0:00

Hey, it's Conrad

0:02

Thompson and you're

0:05

listening to Foley

0:07

is Pod. And

0:14

of course we couldn't do it without the

0:16

Hall of Famer and the hardcore legend himself,

0:18

Mr. Mick Foley. Mick, how are you man?

0:20

I'm doing great. And again, helping

0:22

out my buddy. He's got his own

0:25

energy drink. So if you

0:27

want to pick up a Zoa, help

0:29

out a struggling Dwayne Johnson, we

0:32

would both appreciate it. By the way, did

0:34

you happen to see a young rock,

0:36

the Foley episode? I did. What

0:39

did you think? I

0:42

wrote a little post about it and

0:44

I said, you know, most of my

0:46

like great moments have come like in front

0:48

of like packed arenas, you know,

0:51

that you can share with people. And here I

0:53

am, it's just me in my hotel room. I'm

0:56

fighting off tears. Wow. I

0:58

really was, you know, I mean, he did

1:01

the actor captured the spirit, you know, he

1:03

didn't look that much like me, but he

1:05

captured the spirit of it. And I just

1:08

thought, wow, like that

1:10

is, I didn't

1:12

know. I, you know, that obviously the talks

1:14

I had with Rock, you know, when he

1:16

was before he became a dad or when

1:18

he was a very new father with Simone

1:21

about my love for Christmas must have had

1:24

an impact. No, no, because that made an

1:26

impression on him. No doubt. And

1:28

even though there are some facts there that

1:30

are, you know, smoothed over like the spirit,

1:32

it's true to the spirit of

1:34

that friendship. And I was just really, I was

1:38

just really blown away,

1:40

especially by the life-sized

1:43

figure of Tori Amos made out of every

1:45

thumbtack. Hilarious. I pulled out of my back.

1:47

There is no such thing. But

1:49

it's hilarious. It's hilarious. I wonder now

1:51

if there actually is such a thing

1:53

and if there is such a thing,

1:55

how I can get it. Because I

1:57

would love to have that as a...

2:00

part of my, you know, just part

2:02

of the Foley House collection. I love

2:04

it. I think Young Rock probably gets

2:06

a bad rap. I think a

2:08

lot of hardcore wrestling fans who take a

2:11

look and they say, well that's not

2:13

exactly how this happened. I mean

2:15

the show's not for us. Yes.

2:17

It's for laps fans, casual fans,

2:19

not the hardcore. Yeah. It's for

2:21

families and such and people who

2:23

aren't really fans but maybe

2:25

could be. Not exactly the same thing

2:27

but Tommy Aveloni who did the I

2:30

Am Santa Claus and went on to

2:32

do the Bill Murray stories and I

2:34

Love You, You Hate Me, the Barney

2:37

documentary. It's out there. Yeah.

2:40

It's a great job and the Bill

2:42

Murray stories is outstanding although I think

2:44

is, you know, his crowning,

2:46

his crown jewel

2:48

is I Am Santa Claus. Yes.

2:51

And you know I was an actively

2:53

a part of it, producing it, helping

2:55

with the editing. Even though I didn't

2:57

know anymore which buttons to push, I

2:59

could tell him I think this should

3:01

go here and this there and as

3:03

it pertains specifically to the

3:06

Santa. I know we're not here to, any of

3:08

you guys tuning in, we're not here to do

3:10

a long-form dive, deep dive into I Am Santa

3:13

Claus but I was just pointing out there was

3:15

a swinging Santa and I said,

3:17

I said to Tommy, I said,

3:20

instead of, don't,

3:22

don't, I said put

3:24

the visit to the Swingers Club before

3:27

your interview with Rob, you know, Santa Rob

3:29

and he said, okay, why? I said, let

3:32

people build up their idea of what

3:34

this guy is based on this humorous

3:36

look into, you know, his personal

3:39

life and his, you

3:41

know, fondness for swinging, monogamistic

3:45

lifestyle and then do

3:47

the interview where he will just destroy

3:50

everything you thought about him, destroy in a

3:52

good way because you realize how deep this

3:54

guy is and what a great heart he

3:56

has and so Tommy paid a

3:58

lot of attention to me. When it

4:00

came to i think the she go here the

4:02

sugar there when I saw the final saying yeah

4:05

I was really proud beside played a little handed

4:07

and put out a certain point us tommy I'm

4:09

not sure maybe or be an all to tough

4:11

on. The. Sad as and he

4:13

said make I'm not making this movie.

4:16

For. Scientists. Are

4:18

making it. For. People outside

4:20

that world and I think that's what

4:23

rock is doing. It was young rock.

4:25

You know it's not for that. The

4:27

die hards for the average people who

4:29

either like wrestling a little bit. Or.

4:32

Maybe. Would. Never watch it

4:34

at all of actively dislike it. But.

4:37

Love the characters on the show. So I

4:39

process to subdue the cancer. Illicit.

4:41

It's been awhile since you know, got to sit down.

4:44

Yeah, Not shy about the fact that we try to

4:46

put a few in the can see to go enjoy

4:48

the holiday season. Did. Ah, we

4:50

have supplement weather here in the

4:52

South ah during holidays and it

4:55

even told rolling blackouts and parts

4:57

of Alabama, Tennessee in a few

4:59

other areas and. Grillo,

5:01

our guy or third man here on the

5:03

show. I lost power intermittently day, over and

5:05

over and over and and I was without

5:08

internet for six days. and I'm sure they

5:10

are you. Being from the Northeast, you're like.

5:13

Man these people in the south and

5:15

how to behave but it is different

5:17

down there as well as the main

5:19

difference is so you know his hands

5:22

of the snow and our of my

5:24

kids say all one of the plows

5:26

com and i said. They're.

5:28

Not there aren't any as as it's

5:31

a Saudi related, you let it melt.

5:33

A but dad's gonna be five degrees tomorrow

5:36

next day I said i guess forgot the

5:38

wait a while because I knew from living

5:40

in Texas for we had one big snowstorm

5:42

and I was there and eighty eight or

5:44

nine I am. I knew from living in

5:47

Atlanta where we had one or two and

5:49

my for five years air that you just

5:51

let it melt. brother Yes and it worked

5:53

out. I mean I just feel bad for

5:56

every single person with Iraq caught up in

5:58

that Southwest nightmare. Gosh you know. What

6:00

part of that? odd of supposed to

6:02

fly with my mom back to our

6:04

Long Island and summer? Twenty six And

6:06

by that point the weather was clear

6:08

up. And. I said is cancelled I

6:10

didn't realize with staffing problems so we went

6:13

changed it to Delta. I got out the

6:15

next day. No big deal the most be

6:17

born in the situation where they can just

6:19

do that. Yes you know others cost to

6:21

be concerned and you know you don't know

6:23

whether you're going to get your money back.

6:25

Ah so I just for bad for every

6:27

single person who was out there without without

6:29

their loved ones or had less. Are.

6:32

Enormous hassle of try to get

6:34

there and home was bad weather

6:36

and extreme staff shortages. Well.

6:39

But somehow I imagine whether be

6:41

damned, ah, those the sand cause

6:43

revenue embryos are We had a

6:45

good, we had a great time.

6:47

This. Is the first year that my

6:49

wife join me as Mrs. Claus so

6:52

we will by magic pop up a

6:54

little photo and she crossed it. We

6:56

did, we did videos, you saw the

6:59

letter that you know that take a

7:01

lot of pride the letters and then

7:03

I had my man are Casey Hopkins

7:05

is the first time we've lacks that.

7:09

We've edited the Santa videos before. they

7:11

were ios is me and my kids

7:13

and one camera shots and we had

7:15

music and they were. Very. Well

7:17

edited and I've been doing this. I've been

7:19

in this world to set the were over

7:21

twelve years of someone's done better videos. I've

7:23

never seen them, I really haven't I was

7:26

really proud of it's it was really cool

7:28

that my wife was able enters his we

7:30

only do them for about. Twelve.

7:32

Or fifteen of that. You know it's my.

7:35

Colleagues. Ah in wrestling

7:37

it's a few personal friends and a

7:39

few family members that it arm but

7:41

it was great. It was really great

7:43

because Ah my entire family was there

7:46

for Christmas the first time for years.

7:48

While coveted really good cook crushed us

7:50

last few years. Ah so we are

7:52

all the gal or my mom was

7:54

down there and it was a It

7:57

was a great Christmas. That's awesome.

7:59

He was here. And I'm sure

8:01

there's some funny stories we'll get to tell about next

8:03

Christmas, but I'd be remiss if

8:05

I didn't ask about a chat you had with

8:07

a mutual friend of ours, Mr. Kevin Nash. Yeah,

8:10

man. I just, I posted

8:13

about this. I hate, I don't hate the

8:15

idea. I'm not supposed to talk about a

8:17

show I may or may not be doing. WWE

8:20

and A&E is going to ask me to talk about

8:22

it in the next, probably next month or

8:24

so. But let's. Hypothetically.

8:27

Hypothetically, let's say there were cameras

8:29

rolling when I made my visit.

8:33

Kevin, we know

8:35

he's been through a lot. And

8:38

I believe his podcast is

8:40

a great source of comfort

8:42

to him. Absolutely. Especially the

8:44

way it's been received. And

8:47

I gotta tell you, I cannot

8:49

remember the last time I laughed this

8:51

hard. It's in

8:53

the editor's hands, but if

8:55

they capture one tenth of the

8:59

fun we had shooting this thing, it will

9:01

have people holding their stomachs. I almost had

9:03

to tell Kevin to stop because my back

9:05

was hurting. He just got on a

9:07

roll and he ran with

9:10

it. So we

9:13

can't always have strangers traipsing

9:16

around people's personal

9:18

homes. So occasionally there'll be

9:20

an Airbnb thrown into the mix.

9:23

And let's just say if this was an

9:25

Airbnb, it didn't have a great

9:27

deal of landscaping. So

9:29

Kevin, he's

9:34

got a backyard that's about

9:37

ten feet deep with

9:39

a dirt road running through the back of it.

9:41

Nice house, put on a plot of

9:43

land that's less than pristine. So

9:46

once Kevin starts going, the important

9:48

thing about landscaping is it not

9:51

overpower the house, which is why

9:54

I choose to go with

9:56

these scrubby bushes. And

9:58

He just fed off the last. After am

10:00

I gotta tell ya, I don't remember

10:02

someone being on a roll yes like

10:05

that. Just where it was. Minute after

10:07

minutes have two minutes at a movie

10:09

gets ready to shoot the second part

10:11

ah just it was is it was

10:13

really a fun day and that a

10:16

so great to me and I think

10:18

cabin needed to laugh. Ah,

10:20

I'm more than any of us

10:22

so I encourage people who are

10:24

suggestions. Podcast yes because his grade

10:26

is doing great numbers and also

10:28

to tune in. Every episodes going

10:30

to be good and of the

10:32

show, but this one's gonna be

10:34

in aka hypothermia hypothetically if. I

10:38

am indeed involved with a Any

10:40

and Debbie to be. This episode

10:42

will be a great one of

10:45

the funniest, wittiest sharpness mine's ever

10:47

in wrestling. I just I mean

10:49

in another life you stand up

10:51

comedian made his timing and delivery

10:53

is that right length and is

10:56

bizarre. It's. It's such like

10:58

surreal stuff in on disk crazy stuff

11:00

places he's willing to go there see.

11:03

An hour can be a little uncomfortable

11:05

but you are always glad you took

11:07

the rise. And of course we also

11:10

want to mention that as we sort

11:12

of put a button on our holiday

11:14

travel. You. Are you had Some

11:17

friends of yours take a look at our

11:19

Christmas episode? And. I know we

11:21

wanted to talk about. Yeah

11:23

yeah, I'm one of my favorite

11:25

stories about Brandon. Brandon His

11:27

mom. Ah I'm. And.

11:30

I know when I was telling the story.

