This Week
In Pro Wrestling


Recent Wrestling News:

UPDATED: 17 January 2004
Trash Talking Radio
Every Tuesday Night From 7:00 - 10:00
A must For Every Wrestling Fan
TTRS Welcomes Al Snow, Harley Race & CJ O'Doyle 1/20/04

Tune into http://www.trashtalkingradio.com for this Tuesdays show.

Confirmed for 1/20/04

Harley Race
http://www.harleyrace.com/images/HarleyBaba4.jpg
He has been called "The Best Wrestler on God's Green Earth". He has been involved in Pro-Wrestling for almost 4 decades. He has won the NWA belt 8 times plus dozens of other regional titles. He managed two wrestlers to the WCW World Championship (Lex Luger and Vader) and was involved in operating the NWA territories in Kansas City and St. Louis. he was crowned "The King" during his stint in the WWF. He now has a school and promotion and shows that once you Pro-Wrestling is in your blood, it never goes away.

Al Snow
http://raw.wwe.com/superstars/snow/images/al1.jpg
This man has trained a ton of talent who were tough enough, long before tough enough even existed. This guy is so underrated and so talented. We will talk about he rise to the WWE and how he paid his dues to get to the top.

CJ O'Doyle
http://www.trashtalkingradio.com/Show/Guests/CJODoylesm.jpg This guy has some a long way in a short time. Working his way up the promotions and now in 2 of the best Indy's out there. Everyone will know who CJ is by the end of this program.

Check out the show Every Tuesday from 7-10 EST on
http://www.trashtalkingradio.com
or
http://www.hbgpr.org
You will find archives on past shows and info on future shows as well as links to your favorite wrestlers sites, promotions and pictures.

Upcoming shows
1/27/04 Show
Larry Zbyzsko & Ricky Morton

2/3/2004
Dory Funk JR & Steve Corino

2/10/2004
Talia

2/17/2004
Jerry Lynn

2/24/2004
Raven

See you in the ring and on the air. Public Radio will never be the same.
*************************************************
Here is a wide variety of wrestling promotions to check out.
Some of them are out of business. Some of them even have an old site along with a new site. It was very interesting to run through some of these sites.
Just copy and paste the link below and enjoy your surfing.

http://www.geocities.com/therocksays2485/IndependentWrestling.html

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www.wrestlingthenandnow.com
www.johnnyvaliant.net
Johnny Valiant is available for comedy clubs, indie wrestling shows, private parties, motivational speaking, corporate functions and more. For bookings or to join our e-mail list contact through manager Evan Ginzburg at: evan_ginzburg@yahoo.com

JOHNNY VALIANT FALL TOUR

As a two-time World Wide Wrestling Federation tag team champion, Johnny Valiant sold out huge arenas worldwide and has many a story to tell. And as an actor, stand-up, and improv artist, he's worked with the best that show business has to offer.

In "An Evening With Johnny Valiant" the WWF Hall of Famer tells his life story and what a story it is. From appearing in the WWF's Wrestlemania before 93,000 people to a recurring role on The Sopranos, Johnny has seen and done it all.

The media's raved about Johnny Valiant. The WWE was there to cover his funny and poignant show for Raw Magazine. So don't miss "An Evening With Johnny Valiant" when he returns to the prestigious Theater for the New City in Manhattan's East Village. Directed by Gary Wagner. There will be video highlights, a Q&A, meet and greet and autograph signing after each show. Advance tickets available at: www.theaterforthenewcity.net.

Upcoming in #153- Road Warrior Hawk Interview

For details on WT&N 2003 Autographed Dr. Death Don Arnold 84 page mag ($15) and 60 page magazine 1980s Clips Spectacular ($10) and other great wrestling merchandise visit www.wrestlingthenandnow.com

The following article appeared in the Long Island Press:

WRESTLING WITH HIS PAST: JOHNNY VALIANT TELLS ALL
By Kenny Herzog

In the middle of a tiny stage at the forefront of the Theater for the New City in Manhattan, a middle-aged man with graying curly hair and a mammoth, 230-pound frame is flanked by a table and chair, as well as old wrestling posters and memorabilia.

He hugs his microphone, peers into the intimately situated crowd and sets sail on a 90-minute one-man show that slices and dices his days as a professional wrestler with animated humor and unexpected sensitivity. Facial expressions constantly mutating, the tone and accent of his voice shifting and shaping itself around whatever he's reminiscing about at that moment, he sometimes sits on his chair and contemplates, only to burst back up in an animated impersonation of former fellow grapplers.

The man is Johnny Valiant, two-time tag-team champion in the 1970s for Vince McMahon Senior's World Wide Wrestling Federation, and later, well-known manager for Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in Vince McMahon, Jr.'s 1980s incarnation of the World Wrestling Federation. And this is a taste of what it's like to experience his new one-man show, An Evening With Johnny Valiant, which is running each Saturday night through the end of November at the Theater for the New City on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

"It's an improvisational slice of a pro wrestler as a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, to a young adult obtaining different world championships and whatnot...not at all scripted," explains the 56-year-old Valiant, who now makes his home on the west side of Manhattan.

"It certainly is not an exposé," he says, "but there was a lot of funny things that happened [in my career] and probably a lot of pathetic things as well. When I do my one-man shows, I don't play to the audience at all. I'm just doing an internal monologue, they just happen to be there along for the ride.

"I'm not like Woody Allen that used to write 150 jokes a day," he later muses. And impressively, he's also gone into this with no real training, relying exclusively on a combination of his own memories and the creative impulses that turn them into something worth paying money to see.

