we as we do 1546 01:19:11.880 --> 01:19:15.840 on our w EVD show at eleven o'clock every Saturday night, 1547 01:19:16.279 --> 01:19:18.439 we bring on Donnie Lible to talk about all the 1548 01:19:18.720 --> 01:19:20.640 late breaking wrestling news. 1549 01:19:20.960 --> 01:19:22.720 And that's what we're gonna do right now. 1550 01:19:22.840 --> 01:19:25.199 Matter of fact, now I've forgotten how this works in here, 1551 01:19:25.279 --> 01:19:31.199 Tom do I pick the phone up? Okay, and I 1552 01:19:31.319 --> 01:19:32.960 just punch him on and we're ready to go. Then 1553 01:19:33.000 --> 01:19:34.840 I would guess, Donnie, are you there? 1554 01:19:35.039 --> 01:19:35.520 Yes they am. 1555 01:19:35.600 --> 01:19:35.800 John. 1556 01:19:35.880 --> 01:19:37.800 I'll say, it's a lot of fun, a lot of 1557 01:19:37.840 --> 01:19:41.479 excitement to be back on fourteen forty and besides all 1558 01:19:41.520 --> 01:19:43.960 the wrestling news going on. I got to tell you 1559 01:19:43.960 --> 01:19:46.600 today in a mail came the September twenty fourth issue 1560 01:19:46.640 --> 01:19:50.079 of Weekly Gone Wrestling magazine from Japan, and they had 1561 01:19:50.399 --> 01:19:54.640 a sixteen color photo spread on the weekend of champions 1562 01:19:54.680 --> 01:19:58.319 including the people from LMS Comics made it so a 1563 01:19:58.319 --> 01:20:01.159 lot's happening there in Japan about the convention. 1564 01:20:04.000 --> 01:20:08.720 Excuse me, don I'm just changing heads. That's yere, Okay, 1565 01:20:08.880 --> 01:20:09.439 just keep going. 1566 01:20:09.560 --> 01:20:12.319 Hey, okay, why don't we get right into the caps 1567 01:20:12.359 --> 01:20:15.119 of the week. A lot of interesting news and sites 1568 01:20:15.159 --> 01:20:18.800 being reported for big shows coming up, while several familiar 1569 01:20:18.840 --> 01:20:21.319 and new faces are expected to be popping up within 1570 01:20:21.359 --> 01:20:25.239 the World Wrestling Federation shortly. Terry Taylor, most recently with 1571 01:20:25.359 --> 01:20:28.399 World Championship Wrestling and Steve Armstrong are said to be 1572 01:20:28.399 --> 01:20:31.039 coming into the Fed this week. And remember that Bruce 1573 01:20:31.079 --> 01:20:34.039 Pritchett Feller, he played the Brother Love character, Well, he's 1574 01:20:34.079 --> 01:20:36.399 back in as an administrative assistant in the Federation to 1575 01:20:36.479 --> 01:20:41.359 Pat Patterson in Stanford, Connecticut. Richfield, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, 1576 01:20:41.399 --> 01:20:44.000 will be the host site of this year's Survivor Series 1577 01:20:44.039 --> 01:20:47.880 show Thanksgiving weekend in the Richfield Coliseum, which has housed 1578 01:20:47.880 --> 01:20:51.680 two previous Survivor Series pay previews. The top two matches 1579 01:20:51.720 --> 01:20:54.720 scheduled art The Ultimate Maniac that's Randy Savage and The 1580 01:20:54.800 --> 01:20:57.920 Ultimate Warrior. They'll be taking on Razor Ramon with Rick 1581 01:20:58.039 --> 01:21:00.840 Flair now. The second main event Pitts the Big boss 1582 01:21:00.840 --> 01:21:04.359 Man against Nails with a Knight Stick on a pole match, 1583 01:21:05.000 --> 01:21:08.560 while WCW is singing the TV ratings woes as they 1584 01:21:08.560 --> 01:21:13.000 have lost airing their program on the Chicago superstation WGN 1585 01:21:13.159 --> 01:21:16.279 that was hosted by Tony Shavani and Larry Zubisco. The 1586 01:21:16.399 --> 01:21:19.560 last pro show aired last Saturday, and look for Shane 1587 01:21:19.560 --> 01:21:22.319 Douglas and Eric Wats to begin Tag Teamy regularly later 1588 01:21:22.359 --> 01:21:26.279 this month, and WCW TV personality and nine hundred line 1589 01:21:26.319 --> 01:21:29.560 host Lance Russell will be retiring from the company on 1590 01:21:29.640 --> 01:21:32.960 November one. From the where Are They Headed department now, 1591 01:21:33.039 --> 01:21:35.520 Kevin Sullivan has his bags packed for another tour with 1592 01:21:35.680 --> 01:21:38.560 Wing in Japan. The Iron Cheeks taking his matches in 1593 01:21:38.640 --> 01:21:41.800 the Caribbean for the World Wrestling Council, The Junkyard Dog 1594 01:21:41.840 --> 01:21:45.000 and Mister Hughes are appearing in the USWA and tonight 1595 01:21:45.079 --> 01:21:47.880 in the Big Baseball Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. It'll be 1596 01:21:47.960 --> 01:21:51.439 Killi Kowalski and the Golden Greek themselves, John Tolas. They'll 1597 01:21:51.439 --> 01:21:53.680 be chasing each other around the ring for the Megacard 1598 01:21:54.119 --> 01:21:58.439 presented by FNW. And finally from the scrapbook files, Water 1599 01:21:58.520 --> 01:22:02.000 Milestone eleven years ago this past Thursday. That was on 1600 01:22:02.039 --> 01:22:05.319 September seventeenth is nineteen eighty one. In Kansas City, Missouri, 1601 01:22:05.520 --> 01:22:08.760 the Nature Boy Rick Flair won his first National Wrestling 1602 01:22:08.760 --> 01:22:12.399 Alliance heavyweight title and Hoodie beat the American Dream Dusty Rhoads, 1603 01:22:12.439 --> 01:22:15.760 of course, and another title trivia back on September twenty fourth, 1604 01:22:15.920 --> 01:22:16.720 nineteen eighty four. 1605 01:22:16.760 --> 01:22:17.640 That was eight years ago. 1606 01:22:17.680 --> 01:22:20.840 This week breg the Ham of Valentine Strip the WWF 1607 01:22:20.840 --> 01:22:25.960 Intercontinental Championship from Tito Santana in London, Ontario, Canada for 1608 01:22:25.960 --> 01:22:28.960 Pro Wrestling this week, I'm Don Libell reporting Capsule Time, 1609 01:22:29.319 --> 01:22:29.840 ten oweight. 1610 01:22:30.159 --> 01:22:32.600 Well, Donnie, certainly happy to have you here at WNYG 1611 01:22:32.800 --> 01:22:36.560 with us and tonight we have some late breaking news 1612 01:22:36.600 --> 01:22:38.880 which are going to tell the wrestling fans in WEVD. 1613 01:22:39.079 --> 01:22:43.720 That's ten fifty am tonight at eleven regarding Paulie Dangerously, 1614 01:22:44.399 --> 01:22:47.119 some late breaking news regarding him and both Fly and 1615 01:22:47.159 --> 01:22:50.359 Brian Pillman, and we'll be getting into that tonight and 1616 01:22:50.359 --> 01:22:52.239 our special guests, as you know, tonight on the Pro 1617 01:22:52.279 --> 01:22:55.600 Wrestling Spotlight in WEVD will be Hawked from Legion Doom. 1618 01:22:55.920 --> 01:22:58.279 That'll be good. And a couple other quick notes to 1619 01:22:58.319 --> 01:23:02.359 report on the wrestling observers reporting that russell Mania this 1620 01:23:02.439 --> 01:23:05.640 year will be held in Madison Square Garden. Steve Armstrong, 1621 01:23:05.680 --> 01:23:09.119 as I reported, is possibly going to the WWF. 1622 01:23:08.600 --> 01:23:11.000 As early as this week, possibly. 1623 01:23:10.560 --> 01:23:15.079 As a singing cowboy character and mentioning about Lance Russell retiring. 1624 01:23:15.439 --> 01:23:19.600 Believe w TBS has a mandatory retirement age of sixty five, 1625 01:23:19.640 --> 01:23:22.279 so that may be one of the reasons why Lance 1626 01:23:22.399 --> 01:23:26.159 is leaving the company. But looking forward to hearing Hawk 1627 01:23:26.239 --> 01:23:29.000 tonight could be, as far as I know, his first 1628 01:23:29.760 --> 01:23:34.640 public radio interview about why he's not with the WWF 1629 01:23:34.640 --> 01:23:35.720 and what his plans are. 1630 01:23:36.039 --> 01:23:38.800 Yes, lots of things to talk about tonight, and Donnie, 1631 01:23:38.800 --> 01:23:41.000 we will talk to you at eleven o'clock tonight on 1632 01:23:41.159 --> 01:23:42.680 ten point fifty AMWVD. 1633 01:23:43.039 --> 01:23:44.239 Thanks lot, Joe, I have a good show. 1634 01:23:44.520 --> 01:23:45.760 Thank you. Okay. 1635 01:23:45.880 --> 01:23:49.520 Don Libell from upstate New York right here Cooperstown, and 1636 01:23:49.520 --> 01:23:51.600 he'll be giving us updates each and every week right 1637 01:23:51.600 --> 01:23:53.840 here at the Pro Wrestling Spotlight. 1638 01:23:56.359 --> 01:23:57.880 Give yourself a reason to look forward to going to 1639 01:23:57.960 --> 01:24:01.439 the mailbox each week with a PW Torch Newsletter paper copy. 1640 01:24:01.560 --> 01:24:06.000 Subscription details at PW torch dot com slash paper Copy. 1641 01:24:06.159 --> 01:24:08.960 It's twelve pages every week packed with my TV reports, 1642 01:24:09.000 --> 01:24:11.560 along with exclusive features such as my cover story on 1643 01:24:11.600 --> 01:24:13.840 the top story of the week, our pay per view 1644 01:24:13.880 --> 01:24:17.600 roundtable reviews from the Torch staff, exclusive feature length columns 1645 01:24:17.600 --> 01:24:21.680 from Greg Parks, Rich Fan, Sean Radikin, Alan Coonahan, and 1646 01:24:21.840 --> 01:24:25.600 Zach Hadorn, Torch Talk transcripts, the latest news and more. 1647 01:24:25.960 --> 01:24:29.600 PW torch dot com slash paper Copy. Take a break 1648 01:24:29.600 --> 01:24:32.800 from screen time and settle in every week with the 1649 01:24:32.840 --> 01:24:35.880 megadosup wrestling news and analysis with a Pro Wrestling Torch 1650 01:24:35.920 --> 01:24:39.199 Newsletter paper copy edition. In the year twenty twenty two. 1651 01:24:39.760 --> 01:24:42.239 You can get a full year of home delivery for 1652 01:24:42.399 --> 01:24:45.439 just ninety nine dollars, or try us for an eight 1653 01:24:45.439 --> 01:24:49.720 week trial subscription PW torch dot Com slash paper Copy. 1654 01:24:52.680 --> 01:24:55.319 We're gonna get into a first commercial break of the day. 1655 01:24:55.600 --> 01:24:57.720 I want to tell you about our next big bus trip. 1656 01:24:57.800 --> 01:25:00.720 Now. Fans here at WNYG, remember We used to go. 1657 01:25:00.760 --> 01:25:03.840 All over the East Coast to wrestling events, and we 1658 01:25:03.920 --> 01:25:06.199 got a big bus trip getting ready to take off 1659 01:25:07.279 --> 01:25:13.479 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sunday, October twenty fifth. That's the WCW's 1660 01:25:13.479 --> 01:25:17.760 next pay per view spectacular, Halloween Havoc. You don't want 1661 01:25:17.760 --> 01:25:21.439 to miss the NWA title match between Ravishing Rick through 1662 01:25:21.600 --> 01:25:25.680 the Challenger. He's the current WCW champion as far as 1663 01:25:25.680 --> 01:25:28.479 the United States Champion and the NWA title holder from Japan. 1664 01:25:28.560 --> 01:25:32.079 Masa Shono stingtakes on Jake the Snake, Roberts and a 1665 01:25:32.159 --> 01:25:35.920 Spin the Wheel Make the Deal match Ron Simmons versus 1666 01:25:35.920 --> 01:25:39.399 the Barbarian for the WCW title and all the stars 1667 01:25:39.399 --> 01:25:42.640 of World Championship Wrestling. Each person coming on the bus 1668 01:25:42.680 --> 01:25:44.840 with us will receive a goodie back film, but eight 1669 01:25:44.840 --> 01:25:49.479 by ten photos, wrestling trading cards, newsletters, and other surprises. 1670 01:25:49.920 --> 01:25:51.960 You'll have a ringside seat for all the action. 1671 01:25:52.039 --> 01:25:56.199 We got rows four and five, and you'll watch videos 1672 01:25:56.199 --> 01:25:59.479 on our video bus. It's first come, first served, fifty 1673 01:25:59.520 --> 01:26:03.000 dollars round trip bus fair ticket to the show, or 1674 01:26:03.039 --> 01:26:06.159 forty dollars if you're Pro Wrestling Spotlight Booster Club member 1675 01:26:06.640 --> 01:26:10.000 to make your reservation call five one six, five eight 1676 01:26:10.079 --> 01:26:13.000 seven two eight six one. That's five one, six, five, 1677 01:26:13.039 --> 01:26:15.960 eight seven, two eight sixty one. With enough of a response, 1678 01:26:16.079 --> 01:26:18.680 we'll have our first pickup right in the back here 1679 01:26:18.680 --> 01:26:21.920 at WNYG and Babylon. Other pickup points Long Island Park 1680 01:26:21.960 --> 01:26:25.399 and Ride Exit forty nine and at the ballpark restaurant 1681 01:26:25.399 --> 01:26:26.880 Steinway Street in Astoria. 1682 01:26:27.880 --> 01:26:30.319 And just give me a call after the show at 1683 01:26:30.359 --> 01:26:31.000 five one. 1684 01:26:30.960 --> 01:26:33.079 Six, five eight seven two eight six one for our 1685 01:26:33.159 --> 01:26:37.840 next big bus trip to WCW's Halloween Havocs show Sunday, 1686 01:26:37.880 --> 01:26:39.279 October twenty fifth. 