11:32

you guys few weeks ago. Ah,

11:34

I'm. The. Mom and Dad

11:36

were. They. Breed Tommy Brandon

11:38

and I was not is out of the

11:40

magic age. And they were deciding

11:43

how we they should handle the news.

11:45

You know that? Okay

11:47

he or maybe you have grown ass but

11:49

let me tell you who. Sent.

11:51

Him was rice and hours So I

11:53

wrote a letter to me run our

11:55

to write a letter different than the

11:57

one you saw. with that I refer.

12:00

Nick and Mickey but the same amount of time that

12:02

went into it just saying that you

12:04

know you've reached that point in your life

12:07

where you have questioned whether one man can

12:09

circumnavigate the globe in a single evening truth

12:11

is he can't do it a lot of help so I'm like I'm

12:14

walking a lie you know but I'm more

12:16

or less admitting Santa needs some

12:18

help and I'm also asking

12:20

him if he would do his part

12:23

to make Christmas as magical as possible

12:26

for his two younger sisters one of whom

12:28

is a gigantic WWE fan and a fan of

12:30

mine without any prompting and

12:32

she's got about a year to go until

12:34

the Magic Age so the

12:37

letter arrived and the mom

12:40

and dad texted me and said when do you think we

12:42

should show it to him I said that's your call but

12:46

I always screenshot a letter that I send of

12:48

that nature so I make sure I'm not stepping

12:50

on the parents you know on yes

12:52

that you know their feelings

12:54

of responsibility and so

12:57

the young man had the presence of mind to

12:59

record a video for me in which

13:01

he was very emotional and very grateful

13:03

thankful that you know I'd been his

13:06

Santa for six or seven seven years

13:08

I think it was really

13:10

it was really cool it was a great

13:12

payoff and if the sister is

13:15

next you know maybe we get her an extra

13:17

year in the Magic Age which you and I

13:19

were saying before we went on camera was like

13:21

the ultimate compliment but when it's her

13:24

time they are she's gonna have a great you

13:26

know a greater story inside

13:28

that story so it was really it was

13:30

really a fun time for me it was

13:32

really a good good Christmas well

13:35

glad you had a great Christmas we've had a

13:37

lot of fun recording these episodes and one of

13:39

the first things that we enjoy talking about was

13:41

dooting it up and we've

13:43

talked about the dude love episode before

13:46

so Mick this is fantastic and here

13:48

it came on the heels of a

13:50

reunion of it came on the heels

13:52

reunion I don't remember exact day in

13:54

January 1985 that we

13:57

recorded the loved one but it

13:59

was on Christmas break Ah,

14:01

so it was after Christmas early

14:03

January before we go back to

14:05

school. Swamp think in just about

14:07

thirty eight years ago to the

14:09

day give or take. Three.

14:11

Or four days on ice. I

14:14

wrote and I have a nice

14:16

day Or What an accomplishment to

14:18

talk Ishmael The Zada issue was

14:20

going about. Five.

14:22

Ten to twenty. Al Ghazl

14:24

Hijabs a big kid in high school

14:27

right eighteen eighties. race some out. we

14:29

put some ponds cold cream on his

14:31

face be that intellectual made up. A

14:34

panty hose on his head so

14:36

he looked bald and if his

14:38

spiel was out of became a

14:40

smaller. The Porta Rican Giants wrestling

14:42

in his underwear and seventy degree

14:44

weather in my front yard. This

14:46

wasn't backyard wrestling, his front yard

14:48

wrestling. Ah this. I didn't know

14:50

any. I didn't even realize any

14:52

this until I got a texture

14:54

mutual friend. So issues you're looking

14:56

to get in touch Me: hadn't

14:59

heard from over seen him and

15:01

twenty years south. As fate would

15:03

have it, I was doing. An

15:05

episode of that show. Maybe.

15:07

I maybe in that part

15:09

of southern Florida. And.

15:11

We connected m them Now I

15:13

asked a see if he could

15:15

put together a little some sense.

15:18

Ah and I did not realize

15:20

that I actually had. In fact,

15:22

Dude. It up. When. I won

15:24

my fictional Wu Debbie. we were

15:27

the Wwf bow well as my

15:29

my make was weight belt with

15:31

aluminum foil over it and a

15:33

paper plate in the metal. It

15:36

says. Daddy's. Idea and it

15:38

was just fun. Says we talk by

15:40

during up. Suiting up was not in

15:42

Nineteen Eighty Five. What we are Very

15:45

eerie. Imagine it to be now where

15:47

I where the due to the early

15:49

start doing in the knees and all.

15:51

That's basically just. Pull. The huckster

15:53

like showing you the area of

15:56

the emphasis on hogan which I

15:58

didn't know existed in my. Korea,

16:00

the brother I basically stopped selling for a

16:02

small the Porta Rican giant and then I

16:05

went to work with some of the worst

16:07

look it up as or this side up.

16:12

There was some. Haiti is our society

16:15

I have the big is thrust upon

16:17

through. I suspect they used or I

16:19

believe there was some week punches to

16:22

the the midsection and that a sleeper

16:24

for my fetish. a sleeper hold for

16:26

a finished but it was pretty epic

16:28

to see the do just stop salim

16:31

brother just due to the up and

16:33

the rest is history. I.

16:35

Love it it's saw it so find

16:37

out to reminisce and talk about in

16:40

although the way to solve all from

16:42

your childhood dream to. Living.

16:44

In to now getting the. Treat.

16:46

Other childhood dreams for kids: A Santa

16:49

Claus is just. You. The

16:51

most interesting person on oh wow really?

16:53

ah yes I don't think that's i'm

16:55

think that's a stretch them in like

16:57

the dough sexy guy right? Well except

16:59

your real to talk about. Royal.

17:02

Rumble. With. Still, as much as

17:04

you as we've established on this very

17:06

program or mister January, I mean, you

17:08

are all of the great stuff that's

17:11

happened to your wrestling career. More often

17:13

than not, it happens in the month

17:15

of January and perhaps nothing bigger. The

17:17

what we're going to talk about today.

17:20

Can't believe it's been twenty five years

17:22

since. Three phases of only in the

17:24

Royal Rumble? Incredible. Incredible. Now probably there

17:27

were two. Men: In the dressing

17:29

room. Who. Thought to

17:31

themselves. Yes, I've been.

17:33

You know, I lost my spot in the

17:35

rumble. But. We

17:37

are about creating memories. Yes,

17:40

Ah, I'm and every. The.

17:44

Sometimes us sequences he is,

17:46

you know, like. You.

17:51

Like. The Gimmick Battle Royal that

17:53

took blinds, yeah, there are a lotta

17:56

a man dies and exists specifically men

17:58

in that and who'd been. The

18:00

a rumble. Or. Have been

18:02

costa A Rule of A Battle Royale.

18:05

Ah, an entry into the debbie to

18:08

be traditional Wrestlemania Battle Royale. But it's

18:10

the gimmick Battle Royal. It's about creating

18:12

a memory and you need to. You

18:14

know on the big shows you have

18:17

to come up with things that people

18:19

remember fondly. So I'll go on a

18:21

limb and say. I

18:23

apologize to whoever whichever to be.

18:25

Sit down and I costa spot

18:27

to. You. Don't know who they are.

18:29

no I don't know they are yes ah

18:31

what I said may not even after they

18:34

they may not know where. maybe thirty yards

18:36

rushing think it was their spot but that

18:38

was really special was really fun and I

18:40

think in the history the rumble I think

18:42

it's a top. Five. Moment

18:45

I would agree. Top Five. I think it's

18:47

really safe to say it's top ten. Ah,

18:51

And. And we cost to

18:53

people a spot but we created a

18:55

a memory. That. As. Than.

18:58

A source of fondness for twenty

19:00

five years. That awesome street fight

19:02

you had was with Triple H.

19:05

I. Madison Square Garden that incredible I

19:07

quit. Match the with the brutality of

19:09

a chair. Shots of you and Ross

19:11

and this man. I don't forget. Oh.

19:14

I had seen a son also

19:16

Scalper Brothers. There's a lot of

19:18

fantastic Royal Rumble memories with Mick

19:21

Foley. Are Less is pick up

19:23

where we left off. you know? we recently talked

19:25

about the Montreal screw job and. And. He

19:27

went to the taping after that Raul taping.

19:30

Where you're going to be protesting for one

19:32

show but back the next night and you

19:35

wrote your But personally, I felt as if

19:37

my career was at a crossroads. Another Vince

19:39

was a big fan of both Mankind and

19:41

The Dude, but also personally the Cactus Jack

19:44

to draw the most interesting money. For.

19:46

The return of Cactus Jack and

19:48

Mine are propose a somewhat bizarre

19:50

series of matches with my old

19:52

friend nemesis Terry Funk. To.

19:54

Which would culminate in a kilogram

19:56

of barbarity at Wrestlemania. Yeah,

20:00

kind of wanted to do a

20:02

offsite. Wouldn't say was

20:05

cinematic of because he would have

20:07

been shot like a traditional match

20:09

for offside if that's what I'm

20:11

referring. An. Ada it got it.

20:13

Stayed busy with him on his we're Kind Of

20:15

Violence on pay per view at that time. Even

20:17

though a year later we would l

20:20

Cannon said an unfortunate standard for violence

20:22

with the i quit that right arm

20:24

but yes I did get x nade

20:26

but. That. It's Nate in favor

20:28

some funny when course me ask you about

20:30

this because I'm fascinated by the idea that.

20:33

Aren't. We're going to protest for quitting are not

20:35

come into work. I have a change of

20:37

heart was show up. Do. That is it

20:39

that day when you come back or you

20:41

say hey here's what I'd like see for

20:43

like at that point on of things average

20:46

I know I don't oversell. I had any

20:48

leverage. I think it goes

20:50

back to our this is Tommy

20:52

Billington doing in imitation of a

20:54

Harley race because Harley was one

20:56

of the great Ah, everyone had

20:58

a Harley race imitation right? for

21:00

how many times you seen the

21:02

major thing around. cigarette. So I'll

21:04

move out. Move south. Ah. When.

21:06

I dynamite kid sees Harley in Ww

21:09

Ii. Ask a Harley and sworn you

21:11

know, sworn enemy of Debbie to be

21:13

this A Harley. What happened? I won't

21:16

even try to do justice to Tommy's

21:18

axon and hardly have. Come on, the

21:20

I can't do it Now I have

21:23

an effect at all. Goes well. Tommy.

21:27

If you can't beat them,

21:30

join them. And so love

21:32

Bombings in a similar fashion.

21:34

Once I realized that I

21:37

couldn't. I. Mean, I

21:39

was a I could, I had no other Mmo fried.

21:41

I had to go back and as long as you

21:43

can go back in my small bill all in. And.

21:46

I was. Which didn't mean that it

21:48

didn't hurt. What was that? The didn't

21:50

mean what has happened. Bread didn't hurt

21:52

burrow y'all you know, Bread landed on

21:54

his feet or one was back, you

21:57

know? So we were all kind of.

22:00

The best we could. So. You

22:02

wrote that it was a conversation with Victor

22:04

Can own as their put the thought near.

22:06

Had a best of seven deaths by journalists

22:08

between yourself and Terry. With. The

22:10

blow off being at Wrestlemania. Via.

22:13

Satellite Law Firm Terry's Double

22:15

Cross Ranch. So that's

22:17

the offsite you are sort of alluding

22:19

to. But. As a best

22:21

of of seven death my son was

22:24

crazy as I never imagined that Vince

22:26

would be would be in the that

22:28

idea and we'd risk Recently talked to

22:30

Core Bauer ah over on every shows.com.

22:33

And. He talked about showing Vince. Electrified

22:36

bar, bar messes with you know, those explosions

22:38

and stuff and Vince was like okay, let's

22:41

do it. Which. Totally

22:43

blows me away. You are why or how

22:45

would he ever even consider that an offer?