Valiant's flamboyant in-ring persona was as helpful in ascending up the sport's ladder, as it was toward eliciting homophobic jeers from capacity crowds for his then-flashy leather-and-shades attire. He rose to prominence with his tag-team partner and "brother," Jimmy Valiant, and manager, Captain Lou Albano (who you might recall as Cyndi Lauper's dad in the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" video), and was ultimately a part of the profession over the course of five decades. His tenure with the world-famous WWF, however, came to a halt in 1990.

"It wasn't really smooth," Valiant admits. "Being that we have no retirement or we have no 401K, I was more or less just released and I just took it with a grain of salt and thanked McMahon for his employment over the years."

He also confesses to being disappointed in not remaining with the company (even if behind-the-scenes), because he and Vince Jr. had attended military school in Virginia together as teenagers.

"I would have thought I would have been one of the ones he would have kept around, but I was not," he says with a hint of remorse. "But it's a [transition] that I probably never really have, not so much forgave him for letting me go, but I would have liked to still been involved in it. That transition's seen me do a lot of adjustments with different jobs and whatnot."

From there, the Pittsburgh native moved to New York in the hopes of an acting career. Recently, Valiant has been seen as a prison official on the HBO drama Oz and a bodyguard for mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi on The Sopranos. Overall though, the acting game has proved more difficult for a former wrestling legend than a current superstar like The Rock. As a result, Valiant turned away from fiction 10 years ago and toward his past, crafting his unique standup and improv act. His dramatization of sharing a room with 7-foot, 4-inch Andre the Giant while the behemoth stomped around in the nude and uttered the words, "I'm lonely" is, pardon the cliché, fall-out-of-your-seat funny.

An Evening...has gotten some notice from the likes of The Village Voice and Time Out New York, the latter calling it, "An exorcism of the demons one acquires on the sleeper-hold circuit." Even Darren Aronofsky, director of Requiem for a Dream, has been seen at one of Valiant's performances. But does this compare to either the massive adulation or hatred of thousands of fans packed into an arena?

"Oh yeah, totally," Valiant says without hesitation. "I feel the sparks and the creative juices. Getting into the ring is like getting onto the stage. It's very much a parallel experience."

Valiant has also been known to talk about the trappings of being a professional wrestling superstar in his generation; becoming so consumed by your character that Dr. Jekyll begins to overwhelm Hyde. While the upholding of a wrestler's persona is no longer required to sustain the believability of the product, it would be hard to imagine a member of the sport's primary insurgence would find much to favor in today's immoral, over-the-top WWE spectacles.

"I don't think it's better," he says of the modern version of pro wrestling. "They go down a lot of different roads we would have never been allowed to do years ago, with the sexual overtones and whatnot; all for the purpose, of course, of the reaction of the fans. And I guess it requires a lot more for people's attention nowadays, or else they're gonna change the channel on ya, and heaven forbid they should do that...There's no sense and logic in what these fellows do to themselves today."

As much as everything is out on the table with today's wrestlers and they are allowed to drop their character as soon as they leave the arena, Valiant reveals there's not a whole lot to uncover about the Hulk Hogans, Greg Valentines and more mysterious wrestlers of generations past with whom he's had a chance to work.

"The crazy thing is I managed Hogan, I managed Beefcake, I went to military school with Vince, I traveled the world with a lot of these guys, but in all sincerity, I can honestly say I know nothing about them," he says. "It's all surface. Whatever I knew about them was only a dressing room or maybe in a restaurant or something. Maybe that's the way people want it. There's no communication or connection with us for some reason."

For any athletes suddenly too old to participate in their sport, but lacking an equivalent desire to do anything else, it can be a rough road toward carving out a new life. One look at the number of former wrestlers deceased or living in depressed conditions, from Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig to Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is proof of that. Valiant, on the other hand, seems to have thing in perspective.

"At my age, I'm quite fortunate to be pursuing a career which I certainly have no business being in, because I'm not an actor and I certainly don't look at myself as a comedian," he laughs. "However, I can do both. And one of these days, maybe I'll get a chance to do something with some merit, but for right now, it's going to be Theater for the New City."

Just out! WT&N #153- Road Warrior Hawk Tribute $2.50 Rare clips/original artwork/multiple articles on the Road Warriors For details on WT&N 2003 Autographed Dr. Death Don Arnold 84 page mag ($15) and 60 page magazine 1980s Clips Spectacular ($10) and other great wrestling merchandise visit www.wrestlingthenandnow.com

-------------------------------------------------------

Interviews with wrestling legends Road Warrior Hawk, Ric Flair, and Classy Freddie Blassie.

Special Interview - Animal remembers Road Warrior Hawk

Thanks to Blake Norton and The Bagpipe Report Newsletter for allowing Wrestling 365 to re-print this article...

"Part of my life is gone. Hawk and I have been best friends, brothers, everything."

He was a consummate businessman. Hours earlier, he'd be in contact about The Road Warriors doing business here in Ireland. But now that wasn't an option; in such little time the landscape of Road Warrior Animal's life had changed forever.

