Former WCW star PN News was a recent guest of VOC Nation’s In the Room broadcast. He talked about his current status, the state of the business when he was in WCW, the details of his departure, and much more. Here are some highlights:
On his current health status: “I’m having a few issues with my hip and my knees and stuff like that...I’m working - - I’m not saying I’m completely done, I’m working on something right now and I hope to be doing the Wrestlecon over by Wrestlemania this year and people will be getting a lot more information about me then.”
On what keeps him tied to the business: “It’s a love hate with the industry, it really is...I was selfish in a way to continue (wrestling) as long as I was, but I did it because I enjoyed entertaining the fans. There was no greater high than making people suspend their disbelief that wrestling is real, and just to get people to say ‘Oh my God.’...it’s just like any other high, you just keep chasing that first buzz.”
On his favorite time in wrestling: “The time I spent in the Catch Wrestling Association...it was just great; you weren’t up and down the road all the time. You’d go into a town and you’d be there for a couple of months. You’d be back in your own environment every night, you wouldn’t have to drive for five hours or catch a plane. The fans were (also) so appreciative. They appreciated the hard work ethic as well...lt wasn’t as big of a territory, but the lifestyle was just fantastic.”
On the extreme travel schedule during his WCW stint, and the physical toll that it takes on your body: “I never saw my front door for the first 90 days I was on the road with WCW...I’d wrestle 320, 330 days a year. You were always traveling, you were always on the road - - it was not the easiest life. Just as much damage has been done to my body riding in cars for 10 or 12 hours a day than I’ve ever done in a wrestling ring...it’s an eat or be eaten world; if you take the time of then somebody is going to step into your place...Out of sight out of mind.”
On guaranteed contracts: “When WCW first opened up right before I got there (when Turner bought the company) they were offering ridiculous guaranteed contracts. Then Jim Herd took over and those big guarantees went out the window. That’s when I went in there, Austin went in there, Johnny B Badd, that whole crew...then when I left WCW (moving back to Europe when his daughter was born) then all of a sudden those big money contracts started popping up when Bischoff took over. So there was Herd and then there was Watts, and then when Bischoff got in there, that’s when it started looking up for those big money contracts. I was just in the right place at the wrong time...that’s just pure timing and happenstance.”
On his departure from WCW: “I was railroaded out and blackballed; there was nothing I could really do. Basically we were over in England during the first tour of England and some money went missing in somebody’s bag. There had been money missing every once in a while at TVs; they were noticing at TVs that money was missing from people’s bags and (stuff) like that...Well by the time we got back to Atlanta a few days later, for some reason I got blamed for stealing all the money. That’s how the whole thing started. There’s nothing I can do about it. I just know that God is my witness; I have a lot of sins that I’m going to pay for but that’s not one of them.”
On the talent roster in the early 90s in WCW: “Brian (Pillman) was becoming a tremendous talent before he died. Austin, you could tell he was talented right away. You could see that he had the attributes, the timing, the athleticism, he could talk on the microphone, all those things were crucial. When he finally got the opportunity with the right gimmick for him, he ran with it. Shane Douglas obviously was a good talent, he found his niche...I’ve been very, very fortunate to work with some tremendous talent that you could pick up and learn stuff from...”
On the state of wrestling today: “These younger kids today, they’re probably a hell of a lot more athletic, but the actual ring psychology and ring knowledge that you gain from working with guys like (Austin, Pillman, Douglas, etc) night in and night out is just amazing. When I as in wrestling, they used to say that if you can’t get your crap over (on the microphone) in two minutes, then (you) ain’t worth talking about. Nowadays you turn on the TV and all they do is talk. I think that using enhancement talent and telling a good story in the ring is really important. They kinda cut that psychology out of the industry. And the fact that they’re doing pay per views every month kind of rushes everything. There’s no time to build up any good story angles or anything like that, or build up that anticipation.”
In the Room airs live on VOC Nation every Tuesday night at 9PM ET with Pro Wrestling Illustrated contributor Brady Hicks and crew, legendary guests, and listener calls.
Featuring guests from wrestling personalities such as Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Joey Styles, Matt Hardy, and Mick Foley, to entertainers like Lou Ferrigno, The Insane Clown Posse, Roberta Flack, and Kristy Swanson, VOC Nation has given listeners insightful programming for nearly over 10 years.
Visit us online at: http://vocnation.com
Link to the interview here: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/vocnation/episodes/2020-01-14T20_59_59-08_00 |
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