Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru - Episode 387: Jim Reviews AEW Dynasty

Episode Date: April 11, 2025

This week on the Drive Thru, Jim reviews AEW Dynasty! Plus Jim reviews WWE Smackdown & Raw! Also, Jim talks about OVW being sold, From The Files: Pat Malone, and much more! Send in your question f...or the Drive-Thru to: CornyDriveThru@gmail.com  Follow Jim and Brian on Twitter: @TheJimCornette @GreatBrianLast Join Jim Cornette's College Of Wrestling Knowledge on Patreon to access the archives & more! https://www.patreon.com/Cornette Subscribe to the Official Jim Cornette channel on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/c/OfficialJimCornette Visit Jim's official site at www.JimCornette.com for merch, live dates, commentaries and more! You can listen to Brian on the 6:05 Superpodcast at 605pod.com or wherever you find your favorite podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Again, friends! And you are our friends. And welcome back to another edition of Jim Coronet's Drive-Thru. I hit the desk and I moved the chair. But you could deal with that, and we can deal with another episode. I'm yelling at everyone again. For no good reason.
Starting point is 00:00:36 We have an exciting episode. Big reviews. Everyone's demanding to hear what Jim thinks about. Everything that's wrong in wrestling right now. We have that and more fun and hijinks. And who knows what else. I'm your host of Great Brian Last, and here he is, the leader of the cult of Cornett. Mr. Jim Cornett.
Starting point is 00:00:56 Brian, come on, sing it with me. Sing it with me. Come on. Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river. Come on. If you come down to the river, bet you're going to find some pissed off sons of bitches. We don't have no money. We don't get no thunder.
Starting point is 00:01:17 everybody's shit is floating in ditches. I come to you from the 51st state, Brian, the state of emergency. It is, when last we left our castaways here on Gilligan's Island, formerly known as Metropolitan Louisville, I think on the last show I told the people that we had the tornado pass right within a mile or a mile or so south of the castle, southeast, headed in that direction. And now they've confirmed that was at EF3
Starting point is 00:01:55 with winds of up to 145, or is that starting at 145 miles an hour? I think that's the criteria that took the roof off that goddamn giant warehouse building and spread asbestos and chaos everywhere and turned the trees over in the light poles and wrecked the apartment complex and the blah, blah, blah. And then, you know, there was another tornado on the other side of the county,
Starting point is 00:02:27 as well as all the other chaos weather. And then they said, and it's going to rain like six to 12 inches and 10 to 12 inches or more in some places that got more than a foot. And it rained. When's the last time? am I talked to you. What is this real life? It rained Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, to the point where now the flood level is there, they've got all of the, it's not just the Ohio River
Starting point is 00:02:58 from Cincinnati on downstream to western Kentucky, that some of it is a mile wider underwater than it normally is, which is taking into account all kinds of roads and towns and things and shit on the riverfront. But all of the other secondary rivers and the locks and the dams and the whole nine yards is in top 10 or top five, Frankfurt. Part of the downtown state capital is underwater. Like the top of the street lights is what's showing on some streets. And that's like the number two ever. Most rainfall and the highest flooding they've had in 30 years
Starting point is 00:03:42 in a lot of places. But here's the goddamn deal, Brian. What did I say to you the other day about my spring? Spring, I've come to hate spring. It's been chaos and destruction and horrible weather
Starting point is 00:03:58 and just dreck and famine and pestilence. Guess what they did? Guess what they've done, gone and done did. They've already done did it, Brian. What did they do? Oh, are they not going to do the big parade down the street with all the horses and the horses that like, you know, do the funny walk and anything else they do? No, they don't have a parade with horses doing funny. It's the people, the ministry of funny walks that they have,
Starting point is 00:04:24 but that's a separate holiday. They've canceled thunder over Louisville because not of all of this. obviously. But the main thing is they can't reschedule it. It's gone. It's over with because of this massive thing that they start planning from the day after the one year happens, they start planning next years. They have dozens of fighter jets and antique planes and private planes in for the air show. and the fireworks take two days to set up,
Starting point is 00:05:07 and they're not only on the bridge, they're on barges on the river. They would be swept away in floodwaters if they could even get them out there. And the hotels charge thousands of dollars. The Galt House, they said they've gone from charging thousands of dollars for Riverview rooms for viewing parties to give them discounts off their normal rates for floodhouse,
Starting point is 00:05:32 victims and the total economic impact on Louisville, all the restaurants. So there's going to be a half a million people on the riverfront on both sides, Indiana and Kentucky, mostly Kentucky, because there's more room, that is most of the places that they would be is underwater right now. And so it's cost the economic impact, as they say, when they talk about WrestleMania, right? brought the economic impact or whatever the fuck to thunder over Louisville $125 million to the city
Starting point is 00:06:11 to the restaurants, the hotels, the fucking people from near and far and they've canceled all that shit. That's where people are bad. And they've got drone shots of everything. There are goddamn washing machines, clothes washers, just floating down the fucking river. It's going to take,
Starting point is 00:06:30 weeks to clean when the water recedes for all this shit that's been swept i mean wood and natural debris and just shit out of people's fucking yards it's all going all going to be laying out in plain sight like a beached whale they closed the town of eutica indiana there's a little town over on the other side of the uh obviously the other side of the river it's in indiana it's right on the riverfront and they had the mayor or the police chief or whatever and say yeah we're going to lose about 50 homes so we're a day after tomorrow which this was a few days ago we're just we're going to close the town if you can't show that you live here you won't be allowed in and they brought in a bunch of u-halls and loaded these people shit up and fucking drove it off has it
Starting point is 00:07:23 ever been canceled before and what is the actual reason for the cancellation not that there isn't you know plenty of reason but what was the actual reason well Well, no, many of the, as I said, the places that people would gather or even try to drive in, River Road is underwater. I mean, these off ramps on the interstates are closed off. It almost reached part of the interstate downtown at Spaghetti Junction. They don't have, it's not safe. They've got emergency. They're still rescuing people in various places, water rescues.
Starting point is 00:07:57 then they have the guy on the news that he built his house to survive a flood, but he's living on the third floor at his fucking garage is underwater. And he's talking to him from his fucking deck going, yeah, I'm fine, I'm just watching TV. But they got other shit going on, and the waters are rushing so fast, and you can't get there.
Starting point is 00:08:24 Even in COVID, They wouldn't let people congregate. They actually did fireworks displays in a smaller fashion around town surreptitiously where you, if you worked on the deal, you weren't supposed to tell people where it was so they wouldn't go there, but they put it on TV.
Starting point is 00:08:45 But I can't remember it's been canceled. This is a big fucking, this is the kickoff of the Kentucky Derby Festival. So, and this would have been the second highest television rating in the market of the year second only to the derby. It would have been a 50 fucking, I used to get the fucking numbers. A 50 rating and a 70 share. Maybe Randy Atcher could do a benefit concert.
Starting point is 00:09:11 Oh, fuck you now. Don't fucking, don't start that with me. I'm in a goddamn disaster area. I'm in a disaster area and still coming through with my goddamn duty. and responsibilities here today. So don't you try to make mockery of me? I've survived a F, EF3 tornado, the goddamn historic flood,
Starting point is 00:09:41 and the cancellation of thunder over Louisville, just to be here with you today. So it's a pleasure to speak to multiple-time survivor, Jim Cornett. I tell you, they can't pin me down like a cockroach in the corner, baby. They can't pin me down. I just keep on rolling, rolling down the river. You know, I don't know who should be more offended, John Fogarty or Ike Turner.
Starting point is 00:10:09 Well, he's dead. I think it's, I think Saul Zanz is going to have a word with me. Well, he owned the right. See, that's just, that's just for you. Fogarty's the only ones still live. About goddamn time for that Zance, fella. All right, well, this may be a fantasy. This may be real life.
Starting point is 00:10:25 I'm not sure. But this is your show. No, it's not. See, that's the thing about it here today. It is not in any way my responsibility. We got a lot of the wrestling to talk about. We do have a lot of the wrestling to talk about because AEW. That show is probably still going on.
Starting point is 00:10:45 Do they quit going out and taking bumps? You think when the people leave the building, when the fans are out of the arena, do they go back out and just have fun and take some more fucking bumps, these guys? I bet you there'd be a few of them that would like to. Why doesn't Tony do like a wrestleathon, just an excuse to have 24 hours straight of wrestling?
Starting point is 00:11:05 They did that one time. Not AEW, they, too many pronouns, pal. But I'm trying to think now that you've said that there was some place at some time an independent promotion, I think potentially for some kind of charity or some reason that they were trying to get some. publicity for it had some kind of continuing match that went on for 24 hours or something like I'm willing to read emails if they send them in out there in in TV land about what I'm
Starting point is 00:11:40 talking about but I think something like that has been done but I don't think I don't think the AEW guys want to care whether it's on TV or not some of them a spay they just want to go out to here look I can fucking springboard to the top turnbuckle and do the back flip and you run underneath me and you run up the turnbuckles and when you do the back flip you're standing on my shoulders and then Marina Schaefer
Starting point is 00:12:03 will come up behind us and stick her head up our ass and then they just go try it. See, I think the wrestle-a-thon idea would work for AEW because it's the first time we have a booker who stayed up for 24 hours. Oh, come on.
Starting point is 00:12:19 No, not in any way. Sheffered for a board. Actually, I guess that isn't true. I guess that isn't true. No. No. Well, some of Tony's biggest influences stayed up for 24 hours.
Starting point is 00:12:29 Maybe he can break the record. Maybe it could be like we raise money while Tony books nonstop until he falls asleep. Actually, some of the greatest bookers in history started staying up 24 hours a day right before they said, fuck it, I quit. There was probably something to that
Starting point is 00:12:46 when DeMarco came into the Barnett's office in Australia with the fucking booking book. And Dundee told me his story. He was there when it happened, not in the office. but in the territory. DeMarco holds a book over Barnett's desk and says, I have mastered the business and drops it,
Starting point is 00:13:06 and I am done. That's great. And he turned around and walked out and got a plane and came back to the United States. He's like, fuck it. Anyway, you know what? That's better than my horse is sick. I've mastered the business.
Starting point is 00:13:24 I am now done. You try it and walk. out. Oh, Paul. Paul, certainly you can give two weeks notice. Am I thinking of the wrong guy? Was DeMarco the guy that all the other wrestlers didn't like?
Starting point is 00:13:40 Who am I thinking? Is it Paul DeMarco? I'm not sure now. Well, no, I hold on here. Let's evaluate this. I never met him. It didn't see him. He was primarily in the 60s.
Starting point is 00:13:51 He was big in Atlanta, remember. You've seen the old programs. And I believe Florida. and he booked and worked for Barnett at some point during the 60s. But I don't know much about probably one of our friends out on the West Coast would know what more about DeMarco. I think he spent time in California also. Oh, maybe Mike Lano knows.
Starting point is 00:14:20 I don't know if I would take that as a character reference or not. Oh, look, I have a brand new interview with Paul DeMarco by Mike Lano, right? Yes, a brand new. What did he say this time? Let me see. All right. But nevertheless, what I was going to say was, so now our next milestone here, here in the Derby City, as they call it, and surrounding environs,
Starting point is 00:14:46 the thunder has been flummoxed. I mean, they're still going to have the Pegasus Parade and the balloon race and the various things. But the next big thing. What's the Pegasus? Well, that's where they actually have a parade of floats and bands and people and Hoochie Coochie dancers. I don't remember what all that. I used to go when I was like, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:15:10 I was there when I was eight years old, standing on the side of fucking Broadway, watching the goddamn floats go down the street. And they used to have it on television. I don't know if they do anymore. Is there a big ending? Like a guy dressed like a Pegasus runs out at the end and like Santa Claus at the end of the Thanksgiving parade. There's a lot of horse-themed activity going on.
Starting point is 00:15:33 As a matter of fact, in previous years, I believe they even got a couple of wrestlers involved. Like in the late 50s, right before the late 50s, I've seen a couple of foul pictures, but it's just the local parade and they close off Broadway through downtown Louisville, and they have the parade and all the kitties come and look at the the floats and the fucking balloons and the hoochy-coochy dancers. And they smell more horse shit than they'll ever smell in their lives. Well, no, there's not that many horses when you come to think about compared to what you're going to see at the rate.
Starting point is 00:16:16 And that's the next big thing. That's what I was trying to say is the actual run for the roses itself on Saturday, May the 3rd, the first Saturday in May, the 174, I believe, or is it 76 this year, running of the Kentucky Derby. And that's going to be a fucking mess if it rains too, people in the infield wallering around in the mud. And Churchill Downs, if people think, Stacey's sister thought, oh, would it be glamorous if we, if we, I'll fly out there.
Starting point is 00:16:47 And since we're all out there, we'll go to the Kentucky Derby and it's like she thinks we'll sit in a box and do whatever. I'm like, these box seats and these VIP things, if you're the chairman of the board of Brown Foreman Distilleries, you know, you can invite your goddamn friends to these luxury base. It's probably like the Lakers in the forum or whatever. Is that an apt analogy? You're more sports minded than I am.
Starting point is 00:17:12 You can't just wander into these fucking things, buy a ticket at the window, is what I'm trying to say. Well, at least everyone don't have a hat. They'll be ready for the rain. Well, and there's a lot of fucking hands. hats involved. And now especially you can't take, they don't allow you when you go in the infield, which is home to like 80 to 100,000 people depending on the weather. And most of them will never see a horse actually in person except they can see the screen. But now that you can't
Starting point is 00:17:41 take things that could be misconstrued as weapons and umbrellas and fucking pup tents and whatever, you're just out there wandering around. It's like a goddamn horse. horse-themed fucking woodstock. And so the point I was going to make is Churchill Downs, they've done a lot of upgrades and they've spent millions of dollars because I mean all the stars and movie stars and celebrities and bigwigs do come in and do all these things you see on television. But for the average people in that neighborhood,
Starting point is 00:18:16 the original location of the track, which is there, it was 175 years ago. There wasn't shit there, right? now the neighborhoods and things have grown up around it and it's not in the most attractive neighborhood of the city of Louisville if you know what I mean it's not of high commerce high you know there's there's no gentrification of condominiums and everything so you never have you never hear I have a beautiful place down by the racetrack
Starting point is 00:18:46 one but no but this is like one of the most famous sporting places in the world right Churchill Downs home to the Kentucky Derby, but it's, you know, because it's been there 175 years that couldn't control, and there's no massive parking lots that can have, because there can be 150,000 people in this thing,
Starting point is 00:19:07 but there's no massive modern sports arena parking lots, and it's not right next to the interstate where you can just bop off and all this stuff that major cities do. So the people that live in this neighborhood, They have stories on the news about it that they make as much money the week of the derby and all the pre-races and everything as they do sometimes in six months at their job
Starting point is 00:19:34 because they'll charge people $100 a car just parking my fucking yard. And they line them up and they sit out there in lawn chairs and that's their business for the fucking week. Because you can't get in and out of that place without chaos going on. it's not easily accessible when 150,000 people want to be there all of a sudden for the day. So we'll be watching on the television at home. But you know what I was going to say, don't you? Is it Saturday, May the 3rd is also the debut of our Mayhem sale that is postponed from spring spectacular
Starting point is 00:20:16 because I've found even more good stuff at Jim Cornett.com. We'll tell you in the next couple of weeks, but there's not only merchandise memorabilia related to me that we have not sold before or maybe had some years ago, but also some general classic wrestling memorabilia back even to the 50s that I've culled from the vault because I've finally got the chance with Hotchkiss, as I mentioned to you last week or whatever,
Starting point is 00:20:46 to make those two storage units, one storage unit, and to do a sweep of the vault for all of the stuff I'd put in a corner that I used to take to shows or had duplicates up. So there's going to be some cool wrestling stuff at Jim Cornett.com. Derby day, Saturday, May the 3rd, noon Eastern time is when it all happens. And if you are a valued customer of Jim Cornett.com and you've put your email address in the box at the bottom of the home page you've ordered from Cornett's collectibles, we'll send you an email with a list of a lot of the stuff that we're going to,
Starting point is 00:21:24 we're going to be putting up for grabs, and that'll happen later on this month. But in the meantime, Brian, we are literally, we're fashion icons now. People are wearing our garments, our garb, their dress of the public display of affection for our programming and for my, my lovely and beneficent face,
Starting point is 00:21:48 the magnitude of me is all over our new t-shirts and people are buying them and they're literally shedding their clothes in the streets and putting these on instead. Have you heard about this? It was on the news. No, literally I have not heard any of that. So I don't think you did either. Yeah, they just suddenly, it was like a gas come over them and they just started whipping their clothes off and throwing them to the ground and putting these t-shirts on. So everybody, we got to start making pants. You saw this on the news. Where was this? this is over zooming in all the stations well of course you can shed your clothes and put on
Starting point is 00:22:24 a fine shirt with the face of corny or perhaps the drive-through logo more to come working on some stuff with Travis Heckel for people have said we need some Travis Heckel stuff on shirts but you can get all the shirts and well now wait a minute they didn't say it like that Travis Heckel's none of Travis Heckel's stuff is on any of these shirts He did the artwork. That's right.
Starting point is 00:22:48 Yeah. I like this dynamic. We're reversing the commercial spots. Let me tell you, it's going to be shizz all over these shirts. I got a shirt one time with some of Travis's stuff. And I said, what the hell is this doing on his shirt? And he said it never happened again.
Starting point is 00:23:04 See what we got and more to come. No, that's what started the whole thing. Somebody said they wanted to see what he had. Arcadian vanguard.com or very easily. Go to YouTube. On the bottom of every video, you will see a link to a shirt or the store. Click that. And of course, on the shop app powered by our good friends at Shopify.
Starting point is 00:23:28 That's right. That was. There it is. Somewhere in the distance. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hold on. Hold on. It's over here.
Starting point is 00:23:36 It's over here now. You've jumped in on that on me. Thunder overrule. So your program, Chief? It is. We have a lot to talk about. We have a lot to review. Before we do anything, let's have a little bit of a wild card here. Uh-oh. I collect wrestling books. You know I have a pretty big library of books that have been published and manuscripts, all sorts of things I have here. This is under the topic of wrestling fiction. I was wondering how aware of this book you were.
Starting point is 00:24:09 By the author David Morgan. Are you familiar with David Morgan? I'm not, no, not familiar with David. Is he related to JP? He is the author of the Mafia's Virgin Da Daughter. Wait, that took a disturbing turn toward the end of the sentence. Now what? He is the author, David Morgan, of the Mafia's Virgin Daughter. And this is his book, this is a first printing dedicated to Naomi with love by David Morgan, 1973, Sweet Sam.
Starting point is 00:24:38 She made them all cry, uncle. Everyone wanted a piece of her action. Let's see how much we could discover about this book without, reading it. Just by looking at the cover, the fans crowded into the wrestling arena, screaming for Sweet Sam to scale new heights in her torrid tangles with the greatest gals in the game. The mob was hot on her gorgeous tail. As a greedy goat-like godfather tried to come up with a proposition, the mat champ couldn't turn down. The men lined up to get their chance to rise to her challenge as six-foot-four Sam went on a no-holds-barred hunt
Starting point is 00:25:24 for a man she could really look up to. Sam was a girl who had a lot going for her, and she wasn't shy about letting it all hang out. So before I go any further, oh, and actually on the inside cover, every inch a woman. In Samantha's case, that meant an awful lot of female, for Samantha stood six foot four in her bare feet, which was the way she liked them. In the wrestling ring, Sweet Sam always got her woman and made them love it.
Starting point is 00:25:58 Outside it, she put a sensuous stranglehold on every man who saw her fabulous form, and in or out, both men and women agreed, Samantha was the champ. What are your thoughts on wrestling fiction? Well,
Starting point is 00:26:17 The wrestling fiction took a disturbing trend as well there when you, and now Mr. Mr. Morgan, what publishing house is he writing for there? Who is, who issued this tome? That's a good question.
Starting point is 00:26:33 That's not apparent. Is this a private public? Nobody put their name on this? This is a Dell book. Dell. No, what? This is Dell. Dell.
Starting point is 00:26:44 Dell Publishing Company, United States. Del. publishing company and for the kids who haven't ever read Dell publishing company besides the fact they did mainstream paperbacks for years and years years
Starting point is 00:26:58 were on the racks and all the stores Dell even had a comic book branch and many of the Disney and cartoon characters like the Walter Lance characters and how many of them I'm thinking of were Dell published comic books of
Starting point is 00:27:16 those for children as young as as the wee little two. And meanwhile, they're putting out Samantha's fucking leg scissorin and clam slamming all of her opposition on on this, what do they call it, white label production possibly? And this is 1973, and there's a picture of a woman,
Starting point is 00:27:39 an actress obviously, or someone they hired to play the role of Sam on the cover here, making a wrestling position, I guess. to what you would call this exactly. But does she look six four? She has long legs, but you can only see them until the knees and then it cuts off. Do they reach all the way to the ground? You can't tell. You can't tell.
Starting point is 00:28:01 I don't know if the book was based on this woman. I don't know if they hired a woman to play Sweet Sam. Well, no, I think this is probably a models, artist rendering, models representation of the, the Sam who was in the the mind of the author for whatever reason and I'm sure it had a lot of space to occupy up there but Dell Publishing hmm let me see I'm just opening up a rant
Starting point is 00:28:30 are there pictures there's no pictures it's a paperback here well a paperback can have pictures I think Mo Joe Quinn Mo John Quill excuse me but wait wait Mo Joe Quinn I thought he was a fucking soul singer. Mo John Quill is the promoter.
Starting point is 00:28:50 Mo John Quill lifted his hat. Slightly ran his hand quickly over his head and replaced the hat before Samantha could see what, if anything, was under it. The thought went through her head that whatever those two muggers had been after was something Mr. John Quill kept under his hat.
Starting point is 00:29:07 It wasn't until later that she thought about it again and was aware of the pun. Oh, I get you, now, Mo John Quill said with an enlightened expression on his face. Deceit and trickery, right? Uh, trickery and deceit, right? He was stalling, desperately trying to figure out what this babe wanted from him.
Starting point is 00:29:30 Having other worries, he would say whatever she wanted to hear. But what? Just to get her off his back. So she saved him from being mugged that sounds like, and now he doesn't know who she is. She was offering no help to him. she just sat green eyes smoldering, not explaining or amplifying her complaints, leaving him to work it all out for himself. Well, here goes nothing, he thought, and he said,
Starting point is 00:29:54 Now let me see if we're playing in the same ballpark, right? You're saying, it seems to me, and correct me if I'm wrong, right? What the hell? That you are not in favor of trickery and deceit. He paused, and even though he didn't end his sentence with the usual question, Samantha nodded once. Her brilliant hair swung down across her peat chicks, and back again. What about her ample bosoms?
Starting point is 00:30:21 At least I'm on the right track, Mo John Quill thought, and continued. Now I'm going to explain something to you, right? So I want you to listen carefully, right? Right. Now get set. Listening, here it comes. Mo John Quill would have been a great actor. He really appreciated the drama of the situation.
Starting point is 00:30:41 and knew how to build to a climax. Samantha was on the edge of her chair. The wind is whirling behind me. Jesus. Okay, Sam, you asked for it. He was getting carried away himself. He took the cigar out of his mouth and pointed in at the wide-eyed girl like a gun. Wrestling is not a sport.
Starting point is 00:31:06 He replaced the cigar where it belonged and puffed three times, waiting for the excitement to die down. The fact that Samantha was not excited did not dismay him unduly. Wrestling is not a sport, right? It's a business and it's entertainment and nothing else. I'll stop there, so I don't end up reading the whole thing, but it appears that Vince McMahon may have based a lot of his life on the promoter.
Starting point is 00:31:33 How do you spell that now? Is that like three names like John Wayne Gacy, Mo John Quill, or is it John Quill like NyQuil? It's Mo is one word, M-O-J-W-W-W-E-W-W-W-E. as in Mo Howard, I guess. And John Quill was Joe was J-O-N-Q-I-L. That's an odd fucking name to make up, isn't it? It is. He must know someone trying to get revenge on his friend John Quill.
Starting point is 00:32:00 But this is from the book Sweet Sam, from my wrestling library here by David Morgan. Is that available on Amazon? I don't know. Once again, David Morgan, author of The Mafia's Virgin Daughter, which must have been such a hit Adele said, put that on the cover. We want them to know it's David. That this David, not some other David. Well, there it is. The story of Sweet Sam.
Starting point is 00:32:22 Yes. One more thing here before we get to some reviews. As we are recording news has broken. OVW, your old stomping grounds and actually something you owned at one point or was a partner in, if that makes any sense with Danny Davis. OVW has been sold. I have a press release here. The logos of OVW and Morley Sports Management.