Three days ago, Hawk, one half of what many consider to be the most popular tag team of all time, passed away in his sleep. I put the call through to Animal, totally unprepared to do an interview. "How are you doing?" I asked; and within seconds, we were on a journey through his life, his times, his partner, friend and confidant. Instinctively, I began taking notes on the beautifully candid web of truths, insights and memories he shared. By the tone of his voice and the manner of his delivery, it was clearly something he wanted to share with the fans, the fans that Hawk and Animal attribute their amazing success story to. There was a pure, unbridled honesty about Animal in the wake of tragedy that shone through from his opening words.
It took ten minutes for the business part of his mind to kick in, a reflection of Animal's candor and sincerity. "Hey... are you taking notes on this?" he asked abruptly, no doubt hearing the feverish woodpecker-like tapping on a keyboard in the background.

"Yes" I answered. And forward we went.

This wasn't an interview, it was a conversation between friends who probably work far too much for their own good; so in accordance with the wishes of former world tag team champion Road Warrior Animal, I share with you the dignified and candid story of the Road Warriors.

The Last Time We Talked

Part of my life is gone. Hawk and I have been best friends, brothers, everything. Laughing, kidding around. He called me the morning before he died. "Man, these buggers are killing my head!" he grunted with a laugh. He was pulling the staples out of his head he got from a stray chair in his latest match. As we're laughing on the phone, he outright refuses to go to the hospital to have it done by professionals, as usual. "I'm not going to a doctor! Dr Hawk can do it!" he growled. We're like the two stooges.

As Close as Brothers, as Close as Family

Hawk wouldn't want people crying about him. Hawk had a big heart. My kids were like his kids. He'd just brag about them to everyone. He always used to say that he couldn't have kids himself -- he'd point to his face, and say "because I wouldn't want to do this to them!" Hawk was so proud of my son James. James is 6'3" already, a high school football player. Hawk would brag about him so much. That was the way he was. I have one son in the army. He'd pray for them every day.
Hawk had a unique relationship with his wife. They share a bond and a love. People are lucky to even think about it in this world. Hawk and I talked just like every Joe collar worker out there; about the wife, the kids. Those were the first topics of conversation. Business came second. And every day, at the end of the conversation, not to be ashamed of it, Hawk would say "you know, Animal, I love you, man." I'd say "I love you too, brother."

Hawk and I had a relationship with the fans unlike anyone. The fans reacted to our look.
We're doing a book right now. I owe it to him to finish it and put it out. I hate to say it, but the truth is that his passing will help sales. Everything is coming from the heart, and it's true. We were almost done, man. We have so much footage! But it will be finished, and dedicated to his memory.

The New Hawk

One of the things Hawk and I never did was have big heads about the business, and we never forgot where we came from. We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we had something special together. That doesn't mean that there weren't challenges. Hawk lived life to its fullest. "Here's hawk, he did it all and it did him in!" he used to say. "I want you to make sure it's on my tombstone!" I'd yell "don't say that, man!" I didn't want to hear that!
People can say what they want to say about being a born again Christian. Everybody acts like you can't talk about it in society, like it's such a taboo subject. For Hawk, it started two years ago. I was going to a religious meeting, and Hawk called and asked if he could come. Since then, he has been a committed Christian. Hawk has thanked me every day for the last two years. All the events we did with Ted DiBiase, not only did we succeed in everyday wrestling, but now it was in the Christian end too. People believed in what we were saying. Guys like Austin now do an interview and you know when they're misleading you, portraying a character over who they really are. We talk about our real lives, from being bouncers on up, no sugarcoating.

The Legion of Doom

The one thing Hawk wanted was for people to see that the last five years, he changed. The last Dream Poll they did on WWE.com, Hawk and I had 42 percent of the vote. Hawk was so proud of that fact. He was a man's man. He'd tell you to your face what he thought (laughs). After all these years, Hawk and I grew into one unit. I could look at his eyes in the ring. He and I looked at each other and had what I can only explain as ESP. I knew exactly what he was thinking, what move he was going to do, where I should be; and vice versa. We still had a lot to offer. We knew there was enough left in our business because of the fans that there was 3-5 years left of a good run. We wanted to go out that way, on top.
Something that bothered Mike was that Vince McMahon never accepted his calls. Hawk wanted to call him up and be a man's man, say what had to be said. Vince and Hawk had some falling outs over the years, there's no question about that; but Hawk was ready to put it behind them, and both sides could have benefited from giving the relationship another try. It wasn't to be; but well, he'll get the last laugh now, brother! He's up there with Owen and Stu looking down. They've got (Brian) Pillman, Davey Boy, Curt Henning. Let me tell you something, they have a better territory up in heaven than anywhere down here right now, Hawk's going to make good money up there! (laughs)
Fans need to know that the Road Warriors were the Road Warriors, plural. Yes, we both individually could have done something great in this business, but... Hawk brought the best out in Animal, and Animal brought the best out in Hawk. What people don't realize about Hawk is that he was a very... a very loving and caring guy. He had the biggest heart and had the best intentions in the world. I know Vince McMahon held a grudge against him because Hawk had a mishap several years
ago when he was under certain influences; but people knew it was the substances talking. It's a real shame that some people just couldn't let the situation go.
Hawk is a bigger man for how he has conducted himself these last few years, because he admitted and took care of his problem. Nobody's going to dump every vice they've got, but he worked hard every day to treat his family and friends with respect. People need to remember that. He was a true friend, a brother... I've been closer to him for twenty-one years than my own family.