22:47

Yes this is the same guy who once

22:49

had a firing around a yeah yeah we

22:52

did some and clearly you know where of

22:54

the cell if you own an end it

22:56

with not only was that match hard core

22:58

but the one that preceded it was Shawn

23:00

Michaels the Undertaker which to for my money

23:03

still the best Cel matches ever been when

23:05

he was memorable. My most memorable that was

23:07

the best I think that's of that survey

23:09

or good and fair way to do it

23:12

but. They took pride in

23:14

the and end are marketed.

23:17

The. Barbarity yes is that we were going to

23:19

promise and became a problem as the masses as

23:21

some as one arm be some of them did

23:23

not live up to that building but that's what

23:25

it was supposed to be. Ah,

23:28

so there will Vince. I think

23:30

he eat. We went a long

23:32

way from when I'm. Ah,

23:37

Who's German with the Duke? The Dumpster

23:39

Josie a gentleman with this out with

23:41

the garbage dance every attack. Lawler. When

23:43

sat and then. They. Had to

23:45

apologize or did Lawler attacked Duke.

23:48

But. A with is a garbage can attack and

23:50

it was almost like a public apology gets as

23:52

it was seen as being too. And like eighteen

23:54

months later we're pulling guns on tape is. It

23:57

escalated. In a hurry.

24:00

Yeah, that area. So what was your

24:02

vision for? Death messes with Terry for

24:04

all man we're going back twenty five

24:07

years I'd I remember the book. I

24:09

remember the idea of the blow off

24:11

although I'd forgotten was I had suggested

24:14

double glass rants I thought as I

24:16

also missed some exotic island. Ah although

24:18

I think S M W did have

24:21

a couple exotic island managers are like

24:23

of the outing legal thing. yeah I

24:25

think it was just you know, our

24:28

best of seven his thumb tacks. Barrio

24:30

some taxi be one match Barbed

24:32

wire. But. We would. We could

24:34

figure out the different stipulations but it come

24:37

down to the. To. The

24:39

Seventh Deathmatch which would be

24:41

Wrestlemania. In the thing is,

24:43

is as crazy as it may sound on

24:45

site lists remember. In Nineteen

24:47

Ninety Six, they did a part of

24:50

a Hollywood backlot brawl with no busted

24:52

Roddy Piper suicide. As if to say

24:54

this is totally out of the question

24:56

drive do something offside Wrestlemania but. Mean.

24:59

What could have been? You and Terry

25:01

Funk have to double cross ranch. Obviously.

25:04

Ego piss this of. The.

25:07

Other thing we got to discuss is. Terry.

25:09

Had walked out on the company just a

25:11

handful of years prior and Survivor Series on

25:14

a three. He was supposed to be one

25:16

of the mass wrestlers with Shawn Michaels against

25:18

the Heart Family and the story of course

25:20

as he decided he didn't wanna do the

25:22

job is that why he didn't do it?

25:25

Well, that's what people say and he left

25:27

a note with all the gear set as

25:29

horses sick my horses that I've got ago.

25:31

Yeah, code for a no thanks. This is

25:34

Survivor Series. Yeah, sorry font as put over

25:36

a who's who of. Are

25:38

legendary announcer legend or figures like. Terry

25:41

was a guy who did what he

25:43

thought was best for business. I'd.

25:45

Surprise me that. I'll

25:48

ask him about are going to see

25:50

Terry the couple weeks so I have

25:52

a off convention in Albuquerque. And.

25:54

That's only about five hours from Amarillo

25:56

and my thrive on going to make

25:59

the ride for. And I will

26:01

ask him and I will have an answer in a couple weeks.

26:03

We. Wrestle against him when he does return to

26:05

the Wtf and late Ninety Six An Early Ninety

26:08

Seven. And then you work the rumble against him.

26:10

And in the meantime. He

26:12

would go on shot Saturday night

26:14

and he calvin saw a Ged

26:16

s O V be said or

26:18

away and think said that someone's

26:20

mother may have been a horse

26:22

pressure. On

26:24

I think these are all things he was told

26:27

not to say. moran they want? Why Yeah, yeah.

26:29

And as he just did it because the loss

26:31

of their lives. And this is. For

26:36

a outburst tells a great story. The

26:38

best is the best story about talking

26:40

with rock. Rock. Is concerned

26:42

because one hunters going off script.

26:45

He. Says to rock flops live. Are

26:47

you willing to take that as

26:49

you doing here your airfoil as

26:52

sharing is yes Then the would

26:54

you have do and that was

26:56

a light switching moment for the

26:58

rock. So. Terry a

27:01

man. What?

27:04

He lost from doing that was not as

27:06

much as he gained from the shock of.

27:09

Are. Doing a live because I think

27:11

in Vince is it's I got was continue

27:13

to watch out for this guy. Yes, although

27:15

Terry had a good run, he had a

27:17

good run. It ended too soon. And.

27:19

It. Ah, in

27:22

two thousand and not eighteen.

27:25

right? Ah, I'm. Sort.

27:28

Of it's a slow yeah you know

27:30

it ended us Tibet. Terry's run in

27:32

deputy always and about four months after

27:34

the rumble yes yes he and I

27:36

had a nice to you know we

27:38

had a nice teaming ah we went

27:40

Tag team titles is didn't depending on

27:42

whether or not you count that our

27:44

when at Mania in the Wrong Dumpster

27:46

yes as title match so I forgive

27:48

me a home of I'm forgetting my

27:50

weeks to the couple months I think

27:52

one of the things that we you

27:54

and I decided I do better when

27:56

I do know research what the however.

27:59

He asked you. remind me of a

28:01

few things that kick into gear. If I

28:03

see the subjects and I start

28:05

thinking about them, then I don't think we

28:07

get the flow. At least that's my

28:09

excuse for doing zero homework. I prefer it.

28:12

In your book, you wrote, his

28:14

answer was simple. Cactus, I would love to work

28:16

with you again. Now came the hard part of

28:18

pitching the idea to Vince. I

28:20

requested a meeting with him and we met along

28:22

with Bruce Prichard and Jim Ross after TV tapings

28:25

one night. I tried to stress

28:27

the human drama aspect over the blood and guts,

28:29

although I freely admit there would be plenty of

28:31

that also. I also wanted him

28:33

to know the quality of matches would

28:35

be what counted, and I personally gave him my

28:37

guarantee they would be top notch. I

28:40

proposed that the series of matches would

28:42

cover January, February, and March paper views,

28:45

with March being the WrestleMania blowout.

28:48

The other four tournament matches could take

28:50

place after television tapings, with cameras still

28:52

rolling so that the highlights of the

28:54

ring atrocities could be aired. I

28:56

also speculated that a video of the

28:58

Deathmatch tournament would bring in big money.

29:01

Vince, at that time people were

29:03

buying video cassettes. Absolutely. I don't

29:05

even know what DVDs had

29:08

been invented yet. They were not popular. Vince

29:12

seemed intrigued, especially with the notion of

29:14

a ring exploding at Terry's Ranch. We

29:17

might possibly be able to do this, the

29:19

Evil McMahan stated. Of

29:22

course, before we go any further, we should discuss

29:24

what you're doing after Survivor Series. This

29:27

is that Canadian loop that has

29:29

you and Steve Austin defeating Owen Hart

29:31

and Jim Nighthart in Ontario. You're

29:33

going to work some singles matches against

29:35

Nighthart, and this is fresh

29:37

off of the screw job. Jim

29:40

needs a job. Jim's trying to provide

29:43

for his family. Jim's making towns. You're

29:46

in the ring with him. Did

29:48

it feel different? Did it feel awkward or another day

29:50

at the office? Because it was Jim

29:52

and because he was related. Because

29:55

of the relationship. He's part of Brett's family and

29:57

he's still here. Not that

29:59

you were judging him. But I'm sure he felt a certain

30:01

type of way about should I be here should I know it

30:03

all of that? And

30:05

that was the unfortunate fracturing of

30:07

the hearts over that was

30:09

really tough. Yes. I was really tough I

30:13

mean bottom line, you know Owen

30:15

was back Jim was

30:17

back I

30:21

can't I Honestly,

30:23

I can't even remember that I had

30:25

those matches. Yes, so I can't tell

30:27

you what I was feeling I know

30:29

in general though that once

30:31

I came back I I Felt

30:34

like I was at home. Yeah, you

30:36

know look, it was

30:39

like Their strength

30:41

in numbers and and one

30:43

is not only the loneliest number. It's the

30:45

weakest number So and

30:47

rude Rick rude did he quit the

30:49

company? So so actually there was two

30:51

of us who didn't go to work

30:55

But once I realized I was dealing from position

30:57

of no strength Like that was kind of my

30:59

excuse to get back is that what am I

31:01

you know? What am I gonna do? Yeah We'll

31:03

make a stand not work for the next five

31:06

years at that point My name would have been

31:08

forgotten in about two months and

31:10

it would have been all for not Do

31:12

you really believe that your name would have been forgotten in

31:14

two months? You're just saying that well No,

31:17

I'm I'm saying that there was there

31:19

was no internet. Yes to keep it

31:22

alive. I had no way of getting

31:25

My opinion out to people and

31:28

it would have been five years without

31:30

a job five years

31:33

There were no conventions, right? Appearances

31:36

hadn't even started when we did appearances. We

31:38

got a paid an extra $200 from WWE

31:42

So there was I mean I could have I could

31:44

have been a working well Well,

31:46

no, I wouldn't have been allowed if they wanted

31:48

to enforce The

31:51

contract I they could have specified that

31:53

I could not work Anywhere

31:56

for five years, so I think a few months

31:58

into the run. Yeah Largely forgotten.

32:01

For. And by the time the gig

32:03

was up in foreign af more years or whatever

32:06

the links to the contract was yeah, I think

32:08

I woman. Almost. Entirely forgotten.

32:11

Are. You not gonna be as you want

32:13

to working with So Nine hundred Madison

32:15

Square Garden in a no Dq matches

32:18

Do love you have George Similar way

32:20

out George was in my corner. Yes.

32:22

Very. Blouse seen Director Beyond The Mad

32:24

said it was fun. It. Wasn't

32:26

good? Yes. But. It was fun.

32:29

So yeah me and a slower than

32:31

Dude and Jimmy endured in I am

32:33

at the Garden of guess what? the

32:36

animal in your. Your

32:38

also on shot going for a few weeks.

32:41

you're going to defeat the Sultan and Marc

32:43

Mero. All. The sudden I'm sorry to see

32:45

why maybe one work with Terry funk? May.

32:49

A subset of. A

32:51

sudden has received right? Yes, but

32:54

it's Shotgun Riot Some ah I'm.

32:57

With shocked on Saturday night at that

32:59

time when little buzz say we had

33:01

a little bugs in it was supposed

33:03

to be something. While. Think we're

33:05

talking about is it was supposed to

33:07

be something and ninety six the all

33:10

about neither side of a layer of

33:12

that velocity. Okay gotcha gotcha. Yes, Ah,

33:14

you're not on the December. Ninety Seven

33:16

in your house Pay per view? It's

33:19

are. Now three in your house is

33:21

we're not wrestling on the show, which is a

33:23

damn shame because we all know. You.

33:25

Sir. Are. Mr. In

33:27

Your House Mystery New War I

33:29

the only the only wrestle with

33:31

his own. Podcasting.

33:33

So there you and the. Grill.

33:37

It's who we play, just mobile that illness or

33:39

new. To.

33:41

This Kesey, it is nice to. Reconsider.

33:44

Link below to stick up a t shirt. so

33:47

that excites ah the december a draw in

33:49

portland you're going to defend or your pin

33:51

rather the dairy we have tag team champions

33:54

billy gunn with a double armed eighty ti

33:56

but after the about the road dogg who

33:58

was doing guess commentary for the bow comes

34:00

in and hits you with a steel chair before

34:03

placing one of the tag belts across your face

34:05

so Billy can hit a leg drop on it.