Starting point is 00:32:51 Morley Sports Management Limited acquires OVW Wrestling. Ohio Valley Wrestling, OVW, are pleased to announce that Morley Sports Management Limited, MSM, will acquire a majority shareholding in the business from 1 May 2025. Obviously they are from another country, that's why the date is like that.
Starting point is 00:33:18 Yes, they do things backwards as we said the other day, like it's May 1st. MSM are current owners and operators of Haverford West Country who are a professional soccer club based in Wales and play in the nation's Premier League, as well as providing strategic and creative consultancy, to some of the world's biggest sporting brands.
Starting point is 00:33:44 Huh. Is that what Tony's in? Is Tony in the Premier League? I don't know. Under MSM's management, Haverford West's country are in its most successful period in the club's 125-year history
Starting point is 00:34:00 with a competitive side that played in UEFA European competition in 2023 for only the second time. and became the first Haverford West Countryside in history to win a European tie when they beat North Macedonia's K-F. What the fuck? Schen, Schen, Schengia in the U-E-F-A Europe.
Starting point is 00:34:31 What are you? I'm trying to read what it says here. You try if you can find this thing. Well, spell them, spell what you're trying to say, son. H-K-E-N-D-J-A. It's a weird word just having a middle there because you're not prepared for it. I've never seen this before. But anyway, they currently sit in third place in the Welsh Premier League.
Starting point is 00:35:02 And by the way, I love the way they're listing this. Like these are their qualifications to I be operating and owning this wrestling operation. But go ahead. Since their takeover in 2020, alongside significant on-field developments, the club has developed a highly accredited and successful community program, a competitive and history-making Boys and Girls Academy, and high-quality media output, including weekly podcasts, and a documentary following the club's rise from amateur status
Starting point is 00:35:39 to a fully professional club competing in the upper echelons of the Welsh football pyramid. And the West Derbysham Havershire Foundation. We shouldn't make fun of our friends across the pond. Now, you know I love you guys. No, they clearly have money to spend. MSM and its team have a successful track record
Starting point is 00:36:02 in business operations within the sporting arena and bringing them to the heart of its community. If they say so themselves. The current ownership group. And they do. The current ownership group headed by Matt Jones will retain a minority equity position. Now wait a minute, hold on back up.
Starting point is 00:36:23 This is the current, they unwieldily transitioned there, but the current ownership they're talking about now is of OVW going forward here. That's right. The football folks. Matt Jones will retain a minority equity position and will remain as advisors
Starting point is 00:36:39 to MSM and its board for the foreseeable future. We're gonna tell you how we've been losing money on this thing for five years. Founder of MSM, Rob Edwards, who will officially become the CEO of OVW
Starting point is 00:36:58 on 1 May 2025 states, here's a quote, OVW is such a historic brand within wrestling, and sports entertainment and has real provenance. I've never read a press release
Starting point is 00:37:17 about wrestling like this before. Some of the biggest talents in the industry have learned their trade at OVW confirmed by the fact that the main event at WrestleMania this year will be between two OVW alumni, John Sina and Cody Rhodes. One of whom was there in 2001
Starting point is 00:37:37 and the other of whom was there in 2007. Led by Al Snow, the promotion remains littered with talent. There's garbage abound everywhere. In the same way that the riverfront is littered with decorations. Led by Al Snow, the promotion remains littered with talent. whom we want to promote not just within Louisville and Kentucky, but across the U.S. and Europe, and alongside the OVW Academy, provide a clear pathway for people anywhere to break into the industry in what is one of the leading environments to learn the trade. We want to build on the
Starting point is 00:38:28 exposure created from wrestlers on Netflix, that was years ago at this point, and take OVW's reach across the pond and beyond. I like that. That's good. All the way to infinity. He adds, The current ownership group have worked tirelessly to drive OVW forward in the hope of finding a bunch of European marks that will buy it for way more than it's worth.
Starting point is 00:38:54 Excuse me. Into the modern era. I think they should have phrased it instead of tirelessly. The current ownership has worked sleeplessly. And they are dedicated to, oh, we are dedicated, excuse me, to continuing their good work over the last few years and build on the strong foundations in place alongside its passionate team. We want to empower those within the business currently to help us achieve new heights within the industry and take advantages of the opportunity this era we are in, create. alongside making OVW an asset within the community. In everything MSM do,
Starting point is 00:39:42 we want to create not just industry impact, but social impact also. We are so excited for the challenge and breaking new barriers. Hey, then they need to bring some sandbags in a fucking truck and shoveling. Come on down if they wouldn't make an impact on the society around here right now.
Starting point is 00:40:02 We are so excited for the challenge and breaking new barriers for this fantastic brand. Matt Jones, who represents the current ownership explains, I fully believe that MSM is the perfect management entity to help OVW continue to grow and expand the boundaries of its support into new and exciting markets.
Starting point is 00:40:21 I look forward to providing support as they lead the future of this historic wrestling organization to exciting new heights. Thank you to our OVW fans for your continued support and enthusiasm for what we do. And we hope this partnership will ensure we can continue to provide you
Starting point is 00:40:41 the highest level of entertainment and engagement for years to come. We'll see you at ringside. That was a mouthful. And I mean, we're laughing primarily because was it on anybody's bingo card, as the kids say,
Starting point is 00:41:02 for any promotion, much less OVW that I'm, you know, obviously have been affiliated with in the past, for a fucking English soccer league company ownership to just suddenly say, well, we want to buy a fucking small local independent wrestling promotion in the United States. And from the sound of that, that press release, is very rosy and optimistic, but in that, it didn't explain why that of all things that this apparently well-financed,
Starting point is 00:41:45 one would think operation could get involved in. They just, oh, let's, we've got this thing and fucking, where are they? Where is their home base? What part of the UK?
Starting point is 00:41:56 I don't want to misrepresent anyone. I got to go back to this. Well, whatever part of, They are from Haverford West Country Okay In Haverford West Country
Starting point is 00:42:08 We've got to own An ongoing business concern In Louisville, Kentucky It's an easy commute We can keep an eye on it easily How the fuck is this even going to And what And why is it worth the effort
Starting point is 00:42:23 For The It made a nice living For me and Danny Davis at one point in time but this is not a goddamn giant financial juggernaut here and it hadn't been when it was doing well.
Starting point is 00:42:40 We think there'll be a content explosion all across the universe with all VW stars reaching all new heights led by us MSM. The geniuses behind Haverhurst Forest or whatever the fuck they were saying. The Royal Forest of Dean.
Starting point is 00:42:57 But now here, this brought up, here's what I, when I saw this press release go out and it's been on again the TV news. Our good friend Gilbert Corsey, who used to be the voice of Ohio Valley Wrestling in the 2010s, as the kids say, is the anchorman there and had this story on. Obviously, Danny Davis was always the majority owner
Starting point is 00:43:22 and he was the founder and operator and manipulator. And I didn't write it down here to have right now. front of me what year that he sold, but it was well before the pandemic. Was it around the time we started doing the podcast, 2016-ish? Maybe 17, 80s, somewhere in there. I was thinking it was pretty early on because I almost feel like he was in Florida pretty early on, but maybe I'm completely wrong. Well, it's same.
Starting point is 00:43:53 Time flies as we get nearer to the end of ours. But point being, at one point, I think it's a lot. It was probably, no, you know what? It was definitely like 2017-ish. But anyway, Danny had told me, well, Al Snow has, and I'm, again, I'm going to make it plain up at the top. I haven't talked to any of the current ownership group like ever. The Matt Jones with Kentucky Ray, he does a sports radio program.
Starting point is 00:44:23 I haven't listened to the radio in this town since we were buying it for OVW, except if it's the classic rock station. So I've never heard his program. I know there's other people. Our mayor, Craig Greenberg, who bought into it as part of some type of investment group. Again, we'll go into this and then got elected mayor, but he's owned part of it. But original, so, and I only saw Al Snow for the first time in five years in person at the movie premiere. So I don't have any inside knowledge of these dealings or this activity, but I can tell you my, from
Starting point is 00:45:00 my experience and what I've heard here in the community. So Danny Davis was about ready to retire. He was fed up with the wrestling business. And bless his little Pete Piggin' heart, he went to Florida. And now he may speak to people as individuals, but I guarantee you he hadn't watched any fucking wrestling or couldn't give a shit possibly what the fuck is going on right now. And he's having a wonderful. retirement. But it was somewhere around there. He said, Al Snow wants to buy the company from me.
Starting point is 00:45:37 And I believe Al had a financial backer. It's, I don't, now let's just say that that's a pretty good bet. And, you know, they made a deal and Danny retired to Florida. And Al became the owner of OVW. And then again, I wasn't transcribing this as it happened contemporaneously to give testimony later, but it wasn't long after that. I believe that we heard that they were either, I can't remember the order of events, but they were either looking for another investor
Starting point is 00:46:11 or had another investor, and they also got accredited. Do you remember this story, Brian? They got accredited as a trade school, like if you, for plumbing or for fucking whatever trades are, stone masonry. I don't know what they have trade schools for, but they got accredited with Kentucky as a trade. school and they were trying to expand their profile but at the same time their profile has been
Starting point is 00:46:40 diminishing around here and then a few years back my cousin larry because you know before he got ill and before he retired he had a medical supply company etc etc not germane to the story but he was in a medical field and he said yeah this doctor friend of mine because he knows obviously what i do or have done this doctor friend of mine jim has invested in a local wrestling federation i said what and he's yeah he's he's just do it i said oh how valley wrestling yeah that's that's it was that yours because even then larry was starting to get a little forgetful and there was i would hear that some people are investing i I'm like investing in what?
Starting point is 00:47:32 And then because Danny had had the after the W.W.E. developmental. He'd had TNA with him for quite some time. And then had done his own thing for a while and has had the school fairly self-sufficient, but he had cut back on the number of big live events. And that's only continued. And so then,
Starting point is 00:47:58 Then the news report said that the controlling stake in OVW has changed hands three times since 2020. And that doesn't even count Al's initial purchase from Danny with whoever he had. So controlling interest in this little teeny tiny wrestling school keeps changing hands until now this international, I don't know if it's a conglomerate, but it may be a conglomeration, has bought it yet. I live here, and I used to run it,
Starting point is 00:48:36 and we built out the building that they're still in. And about once a year, I will see on the very weak local independence station, they run OVW multiple times per week, like they run commercial for the fucking fish blender. and you click on for five minutes and it gives me, I'm sorry if I'm offending anyone, but it gives me that sick feeling in my stomach
Starting point is 00:49:06 when you think that, you know, a famous attorney who has had a son who sends through legal school and is going to become the next Clarence Darrow instead turns out to be an intravenous heroin user in a fucking gutter somewhere is the feeling I get from watching. the television show that has the company that once bore my face and I had financial interest in.
Starting point is 00:49:34 So I don't know what the fuck is going on, but they run a TV taping in a building that they get from the look of what I see on camera, 150 or 200 people on Wednesday nights, there's no Six Flags deal anymore. There's no major house. I don't see a spot show schedule. but they did Brian remember the wrestlers thing on Netflix did you see any of that I watched the first one I don't know if I ever even commented to you about it I didn't know you watched I never watched any of it but I remember
Starting point is 00:50:11 they toured briefly or tried to tour after well out of morbid curiosity because I had this of what and because again the sick feeling you get I would get when a documentary on the inside of a wrestling school that I once had part of is going to be broadcast to the world and K Fabe's corpse will be drawn and quartered in Times Square. But the show number one was embarrassing from a standpoint of yes,
Starting point is 00:50:44 that it showed what they were doing in front of no people, but also that Hollywood Haley J who was supposed to be a star at one point came off. like I would have if I if I had just gone down there and wrote him a check and bought the thing then the first thing I'd done is fire that fucking douchebag she's just Jesus Christ and they're petty fucking issues and it just so the talent had gone to hell the look of the thing and Matt Jones who was the I guess the guy operating it so well we're losing $30,000 a month so what the it didn't use to cause us to $30,000 a month to run a fucking thing. I think Danny might could have run it for $30,000 a year if he had to, but it wasn't no... How are they losing that much a month on what? I don't know. What the fuck they were doing? And they were trying to get on...
Starting point is 00:51:42 They were telling people that they were getting on this wide television network. It was the modern day and streaming equivalent of the Bill Barron's strategy. Get us on all these low power and independent. services that feed these bullshit stations in Pocatello, and eventually that adds up to a number we can do the 1-800 per inquiry spots, 1-800 buy this shit, that type of thing. But nobody was watching it. But they did do it off the Netflix things.
Starting point is 00:52:16 I watched the first episode. I said, oh, Jesus Christ, no. And then, and again, I don't even know who I'm knocking now, because I don't know who these suckers are. They've bought this thing now. but then they said they were doing a national tour and in my small circle of actually non-wrestling related incidentally wrestling to related to wrestling friends that I speak to I heard that this this guy that managed some kind of facility in I believe it was Las Vegas again I'm going
Starting point is 00:52:51 I'm willing to be corrected but I think is Las Vegas somewhere out on a West coast was a big fan of this Netflix series and he bought a show from OVW for fucking 2,000 miles away. And he was telling this guy that told me, oh, yeah, they're on Netflix and everything. And the guy that told me he was smart enough to know, ah, ha, ha. And I think, let's put it this way. I don't believe they made their money back. And did you ever hear about that show happening, Brian?
Starting point is 00:53:22 It happened, but did you ever hear about it? I do remember at the time, wrestl ticks, I believe, was reporting on some of the ticket sales and they didn't look good in advance. I don't remember hearing anything about the actual shows. For what I understand,
Starting point is 00:53:36 there were more witnesses to the St. Valentine's Day massacre than there were to that wrestling card. And then, again, independently, a guy that I know was contacted, wanting him to help promote this national, tour and he had been given a glorified picture of what the realities of Ohio Valley Wrestling's business and appeal across country were at that point in time and I tried to
Starting point is 00:54:06 temper his enthusiasm so he didn't go bankrupt and I don't know that that that pairing eventually went too far but no I don't know what's going on here but doctors and lawyers and mayors have been putting money into this thing for years now. And as I said, they don't do the spot show schedule we used to do. They don't do the six flags. They don't do any major live events that I'm sitting. You see every once in a while at a festival at, you know, the riverfront or whatever.
Starting point is 00:54:45 Maybe not now. They'll have OVW wrestling will be there. Everybody knows the initials OVW, but nobody's going to see OV-Fucking W right now. here. And so I don't, I don't know what, I mean, I don't know what Rip Rogers. I think Rips retired. I don't know if he's still training anyone or if they just have to come to him and see more or what the deal is, but otherwise there's no connection between the OVW that we had and what this OVW is now, except that people keep fucking buying, buy and put. When we were one of only two profitable wrestling promotions
Starting point is 00:55:28 in the United States of America, nobody wanted to buy it. But now this has been losing money for 10 fucking years, there's goddamn people lining up. What is going on here, Brian? You know, it kind of sounds like stuff we've seen in experience in podcasting. You have some company.
Starting point is 00:55:49 Obviously, their interests are in owning sports properties and whatever content lies with it. they made a big deal about their content development and that press release. And they're buying a wrestling company. It happens to be OVW. But they're buying a wrestling company. They're going to have content. And now their portfolio, which, you know, most people are building companies to sell them.
Starting point is 00:56:12 Their portfolio will be, we have this property and we have this property. Maybe they'll get some more properties. And then, you know, the next thing you know, the Saudis own OVW. That's the way it works. Oh, boy. Howdy. Yeah, well, they got a football team over there in West Fabersham. And they've got a sports representation company that floats around the world.
Starting point is 00:56:37 And they got a wrestling school in Louisville, Kentucky at 4,400 Shepherdsville Road. Hearing you were bought by some soccer team you'd never heard of somewhere else. Is that like hearing that like some Nigerian is investing in the GWF? Yeah, where's Olu Oliani when we need him? What the, if he clear this whole thing up? but he's got a letter of credit, Brian. I got a copy of it. That letter of credit.
Starting point is 00:57:03 Well, we'll see what happens. I mean, I guess the only other interesting thing. At least the mayor is out of the wrestling business, so we can be thankful. Is he out of the wrestling business? Well, well, now, wait a minute. I get, I don't know if he's still part of the old group that had a minority.
Starting point is 00:57:20 Equity. Equity. Yeah. Whatever the fuck he's got. We'll sell it to you. But we want to hold on to a piece because if you find a sucker that'll buy it for me, we want to make money off that sale too. It's a good move.
Starting point is 00:57:33 It's a good move. Well, there you go. There's the OVW news. That's the most OVW news ever in a very long time. We'll see if anything comes to this. But Jim, some people sell wrestling school, not memberships. What are they? Scholarships?
Starting point is 00:57:53 They don't sell the scholarships. They sell admissions. That's one of the reasons why we made money. Well, some people sell admissions, I guess, to... Or charge tuition. Or charge... There we go. There you go.
Starting point is 00:58:06 That's not really a great transition. But let's go back to selling. Let's talk about something you may have to learn at wrestling school, how to sell. But the type of selling we're talking about is, once you make it in wrestling, and you haven't gone to the majors yet, and you need to sell your own shit. And you don't want to go with any company that's already doing it. You may want to set up your own store.
Starting point is 00:58:25 and of course that store can be powered by Shopify. That's right, because sell your own shit by Shopify should be trademarked and we're doing it right now and then we'll sell it back to Shopify so they can sell it to other people. And there will be a lot of selling going on and a lot of buying, a lot of buying, and a lot of selling because
Starting point is 00:58:44 that's the noise you're going to hear whenever you deal with Shopify. Because they're going to ring you up and they're going to ring somebody else out. They are going to give you the same checkout that the big boys use where you have the global reach. You're covering the world like an enveloping darkness. Your business, your product, your merchandise, available wherever the human being may exist on this planet and has the money to pay for. They will take, actually, they'll take whale blubber up there in the Antarctic or is it the Arctic.
Starting point is 00:59:22 whichever is up where they have the blubber, they'll take it. And they will convert it into cha-chings for you. You go to Shopify.com and you look at what they can do for you, folks, because nobody does selling better than Shopify. They are powering, as a matter of fact, our current sale of shirts for Corny's Drive-Thru and corny shirts and a variety of things that you find on YouTube
Starting point is 00:59:49 or wherever you see your favorite podcast advertised because Shopify is making us money, they can make you, I understand you, well, they're stars, their international big business typhoons, Jim Cornett and Brian Last, they got these connections. Well, you can have them too,
Starting point is 01:00:09 because we're to let you in on it. Because with our cachet in the industry, ladies and gentlemen, we can give you a code, a secret code. you don't even need a decoder ring where you can get a $1 a month trial period for your online business, your platform, your checkout, your commerce, at Shopify, a dollar a month, one dollar a month.
Starting point is 01:00:33 What is that? Is that what's the math? Three cents a day would be a dollar a month. Well, maybe in October of the months, the months with 31 days, it would be 93. It's very cheap. because they want to show you what they can do for you. And once that it's like injecting intravenous crack cocaine in your veins.
Starting point is 01:00:58 Once that you see the money that they're going to make you, you're never going to want to give that money up. You're going to be fiending for your jonesing for the cash, baby. You're going to be a complete capitalistic whore. You won't be jonesing for anything. You will be appreciative of having a partner you could trust. having a thing that you can rely on. Yeah, this thing about ours.
Starting point is 01:01:24 And of course, no crack. You're going to be, well, you know, it depends on, well, depends on what your flavor is, you know. But whatever you got on your back, they're going to give you some of it. It's going to be called money. And you want some more of it. You'll do anything to get some more
Starting point is 01:01:42 and so you sell more and more until finally you're selling everything that you can possibly sell in your store and Shopify is converting that whale blubber into good hard American currency and they're handing it to you and you're just rolling naked. You're rolling naked in this dough because you've sold your clothes. Why? You've sold your clothes because you've sold everything there is to sell except your dignity. And then you started on that. Now you're rolling around in money naked as the day you were born with your Willie hanging out. That's what Shopify can do for you folks. Right now go to Shopify.
Starting point is 01:02:17 Go to Shopify.com slash JCE to upgrade your selling today and get that $1 a month trial period. JCE all in lowercase, by the way, in case the computer tries to kick you out. Because not everybody can take advantage of this offer. It's only for the people that can understand basic fucking instructions. Shopify.com slash JCE in lowercase. and soon you'll be hearing that sound money it's a hit don't give me that do goody good bullshit they're they're going to take people's money and they're going to turn around and give it to you and that's a good old-fashioned American way take something from somebody else and
Starting point is 01:03:05 give it to somebody sales through the legitimate manner well if you know as long as they are polite and keep their mouths shut and do what they're told. You know, everybody will get out of this all right. You'll get out of this all right. One dollar a month trying out today. Shopify, we like it so much that we use it ourselves for our t-shirt store. More to come from us. More to come from them.
Starting point is 01:03:28 Do the right thing. Don't make a mistake. Shopify. What's that promo code, Jim? JCE, all in lower case. Yeah, don't make a mistake. You got a real good life going there for you. It'd be a shame if you didn't do what we'd.
Starting point is 01:03:42 said. Shopify.com slash JCE. Well, Jim, on the topic of selling, WWE is doing everything they can to sell us on this year's WrestleMania, which I feel like every week it feels like it's still weeks away, but it's coming up in just a couple weeks now or a week and a half. No, it's, no, it's, yeah, well, a week and a half, you got it. And as we sit here and speak right now, we don't know when the people are listening.
Starting point is 01:04:09 But at least Smackdown was back in the United States. back in the USA the boys have come home you know it's always good when the boys come home from overseas sweet home Chicago they found you know I bet the first thing they did Brian they went to their hotel and they went down the hall and they went to the ice machine and they punched the button and they just stood there as the ice poured out like a slot machine
Starting point is 01:04:36 in Las Vegas hitting a jackpot and enveloped them in the cool refreshing modern invention that is known as ice cubes because they probably hadn't seen any in a very long time. And I know I'm risking again offending our fans across the pond. I loved my trips over there. God damn it. Ice, my kingdom for ice.
Starting point is 01:05:04 They got ice in Chicago. We got plenty of water down here and it was freezing so we could have ice here as well. but they didn't get an icy reception in Chicago for Smackdown, did they? See, I brought it all the way back, Brian. It was a hot crowd there, 16,000 plus in Shytown. Certain people got icy responses, but overall, no. Well, yeah, there were certain people that were iced out of the social circle.
Starting point is 01:05:35 But that's the old Rosemont Horizon. I recognize the ramp and the seating and everything. I don't know what they, what are they calling it now? the fucking Al's number one Italian beef center. But it's a historic building there, and they did a package with the history, the happenings between punk and Roman and Seth, and then they come out there in Chicago,
Starting point is 01:06:02 and the chancer, see them punk, see them punk, and then, like Mussolini in Illinois, he got the big pop and they sang the song and they chanted the chance and they they ued the aze and they big it's clobbering time and of course punk milked it for everything it's where that that cow's udders are sore and he even when he got in the ring he took the handheld camera from the cameraman and shot the crowd and fired him up he's got it's his hometown and he knows how to talk and out of fire people up he's a he's a he's a
Starting point is 01:06:42 He's a showman. And the promo again, he talks to people. And he sounds like he means what he says, and he does mean what he says. And would you say, am I verbally fillating the man, Brian, or would you concur with this on me without stigging your tongue out or anything, that he's the best at weaving shit that is true, is real, and that either the people know to be true and real
Starting point is 01:07:16 or have no reason to doubt into the promos that he does about his worked environment. Yes, actually, I would agree with you on that. And that's what the... That's the idea. Maybe we finally... Somebody, I know that was wordy, but carve it in stone somewhere.
Starting point is 01:07:37 Because that's the thing, and he said, I wasn't supposed to... I'm not supposed to be here. And the theme of his promo was all through his life, people who say, you're supposed to be here. He was born with a cord around his neck. He was blue.
Starting point is 01:07:51 You're not supposed to be here. They brought him back. And the thing, and it's tying into what we will find out with happy Heyman as well. But that promo, there was, there was legitimate stuff, and then there was stuff that was related to what he's doing. and he weaved back and forth.