Working with WWE

Hawk was so excited when the WWE called and asked if we could do TV (earlier this year). They told us it would be a fifteen minute segment; but by the time Austin got done talking, we had three and a half minutes. So we walk down to the ring, get set up in the corner how they like, and half the time is already gone. They wanted to know if we would get a pop. Well, we got a pop; there were so many signs in the crowd! The people erupted. We were really disheartened by what we were told afterwards. They said they didn't like the match; I said we just didn't have the time to do a real match. What kind of a match can you have in two minutes?
With the WWE when they said they'd do business (earlier this year), we wanted to retire with the WWE, like Kiss doing their retirement tour, a twelve year retirement tour (laughs). I kidded with Jim Ross, sent him an email about a five-year retirement tour. All over Europe, Russia, the UK, we would have done good business. We were disappointed that we got the wrong call. We could have done good business for the WWE. Look at Kane and Rob Van Dam; they didn't mean anything as a team before they beat us on Raw. They have credibility individually, but not as a tag team; not until they wrestled The Road Warriors. The WWE teams are struggling. They never piped in cheers for us like they do for so many of them these days.

Balancing the business mind of Animal with the charisma and spontaneity of Hawk

Hawk was the guy who would flip out immediately and knock you out. I was the guy who would take it... take it... take it... THEN knock you out (laughs). Hawk, God bless him, he tried... but it wasn't within his chemical makeup to be a businessman. I didn't mind it. I prided myself on the technical end, the production end of the business. People don't realize that with the exception of the paint and haircuts -- the haircuts were Hawk, the paint we did together - everything was my idea. The shoulder pads, the look, they were all things I came up with. All the production was my idea. I'd script a lot of the matches and tell Hawk his part - because that's what worked well for us. When Paul Ellering left, that area (match writing) was open. It didn't make one of us better than the other. It made us function as a team.
Take a look at the interviews and you see the dynamic reflected. Hawk would be the wild guy who would go off the handle, and I'd close the deal, making the key points we needed to get over in the interview about our opponents, the titles, the storyline. When we got out there, I would snatch the really big guys and press them over my head. Hawk would do a lot of flying, where I did the ground, power work. (It's really a metaphor for our whole lives). I was pretty much a jock, I had the jock mentality, not that I was better, but I spent so many years getting myself into shape that I didn't want to screw with that. Hawk was very much of each and every moment. He lived life at a thousand miles an hour.

Hawk Left WWF in 1992; Shortly Thereafter, the Road Warriors Split Up

I was offered to come back as a singles wrestler by the WWF, but I turned it down. Meanwhile, over in Japan, they tried to make Hawk and Kenski the Road Warriors. Hawk said no. So they called it them the Hellraisers.
I understand that Hawk had to leave the WWF at that point. Hawk needed to do it, and Vince McMahon didn't keep up his end of several promises that were made to us. We stuck to our word and gave 100 percent. Two or three different times when they didn't do what they promised, and Hawk just said "I can't take it any more." It was his way of rebelling -- simply doing what he wanted to do. When he stayed over in England, like a businessman like you said, I fulfilled two of his bookings in Japan where I had Crush as my partner there. I took a double suplex and got dropped crooked, and I herniated a couple of discs.
Hawk said "I really want to do this thing with Kenski." I said "Don't worry about it, build him up, we'll come back and turn on him, build up the story." We did a six man tag instead, I didn't mind that. I thank God that we could do this our whole career, our gimmick was so strong. People never forgot, because we'd go from territory to territory. We'd go to Oregon, Montreal with Dino Bravo. We never stayed too long in one place, but we worked them all. We'll take that with us forever. We won every championship there was to win. No team can ever say that again.

The challenges of dealing with Hawk's years of hard living

It was brutal. I was parent, friend, babysitter, nurse and partner. All in one! For fifteen years. Hawk would be the first one to tell you that. He was really proud of that, that five years ago he cleaned himself up, and he could return the favor, to look out for me the way I'd done for him.
Everyone was proud of him. He made major steps that people didn't realize, that they didn't recognize and take to heart. Hawk really wanted to prove something to Vince, and it was a hard thing for him to accept that Vince wouldn't give him another look.
It was hard at times. It's brutal. Sometimes your partner was drunk. It was tough. But hey, I'll tell you what, never once was Hawk not able to do his job in the ring. As soon as the music played, he was ready to be Raod Warrior Hawk. Nobody can take that away from him. A lot of our situation with the WWF over the years comes down to positioning; We knew who was doing what (drug) all along, but when Vince was in trouble for steroids, some of the boys got leaned on heavily and others not at all.

The Legacy of the Road Warriors

We had so much fun tagging together I don't know if we could put a finger on our favorite matches or guys to wrestle. But I'm not going to be a guy like Arn Anderson who disses and damns everyone and chops everyone's ankles out. Arn made a comment about us being idiots who couldn't tie our own boots, not to mention wrestle in main events, but let him feel that way. Arn got a nice big contact because of us, he got opportunities because of us. The Four Horsemen got popular because they wrestled Hawk and I. We had the Wargames going on. People forget about those. The scaffold matches.
We've been in every kind of brutal match in this business. Hawk broke his leg and two weeks later took his cast off and we did a scaffold match because we'd made a commitment to Jimmy Crockett. I taped up his leg and he went in there and did the match without missing a beat. I had broken ankles and hands. It's not like today, where you get a hangnail and you're out six months. We're not saying we're better than anyone, but we respect the business, and the show must go on. When Warlord fell on my eye, I was meant to be out six months, I was out two. My orbital socket wasn't healed yet, but that's what you used to do. You used to go to work regardless.