1687 01:26:39.720 --> 01:26:41.000 Make your reservation now. 1688 01:26:45.760 --> 01:26:49.359 Hey, wrestling fans nine can get daily updates. Hey, we're 1689 01:26:49.399 --> 01:26:49.960 back here. 1690 01:26:49.840 --> 01:26:54.439 At WNYG for the first Pro Wrestling This Week program, 1691 01:26:54.960 --> 01:26:57.000 and we're about to bring on a special guest that 1692 01:26:57.920 --> 01:27:02.119 almost irregular been on the while on WEVD show Pro 1693 01:27:02.159 --> 01:27:06.399 Wrestling Spotlight, and he's one of the foremost wrestling journalists, 1694 01:27:06.520 --> 01:27:10.239 legitimate wrestling journalists in the business today. I'm referring to 1695 01:27:10.319 --> 01:27:13.960 Wade Keller, the editor and publisher of the Pro Wrestling Torch. 1696 01:27:14.039 --> 01:27:16.920 Now, way are you there with us? How you been today? 1697 01:27:17.159 --> 01:27:19.880 I've been pretty good. It's early EPIS, so things can 1698 01:27:19.880 --> 01:27:22.800 get worse or better, but so far, so good. 1699 01:27:22.920 --> 01:27:25.680 That's good to hear. Now we're here at WNYG and 1700 01:27:26.039 --> 01:27:29.439 we're having our new debut show here Pro Wrestling this week. 1701 01:27:29.920 --> 01:27:33.000 Now. In the last week or so, lots of stuff 1702 01:27:33.119 --> 01:27:36.119 happening in the world of World Championship Wrestling. 1703 01:27:36.800 --> 01:27:37.399 Now, as far as. 1704 01:27:37.439 --> 01:27:41.880 Wrestling journalists out there, you are, I would guess the 1705 01:27:41.920 --> 01:27:46.520 person who talks to Cowboy Bill Watts on a regular basis, 1706 01:27:47.760 --> 01:27:51.399 and that dates back to the annual that you published 1707 01:27:51.479 --> 01:27:55.159 last year, an extensive interview with Wats and lots of 1708 01:27:55.199 --> 01:27:56.520 things shaking and WCW. 1709 01:27:56.640 --> 01:27:56.760 Right. 1710 01:27:56.800 --> 01:27:58.640 Now, regarding Bill Wats, no, I. 1711 01:27:58.640 --> 01:28:01.399 Didn't get the Pro Wrestling torch this week, but I 1712 01:28:01.479 --> 01:28:05.520 understand that you did address with Cowboy Bill Wats some 1713 01:28:05.640 --> 01:28:07.800 of the situations that have been happening in that company 1714 01:28:07.800 --> 01:28:10.159 as far as the recent cutbacks. 1715 01:28:09.840 --> 01:28:12.159 Right, Can you get into it a little bit. 1716 01:28:12.039 --> 01:28:14.000 As far as far as what's going on down there? 1717 01:28:14.039 --> 01:28:16.880 I know the companies in a state of almost in 1718 01:28:16.920 --> 01:28:20.279 the state of chaos backstage, A lot. 1719 01:28:20.159 --> 01:28:23.840 Of the wrestlers are paranoid, not knowing what their role is. 1720 01:28:25.479 --> 01:28:26.720 Can you get into it a little. 1721 01:28:26.479 --> 01:28:28.520 Bit with us waited as far as what's going on 1722 01:28:28.800 --> 01:28:29.319 sure Well. 1723 01:28:30.079 --> 01:28:32.760 The words that I had heard going into before I 1724 01:28:32.840 --> 01:28:35.239 talked to Bill was that there was quite a bit 1725 01:28:35.319 --> 01:28:39.319 of that Bill Watts was doing everything he could to 1726 01:28:39.840 --> 01:28:45.279 get certain people to voluntarily either alter their contract or 1727 01:28:45.640 --> 01:28:48.399 sign away their guaranteed contract in favor of something else. 1728 01:28:50.520 --> 01:28:53.399 Upon talking to more people, it became apparent that Brian 1729 01:28:53.439 --> 01:28:57.000 Pillman was the one who was probably given the most forceful, 1730 01:28:58.359 --> 01:29:01.640 the most forceful persuasion to say to get out of 1731 01:29:01.680 --> 01:29:07.720 his contract and lower his guaranteed bonuses in exchange for 1732 01:29:07.920 --> 01:29:11.600 a larger push, in other words, getting more title shots, 1733 01:29:11.640 --> 01:29:15.159 being able to be more prominently pushed on television, not 1734 01:29:15.520 --> 01:29:17.760 be doing jobs on TV like he probably will be 1735 01:29:17.760 --> 01:29:21.880 because he turned it idea out for down now. And 1736 01:29:21.920 --> 01:29:23.800 then I talked to Bill Watts about it. I didn't 1737 01:29:23.840 --> 01:29:27.119 know how legal this was, how ethical this was, if 1738 01:29:27.159 --> 01:29:29.039 he would just deny it, or if he felt confident 1739 01:29:29.079 --> 01:29:31.800 with what he was doing and could defend it, and 1740 01:29:31.840 --> 01:29:33.920 he did his best to defend it, just explaining that 1741 01:29:33.960 --> 01:29:38.199 in Brian Pilman's contract there are clauses, bonus clauses in 1742 01:29:38.279 --> 01:29:42.039 that contract which if he gets pushed, if he gets 1743 01:29:42.079 --> 01:29:43.960 title shots, if he gets this, if he gets that 1744 01:29:44.439 --> 01:29:49.000 where he's prominently pushed, he will get more money. And 1745 01:29:49.039 --> 01:29:51.920 Bill Watts was explaining that he thinks Brian Pillman is 1746 01:29:51.920 --> 01:29:54.680 overpaid as he as it is in you know, one 1747 01:29:54.760 --> 01:29:57.199 hundred and fifty two hundred fifty thousand dollars range guaranteed, 1748 01:29:57.279 --> 01:30:01.640 it's you know, somewhere between there plus bo and Watts 1749 01:30:01.680 --> 01:30:03.239 said that he explained to Brian that he thought he 1750 01:30:03.279 --> 01:30:06.079 was overpaid, he wasn't approven draw and that w W 1751 01:30:06.319 --> 01:30:08.960 wasn't making money and that just like uh, you know, 1752 01:30:09.039 --> 01:30:12.680 Northwest Airlines just recently asked their pilots their pilot union 1753 01:30:12.720 --> 01:30:14.479 to take a cut and pay and the pilots agreed 1754 01:30:15.359 --> 01:30:17.039 that Brian Pillman should do the same thing for the 1755 01:30:17.039 --> 01:30:19.279 good of the company and in exchange for that good 1756 01:30:19.279 --> 01:30:23.680 will move, Brian Pillman would be given Uh, Brian Pillman 1757 01:30:23.720 --> 01:30:26.840 would would if he forego his if before wearing his bonuses. 1758 01:30:26.840 --> 01:30:29.319 If he gave those up, then he would get a 1759 01:30:29.319 --> 01:30:33.439 bigger push, featured prominently in the light heavyweight division as 1760 01:30:33.479 --> 01:30:38.199 the main man. Yeah, Brian turned him down, and apparently Watts, 1761 01:30:38.399 --> 01:30:41.239 from what we hear, got angry. Watts said that he 1762 01:30:41.399 --> 01:30:44.279 wasn't that that he wasn't forceable with most of the guys, 1763 01:30:44.279 --> 01:30:47.239 although he didn't indicate that he was that he probably 1764 01:30:47.279 --> 01:30:50.880 handled the recrud situation. He didn't use word professionally, but 1765 01:30:50.920 --> 01:30:52.720 he that that was the gist of it. He handled 1766 01:30:52.720 --> 01:30:54.800 it more professionally than he did the Brian Pillman situation. 1767 01:30:55.159 --> 01:30:56.680 Yeah, we're gonna get it to ruin a minute. 1768 01:31:01.800 --> 01:31:05.359 I'm Chris Maitland and I'm Justin McClelland we host Wrestling 1769 01:31:05.399 --> 01:31:07.680 Coast to Coast, where we scour the wrestling scene to 1770 01:31:07.720 --> 01:31:09.760 find the best wrestling from the smallest places. 1771 01:31:10.000 --> 01:31:12.880 There are thousands of matches happening every week, so Wrestling 1772 01:31:12.880 --> 01:31:15.079 Coast to Coast is here to discover the men and 1773 01:31:15.079 --> 01:31:17.560 women who could be big time stars in a few years. 1774 01:31:17.800 --> 01:31:19.840 There are plenty of podcasts to voters at w W 1775 01:31:20.039 --> 01:31:23.039 and AW, but what's happening in the armories and gymnasiums 1776 01:31:23.159 --> 01:31:25.159 local wrestling hotspots around the country. 1777 01:31:25.479 --> 01:31:27.359 We can't wait to help you find the true hidden 1778 01:31:27.399 --> 01:31:29.680 gems of the wrestling world. Plus, you can hear Chris 1779 01:31:29.680 --> 01:31:31.840 complain about bad referees. 1780 01:31:31.520 --> 01:31:33.439 And Justin bemoaning dog pole fins. 1781 01:31:33.600 --> 01:31:36.039 Don't forget my feudal search to see a blue Thunderbomb 1782 01:31:36.079 --> 01:31:36.640 win a match. 1783 01:31:37.039 --> 01:31:38.119 How can I like? 1784 01:31:38.199 --> 01:31:40.840 The name says we cover the hottest independent promotions from 1785 01:31:40.840 --> 01:31:44.960 around the country, such as Prestige Action, West Coast Pro, Revolver, 1786 01:31:45.279 --> 01:31:46.239 and Beyond Wrestling. 1787 01:31:46.520 --> 01:31:48.960 Actually, Chris, I think we stick pretty much to wrestling. 1788 01:31:49.119 --> 01:31:51.520 No, I mean Beyond Wrestling out of Worcester, Oh right. 1789 01:31:51.640 --> 01:31:54.199 Our show's part of the PW Torch Daily Cast lineup 1790 01:31:54.199 --> 01:31:57.199 and typically drops on Thursdays. Search PW Torch in your 1791 01:31:57.239 --> 01:32:00.760 podcast app, as subscribed to the PW Torch Dailycaps, or 1792 01:32:00.960 --> 01:32:04.159 stream our shows directly from PW touch dot com. Find 1793 01:32:04.239 --> 01:32:07.319 full details on the PW Torch Dailycast lineup at PW 1794 01:32:07.479 --> 01:32:15.479 torchdailycast dot com. 1795 01:32:15.840 --> 01:32:18.279 The Pilmot situation, now, here's a guy that he just 1796 01:32:18.359 --> 01:32:21.960 turns heel at the Clash of the Champions. Uh, here's 1797 01:32:22.000 --> 01:32:25.479 a guy that is one of the most talented performers 1798 01:32:25.520 --> 01:32:31.239 in the company. And uh, just the fact that Pilman 1799 01:32:31.359 --> 01:32:38.119 is now demoted to lose when he's opening the show. 1800 01:32:38.159 --> 01:32:40.920 I guess the first match situation now is Brian. What's 1801 01:32:40.960 --> 01:32:41.479 what's Brian? 1802 01:32:41.520 --> 01:32:43.560 Do you have any idea what Brian's feeling is about 1803 01:32:43.600 --> 01:32:46.319 the company? Is he gonna stay with WCW. When does 1804 01:32:46.359 --> 01:32:47.439 his contract expire? 1805 01:32:47.479 --> 01:32:52.520 First of all, his contract expires sometime next year. And 1806 01:32:52.560 --> 01:32:55.479 I'm with all the contract talk, it's starting to call 1807 01:32:55.520 --> 01:32:58.520 all one together. But his contract I believe expired. It's 1808 01:32:58.560 --> 01:33:00.279 it's it's quite a it's quite a way the way. 1809 01:33:00.279 --> 01:33:04.359 It's like probably nearly a year left on it. Uh, 1810 01:33:04.680 --> 01:33:06.520 And I might be a few months off, but I 1811 01:33:06.520 --> 01:33:08.479 think about a year is left on it, and I 1812 01:33:08.560 --> 01:33:12.079 suspect he will probably stick it out. Like Watts said, 1813 01:33:12.119 --> 01:33:14.600 there's not a lot of options yet. I think Filman 1814 01:33:14.720 --> 01:33:17.359 would be smart to just accept the money that's coming 1815 01:33:17.399 --> 01:33:20.600 his way and uh and hope that, you know, hope 1816 01:33:20.640 --> 01:33:23.199 things will change down the line, be it be it 1817 01:33:23.199 --> 01:33:26.720 in leadership at w W or the leadership's attitude towards him. 1818 01:33:26.960 --> 01:33:31.319 If if Bill Watts stays in control, I think he'll 1819 01:33:31.359 --> 01:33:33.520 stick around. I don't know, though, I mean, I'm not 1820 01:33:33.680 --> 01:33:36.119 I'm not talking to Brian Pillman personally. He hasn't said anything, 1821 01:33:37.000 --> 01:33:41.399 you know, on record concerning the situation. And although I 1822 01:33:41.399 --> 01:33:42.920 certainly don't think that if he did at this point, 1823 01:33:42.920 --> 01:33:44.520 Bill Wats would get any more upset. 1824 01:33:44.239 --> 01:33:44.640 Than he is. 1825 01:33:45.000 --> 01:33:48.039 Yeah, So Tilman in the in the watch Dog house, 1826 01:33:48.079 --> 01:33:51.239 and it's not a pretty place to be, especially when 1827 01:33:51.600 --> 01:33:53.800 one is considered a top talent in the company and 1828 01:33:54.439 --> 01:33:56.920 he's used to getting a push. 1829 01:33:57.079 --> 01:33:59.359 Yeah, I think I think, I mean, Watts has a point. 