Starting point is 01:08:14 And it's, and very, very well done. But it was all he's overcome. And now the hard work begins. And he got him to a little chant for AJ there, but he got him to, he didn't mean it. Well, not he didn't mean it. He mentioned her and they chanted for her. And then he said, no, if you want to chant,
Starting point is 01:08:32 chant for Larry. And they chanted for Larry, hello puppy. And then he did the, you know, the fired up WrestleMania promo. And again, I know people are saying, oh, the buildup, I'm more interested in seeing a triple threat match than I ever have been with these three Cretans involved. And as far as I'm concerned, besides Cody and the real world title,
Starting point is 01:09:01 this is the star of our show. So I'm loving this shit. But he cuts the promo for WrestleMania. And then Heyman interrupts. gets a big pop. And with Paul, you know, waddles down and puts Chicago over and punk over. But Paul does Paul. He, he presented the details in his way, the history.
Starting point is 01:09:34 He set the table for the thing. In an entertaining way, he's the guy that's the manager's job. He's the guy that gives the facts and the figures and the statistics in an entertaining way as to the history of everybody involved and sets up what the issue is, specifically here, why he owes punk a favor and illustrates the closeness that they have had that has been hinted at. And remember a year ago or whatever, it was, well, punk's off the table for Roman or punk's off limits or whatever and they've teased this but now they're going into more detail on it
Starting point is 01:10:15 because now it will be fresh in people's mind and we're giving you more detail on something that you've already kind of known we're not dragging it out of the blue we're just fleshing it out because now it's pertinent that type of thing and paul's got one more favor to ask a punk if he would do me one more favor. Please tell me the favor that I owe you so I can tell Roman Reigns. And Punk responds, he says, I'm going to tell you, Paul, but because I respect you and I respect blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, I want to tell everybody at the same time. I want to tell you when I tell Roman.
Starting point is 01:10:54 So let me know when he shows up. And that's their show-long cliffhanger, thread through the program. and also that was 23 minutes that flew by at the top of the program where you're updated on this issue and then these two guys come out and sell you on a thing and I want to see what's going to go on from there but your thoughts on the the and it will do this chronologically instead of going through the rest of Smackdown and stopping back in with the the the Heyman thread. Heyman hanging by a thread.
Starting point is 01:11:35 We'll do this all in a row, but what did you think of this opening segment? I thought it was good. It felt like the beginning stuff was really, you know, geared for the home crowd. And, you know, we got to see it. And then it was geared for the television crowd with the Hayman stuff. And, you know, it's like you said, they start off the show with this, and you know that there's a part two, and you have to wait till the very, very end. And little incidents happen as incidental moments that they happen to
Starting point is 01:12:03 film on this show and they get in between. Exposition of the issue. But this show has so much stuff I just don't care about. And when you watch the fans react to like the tag team match or stuff, the fans may not care about some of the stuff either, but you want to see the moments and what's going to happen with the big stars. It's about that more than the matches. And if you like teasing things until the very end of the show, this did a great job.
Starting point is 01:12:31 Well, but then later on, they went back in the back because Heyman was waiting for Roman Raines. And again, by the way, they're in the same building. That was the WrestleMania great moment that they're inducting. Austin and Hart at WrestleMania in the Hall of Fame match, same building. WrestleMania, too. WrestleMania, too, they had there. Vern Gagne ran that play.
Starting point is 01:13:01 Anyway. way. So Heyman's waiting for Roman and he cuts the promo. He's like, for the record, let me say this, please, punk, whatever punk says, no matter what the favor is, my answer is yes, anything. Just tell me, tell me what it is. And then an SUV pulls up. And there's a big pop because it's Roman, but it's not Roman, it's Seth. And Seth gets out and tells Paul that I've got a plan. but when Roman gets here, you let me know because I want to be there. So now they've updated it to all three of these fuckers are going to be there.
Starting point is 01:13:40 Oh, my God, I can't wait to see what's going to go on, right? So they're freshened it up and they've got people to add to this thing. So at least they're keeping it, you know, interesting through this. Because again, three hours is a long, long time. but anyway finally finally Paul's in the back
Starting point is 01:14:07 sunroof top digging the scene with a gang no Paul's in the back and an SUV pulls up and it's Roman and he gets out and Paul goes to him like oh my tribal chiv and he walks right past Paul don't even look at him
Starting point is 01:14:22 he's pissed off and they do the follow shot where Paul's scurrying along behind him, you know, humana, humana, humana. And they go right through the guerrilla position and into the arena. And the people are going crazy. And he gives him the acknowledge me. And we get the OTC, OTC chance.
Starting point is 01:14:50 And then Roman looks at Paul. He's like, Paul, Paul, is he here? And a people chance see him punk again. And he asked Paul, is he still talking about the favor? Yes, yes. Should I share a secret with Chicago? Yes, yes, yes. CM Punk wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me.
Starting point is 01:15:16 He wouldn't be in the main event at WrestleMania if it wasn't for me. Punk's never been in the main event until he was introduced to the tribal chief. And he goes through that whole thing. I made this company. I made this guy. and he calls punk out he said come on and come on out here and they're waiting and no music
Starting point is 01:15:37 and Romans looking at his watch like what the fuck and then suddenly the music hits and it's sad and whoa and they're all woeing to the ring interminable woing I would say interminable is a word I would describe this I thought we had left Europe
Starting point is 01:16:00 but anyway, Seth story is I wouldn't miss this for the world because I don't know what to favor is, but I want to see. And he knocks Roman. And as he was talking at this point, the fans started getting a little restless because they were chanting, what's the favor?
Starting point is 01:16:19 And Seth is trying to get across the point that, you know, Roman could have stopped punk, but he didn't and he could have stopped punk, but Roman didn't let him. And the people are chanting, see him punk i got the feeling that they were ready to get to the to the meat of the matter here because seth was going a little long and finally roman told set that he was untrustworthy and he couldn't be trust old set and that's why you're fuck you but he's he called punk out
Starting point is 01:16:52 not set and then the fans are starting to sing roman roman roman rains but seth called punk out And as soon as he called punk out, then we got like a moose lady the second timey. Just if you're keeping track of the number, Brian. And punk comes to the ring with the microphone. And it says, what's the favor? And punk said this is about friendship, legacy, loyalty, promises made and promises kept. Paul, this goes back to 4,400 Shepherdsville Road in Louisville as a familiar address, Brian. Now it's owned by the West Fabersham Football Squad, but that was OVW.
Starting point is 01:17:46 I have said with all the spots that I recorded and all the fucking commentary I did at times I plugged those shows, I've said 4,400 Shepherdsville Road more times than I've ever said the address of anywhere I've lived. but anyway that was where I showed up and they told you I don't belong I'm not supposed to be here and you should fire me and you said no and Paul you prophesized this and he went into a story that I wasn't on the bus so I can't tell whether it was true or not but it sounded awful goddamn plausible and that's the point with punk him and Paul Heyman on big show's bus when I think he said when you left the company. I think it was when Stephanie got mad and fired him. And punk was like, they're going to fire me now. And Paul said, you'll be fine. Force them to deal with us. Well,
Starting point is 01:18:40 they aren't here anymore. So I'm going to force Roman to deal with us. And then Paul's facials. And he says, oh my God, in such a way you can weed. You can read his lips perfectly. And also his jowl shake with fear at the same time. And he says at WrestleMania, I want to be in my corner, Roman, your wise man and my best friend Paul Heyman
Starting point is 01:19:12 and Seth starts cackling. And Roman gets the stink face for a second and he starts laughing. And he's like, you understand he loves me. The wise man needs me. I saved him. And this was the line, even if I let him, he wouldn't do it.
Starting point is 01:19:37 Wise man, let this desperate fool down easy. And the people are chanting CM Punk. And Paul does the lip quiver. His eyes are puddled and bleary, even more so than usual. And Roman is, are you crying? Wipe him up and tell him no. And he starts badgering him more and there's a hubbid... And Roman says, one more chance, tell him no.
Starting point is 01:20:10 And Paul says, no, I can't. And he gets a big pop. And Seth is laughing again. And Roman kind of snatches old Paul and backs him up into the corner. And punk comes from behind and squashes Roman and gives Roman the GTS and Romans knocked out and has a face off with Seth and the fans are chanting
Starting point is 01:20:40 see him punk and Paul's screaming, no, no. And Seth steps out and gets booed for not fighting and punk is smirking in the ring. I'm loving this shit. I'm saying what is everybody can talk every issue is rooted in reality. They have been telling these stories
Starting point is 01:21:07 that are now everybody's animosity and, you know, violence is coming to a head. I mean, you know, I'm sold. What do you think? I've enjoyed it. I mean, you seem to be madly in love with it, but I've enjoyed it. You know, I think...
Starting point is 01:21:26 Well, it's refreshing something I actually want to see instead of what I'm watching out of duty. You know, I said it last time, and, you know, I felt it a little bit here, but not as much, but Roman kind of doesn't feel as natural as the other two do. And Rollins is a complete, crazy, goofy character. So when he feels natural, but that was what I was also going to say,
Starting point is 01:21:49 this has brought out the best in Rollins on the mic, because you believe him. His whiny voice works when you believe he really hates the people he's ranting and crazed about, and him being kind of like Drew, just like all of a sudden he's just lashing at it and he's crazy just to the idea of punk existing over here. I think it's been really good. And, yeah, we'll see how the match goes. Like you said, I think it is one of the main matches of WrestleMania, I think, in terms of
Starting point is 01:22:17 matches with general interest, it's this and Cody Sina. Well, anyway, we will see what occurs here, but there's more when we talk about Raw here shortly. in the saga of poor happy Heyman and his former and current protégés. But I wanted to talk a couple other things about SmackDown, and one is Felix. Our friend Felix, the other Lucha brother, has made his debut. And Brian, and he was against Nathan Frazier, who's that kind of scraggly Joe Dirk-looking fucker from NXT.
Starting point is 01:22:54 But would you like to hear, Brian, what I thought about our friends, in Felix. Ray Phoenix, and it was his debut, a few months after his brother debuted on Raw, but what did you think? I like him. I thought he did much better than Penta did in his debut, and actually better than what Penta has done since he's been there. Because his shit was fine, there wasn't botches, there was some of the minor see-throughness. that comes with Lucha to begin with, but much better. I think, you know, he's got the, if somebody is going to do the running and springing off the ropes and the diving and flipping
Starting point is 01:23:45 about, he's probably the guy to do it, and I think he should be the one that they let do it. He may be the best guy. And then it becomes different. He's the best at it. Yeah, he may be the best guy in the business in terms of doing the high flying stuff and making it look spectacular. So at the same time having a grip on how to work an actual legitimate match in a real company, there are some world-class high divers over the across the street that may have him beat in just the high flying alone.
Starting point is 01:24:14 But he looked better. I like the look of the gimmick. And he did an in-ring promo and that was a little better than Pinta. But I just wanted to make mention of that that we'll keep an eye on. on Felix, too, and see how he does. But already it was a better start and no right-handed headlocks. Do you think it's a good idea to keep him and his brother separate, two different shows, develop them both independently?
Starting point is 01:24:39 I will at this point, since they've, they started one, they might as well do it this way, and then at some point they could bring them together, because right now Penta's involved in a four-way with three other guys who want to kick the shit out of him. Sooner or later, he's going to need some backup. I don't know if they're going to do it that quickly, but I think they could establish,
Starting point is 01:25:01 they've already mentioned their relationship, so they could just establish that one's there for the other guy when they really need it and see what happens from there. And what do you say to the fan that says, you hated Penta and AEW? He did all the same stuff. You hated him. What do you say to them?
Starting point is 01:25:17 Or Felix. Or Phoenix, whatever his name is. Phoenix, Phoenix. Well, no, that's the thing I've said, because everybody's telling you, you know, you can't please, Cornel. Well, they didn't remake Penta as a human being and as a pro wrestler. They put him in a different environment.
Starting point is 01:25:33 He's been better in the WW since he's been in AEW because he is produced. And he does have more professional guys to work with. And he is being focused on and featured in some kind of way. All the things are coming together. So, yeah, he's good. And I think Felix is better. So, yeah, a lot of people were rotting an AEW. They can be better.
Starting point is 01:26:02 They're still, I don't think anybody's going to replace them or replace Nick Bockwinkle on my list of favorites with, you know, either one of these guys, but they're better in that environment because they've got help. Instead of people just saying, oh, go out and do all the shit you always do. And they both seem so excited to be there that they will listen to the producers. They won't just be able to do them. We want to do what we want to do. Yes, whatever you want, we will do.
Starting point is 01:26:28 We can do it. Yes. Yes, yes, we will do. I said that. I don't even remember what brought it up. But Bobby Eaton, we were in Louisiana and it was near the end of the run. Maybe he said somebody think we'll get over in Dallas. You know, whatever. I said, oh, if not, we can change. He's what do you do different? So I can be Russian. I can do. I can be German. I can do the accents. and so every time then something would come up Bobby would just look at me and he'd say I can be Russian you had to be there
Starting point is 01:27:05 all right again as I said it was a long show but there were two more things on Smackdown that we want to talk about one that a lot of people are interested in I'll save that in a second but the other deal was Nick Aldous was in the ring
Starting point is 01:27:23 and introduced Kevin Owens, who has been doing the angles and has already been announced, built up for a match with Randy Orton at WrestleMania. And Owens came out and had the solemn attitude and you could tell something was wrong.
Starting point is 01:27:41 And I guess it had been leaked on the interwebs earlier in the day or whatever what he was going to, thankfully, I stayed away from all of that stuff. but apparently he came out and cut the promo you know i've been doing this for 25 years it's been great you know been able to take care of my family but there's a price to pay a toll that it takes on our bodies and it's my turn it's now he's hurt and apparently seriously he said he's been dealing with a neck injury i guess since january and they didn't know exactly
Starting point is 01:28:21 what it was and without giving any details. He found out this week, suddenly, apparently, and it had to be something new because they've already announced this match. The WWF, the way that they monitor legal and do all kinds of shit and medical, but apparently the doctors came to him and said, no, you stop this right now and have neck surgery. So without knowing details of what kind of injury that is or how that happened, it's plausible that they didn't know because they're right,
Starting point is 01:28:59 they're 10 days away from this goddamn build. So he thanked the WWE for letting him say it and he doesn't know when he's going to be back. And thank you and I'm sorry. And then Orton's music hits and people are like, uh-oh, but since he's really fucked up, they weren't going to, you know, goddamn having Pile Drive Owens or anything, but he came out,
Starting point is 01:29:29 they did the face off, Kevin left, Orton was in the ring, you know, not really demonstrative and facial expressions as to what anybody was thinking. And Alda says, well,
Starting point is 01:29:41 we've got the problem now, Randy, that you have no match for WrestleMania. And Orton, looked up at Aldus and just jumped up in our coyote, which was a nice way of giving people a pop to get out of a sucky segment. But I hate this, and everybody, oh, you hate it, no, he's been doing some of the best shit that he's been doing or has done lately, Owen, since they, we've talked about it,
Starting point is 01:30:11 abandoned the anger management issue he had where he did, I let's this fight all the time. and he switched heel and he got the pile driver over. And he's been cutting some good promos, but he hasn't wrestled. Now that you look in hindsight, he only had that match with Zane in February. He has not really been wrestling a lot. He said it was a match in January.
Starting point is 01:30:37 I don't remember what he did in January that would have. But, you know, they've known that he's been hurt in some fashion, but didn't know it was going to be that serious. So I hate to see that. Am I a curse, Brian? No matter how much I ever despise somebody if I actually start cheering up about them a little bit and warming up or cooling off
Starting point is 01:31:04 or whatever the right phrase would be, well, then they're stricken with goddamn horrible injuries. Say some nice stuff about Moxley. I can't think of anything. He's going to be here for a while. Nah. But anyway, I hate to see that. So get well soon, Kevin, for heaven's sake.
Starting point is 01:31:26 What about Ordin versus all this? This is why I didn't want them diving off the goddamn roof when they wanted to 15 years ago. And I was such an occasion. And I read a quote from him where he said it wasn't like a ladder match or anything. It was actually a regular match where something happened and it got tweaked. Well, yeah, I mean, anything can happen. but that's why you try to mitigate the damage you do so that the shit is weaker to begin with.
Starting point is 01:31:56 And you said, what about Orton and Aldus? I don't think people would want to. Aldus has not been such a reprehensible character that Orton has any reason to want to beat the shit out of him in a prolonged match, nor do the people really have any reason to want to see it. I think this was just to to keep in character with what Randy Orton would do
Starting point is 01:32:29 and to give the people something to remember past oh my guy, one of my favorite wrestlers is all fucked up and who knows we'll ever see him again, that type of thing. It was an out of the segment. I wouldn't read a lot into it. How about all this in Mickey versus Undertaker and McCool? I might pay to see that.
Starting point is 01:32:49 that might be something but only if the men can wrestle the women and vice versa well Jim I'm sure you can understand probably more than most segments on SmackDown we heard feedback from people dying to hear what you were going to say about I saw it live I watched as it happened that I couldn't believe what I was watching I wanted to know what you were going to think of this Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair
Starting point is 01:33:15 with Nick Aldous standing there watching this transpire No, no, wrong guy with the accent. It was Barrett, wasn't it? Oh, was Wade Barrett, that's right. It was Barrett. Well, you know, they all look alike over there. But yeah, Charlotte and Tiffy. And this, honestly, I mean, I don't know what ill will there is between these two women,
Starting point is 01:33:42 but the ability for this thing to go sideways and off the rail was Charlotte's fault. for letting the people get to her and make it obvious to where that it derailed what they were trying to do and potentially then was Tiffy tiffed or was she pissed off? They were both brought to the ring by Wade Barrett, bad news, because they've got the upcoming clash of the Titans and, you know, they're going to do an interview segment. and obviously the point of the thing was that they were going to be catty to each other. That's kind of the gist of the whole thing. But for whatever reason, people have taken to Tiffy,
Starting point is 01:34:36 despite the fact that she was presented pretty much as a heel there along, they took to her that, I don't know, the screechy voice and the delivery and the, and the she's obviously working hard right i'm not saying she's slacking off but she's a gymnast that they've taught to do some moves and they've thrust her into this situation and to me she has a look on her face like what the fuck is this or what am i doing here a lot and the voice because she's was supposed to be originally her gimmick was the annoying rich quasi-e Paris Hilton type of douchebag that you want to choke
Starting point is 01:35:21 when you see him on TMZ, right, Brian? It was that. That was the original presentation of her and then the people said, well, I don't like her. I don't know about the douchebag you want to choke. I don't know, again, I don't know about your TMZ viewing habits. I don't know what exactly you're watching over there, but. Well, you know, the foo-foo girl with the tiffy time and everything,
Starting point is 01:35:40 it was supposed to be, it was supposed to be, you know, not favorable. Yeah, I mean, I don't even know what you call. it at this point, the Valley Girl or whatever it is, but WWE fans watched her through NXT. I will say, unlike a lot of the girls that you see on NXT then and now, she has a little bit of size and she's pretty good in the ring.
Starting point is 01:36:03 So I've actually, you know, again, this is her gimmick. I'm not saying she's BFAM. But I've actually found her to be, you know, I can understand why the fans have taken to her. She's pretty good. I'm not saying she's BFAB. I'm saying that you can tell that they just kind of pulled this athletic young girl who probably didn't have a lot of product knowledge into this thing. And I can see it in the ring.
Starting point is 01:36:30 But to point of the voice and the delivery, but they like her, okay, well, meanwhile, here comes Charlotte and they don't like her. And they're in Shytown, not Charlotte. And the people started booing her as they do, Dominic, as they do, when they decide. Same thing, they decided they like Tiff East and now they decided they, they don't like Charlotte and they're going to boo the shit out of her.
Starting point is 01:36:57 But she let it be obvious that it was getting to her. I mean, she was trying to do the start. You know, she said about Tiffany, she wanted a moment and I hadn't done any charity work lately. She's trying to, you know, speak down to the green horn there. Well, it started right off the bat. As soon as the fans started booing, and they were both in there.
Starting point is 01:37:17 And the boo's just like, it was like a growing boo. Yeah. It was like, it just kept growing and getting bigger and louder. And she said, that's power. And I was like,
Starting point is 01:37:29 okay, that's an interesting way to try to say, fuck that, let's get to what we're doing. And the Tiffany goes, what time is it? And I've never heard it this loud before. It's perfect.
Starting point is 01:37:39 Like just everyone screamed it. I was like, okay, they've got a really live, active crowd into this. And then the booing did not stop. Yes. Well, but then that's the thing is they started trying to do their stuff.
Starting point is 01:37:55 And when Charlotte, the people would boo Charlotte. But in this program, you heard people getting on the guys in the last segment getting on with their shit when the people are booing because it's shit that needs to be said. And yes, you can milk it. but not when the problem became that Charlotte stopped with the people and started addressing them more than staying with the fucking flow of the moment. And she let them slower down. She not only did that, but they saw that they were stopping her and they were interfering with her.
Starting point is 01:38:41 here's another thing that I've seen a few times here lately when when somebody will say start a sentence and then the people and then boo or whatever and they stop and milk that but then they start back with the same words again you can tell not only was it a prepared statement instead of something you were saying off the cuff but also we interfered with you and then they want to do it more and instead of her paying attention to what they were doing and letting the people do their thing, which you would think Charlotte's been around long enough to be used to being booed in the in the promos.
Starting point is 01:39:26 But then, you know, then it was... It's a different animal. She's never been booed like this since her comeback. Since the road one. She's never been. Then God damn it, enjoy it. Do you think Flair would have stopped when he was yelling at Dusty and Dusty was standing right there to fucking turn around
Starting point is 01:39:41 and spend time onto people instead of, shut up, fat boy. My shoes cost more than your house. It's a new thing, though. Flair was never booed on the mic like that. I can't think of a time Rick Flair got on the microphone as a heel, and people were just like, I don't want to hear him talk. Boo!
Starting point is 01:40:00 Non-stop. Part of this is that the people have decided not only are they singers, but they're also censors. And if it becomes a thing, and Dominic, that was the first one remember but then they've started doing that since then if they decide that they don't want to hear from a guy and it's cool that all of them together can boo and shut him down and be part of the show that's what they're doing they're not even doing it a lot of times now
Starting point is 01:40:27 because they really hate the person if they really hate the person it's just a groaning shut the fuck up type of boo we don't hear you talk but this is audience participation some of them may think that's what they're supposed to do. But they like doing it. And if you show the people who are doing it that it's going to flummox the fuck out of you, then they've got you. And then that's what they tried to get back to it.
Starting point is 01:40:58 Charlotte made fun of Tiffany's voice because she was trying to screech over the den about the match. And I wrote here, Tiffie trying to get back to promo. but then she popped up and said Charlotte after WrestleMania it's going to be your life is going to be just like it is
Starting point is 01:41:21 outside the ring alone what's your record now 0 and 3 and then she dropped down and bailed out of the ring so that Charlotte had to run to the robes to try to get the last word which obviously wasn't scheduled because she's running after her going
Starting point is 01:41:40 Was that why Kaiser's in my DMs, which is the way the young people say they're attempting to fuck behind somebody's back, right? Which was the reveal on the show that Tiffany's dated Geyser? That's never been a thing before it's set on the air. Well, because we don't keep track of her DMs either. But there's apparently a lot of direct fucking going on.
Starting point is 01:42:03 When she said you're 0 and 3, before she rolled that, she went, woo! Oh, yeah, woo! And then, you know, And now here's the thing. This girl is not, I mean, she may be a Rhodes Scholar and study astronomy. I'm not talking about she's stupid, but she's not experienced quick enough on television to have just come up with that on the sperm of the moment
Starting point is 01:42:26 because she was mad about the way the promo was going. She had to have that one already, didn't she? Oh, I think there may be legitimate feelings. with her and maybe even other talent with Charlotte, absolutely. Feelings, whoa, feelings. The audience's cutting out. Your singing is too high-pitched. Hey, it's just not able to handle my...
Starting point is 01:42:53 You know, I'm like one of those opera singers that can shatter glass. I've got the fucking 0.1 percentile high octave thing going on here. But anyway, but yeah, so Tiffy bailed out and rolled out and left Charlotte standing in. with her microphone in her hand trying to get that last line in. And it was hard to hear to begin with. And the recipient was already,
Starting point is 01:43:18 had already taken the shot at her and rolled out so she couldn't get to her. So now are they going to have some cat scratch fever in their match? Are they going to get into it for real? Can we look forward to a shoot between these two? Probably not. But it definitely makes me more interested in the match. I'd look I'd actually be more interested
Starting point is 01:43:40 if I thought we were going to see a shoot between these two from all the other shit I've seen lately I'll say that they have a Charlotte problem I know you don't see it this way but it's not just fans enjoying booing it's fans who don't want to see her
Starting point is 01:43:52 and I don't know exactly what has caused it I do think there are certain things that haven't helped you know not to make fun of it not to bring it up for no reason but you see enough people talk about it, and I've thought it too.