The Future

It's going to take a few months for everything to kick in, but I hope the promoters find it in their heart to do tribute shows. This is good business to them. They should think about it, Hawk would want it. It's good for everybody. I'd be happy to come in and be a referee, sign autographs, you know. When you have a gimmick like ours, nobody will ever top it. You will never see it again.
Being the most successful tag team out there, we're definitely writing the book. Aaron Lee is our publisher down in Palm Springs, Florida. We're taking bids from publishing companies. They know it's going to sell. This isn't a book from a Bobby Heenan or something else. It's a book from the greatest tag team of all time. They'll use us to sell it. We're going to dedicate it to Hawk. He would with me. Our hearts were the biggest things. I have to keep the name alive.
This is the end of an era. I own the names, LOD and Road Warrior Hawk and Animal, I've patented them for the last six, seven years, but I don't think I can go on with that name. I may as a tribute to Mike for a year, but nobody can replace him. It's like peanut butter and jelly! When they tried to add in Curly Joe to the three stooges it never worked, and there is no partner for Animal who can replace Hawk. The Road Warriors, The Legion of Doom; the team has retired, it retired with Hawk.
We made a commitment to each other that good or bad we'd stick by each other. I was going to honor that commitment to my partner, and he did the same thing. We made a tremendous amount of money in this business. We just wanted the chance, and we proved our point. We got a standing ovation in Philadelphia and Baltimore working for the WWE earlier this year. The (website) poll proved it. Hawk did what he wanted to do. He achieved his ultimate goal. He's laughing at the Warrior, laughing at guys who make fun of how he bettered his life and his surroundings. He's up there with God. If they were to die, where would they be? I know three quarters would go to hell! (laughs jokingly)
I know my partner changed his mind and bettered himself in the last few years. Maybe he had an insight. you just don't know. I've been there and felt the feeling when you do something good. There is a presence. A real presence. I feel it. It's real. I have no regrets. We all do the best we can, we all have our challenges; and at the end of the day, Hawk believed in me and my family as I do in him. He took great pride in and had great appreciation for everyone in his life, his family, his friends, and you better believe the fans. Certain people can say what they want to say, but the crowd always erupted when The Road Warriors hit the arena floor. It was a special feeling we shared with everyone in the building when the PA came alive as Hawk growled those immortal words,

"Oh, What a Rush!"

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ONE-ON-ONE WITH RIC FLAIR - W365 INTERVIEW

Thanks to Brad Burke of the Peoria Journal Star for allowing Wrestling 365 to reprint his recent interview with wrestling legend Ric Flair...

Burke: You've been both hero and villain in the eyes of fans through the years. Do you prefer being booed or cheered?
Flair: Actually, I prefer being respected. (Laughs) I don't care whether they cheer or boo, as long as they respect me.

Burke: You broke your back in multiple places during a horrific plane crash in the 1970s, and doctors told you you'd never wrestle again. Still, you were back in the ring four months later. What was your mind-set during your comeback?
Flair: You know, it's funny. I can't remember the mind set. I don't think that at that point in my career or my life that I ever took anything negative. I think I tried really hard to keep myself in a positive frame of mind. If I wasn't going to be able to wrestle I was going to have to prove it for myself.

Burke : You're wrestling guys who were in diapers when you were a champion in the 1970s and 1980s. How do you lock horns with these young bucks?
Flair: It's funny. When I came back to the company, I was never going to wrestle again. I did it once, then twice, then three times. It took me a while to get back in the swing of things ... but now that I'm back and wrestling on a semi-regular basis... it's become a challenge for me now to stay with these young guys. I'm motivated and pushed every day to compete at that level.

Burke: Do the younger guys tease you or make arthritis jokes in the locker room?
Flair: I think I serve a very positive side to them. You know, who's going to tease me about my performance? (Long pause) Well, I'm asking you...

Burke: Oh, uh, no one?
Flair: Who on our roster could tease me about my performance?

Burke: Uh, I'm not knockin you. I don't see anybody-
Flair: (Laughs) I'm teasing you. I'm just giving you (a hard time). That's how I answer that question.

Burke: I'm glad we're not sitting face to face because I would have been terrified you'd throw me through a card table or something.
Flair: I'm just being a bad guy now. No, they know it. I feel like I have the respect of the guys, and I respect them. We have a very, very, very tight-knit fraternity within the WWE...

Burke: Your specialty move in a wrestling video game was a sucker punch from behind. How to you react to being called the "dirtiest player in the game."
Flair: I take that as years of experience and being experienced. I've learned how to compensate when I'm hurt. I've learned to play the game at every level. If I have to be, I will be the dirtiest player in the game. I'll stick my thumb in someone's eye, I'll pull their hair, I'll stomp on their fingers, their thumbs, their head. I'll do whatever it takes to win, that's what it's all about.

Burke: Bottom line: Are you the best wrestler of all time?
Flair: Hmm, I was. (Laughs.) On a given date, yeah. .... It's because I've had the longevity and have been blessed with good health. I've also had a lot of great opponents. Does that make sense? You can't do it by yourself.

Burke: You're know as one of the ultimate tough guys. What makes Ric Flair cry?
Flair: Emotion. My kids can make me cry. When I first came back in this business a couple times, you probably saw it, when I was struggling emotionally with getting myself back into the mental shape I had to be. ... I had to ask myself, was I ready to be in that position? Six months ago I wasn't ready (to fight for the title). Now I am.

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- "CLASSY" FREDDIE BLASSIE - INTERVIEW - Chris Yandek: mailto:yandek@essentialwrestling.com

On May 7th of 2003, I had the chance to speak to "Classy" Freddie Blassie in an interview that touched many subjects. The interview was 22 minutes long and covered his whole career, and my feelings are that if an 85 year old and a 17 year old could have a conversation about wrestling and I made him laugh, then I was doing my job. I consider it my best interview ever. He will be missed and will be in all our prayers.