1830 01:33:59.520 --> 01:34:03.399 I think Wants made that point in uh in a 1831 01:34:03.439 --> 01:34:06.920 way that that I think isn't reflective of respect towards 1832 01:34:06.960 --> 01:34:09.880 the wrestlers he called in the in the Torch interview, 1833 01:34:09.880 --> 01:34:13.880 he called wrestlers knee jerkers who who don't understand the business, 1834 01:34:14.319 --> 01:34:18.000 yet they think they have a solution to everything. And 1835 01:34:18.000 --> 01:34:20.960 and he was very he was very negative towards the 1836 01:34:21.479 --> 01:34:27.600 intellect of the wrestlers and compared them saying no to him. Uh. 1837 01:34:27.640 --> 01:34:29.479 He said that they say no to me, yet if 1838 01:34:29.479 --> 01:34:32.079 they weren't working for this company, they certainly wouldn't make 1839 01:34:32.079 --> 01:34:36.119 anything near that teaching school or pumping gas and and 1840 01:34:36.239 --> 01:34:38.039 you know, it's kind of derogatory towards him. I'm not 1841 01:34:38.079 --> 01:34:39.880 sure what their action is going to be when when 1842 01:34:40.279 --> 01:34:42.920 when this interview comes out, But he felt very strongly 1843 01:34:43.239 --> 01:34:45.560 that that he was in the right because a lot 1844 01:34:45.560 --> 01:34:48.439 of companies ask very talented people to take pay cuts 1845 01:34:48.720 --> 01:34:51.159 so the company can stay in business, or in w 1846 01:34:51.359 --> 01:34:53.720 W's case, try to you know, start making some some 1847 01:34:53.880 --> 01:34:55.840 money or more money or whatever it is. I don't 1848 01:34:55.840 --> 01:34:56.760 have the books in front. 1849 01:34:56.560 --> 01:34:57.239 Of me now. 1850 01:34:57.279 --> 01:34:59.720 The ravishing rip Root situation route is on a guaranteed 1851 01:34:59.760 --> 01:35:02.319 agree as well as his Sting. Sting as the highest 1852 01:35:02.319 --> 01:35:05.399 paid wrestler in the business, making well over seven hundred 1853 01:35:05.439 --> 01:35:06.000 thousand a year. 1854 01:35:06.079 --> 01:35:07.920 Let's say, now, has. 1855 01:35:07.720 --> 01:35:11.560 He approached these guys also and want them to sign 1856 01:35:11.560 --> 01:35:14.039 new agreements that don't guarantee them as much money. 1857 01:35:15.960 --> 01:35:16.479 We'll start with. 1858 01:35:16.520 --> 01:35:17.199 Rude, Okay. 1859 01:35:17.560 --> 01:35:19.840 The Root situation was somebody else who was talked about 1860 01:35:19.880 --> 01:35:23.359 in the same breath with Pilman last week, and Sing 1861 01:35:23.479 --> 01:35:26.279 hadn't yet been talked to from everything I'd heard, But 1862 01:35:26.439 --> 01:35:30.199 Watts did have a meeting scheduled with him about what 1863 01:35:30.359 --> 01:35:33.000 five or six days ago was the Monday, the first 1864 01:35:33.039 --> 01:35:34.960 Monday this week. So while I was doing all the 1865 01:35:35.439 --> 01:35:39.680 footwork this weekend and talking to talking to Watts, I 1866 01:35:40.239 --> 01:35:42.039 talked about the Root situation because I knew that he 1867 01:35:42.079 --> 01:35:45.199 had met with Rude. From the gist of it, Watts 1868 01:35:45.199 --> 01:35:48.239 said that Watt said that there was no anger on 1869 01:35:48.359 --> 01:35:50.319 Root's part. He talked about how valuable Root is to 1870 01:35:50.359 --> 01:35:52.520 the company and how Rude and Sting are the two 1871 01:35:52.560 --> 01:35:55.920 proven commodities in WW more than anybody else. Was very 1872 01:35:55.920 --> 01:35:59.600 complimentary of him, and and said the deal the deal 1873 01:35:59.640 --> 01:36:03.079 with Route had nothing to do with the deal with Pilman. 1874 01:36:04.439 --> 01:36:07.520 It appears that the situation with Rude was that, like Tilman, 1875 01:36:07.800 --> 01:36:10.239 Rude was offered a lump sum of money to give 1876 01:36:10.319 --> 01:36:15.079 up his guaranteed contract, and in exchange he would be 1877 01:36:15.239 --> 01:36:18.279 given a guaranteed amount of money, let's say one thousand 1878 01:36:18.359 --> 01:36:21.920 dollars for every night he worked, but with no guarantee 1879 01:36:22.079 --> 01:36:24.359 for the number of nights he would work, no pay 1880 01:36:24.479 --> 01:36:28.920 if he got injured, no medical pay if something happened, 1881 01:36:29.279 --> 01:36:31.960 and he would lose a lot of the benefits that 1882 01:36:32.000 --> 01:36:34.319 come with a guaranteed contract. I assume I don't think 1883 01:36:34.319 --> 01:36:37.680 wants his offering anything like that. But what Rude, if 1884 01:36:37.720 --> 01:36:40.880 he did give up the guaranteed money in exchange for 1885 01:36:41.000 --> 01:36:44.960 nightly could almost make if he wrestled, like two hundred 1886 01:36:44.960 --> 01:36:46.680 and fifty days a year. If his offer was one 1887 01:36:46.680 --> 01:36:49.560 thousand dollars, you know, he could make what two hundred 1888 01:36:49.560 --> 01:36:51.359 fifty thousand dollars a year and be in a similar 1889 01:36:51.479 --> 01:36:54.239 range to what his guarantee was. So that wasn't that 1890 01:36:54.279 --> 01:36:56.319 negative of an offer when you consider that Rud would 1891 01:36:56.319 --> 01:36:59.239 also be given a bulk sum of money to begin with. 1892 01:36:59.520 --> 01:37:02.840 The problem is is there's no guarantee for how often 1893 01:37:02.880 --> 01:37:05.760 he would be used, and so he opted to stick 1894 01:37:05.800 --> 01:37:09.640 with his contract. And Watts indicated that it was an amicable, 1895 01:37:09.920 --> 01:37:13.560 amicable agreement, that there was no pressure put on Rude, 1896 01:37:13.560 --> 01:37:16.000 and that Rud left the room without any anger. I 1897 01:37:16.039 --> 01:37:18.800 heard differently. I heard Rude was angry, but that's that's 1898 01:37:18.800 --> 01:37:21.000 from a source no more reliable than Bill Watts, so 1899 01:37:21.239 --> 01:37:23.600 it's tough to tell in that situation. Monday, he said, 1900 01:37:23.800 --> 01:37:25.720 Bill Watt said he talked to Sting and that there 1901 01:37:25.760 --> 01:37:28.359 was no problem with Sting and I haven't heard anything 1902 01:37:28.399 --> 01:37:29.800 more on it. He said it was a phone call, 1903 01:37:29.880 --> 01:37:32.720 not a meeting, and did not get into the what 1904 01:37:32.840 --> 01:37:33.600 was said at the meeting. 1905 01:37:33.840 --> 01:37:36.520 Okay, Now, does this means it's Rude and Stain did 1906 01:37:36.520 --> 01:37:39.399 not want to sign take the lump sum of money 1907 01:37:39.399 --> 01:37:44.439 to sign new contracts. Does this mean that their days 1908 01:37:44.439 --> 01:37:47.800 as far as everyday winners in the company could be 1909 01:37:47.840 --> 01:37:48.600 coming to an end. 1910 01:37:49.319 --> 01:37:51.479 I don't think so, and I don't think so in 1911 01:37:51.520 --> 01:37:54.319 this case because Watts talked so highly about Rude and 1912 01:37:54.359 --> 01:37:58.520 Sting being so important to World Championship Wrestling and being 1913 01:37:58.880 --> 01:38:03.720 really the just the leaders in that company. I think 1914 01:38:03.760 --> 01:38:06.319 with Pillman, Watts felt he had leverage because Pilman wasn't 1915 01:38:06.640 --> 01:38:12.199 a proven draw. He like, this is a quote from 1916 01:38:12.199 --> 01:38:15.920 Bill Watts concerning Brian Pillman and Rude and Stink. Everybody's 1917 01:38:15.920 --> 01:38:18.720 not the same. Tillman's not a Rick Rude, Tillman's not 1918 01:38:18.760 --> 01:38:21.159 a Sting. Just like Deon Sanders can play two sports 1919 01:38:21.199 --> 01:38:23.760 and hold up two organizations. Well, another quarterback may be 1920 01:38:23.840 --> 01:38:26.079 lucky to be there. And then he goes on about 1921 01:38:26.079 --> 01:38:28.560 business not being a democracy and people being a commodity, 1922 01:38:29.000 --> 01:38:33.119 and basically what he's saying is that Rude is valuable 1923 01:38:33.159 --> 01:38:35.359 to the company, Sting is valuable to the company. And 1924 01:38:35.439 --> 01:38:38.720 he said if Pillman left the company, it won't add 1925 01:38:38.760 --> 01:38:41.359 up to a hill of beans. So I don't think. 1926 01:38:42.159 --> 01:38:44.560 I think he's got a very different attitude on Rude 1927 01:38:44.560 --> 01:38:46.399 and Sting versus Tillman. And I don't think Rud and 1928 01:38:46.439 --> 01:38:49.640 Sting will find much punishment for not accepting whatever offer 1929 01:38:49.720 --> 01:38:53.079 he made. Yes, but I might be proven wrong. 1930 01:38:53.479 --> 01:38:56.760 Well, it's certainly not a not a very comfortable time 1931 01:38:56.800 --> 01:38:58.119 for the wrestlers in the company. 1932 01:39:04.840 --> 01:39:06.560 You don't have to wait for the way Keller Prog 1933 01:39:06.560 --> 01:39:08.520 Wrestling post show to find out what I thought of 1934 01:39:08.560 --> 01:39:10.840 Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. Each week, you can check 1935 01:39:10.840 --> 01:39:13.680 out my reports that are updated live throughout Raw and 1936 01:39:13.760 --> 01:39:18.000 SmackDown at pwtorch dot com. My written report will tell 1937 01:39:18.039 --> 01:39:20.399 you what's happening in detail in case you missed the show, 1938 01:39:20.720 --> 01:39:23.359 and it will also analyze key segments and give my 1939 01:39:23.479 --> 01:39:27.279 random thoughts quips on what I am watching as it airs. 1940 01:39:27.319 --> 01:39:29.520 So check it out every Monday night and Tuesday night 1941 01:39:29.560 --> 01:39:34.640 at pwtorch dot com. That also applies to wwepayperviews. I 1942 01:39:34.640 --> 01:39:37.000 cover those live at pw torch dot com with a 1943 01:39:37.039 --> 01:39:39.720 detailed written report with star ratings. And of course you 1944 01:39:39.760 --> 01:39:42.520 can find other TV reports from other contributors to PW 1945 01:39:42.560 --> 01:39:46.479 torch such as nxt roh, Impact Wrestling and more. Check 1946 01:39:46.520 --> 01:39:49.840 it out pwtorch dot com your first stop for TV 1947 01:39:50.039 --> 01:39:51.560 and pay per view written reports. 1948 01:40:02.079 --> 01:40:05.399 One thing that really irritates me, and I'm sure that it's. 1949 01:40:07.079 --> 01:40:10.840 Very, very stressful for the wrestlers, is that these new 1950 01:40:10.880 --> 01:40:15.560 contracts do not include medical coverage now Here, Guys that 1951 01:40:15.600 --> 01:40:18.319 are taking bumps in the ring night after night just 1952 01:40:18.399 --> 01:40:21.680 to wear and tearing your body on a regular basis. 1953 01:40:21.800 --> 01:40:23.119 It's just it happens. 1954 01:40:23.640 --> 01:40:27.359 Now, Let's say a guy like Cactus Jack Okay, who's 1955 01:40:27.600 --> 01:40:32.359 one of the most risk taking wrestlers that get into 1956 01:40:32.359 --> 01:40:32.680 the ring. 1957 01:40:32.720 --> 01:40:35.039 Now, if you don't have medical coverage, no other guy's out. 1958 01:40:34.920 --> 01:40:39.079 Right Now, he's got a torn groin, a muscle, he's 1959 01:40:39.119 --> 01:40:42.760 got some knee ligaments that are out. This is really 1960 01:40:42.920 --> 01:40:46.439 adverse to the wrestling conditions to the wrestlers to work under. 1961 01:40:46.720 --> 01:40:49.920 Right, Well, TBS is asking professional wrestlers to risk their 1962 01:40:49.920 --> 01:40:52.319 bodies in order to help them draw fans to the 1963 01:40:52.319 --> 01:40:55.319 arena and draw TV ratings. In exchange, they're paying them money. 1964 01:40:55.319 --> 01:40:58.479 If the wrestlers agree to take that risk for the 1965 01:40:58.479 --> 01:41:00.840 amount of money they're being offered, I guess in a 1966 01:41:01.000 --> 01:41:03.720 in a in a free market, open market system, that's 1967 01:41:03.760 --> 01:41:06.880 a voluntary choice the wrestlers are making. That's the argument 1968 01:41:06.920 --> 01:41:09.520 that says, you know, the promotion has no obligation because 1969 01:41:09.520 --> 01:41:12.199 anyone who doesn't choose to work for them doesn't have to. However, 1970 01:41:12.279 --> 01:41:15.000 morally or I guess ethically, is a better way to 1971 01:41:15.000 --> 01:41:18.079 put ethically, should should w w off for medical coverage? Absolutely? 1972 01:41:18.840 --> 01:41:21.840 I mean and it's just that's I mean, that's why 1973 01:41:21.880 --> 01:41:24.399 there's minimum wage laws. To a certain extent, that's why 1974 01:41:25.000 --> 01:41:28.880 companies are are forced to, uh give there's a bill 1975 01:41:28.920 --> 01:41:34.239 about parental leave from from businesses. There's different things that businesses. 