Starting point is 01:44:10 When she comes back every time looking radically different, it's a weird thing. I think there's a little bit of that. I think for whatever reason, the fans right now are at a weird, almost like AEW fans with Cody. You know, I don't know what she could do right now
Starting point is 01:44:34 to stop this. I mean, get out of Chicago, maybe the first thing. But I think there is a little bit of a fan pushback happening here. Again, I don't know what they wanted. Who did they want Tiffany Stratton to wrestle? I don't even know if it's about Tiffany Stratton. I think it's a Charlotte thing independent of that. This happened to be an example of her colliding in this segment with
Starting point is 01:44:54 the person that right now the fans have chosen, it rattled her bad. I mean, there were times where she stopped talking. And it was almost like you could see she's trying to think what, she was smiling the whole time and she has her dad's smile and she's just thinking like what should I say or do next it was really awkward and again I don't know where they go from here
Starting point is 01:45:18 it got out that they edited it when WWE put it on social media the O and 3 line and the Kaiser's in my DMs line were both edited out of wherever they put it on YouTube and everywhere else and see that's a sign right there to me there was no profanity, there was no double entendre that would have taken it into the gutter.
Starting point is 01:45:42 More harmful things are said on television all the time. That had to be a specific request from one or both participants. Well, if you take the hers out, you can take my out, or vice versa. Because there was no other reason to do that. Otherwise than somebody in the segment said, what the fuck? Maybe both people in a segment said what to fuck. See, that's what I'd like to know.
Starting point is 01:46:07 Where did it exactly go completely awry? Because she brought up this interview. Apparently Charlotte did an interview somewhere. I'm not sure what talk show it was, but apparently it's out there where she talked about being divorced three times and she didn't want to be like her dad and various things. And then Tiffany brought it up in this thing. Was that planned? Because that's a public interview that's out there.
Starting point is 01:46:27 People have talked about it. Or was that something she wasn't supposed to do? Like where did this go Okay, now you're bringing up shit you're not supposed to bring up Was it just at the very end or was it even before then? When Tiffy said that line
Starting point is 01:46:42 she immediately dropped and rolled out like I used to when I'd give wrestling two the last lash with the belt and I knew he was going to come for me and then Charlotte trying to rush her retort in while the girls already bailed out
Starting point is 01:47:00 that obviously wasn't walked through. through that way, so some or all of that had to be a spur of the moment. Yeah, by the way, great job, Wade Barrett. What were you doing? Just standing it. Yeah, he was saying, oh, Jesus Christ, what's going on here? It doesn't sound like it did in rehearsal.
Starting point is 01:47:20 Um, but to your point about Charlotte, I could understand if she, are they just revolting against her because she's, always booked on top, almost who is better. It's not like a Mercedes Monet type of thing where you know, she's
Starting point is 01:47:44 hyped and pushed and all these other girls are so much better. Is it the flare thing? What have we seen with Charlotte that's that good in a long time? She's almost never there. And when she's there... Well, she was hurt for a year and a half. That's why I thought that people would be glad to see her when she came back.
Starting point is 01:48:02 You know, and again, now you start thinking about it. There were prior incidents. Remember there was the incident where her and Becky Lynch started going at each other in a promo on Raw? I remember that. Her and Naya Jaxx punched each other out in the middle of the ring. Remember that? Yes, with the fridge.
Starting point is 01:48:19 See, that's why she's on top because she's the interesting one. There's always something going on. It's not just girl wrestling with Charlotte. Do you think all the booze and all this behavior, it's just to set up Tessa being brought in as her partner? Oh, no, but I think you should say when we're talking about a member of the Flair family, you should say all the booing
Starting point is 01:48:38 rather than all the booze to differentiate. That's true. I guess a bit on that. Booze has a different meaning in the Flair Faire Firm. That's why I want to be clear here. We're not, uh,
Starting point is 01:48:50 thank you for clearing that up. No, we definitely needed that clarity here. And then, uh, I think they're going to bring in that, you know, they got a new training,
Starting point is 01:48:59 a new girl in the training, uh, development center is what I'm, the performance center. She's an Egyptian. You're going to bring her in to fight flare. Well, you know, that would be the ultimate enemy of the flare as it's Ricky Steamboat and, of course, the Egyptian.
Starting point is 01:49:11 Yeah, I'm telling you. We were doing fine until the Egyptian showed up. You know, I'm sure the match will be good. I mean, but we'll see. Charlotte, you know, as you think about it, the Royal Rumble and what else? She barely has worked in a very long time. And again, when I say she looks different,
Starting point is 01:49:29 it's not just facial surgery. I mean, physically, she doesn't have, she used to have a bigger, not a bigger frame, but she was like, she was like an athlete. Like, she doesn't look like. Well, hold on now, cowboy. Before you put your foot in your mouth, what she's done is she is, she is leaned up is what you're saying. That's a nicer way to put it.
Starting point is 01:49:51 I guess so. I guess so. Well, but here in lies the problem. What you're also not going to see for good, bad, or indifferent is that moonsault off the top rope to the floor anymore because she blew her knee. She's had a knee issue. She's got the brace. What did Terry Gordy do when he had two blown ACLs besides not get them fixed? He lost like 40 pounds. You try to lose weight as best you can and still retain whatever look you're going for and you eliminate shit out of your repertoire that requires stress or not only
Starting point is 01:50:30 landing on your knee, but landing on your feet in a dodgy situation from high heights. That's going to be something she's going to avoid. So I can't browbeat her for trying to drop some weight after a knee injury. Guy, girl, or animal, vegetable, or mineral does that. But it's not to the, we'll talk later on, but I still know, it's not to the point of Adam Cole. I don't know what's going on there. at first I thought he might have been sick
Starting point is 01:51:01 and I didn't want to say anything, but now he's wrestling 20-minute matches, he just weighs 140 pounds. Anyhow. Did you see Ludwig Kaiser's response? Well, he didn't respond on TV. No, he responded on social media. He responded on the Twitter. What did he say there? He took to Twitter,
Starting point is 01:51:22 tag Charlotte Flair and posted a video of Sean Michaels telling Diana Smith, please do not flatter yourself. Which you were there for, so you remember that moment. Oh, my God. And boy, I can only imagine what Sean would have said if Diana had said all the things she wanted to say. Yeah, instead of Stu, you'd have Flair calling you up. You call my daughter a whar!
Starting point is 01:51:45 Woo! Yeah. Oh, whoa! Oh, you know you want me. You know, that was the best line. Sean, I know that you want me. Thank you. The way she delivered it.
Starting point is 01:51:58 Thank you. You should have heard. I'll tell you this real quick. We'll get on with the regular programming. But we were setting that up. And the storyline was, until Stu made phone calls, that somehow Davy and Diana were going to be working in collusion to set Sean up to look like a, I don't know what he was supposed to look like.
Starting point is 01:52:21 I mean, even more of a prick than he already was back then, but that he was hitting on Diana and trying to come in between their marriage and acting salaciously or. whatever the fuck. And we got there and Diana had come up with, Diana, if you're listening out there, I love you. But she had come up with a rather lengthy statement about the whole situation
Starting point is 01:52:45 that in her mind she thought would really bring some gravitas. I said, Diana, please. Just listen to me. All you got to say is when it comes to you, and you're looking at Sean, and I've set up the principle of the thing, just say, Sean, you know you want me.
Starting point is 01:53:08 And just step back and let the people react. And she was kind of miffed because she wanted to do her scene, right? She said, Sean, you know you want me. And Sean sold her with his faith. And the people just, wow, bullshit, because he's been in playgirl. And, let's say, Diana was an attractive woman, but, you know, he's curtseying around with Pamela Anderson on pay-per-view at that point in time.
Starting point is 01:53:32 With Vince on the rug. Yeah, and I wonder where Pamela fit in that equation. Jose should have dropped his pants. I'd be like, it's me! It's me! Well, again, back to the Charlotte thing. They have the match coming up. You know, we'll see how the fans react.
Starting point is 01:53:50 I mean, we're right around the corner from WrestleMania, but on any of the TV shows. But, you know, was it a one-stance? time thing in terms of it going completely off the rails with a booze, prevent her for being able to talk in front of a crowd. You know, Dominic seemed comfortable with it. She completely did not. Yeah, and that's what confused me, because with her experience, you would have thought Tiffy, you would have might have got rattled if it had been
Starting point is 01:54:15 another way around because she's brand new, but with Charlotte, it's, if I get, the point is, it's still television, and you've still got to say that you're still promoting WrestleMania. you still got to say the things you need to say, and you can, if you're an adept heel verbally with the Drew McIntyres or the Heyman when he's in that position or punks or whoever, you can drop back for a second and snipe with a fan every once in a while or the fans and still keep your role going.
Starting point is 01:54:49 But if it's throwing you off that, you've got the microphone, say the shit that needs to be said. if the crowd at home ain't listening, or not at home, but if the crowd in the arena ain't listening, the people at home can still hear you. Because unless there, it doesn't really work for a shoot that the fans in the arena can drown out the guy with the microphone.
Starting point is 01:55:13 The audio guy is doing that to, remember I've talked about this when he started doing with Dominic. The audio guy was turning Dominic's sound down and the crowd sound up on purpose to make, to make that impression because that was more important than anything Dominic could have said at that point. But if you've got the microphone and the people in the truck are not victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, they can bring your audio up and the people in the arena cannot stop you from being heard at home.
Starting point is 01:55:42 Have I made that point, Brian? Yes. And why didn't she do it? All right. That's all I got to say about that. We'll see what happens if they get in a verbal or physical shoot here in a near future. I'd like to see that. And now Charlotte better watch out because Tiffy's stocky and she's younger.
Starting point is 01:56:09 I put my money on Tiffany in a fight. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. But Charlotte's still a better worker, even if nobody doesn't like her. Well, we'll see. Again, we haven't seen Charlotte work in a very long time. And they have really good women's workers there. Charlotte is good as Ria Ripley or Bianca Bel Air or E.O. Sky or Tiffany right now, we'll see.
Starting point is 01:56:28 Oh, by well, I'm not saying, I'm not saying at this point that Charlotte is better than Ria Ripley, and I might even give you Bianca Bel Air. She's much more important for drawing some kind of money than E.O. Sky. We'll see, because, you know, the one thing she had that I always said, I always thought she had the greatest presence, just from the moment she came out of the back with the robe walking out just, I thought she had great presence. But if she's rattled and she loses that, I don't know what, you know, again, let's see her work a match.
Starting point is 01:57:00 We haven't seen her work yet. But that was a pretty concerning segment if you're a Charlotte fan, just in terms of how it appeared to affect her. Well, Jim, with that, let's now travel through time, and we shall return shortly after this. Well, may not be shortly in the real world, but let's go to the review. of AEW Dynasty,
Starting point is 01:57:23 which took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All right, we are in the future, traveling through time, because there was so much important stuff happening. We left the world of Smackdown and your questions and whatever else we had planned to go to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where AEW, going to the home of ECW,
Starting point is 01:57:57 had AEW. I don't know why I'm yelling. AEW Dynasty in Philadelphia. I'm so excited. Let's talk about AEW Dynasty in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a very, very long show. Let's not talk about it.
Starting point is 01:58:12 How about that? As Mama Cornett would say, let's not and say we did. Wait, think about that. Every month, I think, somebody's going to do something different. It's just something different than the fucking endless parade of constant same shit that we see.
Starting point is 01:58:40 Somebody's going to figure out how to have a match a different way. Somebody's going to come up with a sensible finish. Somebody is going to do something that we don't see all the fucking time. But no. Not these, the one thing that they're not going to do is shorten this. son of a bitch up, Brian. Was this this was the longest
Starting point is 01:59:09 actually on pay-per-view that they've done four hours and a little over 15 minutes on pay-per-view. The pre-show was still an hour and a half on the broadcast but they only had two matches on the pre-show so they could save it for the
Starting point is 01:59:27 10 that were on the main part of the broad whatever the premium live event portion God almighty how can they stand it I mean when midnight comes
Starting point is 01:59:48 and guys that are riding with the guys in the main event are still sitting there going would they ever fucking just I mean I used to be in that position at 10 o'clock at night right what he flare the guys used to fucking make a joke about about Flair and St. Louis by the time that he would finish going out there and having that 30
Starting point is 02:00:10 minute match and coming back and taking a shower and putting his suit on if you were riding with him, you could have goddamn had three meals and three different restaurants by that point. You get out of there. Are you still there? I am. And I don't like you either because you told me to watch one of the matches that I would normally have been able to vault over. We'll get to that in a minute. Oh, come on. But on the on the, on the, pre-show for people keeping track, the show before the show, apparently Leo Rush, Action Andretti, and Nick Plain defeated Top Flight and AR Fox, and then explain this one to me. They had 10 matches on this pay-per-view, and it went four and a half hours, Brian. But on the pre-show, they had the
Starting point is 02:01:04 Battle of the Acclaimed a single match between Anthony Bowens and Max Caster. And it lasted 30 seconds before Bowens just beating flat, one, two, three. At one point, remember back many eons ago and the before time, the long, long ago, back when the acclaimed were a tag team and they were the most popular people in AEW because since the fans were given no direction, they took their own and just said, fuck it. We like these guys. We want to see them scissor their daddy's ass.
Starting point is 02:01:41 And then Castor became a prick for some reason and Billy Gunn has gone back home to hopefully collect a nice check and be above the fray. And they have a match between these two former partners and it's on the pre-show and the one guy beats the other guy in 30 seconds.
Starting point is 02:02:04 Am I missing something about booking that maybe I've never been taught before, Brian. Can you explain this to me how this happened in this fashion? No. I've enjoyed the Max Castor thing, but I didn't realize they were going to bring out Bowens to do something about it, and they didn't even do that on Dynamite. They didn't even do it on the pay-per-view, on the pre-show. I actually think people may have been interested if they thought Bowens was going to wrestle
Starting point is 02:02:35 castor. But I guess if you're going to give it away unannounced for free, why not make it 10 seconds? I can't explain any of this. So then let's keep the booking philosophy in mind as we go through this thing. They were in Philadelphia at the Lickrish Center. They had a crowd it looked like for them. Did I hear they were going to have 7, 8,000 people somewhere in that realm for this? I'll see what I could find, but that sounds about right. And the match they led with was the Owen Hart Tournament Mail Division I get first round match
Starting point is 02:03:17 Will Osprey and Kevin Knight. And Kevin Knight just made his, for those of you going, who? He just made his debut this past Wednesday night, remember? And did he win his match Wednesday night? Who did he wrestle Wednesday night? We talked about it. No, it was a tag match.
Starting point is 02:03:42 Him and Osprey teamed up together and they won that match. That's right, it was tag match. Yeah. So he won the tag match. So he's just joined the company. He's been in one match, a tag match with Osprey as his partner. And now he's in the Owen tournament against Osprey. and this was a TV match.
Starting point is 02:04:06 Will Osprey is a top guy. He's the number one or number two baby face, depending on how you look at it. Why was he put in this position on pay-per-view? In the 90s, did we book Brett Hart against Bob Holly on pay-per-view just because it was in a tournament? The guy's been seen once on 10th, television. He hasn't won a singles match yet. Now he's lost his first singles match to company
Starting point is 02:04:38 to Will Osprey, which makes no sense to again put one of your main event guys on a pay-per-view in the fucking opening match against a guy in the middle that nobody really knows. And if they're one to, and then beat him. If you want to do the old top guy elevating the mid-card guy scenario, you bring the mid card guy in and you give him standard wins at first, but he gets beat by the top guys. And then he wins over a few more bottom guys, gets beat by the top. Then he gets closer with the top guys. And then finally he beats, it takes months and months and months to go through that.
Starting point is 02:05:22 So what this ended up was, is instead of Osprey being able to contribute in some way to the pay-per-view. This match sold no tickets. It meant nothing. They didn't even know they were going to see it until Wednesday night when this guy was revealed.
Starting point is 02:05:42 So it didn't do anything for Osprey. It didn't do anything for the company. And for night, you beat a guy who just got there. So that means you continue to establish him as another one of the many guys that come in here that do flips and never. win, so who cares? See Andretti,
Starting point is 02:06:03 comma, action. So what, Osprey won with an elbow? What difference does it make? Why was this here? Well, maybe it was here just to make sure that no one else could get the crowd going for the rest of the night.
Starting point is 02:06:22 Now, this was a hot match for AEW fans. That's the only thing that could justify it, and I'm not saying it does, is we gave them just an amazing high-flying match. But like you said, they just brought this guy in. I've only seen two matches with him. He's impressive. He's not built like a waif, like so many of these guys.
Starting point is 02:06:42 He's got a little bit of a look. He does the same stuff. A lot of these guys, you know, like Osprey do. But it looks good, him doing it. At least it looks a little better and he looks a little better physically. He just got beat. And they beat him right away. And I don't think it justifies it if the top guy beat.
Starting point is 02:06:59 him. He got beat right away as soon as he came in. So. Well, besides that, he's a baby face. He got beat by another baby face. He didn't even get fucked by heel. So, you know, okay, now we've established the peck in order around here. And again, that's it. You said, well, he gave him a nice high flying match. What the fuck did they call that triple threat fiasco later on? Didn't they remember that was going to happen? we needed an air traffic controller for that's what I'm saying it's the same thing nothing hurts anyone everyone flips everywhere the same standard modern Japanese wrestling tropes to use a word that I despise that these marks in the ring have picked up and magnified and made
Starting point is 02:07:53 made it to where you can't look past any of this shit because it's the same thing over and over. The fighting spirit forearms and the fucking goofy reactions to Savat kicks. Like, oh, if I kick you here, you'll been there so I can kick you there, then you'll stand up. What the fuck? God, even Bruce Lee could halfway make it look good,
Starting point is 02:08:21 but they don't have Bruce Lee around here. maybe some Linda Lees, but nevertheless. So that was that. That's what I thought about that. Will Osprey goes to the next round? I think they said he faces the winner of Takesha versus Brody King. Oh, boy. So maybe Osprey versus Tekechia. That'll be the next match. That'll be really, really good, and everyone will kick out of everything, and no one will be able to follow it.
Starting point is 02:08:47 Well, don't worry, there's plenty more to follow this. It followed it as in came after it. Remember what I said about, well, here's one of your top baby faces just on a match on a pay-per-view that means nothing. So why? Well, then the World Tag Team champions were out next in another TV match where they're in a position where they're booked with underneath guys who never win. And Big Bill and Brian Keith, we thought Big Bill. might do something several months back when he came in, he came back from wherever, just not being seen,
Starting point is 02:09:32 looked good, seemed like he was going to be treated halfway seriously, then he got stuck under Jericho's tree, and then he's been floating around in this fucking Stoge group, but he beats job guys every once in a while, and he's partnered with a job guy who's five foot fucking two eyes of glue looks like something from a zoo and there's 150 plus guys that we figured Brian under contract and this is the shape that Tony Con has ended up in where his tag team champions are defending on pay-per-view against Big Bill and Brian Keith and so after about eight minutes or so,
Starting point is 02:10:23 Bobby Lashley had to take some bumps for Bill's offense, which looked horrible, and I don't know whether he was scared he was going to hurt Bobby. Bobby's going to kill him, or whether Bill's just given up, or whether he could figure out where he was supposed to be or whatever fuck was going on. And then suddenly, while Bill is at the ringside railing,
Starting point is 02:10:49 MJF pops up from behind a railing where all the people at ringside. were pointing down going, look, look. MJF pops up from behind the railing and turns Bill around and nails him with the dynamite diamond ring and the camera missed it. They just cut away from where he was with the people pointing, look, look, look. And they cut to another shot when he nailed him and the announcer said, was that MJF? And then Lashley speared Big Bill at ringside and the camera missed that. because they were trying to figure out what they just missed a second ago
Starting point is 02:11:28 and they were so close, all you saw was the back of Lashley's bald head go underneath the bottom of the screen as Big Bill sunk out of sight. So they've missed a lot of stuff lately. Well, it's, how can you not know where they were going to be on this finish?
Starting point is 02:11:50 When there's Big Bill, all you had to do was shoot, Big Bill until the fucking guy punches him. And they replayed it. They had the camera shot and the director went away from it. So MJF had punched him with the ring. And then Lashley speared Bill and on the floor. Then they replayed the MJF spot and he walked out.
Starting point is 02:12:19 And then Shelton's suplexed Brian Keith and Lashley Speared. Brian Keith, and Shelton covered him with his hand, one, two, three. There was an okay finish. It was a TV match, and that's what I'm saying. What service are you doing your company when you put the tag team champions, the number one tag team and company in the second match is cold, goofy match with two guys that you knew who was going to get beat, you know, that's a TV thing to further the MJF MVP story,
Starting point is 02:13:00 but, oh, pay-per-view? Did we defend the World Tag Team title on pay-per-view against the Mulkies, or did we do it on a house show in their hometown? And it was the U.S. tag team title, by the way, I apologize. Well, let's not compare these guys to the Mulkies. That's a bit of a stretch, but... No, the Mokies won't. more on television. Remember they got that one big victory? The gladiators, of course, from California.
Starting point is 02:13:26 Yes. That's one more than Big Bill and Brian have had as a tag team on this television. Yeah, I can't explain any of this. It's been a weird three-week buildup. I guess they were trying to win Chris Jericho's respect by having MVP dressed him down because, you know, Chris Jericho must know what that feels like. I really don't know what the idea behind it was. I want you to feel what I feel. I want you to feel what I feel. And then they got eviscerated once their guts were gone and now they've been hung out to dry on pay-per-view so their skins can be used to potentially clothe needy children. Well, here's part of the problem. The tag team division sucks.
Starting point is 02:14:10 Shelton and Bobby with MVP is a winning combination. Who are they supposed to wrestle? Even FTR, we'll talk about them later. It appears to set up to wrestle someone right based off what they did. It's not like, okay, we turned heel. Let's get into a program with the other heels. So I don't know. That's the point I'm making about this whole thing. Tony Khan has put them in this position with 150 wrestlers under contract
Starting point is 02:14:36 where nobody has a match. None of this makes any sense. Yeah, hear me what I'm telling you. I hear you. The fans like chanting, we hurt people. Yes, and. And then they want them to hurt. could they get mad when the hurting isn't happening?
Starting point is 02:14:52 I guess it's better than we hurt ratings because that's what the boer horsemen are champion, nevertheless. Continuing on, you know, we got the Owen Hart Tournament Female Division, Brian, that is now underway with Mercedes Moon against Julia Hart. Julia Hart has a wonderful entrance.
Starting point is 02:15:16 If she was a singer, or some type of show performer on Broadway or in Las Vegas, I would love that entrance, but then after that, between her and Mercedes doing her little stripper dance, the stripper shimmy, and all of that, they try to have matches. And see, it gave me the sour belches, is what it did. I can't say that I honestly paid a lot of attention to this thing, Brian,
Starting point is 02:15:54 and I don't know that any of the people in the arena can honestly say that either. Yeah, I realized during this match to Philadelphia fans are a lot nicer today than they used to be. Boy, howdy, I'll tell you what, the clown is down, they would have, so you remember what they did to the dynamic dudes. But nevertheless, maybe that sheet is still around somewhere. So these two, after about 15 minutes, they decided that the most exciting finish that they could offer people was to spend two minutes. I timed it, two minutes, basically stationary in the middle of the ring with Mercedes getting a kind of a phony STF and Julia rolling her up and then Mercedes rolling through with it and getting it again until Julia you tapped out.
Starting point is 02:16:52 Two fucking mullah. Mula's finishes had more movement than that. They think they're the fucking graces. I mean, and even if you say, well, but you know, that's modern wrestling, okay, well, the fucking world champion,
Starting point is 02:17:13 Dick the boozer, the plumber, and his challenger, we're going to try to do some of that shit that he does in the Home Depot, jujitsu grappling tournaments up in Newport later on in the show. So the girls have decided to do the fucking death jitsu before the fucking plumber.
Starting point is 02:17:34 What the... help me! I don't think there's any help for this match. Mercedes-Lone, another big win. The fans finally got behind Julia. The AW fans are getting trained to be disappointed. I'm not saying they should have done a title change here or anything. Was it even a title match? It was a tournament match. I'm not even sure.
Starting point is 02:17:53 It was the tournament, but Julia, yeah, they like her more than Mercedes because at least I don't know why they like her more than Mercedes because she's, well, because she's purdier. She doesn't have that fucking camel face. But otherwise, it's not like she's the second coming of Mildred Burke either. What are you laughing at? You took me by surprise. If you put.