34:08

And the new age outlaws are just really

34:10

starting to get hot at this time. Of

34:12

course Billy had enjoyed success as part of

34:14

the smoking guns but then their whole regrettable

34:16

rockabilly thing. Yeah. And then

34:18

that whole real double J and boy

34:21

it was just they were

34:23

going nowhere fast but then they put them together

34:25

and it was magic. Put them together in a

34:28

house show and yeah they

34:30

were magic together and they

34:32

were just starting to get going

34:34

and this was in I think

34:36

Durham New Hampshire because they

34:38

they threw me off the ramp right or

34:40

threw me off the stage. Yeah so dudes

34:43

gonna block it and brawl with gun up

34:45

the ramp and then gun and road dog

34:47

are gonna suplex dude on the steel cage.

34:49

Conrad can I ask you a question? Yeah. Have

34:53

you ever worked with Billy

34:55

Gunn where he's not going

34:57

over? Nope. Do you think he sold

34:59

a lot of my offense? Probably not. Probably not

35:02

yeah. Okay. Just put

35:04

it out. That's my line. No

35:06

sold it like he was Billy

35:08

Gunn during a TV loss. Yep.

35:10

Oh I love that. He's a

35:13

standard for no selling. Well

35:15

we're gonna have to remember that and use

35:17

it again. You

35:19

get suplex on a steel cage and the

35:21

fans are chanting LOD eventually

35:23

they throw you off the stage onto

35:25

a table on the floor and

35:28

I kind of overshot the table and

35:30

you just grazed it and nailed the

35:32

floor. Yeah grazed it I mean the

35:34

table leg went you know and just

35:37

it I guess it it slowed down

35:39

my the velocity but not

35:41

by much. I mean I went crashing to the

35:43

floor and I was I was hurting I went

35:45

to the hospital that night. Well they show you

35:47

when they come back from commercial you're grabbing your

35:50

left shoulder and your ribs and you can see

35:52

the ref was legitimately concerned and calling for help

35:54

but old no-sell gun he's

35:56

over there laying the boots in either way. You

36:02

go to the hospital, I'm curious, what

36:04

kind of tests did they run? I mean,

36:06

are they trying to check and see if

36:08

you have internal bleeding or something? X-rays. Okay.

36:13

X-rays. So, they weren't broken ribs, but I

36:15

guess they were bruised. Yes. I

36:19

do, yeah, I remember I was staying with

36:21

Scotty Tujati and his wife, and

36:24

I made up a reason why I had

36:26

to leave the next day early, and

36:29

the reason was I had worked

36:31

it out with the owners of Santa's Village, that I could

36:33

go to the park and walk around

36:35

on my own. When

36:38

I reached out to the owners of Santa's Village, told

36:41

them where I was and my desire to walk around in

36:44

the snow before they, this is about five years

36:46

before they opened up to the public, and it's

36:48

a wonderful place to go in December for anyone

36:50

up in the New England area. They probably already

36:52

know about it, but it's a great destination. In

36:54

this case, it was just me walking around this area

36:56

that meant so much to me as a child, and

36:58

my wife said, they'll never allow

37:01

you in that park again. Instead, it

37:03

turned out to be a great relationship,

37:05

great friendship with me to the

37:07

point where I even dedicated my

37:10

Santa memoir, not only to Mickey and Huey

37:12

for keeping the magic alive, but

37:14

to Elaine Gaynor for making her village

37:17

my backyard. That's

37:21

awesome. She wrote, Gunn

37:23

grabbed me and sent me sailing off a seven

37:25

and a half foot stage. I once

37:27

heard the ring referred

37:29

to as being 15 feet high. That

37:32

would make me about 13 feet tall.

37:34

Oh, you're talking about the cage? Yes,

37:37

yes. Because it was a 15 foot

37:39

high steel cage, and there were shots

37:41

where guys' heads are about six

37:44

inches from the top of the cage, but you

37:46

just hear it so often. Yes. 15

37:48

foot high steel cage, it becomes part of your

37:50

... Yes, like the 10 pounds of gold. Exactly,

37:53

yes. Let's

37:56

fast forward once we know you're okay, and you

37:58

just got the bruised ribs. On

38:00

the 15th we see the very

38:03

first events attitude promo. This

38:05

is where he starts talking about how we're

38:07

not going to insult your intelligence with good

38:09

guys versus bad guys. Did

38:13

you see that happen as

38:15

a pre-tape or did you watch it on a monitor? Did

38:18

it feel like there was a shift to you

38:20

as someone who was inside the business? When

38:23

we did the Pillman episode a

38:26

few months back, I

38:29

think I brought it up then or maybe you brought

38:31

it up to me that Vince talked to all the

38:35

men and women in the dressing room. Within

38:38

a couple days of Brian's death and

38:40

said what we were doing before is

38:43

no longer working and if we're going

38:45

to be successful we need to rely

38:47

on all of you to bring out

38:49

yourselves and your characters. That

38:52

to me was the dawn of the attitude error.

38:55

You could pinpoint it with the arrival

38:57

of a couple other people or Austin

38:59

316 or even though Austin 316 was

39:01

already taking off in a huge way.

39:04

But to me that was the difference

39:07

maker. That was the gear shifter. There

39:10

was a palpable sense of excitement

39:12

that I think

39:14

this we've talked before about Kevin Nash coined

39:17

it. You were a thing. You

39:19

were a job vocation. Yeah.

39:23

That's so many of the characters. Occupational gimmicks.

39:25

Occupation. They were gone. The

39:27

one dimensional gimmicks that had worked well in the

39:29

80s thing of the past. More

39:32

well rounded characters amplifying their

39:34

own personalities became the

39:36

way to go. And

39:40

without that talk and without that

39:43

shift in opinions from Vince

39:45

we would have been swallowed up by

39:47

WCW. I do feel like

39:49

there's a snowball effect here at the

39:51

left. I don't mean swallowed up and

39:54

gone but we would have been

39:56

a distant second of what they were doing. I

39:58

just mean in terms of you take a look. look at 95 with

40:01

the debut of the Goldust character and

40:03

then your debut in 96 and

40:05

then Austin 316 and then

40:08

all of the Shawn stuff

40:10

in his shorts and DX and it

40:12

does feel like it starts to gain more and more momentum

40:14

and then it just takes off. Yeah.

40:16

But I think you could even go back and say

40:19

the Goldust character is the first time

40:21

they started to really push the envelope of

40:23

maybe what this could be. Yeah, yeah. He was

40:25

a ground breaker for sure. No doubt. But

40:28

at the time he came out, you know, that Melter

40:30

had said like this could be the

40:32

death of, you know, Dustin

40:34

Ronalds in professional wrestling. It made him.

40:36

It made him. It

40:38

was tremendous. These near riotous situations in

40:41

Little Rock and Memphis, the house shows. Yeah.

40:44

This is the era where about

40:46

a year and a half into the NWO,

40:48

it's become in fashion on the other program

40:50

to throw trash in the room. Yeah.

40:53

And now we've got this new rival

40:55

group on the WWF

40:57

program. It's not the NWO, but it

40:59

is DX. And so

41:01

they're going out here and saying crazy things and

41:03

doing crazy things and being healed and pissing the

41:05

crowd off. And

41:07

now the trash starts coming. Shawn

41:09

allegedly gets hit and says, okay, that's it. You

41:11

just cost yourself the main event and it becomes

41:14

a dangerous situation. It was two nights in a

41:16

row and I also think there may have been

41:18

one in Richmond. It

41:21

was right around this time, but

41:23

there was another one in Richmond, Virginia

41:25

that may have been

41:28

the dark match for the big blow off.

41:30

I had the Terry Funk on Raw before

41:32

I faced Steve in,

41:35

I know I'm jumping ahead. This is May of, May

41:38

of 98. So I'm jumping forward

41:40

several months. But yeah, there were two in a

41:42

row, Memphis and Little Rock. So

41:45

Shawn was basically creating

41:48

the riotous atmosphere and

41:50

then blaming. Yeah,

41:53

he was whipping them up into a

41:55

frenzy and then blaming them for the

41:57

frenzy. So it was.

42:00

great heat it was something we weren't

42:02

used to seeing but

42:06

the heat turned it

42:10

went from a positive heat to a

42:12

negative heat because of the near riotous

42:14

conditions so I you know

42:16

I went back to you know you look

42:18

at old tapes of ox baker fighting his

42:20

way out of Kansas City in

42:22

an era when you know it was a lot easier to suspend

42:25

disbelief or just flat out have the belief

42:27

you know but this

42:30

was yeah these were some perilous conditions and

42:32

it showed you Sean could get that amazing

42:34

heat but on two consecutive nights he did

42:37

walk out of the main event and you're actually

42:39

trying to talk to fans and

42:43

sticking around and calming down and hoping

42:45

that they'll come out because you're in

42:47

the middle of this for one of

42:49

these moments is that the most is

42:51

that one of the most surreal moments

42:53

of a house show yeah yeah because

42:55

you know used to dream about

42:57

this kind of heat and now you have it

43:00

not you I mean not me but talking about

43:02

the company and

43:05

it wasn't I mean that was a time

43:07

when there was a time when Sean was

43:09

difficult yes no this is that error this

43:11

is that error and he was absolutely magnificent

43:13

in the ring but he was difficult outside

43:15

it and it's been a long time since

43:17

Sean's been difficult he's been a

43:19

great asset to the company in the developmental program

43:22

but he'll be the first to admit there was

43:24

a bad Sean and a good Sean and this

43:26

was kind of bad Sean

43:28

were you pissed off at him a little

43:31

bit yeah that's reasonable yeah well

43:33

a bit did you

43:35

I mean there's reports that it got so

43:38

bad I mean people were trying to throw

43:40

glass and there were I mean allegedly there

43:42

were the police involvement and

43:44

smoke bombs and crazy stuff

43:46

yeah how much of that's true how much of

43:48

that it was pretty hectic I

43:50

mean I think it just shows

43:52

that the international oral sex hand

43:54

signal you know can Get

43:57

some heat when you suggest

43:59

to someone. Yeah

44:01

it's they might enjoy that saw those

44:03

actually like tickling the phantom balls you

44:05

know he he had the he decided

44:07

down to where he to make people

44:09

I raise you know you look at

44:11

some of the stuff he did exist

44:13

in that zone Guys charisma was just

44:16

incredible as off the page and that

44:18

worked wonders when he was a baby

44:20

face but he could incite riots. Winning

44:22

was a or. When.

44:24

That's happening. And answer: the fans are

44:27

pissed off A Phantom Balls new t

44:29

shirt. This is pure tussle with a

44:31

Phantom Balls t shirt. I. Ah,

44:35

test all the Phantom. Seiko,

44:38

the phantom balls follow all

44:40

a lot like accident still

44:42

have next year came as

44:44

a anything else. Did.

44:47

You feel in. Was.

44:49

Backstage, I'm. When.

44:52

I have. A. Little Bad

44:55

Robot. A. Little

44:57

bit. Ah, I'm. Because.

45:01

If it got to the next level than we

45:03

all have to run out there and. Stand.

45:05

By our man who can tell I've

45:07

been watching George and Tammy on Showtime.

45:09

Excellent designers here. all ahman loved it.

45:11

He added Syria. really good. Okay

45:14

so you're then going to do

45:17

an interview, were transformed into mankind

45:19

and then Cactus Jack and Meltzer

45:21

was a real interesting in New

45:23

York to see zero reaction to

45:25

Do Love. And. A huge part

45:28

when he switched to Cactus Jack. Jack.