1976 01:41:34.319 --> 01:41:37.399 Good businesses just do. And I think since w W 1977 01:41:37.680 --> 01:41:40.680 draws upon the public for their money, I think that 1978 01:41:40.760 --> 01:41:44.159 they deserve publicity for the fact that they don't give 1979 01:41:44.359 --> 01:41:47.279 medical coverage to their wrestlers, because I think that that is, 1980 01:41:47.800 --> 01:41:49.680 you know, that's called goodwill with the public, and I 1981 01:41:49.720 --> 01:41:51.720 think that takes away a lot of ww's goodwill with 1982 01:41:51.800 --> 01:41:55.039 the public and how the public receives w W as 1983 01:41:55.079 --> 01:41:57.840 far as behind the scenes company, I think that reflects 1984 01:41:57.920 --> 01:42:00.800 very poorly on them. I think they should offer medical benefits, 1985 01:42:00.920 --> 01:42:03.960 whether they do that through an independent insurance company or 1986 01:42:04.000 --> 01:42:07.720 they just offer certain guarantees or certain paid to wrestlers 1987 01:42:07.720 --> 01:42:11.359 who do get injured. I think that's their responsibility. But 1988 01:42:11.520 --> 01:42:13.520 at the same time, I don't feel they're obligated, but 1989 01:42:13.600 --> 01:42:14.479 I think that they should. 1990 01:42:14.840 --> 01:42:16.840 Yeah, let me ask you a question. 1991 01:42:16.880 --> 01:42:19.680 You know, WATS perhaps better than anybody out there, as 1992 01:42:19.680 --> 01:42:23.199 far as I'm a journalistic standpoint relationship, is he any 1993 01:42:23.239 --> 01:42:24.760 for the long haul with WCW. 1994 01:42:26.640 --> 01:42:31.880 He gives every indication he is. It's there's a lot 1995 01:42:31.880 --> 01:42:33.920 of speculation that can take place that Bill Wants is 1996 01:42:33.920 --> 01:42:38.319 in it for short term to cut expenses as much 1997 01:42:38.359 --> 01:42:40.079 as he can, get rid of all the guaranteed contracts, 1998 01:42:40.119 --> 01:42:42.800 bringing guys who are work cheap, get his percentage of 1999 01:42:42.840 --> 01:42:46.520 whatever whatever it is he says WW, which Bill Wats 2000 01:42:46.560 --> 01:42:50.000 denied his contract did. He was unwilling to say whether 2001 01:42:51.800 --> 01:42:53.840 Bill Wants was unwilling to say whether his contract was 2002 01:42:53.880 --> 01:42:56.399 a guarantee or based on incentives, but he did say 2003 01:42:56.399 --> 01:42:58.760 that he didn't say it was a ridiculous notion that 2004 01:42:58.840 --> 01:43:01.720 he got paid a person of whatever he saved TPS 2005 01:43:01.760 --> 01:43:03.880 for whatever that's worth. That's what he said. But let's 2006 01:43:03.880 --> 01:43:06.000 say he's on some sort of incentive plan where he 2007 01:43:06.000 --> 01:43:08.079 does get more money. The more money he cuts, the 2008 01:43:08.079 --> 01:43:12.199 more expenses he cuts. With that being the case, I 2009 01:43:12.239 --> 01:43:15.319 would say that maybe Bill Wats doesn't know if he's 2010 01:43:15.319 --> 01:43:16.760 in this for the long term or the short haul, 2011 01:43:17.119 --> 01:43:19.600 but he will do what he can, first of all 2012 01:43:19.640 --> 01:43:22.960 to make his first six months profitable for himself and 2013 01:43:23.000 --> 01:43:25.359 cutting expenses for the company, which I think is what 2014 01:43:25.439 --> 01:43:27.439 he was instructed to do, and what he guarantee Bomp 2015 01:43:27.439 --> 01:43:29.720 doing Bill Sean he could do, and so in a way, 2016 01:43:29.720 --> 01:43:32.800 I think he's keeping his word. Did Sean do again? 2017 01:43:32.840 --> 01:43:35.199 I'm speculating here, but did Seawn do think that Watts 2018 01:43:35.319 --> 01:43:39.119 would go about it tactically like he has in the 2019 01:43:39.640 --> 01:43:41.880 lacking respect to a lot of the personnelities with be 2020 01:43:41.960 --> 01:43:46.159 it that the personnel deserve criticism and they handle themselves 2021 01:43:46.159 --> 01:43:48.520 immaturely or not. If you're a leader, I think that 2022 01:43:48.560 --> 01:43:52.720 you should respond to irresponsible action with responsible, cool headed 2023 01:43:52.760 --> 01:43:54.960 action yourself. That's just your role because you're a leader, 2024 01:43:54.960 --> 01:43:57.159 and you should set an example. I don't think from 2025 01:43:57.159 --> 01:43:59.600 all indications, he's been doing that, and he would even 2026 01:43:59.640 --> 01:44:03.560 probably admit that he hasn't been doing that. So probably 2027 01:44:03.760 --> 01:44:05.680 come the end of the year, he'll probably look at 2028 01:44:05.680 --> 01:44:08.720 the situation, so we'll Bob doing Bill Shaw. I don't 2029 01:44:08.720 --> 01:44:11.560 think he's on a long term deal. I don't know 2030 01:44:11.600 --> 01:44:13.920 that for sure. No one's commenting officially, but all indications 2031 01:44:13.920 --> 01:44:15.680 are that he might be on just a six month deal. 2032 01:44:16.199 --> 01:44:18.079 Then I think it'll be evaluate it should Bill want 2033 01:44:18.079 --> 01:44:19.760 to day for the long term or should we let 2034 01:44:19.800 --> 01:44:21.199 him go and try to bring somebody else in. 2035 01:44:22.119 --> 01:44:26.039 A good question one, it should be answered, and it's 2036 01:44:26.119 --> 01:44:27.840 just a vialcial situation here now. 2037 01:44:28.079 --> 01:44:28.840 It's not a question. 2038 01:44:29.039 --> 01:44:33.119 Wade and a lot of people have talked about this 2039 01:44:33.640 --> 01:44:36.279 for a number of years. With everything that's going on 2040 01:44:36.319 --> 01:44:39.800 in WCW right now, and of course it's a little 2041 01:44:39.840 --> 01:44:42.520 bit more stable in the WWF, although they don't guarantee 2042 01:44:42.520 --> 01:44:45.600 contracts either. And do you think it's time for pro 2043 01:44:45.640 --> 01:44:47.119 wrestlers to unionize. 2044 01:44:47.840 --> 01:44:49.720 There's a lot of talk of that right now, and 2045 01:44:50.119 --> 01:44:53.840 in a way, for the sake of the wrestlers over 2046 01:44:53.920 --> 01:44:56.600 the long term, I hope things get a lot worse 2047 01:44:56.680 --> 01:45:01.000 before they get better. In ww I think that would 2048 01:45:01.000 --> 01:45:04.600 be up to smart enough, even even if they're being 2049 01:45:04.640 --> 01:45:07.399 phony about it, to treat their wrestlers with respect and 2050 01:45:07.439 --> 01:45:10.159 to treat them well and to uh and to at 2051 01:45:10.239 --> 01:45:13.560 least make them think they're being treated well, even if 2052 01:45:13.560 --> 01:45:15.479 that's a con job and they're in, they're in. They're 2053 01:45:15.520 --> 01:45:17.840 you know, fooling the wrestlers into thinking that they're getting 2054 01:45:17.840 --> 01:45:19.600 paid what they're worth and that they're being treated well. 2055 01:45:19.680 --> 01:45:23.039 As long as the wrestlers believe it, that's that's ninety 2056 01:45:23.039 --> 01:45:25.039 percent of the game. W W is not doing any 2057 01:45:25.079 --> 01:45:26.600 of that, so if it gets a little bit worse 2058 01:45:26.680 --> 01:45:28.960 or quite a bit worse over the next couple of months, 2059 01:45:29.000 --> 01:45:32.680 and the top guys Sting and Rick Rutu get upset 2060 01:45:32.760 --> 01:45:34.520 with with the way they're being treated, and they're going 2061 01:45:34.560 --> 01:45:37.279 to be around here a long time. Yeah, I'd love 2062 01:45:37.279 --> 01:45:39.000 to see a union. Do I think it's going to happen? 2063 01:45:39.039 --> 01:45:40.560 Do I think Root and Sting are going to risk 2064 01:45:41.359 --> 01:45:44.279 seven hundred or three hundred some thousand dollars a year 2065 01:45:44.319 --> 01:45:48.760 respectively each so that they can help out some other wrestlers. Uh, 2066 01:45:48.840 --> 01:45:51.000 that's the question mark. And I don't think that a 2067 01:45:51.119 --> 01:45:54.399 union attempt is going to work without Stinging Rick rut 2068 01:45:54.479 --> 01:45:57.199 behind them. Yeah, that's the real question mark. I think 2069 01:45:57.199 --> 01:45:58.680 that's a good idea their. 2070 01:45:58.600 --> 01:46:00.640 Key players, and that they have to be involved in 2071 01:46:00.760 --> 01:46:02.159 something like this is going to take off. 2072 01:46:02.600 --> 01:46:04.720 Wait, we appreciate your time here today at. 2073 01:46:04.600 --> 01:46:07.960 Pro Wrestling this week, and you have an excellent publication 2074 01:46:08.039 --> 01:46:10.760 that comes out every single week, and you also have 2075 01:46:10.800 --> 01:46:13.600 an annual that's I guess just about ready to go. 2076 01:46:13.840 --> 01:46:15.680 Yeah, if you have gone out bolk of which will 2077 01:46:15.680 --> 01:46:16.319 be mailed Monday. 2078 01:46:16.520 --> 01:46:18.560 Okay, great, Can you tell the fans out there how 2079 01:46:18.600 --> 01:46:20.640 to get a copy of the Torch and how to 2080 01:46:20.640 --> 01:46:21.840 get a copy of the yearbook. 2081 01:46:22.119 --> 01:46:25.520 Absolutely the address for prog Wrestling Torch Weekly, which is 2082 01:46:25.800 --> 01:46:28.119 six dollars for four issues. But if you drop me 2083 01:46:28.159 --> 01:46:29.399 a postcard, I off send you out a couple of 2084 01:46:29.399 --> 01:46:33.760 samples for free. It's Pro Wrestling Torch PO Box two 2085 01:46:33.840 --> 01:46:37.720 oh one eight four to four PO Box twenty eighteen 2086 01:46:37.840 --> 01:46:43.640 forty four, Minneapolis, Minnesota, MN five five four to two 2087 01:46:43.760 --> 01:46:47.680 zero and the annual is twelve dollars and you'll get 2088 01:46:47.840 --> 01:46:49.800 information on the annual if you don't want to order 2089 01:46:49.840 --> 01:46:53.520 it right away. I'll give information when they order the newsletters. 2090 01:46:53.720 --> 01:46:56.079 Okay, and we'll talk to you next week on the 2091 01:46:56.119 --> 01:47:00.479 Pro Wrestling Spotlight on WEVD excellent and continue to wade. 2092 01:47:00.479 --> 01:47:01.680 We appreciate you coming on today. 2093 01:47:01.720 --> 01:47:03.159 Thanks for having me on. Good luck with your new show, 2094 01:47:03.199 --> 01:47:04.079 John Kay, thank you. 2095 01:47:04.520 --> 01:47:08.039 Okay, wait teller Pro Wrestling Torch out in Minneapolis. We're 2096 01:47:08.079 --> 01:47:09.960 gonna open up the phone lines for you the fans 2097 01:47:10.000 --> 01:47:12.760 now at area code five one six sixty six one 2098 01:47:12.840 --> 01:47:18.439 fourteen forty and UH lines are open and ready to go. 2099 01:47:19.000 --> 01:47:20.239 So if you want to give us a call six 2100 01:47:20.319 --> 01:47:24.159 six one fourteen forty, UH will be the number and 2101 01:47:24.239 --> 01:47:27.119 they're ringing. Uh, We're gonna go to a fast commercial 2102 01:47:27.159 --> 01:47:28.880 break and we'll get on with your calls and come. 2103 01:47:35.800 --> 01:47:39.560 I'm Kelly Wells, host of PWT Talks NXT, the longest 2104 01:47:39.640 --> 01:47:43.560 running NXT podcast anywhere. Join me along with Nate Lindberg, 2105 01:47:43.640 --> 01:47:47.119 Bruce Lee, Hazelwood and special guests, live every Tuesday night, 2106 01:47:47.479 --> 01:47:50.600 just minutes after NXT, where we cover the good, the bad, 2107 01:47:50.680 --> 01:47:52.560 and the ugly on the way to becoming a star 2108 01:47:52.680 --> 01:47:55.920 in WWE. Check us out live on YouTube or stream 2109 01:47:55.960 --> 01:48:12.199 later wherever you get your podcasts. 2110 01:48:16.760 --> 01:48:19.439 How you doing, New York Wrestling fans, John ARESI here 2111 01:48:19.640 --> 01:48:23.640 with another edition of the Pro Wrestling Spotlight right here 2112 01:48:23.680 --> 01:48:27.720 on ten fifty New York's Great or ten to fifty WVD, 2113 01:48:28.880 --> 01:48:31.359 and happy to be back here for another night of 2114 01:48:31.399 --> 01:48:34.159 broadcasting and giving you all the inside information on what's 2115 01:48:34.199 --> 01:48:38.199 happening in the world of pro wrestling. Well, we debuted 2116 01:48:38.199 --> 01:48:40.560 our other show this morning out on Long Island Pro 2117 01:48:40.600 --> 01:48:45.359 Wrestling this week on fourteen forty am WNYG, and we 2118 01:48:45.439 --> 01:48:48.079 had a good time with the program, and we're going 2119 01:48:48.159 --> 01:48:53.119 to continue our conversation tonight about what's been happening behind 2120 01:48:53.159 --> 01:48:57.079 the scenes in WCW A lot of interesting developments down there. 