Starting point is 02:18:21 Mercedes Monet's wig on a picture of Joe Camel on the side of the old cigarettes. You tell me where they separated at birth. Travis, don't you dare. Travis, don't you dare. Don't know. You do your duty, baby. Travis, no, don't listen to this segment. Well, anyway, can we move on like the two wise men leading our camels through this
Starting point is 02:18:48 barren desert? by the 2,000-year-old men, we can move on. So the six-man tag team championship was next on the line with the Boer Horseman of Claudio Castignoli and Pack and Wheeler useless taking on the team that they're just, their best friends, their neighbors, their kids go to school together. You know, love is in the air, F-T-R-N-Eage. from Asheville, North Carolina,
Starting point is 02:19:22 and there was almost no chance. Nobody had a thought in their mind that anything would go wrong between FTR and Edge in this match. But first they had to get there. And they started out to match. Dax and Pack had some nice spots where the heel totally out-wrestled the baby face,
Starting point is 02:19:46 but they are turding later on. And here's another thing. Remember we were talking about the participatory crowd booing, the audience participation. They're loving doing that. They've decided that their Dominic is Wheeler. Because anytime he tags in the crowd, does the boo, like, oh, fuck you, you suck. And I'm sure that there is probably more than a tinge of legitimacy in that sentiment from the crowd. He's been shoved down our throat.
Starting point is 02:20:19 but like Eric Watts yeah yeah I mean instantly before he did anything the chant was fuck you Utah and this is not like Dominic where the people even the ones that were booing Dominic and still do and everything and he's still
Starting point is 02:20:36 presented as a putts but they know he's fucking entertaining and he's been in shit that was good and you know they love the love triangle and the whole thing where youda's just obviously he's somebody's mascot again he's a thin, tiny, frail kid that I'm sure means well, looks like a fucking goof.
Starting point is 02:20:58 If he got a little bit in the gym and gained a little weight, he might look more like that superhuman character that jumps into the barbed wire on Twitter. But they don't want to see it's preposterous that he's gone this far in this thing and people don't want to see it. So anyway, then the baby faces shined and FTR pulls. out the Midnight Express playbook, the flap jacks, power slam off the top. And then
Starting point is 02:21:28 they stopped cash and got some heat on him. And then the tag was about set up and pack, got in a fucking way where he came across like he was going to nail the
Starting point is 02:21:43 other two baby faces off the apron and he did nail of fuck, which was Dax off the apron and was going to nail Edge and then Edge blocked it and nailed him, but he took the bump right there. And now it's just,
Starting point is 02:22:01 because the referee's just having to stand and look for an illegal look at, an illegal guy that just ran into the ring just sitting right in front of him, and he's not doing it. He's like, get out. You need to go. And finally, Cash just went for the tag and they thought it was going to be for Edge. Instead, Dax had jumped up and he tagged Dax. But it was set up awkwardly and Pack gotten away.
Starting point is 02:22:32 And Dax made it come back. But then they, did you see the ridiculous triple spot they got? We're at two sharpshooters and an STF and Dax and Claudio were having a girl's slap fight while they had the sharpshooters on. FTR has now started doing the same stupid, goofy, silly bullshit to get a pop that all these other indie level guys do and they didn't use to, am I just not remembering it
Starting point is 02:23:04 or did they used to be halfway more serious? Have they just stopped caring? What the fuck is going on here? That's a tricky question. I think they were more serious. I think at a certain point, they were indoctrinated into AEW, and they started thinking things like Orange Cassidy were acceptable.
Starting point is 02:23:20 And they started trying to justify these things. And, you know, with this spot specifically, I can't tell you I remember it in an FTA, in an FTR match. Maybe it was. But I've seen it in a whole lot of these matches with the Death Riders or Claudio or Moxley just right next to each other, slap me, hit me, just stop with all of this shit.
Starting point is 02:23:41 Because everyone's doing it. If everyone's doing it, you doing it means nothing. So yeah, I didn't like it. And I, you know what I think, I think Claudio is just the most overrated wrestler in the entire world, maybe. He didn't used to be, but I must, I must now just acquiesce to your viewpoint. Oh, wow. So then Pack hit Dax with a leaping tombstone. Yuda gave him a splash off the top, and Pack gave him a splash off the top.
Starting point is 02:24:10 Cover one, two cash saved. And 30 seconds later, Dax got up, ran over to the corner and tag. tagged Edge. After the tombstone and the splash and the splash. And an edge made a comeback, which this match was not noted tearing the house down. They pop when it looks like somebody fucked themselves up and may go to the hospital. And that's, I think, what these people watch for. So then Edge set pack up on the top turnbuckle legs, goes superplex him, but he tagged Cash
Starting point is 02:24:46 and then Cash stepped into the ring and tagged Dax. And I don't know what the fun. These were the last guys. I tell you, I tell a lie. I bet you the Motor City machine guns won't do it. Because I caught Dax and Cash doing the backslap tags. So that was that.
Starting point is 02:25:07 And the machine guns, I bet you will not do that either. So they're the last tag team left in the world that actually follows. the rules of wrestling. But I didn't think I'd come to the point where FTR would start making shit up on the fly. But nevertheless,
Starting point is 02:25:24 so Edge has got the guy for the superplex, Cash got tagged in and turned around and tagged Dax. Like that means both of them are legal. And then Edge gave him the superplex and Cash did the splash and Dax did the diving headbutt,
Starting point is 02:25:44 cover one, two, and Claudio's saved. And then everybody got in a stationary submission hold or holding the partners back from breaking up the stationary submission hold. So nothing was happening. But then they hit the shatter machine and a spear on Wheeler and Claudio saved again. And then finally, Edge went to spear Wheeler. Wheeler leapfrogged him.
Starting point is 02:26:15 Edge stopped short of Dax. but Wheeler pushed them together. And then that fucking caused him to have a double knockout. And then Wheeler hit the neon dachs and pinned him one, two, three. So they were really going for the heat from the people there. They gave Wheeler the pin. Your thoughts on this match before we go to the afterbirth, which is about to occur?
Starting point is 02:26:46 Not a big fan of the match, not a big fan of anything with the death rioters. not a big fan of cope. I still think FTR are really good, and hopefully they will be away from six-man tag matches for a while. Well, but also, can they get away from overbooking for a while?
Starting point is 02:27:05 Because, okay, we knew that something was up and that the way Dax and Cash have been acting like petul and school children on the TV meant that one or both of them is going to turn on edge, and we hope that it would be both of them because then they would just be, if they split them up in this booking atmosphere,
Starting point is 02:27:26 it would be disastrous. So the boar horsemen leave and Edge and Cash help Dax up and they do a triple hug and they raise their hands. And then Dax spins Edge around, bends him over, gives him a pile draft. And Cash is like, what the fuck? He's with a mouth. the gape.
Starting point is 02:27:51 And Dax rolls out and gets two chairs. And I'm like, oh, for fuck's sake. Because they, of course, they have to, I'm sorry if Edge is their best friend, they have to put this concerto thing over that he's responsible for. The single phoniest, stupidest, most see-through fucking deal that's ever been done in fucking wrestling. They get the two chairs,
Starting point is 02:28:13 or Dax gets the two chairs, and he puts a chair underneath Edge, and he hands the other chair to cash. and Cash takes it and looks and then throws the chair down and shoves Dax on his ass. And that gets a big pop. But then it turns to booze when they start booing the other baby face for not turning a heel because they don't want to see Dax and Cash break up. But then Cash helps edge up and pulls him up into the shatter machine.
Starting point is 02:28:48 that Dax cooperates with on a second's notice, and then they give Edge a pile driver on a chair, and then cash concertos him twice. And of course, you can't sell it, but the thing is, the guy getting hit, he doesn't even move a muscle, which, Brian, I'm sure you, it's like everybody, a time or two, you've had the opportunity to hit an unconscious,
Starting point is 02:29:18 person hard with a blunt object. So you know that it's still going to move the corpse. It's still there's going to be a reaction or response of this blow. Also, if it was legitimate, blood and brain matter would shoot out. For the record, I have not hit any unconscious people. You mean you do that to them while they're still around and can feel it? They may go unconscious, but I don't hit anyone once they're down. Well, nevertheless, so the guy that had to retire because of his bad neck and came back from retirement,
Starting point is 02:30:02 they piled drove him on a chair and they can chair-toed him twice. And the medical staff and the stretcher come out. They're there in seconds. Think of all the attempted homicides and aggravated mayhem and assault with intent to commit bodily harm with weapons. that we see here is not only the doctor at ringside but a medical staff
Starting point is 02:30:29 and a fucking stretcher on wheels within seconds but they won't let them put it on edge cash puts the neck brace on and then lays down on the stretcher and mocks him and Dax gives him CPR so there's a little frivolity there also
Starting point is 02:30:46 as they've tried to so again not a good match for very little fucking reason except to get this turn in and then why Brian
Starting point is 02:31:02 did Cash shove Dax on his ass What do you mean? When? Here in this match? Yes, when Dax Powell drove Edge and Cash said what the fuck
Starting point is 02:31:16 and Dax got the chairs and put Edge on the chair and handed the other chair to Cash cash. cash threw the chair down and shoved dax on his ass and then cash pulled edge up and they gave him the shatter machine the pile driver the concerto twice why did cash shove dax on his ass
Starting point is 02:31:37 he was having a battle of his emotions he didn't know what to do he hadn't decided yet that he was going to do what everyone thought he was going to do and just help out his longtime tag team partner he still didn't know if he wanted to turn his back on Cope. I mean, Cope is, you know, the man. And then he quickly realized, yeah, that's what I want to do. It just helped his friend kick the shit out of Adam. Quickly within seven seconds. After shoving the man on his ass, after shoving the man of seven seconds later,
Starting point is 02:32:05 shit, I shouldn't have done that. I'm going to beat up this other guy. Adam Coplein, who may not do jobs, but we've seen him get more beatings over and over and over again to a point where I don't want to see him anymore. There are fans excited about the idea of edging Christian, versus FTR. Oh, Christ.
Starting point is 02:32:22 You know, I don't know if I really at this point want to see that. But that's what some people are excited about. All righty then. You're not? Not it, no. I would like to see FTR potentially against the Hurt Syndicate. But can we just at least keep... Sheldon Benjamin's got another couple of years, I think.
Starting point is 02:32:47 Can we keep... Is he 50? Can we keep everybody just in their 40s? Do we want to see Edge and Christian concertoing and ladder matching with FTR? Or do we want to see just some goddamn wrestlers that we are interested in, have matches for reasons that we care about? Edge and Christian, the combined age would be, what, 100 and... 105, right?
Starting point is 02:33:20 Do you think Edge and Christian as 50-year-old men look like Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin as 50-year-old men? No. I mean, I do think there are probably fans that, you know, again, for the same reason that the Hardees are still a thing and maybe that the Dudleys would get a pop somewhere, they still may want to see Edge and Christian reunite, I guess, and why not work with your best friends from Asheville if you're going to do that? But, uh, no, no. All righty then. Well, instead of 50-year-old men,
Starting point is 02:33:55 you want to talk about some 25-year-old women. All right. I don't know where you're going, but let's do it. What do you got to mind? Well, that's the best thing I can say about them is they're not 50. The women's title was on the line with Tony Storm, old timeless Hollywood Tony, with Luther dressed up as Burgess, Meredith, and Rocky,
Starting point is 02:34:19 against Megan Brain with Penelope Pitstock. dressed up as a truck stop flusie that got misdirected and a free ticket to the wrestling matches. And Brian, you asked me to watch this because you said that many people are saying, a lot of people say at it, that the, at least this AEW women's match was getting better.
Starting point is 02:34:46 And I was half and half on this because the first half, I thought, well, they've done a wonderful job. And by the end of it, I thought, I hate this maybe more than anything else. And they turned me right in the middle. Obviously, Tony Storm is over. She's popular with their fan base for all of this black and white tomfoolery and all the shit that because they like to watch wrestling that they can laugh at and not take seriously. and they've come to the right place.
Starting point is 02:35:23 But Tony Storm can work. And she's got experience, and she was the leader here. And she knows what she's doing. And for the first half of this thing, it was a basic big girl, little girl match, where Megan used her size, and it was basic. And Tony Storm was doing the running around. And all Megan had to do was being,
Starting point is 02:35:51 the right place and she ended body slams and showing the power and then you know there the penelope interfered with a leg trip to start the heat and again it was basic shit but Megan everything she was doing was looking good and it was following and okay on a show this long with all this much bullshit it's not just see one on one we've got a match we're establishing The big heel is dominant physically and Tony Storm, everybody's hero, blah, blah, blah. And then Penelope interfered again and finally Luther grabbed her and carried her off. And the people start going crazy. And then Tony starts a comeback.
Starting point is 02:36:44 And the people are up. The fans are going. And a boom, boom, boom. And then she put on a submission. hold on Megan and brought the whole thing to a halt. And Megan got kind of a halfway half-ass rope break that wasn't really milked in any kind of fashion. And then Megan cuts her off again.
Starting point is 02:37:11 And that was the first half and right there. The people were into it. The heel manager being carried off by the baby face manager. or if you can be that charitable to call him that. And then the baby face makes her comeback. Go into your fucking finish. Every match on this marathon doesn't have to be 20 minutes long. Everybody doesn't have to do everything that they know how to do.
Starting point is 02:37:42 They're just allowed to. And that's why it's so long and so repetitive. Now, Megan has cut Tony off again. she turns her back to Tony Storm and starts climbing the turnbuckle like she's climbing up for a moonsault. But Tony Storm gets up and comes and tries to pull her off and she just shoots Tony a back elbow
Starting point is 02:38:05 and keeps climbing with her back to Tony Storm. It comes back and she knocks her away again. What the fuck? How are you good? The girl is already up trying to pull you off the turnbuckle. You give her one fucking elbow. You don't even look to see where she is and you're continuing to climb up,
Starting point is 02:38:23 we are back turned to her to do this moonsault. Why? And then Tony Storm gets up there and gave her a belly to back off the top flipping her over where Megan Brain almost landed on her brain. She barely got turned. And then both of them were down forever selling that.
Starting point is 02:38:50 And then they traded, forearms. Never seen that before. And there was more back and forth. And Megan hits a couple big suplexes and gets a two count. But they looked great. Then momentarily later, Tony Storm's fine and she's doing reversals and she hits a German suplex and an ass in a face and a head butt and three ass in the faces in a row and a pile driver and covers Megan one count. Oh my God damn it. Way to make everybody look bad.
Starting point is 02:39:34 And then Megan gets up after the German suplex, the ass in the face, the head butt, the three asses in the face, and the pile driver. Megan gives her a backdrop, a clothesline, and a power bomb, and does a cover her picks her up and goes for the F5 and Tony foils that into a small package, one, two, three. What the fuck is the matter with these people? Did they ever go to wrestling school? Who is telling them to do this shit?
Starting point is 02:40:10 And again in this in this four and a half hour show and with everybody doing everything else a girl's match they're kicking out of fucking pile drivers and multiple fucking finishes and they're not only just kicking up but they're just fine. They're just okay.
Starting point is 02:40:34 When they had them going and Luther carried the heel girl out and Tony Storm made her come back if she'd have then hit the three asses in a face in a row and if they wanted to make Megan a big physical monster three asses in a face cover one two she kicks out holy shit spit her around real quick into the goddamn power or the pile driver that Tony Storm does
Starting point is 02:41:07 one two three there's a fin and you could have knocked the last seven minutes off of that oh but the first five minutes off of that oh but the fans were cheering some more of the shit they did. Yes. I don't care. Long show, more important things to come. Don't do everything you can possibly do on every show for the rest of your life tonight, and you'll have something left over. But instead, we get these shows that never end, and it's always the same shit. I believe I mentioned that earlier in the program. What'd you think, Brian?
Starting point is 02:41:56 Well, in terms of the booking, I don't think it was necessarily the same thing as Kevin Knight losing in the second match, but I thought they should have put the belt on Megan Bain here. I thought, the time's right, she's impressive, she hasn't lost yet, don't fuck anything up yet, but instead she lost.
Starting point is 02:42:13 It was a surprise victory. I mean, she took a hell of, a beating, but it was the roll-up that gets them. That's what always happens. I'm a big fan of hers. I have to say, I watch her, and I'm like, that's a pro wrestler. I think she's really good. I like her more than I like Tony Storm.
Starting point is 02:42:31 Well, and part of that is that obviously this girl is still green, and Tony was leading her through a bunch of this stuff, but the problem also is, is it Tony think that this was good shit to do, or did they make her do this? this ridiculous number in the finish. But Megan, yes, she's got the size, she's got the look. She makes Tony look even more pale because she's so tan. And now I'm finding out from people tweeting me and chiming in that apparently Megan has been in the business for like eight years.
Starting point is 02:43:11 She was training somewhere in 2017. She went to OVW for a while, not that that's an endorsement, of anything at this. I'm talking about the current modern day ov-w, not anything that I have anything to do with, so please. But and she's also, somebody said,
Starting point is 02:43:28 had two long stretches where she wasn't working, maybe she was injured, whatever, I don't know, but still I, she can be led here, she looks good, she did everything
Starting point is 02:43:45 right, and she was in the right place, but we can't, I don't know that we can keep looking at her like, oh, she's brand new if she's been around somehow for seven or eight years. So we'll see what happens. But I mean, when I originally saw her, I said, what's the matter with her that the WWE didn't snatch this up? And, you know, again, there's a ton of potential here. I hate that if she wants to make money,
Starting point is 02:44:17 in the business. Well, if she wants to draw money in the business, she's in the wrong place. If she wants to make money, she'll probably do fine here. But if she wants to be a star, time may be running out to not teach her too many bad habits. She needs to get out of this environment. If they wanted her to be a bigger star, they should have put
Starting point is 02:44:35 the belt on her here. It wouldn't hurt Tony Storm. Tony Storm is like, she's better in the ring. I'm not saying she is it, but she's like a female Santino. It's a comedy character the fans like. Yeah. She has doesn't need the belt. Megan Bain, you put the belt on her. You have the most impressive looking female as your champion throughout wrestling. But we'll see what happened. Well, but then
Starting point is 02:44:56 Tony, what do I know? Tony Kahn knows best. Well, but then also, you got the same thing. Is there something the matter with her mentally? Because I say, is she a goofball? Because all the visual stuff is there. Why? Why haven't we seen big things before now? But who knows? Well, once again, I actually liked the match, and I'm a big fan of Megan Bain. But what was next on the show? Is it something that you would enjoy? Well, under normal circumstances, if this was a perfect world or even a logical world, yes, it was. But since it's not, in AEW, I didn't.
Starting point is 02:45:34 The Owen Hart Tournament returned, Mark Briscoe versus Kyle Feltcher. And everybody knows how I'm in a in a season. sane rational world with what Tony Kahn was gifted with Mark Briscoe in terms of the opportunity, the right talent that he had there at the right time, to make a star out of Mark Briscoe, he would have already been over the last two years the baby face world champion of this joint, not the top one, not one of the other six. And then he would still be a top baby face single attraction in the gimmick kick-ass baby face category like Hacksaw Duggan was in Mid-South
Starting point is 02:46:31 when Magnum T.A. or Brad Armstrong or another one of the more traditional baby faces was the champion. And he would be a drawing card. he always gets over in front of the live crowd every time. They naturally like him in Philadelphia. He's from not too far away from there and because of his history there. And that's why that their great value, Randy Orton beat him with that brain buster on the top turnbuckle that I don't know why the fuck anybody would go for
Starting point is 02:47:07 way too much room for error with that. And it was another TV match because they've destroyed Mark's value. It was a wonderful match that the people liked because Mark Briscoe always fucking gets over. But he also always gets beat. And unfortunately, that's the position that they've, they're ended in because Tony is not able to see and react when he, he is gifted shit that he didn't plan for. And his advisors that he listens to have the most indie mindset of anybody in the company
Starting point is 02:47:51 and they keep him doing this great match bullshit with children instead of recognizing personalities and real wrestling talent that can get over with a wider audience. He might have a chance, a prayer even. of expanding his fucking audience by legitimate means instead of fictitious, well, they're out there watching on streaming. I would stream all over this whole fucking show
Starting point is 02:48:23 if I was a mainstream wrestling fan and not somebody living in this fucking bubble. I'd stream all over it. Wouldn't take me four and a half hours either. What'd you think of this match? I mean, technically it was. was good in a vacuum. But again, I knew who was going to win.
Starting point is 02:48:45 I think everyone knew who was going to win. There wasn't any question about it. The booking made it pretty obvious who was going to win. The booking over the last two years has made it pretty obvious who was going to win here. So it's hard for me to, you know, it's hard to enjoy a match sometimes when you know that they're just having a long competitive match where every fan knows what the outcome is going to be already. everything's an exhibition of moves
Starting point is 02:49:11 that they each do. And again, and there's nothing wrong with sometimes you're supposed to know who's going to win because it's a big star against a guy that, well, we like him, but he ain't going to beat the other guy on television. But again, same thing. See Osprey, see everybody else.
Starting point is 02:49:28 They've got Kyle in a top spot. And he's in a tournament match against a guy who never beats anybody on pay-per-view. what is the fuck i'm serious how why is they think the answer is just book a bunch of guys in a bunch of fucking matches and have a bunch of fucking tournaments and have a bunch of titles on the line and if it's not a garbage match with chairs and barbed wire and people being punctured then it's an endless array of floor exercises and uneven parallel bar.
Starting point is 02:50:06 from the gymnastics team. It's all the fucking same. It's meaningless. You need personalities. What's the sign over Jerry Jarrett's desk? Personal issues draw money. There are no issues here. Oh, wait.
Starting point is 02:50:22 There's an issue in a next match, Brian. A personal issue. It's so personal that the baby faces mother and sister have to be there to make sure that they get the decision overturned. Let's flow right into the ROH world title match with Bandito against Chris Jericho. The exact opposite of what I just talked about, where you've got a young top guy, several of them, Osprey, Felcher, in cold matches with no angle and no reasoning and not able to contribute anything to the card.
Starting point is 02:51:01 This match was advertised ahead of time, has an angle behind it, was supposed to contribute to the card. And a problem is the baby face is a guy in a mask that's just got there and is being backed up by his mother and sister. And the heel is Chris Jericho, who's nearing 60, and it looked like he was in quicksand two minutes into this thing. And Bandito's got a whole lot better chance working Jericho style than Jericho has trying to keep up with the luchador
Starting point is 02:51:41 because Bandito was trying to work hard and move fast and do things and it was like he was working with a zombie. Am I overstating this? Maybe, maybe not. I mean, don't you think there's a chance that could be Jericho's gimmick? He's a zombie, just like this bloated zombie coming at you. I can't pump.
Starting point is 02:52:08 I mean, it's just Every time he shoots a guy off, Jericho, I'm talking about. It's like Vader. He just grabs the guy's arm and shoots him, and he doesn't run with him. He doesn't take any step he doesn't have to take in that ring. And they did the deal where Bandito picked him up for a suplex. Of course, he picks him up with the right arm hook in the head,
Starting point is 02:52:30 which is the wrong side. But because I guess he's right-handed, he's got to hold the guy upside down. I understand the deluxe. laid vertical suplex, Harley Race used to do it. Not for 70 fucking, I don't know how many seconds, the crowd counted to 70 in increments of 10, I believe. Well, he's holding him up with one arm and half the time he's using the other hand to make sure the crowd counts along. It's obvious Jericho is not wiggling his legs. He's not like, let me out of here. He's not whatever the fuck. but the rest of the match wasn't even that impressive.
Starting point is 02:53:12 It was a lot of it was in slow motion. And they'd gone 15 minutes. And then both of them were down and Brian Keith comes to the ring and jumps up on the apron. And guess what happened to Brian Keith when he jumped up on the ring apron to draw the referee? Gravity pulled him down. I've been waiting to say that.
Starting point is 02:53:36 Yes, ladies and gentlemen, gravity in the form of the masked luchador came out and pulled Brian Keith down. And they got in one of the phoniest fucking fights I've ever seen where they were throwing fake punches in the neighborhood of each other's ribs. And while I was going on and the referee was watching that, Jericho gets a baseball bat and draws back and swings and pulls up and hits Bandito in the shoulder about hard enough
Starting point is 02:54:13 to potentially bruise a cantalope. I don't know, Brian, these cantalopes, they've got them genetically modified these days. They're tougher than they used to be. Would this have bruised a peach, that bat shot? Well, he doesn't want to hurt Bandito, obviously. He's a heel. Not in front of his fucking mother.