First off how are you?
"Fine."

Your book, Legends of Wrestling: "Classy" Freddie Blassie -- Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks, is the story of your life from growing up in St. Louis, Missouri to your start in wrestling to your run with the WWE. Did you think it was time to do this book and what can fans expect from the book all together?
"I was approached to write the story of my life. After all I am 85 years old, and I guess they figured and I figured as well that it was high time to write something because I am getting a little bit old."

How did you come up with the catch phrase "listen, you pencil neck geeks"?
"Well, that was when I was a teenie youngster. I was wrestling in a carnival, and I got there a little early. The fellow who ran the wrestling carnival told me, 'Why don't you go next door and take a look at the freaks?' I went in there and there was this guy biting heads off a chicken and snakes and things. When I left he then said to me, 'How did you like it?' I don't know. This guy here makes me sick. He bites the heads off of snakes and everything. He said, 'He is a real pencil neck. In fact he is a real pencil neck geek.' That is how that came about."

Your made your debut in wrestling at a carnival. What was that like, and maybe you can go back and tell me what the days of wrestling were like back then, and your mom thought wrestling was foolishness am I right?
"Well, it is altogether different then today in that era. Now there is more aerial tactics and everything, and the fellas are in much better condition then we ever thought of being because many times I would wrestle and then get in a car and drive 300 miles, and I didn't have enough money for a room so I would sleep in my car, and if I needed a bite to eat I would get a hamburger or something. It is a lot harder today. I am glad I was in the early days of wrestling instead of today."

Why do you think you got over so well as a heel as a wrestler and a manager that by being such a bad guy during your wrestling programs that you have had death threats, been stabbed 21 times, and even been doused with acid. What are your thoughts on all that and did you ever consider being a good guy?
"No. That was the farthest thing from my mind because I looked out at the audience and I saw nothing but idiots. Anybody that goes and cuts somebody or throws acid on them I guarantee you and also losing the side of a right eye, that these are things you don't look forward to when you become a wrestler because you're thinking about getting in a ring and getting out. All I ever thought about was getting in a ring and getting out safely the way I got in, but it didn't happen that way."

How many legitimate injuries did you have through your career?
"If I were to tell you, I wouldn't be telling you the truth. I had every rib on the right side broken, five on the left, two inner planted knees, one kidney, and the cuts and different things that happened in the injuries in the ring and out of the ring. I suffered as much out of the ring as I did in the ring due to these idiotic fans."

When you left to serve your country in World War 2 in the Navy, did you ever think you would return to wrestling, and how did you end back in wrestling after the war?
"Well, I always wanted to be a wrestler. There was no two ways about it. My mother use to call it foolishness. She said, 'Why don't you cut out the foolishness and get a job?' I said that I wanted to be a wrestler. She said, 'Yeah, but you're not making any money and no expenses or nothing.' I said, 'But I don't care I want to be a wrestler.' Many times I went hungry, and many times for lack of sleep I slept in my automobile. If I wanted to use the mens' room I would have to go to a service station. Things weren't all peaches and cream, but the fellows today with the traveling they do, it is a lot harder today then what I did."

What were the days of the wrestling territories like for you in New York, Los Angeles, and Georgia?
"You're going through a territory like you say New York. The first time I came to New York I was a punk kid wrestling around East St Louis, Illinois and East St. Louis, Missouri where I am from, and I wasn't doing anything. One of the fellas said, 'Why don't you go to New York? They are looking for wrestlers.' Like a ding a ling I went to New York, and I had about four matches or five. The promoter called me on the side one time, and he said, 'You are not qualified to wrestle these men up here. Go somewhere and learn the trade, and I am sure one of these days you are going to be a top notcher.' I thought to myself that this old geezer just wants to get rid of me, and I know what he is after. I left New York and went down south for most of my wrestling training, and it was rough as those southerners played for keeps."

Tell me about your classic feud with John Tolos in Los Angeles territory, and what are your best memories of John Tolos all together?
"I had a lot of respect for John Tolos as a person, but as a wrestler not too much. I didn't care for anyone else because as I was concerned there was only one wrestler and that was "Classy" Freddie Blassie. John gave me fit after fit after fit, and I put on those tights and got in the ring with him. I knew that I was going to be in for a heck of a beating and I knew he was going to get one too. That is the reason the fans turned out when Tolos and Blassie would meet in the ring."

Tell me about your very bloody feud with Rikidozan in Japan as you made a name for yourself as the "vampire" for that very violent feud, and what was it like working in Japan overall?
"Well, they wanted some wrestlers for Japan, and I had never been there, and I was champion over here which meant nothing to the Japanese. They only had one wrestler in mind and that was Rikidozan. I went over there and wrestled, and I had battle after battle not only with the wrestlers but the fans also. They would follow me as I would get up in the morning, and I would go out to the restaurant and get a bite to eat and there would be 50 to 100 people in the lobby waiting to see me. Every step I took they took right with me. They were great wrestling fans, but they sure didn't care for Freddie Blassie. They called him the vampire."