2121 01:48:57.520 --> 01:49:00.159 We will scheduled tonight. As a matter of fact, he 2122 01:49:00.239 --> 01:49:02.239 may call in. I'm not sure, but I don't think so. 2123 01:49:02.439 --> 01:49:05.680 Hawk from Legion to Doom due to the fact that 2124 01:49:05.760 --> 01:49:09.039 he has not gotten his official release from the WWF. 2125 01:49:09.079 --> 01:49:14.119 His attorney, Larry Rappaport out of Minneapolis, I guess advising 2126 01:49:14.199 --> 01:49:15.760 him not to do the show until he gets that 2127 01:49:15.800 --> 01:49:19.159 official release. So if he does call in, it would 2128 01:49:19.159 --> 01:49:23.000 be a surprise, but we'll keep the line open for him. Instead, 2129 01:49:23.039 --> 01:49:25.359 we're gonna bring you a couple of top wrestling journalists. 2130 01:49:25.359 --> 01:49:27.640 We had Wade Keller on a Pro Wrestling this Week's 2131 01:49:27.680 --> 01:49:30.800 show out on WNYG this morning at ten am, and 2132 01:49:31.000 --> 01:49:34.880 we're gonna bring Wade on with Dave Meltzer. Now WCW 2133 01:49:34.920 --> 01:49:36.880 things are just going crazy behind his scenes there with 2134 01:49:36.920 --> 01:49:39.640 Bill Watts cutting salaries, trying to get guys to sign 2135 01:49:39.680 --> 01:49:40.359 new contracts. 2136 01:49:40.359 --> 01:49:43.520 We'll elaborate on that here. We also have an update. 2137 01:49:43.520 --> 01:49:46.000 I spoke to Sid Justice just before we went on 2138 01:49:46.039 --> 01:49:48.680 the air, and Sid is still having problems getting his 2139 01:49:48.720 --> 01:49:51.760 release from the WWF. He said his hands are tied up, 2140 01:49:51.760 --> 01:49:53.239 but he does want to talk about what's been going 2141 01:49:53.279 --> 01:49:54.680 on he's getting a little fed up. He wants to 2142 01:49:54.680 --> 01:49:57.119 get back to work, and we might have him on 2143 01:49:57.159 --> 01:50:00.279 this program or the Long Island Show next week. But 2144 01:50:00.560 --> 01:50:02.720 we have an exciting show for years always, and the 2145 01:50:02.840 --> 01:50:05.279 number to call here is two one, two four seven 2146 01:50:05.439 --> 01:50:10.319 seven five six one zero and we'll talk wrestling with you. 2147 01:50:10.319 --> 01:50:13.560 Have any questions for Dave or Wade to the top 2148 01:50:13.640 --> 01:50:16.920 experts in the field, you can certainly call them up 2149 01:50:17.000 --> 01:50:19.640 and we'll talk about it with you right here on 2150 01:50:19.840 --> 01:50:23.479 wev D. So our conference call with Wade and Dave 2151 01:50:23.600 --> 01:50:28.359 is coming in as we speak, I guess it is, 2152 01:50:28.399 --> 01:50:30.359 and we're going to talk to you about last week 2153 01:50:30.399 --> 01:50:33.279 we mentioned about our bus trip. First of all, we 2154 01:50:33.319 --> 01:50:39.760 are going to yes, a conference call coming in. Yeah, 2155 01:50:39.760 --> 01:50:41.279 we're not gonna put it on here just yet. We'll 2156 01:50:41.199 --> 01:50:44.199 go to our first commercial break of the day and 2157 01:50:44.199 --> 01:50:45.960 we're gonna talk about one of our sponsors. We talk 2158 01:50:46.000 --> 01:50:48.760 about our bus trip, and of course one of our 2159 01:50:48.800 --> 01:50:52.479 sponsors is LNS Comics for Wrestling Spotlight's next bus trip 2160 01:50:52.520 --> 01:50:56.560 October twenty fifth to Halloween Havoc. Okay, we're going to 2161 01:50:56.600 --> 01:50:58.680 continue with the show now and bring on Don Libel 2162 01:50:58.720 --> 01:51:00.520 as we do every week, to get us the Pro 2163 01:51:00.560 --> 01:51:04.199 Wrestling Spotlight News capsule. So why don't we punch Donnie 2164 01:51:04.239 --> 01:51:06.319 up right now and we'll bring him on. 2165 01:51:08.760 --> 01:51:11.239 Donnie there, Sam John, I want to thank you, And 2166 01:51:11.800 --> 01:51:14.359 just a quick note, I want to remind people if 2167 01:51:14.359 --> 01:51:16.399 they could get a whole a copy of the Weekly Gong, 2168 01:51:16.560 --> 01:51:20.720 Japanese magazine. The September twenty second issue has a big 2169 01:51:20.760 --> 01:51:23.680 coverage on the convention of sixteen color photos in all, 2170 01:51:24.239 --> 01:51:26.439 so that's something they want to get onto. But let's 2171 01:51:26.520 --> 01:51:29.520 get right into the capsule for this week. Lots happening well, 2172 01:51:29.600 --> 01:51:32.359 new and familiar faces are expected to be popping up 2173 01:51:32.399 --> 01:51:36.079 within the World Wrestling Federation shortly. Terry Taylor most recently 2174 01:51:36.119 --> 01:51:39.079 was World Championship Wrestling, and Steve Armstrong is said to 2175 01:51:39.119 --> 01:51:41.239 be coming into the Fed as early as this week. 2176 01:51:41.640 --> 01:51:44.359 And remember Bruce Pritchett, he's the fellow who played the 2177 01:51:44.439 --> 01:51:48.119 Brother Love character. Well, he's returned to the flock in Stanford, Connecticut, 2178 01:51:48.159 --> 01:51:52.439 reportedly as an administrative aid to JJ Dillon. Richfield, Ohio, 2179 01:51:52.479 --> 01:51:54.760 a suburb of Cleveland, will once again be the host 2180 01:51:54.800 --> 01:51:57.600 side of this year's Survivor series show to be held 2181 01:51:57.600 --> 01:52:01.119 Thanksgiving weekend. Now in the Richfield College, which has housed 2182 01:52:01.119 --> 01:52:04.439 two previous Survivor pay per views. The top two matches 2183 01:52:04.479 --> 01:52:07.359 scheduled our Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior taking on 2184 01:52:07.479 --> 01:52:10.680 the duo of Razor Ramone and Rick Flair, and a 2185 01:52:10.800 --> 01:52:13.479 second main event pits the Big Boss Man against Nails 2186 01:52:13.479 --> 01:52:17.720 in a nightstick on a Pole match. In other WWF news, 2187 01:52:17.720 --> 01:52:20.640 for the first time for the time being looked for 2188 01:52:20.720 --> 01:52:23.479 Crush to be paired with Animal in the Legion of Doom, 2189 01:52:23.840 --> 01:52:27.560 and the Wrestling Observers reporting that nineteen ninety three russell 2190 01:52:27.560 --> 01:52:31.159 Mania will be held in Madison Square Garden. Well, WCW 2191 01:52:31.239 --> 01:52:33.199 is singing in the TV blues as they have not 2192 01:52:33.239 --> 01:52:36.199 only lost two outlets in the Boston area for their programming, 2193 01:52:36.399 --> 01:52:39.960 but also their slot on the Chicago superstation WGN that 2194 01:52:40.079 --> 01:52:43.159 was hosted by Tony Shavanni and Larry's Obisco Watch for 2195 01:52:43.199 --> 01:52:46.279 Shane Douglas and Eric Watts sent him WCW Executive vice 2196 01:52:46.319 --> 01:52:49.279 president Bill Wats to begin teaming regularly by month's end, 2197 01:52:49.680 --> 01:52:52.800 and a sad note of sorts, WCW TV personality and 2198 01:52:52.880 --> 01:52:56.520 current nine hundred line host Lance Russell will be retiring 2199 01:52:56.520 --> 01:52:59.760 from the company on November one, last Monday, at Memphsis, 2200 01:52:59.760 --> 01:53:03.279 miss South Coliseum, Hot Stuff Attie Gilbert successfully defended his 2201 01:53:03.479 --> 01:53:08.560 USWA Unified title opposite Sergeant Slaughter. And tonight in Yokohama, Japan, 2202 01:53:08.640 --> 01:53:12.119 two wrestling legends Killer Kowalski and the Golden Greek John 2203 01:53:12.199 --> 01:53:14.479 Tolas will be chasing each other around the ring on 2204 01:53:14.560 --> 01:53:18.479 the Mega card presented by Frontier Martial Art Wrestling. Finally 2205 01:53:18.560 --> 01:53:22.199 from the scrapbook files, Water Milestone eleven years ago. This 2206 01:53:22.279 --> 01:53:25.880 past Thursday, on September seventeenth, nineteen eighty one, it was 2207 01:53:25.880 --> 01:53:28.600 in Kansas City, Missouri. Nature Boy Rick Flair won his 2208 01:53:28.760 --> 01:53:32.560 first National Wrestling Alliance heavyweight title. Who did he defeat? 2209 01:53:32.680 --> 01:53:35.399 The American Dream Dusty Rhodes? Of course for the Pro 2210 01:53:35.439 --> 01:53:39.319 Wrestling Spotlight, I'm Don Libel reporting Capsule Time eleven eleven. 2211 01:53:39.680 --> 01:53:41.520 Thank you very much, Donnie, and of course we spoke 2212 01:53:41.560 --> 01:53:43.680 to you twice today and next week at ten am 2213 01:53:43.800 --> 01:53:48.039 on fourteen forty WNYG we will we lost our conference 2214 01:53:48.079 --> 01:53:48.600 called Italy. 2215 01:53:49.840 --> 01:53:52.960 Oh boy, Uh tell you what we're gonna do. 2216 01:53:52.960 --> 01:53:54.680 Don We'll talk to you next week here at the 2217 01:53:54.680 --> 01:53:59.039 Pro Wrestling Spotlight as I try to get our conference back. 2218 01:53:59.399 --> 01:54:03.920 We we'll talk to you next week don take care. 2219 01:54:03.960 --> 01:54:08.239 We lost them too. Okay, We're going to attempt to 2220 01:54:08.279 --> 01:54:10.760 get Dave Melter and Wade Keller back. 2221 01:54:10.560 --> 01:54:12.000 On the line on the conference. 2222 01:54:12.600 --> 01:54:15.560 And as we attempt to do that, can we just 2223 01:54:15.600 --> 01:54:19.079 go into a quick commercial music bed or something and 2224 01:54:19.119 --> 01:54:21.520 then we will bring these gentlemen back on. 2225 01:54:22.119 --> 01:54:23.520 We'll return right after this. 2226 01:54:26.159 --> 01:54:28.279 Thanks for downloading today's show. Take it to the next 2227 01:54:28.359 --> 01:54:30.960 level with a VIP membership. Get shows like this The 2228 01:54:30.960 --> 01:54:33.880 Way Keller Prosing Podcast, Weight Keller Prosing Post Show, and 2229 01:54:33.920 --> 01:54:37.119 the PW Torch daily casts on our PW Torch VIP 2230 01:54:37.319 --> 01:54:40.600 podcast feed with ads and plugs removed from the shows 2231 01:54:40.640 --> 01:54:43.920 for a streamlined listening experience. And also hear the VIP 2232 01:54:44.039 --> 01:54:46.720 exclusive shows that I host with Rich Fan and Todd Martin, 2233 01:54:46.760 --> 01:54:48.920 Everything with Rich Fan and The Fix with Todd Martin 2234 01:54:49.000 --> 01:54:52.319 signature VIP series that you're missing out without a VIP membership. 2235 01:54:52.359 --> 01:54:55.000 So go vip here in twenty twenty two and enjoy 2236 01:54:55.079 --> 01:54:58.199 all the benefits, all the bonus content and the ad 2237 01:54:58.199 --> 01:55:01.520 free listening experience. P w tw worts dot com slash 2238 01:55:01.760 --> 01:55:02.720 go vi ip. 2239 01:55:11.279 --> 01:55:14.359 Okay back with the Pro Wrestling Spotlight and we got 2240 01:55:14.399 --> 01:55:16.640 our guests back on the line so why don't we 2241 01:55:16.680 --> 01:55:21.239 just go straight to our conference as we speak to 2242 01:55:21.479 --> 01:55:24.359 direct from Campbell, California, the editor and publisher of The 2243 01:55:24.399 --> 01:55:27.720 Wrestling Observer and the editor and publisher of The Pro 2244 01:55:27.760 --> 01:55:31.479 Wrestling Torch, the two top wrestling newsletters in the business. 2245 01:55:31.560 --> 01:55:33.880 Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller, Gentlemen. 2246 01:55:33.520 --> 01:55:34.000 Are you there? 2247 01:55:35.079 --> 01:55:35.920 Okay? 2248 01:55:36.000 --> 01:55:37.039 How you guys doing tonight? 2249 01:55:37.720 --> 01:55:38.159 Very good? 2250 01:55:38.239 --> 01:55:38.960 I'm doing good too. 2251 01:55:39.119 --> 01:55:40.800 Wait a second time I spoke to you today. 2252 01:55:40.920 --> 01:55:43.239 Yeah, we're forming a pattern here. This is my third 2253 01:55:43.319 --> 01:55:44.000 radio show today. 2254 01:55:44.199 --> 01:55:46.560 Really, you got your own out in Minneapolis. I'm kfan, 2255 01:55:47.640 --> 01:55:50.600 and did you discuss the Watch situation today on your show? 2256 01:55:52.039 --> 01:55:53.600 A lot of response from the fans on that. 2257 01:55:56.159 --> 01:55:58.600 There wasn't a real heavy response concerning the Watch situation 2258 01:55:59.399 --> 01:56:01.560 on the radio, so we had Jim Cornett on and 2259 01:56:01.760 --> 01:56:03.239 a couple other people, so we didn't have a lot 2260 01:56:03.239 --> 01:56:06.039 of time to talk about it. The response I've gotten 2261 01:56:06.039 --> 01:56:09.039 on the answering machine and the fax machine today has 2262 01:56:09.119 --> 01:56:13.319 been responding to the Watts interview and the Torch. This week. 2263 01:56:13.319 --> 01:56:16.800 I had two facts and a couple of messages complimentary 2264 01:56:16.800 --> 01:56:19.319 towards the interview, and it seemed they had a slant 2265 01:56:19.600 --> 01:56:21.840 favoring lots of side of the argument from what they read. 2266 01:56:22.479 --> 01:56:26.199 Okay, what's been happening behind the scenes, and both of 2267 01:56:26.239 --> 01:56:29.279 you been following it real close. Bill Watch has been 2268 01:56:30.239 --> 01:56:34.479 really trying to cut expenses across the board at w CW. 2269 01:56:35.159 --> 01:56:38.039 Situation developed with Brian Pillman. I guess, is Brian home 2270 01:56:38.119 --> 01:56:39.239 now or is he working? 