45:30

Eons of fighting both new age outlaws

45:32

winding up in a short singles mice

45:35

with Road Dogg in to get a

45:37

Dq. When Billy Gunn interferes any drags

45:39

them to the back where there was

45:41

a big box as they fall a

45:43

chain saw was song it's why are

45:45

the Box and those a T of

45:47

Terry almost may I ask because it's

45:49

not exactly a secret from was a

45:51

viewing of on the show Phone came

45:53

out wearing stockings and was called Chainsaw

45:56

Charlie. And the never

45:58

use the name Terry Fox. He.

46:00

Takes the outlaws around with a chainsaw. Best will

46:02

do in the leather. Friends Coming from Japan, Ah,

46:05

The Saints All Charlie thing. As Bruce tell

46:07

the story, he thinks this is all from

46:09

the mind of Terry Fonts. And

46:12

yes, Sir. Terry even joked

46:14

about it saying that people thought it was

46:16

like Vince as punishment for walking out or

46:18

years earlier and it all came from carry

46:21

I just came for charlie thing with Terry's

46:23

idea of pantyhose over his head. I don't

46:25

know why we didn't order. sit down and

46:27

god do the math your how long will

46:30

it take you to thought out of that

46:32

box because he oh it's like a mystery

46:34

science theater. you see that the bad guy

46:36

walking other very the mafia still of people

46:39

are all begging off to in the Memphis

46:41

back pedal what I call it you know

46:43

stripping. Following when he's moving so slowly.

46:45

In this case it's or Billie and

46:48

Road Dogg as the astonished onlookers who

46:50

watch as a human being touched his

46:52

way out of a box of cyclists

46:55

into take some time more time with

46:57

thoughts are I'd still say was just

46:59

still believe Dave was too hard on

47:01

Dude loves deming back from ah. Yes,

47:04

Some of the reports from the ah

47:06

you know earlier on. Few. Months

47:08

just few months earlier, right? Just a few

47:11

months or I don't think he was induced

47:13

corner sometimes and will see or hear what

47:15

they want to see. I wasn't aware that

47:17

there was any deafening silence for the dude.

47:20

I will accept the Jax jacked up the

47:22

big pop, but damn this is only a

47:24

few months removed from my. September.

47:27

Web series they me and asked him as

47:29

I was. I think that will go down

47:31

as a great moment in most people's box

47:33

so this wasn't as elaborate. The.

47:36

The reveals a change. Ah,

47:39

I'm. But. He was a

47:41

great way of you're helping kick off

47:43

that not take off but to prolong

47:45

ah the program that I had gone

47:48

without. What? The Outlaws. You.

47:50

Are right for reasons a student quite

47:52

understand. Terry was at his own requests

47:55

turned into Chainsaw Charlie. And the

47:57

result was a client when I was looking.

48:00

Cactus Jack stuck around for three months this time,

48:02

but in truth, the impact was not all that

48:04

great. It might have been a lack

48:06

of interview time, or it might have been

48:08

the somewhat anti-climatic debut of Terry chainsawing his

48:10

way out of a wooden box with a

48:12

pair of baby powdered pantyhose on his head.

48:15

But for some reason, our team didn't quite take

48:17

off as we had planned. Don't get me wrong,

48:19

the team wasn't a failure, but it did

48:21

fail to live up to what I thought it could be. I

48:24

thought we could usher in a new era of

48:26

danger and dynamic promos in the world of sports

48:29

entertainment. Instead, we were just a

48:31

couple of popular wrestlers who were miles apart

48:33

from Steve Austin on the food chain. Yeah,

48:35

I think in retrospect, I do tend to

48:37

be tough on myself. Yes, you do. Even

48:39

when I was writing the memoir, I'm recalling

48:41

it the way it felt, and it did

48:44

feel like even though it went

48:46

well, it could have gone better. I

48:49

expected it to go better. It didn't make

48:51

the lasting impact. And I think

48:54

I can offer up to Terry leaving the

48:56

company a few months after that, as he

48:59

left in May of 1998, when

49:02

he could have had a long

49:04

life after that. He could have

49:07

been a coach, producer, a lot

49:09

of things. Maybe those things have been offered

49:11

to him, I don't know. But yeah,

49:13

trying to get within

49:16

miles of Steve Austin's orbit was

49:18

really difficult for anybody. So

49:21

maybe I was being a little too

49:23

tough on myself. What

49:26

Terry and I did, did set the stage for

49:30

the reformation of DX. And

49:34

it set the stage for

49:37

Dude's heel turn and two successful

49:39

matches with Steve Austin, where

49:41

I established myself as Mr. In Your

49:43

House. So I think it

49:45

was more successful than I gave myself credit for

49:47

being, probably, but still, not

49:49

probably, definitely wasn't what I hoped it

49:52

would be. It was what I hoped it

49:54

would be, would be the culmination of a best

49:56

of seven death match series ending

49:58

up with something that would be unforgettable. The Boy

50:00

Mania. We. Think about all those iconic

50:02

promos the Terry caught. In. The end

50:04

of your way into B C w an easy derby and

50:07

certainly yourself and every sort of you in a suit of

50:09

even if you could. Bring. All that

50:11

together. And. And put the Ww

50:13

Ii. Production. With it Yeah

50:15

and you guys have just adequate my time

50:18

to to tell your stories and do your

50:20

interviews. But. Then turn the

50:22

volume up and bring that Japanese style

50:24

violence to the during an act. See

50:26

how you would think? This.

50:28

Is gonna because we're only ten

50:30

years removed? From. Terry Funk completely

50:33

taken over the end of the Way

50:35

South, which he had later on to

50:37

be Debbie Stabenow. He. Infamously piles

50:39

flair on the tape drives, flair

50:41

on the table. them in. This

50:43

is just it's such a guy

50:45

know we're skipping over but I'd

50:47

need that let people know what

50:49

Terry was. Still capable

50:51

of. These. I'd seen him do

50:53

it. And eighty nine in a table Lot

50:56

of the top guys around. So when I

50:58

say eighty eight did it start and eighty

51:00

eight that the steamboat flair I well. eighty

51:02

nine, eighty on. Okay, Eighty nine. And.

51:05

So they'd had the Great Are

51:07

Broadway at the Superdome. And.

51:09

Now the big payoff is

51:11

that fill the other. Nashville.

51:14

Is the third and fourth are young and

51:16

that's where Terry's a judge shares a good

51:18

ice often May and they wrap it up

51:20

and December and a Clash of the to

51:22

be right with the unbelievable I Quit Match

51:24

Incredible. Maybe still to this day my favorite.

51:27

Matter. Of all time. They. Had to

51:29

change gears. It was a different in

51:31

different feel for a flare match brawl and

51:33

brawling. They weren't allowed to have a

51:35

drop of blood because of the usually down

51:38

at that time. They would go back and

51:40

forth over the years but they must

51:42

have the most vicious brawl I'd ever seen

51:44

without a drop of blood because or the

51:47

you know the energy and emotion. They.

51:49

Brought to it but anyone goes back and looks

51:51

as that. Debbie's. Debbie C.

51:53

W/i'm deb you A product products

51:55

right? after Flair laughed and Terry

51:58

had had the free hand. come

52:00

in and just he

52:02

just took over the show in a way

52:04

that I don't believe anyone's capable of doing

52:06

to this day and he

52:09

just left his imprint on it and the

52:11

stuff he did wild and the promos were

52:13

great and they were out there and they

52:15

got heat real

52:17

and you know and theatrical

52:20

you know real heat with

52:22

with with Rick right who

52:24

didn't wasn't comfortable with some

52:26

of the stuff Terry was doing brother

52:29

when Rick came back he Terry was a

52:31

full and he was he

52:33

was ready and they had some classic matches like

52:36

he said culminated with that amazing

52:38

I quit match so we're only nine

52:40

years removed from that he looks to

52:42

be in the best shape yeah he

52:44

was I think early 50s

52:46

at that time no

52:49

no he was he was early 50s in

52:51

97 and ECW oh you mean with you

52:53

and yeah yeah yeah so he was early

52:56

50s in 97 still really ready to go

52:58

yes and I thought we could have had

53:00

those amazing matches so we did have a

53:02

good run but not what I hoped it

53:05

would be I think that's fair

53:07

you know I didn't see it from that perspective as

53:09

a fan I thought it was fantastic yeah and

53:12

he did the same thing everywhere he

53:14

went yes he would you wouldn't see

53:16

it because everything was regional but

53:18

you go back and you look at dusty

53:20

roads and the Florida stuff that he did

53:22

you look at him all are

53:25

in Tennessee Lawler in Tennessee which

53:27

was a phenomenal program the stuff

53:29

he did as a babyface in

53:31

the original ECW before it

53:33

went extreme you know and he was

53:35

basically holding it up

53:37

and giving his rub to

53:39

you know a handful of guys who would

53:41

go on to help you carry that company

53:44

he was everything that was right about wrestling

53:46

yes and man you know

53:49

he's he's struggling now

53:51

and I'm really looking forward to seeing him we're

53:53

gonna have a good time get

53:56

together with a couple of his family

53:58

members and have some Texas West Texas

54:00

barbecue looking forward to it. What

54:02

does he rank on your Mount Rushmore? He's number one.

54:04

He is. And the reason being

54:07

is that he made it so easy

54:09

to suspend disbelief. And this

54:11

is not a knock on the other guys who

54:13

are either in my top 10 or on my

54:15

Mount Rushmore. But he was, to

54:18

me, he was the

54:20

guy who could go in and make people

54:22

look good. He made other people.

54:25

He brought a sense of believability to the

54:27

matches and the promos. And he could have

54:29

a good match in different

54:31

styles with just about anybody.

54:34

He raised everybody's game. But

54:37

it's the believability. Other people

54:39

may have had the same believability, but didn't have

54:41

the other. The

54:44

prowess. Yeah, the prowess and didn't have

54:46

the ability to switch from babyface to

54:48

heel, to talk people into the building,

54:50

to not care. To

54:52

go so far, I mean, Terry got stabbed

54:55

in Corpus Christi. This

54:57

is the building I was stabbed here. And

54:59

I said, did you press charges? He got mad at

55:02

me. This is like in 88, this is 89, or

55:04

early 90, when

55:08

I was in WCW. What

55:10

did you say? Did you ask me if I

55:13

pressed charges? How could I press

55:15

charges against somebody who was paying me

55:17

the ultimate compliment? And

55:20

he considered getting stabbed to

55:22

be a compliment. One of my

55:25

favorite Terry Funk moments, in

55:27

my handful of times hanging out with him, we

55:30

wound up watching old tapes. And

55:32

he said, hey, do you have that ECW pay-per-view?

55:34

He met the first one. So I said, yeah,

55:36

sure. So I throw in the DVD.

55:38

This is how long ago this was. We

55:41

watched the match. And there's a spot

55:43

where he puts the ladder

55:46

on his head. And he will windmills

55:48

around and gets the guys. And

55:50

as he's doing that on camera

55:52

or on the video, he looks to me and says,

55:54

I went to college. And

56:01

I just thought, what a great line that is.

56:04

I just want to throw that out there. A

56:08

few days later, Jim Cornette called me up, quote, cactus,

56:10

Vince loves the idea, but we're going to have to

56:12

change it up a little bit. We

56:15

want you and Terry to start off as

56:17

a team at the Royal Rumble in January.