Starting point is 02:54:33 Not in front of his family, no. So he hits him with the, the phony bat shot on the shoulder, and then goes and hides the bat, and then crawls forever to the cover. And I'm thinking, well, this is going to be a good pop when this guy kicks out of this. One, two, three. What the fuck? And now there's more, folks.
Starting point is 02:54:55 But the problem is, is that now bandito in front of all of these 7,000 people, or however many there are, has gone down and stayed down. for the phoniest looking fucking shot with a bat that has ever been thrown in wrestling. And then that's when Bandito's mother and sister come into play. They flagged down old Aubrey Ed. They had that red flag. Another red flag is for a bull. What color is horses attracted to?
Starting point is 02:55:28 Well, they flagged her down. And they came inside the ringside area to go show Aubrey Ed, the hidden baseball bat. And meanwhile, while this is going on, they're still playing Jericho's music because he won, but Jericho, they cut to a shot of him, and Jericho's given the fucking floor camera guy,
Starting point is 02:55:50 the fucking throat cut sign, and he's mad at cut the music, cut the music. Because that was stepping on, people paying attention to the mother and the sister, and the father and the brother. And the mother and a sister,
Starting point is 02:56:04 and the father and the brother. So then, Aubrey Ed goes over and tells the other referee, well, here's this bat here. And to both the referees tell Smiley Roberts to announce that they are restarting the match. And that gets a pop because people genuinely don't want to see Chris Jericho as any kind of champion, I don't think. And then Bandito did some kind of goddamn hokey ad. They had the people up. and all it would have taken would have been a snazzy
Starting point is 02:56:39 have a corona or something and roll him up but they did some kind of fucking bullshit where Bandito flipped over Jericho's back while he was leaning toward the ropes and then came back down and then German suplexed him one, two, three but people were still happy that Jericho lost and that was two and a half hours
Starting point is 02:57:03 into this show already plus the pre-show. would you think overall? It was quite a touching moment to see Bandito and Gravity embrace mom and sister. I don't know. It looks like gravity had set in on Mom a while back.
Starting point is 02:57:25 Listen, did she jump the rail? How did she get out to the ring? I think they spread it out, I believe. It was a quick shot. They spread out. I don't think I don't think Mom leapfrogged at rail. Well, again, they've been trying this feud
Starting point is 02:57:39 we've kind of seen it on the periphery because it never really played out on dynamite. It was kind of short little interview vignettes, but everything else is playing out, I guess, on the Ring of Honor television show, which airs on streaming somewhere. Doesn't air anywhere. It's upstream of here.
Starting point is 02:58:01 I don't know. Where do you go next with Jericho at this point? I don't know. There's a wonderful retirement community down the road here. gated place that an old country road down an old country road in the middle of the night
Starting point is 02:58:18 all righty well speaking of somebody who looks like their dirt road has been traveled here recently the next match was a no time limit and no interference match for the
Starting point is 02:58:34 T&T or TBS title or one of those other belts how many title matches has there been Adam Cole versus Danny Garcia and I wrote you must be shrooming this this is another example
Starting point is 02:58:54 of this endless, repetitive Garcia bland boring no fucking charisma no look no world class athletic background just an indie fucking wrestler that was overpushed,
Starting point is 02:59:12 too quick beyond his capability because I'm sure he's a very nice guy. And this bland, nondescript talent taking up television time is what has led to their malaise of the ratings. But then, again, I've said this, Adam, I was a fan of Adam Coles. I knew Adam Cole of Ring of Honor 15 years ago. great young 19 year old kid. I thought, boy, when he grows up, the way he can talk and he can fucking work, he didn't grow up, he grew down.
Starting point is 02:59:52 He was bigger then. And I'm not even talking about the horrible booking and the unfortunate injury and all those angles that they did, him and MJF back and forth and all that other hogwash and horse shit with Roddy and Taven and Bennett. and where are they even, my God. Not even the booking. Look at a picture of Adam Cole in NXT
Starting point is 03:00:19 just a few years ago. And then look, he's lost 20, 30, 40 pounds. I don't know. He doesn't get a tan. He hasn't seen the inside of a gym. I like the guy personally at first. I didn't want to hone in on that because I was afraid he'd be sick like some of these other guys have been.
Starting point is 03:00:47 But if he was sick, he wouldn't be out there having fucking 20-minute matches with fucking Danny Garcia. So he apparently just has reconciled himself to the fact that he looks like a starving child in Appalachia and he's not going to do anything about it. Garcia's built like a clerk at Costco and he looked like a giant next to Adam Cole. who's the baby face here did somebody turn again hasn't Garcia been in fucking he's been a heel at a baby face
Starting point is 03:01:22 Adam Cole was the devil at one point and then and then he became an angel and this was again I don't know if it was 20 minutes it seemed like it was 45 but Garcia hit him with a leaping gotch pile driver and got a two count. And Adam Cole, the next thing he did was get up and start fighting back. Cole gave Dufus a Panama Sunrise off the ring stairs onto the floor.
Starting point is 03:01:54 And the next move that was exchanged was Garcia, small package in Cole, and then giving him a Panama Sunrise. And then a knee and a cover and a two count. And then moments later, Adam Cole gave another Panama Sunrise. and then Garcia got up after it was just done to him. He got up, looked at the turnbuckles, bent over, and positioned himself, and stood stock still for another Panama Sunrise, and then a knee to the head, one, two, three.
Starting point is 03:02:38 You've got, again, in a middle card match for a, belt that nobody cares about for an issue that nobody can discern what the fuck it is and nobody cares enough to find out and leaping pile drivers for these fucking people whose necks are as big around as my wrist are two counts your thoughts on this strategy brian wasn't a fan of the match i'm not a big fan of the twink division you know they gave Daniel Garcia reportedly a multi-year, very lucrative contract, then I gave him a big win, he won the TNT title. Does he matter in any way and has the title ever met less?
Starting point is 03:03:25 And now you put on Adam Cole who is existing somewhere in the AEW universe, maybe it's on Saturdays, I really don't even know. But I know I kind of got sick of seeing him. And you could say what you want about the shape and we talked about the physique and we talked about the physique for a while. I could be wrong. I think he's actually working out. I think he's getting into better. His arms are more... I think his arms are more tone right now than they've been in... As long as I could remember, many, many years.
Starting point is 03:03:58 He's a smaller guy. You're not going to see... I mean, he's a tiny guy. You're not going to see... Look at a picture of him in NXT five years ago or whatever and just stand it next to now. And again, as Arne Anderson said, fat looks better brown and white. Even if he's not tone, get a tan. They're fake spray tans. I don't know what's... It's a cosmetic industry. And you have to accept that.
Starting point is 03:04:27 And if you don't, it's a problem. The visual it gives you is children's wrestling. When you see over and over and we've got spitball coming up. My God, he looks like a grade schooler with that dorky fucking smile. but when you put the average person that might watch WWE wrestling, but they would sit down in front of this and go, what the fuck, it's kids?
Starting point is 03:04:55 Who is this fucking Garcia with this fucking hang dog face? What the fuck? They look like normal people being allowed into a professional setting to imitate what they've seen on television. There's no visual whatsoever appeal of this. and again the word was that they outbid
Starting point is 03:05:19 WWE and gave Garcia a great deal and they gave them the title and it hasn't helped anything I bet you that they were bidding again I said this a while back they've got to be going what the fuck we can make this guy pay anything for these fucking guys even if they're not necessarily interested in one they might bid him up a little bit
Starting point is 03:05:43 just to see if they can fuck with Tony con and his payroll. Because who would pay speaking of who would pay what we got next the triple threat match with ricochet
Starting point is 03:06:01 versus Hong Kong Fooey Spitball Bailey versus Kenny did you ever think you'd be put in a position where Kenny looked like the giant Lex Lugar. I had the same thought.
Starting point is 03:06:17 I had the same thought when I started three of the minute. I'm like, man, Omega looks like a... Looks like a wrestler. I was like, Omega's a great shape. He's gigantic. The bell rang at three hours and five minutes into this show. For this triple threat, what belt is on the line here? The Intercontinental, International, Continental.
Starting point is 03:06:39 No, this is the international. It will merge with the continental. reportedly at all in. Oh, Christ. That way you get the... Well, that way you get what you set up at the end, but anyway, I'm sorry. Well, but that's...
Starting point is 03:06:54 This was the match that I'm sure that Uncle Dave will pleasure himself over, and Tony was, I'm sure, at the monitor just with glee, asking for extra servings of ice cream. Children! It looked like children playing in a bouncy house. Spitball is such a
Starting point is 03:07:16 just a fucking nerd, just a goofy, gritty fucking douche. He makes Kenny look like Stan Hanson. I'm scared of fucking Kenny now. And they just randomly would come in and out and do moves. There was no story, no rhyme,
Starting point is 03:07:38 no reason. One guy disappears so the other two can do their cheerleading routine. Then the other one will appear and swap out, and then they'll do some three-way stuff where they're vaulting about and diving and flipping on and on. You can't describe anything here. There's no flow.
Starting point is 03:08:05 They carefully did a move on the rail right in front of the front row people. It could have got Tony Kahn sued. I can't wait till one of these dipshits puts their heel of their boot through some kid's mouth. And they all make the same pretend mean faces. It's like they studied the same acting academy, but they all look 12 years old. And if I see all three of these son of a bitches, by the way, God damn it. If I see one more motherfucker in a wrestling ring pose and point to where he's going to run
Starting point is 03:08:48 and then run there like he's got a corncob stuck up his ass, my brain will explode. What the fuck? You're kicking a shit out of a guy that's on his knees in front of you. So then you're naturally, your first fucking thought is to turn your back on him, stand up straight, point dramatically at the goddamn road. and then run away from your opponent to hit them. Where did all this shit come from the last fucking 20 years?
Starting point is 03:09:21 The lack of, I don't know, potentially weeding the wrong people out of wrestling school. That might be the first thing. And the lack of telling them how the fuck to think about the wrestling business might be another thing. I fast forward at five minutes. stopped again, it wouldn't stop. Every finish ever done, they did some really contrived three-way bumps.
Starting point is 03:09:52 And then finally, Kenny, our friend Kenny, was on the top with ricochet and they cooperated into a grip to where that Kenny could do the one-winged ferry on ricochet off the top rope. one, two, three. 30 minutes. Bell to bell, not even with entrances. And then as Kenny is celebrating,
Starting point is 03:10:26 they play music and here comes Okada. That fucking blasé, son of a bitch. It is fucking suit with his belt and that fucking face, it looks like it's frozen in amber and confused and he walks out there and they stare at each other and then kitty walks out and then
Starting point is 03:10:54 Ocada walks out and then I was ready to walk out what the Ocada awkwardly leaving the ring was my favorite part of the thing I guess I have nothing to do now I guess I should just go yes and yeah well I mean it's and did they bother to wake him up first or was he sleepwalking when he came out there. I'm telling you right now, I have never seen a more boring, bland, phoned it in, lazy, good for nothing, short-cutting,
Starting point is 03:11:35 check stealing, son of a bitch, than Okada. The worst, Moxley's trying. Moxley is trying, and he's still the worst wrestler in the world, but Okada is the laziest, most overrated, and most
Starting point is 03:11:54 boring. Because he doesn't even, he's not even like Moxley, he doesn't even do stupid shit that you can really uproariously laugh about. Nothing happens. Okada is the black hole of charisma. Not only does he have none of his own, but he sucks in the
Starting point is 03:12:12 charisma of those around him. So that was that. Help me, interpret this for the listeners in some kind of way. And true Kevin Knight and Megan Bain fashion, obviously. Speedball just came in, whatever we want to say about him, Tony Con, treating him like a big deal, so he's already lost. The ricochet heel thing is working.
Starting point is 03:12:39 They just actually have to have something for him to do, like a program or a feud or anything. And Omega's a big star, and maybe having the two guys there was easier than one-on-one, I don't know. And then you're setting up the big match for, you would have to think Texas Stadium, Texas Stadium, whatever the hell it is. The stadium in Arlington, Omega versus Okada, Tony Kahn's dream match. It may sploge over his own face. Watching that fucking match. But good heavens. So you've got a 40-year-old guy that's had multiple injuries, has just recovered from abdominal surgery against the laziest wrestler in the world?
Starting point is 03:13:21 How's that going to go? Well, if you want to find out, I could sell you a ticket. There are plenty of tickets on sale right now. Ticket's now available. Right up until showtime, folks. Get you good seats. All right, well, the main event, Brian.
Starting point is 03:13:39 We've finally come to it. The main event was next. for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship Swirb Strickland with Prince Nonna versus Dick the Boozer with Marina Schaefer and the bell rang to start this match at three hours and 50 minutes
Starting point is 03:14:01 into the pre-show or into the show plus the pre-show is what I'm trying to say so they're going over four hours with this thing in the ring plus the a couple of matches and miscellaneous conversation they've talked about before. And it was late. I mean, you just say how long it went.
Starting point is 03:14:19 It was already after 1130 on a Sunday night. So most people were getting ready to either, you know, go to work or do something early in the morning. So it was not a, they went to the main event and then they went along with it right before 12 o'clock. Yeah, Eastern time. And after four hours of chaos on this show, they started. with Moxley and Swerve getting in the middle of the ring and doing mat wrestling and grappling like one of those tournaments in Newport
Starting point is 03:14:51 that Moxley gets choked out in. And then after they decided, okay, we've done this a little bit, so that feeds Moxley's fantasy of being a member of the Gracie family. Then they went to the floor, and they were on the floor for a while. And Schaefer did this couple time she interferes and just buries Prince Nana. He's out there. He's at ringside. He sees her interfere.
Starting point is 03:15:22 I used to, when I was a baby face manager, he used to have to watch that. If there was a heel manager, Haman would work with me because he knew I was coming for him also if he did it. So he'd only do it when we'd called for it previously and I had a place to be. Other heel managers and or sycophants would not give a shit and I'd have to go over there and fucking try to goddamn stand my ground. But Nana, it's a girl. I don't care if she's a fucking shooter. It's Prince fucking Nana. He could pick something up and swing it at her. But he's got to just stand there and do nothing. They should not have the girl interfering unless he is occupied. Moxley tried to do a bunch of shit that he can't do.
Starting point is 03:16:15 They were outside on the floor forever. Moxley threw Swerve over the desk so Swerve could crawl under the desk and get his color, which apparently was a pap smear and dried up shortly afterwards. And this was not a no disqualification match. They just stay on the floor and they use all the shit because Moxley is such a garbage wrestler that he can't have a match. So he just buries the referee and shits on the opponent and the match itself. There's no art to this.
Starting point is 03:16:48 It's his masturbatory fantasies of the tough guy that he believes he is, probably because of his unhappy upbringing. Like with Tony Holm and Donald Trump, we found out if you don't have a happy home life when you're a kid, it can mentally fuck you up. Moxley did a DDT on the stairs to, him and gave him a pile driver and got a two count. Then he bit some of the blood before it dried up and flipped the fan's birds.
Starting point is 03:17:20 Then they traded forearms. I will say that the fans definitely wanted to see Moxley lose. Possibly not in the traditional heel way, but more in the pleas make this whole thing go away mode. But so both of them were down. Marina Schaefer gets the briefcase because the belt allegedly is still in the briefcase
Starting point is 03:17:46 and Brian did you see at the top of the match before the bell the referee held the briefcase up instead of the belt. It's so fucking ignorant in his mind everybody's loving this.
Starting point is 03:18:03 So Marina gets in the ring with the briefcase with the referee staring at her. So get out of here. And Nana gets in and yells at her face to face. and then for no reason it all turns his back and she hits him across the back with the briefcase,
Starting point is 03:18:20 which looked like shit, but he went down. And then she just kicked him out of the ring. I'm sorry, but if this was a real fucking life situation, one of these guys would go up and punch Marina Schaefer in a fucking mouth. So if you don't want to bury your baby faces for not just going up and punching his fucking bitch in the mouth, don't keep setting shit up where she just with total abandonment of any consequences
Starting point is 03:18:50 just goes and does shit to people and nobody stands up to her what's a word I'm searching for impunity she just does shit with impunity and none of the guys anyway she kicks none out of the ring while the referee watches all this and does nothing and then Moxley is going to jump up and give an RKO to swerve, but swerve moves, and now Moxley RKO's his own girl by accident.
Starting point is 03:19:26 And then... He's hit two girls in one week. Yes, because he's by accident, so that don't count. And then swerve hits a double-armed DDT, he gets a two-count. And then Moxley pushes swerve off the top. rope to the floor and goes out and pulls out a ladder. And again, is this no DQ? They never even said that.
Starting point is 03:19:52 This is just a title match. Moxley picks swerve up that he's just taking a bump off the top rope to the floor. He's supposed to be unconscious. And he drags swerve to the ladder and pushes swerve up the ladder. He is making an unconscious man climb a ladder against his will. And swerve is doing it. He's so dizzy that he doesn't know that he's climbing a ladder. I don't know why the ladder was there.
Starting point is 03:20:27 It was under the ring. It's always got to be under the ring. And then Moxley goes around and climbs the opposite. So Swerve is sleep climbing the ladder. And Moxley climbs up the other side. And the whole reason for that was so that they can, tease the superplex off the god they've thought of a spot how do we get there in the middle of gone with the wind how do we break out into a musical from the 70s well we'll just do it it doesn't
Starting point is 03:21:05 make any sense and everybody goes what the fuck but they'll love the musical so swerve's blood is dried up moxley was trying to bite it a little bit moxley tries to suit perplex him off the ladder through the announced desk, but swerve fought fought out and had Moxley hanging there upside down and gave Moxley the double foot stomp off the ladder through the desk. And then, of course, it took a while for him to get back in the ring after taking a bump like that, one would imagine. But once they got back in the ring, fortunately, they were all right enough that they could start trading forearms.
Starting point is 03:21:51 And then Moxley got a chair with the referee in the ring and threw it at swerve, but swerve moved. I'll tell you, aptly named fellow. He gets out of the way of all this stuff. He moved out of the way and Moxley crowned the referee over the fucking head
Starting point is 03:22:19 with the chair. Now, I know that, the referee is down with brain damage, but when he would wake up, one would think that he would call for a disqualification. But we'll come back to him. Swerve hits a big move on Moxley, but there's no referee.
Starting point is 03:22:40 And then suddenly here comes hang-nail Adam Page. And he comes down and gets on the apron of the ring and is both swerve and Dick the boozer are standing up, he's going to buckshot one. But he's looking at Moxley, but then he's looking at swerving, which one's he going to fucking buckshot? Well, we don't know, because here come the boar horseman, Claudio, and Pack and Wheeler again. And they start fighting Paige, but Page makes a comeback and dumps all of them out of the ring
Starting point is 03:23:14 and hits the dead eye on Moxley. So the Swerve the baby face in a world title match is getting help from another one of the baby faces to never think So Paige dead eyes Moxley but then here comes Samoa Joe
Starting point is 03:23:35 and Hook and Shippoopee to fight the stooges and then all of them fight off whereas swerve turns around and hits Moxley with a chair and then goes up to the top rope and Moxley sits up and is looking at swerve on the top rope
Starting point is 03:23:55 and swerve is getting his balance and he's milking it and he's seeing if the people are going to cheer as he stands up and the whole time Moxley is sitting, sitting up, staring at him, not making any effort to move. And then the double stomp, boom, if only he could have gotten out of the way in time. And at that point, the lights go out. And when the lights come back on,
Starting point is 03:24:26 there in the middle of the ring are Maddie and Nicky. The buccaroos have returned from the land of Lilliput, and they're holding swerve's hands, and they give him that shitty little double knee lift that they do. This is a guy who has survived leaping pile drivers, falls through furniture, DDTs on stairs, being skewered with fucking hypodermic needles,
Starting point is 03:24:54 but this shitty little phony fucking knee lift from these two little street urchins, boom, he's down and he's out, and they get out of the ring and Moxley covers him one, two, three. 30 minutes of this nonsense, bell to bell, as I said, not even with entrances,
Starting point is 03:25:16 to get to this point, and the buckaroos come back and apparently are now mad at Tony Con again because remember they they beat up their boss even though they're EVPs because they wanted to take over the company but then Moxley came in and he wanted to take over the company and they ran out because they were scared he's going to beat him up and they feared for their life and they left for six months, but now they've come back to help Moxley take over the company that they are part runners of, along with their former partner, Tony Kahn, who they have taken for an incredible amount of money. Your thoughts, oh great Brian, last. Oh, the match sucked. The match
Starting point is 03:26:08 was so bad. The Moxley matches are bad, and I think the people really hate him. He has exhausted their fan base. and they wanted a title change here. You could have said that about a few matches on the show, but definitely here. And I think there's a lot of stuff people put up with in this match thinking, tonight's the night, we're going to get the title change.
Starting point is 03:26:33 Instead, you got another pay-per-view ending deflating their fan base. You can't be excited about the bucks coming back as heels, where previously as heels, they drove away the audience. That ain't going to work. On top of the Moxley stuff continuing
Starting point is 03:26:53 for another few months. And now if they're in cahoots, Moxley drove people away from the television, the Bucks drove people away from the television, put them together, people are going to start taking their TVs in for a refund at Best Buy. Yeah, you know, it's one of these things
Starting point is 03:27:11 like you said earlier. Tony Con thinks he knows best. And that means doubling down on the worst booking stuff he has, which is anything with the death riders. And the fact that Moxley was going to win, I thought was kind of telegraphed by the fact that the other
Starting point is 03:27:26 death riders won the six-man match. I didn't think they were going to... I thought if they lost that match, Moxie was going to lose. That was, for whatever reason, that was my thought. Well, but remember we said that Swerve wasn't going to win this anyway when we previewed this thing, because it's not like... I mean,
Starting point is 03:27:42 everybody is more than past ready for Moxley to lose the belt and this whole thing to go away, but they hadn't, in their universe of logic, built this match up as the climactic point that would be suitable to put an end to this thing that they put all this fucking time in. They're stuck with this shit, just like they're stuck with everybody else on this card in the positions that they are in with nobody to wrestle and nothing interesting to do because it's just a confused mess of indie dream matches.
Starting point is 03:28:17 I have a dream match. Young Bucks versus Hurt Syndicate. That is my dream match right now. Let me just say that for the rest of the year. Let me just say that I don't think you're ever going to see that match. I don't think those worlds will coexist anywhere on this television programming. And, you know, maybe because we've said that now, specifically we've said that they'll try. But otherwise, I don't think the Bucker Ruechers.
Starting point is 03:28:48 want any part of trying to foist their silliness on three men that could break them like grandma's buttermilk biscuits with a twinkling of an eye in a snap of a finger and aren't going to, as Luthez used to say,
Starting point is 03:29:04 broke any of their nonsense. They might try it now that we've said that, and I want to see how that works out for them. Well, there it is another AEW Dynasty and like I said, another ending that deflated fan. they're leaving people unhappy at the end of their events. Chasing a heel with a belt is one thing.
Starting point is 03:29:27 When your fan base just doesn't want to see any more of the universe around that heel, it's a different kind of problem. Well, and as we've talked about so many times when he can't have a fucking match without the garbage, when everything has to be no DQ, when everything's done, when you do things right in front of the referee, subliminally you're putting into people's minds,
Starting point is 03:29:48 that the promotion is responsible. And they have matches on this card, or at least one match, Cole and Garcia, where they advert, no interference allowed. Okay, well, if you can stop it, then you can stop it anytime. So when the people are sitting there watching the referee stands slack-jawed when a bunch of heels gang up on one baby face
Starting point is 03:30:15 because it's no DQ, and nobody ever tries to come, people just get disgusted with it. It's the disgusting heat is the heat that causes people to go away and not come back and not buy tickets. And it's not, disgusting heat doesn't get the name from people being disgusted because someone farted in someone else's face or they threw feces at each other. That kind of disgusting. It's disgusted like I'm fucking tired of this. I'm fed up.
Starting point is 03:30:49 it always happens this way. They won't do anything about it. They just do whatever they want to my hero or whatever, and it's always flat at the end and nobody tries. Plus, that was disgusting heat existed in wrestling before that it was so obviously fucking fake. So now imagine how disgusted some people get when they do disgusting heat. The people think, you know, this is all fake. they could have just not done that,
Starting point is 03:31:21 but instead they chose to do this. That's even worse. Yeah, then you get resentment. Yeah, resentment heat. So. With the wrestlers and the Booker and the promotion. I'm starting to resent these son of a bitch is that I have to spend four plus hours going through this stuff.
