Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru - Episode 406

Episode Date: August 23, 2025

This week on the Drive Thru, Jim answers YOUR questions about Chris Jericho, Danhausen, biggest draws in the Bloodline family, Vince McMahon, Mercedes Moné, Smoky Mountain feuds, and more! Plus... Jim reviews WWE Raw highlights, including Naomi's announcement, and WWE: Unreal, episode five! Thanks to our episode sponsors: SHOPIFY:  Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/cornette BEAM:  Visit https://shopbeam.com/JCE and use code JCE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. CORNBREAD HEMP:  Save 30% on your first order and free shipping on orders over $75! Go to cornbreadhemp.com/jce and use code JCE at checkout.!  Send in your question for the Drive-Thru to: CornyDriveThru@gmail.com  Follow Jim and Brian on Twitter: @TheJimCornette @GreatBrianLast Merch! https://arcadianvanguard.com/ 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.

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:20 again, friends. And you are our friends, and welcome back to another edition of Jim Cornett's Drive-Thru. We're going to start off on a happy note. We're going to be in a good mood today. It's going to be fun, wrestling talk of all kinds. Here on the drive-thru, I'm your host, the great Brian Last. And here he is the leader of the cult of Cornett, Mr. Jim Cornett. Oh, no, no, it just keeps on playing. Even though I feel like, like saying please quit playing please quit playing please quit playing Brian how can you say we're going to have a happy show today don't you know the world has fallen apart around us the news is horrible from all fronts did you I was watching the news earlier did you hear what happened in
Starting point is 00:01:08 Chicago in Chicago right in the middle of broad daylight on the street in front of witnesses did you hear about this the Chicago incident no I have no idea what you're talking about no there was a midget walking down the street and somebody picked his pocket how could anybody stoop so low okay what what is this where are we going how are we starting and I've just said it the news is bad Brian oh it's so bad I tell you it's bad now seriously I watch it's so bad
Starting point is 00:01:42 I watched the news today here in Louisville Kentucky on WDR so I could get the weather news. They say it's going to go from a heat index of 105 today to buy Monday or Tuesday morning. We might have lows in the 50s. So I wanted to hear that. But along the way, I heard, guess what happened over in Jeffersonville, Indiana? Not too far from the feather bottom estate. Jeffersonville, Indiana, guess what happened?
Starting point is 00:02:10 It was raining like hats and dogs? No, I know because I stepped in a poodle. No, this guy. went to his father's house and decapitated, as they phrased it on the air, on the television, decapitated his father. Because at first the news came out, well, we're investigating a murder and there's remains in two locations. And then they revealed that the guy went over to his dad's house apparently and cut his father's head off and put it in some type of carrying apparatus. us. I don't know a bag or a duffle, a duffel. I understand those are good for heads and left the rest of
Starting point is 00:02:54 dad at dad's house and took his father's head over to his mother's house and said, hey, I just killed dad because he's the most evil son of a bitch that ever lived and walked on the face of the earth. Here's his head. And the authorities were called over this. And after a four-hour standoff, they got the headhunter to agree to come out and and face the music. And the neighbor said, well,
Starting point is 00:03:27 whenever we'd see him, he seemed like a nice guy, he'd wave at us. It was awful odd. He had that giant saber in his fucking hand, but he was waving at us. What's happening in your neck of the woods, Brian? This has been local news here on the drive-through. You got anything going on up here?
Starting point is 00:03:47 in Jersey. Nothing that exciting. I think a horse is on the loose. Not too long ago, but a horse, of course, is on the loose. Of course. I thought she'd need to be back by Wednesday to be refereeing. But speaking of wildlife... Shrelly bullets just out of nowhere, people are getting hit. Speaking of wildlife, we got a new addition to the animal
Starting point is 00:04:11 kingdom here at the Castle Grounds. And in addition to the family of deer. We got Peg and Al and Kelly and Bud. We now, and Stacy actually got video of this out the back door through the window the other night. When the motion sensing light, it indicated that there was movement on the perimeter and we scrambled the forces. A skunk. Right up to the back door there, but not just any skunk, Brian. The skunk. The skunk. I've never seen a skunk look, instead of the peppy Lepewes striped down the middle, its entire head, not only is its head entirely white, but it looks like it has like a white ponytail. It was just, it was half white skunk, just rummaging around and everything. So we named it Sputnik. Sort of looked like Vince McMahon on the documentary, the, or the document, the news report, they're not his. the news report, the fluff piece
Starting point is 00:05:19 the other day. The warning for plastic surgery. I believe this could happen to you. It's like they do it with the cancer commercials. They ought to do Vince for the plastic surgery, but don't do this, people. Have some fucking pride. Linda's got nipples on her chin.