56:19

Somehow you two have a falling out and

56:21

Terry challenges you to a Texas deathmatch right

56:23

there in Houston for the February pay-per-view. And

56:26

you'll have the damnedest fight they've ever seen at

56:28

WrestleMania. So hey, not

56:30

bad. Not bad. Not

56:32

bad. Not bad. Not bad. Then

56:35

Raw, of course, is taped on December 30th. It's going to air on the 5th. You're

56:38

in New Haven, Connecticut. The outlaws are going

56:40

to beat the headbangers. And after the match,

56:42

here you guys come out, and you're

56:44

going to do an interview introducing yourself

56:46

to the WWF fans saying

56:49

that you're going to bring blood and barbed wire into

56:51

the WWF in 1998. And

56:53

that chainsaw was one of the greatest wrestlers

56:56

of all time, your childhood hero, and your

56:58

toughest opponent. And then

57:00

chainsaw does a Terry Funk style promo,

57:03

which makes me laugh. You

57:08

do get Madison Square Garden

57:10

House show on the 10th, so just a

57:12

couple of weeks after Christmas in 1998. And

57:16

they make a big deal over Cactus Jack

57:18

replacing Dude Love in the main event. Dude

57:21

Love is unable to appear. He will not

57:23

be able to be here and tag with

57:25

So-and-Cole Steve Austin to take on The Rock

57:27

and D. Lo Brown in a false count

57:30

anywhere match. So instead, Steve Austin

57:32

has found a new partner to replace the

57:35

unavailable Dude Love and its Cactus Jack.

57:37

I used to send the ring announcer

57:39

out with a long quote from Dude.

57:42

I have a quote from Dude Love, ow,

57:44

daddy. I

57:48

am so very, very ow. And

57:52

you know, Dude at this

57:54

point is not able to

57:56

perform these duties, but he

57:58

does know somebody indeed. You

58:00

know, it went on and on. And when

58:02

there was the reveal that a dude couldn't

58:04

make it but the cactus jack, it went

58:06

over very well. Oh, I'm sure. Yeah.

58:09

The go home show before the big rumble

58:11

is going to be on the 12th of

58:13

January. And there's a segment that's going to

58:15

air with you in a

58:18

college football stadium. Cactus

58:20

is going to talk about Terry Funk dressing

58:22

up in nylons and calling himself Chainsaw Charlie.

58:25

Cactus says it's a bit odd, but to each his own.

58:28

And then they show clips of cactus and Funk

58:30

and gimmick matches over in Japan. And

58:33

we would see mankind beat Goldust here to a

58:35

no contest in 45 seconds. Goldust

58:38

actually comes to the ring dressed up as

58:40

Dude Love. And Luna is going

58:42

to wear some Dude Love themed style clothes as

58:44

well. And before the match

58:46

gets very far, Austin comes in, gives Goldust

58:49

and mankind stunners. And he

58:51

rips the headset off of JR's head and stands

58:53

on the announcing table and talks about the rumble.

58:56

We got three characters here represented, so

58:58

we're certainly planning to see. So

59:01

talk to me about how this idea is first

59:03

presented to you, or was it in fact your

59:05

idea? No, the three characters

59:08

was not my idea, because I don't think

59:10

I would have had the gumption. The

59:16

Phantom Balls. I wouldn't have the

59:18

Phantom Balls. The Phantom Balls. Hashtag Phantom Balls. To

59:20

bring up such an idea. I

59:26

really don't. So I have to believe it was

59:28

a Cornet. I was like, man, this is going

59:30

to create a Cornet or Russo. Oh,

59:33

Lord, look what you've done. I'm not sure.

59:35

So maybe we can have both those gentlemen

59:37

call in and offer up the

59:39

truth. Whose idea was it? It

59:41

wasn't mine, though. It was not mine. I jumped

59:44

at it. I've been glad, happy to take the

59:46

credit for supplying a great moment, or

59:48

series of great moments. But it wasn't

59:50

my idea. Well, I'm going to ask a

59:53

question as if I'm a grizzled veteran myself. Did

59:55

you get three paydays, P.S.? I

59:59

wasn't even thinking. I wasn't geared that way

1:00:01

right at that time. I didn't question anything It

1:00:04

wasn't until probably 98 that I started you

1:00:06

know middle of 98 that I started questioning

1:00:09

You talked to JR about that I mean I was

1:00:12

not I became get to the point where I was

1:00:14

not shy about Sticking up for

1:00:16

what I thought my worth was for sure

1:00:18

good for you. Yeah When

1:00:21

you get to the rumble we know that

1:00:23

we're gonna have all three characters So

1:00:26

you're bringing all three sets of gear But you

1:00:28

were probably traveling with all three sets of gear

1:00:30

at this point that's not a case and at

1:00:32

that point mankind Was not going

1:00:35

with sweats and sneakers. He was a

1:00:37

tight. Yeah boots guy. So you carry

1:00:39

two bags here Likely

1:00:42

yeah, I've been I've been traveling

1:00:44

the car I hit 40

1:00:47

states in the United States of America in the last

1:00:49

18 months So it's been a lot

1:00:52

a lot of traveling and some international dates, you

1:00:54

know, like Australia, New Zealand And you're a one

1:00:56

bag man. I'm a one bag man. So I'm

1:00:58

a 19 inch carry-on man Using

1:01:02

the buy and discard method where you

1:01:05

just you bring on a go. Just

1:01:07

boom it's easier to discard and buy

1:01:09

than it is to wash and In

1:01:12

98 though here for the rumble

1:01:15

you're probably especially on a TV day.

1:01:17

You get to bring all three. I

1:01:19

gotta bring all three Yeah, yeah, definitely

1:01:23

So the idea that you're gonna be in

1:01:25

three times clearly they're gonna lay out the

1:01:27

rumble and they're gonna allow you Tom to

1:01:29

You know change and all that jazz, but

1:01:31

were you worried about I? Mean,

1:01:34

I know this sounds silly considering who I'm talking to.

1:01:37

What if something goes wrong and you get hurt on

1:01:40

the first one? Conrad

1:01:42

I Have

1:01:48

to believe in my heart that

1:01:50

if I was able to function after being

1:01:52

thrown off the cell and through the cell

1:01:55

That I would find a way The

1:01:58

will and the guts and the force to

1:02:01

carry on in that rumble. I

1:02:03

have no doubt, but I just asked

1:02:06

myself, self, if you're out

1:02:08

there as character number one and tear a damn quad,

1:02:10

what? No,

1:02:12

it's mathematical. No quads equals no

1:02:14

quad tears. Okay. Well,

1:02:16

so there you go. Just do

1:02:19

the science. Duh. Every guy who's

1:02:21

ever been badly injured, good physique.

1:02:23

Right. Yeah. Fat doesn't

1:02:25

tear, brother. All right. The Latinas just bumps and

1:02:27

moves on. I really worry about Tommy Dreamer a

1:02:29

couple of years ago. It took a bad bump

1:02:31

on TV and I sent

1:02:34

him a text message to make sure he

1:02:36

was okay and he came back with the

1:02:38

fat doesn't tear. Yeah. Oh, I love it.

1:02:40

Fat doesn't tear. A new T-shirt available

1:02:43

now. Austin,

1:02:46

of course, wins the rumble, I

1:02:48

guess technically. But who won the heart? Well,

1:02:50

that's the thing. Nobody even really thinks about

1:02:53

the fact that he won the rumble because

1:02:55

when people talk about the 98 rumble,

1:02:57

they talk about you, three tops. I

1:03:02

think this is interesting though because he

1:03:05

technically only eliminated 27 men. And

1:03:09

I know when it came time, he was trying

1:03:11

to eliminate me and you can hear it. We're

1:03:14

tied up. It's time, kid. I

1:03:16

said, I'm Mr. January. So that

1:03:19

was the first time. He had to know what

1:03:21

was up. I don't do that. That doesn't work

1:03:23

for me. Like Billy Gunn on a TV television

1:03:26

loss. So let's

1:03:28

talk about the show itself. Mike Tyson is

1:03:30

there at the show. And

1:03:32

I realize now Mike Tyson is

1:03:34

a pop culture figure. He's on a lot of

1:03:37

stuff. And he's been on AEW a handful

1:03:39

of times. I'm not

1:03:41

saying this as a slide against AEW. It just

1:03:43

doesn't matter like it used to back then. He

1:03:46

was fresh off of, first of

1:03:49

all, the prison stint and

1:03:51

he was on a pay-per-view bonanza beforehand, gets

1:03:53

in some trouble. Then there's the

1:03:55

prison stint, the divorce that was very public. He

1:03:58

comes out. Another pay-per-view juggernaut. not, but

1:04:01

in June of the prior year, he bit of

1:04:03

Andrew Holyfield's ear, he gets suspended

1:04:05

by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but

1:04:08

he was the proven pay-per-view draw.

1:04:11

And so now you've got that guy sort of crossing

1:04:14

over into the WWE world, and it was

1:04:16

supposed to happen way back

1:04:18

in 1990 on Saturday 9th's main event,

1:04:21

but Buster Douglas knocked him out and that was it.

1:04:23

So he's

1:04:25

been a big wrestling fan, loves wrestling, wants to

1:04:27

be a part of it, but

1:04:29

this feels like a major moment

1:04:32

where Kevin Sullivan and Eric Bischoff had talked

1:04:34

about, we just

1:04:36

lost, because in their head he

1:04:38

had so much credibility with

1:04:41

the fans. So they said we

1:04:43

just lost when they saw Tyson.

1:04:45

They thought when the WWF got

1:04:47

Tyson, that's the beginning of the

1:04:49

end, because he was

1:04:51

such a significant pay-per-view draw. And

1:04:53

here on pay-per-view, we may

1:04:56

have promoted that he was going to be

1:04:58

here, but he doesn't really do anything. He's

1:05:00

just sitting in the in the luxury box

1:05:02

watching. The physicality with Austin happens the next

1:05:04

night, but I'm just curious from your perspective,

1:05:07

as somebody who had been there during leaner

1:05:10

times, and now things

1:05:12

are starting to get hotter and hotter

1:05:14

and hotter, and let's not forget we're

1:05:16

just, we're two months removed from the

1:05:18

Montreal Screwjob, where we essentially said

1:05:20

we can't afford to pay Brett, and now

1:05:22

the biggest pay-per-view attraction of all is here.

1:05:25

Even if you are in the middle of a big losing

1:05:27

streak to Nitro, does it feel

1:05:29

as monumental to you to have Mike Tyson there,

1:05:32

or is it just another celebrity? No, it does

1:05:34

feel big. Big to the

1:05:36

point where I remember being on one of

1:05:38

those Legends roundtables right before Mania. You

1:05:41

may have seen it, because I left there feeling

1:05:43

kind of disrespected. Like I

1:05:46

was stomped on by the panel, and

1:05:48

when I said that Tyson was

1:05:51

the most important celebrity we ever had,

1:05:53

I got jumped on for that. Really?

1:05:55

Yeah, yeah. And what were the

1:05:57

counter arguments to that? that

1:06:00

it was big enough without

1:06:02

it, that, what are you trying

1:06:04

to say, that it wasn't big without, yeah, it was big.

1:06:07

But it was big within wrestling. Tyson

1:06:10

made it. Big in the

1:06:12

mainstream. Yeah, big in the mainstream, and that was really

1:06:14

important. It was really difficult to

1:06:16

get mainstream coverage. Tuesday morning it was everywhere.

1:06:18

Yeah, it was everywhere. It was one of

1:06:20

the best things you had, WWE

1:06:22

had ever done. So

1:06:26

yeah, I think it was the biggest

1:06:28

celebrity appearance that we've ever had. Mike

1:06:32

and Austin and hitting the

1:06:34

news around the world. That

1:06:37

was really important. And I think it was,

1:06:39

you look at the 97 mania versus 98, 97

1:06:45

with Epic, with Bret and Steve,

1:06:48

but as far as a bi-rate,

1:06:51

it was very much

1:06:53

in line with what other pay-per-views were doing.

1:06:56

And I think 98 became the

1:06:58

moment when it stopped being an event

1:07:00

and became more than a

1:07:02

weekend. Now it's WrestleMania week, right? WrestleMania week,

1:07:04

people come out and they come from around

1:07:06

the globe because they know it's not just

1:07:09

one event. It's

1:07:11

a series of events and attractions and

1:07:16

matches and different promotions from

1:07:19

around the world, all setting up camp

1:07:21

in whatever city we choose. And I

1:07:23

think Tyson's appearance had

1:07:26

a lot to do with ushering

1:07:28

in that new era where WrestleMania

1:07:30

re-establishes itself

1:07:33

as the big kid on the

1:07:36

box. When

1:07:38

you, I'm just making

1:07:40

the assumption, you met Mike Tyson that day

1:07:43

for the first time? No, yeah, yeah. And

1:07:46

to show you, look, Mike

1:07:49

went to jail for, yeah,

1:07:52

he went for a few years, tens

1:07:55

of millions of dollars, debt

1:07:57

to society. I mean, for

1:07:59

me, You pay

1:08:01

your debt to society, you come out.