Starting point is 03:31:40 It would be a little more tenable. It was just a wee bit shorter. In the house, too. I heard from people who went there who actually enjoyed it. and they were like, you know, I was ready to go a few matches before the end. I was so tired. I'm so tired, tired of being alone. All right, well, this is your program, isn't it?
Starting point is 03:32:02 It is, and that was AEW Dynasty, and now we will travel back to where we started from, or somewhere near there, right now. Well, we are back here where we began in the future, yet it is the past, days of future past. What a hell? hell is going on around here. It makes a lot more sense than AEW's booking.
Starting point is 03:32:30 I'll tell you that. But, you know, after a big event like that, Jim, after a big pay-per-view, big matches, you may need a big night's sleep, a good night's sleep on a big bed, the right bed, the right bed for you, a comfortable bed. We know comfortable big friends at Helix. Big bed friends at Helix. I'll tell you, it's a choice of either a good night's sleep
Starting point is 03:32:52 or pouring bleach in your eyes. after one of these paper views, and I know which one I'm going to pick, I'm going to pick the Helix mattress, because, folks, again, there is nothing more comfortable in the world that you can lay your weary bones in and be cradled in, like in the love of a mother's arms,
Starting point is 03:33:13 like a Helix sleep mattress. We got them in our homes. We got them for the wives. We got them for the kids. As a matter of fact, I carried one over to the neighbor's house. and I said, start sleeping on this. And this woman looked at me funny.
Starting point is 03:33:29 And she got really upset when I started dragging her old mattress out the bedroom window. But she got over this. Well, the restraining order expired and she got over it. She has reported that she's never slept better. Who did she report this to? Well, it's part of the court mandated proceeding. She has to enter a status update every three months. Folks, if you would like to be able to report to the court that you've been sleeping better
Starting point is 03:33:59 than ever, you've got to get a helix sleep mattress. That's a thing. And get one for your neighbor and carry it over there. And with some level of physical force and or coercion, you can get your neighbors to start sleeping on these things too. And they will be even happier. And then they'll be in better moods and won't give you any trouble with cutting the grass on the property line or whatever. This is a coercion-free product.
Starting point is 03:34:25 You don't have to worry about that. And when you bring it over to your neighbors, do you open it yourself? Do you bring over the mattress open? Or you're bringing over the box unopened to get the full of Helix experience. Yes, you bring over the box of Helix mattress unopened because that's, it's so easy. But I'll tell you what,
Starting point is 03:34:41 haul in that old one that doesn't, you know, maneuver around like a helix in the nice box there, out the window or door or whatever might be handy, especially when sometimes they don't want. want it to go and they're pulling on the other direction. Well, no. That's the problem. Well, again, yeah, let's focus on buying mattresses for personal use.
Starting point is 03:35:03 Your personal use for you and these people are persons. These people are persons and they deserve people status too. Of course they do. Whether their neighbors or friends or people you don't know, go up and knock on a door. Leave a new friend. No, let's, no, because see some people, they may be sleeping in misery. they may be sleeping on one of these mattresses that has asbestos in it for stuffing or barbed wire and broken glass ground up mixed with old yard clippings.
Starting point is 03:35:33 You know, some of these manufacturers in these factories, you don't know what's in that you're sleeping on. So take the box up to the guy's door, knock on the door. When he answers the door, say, you need to start laying down on this at night. You're going to feel a lot better. You can probably eyeball the guy's house and tell who's going to need. this type of thing. Once again, Helix is here for your sleeping needs. They're not
Starting point is 03:35:56 looking for salespeople. They're looking for people who want a good night's. No, no. You're purely contributing your time. This is a charity type of thing, but also it will spread the word about helix because soon everyone must sleep on helix. That's the goal of the state
Starting point is 03:36:12 is to get everyone at night on a helix sleep mattress and then once they flip the switch and those radio waves start, it's going to be a brand new world. It's not going to be it's going to be the same world. There's no switch. If you'd like your children to be programmed, I mean,
Starting point is 03:36:30 you have a good night's sleep. There will be no programming of children. There will be plenty of good nights of sleep. Yes. That's the way to put it. Yes. And yes, that's the way to put good nights of sleep where subliminally you're taught certain things that will serve you well later on when you're all members of a certain society. But nevertheless, folks,
Starting point is 03:36:52 right now, whether it's the kids or the wife, they've even got a mattress for your mother-in-law. That's a matter of fact, it's got a hinge in the middle. She lays down on one side and you flip the switch and poop, it's like a mousetrap. The other side goes right over. It looks like a pinini maker. And they're in the middle as mom,
Starting point is 03:37:11 so she can't get out and she's comfortable in there, but she's not going to be bothering you. This is not a product from Helix. This is a product of the imagination, the figment of, Jim's mind, but let's talk about something that's real, sleep, you need it. You need a good place. I think I got an advanced test copy of that new mattress.
Starting point is 03:37:33 I didn't mean to let it out. But folks right now, go to helix sleep.com slash J-C-E. Helix-E-L-I-X-Sleep.com slash J-C-E. And you're going to get 20% off sidewide, two free dream pillows. With a mattress purchase, these dream pillows, again, they're better than magic mushrooms, and you don't even have to pull them up out of cows yet. You will dream on these pillows like you've never dreamed before.
Starting point is 03:38:03 Two free dream pillows and 20% off sitewide with a mattress purchase, helixleep.com slash JCE. That's right. We love helix here. Check them out. Helixleep.com slash JCP. Did you get the mother-in-law mattress?
Starting point is 03:38:21 There is no mother-in-law mattress. There is no mother-in-law mattress, so will you stop it? I wonder what the hell she's stuck in then. Well, Jim, let's get away from your mother-in-law, and let's get to... That's what I'm trying to do. Before we get to raw, which more than likely because of the extra pay-per-view review here this week on the show, we won't get to any questions. It'll probably be raw, but some classic wrestling before we get there. I have here a file, Jim, from the files.
Starting point is 03:38:46 Yes. Yes. This is a file from the wrestling news archive. which comprises the various correspondence and photos of Norm Kiteser Pro Wrestling Enterprises, wrestling review, the Rings Wrestling, Wrestling, Wrestling Monthly, Major League Wrestling. What am I forgetting? There's a whole bunch of other publications, too. Yes.
Starting point is 03:39:09 This is one of the big files in here, the Pat Malone file. Oh, my God. And... Because I swear to you, I am working on writing... In my spare time, ha, a piece on Pat Malone. Oh. This is very seripitious. Is this for Time magazine?
Starting point is 03:39:31 No, it's actually, it's for look. Look is coming back. No, for something that I'm working on, I was writing some passages on Pat Malone, and I was thinking, you know, I'm going to run this by Brian before I show it to anybody, see what he thinks of it once I'm finished with it. And here you are with a full file on the man. Well, there's multiple parts of this file. There are two different files of photos going back to
Starting point is 03:40:01 seemingly the beginning of his career. And then him as an old man backstage at the shows. This is a picture him in Roy Welch, picture him in Norm Kiteser. This is the correspondence file I have here. And are there any pictures of him as the green shadow? I believe so, but I can go back and check because okay not only do i want to see him and we'll do that off the air but also scott teal in his research the green shadow was so mysterious and folks the reason why i'm writing a piece about him was he was one of the and i think we've mentioned it on the show one of the biggest draws in the history of wrestling that absolutely nobody talks about or remembers and it's that's sad but scott teal when he's researched his
Starting point is 03:40:50 Nashville book and Knoxville book, there are very few publicity pictures or any kind of pictures of Pat Malone as the green shadow still existing. But we did an account for your files that you have curated there that have been around since the 1960. Well, I'll see what I have. Again, there's a lot of stuff here. And this is one of the big files and a lot of correspondence. Here's a because of course, Pat, as we've talked about in later years, was responsible for selling the magazines, the wrestling news, and the arenas around the Tennessee territory, including getting the little kids. Hey, boy, come here. Sell 10 of these magazines. You can get in and watch the matches. Yeah, and I have here, this is a letter from Pat Malone typed to Norm Kiteser
Starting point is 03:41:36 November 10, 1976. Please find and close a cashier check in the amount of $500, half of the amount I owe you. I will send you the balance, which is $500 in a few days. I want to thank you, I think he means thank, for the copy of the letter. I don't think it will create any problems for me. I will call you soon. Go ahead and get ready for me the 2,500 magazines issue number 39. Thank you for everything, sincerely yours, Pat Malone. And I guess he would be, I have a letter, I have two...
Starting point is 03:42:14 Yeah, and if I recall, because the wrestling news was the magazine as we talked about that was sold in the arenas back at that time, when I started going, I think the first issue I got was like issue number 30, maybe it was, it might have been in late 20s, early 30s. And that was in spring of 1974. So around that time, that may be one of,
Starting point is 03:42:45 right about the time that he started using some of my pictures also. But he was getting 2,500 of the magazines that he could sell around the territory. And I believe the price at that time was, I want to say $2. But maybe it was $1. But I think it was $2. And it's coming on the heels of this, a letter from Norm Kitzer to Pat Malone, November 5th, 176 to Pat Malone, Ezel Road, and Nashville. Dear Pat, Mr. Nick Goulas called me yesterday, and he was unhappy about issue number 38 of the wrestling news.
Starting point is 03:43:16 he said that Armstrong and Fuller had left the area and Diamond was not important enough for a cover and also that Don Green had left the area and was working opposition to him and that he didn't like having any photos of Green Hold on hold on because the diamond he's talking about was Buddy Diamond who was a I remember this magazine who had just done a deal where he was becoming the private
Starting point is 03:43:44 and Jerry Lawler's the General's Army Lawler's Army. And Fuller and Bob Armstrong had indeed left and gone back to Knoxville. And Don Green was working for the company that Luthez had spearheaded with, who was at a time? It was, was it Buddy Lee or was it Danny Davis? Not my Danny Davis, but the Nashville Danny Davis that was back in the UWA in 1979. Yeah, that's 76, yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 03:44:14 So that was, yeah, he featured all. these guys that fucking Nick was on the outs with for some reason or another. Anyway, to make a long story short, he wants me to check out with him who goes on the cover each time from now on. Also, he said either I or you should check out with him any stories about his area I put in. I covered all he wanted in a long letter I wrote back to him. I've enclosed a copy for your information only. He wants me to use a photo he has sending me of Tojo Yamamoto, George Goulis,
Starting point is 03:44:51 Jerry Jarrett, and Jackie Fargo on the front cover of number 39. That color picture that he had Mike Shields take, I believe, at the TV studio in Nashville, they actually right as I was getting started taking pictures, all the other stuff was 8 by 10 black and white, and sometimes
Starting point is 03:45:09 not even on photo paper just printed. But this one was printed like real card stock, and full color of Nick's four stars, Jerry Jarrett, Tojo Yamamoto, Jaggy Fargo, and George Goulis. And they had that at every merchandise stand. Go ahead, I'm sorry.
Starting point is 03:45:31 And to use the one you sent me of Tommy Rich on the back cover. Since Mr. Goulis is the boss, I will go along with what he says and check out all the stories with him from now on. I don't think this system will be hard to live with, and I hope you think the same. I did want you to know what happened on this, so I sent you this letter and a copy of what I wrote back to him. Let me know if this will create any problems for you or anything.
Starting point is 03:45:58 I think everything can work out okay, and I can satisfy him and give you a good magazine to sell. So issues from the office. And also the picture of Tommy Rich, as I recall from the back... See, a lot of these pictures were Mike Shields was taking them. because Mike Shields at the time would take pose still pictures back in the Mid-South Coliseum locker rooms and then he was doing the video, the film camera for the matches.
Starting point is 03:46:28 And as I said, I was just starting in Louisville to take pictures the other end of the territory. But Pat would just get pictures and send them in and Norm Kiteser, as we talked about, would credit photo by Pat Malone. He never picked up a camera in his life. but that was Pat's interest in and here's the kicker six months not even after this letter Jarrett and Goulis would split and Pat went with Jarrett and because Pat was Pat and Roy Welch had been
Starting point is 03:47:00 close friends since the 1920s and they were intertwined with training the wrestling bears and Roy Welch when he established the booking office he's the one that made Pat Malone the green shadow. And Pat Malone put Nashville on the wrestling map for Roy and Knoxville. He did incredible business and Birmingham. So the loyalty was with Pat and Roy. When Jarrett split off from Goulas, Pat still came to Louisville and still went to Memphis. He just stopped going to Nashville because Nick kept Nashville.
Starting point is 03:47:41 and because Teeny had been in the office with Nick and Roy and Jerry had been Roy's protege. Pat felt more loyalty to them rather than Nick who was not always well liked by everybody. Nick was sending into the magazines. Yeah, Pat, it didn't have to worry about what Nick thought. And then I don't know whether Nick was selling many copies of the wrestling news in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Birmingham, because that's all he had. left and he wouldn't have those for two more years. Well, Jim, the next
Starting point is 03:48:15 letter I have here, correspondence, this is from Norm Kiteser to Pat Malone dated December 20th 1976. Dear Pat, I received your check for $500 which pays for what you owed on number 38. Thank you.
Starting point is 03:48:33 For number 39, I still have not located the 400 copies that were lost by my printer, but will keep looking for them. If I find them, I will send them immediately, but for right now your bill stands at
Starting point is 03:48:48 $840, for 2,100 copies of the Wrestling News No. 39, NWA East Edition, at 40 cents each. I have the two slides you sent me. I'll have to get prints and negatives made from them.
Starting point is 03:49:05 In the future, please send me color negatives rather than color slides, as they work much better. Just use, not knowing that he didn't take any of these photos, it's funny to me. Yeah.
Starting point is 03:49:16 Just use color negative film rather than color slide film. And see, that's because in that era of printing to make the color separations, they like negatives, but I couldn't send any of my negatives because I goddamn needed them to, you know,
Starting point is 03:49:34 print the pictures here, so they had to deal with it. Now, as far as Knoxville is concerned, I got a call from Mr. Dick Steinborn, who I met while there. He wrestles there, and he also handles the program sold at the matches for the area. He was interested in selling magazines for me. I told him, you are the exclusive distributor for magazines for that area, and that any deal would have to go through you.
Starting point is 03:50:02 I know that you sold some magazines to the ring many who stopped to see you. I'm not exactly sure what he was trying to say that. The ring man who stopped. Oh, the ring man. I bet you. You know what? It's crossed out after that. I thought it was a while.
Starting point is 03:50:18 Who's the ring man? Well, whoever was hauling the ring. Here's the thing. Pat never went to Knoxville in the modern era to sell magazines. That wasn't part of really either of Jarrett's territory or Nick and Roy's territory. Remember, Kazana ran it until 1974. Ron Fuller bought it and opened up Southeastern wrestling. and since this is a couple of years later,
Starting point is 03:50:45 Dick Steinborn at the time was wrestling as, I think Mr. Wrestling or was he the gladiator under a mask at that point, but also he was a photographer, was shooting some of the pictures and helping Les Thatcher with the programs and things while Les was doing the TV show. So they were probably wanting to sell some of the magazine's same thing, but I bet you whoever was hauling the ring, was it Mac McMurray the referee who was partners with Ron
Starting point is 03:51:13 or somebody had stopped in to see Pat if they were going through Nashville maybe hey let me take some of those and sell them or whatever and he sold him to something like that all right well back to this the ringman who stopped to see you maybe it might be possible for you to make some sort of deal with Steinborn I know he does all the programs and handles that end of the business as Ron Fuller told me this. He might be able to put the magazine on sale using the same people uses to sell the program. What I couldn't give him was a price for the magazine. Why don't you offer him the same price
Starting point is 03:51:53 you sold those other magazines for if you are interested? This might be a way to get more sales up there and have the magazine on sale there all of the time and yet save you from having to make the drive down there. See, that's a thing. I think Norm is confused about the geography of the state of Tennessee and what territory was what. And he was thinking because Pat was exclusive for the Tennessee territory, he didn't realize that there was two already and fixed to be three different territories in the state of Tennessee.
Starting point is 03:52:24 If you are interested in this, Mr. Steinborn's telephone number is, and he has two different phone numbers listed here, I'm not sure, as I wrote it down twice, and I'm not sure, as I wrote it down twice and they were different. Also, I had an idea which might help sales up there and also give Nick Gulles what he wants. To explain my idea, I've enclosed a copy of another edition of the wrestling news called the Stranglehold Edition. If you will notice, we use the same covers for the Stranglehold edition as we do for the AWA edition.
Starting point is 03:53:00 Look inside the back cover of the magazine enclosed, and you will see this. we just fold the cover the opposite way so that each area gets someone from there on the front in that way we could use the same magazine and covers for the Nashville and Knoxville areas but staple the magazines the opposite way so that each area had their man on front and also
Starting point is 03:53:27 with these different additions they had NWA East NWA West stranglehold for the WWA in Indianapolis, AWA edition. The first, you know, when you print a magazine is stapled in the middle, so the first eight sheets,
Starting point is 03:53:46 16 pages on each side would be the same thing, and then they would insert new copy just for that specific edition of the magazine for the pages in the middle and then staple it like that. Yeah, they reused a lot of shit. He was a master at Costco, was Norm Kiteser.
Starting point is 03:54:05 This is all just ideas, and maybe you don't think it is worthwhile. However, I think it might work out. If you want to contact Mr. Steinborn and work out a deal with him on the wrestling news, you can. If not, just forget it. I gave you the deal, so do what you want. So do what you want. I guess that covers it for now. I'll be planning out the next issue soon.
Starting point is 03:54:26 We'll call Mr. Goulis about what he wants on the front cover, and go from there. Thanks, Norm. And I have seemingly the reply from Pat Malone again typed November 20th, excuse me, December 22nd, 1976. Dear Norman, I just received your letter in magazine. In close, please find a cashier check in the amount of $500 on issue 39. At this time, I will have a balance of $340 that I owe, and I will send as soon as possible. As far as the Knoxville side, I intended to go there and have a talk with Mr. Dick Steinborn and Fuller.
Starting point is 03:55:03 But they change every few weeks of who is in charge. As you might not know, they have a new booker or a man in charge every few weeks. That makes it hard for me to do business with any one person. But I intend to go over there. We'll call you in a few days. We wish you and your family a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Thank you for everything, sincerely yours. Pat Malone.
Starting point is 03:55:30 And two questions. And number one, I wonder who the revolving door. of Bookers was at that point in time. This is seven. Were they going back and forth between, yeah. Well, Dick Steinborn, Bob Armstrong, Robert Fuller at that point. Ron Fuller himself.
Starting point is 03:55:48 Ron. But the second thing is, is that hand sign Pat Malone? Yes, it is. It looked like kind of neat handwriting. It does. Okay, that's his wife, Sammy, is typing at four of him instead. And I'm not like Pat was an invalid,
Starting point is 03:56:07 but he didn't give a shit to sit down at a fucking typewriter. This is a goddamn old shooter that used to fucking carry a knife in his boot to fend off the fucking fans that were trying to attack him. His fucking knuckles and the calcium deposits were like golf balls. He wasn't sitting down at a typewriter sending Christmas greetings to Norm Kiteser when he was 77 years old. His wife, Sammy, was typing that. They even typed out the envelopes because I have the envelope here,
Starting point is 03:56:33 post-dated December 22nd, 76, Nashville, Tennessee, to Mr. Norm Kiteser, Medellia, Minnesota. And then in red, it's typed out, attention, important. Make sure it gets to the right department there. You got me actually interesting. I'm just going to go a little forward just to see if there is anything about the fallout with Google is that I can find. Anything from late April, early May, 1977.
Starting point is 03:57:01 And by the way, here's another while you're looking at, at that. Another little factoid that I've come up with, and one of these days, we'll talk about why I've been doing this research, but Pat Malone as the green shadow was responsible for, as the top heel for popping, the wrestling business in Nashville in 1940 and 41, when Roy Welch had first taken over and established a booking office there. And in those days, they had the matches at the old hippodrome, which was a big, they had no sports arena in Nashville. The hippodrome was a big roller skating rink with permanent bleacher seats, and they had concerts, they had political conventions and rallies.
Starting point is 03:57:45 Any kind of live entertainment, that was the place that indoors you went in Nashville in those days. And if they were selling and jamming what we believe Scott, Teal has tried to investigate this. And, you know, I've heard Christine Jarrett talk about it, but the building supposedly could seat about 2,000 people, but if everybody was standing and they would do this all the time, you could get almost 3,000 people in this thing.
Starting point is 03:58:17 And their tickets were like an average of a little bit less than a dollar. But if you'd use the old-time promoters formula, and there were six guys on these cards, and Pat Malone was in the main event, and he was either wrestling the Booker or the Booker's brother, the head of the office, he was best friends, he was figured in,
Starting point is 03:58:40 he had a run there of years. If they drew a $2,500 house and you use the old-time promoters formula that Sam Muchnick used to use, you can see, Pat Malone, this is where I'm going with this, getting payoffs in 1941 out of the national.
Starting point is 03:59:01 Heshville Hippodrome. And $200 in fucking today's money equals like $4,000. So these old fucking shooters set this office up, and Roy kept it between himself and his brother Herb and Wild Bill Caney and Tex Riley and a few of the other Tennessee mainstays for the next 15, 20 years. And these guys were making what even today
Starting point is 03:59:31 in the wrestling business would be considered legitimate money of the equivalent of thousands of dollars a week. It was a fucking amazing. If you go back and look at this that far what they were able to do
Starting point is 03:59:46 with no television, no interstates, and in the middle of the Depression and World War II. But bring us back to 1977. Yeah, let's go to here. We'll hit on a few things. It may be slightly out of order because this, again, this is a massive file,
Starting point is 04:00:00 a paperwork. Some of this in this area seems to be, it's all there, but out of order chronological, in the chronological sense, I guess. Here's a letter from Norm Kitzer to Pat Malone, February 16, 77. Nice talking to you on the phone today. Hope that you are feeling well and your health is good in the future. I'm sorry that issue number 40 was delayed, but I wrote Mrs. Jarrett a note and asked her to decide who they want on the cover for issue 41 by March. March 1st, and if they want someone other than Lawler to decide by then, so that I can then get the next issue out on schedule, I've already received some color of stuff from Dick Steinborn of boys in the southeastern area, so we should have no problems there. I'm shipping you this week.
Starting point is 04:00:50 $1,000 for 2,500 copies of number 40, the Wrestling News, NWA East Edition, at 40 cents each. I guess that covers everything right now. Hope the magazines arrive quickly. Son of a bitch about five years later he was charging me about 80 cents for my magazines. Here's another one from Norm on March 2nd, 77. Just a note to let you know that Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Golden will be on the front cover of wrestling news number 41, which will come out. In time, I assure you. I'm then closing the slides from color photos in issue 40.
Starting point is 04:01:27 and then see it goes a little out of order here, but here's March 2877 from Pat Malone. Dear Norman, and close fine to check for the amount of $400, balance due on issue 40. I would like very much in the future, Norman, if you would let me know who you are using on the front and back cover.
Starting point is 04:01:45 As I sell most of the magazines in this territory, if I don't get a picture on the front and back cover of someone from East Tennessee, I can't sell the books over there. Let me know it, once. When to expect the books. Thank you. Pat Malone. That's a little turse. Uh, but if I go a little bit forward here, this is where I said they're a little out of order. Here's a letter from Pat Malone to Norm Kiteser May 25th, 1977. Oh. Dear Norman, I received the magazines. I will send
Starting point is 04:02:18 you a check in a few days for at least half of them. I'm going to tell you something. I guess Miss Christine told you. Don't use anything more. of Nicholas boys. And what, I think he means end, it says R, but there's a lot of misspellings here. End what Scott Teal sends you as we don't work together anymore. But be sure and always have some good pictures of the East Tennessee boys, which is Fullers on the front and back
Starting point is 04:02:47 cover, also Jerry Jarrett's boys. Can I, can I give some insight on that? Yeah, please. Also, because when he said we don't work with Nick anymore, don't use Scott Teal, unfortunately, was the suffering for that because Scott had moved to Nashville from Florida in the early 70s and had been doing the slamogram programs for Nick and taking pictures of Nick's guys in the Nashville end while Mike Shields did a lot of stuff for Memphis, as I said. and when Jarrett split off from Goulis,
Starting point is 04:03:25 it became the Jarrett Welch Wrestling Company because even though Roy was got, Roy died right about that time anyway, did he not? But Buddy Fuller, who was Edward Welch, had agreed to partner with Jarrett so that Jarrett could use the Welch name. And, you know, Buddy had kind of taken over at that point the the head of the family status since Roy was in ill health and the other
Starting point is 04:03:57 brothers had retired and so it from goulous welch wrestling it became the gerard welch wrestling company because buddy fuller was involved and obviously says buddy's son ron owned the knoxville territory Jared and Ron were working together bopping talent back and forth because it was all in the family and neither one of them was particularly beholden to or, you know, enamored of Nick. So they were, Nick was in the middle in Nashville, but the Memphis on the West End and Knoxville on the East End was trying to squeeze him and also didn't want his boys to get any publicity in the magazine.