2271 01:56:39.279 --> 01:56:41.199 What's going on with him? 2272 01:56:41.319 --> 01:56:45.520 He's he's still like working. I mean, he's not getting 2273 01:56:45.600 --> 01:56:49.279 be sent home. I guess Paullly dangerously was sent home, 2274 01:56:49.399 --> 01:56:53.359 but Bryan is still you know, he's still there, but 2275 01:56:53.399 --> 01:56:54.880 I don't think he's got any kind of a role. 2276 01:56:56.640 --> 01:57:00.880 Okay, Watts had tried, wait if you can the jump 2277 01:57:00.960 --> 01:57:04.720 in here, Wats try to have Pillman sign a brand 2278 01:57:04.720 --> 01:57:07.800 new contract taking away some some of his incentives. And 2279 01:57:08.079 --> 01:57:09.800 he's been doing that to a lot of the guys, 2280 01:57:09.800 --> 01:57:12.720 wanting them to sign new deals cutting their guaranteed. 2281 01:57:12.239 --> 01:57:14.840 Pay right Wats, Watts, I don't know if it was 2282 01:57:14.840 --> 01:57:17.159 a completely new contract. Dave State might know the detail that, 2283 01:57:17.239 --> 01:57:19.960 but it was basically allowing Pilman to keep the guarantee 2284 01:57:20.399 --> 01:57:21.119 that he had. 2285 01:57:21.159 --> 01:57:23.560 And and just remove all the incentives. 2286 01:57:23.079 --> 01:57:25.880 Exactly and forego of the bonuses which which the bonuses 2287 01:57:25.960 --> 01:57:30.399 came about by pushing Pilman in into UH, but just 2288 01:57:30.439 --> 01:57:32.760 basically by pushing Pillman in other in whatever way you 2289 01:57:32.760 --> 01:57:35.119 can hire in the car title matches, whatever the details are. 2290 01:57:36.720 --> 01:57:39.479 And and because of that, Wats has told Tilman he 2291 01:57:39.479 --> 01:57:42.640 believes he's overpaid, as is that he that the contract 2292 01:57:42.760 --> 01:57:45.359 was UH was designed by somebody who's no longer there, 2293 01:57:45.439 --> 01:57:48.079 Kip Fry, who in Wats's words, doesn't know anything about 2294 01:57:48.079 --> 01:57:51.560 the wrestling business or didn't still doesn't UH. And as 2295 01:57:51.560 --> 01:57:53.760 a results, he says, Brian, there's you know, time, there's 2296 01:57:53.760 --> 01:57:56.279 times when businesses have to cut back expenses for the 2297 01:57:56.319 --> 01:57:58.720 good of the company and UH and this is one 2298 01:57:58.720 --> 01:58:00.840 of those instances where it's for me to be able 2299 01:58:00.840 --> 01:58:03.159 to push you, to afford to push you, you're gonna 2300 01:58:03.159 --> 01:58:04.840 have to take a cut. A lot of people who 2301 01:58:04.880 --> 01:58:07.239 say that's unfair, especially the way he went about doing it, 2302 01:58:07.920 --> 01:58:10.439 And there has been some response to people saying, hey, Bill, 2303 01:58:10.479 --> 01:58:13.000 you know, Bill watsas you know, has every right to 2304 01:58:13.039 --> 01:58:15.520 do whatever he can in his power to to try 2305 01:58:15.520 --> 01:58:17.800 to cut expenses from w W And if he doesn't 2306 01:58:17.800 --> 01:58:21.520 believe Brian Pillman is, if he believes it's it's okay 2307 01:58:21.560 --> 01:58:24.359 to to turn off Brian Pillman to the degree that 2308 01:58:24.399 --> 01:58:27.399 he probably has in the process. You know, that's a 2309 01:58:27.479 --> 01:58:28.720 choice he has to make right or run. 2310 01:58:29.600 --> 01:58:32.399 The funniest part of the whole situation is is that 2311 01:58:32.680 --> 01:58:35.640 the way things stand now, you know, for all the 2312 01:58:35.680 --> 01:58:38.399 talk about cutting expenses, he's actually costing himself more money 2313 01:58:38.439 --> 01:58:42.000 because the amount of money that it would cost with 2314 01:58:42.119 --> 01:58:46.119 somebody in Brian Pilman's position would be far more than 2315 01:58:46.159 --> 01:58:48.560 the lives in the bonuses that Tilman would be getting 2316 01:58:48.560 --> 01:58:50.479 for being in the same position, and it's still paying 2317 01:58:50.479 --> 01:58:52.920 the same base salary. That's pro because I mean, in 2318 01:58:52.920 --> 01:58:56.359 this actual situation, people may look at it and say, well, 2319 01:58:56.399 --> 01:58:58.640 he's just trying to cut costs, but in actuality, he's 2320 01:58:58.680 --> 01:59:01.039 increasing costs. And it's the same time varying someone because 2321 01:59:01.079 --> 01:59:03.680 the guy didn't agree to you know, take didn't agree 2322 01:59:03.680 --> 01:59:05.399 to give up bonuses that were already kind in his 2323 01:59:05.439 --> 01:59:06.520 contract to begin with. 2324 01:59:06.600 --> 01:59:09.560 Which maybe because Wats is used to dealing with wrestlers 2325 01:59:09.560 --> 01:59:12.840 who cave in to his pressure. And I think from 2326 01:59:12.880 --> 01:59:15.600 every indication that we've gotten it is that Wat's a 2327 01:59:15.640 --> 01:59:19.520 tremendous pressure on Pilman, and probably Wats isn't use of 2328 01:59:19.520 --> 01:59:21.239 people standing up to him, and he probably thought that 2329 01:59:21.239 --> 01:59:22.880 he would get away with whatever he was trying to do. 2330 01:59:23.079 --> 01:59:26.039 Now he did the same thing with a Sting and 2331 01:59:26.199 --> 01:59:28.560 Rick Rude from what we understand. 2332 01:59:28.079 --> 01:59:31.960 Well, each situation I'm sure is different. Yeah, I'm not 2333 01:59:32.039 --> 01:59:35.199 exactly sure what's with the Sting in the Rick Rude 2334 01:59:35.199 --> 01:59:38.600 situation other than you know, I know in the case 2335 01:59:38.600 --> 01:59:41.680 of Rick Rude he wanted to renegotiate the current contract, 2336 01:59:41.720 --> 01:59:44.039 wherese with Tilman he just wanted to eliminate the bonuses 2337 01:59:44.039 --> 01:59:45.560 and not renegotiate the contract. 2338 01:59:46.720 --> 01:59:49.920 And I think both in Pilman and Root's case. And 2339 01:59:50.439 --> 01:59:52.640 I don't know anything about the Sting situation except that 2340 01:59:52.680 --> 01:59:55.039 watsondmitted he called him and said that things were fine 2341 01:59:55.039 --> 01:59:57.479 with him. I haven't heard anything else as far as 2342 01:59:57.479 --> 01:59:59.960 the Sting situation with Rude, he was offered a lump 2343 02:00:00.000 --> 02:00:02.880 sum of money to give up his guarantee right that 2344 02:00:02.920 --> 02:00:05.000 would be a large percentage of less than what he 2345 02:00:05.039 --> 02:00:07.800 would get over the next be least three years, two 2346 02:00:07.840 --> 02:00:11.279 or three years Rude would be It was probably Rude 2347 02:00:11.279 --> 02:00:13.479 would have end up with taking in less money, but 2348 02:00:13.520 --> 02:00:15.079 he would have more right now, you know, he would 2349 02:00:15.079 --> 02:00:16.600 have a big check right now if he were to 2350 02:00:16.640 --> 02:00:18.840 agree to the you know, to watch his deal. And 2351 02:00:18.880 --> 02:00:20.479 I think the biggest, one of the big issues that's 2352 02:00:20.479 --> 02:00:23.520 coming out of this John is is that the contract 2353 02:00:23.560 --> 02:00:25.760 Watts is offering, at least a contract apparently that Wats 2354 02:00:25.800 --> 02:00:29.600 is offering Rude, probably didn't include any coverage when it 2355 02:00:29.600 --> 02:00:33.239 comes to medical benefits or injury compensation. So Rude, right now, 2356 02:00:33.279 --> 02:00:36.800 if he gets injured or it comes across a major problem, 2357 02:00:37.000 --> 02:00:39.920 he gets paid while he's off. But with the contract 2358 02:00:39.960 --> 02:00:42.520 that Wats is asking Rude to accept may have been 2359 02:00:42.600 --> 02:00:44.640 for a nearly equivalent amount of money if he was 2360 02:00:44.720 --> 02:00:47.720 used as often, but when when I was said and done, 2361 02:00:47.720 --> 02:00:50.399 maybe a small cut or a small increase, But he 2362 02:00:50.399 --> 02:00:52.840 wouldn't get a guarantee of how many dates he would wrestle. 2363 02:00:52.920 --> 02:00:55.000 And if he got injured, it could be it could 2364 02:00:55.039 --> 02:00:58.720 be close, or it could be a major decrease, right yes, 2365 02:00:58.760 --> 02:01:01.880 But in the case, yeah, there's no protection against an injury. 2366 02:01:01.960 --> 02:01:04.039 Right well, I can understand that difference. 2367 02:01:04.039 --> 02:01:06.039 Really, I can understand for the good of the company 2368 02:01:06.039 --> 02:01:10.159 cutting expenses because obviously Ted Turner's pockets are very deep. 2369 02:01:10.239 --> 02:01:12.800 But it's not going to be a lasting situation forever. 2370 02:01:12.880 --> 02:01:16.039 With the losses, the company is sustained. One thing I 2371 02:01:16.079 --> 02:01:18.640 don't agree with, and I think this is causing a 2372 02:01:18.640 --> 02:01:20.439 lot of problems with the wrestlers as well, is that 2373 02:01:20.560 --> 02:01:21.560 medical coverage. 2374 02:01:21.720 --> 02:01:22.720 These guys are out there. 2375 02:01:22.600 --> 02:01:26.279 Taking bumps every single day now for them to sign 2376 02:01:26.319 --> 02:01:28.920 contracts which don't guarantee them any pay if they get hurt, 2377 02:01:29.159 --> 02:01:31.840 Especially with some of the rules Watches instituted the match 2378 02:01:32.319 --> 02:01:36.840 off the floor outside the ring, it's risk more. There's 2379 02:01:36.840 --> 02:01:39.560 more risk involved with the guys working for WATS than 2380 02:01:39.560 --> 02:01:41.319 there would be elsewhere. 2381 02:01:41.319 --> 02:01:44.000 I would argue differently, just because WATS is almost encouraging, 2382 02:01:44.279 --> 02:01:46.439 is almost demanding of wrestlers that they wrestle in a 2383 02:01:46.760 --> 02:01:51.560 nineteen seventies primitive style in which encourages this this Matt 2384 02:01:51.640 --> 02:01:54.119 style wrestling, and not a lot of flashy moves that 2385 02:01:54.199 --> 02:01:57.439 have evolved through the nineteen eighties, much of which he missed, 2386 02:01:58.039 --> 02:02:00.760 at least the latter part. And as a result of that, 2387 02:02:00.880 --> 02:02:03.319 I think that that I would say there's less risk 2388 02:02:03.399 --> 02:02:07.319 today with the style he's encouraging. He's not encouraging juice 2389 02:02:07.319 --> 02:02:09.159 and lager flips over the top rope. He won't let 2390 02:02:09.359 --> 02:02:11.319 you know he's made rules against brawling outside the ring 2391 02:02:11.439 --> 02:02:13.359 using the ring barrier in the ring post. So in 2392 02:02:13.399 --> 02:02:16.720 a sense, you could make an argument that it's less 2393 02:02:16.800 --> 02:02:17.239 risky than. 2394 02:02:17.199 --> 02:02:17.800 It was before. 2395 02:02:18.520 --> 02:02:20.920 Well, it's still risky though, absolutely, But I would I 2396 02:02:20.960 --> 02:02:22.239 wouldn't necessarily say it's more risky. 2397 02:02:22.279 --> 02:02:23.520 I don't know that it's more I don't know that 2398 02:02:23.520 --> 02:02:25.279 it's more risky. It's a different kind of risky because 2399 02:02:25.319 --> 02:02:26.840 at the same time he wants the brawling to fee 2400 02:02:26.840 --> 02:02:29.479 a lot stiffer in the ring. And so there's you know, 2401 02:02:29.600 --> 02:02:31.560 I mean it, there's some of one, some of the other. 2402 02:02:31.600 --> 02:02:33.640 I don't know that it's necessarily more risky either though. 2403 02:02:33.880 --> 02:02:36.560 Yeah, but the mood behind the scenes now as far 2404 02:02:36.560 --> 02:02:38.600 as the wrestlers go, is not a good one. 2405 02:02:39.000 --> 02:02:40.039 No, no, not at all. 2406 02:02:41.479 --> 02:02:44.600 I think that, well, we'll have to wait and see 2407 02:02:44.600 --> 02:02:47.840 what happens. I mean, there's there's you know, each individual 2408 02:02:47.880 --> 02:02:50.680 wrestler has a different contractual situation and a different frame 2409 02:02:50.720 --> 02:02:53.479 of mind about this, And I don't think that there's 2410 02:02:53.479 --> 02:02:55.159 any kind of group to think. I mean, there are 2411 02:02:55.159 --> 02:02:57.560 guys who are just furious, can't wait to leave, and 2412 02:02:57.560 --> 02:03:00.239 there are guys who are furious but you know, getting 2413 02:03:00.279 --> 02:03:03.520 paid big money and want to stay and there, you know, 2414 02:03:03.600 --> 02:03:06.720 there's all different mindsets and how the dust is all 2415 02:03:06.720 --> 02:03:09.960 going to clear, I don't know. I know that Rude 2416 02:03:10.039 --> 02:03:13.359 and Sting and the Steiners on Wednesday at a meeting 2417 02:03:13.399 --> 02:03:17.439 with Watts to try to you know, I'm not exactly 2418 02:03:17.479 --> 02:03:20.319 sure what was discussed in the meeting other than nothing 2419 02:03:20.359 --> 02:03:21.840 was resolved whatsoever in the meeting. 