What was it like to wrestle at the beginning of the WWE under the first of the McMahon's Jess McMahon, then his son Vincent James McMahon, and his grandson, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, and how do they compare and how do you think each contributed to the success of the WWE?
"Well, Vince McMahon Jr. the promoter today, he's got more on the ball then all the other promoters put together. From the years gone by, you could accumulate and get them altogether and shake them up side down, and their brains wouldn't even rattle because they don't have any, but I guarantee you that this man here has been condemned so many times, but that is something I will never be able to see because time after time after time he came to my rescue, and I always respect that from his wife, children, father Vince McMahon Sr, and Jess was the man who gave me the advice by saying 'Son, you gotta get more experience before you're qualified to keep wrestling with the fellas like this. It is is the best advice I could have gotten."

You managed Hulk Hogan in the WWWF days during the early feud between Hogan and Andre the Giant when Hogan was a heel. What are your thoughts fully on Hogan and does it amaze you to see him still wrestling today on WWE and as popular as ever?
"That is something nobody can understand. Here is a guy who has lost matches and everything, and hasn't given really to many good interviews. He is impressed with his own importance which is good, but he is not as good as he thinks he is."

You also had the chance to manage Jessie Ventura during his days with the WWE. What are your full thoughts on Jesse Ventura as a wrestler, and did you ever think he would be the governor of Minnesota?
"He was a great talker even when I was managing. He wouldn't even listen when I was telling him things to do. He had his own way of doing it and that was the way it was going to be. When he got elected Governor of Minnesota I was very surprised. People say I should have ran competition to him. I am not a politician. I am strictly a wrestler at all times at front, center, and end. That is how it will always be. "Classy" Freddie Blassie the wrestler not "Classy" Freddie Blassie the politician."

You got the chance to manage Muhammad Ali in the infamous "boxer vs. wrestler" match. What was it like to work with Muhammad Ali, and do you consider that one of the biggest highlights of your career?
"Muhammad Ali was one of the nicest gentleman I ever had the pleasure to meet. He never disputed anything I told him. When he went over to fight Antonio Inoki, Inoki kept staying on the mat and kept kicking, and they would come back in after the round, and Muhammad Ali would tell Angelo Dundee who was manager that, 'I am going to go out and get on the mat with him.' I said, 'Don't you dare to that because it will be the biggest mistake of your life.' What he will do is break your leg and arm because a boxer has no chance whatsoever with a wrestler. When you have a mixed match with boxer versus wrestler or wrestler versus boxer you can always bet your bottom dollar that the boxer is going to lose."

How did Hollywood affect your career as far as working with Andy Kaufman in the film Breakfast with Blassie which was an underground classic in which you uttered: "What the hell ever happened to the human race?"
"Andy was another guy. This was a fella when I came out of the ring and I am going down to the dressing room and he is standing there. I said, 'Hey boy you're not allowed back here. Get out of here.' I chased him out. The next week I came back and he is there again. I said, 'I ran you out last week. Get the hell out of here. I don't care what you want. Get out of here.' I walked down to the locker room and the fella that takes care of the locker room and showers said, 'Mr. Blassie, do you know who that is?' I said, 'No.' He said, ' That is Andy Kaufman.' I said, 'Who is Andy Kaufman?' He said, 'He is a comedian.' I said, 'He is not to funny to me.' The following week he wasn't there and I said, 'Well, I got rid of him once and for all.' I had to park a half a block away from the Olympic Auditorium because there was no parking facilities, but anyhow as I start walking to my car he yells, 'Mr Blassie.' I thought oh no not again. I said, 'What do you want?' He said, 'I want to talk to you.' I said, 'I don't want to talk to you.' He said, 'Please I want to talk to you.' I invited him over and I took him out and we had a bite to eat, and from then on we became friends. He was one of the nicest kids I had ever had the pleasure to meet. He wanted to become Freddie Blassie of the entertainment world."

When you finished your career in the ring with the WWE, what were your thoughts retiring from in ring action as a wrestler, and was it hard for you?
"Well, yes. It was quite a blow to my ego. I didn't think I was ever going to get old. They decided to make me a manager, and I couldn't wrestle no more. Some of the promoters would use me, but they wanted to give preliminary money. I wasn't fit to be tied with preliminary money. I gave my value at an arena to the gate at 85 percent to the drawing capacity."

Tell me about how The Grand Wizard, Captain Lou Albano, and yourself started Paul Heyman's career in wrestling in many ways.
"Well, Paul Heyman, this guy here is a little weird. He wanted to get involved, and he got acquainted with The Grand Wizard. I went down to Manhattan, New York before the Madison Square Garden shows, and The Grand Wizard said, 'Hey. I have a kid over here who wants to sell some of your pictures.' I thought to myself 'ready cash.' I was visualizing maybe 50 bucks to 100 bucks, and I give the kid I forget how many pictures off hand as it could be 50 to 100 pictures. Two weeks later they said, 'Hey, Paul Heyman is looking for you.' I said, 'Who is Paul Heyman?' He said, 'That is the guy who sells those pictures.' I said, 'Oh yeah.' I was visualizing money like 50 or 100 dollars, and he came in and gave me three dollars. I said, 'Three dollars? What the hell are you doing with three dollars? I will beat your brains in.' He said, 'That is all I sold.' I said, 'All you sold? I thought you were going to sell pictures.' That was my first acquaintance with Paul Heyman."

You are known today as a very motivational speaker for all the guys in WWE today. What kind of reaction do you get from the current WWE Superstars of today when you go to a show or a WWE event, and do you still follow the current WWE product today?
"Yeah. Today the wrestler has a much harder time with the aerial tactics they use and everything with the body slams, in the ring and out of the ring, head into the ring post, and once in a while my wife will say, 'Where is so and so?.' I say, 'He got hurt. He is in the hospital or at home recuperating.' The promoter won't use you unless you can draw money, and if you can't draw money then you're not worth a hill of beans."