1:08:04

For those, because there were people who said, hey,

1:08:06

you work in an organization, you volunteer

1:08:09

for RAIN, and yet you pose with a guy

1:08:11

who's been convicted. All I'm going

1:08:13

to say is pay the big,

1:08:15

steep price. And

1:08:19

when Mike met me, he was talking about mankind

1:08:21

hanging out with racks, and I had no

1:08:23

idea what he was talking about. What

1:08:26

he was talking about was the original vignette. Which

1:08:29

I had forgotten I even did. And

1:08:31

there was another period where I did

1:08:33

another convention, before conventions became, wrestling

1:08:36

conventions became a thing, doing

1:08:39

one in California. And a

1:08:41

guy named Sal Corenti comes up to me and goes, we

1:08:44

got a Mike Tyson problem. What

1:08:47

is it? He goes, Mike says he won't go to

1:08:49

the ring without you. And I went, I've only

1:08:51

met Mike once. He

1:08:55

won't go to the ring without you. And

1:08:58

so I meet up with Mike, and

1:09:00

I'm, okay, I'm there for you. And it was

1:09:02

funny, because once he got in the ring, then

1:09:04

he was all his. But it was just that trepidation

1:09:07

about going down and being outside

1:09:09

your comfort zone. But he

1:09:11

was such a big fan, that becomes infectious.

1:09:13

We know who's there. You

1:09:15

know, there are people who clearly don't want to

1:09:17

be there, and there are people who just love

1:09:19

it. And Mike was one of those guys who

1:09:21

loved it. I just love that. Of

1:09:24

course, as everyone recalls, Shawn gets hurt during

1:09:26

the casket match with the Undertaker, and that's

1:09:28

obviously going to throw a big monkey wrench

1:09:30

into the plans. Did

1:09:33

you know that he got hurt that night? Or

1:09:36

did you just hear about it after the fight? I just heard

1:09:38

about it afterwards. Did you see the

1:09:40

bump? Yeah. Thrown over the top

1:09:42

rope, clipped the casket. On the edge. Yeah,

1:09:45

it was lower back, right? Yep. Yep.

1:09:47

Boy, I hate to make this comparison, because it sounds awful.

1:09:50

But in NASCAR, I'm not a big NASCAR

1:09:52

fan, but you've seen, like even on SportsCenter,

1:09:55

these over-the-top, unbelievable car

1:09:57

crashes, and seemingly most of them

1:09:59

are over-the-top. the time the guys somehow in

1:10:01

the grace of God just walk away unscathed but

1:10:03

then we would

1:10:05

see Dale Earnhardt's crash and that doesn't

1:10:07

look nearly like much right and he's

1:10:09

gone yeah and I think

1:10:11

this bump is something where it's like wait a minute

1:10:14

if somebody's gonna get hurt it's gonna

1:10:16

be you being thrown off and landing on

1:10:18

the concrete or yeah but just

1:10:20

landing on the casket don't get me

1:10:22

wrong I'm not questioning whether that was

1:10:24

a legitimate injury I'm just making the

1:10:26

comparison yeah it's a straw that breaks

1:10:28

the camel's back yes so the accumulation

1:10:30

the accumulation yes so I love in

1:10:32

2004 for example I lost the 60 big

1:10:37

ones I you know started six

1:10:39

months earlier 330 got myself down to 270

1:10:42

felt really

1:10:45

good you know had that epic

1:10:48

match with with Randy

1:10:50

Orton at backlash

1:10:56

made 2004 and then three days later

1:10:59

I'm watching my children play a water

1:11:01

table you know children's Fisher

1:11:04

price water table I try to get up out

1:11:06

of my chair and I can't stand so

1:11:09

it was just a ligament giving

1:11:11

way that had been hanging on by a

1:11:13

thread so same analogy to

1:11:16

Sean it's the straw that breaks the

1:11:18

camel's back it's not that one bump

1:11:21

it's that one bump capping off

1:11:24

decades are at that point not

1:11:26

decades 15 years Sean had been around

1:11:28

since 84 85 hard you know hard

1:11:34

worker bump taker extraordinaire and it

1:11:36

was his back way

1:11:38

of saying hey we're out here did

1:11:40

you put Christmas on a credit card

1:11:42

don't stress out about that extra holiday

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spending save with Conrad comm can help

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1:12:00

out of your your pocket. And

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did I mention no payments until

1:12:04

March? So don't make saving money

1:12:06

or resolution next year. Make it

1:12:08

happen today at savewithconrad.com. So

1:12:11

let's get to the rumble. It opens with

1:12:13

Cactus Jack against Chainsaw Charlie. And

1:12:15

before we go any further, I

1:12:17

just got to think, man, the little kid

1:12:20

in you, knowing that regard you hold Terry

1:12:22

Funk in, here you are in

1:12:24

arguably the number two or three pay-per-view

1:12:26

of the year. It's gone

1:12:28

on to be number two. I say with

1:12:32

question, but in my opinion, it's gone

1:12:34

on to be a strong number two with SummerSlam.

1:12:36

And number three. And number three. But at this

1:12:39

time, it's either number two or number three. And

1:12:42

you're there as a character. You create a

1:12:44

character that you were told over and over,

1:12:46

and you would call every so often and

1:12:48

never ever get an opportunity. And now this

1:12:51

is a character I created that they didn't

1:12:53

believe in, and I'm in. The character

1:12:55

that I hear later that Mr.

1:12:58

McMahon said he would never step foot

1:13:00

in the WWE ring. Now, not

1:13:02

only stepping foot, he's kicking off the

1:13:04

rumble at him. Let's talk about

1:13:06

that. I'm kicking off the rumble with

1:13:09

a character I created with my idol,

1:13:11

who to me is the greatest wrestler

1:13:13

of all time. And then we're joined by

1:13:15

The Rock, who to me

1:13:17

puts on a clinic. This is so this

1:13:19

is early 98 Rock. This is

1:13:21

this is like a quarter of the

1:13:24

way into his trajectory

1:13:26

as a brilliant shining star, right?

1:13:29

Yes. This is a rock catches

1:13:31

fire in 97. By

1:13:33

this point, he's really on the

1:13:35

money, all cylinders, and the

1:13:37

stuff he's able to do as far as taking bumps

1:13:40

with a garbage can on his head, having

1:13:42

the presence of mind and know where he is. I

1:13:44

think at one point he actually he actually

1:13:46

went through the rope second and third rope

1:13:49

with a garbage can on his head, which

1:13:51

seems to be an impossible thing to do.

1:13:53

So it's almost in his DNA that he

1:13:55

knows his way around the ring. And

1:13:58

to me, it's just an incredible performance.

1:14:00

by the Rock. And

1:14:02

before the Rock gets in there we have

1:14:04

our Bushwacker Luke Performance of the Year with

1:14:06

Tom Brandy. He is in and

1:14:08

out in a handful of seconds. Okay. I

1:14:11

don't know why but I always love that

1:14:13

Bushwacker Luke spot. So Brandy was

1:14:15

in before Rock? It's you

1:14:17

and Charlie then Brandy and you guys just

1:14:20

as you're trading chair shots like no get

1:14:22

out of here. Gone. We

1:14:24

didn't hear come that's such a beloved

1:14:26

moment. It's such a great moment. Such

1:14:29

a great moment. Whoever's called upon to

1:14:31

deliver that moment should not look at

1:14:33

it as an insult. It's memorable. It's

1:14:36

memorable. I mean Lawler basically coming

1:14:38

in from the announce table and

1:14:40

getting eliminated so quickly he's able to finish

1:14:42

the sentence that he started. Yes. Yeah. It's

1:14:44

great stuff. Yeah. If you can't win it

1:14:46

or being it three times be the guy

1:14:48

who gets eliminated. In my head if you're

1:14:50

not number one or two or you're not

1:14:52

one of the final four or you don't

1:14:55

have the most eliminations the spot to be

1:14:57

in is that's a great spot and it's

1:14:59

funny because you know the spot you mentioned

1:15:01

with Lawler it literally happened the year prior

1:15:03

at 97 so we got back-to-back

1:15:06

cool moments here. Eventually

1:15:08

you're done after nine minutes you miss a

1:15:10

shoulder block on your own partner you go

1:15:13

over the top but

1:15:15

what do you know at number

1:15:17

16 here comes mankind and

1:15:20

you eliminate your partner again Terry Funk.

1:15:22

Terry Funk lasted 25 minutes

1:15:24

in this match. The

1:15:26

artist formerly known as Goldust eliminates you

1:15:28

just two minutes in because you've got

1:15:30

business to take care of. I have

1:15:34

huge to unlace. I was

1:15:36

a 17 and a half inch man.

1:15:41

You know I went I wore all three

1:15:43

characters at the boots that went up almost

1:15:45

to the knees. I think mankind's were probably

1:15:47

15. Three sets of boots. The tactus went

1:15:49

way up there if I had to change

1:15:51

one thing it would have been Velcro all

1:15:54

the way around I would have invested in Velcro

1:15:56

for all three of those pairs of boots because

1:15:58

that was the most The most commonest threat

1:16:00

was how do I get these boots off?

1:16:03

There'd be a team of people working on me. It

1:16:05

was like a picture. Really? Yeah.

1:16:08

I'd come back and there'd be people. I probably had the one boot that was

1:16:10

going on. Somebody else was working the other one. Yeah. And

1:16:13

even when it came time to put on the other boot, we

1:16:15

had someone moving here and here. It

1:16:17

was harrowing. Yeah. I would later

1:16:20

feel a lot of, not

1:16:23

just empathy, but respect for someone who

1:16:26

played like the Phantom. You know, dual

1:16:28

roles and had to make quick changes.

1:16:30

Anyone on Broadway? Brother, you've seen the

1:16:32

lightning quick changes I make on cameo,

1:16:35

right? Yes. Mankind to do, to

1:16:37

cactus like that. I think it's,

1:16:39

again, part of who I am after that

1:16:41

rumble. I think you've only dropped it two

1:16:43

or three times ever. But

1:16:46

since you've done it twice,

1:16:48

now I'm almost Pavlovian. So when you said, I

1:16:50

had a whole new respect for Phantom balls,

1:16:53

I'm waiting on you to say this.

1:16:56

Phantom balls, hashtag Phantom balls. Let's get

1:16:58

them going. Dude

1:17:00

Love is in at 28 and he gets a decent

1:17:02

pop. You throw out Bradshaw and

1:17:04

then it's the Steve Austin show really. This

1:17:09

crowd is just bananas for

1:17:11

Steve Austin. Or

1:17:14

Pat Patterson, respect banana.

1:17:16

Banana. Singular. Did

1:17:19

you, is this the hottest crowd you've worked in front of at

1:17:21

this point maybe? Or one of them? Because

1:17:24

they're so ready for anything, everything Austin.