Starting point is 00:05:37 She's had that shit lifted so many times. Do you know what happened to me last night? I'll tell you something to happen to me last night, God damn it. And just since we're on a subject, we weren't, but I'll put us there. Hotchka's Feather Bottom was here all day yesterday, Brian, because we've got to, in just a couple of weeks, the big announcement of the incredible new thing that's going to be available
Starting point is 00:06:04 at Cornett's collectibles for the holiday season, which is not too far around the corner. It begins in October for us so we don't get behind. And we were working on that and everything was good. And he leaves and stays, we're going to have dinner. and I got a freezer out in the garage that, well, you, I'm sure, as a large family there,
Starting point is 00:06:26 you've got a secondary freezer. Of course. In some place, right? In the garage. Good place to have it. Well, it's where we keep the overflow of the stuff you can't really fit. And she's going to get some vegetables or whatever, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:06:40 But this is where we got like all that cheese steak meat I told you about. We get by the bulk because it's so good. and you cook it up from frozen. And my prov— I just got a box of Provel cheese from Emo's in St. Louis, Emo's pizza. Brand new, it only got one package out. And they're like five pounds of salmon and blah, blah, blah. She opens up the lid of that freezer,
Starting point is 00:07:09 and sometime in the last week or ten days or so, that freezer just said, fuck it. and it's only 15 years old. My mother had the same freezer in the garage here at this house from before I was born because my dad bought it to he kept the fish in that he caught on fishing trips. So it was probably purchased in 1957 and we moved it out of the garage after she passed away in 2002.
Starting point is 00:07:42 What have they done to freezers? just built to be obsolete after 15 years. Anyway, do you have never smelled anything? Like the stench that suddenly, as soon as that lid was lifted, it was like a Pandora's box of something that would gag a maggamag it off a gutwag.
Starting point is 00:08:05 And she shut it real quick, like, oh my God. And it was, it's too late, it's out there. and she's a what the fuck and we thought at first maybe because it's plugged in the garage there's a circuit that you got to push if you trip it but nobody's plugged in like power tools right
Starting point is 00:08:26 and I checked all the other outlets and no they're good and then I checked that outlet is good and the freezer's dead so two fucking hours it took me to round up I had to get plastic bags and the plastic garbage bucket but I needed gloves and I had fucking protective foot gear on and fucking
Starting point is 00:08:50 a little at a time because I'd have to walk away and breathe drag that rancid to have kids there was two racks of ribs in there baby back ribs from when it was about if it ever got cool enough to cook out which it's about to do in four or five days they've been in there two months. And they had, whatever happens with the gas and the combustion of the, they were blown up like balloons, the plastic wrapping around these things. Wow. To where if it had popped, I'm sure it would have exploded botulism all over me.
Starting point is 00:09:28 So I'm putting these in a plastic hefty bags in it. I put it in a empty garbage bucket to wheel to the road. And the soup, the soup down where the, water has melted and mixed with the juice that has come from the rotted salmon and the rancid seafood and various, eh, it's still in the bottom. I had to get the dolly and put the, the freezer on the dolly and the pudding pop. I sound like Cosby. I had to put the goddamn freezer on a dolly and wheel it to the far end of the driveway outside next to the, next to the evergreen tree. where the
Starting point is 00:10:10 once again poison the deer no they can't get in it the lid is down nobody wants in that thing and I got to have them rows come over and haul a fucking thing off
Starting point is 00:10:25 so that was then I was after a couple hours that I was really ready to have dinner so a reminder folks check your freezers just every couple of days just lift the lid and see if the shit still froze. You said lift the lid. So your second freezer is, for lack of a better term, horizontal. It's not like a vertical freezer, just the same size as the regular refrigerator?