When you watch the wrestling today and you see these guys take these incredible bumps and you look back on your time, do you think today's WWE product is more entertainment then it is about the wrestling?
"Well, people say prearranged this and prearranged that. You never had a prearranged anything for me as I did my own prearranging. I would go out and bust your head open and chew on your forehead, your ear, and I used to file my teeth and that was legit because they would put the camera right on my mouth and watch me file the teeth. There is no way you can get around saying that it doesn't hurt."

Finally, maybe you could give a message to your fans, and you supposedly tell the best Polish jokes so maybe we can get one of those as well?
"Polish joke? I have never heard of a good Polish joke. You ever hear of Ivan Putski? He is not worth a hill of beans. He was ridiculing me while I was doing an interview. I stopped the interview, and I walked over to Ivan Putski where he was sitting with a couple of his cohorts. I said, 'Get up you oh I can't say it here, but anyway the guy sat there like he was glued to his chair. I said, 'Get up. When I am finished with you I will stomp you to death.' To this day he hasn't fully recuperated from what I said, and believe me I was in the mood to do it too because here is a guy that is named Putski with his dance and all that, and you take that away from him and he has nothing. Well, remember there is only one "Classy" Freddie Blassie. You know if you're in good health, age doesn't really matter unless you are a cheese."

Chris Yandek is a Writer for the St. Petersburg Times Online Wrestling Section at Ringfury.com. Check out his official website at www.neweraofwrestling.com.





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The following are pictures of The Iron Man Match between Shane Shadows and myself that occurred in West Virginia November 17th 2002. Since I don't like to brag on myself. I used Shanes own words that he posted on his website. There was a State Championship football game that night, and those West Virginians take their High School sports seriously. Most of the town was at the game. That did not deter Shane and I from working as hard as we could for the fans that did come to see a good wrestling show. So sit back and enjoy the story by Shane Shadows and the pictures by Pro Wrestling Illustrated Photographer Timothy A. Walker.

This past Saturday night, at approximately 9 PM, I walked to the ring for the most important match I would ever participate. The "Iron Man Match" was, in my mind, the pinnacle of my wrestling career and greatest test ever. Could I do it? Could I truly wrestle the time limit ( original time limit:45 minutes) Could I keep the fans interested in a bout that long? (Remember, most bouts these days last no longer than 15 minutes) And what about Johnny Graham, one of my oldest and fiercest rivals? What could I expect out of him? After all, Graham and I have fought in Texas Death bouts, total free for alls,and all points in between. This match was truly, except for a steel cage match, the only bout we had never done against each other. We decided, during the ring intros,that we would do something we hadn't done for a while: a straight wrestling match,no gimmicks,no BS; the fans paid to see it, and we were gonna deliver it. My strategy was simple: I wanted to wear out Johnny's legs. I spent the better part of the first 30 minutes working and reworking the same leg hold,ultimtely to set up for a move I first used this past August vs. Greg Valentine: the Figure Four Leglock. John concentrated his attack on my left arm, working and reworking the hold, obviously believing what was circulating around the locker room earlier: I was suffering bad stiffness and pain in my shoulder. Frustration sat in on both our parts, and we began throwing vicious chops and wicked punches at each other. This happened several times throughout the match. I grabbed the advantage and went into the Figure 4. John reversed it. somehow, John gained the advantage a gave me a catapult into the corner; I must have hit the corner at like 75 mph, because and damn near knocked me out, and busted my head open. Time was elapsing, and we were tied at 2 falls apiece (John scored the first with a rollup,I grabbed the second, John scored the third. And I scored the fourth with a "triangle choke" submission. As the time wore down, He and I exchanged go behinds, culminating with me scoring a German suplex;however,I landed badly on my shoulder in the process, and both of us were counted out to 3 as the 45 time limit expired. OVERTIME! We were both fighting hard, trying to score the pinfall or submission that would put us on top. These 5 minute periods felt like the previous 45 minutes, as we both fought thru the exhaustion barrier in our attempt at victory. The first overtime passed, then the second....in the third overtime (now approaching 60 minutes) I rammed his head into the ringpost,opening his head up. I smelt the blood, and brought him in with one of my favorite moves: the piledriver! I thought it was over...1...2....but no, he kicked out! I made a mistake, and Johnny paid me back with a piledriver of his own. I though I was done...1...2...but I kicked out. Another overtime, this one under "sudden death" rules (just like NFL: first guy to score wins) We both kicked and punched and clawed (in the old days, they called that "chopping meat") I hit a big flying kick out of the corner that I thought dimmed his lights for the night-not to be! Finally, I decided to go back for another piledriver,sensing another blow to his head would end it all. But as I lifted him, he backdropped me over, and came down on my chest; as I threw my legs up to sunset flip him, he hooked them.1..2...3! Johnny Graham wins the match and the title! Time of the bout: 67 minutes,34 seconds. In the end, we shook hands. I told him I would be back for my title, and he welcomed the opportunity. And while I would have rather the decision went the other way, I am proud to have been in that match, probably the greatest of my career, against one of my greatest opponents on a night when the thing that mattered most was that we did it, not only to the me limit, but 20 minutes beyond the time limit! So this is a little shout out to the new champ: Thanks, Congratulations, and I'll see you again soon. REAL soon.

Photo's by Tim Walker