2420 02:03:23.119 --> 02:03:25.279 Okay, it's pretty important to mention that Sting is on 2421 02:03:25.319 --> 02:03:27.840 a long term, guaranteed contract and all the talk of 2422 02:03:27.840 --> 02:03:30.640 low morale and problems with ww is probably not going 2423 02:03:30.680 --> 02:03:32.520 to leave the Sting leaving. And I think that's one 2424 02:03:32.600 --> 02:03:34.840 rumor that that there's probably a few people in your area, John, 2425 02:03:34.840 --> 02:03:36.119 that would love to start once again. 2426 02:03:36.439 --> 02:03:38.560 Yeah. I like, the guy has a contract for early 2427 02:03:38.640 --> 02:03:40.880 ninety five and he's making seven one thousand dollars a 2428 02:03:40.960 --> 02:03:42.760 year and you just can't make that. There's nowhere to 2429 02:03:42.760 --> 02:03:45.640 make that kind of money in wrestling today. And the 2430 02:03:45.680 --> 02:03:48.479 other thing is about the Sting leaving is thing has 2431 02:03:48.720 --> 02:03:51.439 two gyms in Atlanta and is booking at openings the 2432 02:03:51.439 --> 02:03:54.239 third right now. So I think it's very beneficial for 2433 02:03:54.319 --> 02:03:57.199 him to stay in Atlanta rather than go WWS and 2434 02:03:57.279 --> 02:03:59.760 go all over the country, and you know it would 2435 02:03:59.760 --> 02:04:01.640 mean somebody else would have to take care of his 2436 02:04:01.720 --> 02:04:04.039 gym business. So there's a lot of reasons not just 2437 02:04:04.079 --> 02:04:05.920 wrestling we're sitting would want to stay in Atlanta. 2438 02:04:14.359 --> 02:04:16.760 Are you a fan of AW looking to sit back, 2439 02:04:16.880 --> 02:04:19.960 relax and listen to some like minded podcasters who share 2440 02:04:20.000 --> 02:04:20.520 your passion. 2441 02:04:21.079 --> 02:04:22.880 Do you want to be topped off the ledge after 2442 02:04:22.920 --> 02:04:25.159 a segment that has you wondering what the heck are 2443 02:04:25.199 --> 02:04:27.920 they thinking? Do you want to join a discussion on 2444 02:04:27.960 --> 02:04:30.680 what AW is doing right and what they could do 2445 02:04:30.760 --> 02:04:33.880 to improve? Then join me Joel and me Greg for 2446 02:04:33.920 --> 02:04:36.399 the All of the Conversation Club every Friday on the 2447 02:04:36.399 --> 02:04:40.239 pw torch Live Cast. Fee search pw Torch in your 2448 02:04:40.279 --> 02:04:43.640 podcast app and subscribe to pw torch Daily Cast or 2449 02:04:43.680 --> 02:04:46.800 stream our shows directly from pw torch dot com. Find 2450 02:04:46.840 --> 02:04:51.399 full details on the PW Torchdailycast lineup at pw torchdailycast 2451 02:04:51.520 --> 02:05:01.279 dot com. 2452 02:05:01.319 --> 02:05:03.800 Okay, in the situation with the guys maybe banding together 2453 02:05:03.840 --> 02:05:09.640 and organizing some type of perhaps union, what do you 2454 02:05:09.680 --> 02:05:11.119 think of that? What do you think is that a 2455 02:05:11.119 --> 02:05:11.960 possibility at all? 2456 02:05:12.000 --> 02:05:14.239 I think the odds are great against it, just because 2457 02:05:14.319 --> 02:05:16.279 I don't think there's a group think I don't think that. 2458 02:05:16.399 --> 02:05:18.880 I mean, there are individuals, there are certain individuals in 2459 02:05:18.920 --> 02:05:22.000 the company who will stand up and and and in 2460 02:05:22.039 --> 02:05:25.199 this situation and not back down. But I don't believe that, 2461 02:05:25.479 --> 02:05:27.239 you know, I mean, in a situation like that, everybody 2462 02:05:27.279 --> 02:05:29.039 would have to be of a similar mindset, and I don't. 2463 02:05:29.119 --> 02:05:30.760 I don't know that they're not, but I don't believe 2464 02:05:30.760 --> 02:05:33.079 that they are. And I think that if it came, 2465 02:05:33.159 --> 02:05:35.359 if push came to shove, I just don't think that 2466 02:05:35.399 --> 02:05:39.079 they would all stand up in that situation. So I 2467 02:05:39.119 --> 02:05:42.159 think the odds it'd be great for the wrestlers, and 2468 02:05:42.640 --> 02:05:44.560 you know, but I just don't see it happening. 2469 02:05:44.720 --> 02:05:46.880 And obviously the key players would be rude and sting, 2470 02:05:46.880 --> 02:05:50.520 and both of them have very probably very satisfactory, if 2471 02:05:50.560 --> 02:05:52.920 not tremendous contracts. So those would be the two key 2472 02:05:52.920 --> 02:05:55.840 players that would have to risk there will they're they're. 2473 02:05:55.920 --> 02:05:58.439 You know right, they have to risk that thing because 2474 02:05:58.439 --> 02:06:00.920 if they were to walk out, then he would play 2475 02:06:01.000 --> 02:06:02.800 right in to watch his hands, because then WATS could 2476 02:06:02.840 --> 02:06:05.600 terminates the contract for no showing dates, which is probably 2477 02:06:05.600 --> 02:06:07.439 what you know, pig down what he wants to do. Anyway, 2478 02:06:07.479 --> 02:06:08.760 because I don't think he wants to be paying those 2479 02:06:08.800 --> 02:06:11.159 guys the money he's paying them either. But I don't 2480 02:06:11.159 --> 02:06:13.279 think that he can. I don't think he can justify 2481 02:06:13.319 --> 02:06:14.880 bearing either of them. So he's got to play it 2482 02:06:14.960 --> 02:06:17.239 different way than he played it, let's say with somebody else. 2483 02:06:17.399 --> 02:06:20.760 Okay, briefly, let's get into the Paul Dangerously situation. 2484 02:06:20.920 --> 02:06:25.199 Now, he's not he's not around. That's a correct. He's 2485 02:06:25.199 --> 02:06:26.159 been told to stay home. 2486 02:06:26.720 --> 02:06:28.520 He's been giving a he's been given a vacation. 2487 02:06:29.119 --> 02:06:32.119 Okay, alrighty, we're going to take some phone calls now 2488 02:06:32.159 --> 02:06:34.920 if you got any questions on the situation already, other 2489 02:06:35.000 --> 02:06:38.119 questions on pro wrestling number to call two one, two, four, seven, 2490 02:06:38.199 --> 02:06:40.359 seven five six one oh and uh. 2491 02:06:40.520 --> 02:06:42.039 We'll get right to the phones right now. You guys 2492 02:06:42.079 --> 02:06:44.600 don't mind taking some calls, do you not at all? Okay? 2493 02:06:44.720 --> 02:06:46.439 Here we go. Hi, you're first. 2494 02:06:46.720 --> 02:06:46.880 Hi. 2495 02:06:46.920 --> 02:06:48.560 This is Adam from plane Adam, How. 2496 02:06:48.560 --> 02:06:49.039 You doing good? 2497 02:06:49.279 --> 02:06:50.560 Who is the comic kid? 2498 02:06:50.680 --> 02:06:52.920 And where is Gino Bravo wrestling? 2499 02:06:53.520 --> 02:06:55.880 The comic Kid is Paul Diamond, and Dino Bravo is 2500 02:06:55.920 --> 02:06:58.479 doing almost no wrestling. He's going to have his retirement 2501 02:06:58.560 --> 02:07:00.920 match in December and Montreal for the WWF. But he's 2502 02:07:00.960 --> 02:07:03.479 pretty much I think he's got just a few matches left, 2503 02:07:03.560 --> 02:07:05.079 so he basically he's just about retired. 2504 02:07:05.119 --> 02:07:08.279 Okay, thanks for recall. You're a next Hello. 2505 02:07:10.119 --> 02:07:12.680 Hello, Hi John, It's Mike from College Point. 2506 02:07:12.960 --> 02:07:13.119 Mike. 2507 02:07:13.479 --> 02:07:15.760 Hi, Dave High Wade, how are you doing? Pretty good? 2508 02:07:16.720 --> 02:07:18.920 Wats to saying he wants to cut costs, but then 2509 02:07:18.920 --> 02:07:21.520 at the clash he brings in all these old wrestlers, 2510 02:07:21.560 --> 02:07:24.359 only uses them for thirty seconds and then plays the 2511 02:07:24.359 --> 02:07:27.479 stupid video with Jacin sting that must have cost too 2512 02:07:27.560 --> 02:07:29.680 much money with all of the stupid special effects at 2513 02:07:29.720 --> 02:07:30.039 the end. 2514 02:07:30.399 --> 02:07:32.960 Well, it's a funny thing. Wade and I talk about 2515 02:07:32.960 --> 02:07:36.319 this all the time. It's there's different umbrellas in the 2516 02:07:36.359 --> 02:07:39.960 Turner organization. And while that video I'm sure cost more 2517 02:07:40.000 --> 02:07:41.920 than all the money we're talking about, you know, and 2518 02:07:41.960 --> 02:07:44.840 cutting out these different contracts, it probably comes out of 2519 02:07:44.840 --> 02:07:48.960 Turner Home Entertainment rather than World Championship Wrestling. So it's 2520 02:07:49.399 --> 02:07:53.439 you know, it's justified because it's not coming out of 2521 02:07:53.479 --> 02:07:56.159 the Bill Watts department, even though it's it all comes 2522 02:07:56.159 --> 02:07:57.880 out of Turner, you know, in one form or another. 2523 02:07:58.600 --> 02:08:03.159 Okay, and today, Cactus was leaning towards the fact that 2524 02:08:03.199 --> 02:08:05.399 it's going to be a fourth guy in his little stable. 2525 02:08:05.439 --> 02:08:05.960 Who is it? 2526 02:08:06.920 --> 02:08:08.800 I don't know who the fourth guy is though. The 2527 02:08:08.840 --> 02:08:11.960 World Word was scheduled the TV this week but wasn't there. 2528 02:08:12.560 --> 02:08:14.560 And I don't even know who the third guy in 2529 02:08:14.560 --> 02:08:16.600 the stable is going to be anymore, because which Reid 2530 02:08:16.680 --> 02:08:17.720 is also not there anymore? 2531 02:08:17.760 --> 02:08:20.319 Scan Yeah, because I don't know. It just seems to 2532 02:08:20.359 --> 02:08:22.359 me like the second he said it, all I could 2533 02:08:22.359 --> 02:08:24.640 think was sid vicious. You know. 2534 02:08:24.800 --> 02:08:28.279 Well, I spoke to tonight about it, but yeah, anything possible. 2535 02:08:28.359 --> 02:08:28.520 Yeah. 2536 02:08:28.520 --> 02:08:30.039 I spoke to sit tonight and he still says his 2537 02:08:30.039 --> 02:08:32.199 hands are tied with the WWF and he's getting real 2538 02:08:32.239 --> 02:08:34.239 frustrated because he hasn't gotten release yet. 2539 02:08:34.640 --> 02:08:36.439 Really didn't the contract in September? 2540 02:08:36.479 --> 02:08:36.680 First? 2541 02:08:36.840 --> 02:08:38.520 Well, he said he his hands are tied and he 2542 02:08:38.520 --> 02:08:40.479 hasn't gotten release. That's what he told me about an 2543 02:08:40.520 --> 02:08:41.039 hour ago. 2544 02:08:41.319 --> 02:08:45.239 Okay, thanks guys, thanks for recalling all right. Next, Hello, Hi, 2545 02:08:45.479 --> 02:08:47.840 this is Keith from Ridgwood. Hey, what we do for Keith? 2546 02:08:47.920 --> 02:08:50.159 I'd like to know what role Chrispinoire was going to 2547 02:08:50.199 --> 02:08:51.640 play in WCW. 2548 02:08:51.840 --> 02:08:54.279 I want to understand he's not coming into the first 2549 02:08:54.279 --> 02:08:54.880 of the year now. 2550 02:08:55.520 --> 02:08:57.239 And second one, I just wanted to say Ted Turner 2551 02:08:57.279 --> 02:08:59.439 is coming to my school on Thursday. You'll be doing 2552 02:08:59.439 --> 02:09:03.720 a question and answer segment and ironically, Flora Observer readers 2553 02:09:03.800 --> 02:09:06.479 go to my school and we'll be sitting together and 2554 02:09:06.520 --> 02:09:08.520 we'll probably get the question over to him what he 2555 02:09:08.560 --> 02:09:11.079 plans to do if WCW continues to lose money? 2556 02:09:11.720 --> 02:09:14.039 Correct, but act non's athleticism. 2557 02:09:14.199 --> 02:09:18.560 Yeah, grillam Keith, thanks for your call. Okay, number to 2558 02:09:18.560 --> 02:09:21.399 call here is two point two four seven six one. 2559 02:09:21.439 --> 02:09:24.000 Oh, let's go to our next call. Hi, you're next? 2560 02:09:24.760 --> 02:09:27.199 Hi John, how are you? This is Scottain for Jeff. 2561 02:09:27.239 --> 02:09:27.760 How you doing? 2562 02:09:28.199 --> 02:09:29.640 Your show? Is great this morn I just like to 2563 02:09:29.640 --> 02:09:32.000 say that thank you. Can you update me on the 2564 02:09:32.239 --> 02:09:33.159 Woolwood situation. 