1:17:26

It's tough to say. I mean they

1:17:29

were so, yeah, so pro Austin, loved

1:17:31

Austin, responsive even to the dude. But

1:17:34

we'd worked a few shows like Newfoundland

1:17:36

is Standing Out as

1:17:38

just like being like unbridled joy

1:17:41

at having Stone Cold Steve Austin

1:17:43

in their, you know, in their

1:17:45

city. Sure. Rocks, Red

1:17:47

Heart, Red Hot. And I remember, you know, there was

1:17:50

a lot of ad living that would go on. And

1:17:52

through an Austin wrestle buddy

1:17:55

and completely, you know, it was a

1:17:57

lot of winging it anyway with those

1:17:59

guys. guys involved but the

1:18:02

rock decides to drop a people's elbow on

1:18:05

the Austin wrestle buddy kicks

1:18:08

the arm in throws

1:18:10

the pad and he's doing

1:18:12

that it's one of the most ridiculous moves this

1:18:15

is coming from a guy who used a sock

1:18:17

as a finishing move right it's up there with

1:18:19

the stink face the worm and mr. Socko but

1:18:21

he made it work this incredible

1:18:24

people's elbow and the time was

1:18:26

just right Austin comes in from

1:18:29

the corner tackles rock he comes down

1:18:31

with the punches that was among the

1:18:33

biggest pops I've ever heard but

1:18:37

acknowledging places like New Finland and some of

1:18:39

the other places where I had the great

1:18:42

honor of you know like

1:18:44

being in matches that were

1:18:46

so amazingly where audience was so

1:18:49

amazingly receptive largely due to Steve you

1:18:51

know we played the hand in that

1:18:53

too that would

1:18:55

those were great moments but this crowd yeah

1:18:57

at the rumble was red hot and

1:18:59

unbelievably you're one of the last four it's

1:19:02

Austin rocky Farooq

1:19:04

and dude love so rock

1:19:07

stays in 50 he's

1:19:09

in quite a while he's in almost the whole

1:19:11

time it's amazing too because this is a guy

1:19:13

who just a handful of months prior

1:19:15

to this people wanted nothing to

1:19:18

do with yeah and now he's got this

1:19:20

amount of confidence from the office and of

1:19:22

course he's a big part of the Farooq

1:19:24

storyline and that's going to continue to evolve

1:19:27

and then you've had your

1:19:29

moments in 97 with Austin and it's

1:19:31

pretty cool you put the claw in Austin who gives

1:19:33

you a low blow then Farooq throws you out rocky

1:19:36

throws Farooq out and then Austin throws rocky out

1:19:39

and it's all over in just three minutes you

1:19:41

wrote this in your book Terry and I did

1:19:43

have several great moments together our Royal

1:19:46

Rumble appearance where Terry and I willingly traded

1:19:48

head shots before teaming up to kick the

1:19:50

rocks Rudy poo candy ass was a definite

1:19:53

highlight I actually appeared as

1:19:55

all three faces a Foley in the contest

1:19:57

but I'll always best remember the rumble for

1:19:59

the reaction Terry when he realized

1:20:01

I had him dead to rights with a steel

1:20:03

chair. He rolled up his pantyhose so

1:20:05

I could clearly see his face, nodded

1:20:08

his head up and down to give

1:20:10

me the okay, and waited like a

1:20:12

man for a chair shot that nearly leveled

1:20:14

him. Terry recoiled from the

1:20:16

blow by staggering around and throwing two

1:20:18

or three Fred Sanford jabs into the

1:20:20

air. I presented Terry the

1:20:22

same chair, which he accepted as if it

1:20:25

were a cherished family heirloom. I

1:20:27

then gave Funk the go ahead and

1:20:29

he clobbered me three times and it

1:20:31

was truly a warm moment between friends.

1:20:33

It is, but looking back now, this

1:20:35

is only a year

1:20:37

and a half removed or less than

1:20:39

two years removed when I write the

1:20:41

book. So I don't have time to

1:20:43

really appreciate the gravity

1:20:46

of the three faces because you

1:20:48

don't know a year and a half out that it's

1:20:50

something people are going to still be talking about. For

1:20:53

decades. And clearly looking back,

1:20:55

the chair shots are not something

1:20:58

to be as proud of.

1:21:01

And yeah, we did get the pop, but

1:21:03

looking at the price paid by both of

1:21:05

us, probably too high. So

1:21:08

I'm not as proud of

1:21:10

those chairs as I was when I wrote the book

1:21:12

for sure. Well for the rest

1:21:14

of the year here, we're going to be talking a lot about

1:21:16

1998. It's 25

1:21:19

years later as our 25 year look

1:21:21

back. We'll talk about the dumpster spot,

1:21:23

the dumpster match. Dude loves

1:21:25

heel turn, working with Austin, the hell in

1:21:27

a cell, obviously teaming with Kane, working with

1:21:29

Shamrock, the hardcore title, the corporation,

1:21:32

that phenomenal survivor series and so

1:21:34

much more. Yeah. Ninety eight's a

1:21:36

big year for you. It's going to be a lot of fun

1:21:38

because now we're looking at the 25 year anniversary of a

1:21:40

lot of major moments. Keeping in mind that

1:21:42

93 was a pretty good year for me. Oh yeah. WCW.

1:21:46

So those are 30 year anniversary. Isn't that crazy

1:21:48

to say a lot? Yeah.

1:21:52

Yeah. And we were just talking about

1:21:54

the first time I dude it up, which was 38 years

1:21:56

ago. So Conra,

1:21:58

just to put this in your head. I'm going

1:22:00

to gear up for a final tour, big

1:22:03

tour. In 2025,

1:22:05

it's going to begin at the beginning of

1:22:07

the year and end on my birthday. So

1:22:10

it'll cap off, it'll be the 40 years

1:22:12

of Foley tour. I'm

1:22:15

not saying I won't do a show ever,

1:22:17

but as far as driving around or flying

1:22:19

around, that's it. And it'll culminate

1:22:21

on my 60th birthday. I feel pretty good about

1:22:23

the fact that I got in when I was

1:22:25

19, had my first match when I

1:22:27

was 20, and that'll be the 40 years

1:22:30

of Foley tour. I love it. Let's

1:22:32

do some fan questions and then we'll wrap this one up. Matt

1:22:35

wants to know, is this one of the most creative ideas

1:22:37

in Royal Rumble history? I think so. I

1:22:40

mean, I'd be really happy to brag about it

1:22:42

if it was mine, but let's

1:22:45

get to the bottom. Let's find out in the

1:22:47

next week or so if this was a Cornette

1:22:49

idea or a Russo

1:22:51

idea. I'm sure we'll hear about it. Stewart

1:22:54

wants to know. The rumor and innuendo

1:22:56

is that Pat Patterson put together the Rumble matches.

1:22:58

What did he think of this idea? I

1:23:01

don't know for sure, but Pat putting

1:23:03

this together was clearly an amazing

1:23:07

moment for WWE. Pat

1:23:09

usually liked the stuff I did, so I have

1:23:12

to believe Pat really enjoyed it. This

1:23:14

is his baby. Yeah, it is. And

1:23:16

it's only grown over time. Like I

1:23:18

said, it's got

1:23:20

a different feel to it because people flock

1:23:22

to it for that one match.

1:23:25

You have a great time. Even

1:23:27

if you think you're bitter towards wrestling, that's

1:23:30

the one time I think when everybody

1:23:32

becomes a fan again. More

1:23:34

so even than WrestleMania because

1:23:36

the Rumble match is so

1:23:38

much fun to watch. Because you don't know what to expect. Rick

1:23:42

wants to know, did you have your gear in Gorilla to

1:23:44

change or did you have to go back into the dressing

1:23:46

room? I did have to go back to the dressing room.

1:23:48

That would have been nice to have had it right past

1:23:50

Gorilla or right there, but I did go

1:23:52

back to the dressing room. Jeff

1:23:55

Akan wants to know, would you change the order

1:23:57

in which they came out? If you had to

1:23:59

do it. over again would you like to have had? No,

1:24:01

no, I was happy with the order because

1:24:04

dude was unexpected. So I

1:24:07

think cactus

1:24:10

jack made sense at number one.

1:24:12

It was cool to have mankind

1:24:14

in the middle and I don't

1:24:16

think people were expecting dude and that was

1:24:18

the one you know that made the the

1:24:21

lineup complete. Joey

1:24:23

the Tori Amos guy wants to know

1:24:25

are there any discussions to have Chainsaw

1:24:28

Charlie come back out as Terry Funk

1:24:30

to eliminate they love. No, no

1:24:32

I think if if if

1:24:35

you started giving multiple roles to multiple

1:24:37

people it's not especially. Yeah well next

1:24:39

week Mick we're gonna talk about something

1:24:42

that I'm pretty excited about Abdul

1:24:44

the Butcher. Oh man yeah. I'm looking forward

1:24:46

to that. Should be fun. If you haven't

1:24:48

already please check out all the new Foliis

1:24:50

Pod merch we've got for you over at

1:24:53

Foliis Pod shirts. We've got tumblers, posters and

1:24:55

new fanny pack with the hardcore legend on

1:24:57

it. Oh and you can even get

1:24:59

it with an extender for all of us big boys.

1:25:02

T-shirts like our ever-popular King of

1:25:04

the Deathmatch tee, the classic Commissioner

1:25:06

tee, Mr. In Your House but

1:25:09

we've got a special t-shirt debuting today.

1:25:11

Early last month I came to

1:25:14

the realization well let's watch this

1:25:16

clip. I want to go on record right now

1:25:18

and say that you have sold yourself short and

1:25:20

I just realized how so you've

1:25:22

been on this program for months bragging about

1:25:24

being Mr. In Your House. Yeah. I

1:25:27

think you're Mr. Royal Rumble. Hear

1:25:29

me out I realize that other folks

1:25:31

maybe have won the Royal Rumble. Yeah.

1:25:33

Maybe even more than once maybe a

1:25:36

few times but if we

1:25:38

forget for a minute that the Royal Rumble

1:25:40

is more than just a match

1:25:43

we'd be dismissing everything

1:25:45

that you did because Royal Rumble

1:25:47

98 you wrestled three times,

1:25:49

three characters. The very next year that

1:25:52

infamous I Quit match that people are still talking

1:25:54

about is one of the most brutal matches of

1:25:56

all time and then Royal Rumble 2000 one

1:25:59

of my favorite matches. of all time, you and Hunter,

1:26:02

dude, you're Mr. Royal Rumble. And

1:26:04

in 2012, the sock versus the cobra,

1:26:06

who can compete? I am Mr. Royal

1:26:08

Rumble. You are. I'm

1:26:10

glad. Now, if we can... That was

1:26:12

me, Austin. You

1:26:17

know, I don't think we can technically

1:26:19

sell a shirt that calls you Mr.

1:26:21

Royal Rumble, but by God, we can

1:26:24

do the...our very best version of Mr.

1:26:26

Reggie Jackson. You're Mr. January. Come on.

1:26:44

Mr. January is available right

1:26:46

now over at foleyispodshirts.com. If

1:26:49

you haven't already, check us out on

1:26:51

social media as well as YouTube.

1:26:54

foleyonyoutube.com is where you want to be.

1:26:57

I think fans are really digging what we've been

1:27:00

doing on YouTube, and the rumor and innuendo is,

1:27:02

Mick, we've got some other tricks up our sleeve

1:27:04

we're going to be doing pretty soon. So there

1:27:07

you go. There's a friend coming to town in a couple

1:27:09

of days, and we're going to chat, and it's going

1:27:12

to be fun. I'll tell you how fair. Okay.

1:27:15

He's a friend of yours. Okay, see you. Oh,

1:27:18

gotcha. Okay, gotcha. Gotcha. Follow us

1:27:20

on Twitter, at foleyispod on Twitter,

1:27:22

Instagram, and Facebook. Foley's

1:27:24

not active on Twitter, but I am. Hey,

1:27:26

hey, it's Conrad, but Mick is at real Mick

1:27:28

Foley, and you can catch our show on

1:27:30

all the social media handles, at

1:27:32

foleyispod, and we'll be back next week

1:27:34

talking all things of Dilla the Butcher.

1:27:36

I can't wait. See you next

1:27:39

week right here on Foley is Pod. Have

1:27:42

a nice week. Hey,

1:27:53

hey, it's Conrad Thompson. Here to tell you

1:27:56

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