Starting point is 04:04:39 And Scott Teal had a good relationship with Jerry Lawler and Jerry Lawler secretly had Scott Teal do the programs when they first broke off and then Jerry Jarrett put the kibosh on that because Scott had the long time. Scott Teal's the one person doesn't say a single bad word about Nick Ullis. Said he was always honorable with him, always treated him good. No, Michael St. John will not say anything bad about Nick too because he did the same thing.
Starting point is 04:05:04 Nick treated him not. He was his TV announcer. Nick, you know, usually try to take care of the people in the circle in the office, but the opinion amongst the wrestlers varied. But as Michael St. John said, I'll tell you this, I can't remember what it was, but he came on a point where St. John, maybe his, was it his wife sick? He told me the story. But he just happened to mention it.
Starting point is 04:05:29 And Nick got in his safe and gave him some large amount of money in cash and said, yeah, boy, don't worry about it. But that's the thing, Nick, even he was still planning on being in. business, you know, forever, because he'd done that for 40 years. Why wouldn't he do it forever? He had a new office building built in Nashville after the split with Jarrett and paid cash for it. Like a couple of thousand dollars. I'm talking cash that
Starting point is 04:05:54 he had in his fucking safe in his old office. The old time wrestling promoters, they kept ludicrous amounts of cash around. Well, back to this letter. This will be the final letter of this edition of from the files. Enclose, you will find a program from Memphis and Louisville. You can see the boys we use in
Starting point is 04:06:18 Jerry Jarrettstowns. I suppose you get material from East Tennessee of the boys that work for Fuller. Thanking you, I will close. Sincerely yours, Pat Malone. Yeah, thanking you, I will close was not a sign-off that Pat would come up with
Starting point is 04:06:35 on his own. Oh my God, it hasn't here too. Here's the next letter. June A. banking you, I will close. Yeah. I love that. That's great. Pat's favorite expression was,
Starting point is 04:06:47 boy, I'll either fight you, fuck you, or run your foot race. Who took this photo of Paul? I'm sending you a couple of programs. You will see the story on Paul. Orndorf in front of a white concrete wall.
Starting point is 04:07:00 Either he's got the old Southern Junior heavyweight title belt on, or perhaps he's in either short trunks or blue warm-up pants. It doesn't have the phone. photo here, but it says, I'm sending you a couple of programs. You will see a story on Paul Orndorf, all in caps. I would like for to use it in the magazine with the negative. I hope you have received by now. I would like for you to use the picture of Orndorff on the front cover,
Starting point is 04:07:25 along with Fuller. Every time the word end is supposed to be here, it says R. Almost like a B. J. Hayward. So Fuller are someone from the East Tennessee side. Be sure and have them on the cover, let me hear from you. Thanking you, I will close. That is my new favorite sign off, thanking you, I will close. But we will close there with this. Obviously, this is a massive file.
Starting point is 04:07:52 This is 77. And it goes until... I didn't realize he was still doing stuff. 86? Yeah. 87, 88. So it goes until 1988. And here is...
Starting point is 04:08:06 I think that's the year he died. And here is his obituary from the paper. Oh, my God. March 15. Okay. Oh, I'm sorry. Well, I was just going to say, you and I got off the air got to do some business. Your files will get a big plug in what I'm producing, but I need that information.
Starting point is 04:08:24 Go ahead. Well, here's March 15th, 1988. Do you know his real name? Because I'm about to say it. Well, Edgar B. Davies is the consensus of what most people think is real name. was. Here it says, Edgar Brian Davy, 87, a retired professional wrestler who used a professional name of Pat O'Brien, died Tuesday at Southern Hills Hospital after a brief illness.
Starting point is 04:08:53 Davy, who wrestled in Nashville for several years wearing a mask and using the name the Green Shadow, won the title of World Light Heavyweight Wrestling Champion in 1936. funeral services, it goes into the information there, a native of Carbondale, Illinois, Mr. Davy was the son of the late, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Davy. Good Lord. He first came to this area in the early 1930s
Starting point is 04:09:20 and wrestled at the old hippodrome drawing turnaway crowds. He had wrestled in New York City and other cities in this country and around the world. Later, he promoted wrestling in Miami and South Florida. after his retirement, about 20 years... And by the way, that was in the 40s between 1945 and 44 and 47.
Starting point is 04:09:43 Oh, no way. Wow. Roy Welch had taken over Tampa and Lake Merritt, or Lake Worth, a lot of towns in Florida. Florida wrestling was on its ass and not drawing. This was before Cowboy Luttrell. And at various points, he sent Pat down there not only to wrestle as the green shadow, but to run towns and book for him and even sent. Nick down for a year out of Nashville. And it was too far away.
Starting point is 04:10:11 It didn't work. And so they came because Nashville and Tennessee was making more money. But they were the promoters in Florida, most of Florida, right after World War II, right before Luttrell. After his retirement about 20 years ago, Mr. Davy continued to stay close to the sports world. In recent years, he had worked as a guard at the sports arena. at the state fairgrounds.
Starting point is 04:10:38 Survivors include a daughter, Patsy Davy, Nashville, three sons, Clydee, Tampa, Edgar Davy, Nashville, and Patrick Davy, Alexandria, Virginia, 18 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. So there it is. It doesn't say which paper this is from,
Starting point is 04:10:56 but I'm sure it's a net. By the way, he was still, he did fill-in matches every once in a while in the early 1960s, when he was past 60. And he was still taking Ginger the Bear around in the 60s and I think to the early 70s, it was fucking a man.
Starting point is 04:11:15 And he had the legendary stories, but nobody got more heat than the green shadow. As far as with the fans, there are numerous instances of the fans rioted. The fans tried to pull the green shadow out of the locker room, Green Shadow was hit over the head with a broken bottle and slashed in the face. He was stabbed. He had a fight with he was arrested for kicking his shit out of a fan.
Starting point is 04:11:44 Everywhere he fucking went. And there's no video. There's no film. There was no such thing as television. There's no audio recordings. There's very few pictures. But he was inventing all of the, he and Roy Welch,
Starting point is 04:12:02 inventing or the first one to do all of the fucking heel wrestling tricks that have come to be blasé in front of these people. They'd never seen him of soap and the eyes. We're going to lynch this motherfucker. So he was the fucking saltiest old son of a bitch that ever walked the earth. Here's a letter from Pat Malone. Again, very nice handwriting. I'm guessing it's his wife.
Starting point is 04:12:25 This is all handwritten informing Norm Kiteser of falling and breaking his right hip on March 30th. This, we'll end with this. I just bumped into this. There was one time he was in the hospital in the 70s, and Teeny got mad because she had called up and she had asked for Pat Malone's room. And oh, I'm sorry, Edgar Davy. And so why does he have two names?
Starting point is 04:12:49 It's a professional name. She was like, she didn't want anybody to think anything about wrestling was, you know, phony or whatever. It's a professional name. Go ahead. Well, we'll end with this. This is in the file. This is dated January 10th, 1987.
Starting point is 04:13:03 signed sincerely Christine Jarrett, handwritten, Dear Norman, please believe me when I say that my grandson, Jeff Jarrett, is number one box office. It is not just from a grandmother talking. Whenever you see fit to put his pictures on the front page,
Starting point is 04:13:27 you can automatically send me 700 magazines for shipment. Hope you are well, and I wish. Trying to bribe Jeff's way on the cover of the magazine. And I wish for you all great things in the New Year, signed Sincerely Christine Jarrett. That's the whole letter. Believe me when I say he's number one.
Starting point is 04:13:50 Put him on the cover. I'll buy 700 copies. Well, you never know what you'll find in the Pat Malone file. This has been from the files. Pat Malone. and we went a while, but we had a good time, but let's now wrap things up with your thoughts on whatever you watched on WWRWA last night.
Starting point is 04:14:11 Oh, golly, we got to talk about that, don't we? Well, let's talk about the big thing, and then we'll talk about the smaller big thing, and then the other smaller big thing, and then that's pretty much the things. But the main event of Raw, and this was for April 7th, and again, you know, what I said,
Starting point is 04:14:30 I love the stuff on Smackdown with this triple threat situation. Imagine that. Because it fits and these guys are talking me into it. And I mean, even the people on the periphery, Paul Heyman is on the periphery of this thing. He can talk. So on Raw they had Heyman in the ring and the main event spot, the last of the night. Because everybody wants to know whose sides he going to be on.
Starting point is 04:14:59 Punk wants him to be in his corner. What about Roman Raines? So Haman establishes at the top, I've come here to address a couple of these things that have been going around. I want to address them in order. Number one, I will always be loyal to my tribal chief, Roman Raines. And number two, I'll always be loyal to my best friend, CM Punk. and just because I'm loyal to both of them doesn't mean that I'm going to be disloyal
Starting point is 04:15:37 to either one. And for WrestleMania, let's get one thing perfectly clear. And boom, right there, Seth's music interrupts him. And he woes to the ring again, and woes, and the people are woeing. And he's woeing right up in Paul's face. And boy, when you see Paul,
Starting point is 04:16:01 Heyman's face it does make you go whoa and he said tonight tonight i'm here it's all about you paul haman everybody wants to know everybody's asking you whose side are you on and are you on the side of your best friend cm punk and they chant cm punk seem punk and this was kind of telling you on the side of your wise man, Roman Reigns. And they kind of booed. They're starting to boo, which I'm sure Roman Raines could give a shit because he wrestles
Starting point is 04:16:40 his handful of times a year and makes appearances every once in a while. And I don't think he cares for the money he's making. But they booed him. And then Seth told Paul that, hey, Roman Reins doesn't give a damn about you.
Starting point is 04:17:01 And he told the story of how he'd used him and given him no respect and then left him to the wolves and didn't help him. And then he did the same thing with Punk. And Seth Rollins did a great job here. This is kind of like, this was like the manager segment
Starting point is 04:17:22 that I talked about earlier when we were going over Smackdown, where it's normally up to the manager to lay out the history. and the nuts and bolts and the facts and figures and dates and places and things that may trip up the average wrestler, but Seth nailed this. He drew this all of the stuff we've seen. He made both punk and Romans seem like that is related to Paul Heyman,
Starting point is 04:17:47 that they were some selfish, self-centered assholes that, you know, left him to fend for himself. So he made a good case, and Paul was selling it. good with the facials and the whole nine yards. He was, you know, just the introspection you see in those wide pie-shaped puddling eyes. So Seth felt bad for Paul. And it would be, it'd be easiest, Paul, if you removed yourself from the situation. But you either can't do that or you won't do that.
Starting point is 04:18:21 So I think for your own good, right here, right now, I ought to remove you. it'll be quick and easy just to boot to the head and one quick stomp and it'll be all over the crowd the crowd was not in that they did not like Rollins threatening Haman yes interesting no that's the thing when Cester pushed him it was oh and they were taking up for Paul
Starting point is 04:18:49 which and by the way and I've said I don't know when it's going to happen I'm not even saying it's any time soon but longer term unless he's anxious to ride off in the sunset, Paul knows that he's probably better characterized in the heel contenders' roles, so it'll be even better when the people were taking up on him for getting pushed around and then he fucking did.
Starting point is 04:19:13 But nevertheless, Seth has pushed him around and he's bullying him and he slapped him. Not hard, but kind of, you know, the insulting. And Paul bows up for the first time and says, don't put your damn hands on me again. Eddie got a pop. Now we got Paul bowing up and Seth grabbed him by the face and pushed him into the corner like he was going to maul him.
Starting point is 04:19:38 And suddenly, like Mussolini to save Pauli, clobbering time is on the way. And here comes punk. And he hits the rig and he leg dives Seth, Rollins, probably somewhat like he upended Maddie of the Buccane before he beat the shit out of him at all out. And they fought out on the floor and went over the desk, and they knocked
Starting point is 04:20:08 over the prime station. Hit into the stairs, and Punk reared back and was going to try to stomp Seth on the steel stairs, but Seth rolled into the ring, and when Punk went after him, Seth stomped punk. and Ann Punk selling and Paul goes over and he's checking on punk and he's going, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but he's right in position for the stomp. And Seth sees it.
Starting point is 04:20:37 And slowly he turns, step by step inch by. No, actually, he didn't turn. He just ran and jumped up in the air and stomped right short of Paul. And Paul went humming on him. and Seth looked down at him and said, now you owe me a favor because he didn't kill him. So what in the world is going to happen next?
Starting point is 04:21:04 I'm loving it. As the Haman turns, I'm loving this, Brian. Yeah, I mean, I don't think Haman would end up with Seth Rollins based on the way it was set up, but would he feel obligated to, I mean, it's different when you have a favor you owe a friend versus some guy who just threat me. Yeah, no, I don't think he's
Starting point is 04:21:25 obligated because you didn't kill me so I will in turn then paint your house. Yeah, right, right. Maybe that works when I swerve at Adam Page. I really don't know. No, this was good stuff. And Rollins came out of it looking strong and he needed to.
Starting point is 04:21:43 And really good. Like you, like you, I wonder how long the baby face, the whimpering baby face, Heyman is going to be a thing. but he did bow up here a little bit. Yeah, but, you know, it always ends up with him, like, you know, on his knees crying or, you know, making the prayer symbol and crying or whatever the fuck he's doing. But good stuff, and I agree with you.
Starting point is 04:22:04 I don't know how the match will go. We'll see. I'm not a big fan of three-way matches. They've done a good job of making me, they've done a better job of building up the three-way match and anything else for WrestleMania, by far. Well, there's some minds involved in this, too. So I have high hopes that, you know, you know, they're not just going to fucking drive a truck to the ring
Starting point is 04:22:25 with a bed full of ladders and tables and chairs and etc. It's going to have some drama to it also. But otherwise there were a few other things on Raw. I will make mention that they, again, have more drone shots than the travel channel.
Starting point is 04:22:43 If I want to take a trip around the world, I don't need to buy a plane ticket. I could just watch they're in love with the drone shots. I think sometimes they ought to have a drone shot from a drone that actually drops, like comes down into the arena and one of the wrestlers is driving it or flying it or operating it. What?
Starting point is 04:23:06 Hanging off of it. Hanging off of it? I mean, operating it is one thing. Hanging off of it? Well, no, get one of those big ones like you had over New Jersey where you can hang off a son of a bitch. It was the size of a Toyota Tersell or whatever. I mean, maybe if you had a...
Starting point is 04:23:19 And just have the drone fly the wrestler right into the arena. I don't know if you can get one that size into the arena on the smooth pathway that they seem to use for all these shots, but... It may get a stadium. Then it may work. No roof. Holy shit, is that Charlotte Flair on a drone? I think it would make the fans change their attitude.
Starting point is 04:23:38 There you go, because Flair did it. Rick in the helicopter 40 years ago, so now 40 years later, a drone into a stadium. And anybody that comes down and a drone is over. It's actually a great idea. Drones like ring cars. Like they had at WrestleMania 3 and WrestleMania 6. They make a little ring and it flies up and it carries you to the ring.
Starting point is 04:24:00 Yeah, and they could have a little claw on the drone like they have the claw machine at the cracker barrel. And it can just go down in the locker room and pick up one of the boys and he'd carry him out the aisleway and drop him in the ring. Just like a cracker barrel. I can see it now. What else did you see on? Just like a cracker barrel. What else did you see on this? You know, chicken fried chicken with sawmill gravy on top,
Starting point is 04:24:25 two sides of hash brown casserole, two eggs over easy on top of the chicken and gravy with two sides of bacon and some biscuits. And you got breakfast. Anyway, also on Raw, they had a history package between Bianca Bel Air and E.O. Sky and Rio Ripley. And they had Adam Pierce in the ring. that he could do the obligatory announcement of the triple threat match. We've got now every match except Cody and Sina is either a three-way or a four-way or whatever.
Starting point is 04:25:02 But again, he brings all three of them out. And this is, we've talked about it. There wasn't anything wrong with this segment, but it's so similar to what they've been doing because they had to stretch out the build for almost two months before this thing. So Ria and Bianca looked like stars in there. all in the leather and the fucking pageantry and Eos guy expression on her face
Starting point is 04:25:27 looks like she's at a dentist office she's very troubled and Pierce makes the triple threat and wants the signature is on the contract and Bianca didn't want Ria around before but now she does want her around because she wants to fight her and kick her ass and the fans are chanting Ria Ria
Starting point is 04:25:47 they don't like Bianca fucking with Ria and I think they're just they don't want to boo Eo but I don't know that they're taking her all that seriously but basically Bianca signs the contract and shoves it into
Starting point is 04:26:04 Ria Ripley's chest. Thankfully she's got plenty of padding she wasn't injured and then reassigned it and threw it back at Bianca and as they're arguing for like the fourth time now EO comes up to go and I want to say and gets
Starting point is 04:26:20 pie faced again and just turns around and starts to walk out but as ria and bianca are arguing and involved in themselves eo jumps up off the top rope and drop kicks both of them and knocks them goofy and signs the contract so we got a three way there yes we do and i'm sure it'll be good and i don't know about her looking like she's whatever you said in pain at the dentist office. She looks like she's troubled. She looks like she's at the dentist office. She's at the dentist office. She has that look on her face like, is this news going to be good or bad? It might be painful.
Starting point is 04:27:02 Yeah, Rio was looking good. Boy, howdy. And then, what about Gunther and Jay Uso? Did you watch this segment? Yeah, I did. What did you think of it? I liked it because they have needed to do something for Jay. I mean, Jay, everybody likes Jay, but then Jay slipped and fell on his dive a couple weeks ago or not fell, but just didn't clear
Starting point is 04:27:27 the rope. And then they were doing the thing where he was doubting himself. And then Gunther just beat a teetotal shit out of Jimmy right in front of Jay last week. The heat angle, you knew, you just knew he was going to have to have something to say about that. And I think this worked to get people, to get Jay back to where people are going, this. They've done the underdog thing with him, but now people needed to have some faith. They gave him some faith because Gunther was out to the ring after the big package
Starting point is 04:28:02 where he was bathed in Jimmy's blood last week and everything. And the fans are chanting, we want Jay, we want Jay. But Gunther didn't even have to say anything before he even spoke. Jay's music played and he did the entrance from the stands and with the people yeeding and Gunther's in the rig just laughing and he's rolling his sleeves up like I'm going to have to dust this clown off again and when Jay got in
Starting point is 04:28:31 he slapped the microphone out of Gunther's hand and everybody, oh! And he took a minute and gathered up his confidence and the people were chanting, ooh-so, ooh-so. And Jay didn't do the promo that he normally does, the Jay-Y-Y-Y-D-Soe promo. and when the fans tried to start eating, he quieted them down because he wanted to hear it. He gave him the thing.
Starting point is 04:28:57 No, no, this is serious. He said, Gunther, you got a mother. I got a mother, you got a mother. What do you talk about with your mother? You talk about family stuff? You talk about how's grandma doing or whatever? Well, I got a mother, and I had to tell my mother that her oldest son got 15 stitches in his head, and he's in the hospital.
Starting point is 04:29:18 and she asked me why didn't you protect him and i said that i said it's because i was afraid of gunther i was afraid of you you had me but that wasn't enough you had to bring my family into it and then he starts firing up a little bit but the light bulb went off and i see this this was a whole thing but he ended up with i'm not ended up with but he built up to gunther i'm not a afraid of you no more. And that got a big pop. And Gunther's standing there not knowing how to take it. The smile is gone. And he, and Jay said, before WrestleMania, give your family a hug and a kiss. Because I'm going to ask the Lord to forgive me for the man that I'm about to become. And the people are you with him? And he fired up and he promised to win and be the world heavyweight champion, which he's
Starting point is 04:30:20 going to. Mark, Mark, Mountie. words in your little black book wherever you keep it. And Jay walked off and left the Gunther standing there perplexed and the fans were yeaton and that's what he needed this close to this thing to get to people ready to see him win this. I thought he did a great job.
Starting point is 04:30:43 He excels in moments of emotion and this was a different promo than every promo he has done and the crowd was with him and he delivered everything really well and Goethe's just perfect standing there smugly while he's saying all this I don't know how I like the match but the buildup's been really good
Starting point is 04:31:03 second best buildup to a mania match after the three way just because the Sina Cody stuff there's so many holes in the story I know but I'm loving to promos anyway and I almost think it's John Sina versus Cody Rhodes it's the Battle of the Generations it's the kind of thing they love to put on posters up there and both guys are over and business is hot.
Starting point is 04:31:26 And I think they could have easily done this without the rock and that's what's caused most of the holes and or the, you know, the lackluster continuity. But I'm not that bothered by it because they get, they're both such good promos. At least we're just getting some goddamn entertainment out of some of this shit. Anyway, and they did a really. good package speaking of Cody on Cody Rhodes. Did you see that on
Starting point is 04:31:55 Raw? Did you skip through like most people do all the spots and the commercials and the plugs and the sales pitches and the goddamn buy this now type of thing and you may have missed it? I definitely missed it. But it was a good couple of minutes a package on
Starting point is 04:32:11 Cody with some modern music that I'm not familiar with but network quality editing made him look like a superstar and that's the kind of thing again they're excelling at here. in this company. And the other thing that I will mention, Penta and Dominic Mysterio had a good match,
Starting point is 04:32:30 but Pinta won, 12, 3, and then Carlito came in and they were beating the shit out of Penta, and Bronbreaker came out. Sorry, Goldberg, and even my old friend, Rhino, sorry, but the best spear that has ever been speared in the history of wrestling, did you see Braun Breaker spear Carlito in the aisleway?
Starting point is 04:32:54 Well, that was the best one because you didn't see him coming. You didn't see him leave his feet. You just see him like a missile coming mid-air into Carlito. It was amazing. And flying further than that. And then he got in a ring and speared Dominic. And then he speared Pinta. And then Finn Baller attacked him, but then he got back up and tried to spear Finn.
Starting point is 04:33:15 But Bronbreaker, I'm just sorry to tell you this, will be the biggest star in professional wrestling at some point in his career. I'm not putting a time frame on it, but I'm saying at some point before he's done, he will be the number one guy in a business. There's no way around it. But that was three hours of, not three hours, two hours and 35 minutes or so of Raw. Well, this has been hours and hours and hours of drive-through this week. And as I said before, questions or something. You know what some assholes said on Twitter said, is everybody okay? last week's experience was only two hours and 48 minutes or whatever instead of over three hours. They're spoiled now. And plus we were in a state of emergency.
Starting point is 04:34:06 Yeah, there's that. Yeah, there's that going on. We only get three hours when there's federal aid coming in. This one will be significantly longer and we will end it here with that. The drive-through is closed. All right. And that cut out. It's cutting out on you again. And we're cutting out on everyone else here. Of course, the drive-through brought to you by the law office of Stephen Pino, 877-5-0-0-0-7-5-0-Steeve. Get even with Stephen at new law office.com.
Starting point is 04:34:36 More about him next week. Cornett's Collectibles at Jim Cornett.com. That sounds ominous. More about him. Well, we'll have a full spot, a full fun section. Yes, we'll have a full update on what he's been up to and try to get these people out of jail in West Virginia. He's just having them free all the criminals because they can't treat him right. What about Cornett's collectibles?
Starting point is 04:34:57 Hey, Saturday, May the 3rd at noon Eastern time for the big May-Mayhem sale and details over the next few weeks here on the program. At Jimcoronet.com. Of course, the drive-thru is brought to you. I already did that. Mentally, that's where I go next. We'll be back on the experience in a few days
Starting point is 04:35:15 next week back here on the drive-thru. Go through the archive, patreon.com slash cornet, $5 a month. Get your access to the archive going back to 2013. The official Jim Cornett YouTube channel, Full episodes, clips to the episodes, omnibus collections with the Travis Heckel artwork, with the guest artwork from George,
Starting point is 04:35:32 and so much more, the official Jim Cornett YouTube channel. On every video, there's a link for a T-shirt. You can get that from Arcadianvanguard.com or look for Jim Cornett in the shop app from our friends at Shopify, and you can get one of our shirts, support the show, let everyone know. Support the show.
Starting point is 04:35:50 Support the show, let everyone know. I think that's about it. Whoa. That wasn't the sound I was expecting. No organ outro today. For Jim Corny, I'm the great Brian last. We'll see you in a few days. Tally-ho!

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