2565 02:09:33.840 --> 02:09:35.479 Well, Dave, you're saying you was scheduled for TV. 2566 02:09:35.800 --> 02:09:39.960 His name was on the I think TVs did in Gainesville, 2567 02:09:39.960 --> 02:09:42.439 Georgia on September ninth, So that's about a little over 2568 02:09:42.520 --> 02:09:43.399 a week ago. 2569 02:09:43.439 --> 02:09:44.399 Is that for w W? 2570 02:09:45.479 --> 02:09:47.920 But it was crossed off, So I mean, I know 2571 02:09:48.039 --> 02:09:50.079 he obviously was talking with WTW, but I don't know 2572 02:09:50.079 --> 02:09:51.079 where that stands right now. 2573 02:09:51.600 --> 02:09:53.840 The powers of pain right now reformed in like an 2574 02:09:53.840 --> 02:09:54.760 independent federation. 2575 02:09:55.319 --> 02:09:57.680 I think they've worked a few independent matches together, but 2576 02:09:57.720 --> 02:10:02.159 Barbarians mainly with WCW. So Warlord doesn't come in, then no, 2577 02:10:02.239 --> 02:10:04.319 they're not reformed. And even if Worlord does come in, 2578 02:10:04.359 --> 02:10:06.159 I think Barbarian is gonna mainly work as a single 2579 02:10:06.159 --> 02:10:07.199 at least for the short run. 2580 02:10:07.640 --> 02:10:11.840 Okay, thanks for calling. Uh That's about it for tonight already. 2581 02:10:12.039 --> 02:10:14.640 What I'm gonna do is wet uh Dave first, you 2582 02:10:14.840 --> 02:10:17.359 then Wade, please tell people how to get copies of 2583 02:10:17.399 --> 02:10:18.439 your publications. 2584 02:10:18.640 --> 02:10:23.119 Okay, Well, I'll give anyone who sends in a postcard 2585 02:10:23.199 --> 02:10:26.119 or a letter a resample copy of the Observer, and 2586 02:10:26.239 --> 02:10:30.920 the address is post Office box one to eight Campbell 2587 02:10:31.279 --> 02:10:35.640 fell like the soup, California nine to five zero zero nine. 2588 02:10:36.399 --> 02:10:38.840 Okay, And since I'm going second, I'll send two free 2589 02:10:38.880 --> 02:10:41.680 issues to anybody who wants to drop a line in 2590 02:10:41.720 --> 02:10:44.720 the mail to Progress and Torch Peelbox two oh one 2591 02:10:45.079 --> 02:10:50.079 eight four to four. That's Peelbox twenty eighteen forty four, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2592 02:10:50.560 --> 02:10:52.439 five five four to two oh or they can simply 2593 02:10:52.439 --> 02:10:55.520 call six one two eight five four four two seven 2594 02:10:55.680 --> 02:10:58.520 four and leave their address on the answering machine and 2595 02:10:58.840 --> 02:11:00.720 I'll get a couple of sample copy six one two 2596 02:11:00.760 --> 02:11:02.439 eight four four two seven four. 2597 02:11:02.720 --> 02:11:04.800 Gentlemen, thank you very much, appreciate it. 2598 02:11:04.880 --> 02:11:05.039 Jack. 2599 02:11:05.159 --> 02:11:07.000 Okay, take care now. We'll talk to you soon. And 2600 02:11:07.119 --> 02:11:10.439 UH just want to remind everybody again at next Saturday. Uh, 2601 02:11:10.720 --> 02:11:12.840 we have another radio show as well. If we only 2602 02:11:12.840 --> 02:11:14.199 have half hour here right now, I want to just 2603 02:11:14.239 --> 02:11:18.840 remind you if you want to hopefully get the show expanded, 2604 02:11:19.119 --> 02:11:21.640 we have a new nine hundred number, nine hundred nine 2605 02:11:21.760 --> 02:11:25.119 three three seven five two six write it down nine 2606 02:11:25.199 --> 02:11:28.600 hundred nine three three seven five two six special days 2607 02:11:28.600 --> 02:11:31.279 Wednesday and Friday for pro wrestling spotlight listeners. We'll give 2608 02:11:31.319 --> 02:11:34.600 you updates on what's happening here at the show. Uh, 2609 02:11:34.680 --> 02:11:35.399 just a dollar. 2610 02:11:35.199 --> 02:11:36.039 Forty nine a minute. 2611 02:11:36.079 --> 02:11:38.239 If we get everybody out there calling once a week, 2612 02:11:38.560 --> 02:11:40.439 twice a week, we'll be back to an hour reil 2613 02:11:40.520 --> 02:11:42.319 soon here. But we have another radio show out on 2614 02:11:42.359 --> 02:11:46.359 Long Island fourteen forty am every Saturday morning at ten am. 2615 02:11:46.439 --> 02:11:50.279 That's fourteen forty am WNYG Saturdays at ten am. If 2616 02:11:50.279 --> 02:11:51.880 you want to go to the bus trip to Halloween, 2617 02:11:51.920 --> 02:11:55.600 have it with us. Give me a call at five one, six, five, eight, seven, 2618 02:11:55.680 --> 02:11:58.479 two eight six one. We're gonna return next week and 2619 02:11:58.520 --> 02:12:01.319 talk more wrestling with you at the Pro Wrestling Spotlight. 2620 02:12:01.399 --> 02:12:04.000 Until then, it's John Rezzie talk to you next week. 2621 02:12:05.840 --> 02:12:09.000 The preceding broadcast time was purchased from WEVD. 2622 02:12:09.199 --> 02:12:10.800 The views and opinions express did. 2623 02:12:10.640 --> 02:12:13.319 Not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the staff 2624 02:12:13.399 --> 02:12:20.840 or management of WEVD. 2625 02:12:35.840 --> 02:12:38.359 Invite you to email the show with feedback or questions 2626 02:12:38.399 --> 02:12:41.760 or comments. That email address is Wade Keller Podcast at 2627 02:12:41.800 --> 02:12:46.479 pewtorch dot com. That's Wadekeller Podcast at pw torch dot com. 2628 02:12:46.479 --> 02:12:49.039 Also welcome your feedback on Twitter. You can follow us 2629 02:12:49.119 --> 02:12:52.199 on Twitter at pw Torch and follow me at the 2630 02:12:52.319 --> 02:12:56.720 Wade Keller That's at PW Torch and at the Wade Keller. 2631 02:12:58.439 --> 02:13:01.920 Searchings for more great progress talk, then join me. Jason 2632 02:13:01.920 --> 02:13:05.159 Powell host them the three weekly Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast. 2633 02:13:05.560 --> 02:13:07.840 Each week, he'll hear the latest news and analysis from 2634 02:13:07.880 --> 02:13:09.920 me and my team at pro wrestling dot Net along 2635 02:13:09.960 --> 02:13:12.920 with other pro wrestling media members. Plus The Pro Wrestling 2636 02:13:12.960 --> 02:13:16.279 Boom Podcast features long form interviews with notable names in 2637 02:13:16.319 --> 02:13:20.000 the pro wrestling industry. Subscribe and itunestit your downcast and 2638 02:13:20.079 --> 02:13:23.199 all your favorite secondary apps, or visit us directly at 2639 02:13:23.199 --> 02:13:29.159 PW boom dot com. Once again, that's PW boom dot com. 2640 02:13:29.359 --> 02:13:31.319 Thanks for listening to our podcast. Did you know we 2641 02:13:31.359 --> 02:13:35.920 also have a website pwtorch dot com. Daily news updates, editorials, 2642 02:13:36.239 --> 02:13:39.279 and my live TV coverage covering Raw, Dynamite and SmackDown 2643 02:13:39.520 --> 02:13:43.520 and my live pay per view coverage for WWE and AEW. 2644 02:13:43.760 --> 02:13:45.880 Create a tab or bookmark, make it a daily stop. 2645 02:13:46.000 --> 02:13:48.159 Visit us throughout the day every day to keep up 2646 02:13:48.199 --> 02:13:52.760 on breaking news and more. That's pwtorch dot com. 2647 02:13:53.239 --> 02:13:56.399 Meet an extra dose of positivity in your wrestling podcasts, 2648 02:13:56.520 --> 02:13:59.640 will come join me Alan fourrel Over in the Progress 2649 02:13:59.680 --> 02:14:03.279 power at Pterbreo Torch vip as we mask on the 2650 02:14:03.319 --> 02:14:06.000 bright side of wrestling and focus on some of the 2651 02:14:06.039 --> 02:14:09.000 great matches and shows from around the world, be it 2652 02:14:09.159 --> 02:14:13.479 the US, Japan, Europe or Mexico. There's always a place 2653 02:14:13.520 --> 02:14:16.239 for wrestlings past in the Paradise too, and we've done 2654 02:14:16.319 --> 02:14:19.359 fun historical shows such as the We Love Liger series 2655 02:14:19.600 --> 02:14:23.359 celebrating the glorious career of Jusian thunder Lighter and Our 2656 02:14:23.399 --> 02:14:25.720 Eye was There when shows where our guests will join 2657 02:14:25.760 --> 02:14:28.119 me to talk about a classic bout that they were 2658 02:14:28.119 --> 02:14:31.479 in attendance for. We love variety and you can expect 2659 02:14:31.560 --> 02:14:35.279 lots of it at the Progress Paradise. Detailed pw Torch 2660 02:14:35.399 --> 02:14:38.760 VIP subscription information and a list of all the VIP 2661 02:14:38.920 --> 02:14:43.560 benefits is available at pterwrew torch vipinfo dot com. And yes, 2662 02:14:43.840 --> 02:14:47.720 all VIP podcasts are compatible with popular podcast apps on 2663 02:14:47.840 --> 02:14:51.399 iPhone and Android devices, or you can stream them directly 2664 02:14:51.399 --> 02:14:54.079 from our ad free VIP mobile site. 2665 02:14:54.319 --> 02:14:57.319 See you in the Paradise. One way that you can 2666 02:14:57.319 --> 02:15:00.399 help us sustain our schedule of putting out podcast throughout 2667 02:15:00.439 --> 02:15:02.359 the week is by giving us a five star rating 2668 02:15:02.600 --> 02:15:05.279 on Apple Podcasts. Just go to Apple Podcasts and look 2669 02:15:05.319 --> 02:15:07.680 for our Weight Keller Prosing podcast and Weight Keller Prosing 2670 02:15:07.760 --> 02:15:10.199 Post show and give us a five star rating. We 2671 02:15:10.279 --> 02:15:12.680 hope you think we've earned that score with our fast 2672 02:15:12.680 --> 02:15:16.520 turnaround times and our quantity and quality of wrestling analysis 2673 02:15:16.520 --> 02:15:19.079 throughout the week. So take a moment out for us 2674 02:15:19.119 --> 02:15:21.199 and do us favor and give us a five star 2675 02:15:21.279 --> 02:15:23.760 rating and Apple podcast that helps us on search returns 2676 02:15:24.079 --> 02:15:26.399 and helps us grow. And if you want, you can 2677 02:15:26.399 --> 02:15:28.039 add a few comments about what you like about the 2678 02:15:28.039 --> 02:15:32.319 programs in the comments section. Thank you so much. 2679 02:15:33.880 --> 02:15:38.039 In twenty twelve, NXT transitioned into the developmental system and 2680 02:15:38.159 --> 02:15:41.439 ultimately the brand you see today. On the Torch VIP 2681 02:15:41.680 --> 02:15:45.760 podcast NXT Eight Years Back, we'll be taking a weekly 2682 02:15:45.800 --> 02:15:48.319 look at this page in NXT's early history. 2683 02:15:49.239 --> 02:15:52.399 Join Kelly Wells and me Tom Stout from PWT Talks 2684 02:15:52.520 --> 02:15:55.239 NXT every Saturday as we go eight years back to 2685 02:15:55.279 --> 02:15:58.000 the day to track NXT's rising talents and why they 2686 02:15:58.000 --> 02:15:59.359 did or didn't work out. 2687 02:15:59.479 --> 02:16:04.079 Exclusive for PW Torch VIP members, a PW Torch VIP 2688 02:16:04.159 --> 02:16:06.119 membership doesn't just give you add free access to these 2689 02:16:06.119 --> 02:16:08.760 shows and a ton of other VIP exclusive podcasts throughout 2690 02:16:08.760 --> 02:16:11.199 the week, but you also gain access to our unmatched 2691 02:16:11.359 --> 02:16:14.840 vast library of wrestling history, our contemporaneous week to week 2692 02:16:14.840 --> 02:16:17.399 coverage through our progressing Torch Weekly newsletters dating back to 2693 02:16:17.479 --> 02:16:20.439 the late nineteen eighties, along with streaming and download access 2694 02:16:20.520 --> 02:16:23.720 to hundreds of retro radio shows from the nineteen nineties, 2695 02:16:23.720 --> 02:16:27.000 including some of my interviews with wrestling's top newsmakers in 2696 02:16:27.039 --> 02:16:30.399 the nineties, and also our podcast library dating back to 2697 02:16:30.439 --> 02:16:33.319 the year two thousand and three, there's no larger, longer 2698 02:16:33.399 --> 02:16:36.920 spanning pro wrestling podcast library than that that comes with 2699 02:16:36.959 --> 02:16:41.120 a PW Torch VIP membership. Now approaching twenty years of podcasting, 2700 02:16:41.319 --> 02:16:43.680 Go VIP and dive into our post pay per view 2701 02:16:43.719 --> 02:16:46.600 roundtables are covered with some of your favorite eras of wrestling, 2702 02:16:47.079 --> 02:16:51.399 top name long form interviews, and special format podcasts that 2703 02:16:51.440 --> 02:16:55.600 we've done throughout the years. Pwtorch dot com slash go VIP. 2704 02:16:56.040 --> 02:16:57.879 We have a streamline signup form and you can pay 2705 02:16:58.000 --> 02:17:00.799 with PayPal or directly with your credit card or debit card. 2706 02:17:01.079 --> 02:17:02.879 In one or two minutes from right now, you can 2707 02:17:02.879 --> 02:17:05.479 be a VIP member and diving into our library. PW 2708 02:17:05.559 --> 02:17:07.440 toorch dot com slash go vip