Starting point is 00:10:50 Well, no, it doesn't mimic the operational appearance of a refrigerator where the doors open, stands up right and opens out. It's one of the goddamn things where, you know, you bend over and lean into it and get things out. Let me get an ice cream. Yeah, I know what you mean. Yes, because that way I can also set Cornett's collectibles on top of it. It's all geometrically designed out there. Well, the whole wall is shelves except for underneath the window that is the freezer. And then I set various supplies on top of that because we don't get in it that much, did I mention.
Starting point is 00:11:26 And after only 15 years, what are you going to buy? What are you going to do? Another freezer. Same exact kind? What are you going to do? Well, obviously not. I'm kind of turned off of those stench-ridden, fucking. fucking unreliable items at this point.
Starting point is 00:11:44 I'm not, Stacey is going to handle the, the choosing of the freezer that she would like within the parameters of the space I measured that it fits in there. And that's all I, as long as it goes in there, I don't care what it, as long as it freezes things. What if she wants a smart freezer that,
Starting point is 00:12:03 like you could actually monitor on your phone and, you know, check the temperature, all those kind of things. It would be her phones. I don't, as long as, I can lift the lid and get my goddamn ProVell cheese for Memos pizza out of it, I don't care. I don't care if it has a conversation with my refrigerator
Starting point is 00:12:18 and my goddamn television in my fucking oven. And they all tell each other to fuck off or what if they conspire against me now we've got a problem. Yeah, but don't you think that's next? I mean, we're only a few. I treat a well. We're only a few years away from the robots just taken over, aren't we?
Starting point is 00:12:36 I treat my stove and refrigerator better than most people do, I would imagine. You know me. I'm a tady person. When the signal comes in from mission command, it ain't going to matter. No, they'll know I'm on their side. It just gives me the fucking animal kingdom
Starting point is 00:12:55 and you can kill all the fucking people. So they're going to sense a kindred spirit in me. You know, when you think how do you fight the robots, that may be the way for a determined man to round up all the remains. remaining animals in God's kingdom and fight back into the robots. The robots will never expect the elephants. No, I wouldn't fight back against them.
Starting point is 00:13:18 I'd say, look, give me the animal kingdom and let me live amongst them. I'm talking to the fucking robot overlords now. Oh, so it's like Lex Luther wanting Australia from General Zod. Yes, give me the animal kingdom in the state of Kentucky. And fuck all these people. Do what the fuck you want. We'll be over here and I'll be feeding fucking Bambi from my hand. That's the big heel turn everyone's waiting for is when you,
Starting point is 00:13:47 one of these animals bites you or something. Yeah, well, it's going to be a new ball game. New ball game. See, but that's the thing they don't, they don't understand, Brian. They just have the simple basic emotions of fear or trust or whatever in very simple concepts. It's people. People are the ones that you could be mad at when they bite the hand at
Starting point is 00:14:10 feeds them because they should know better because they're functioning, you know, intelligent beings allegedly. But no, the whole human race is filled with people like that where you can't blame the poor animal until you establish the trust because they don't trust people for a reason. So you got to go out. For a reason, a lot of them see us as food.
Starting point is 00:14:33 No, a lot of them see us as fuck, he's about to fucking shoot me. So that's why you take the apple. out for the deer and you roll it gently toward them and you establish a little trust. And then they're part of the family because they're safe here away from the outside world. Have any of your neighbors ever said like, can you please stop feeding the wildlife? No, actually, Sherry next door a couple years back said, oh, I see you're feeding the deer
Starting point is 00:15:02 because she loves to watch the deer in her backyard. I see you're feeding the deer because she's an elderly. I don't want to just put her near the grave, but she's older than I am. You just did. No, as far as I know, she's a decent health, but she's not physically going to lug deer food down to the fucking places
Starting point is 00:15:27 where we feed the deer around here and et cetera. So I was doing that, and she was happy to see that, because she worries about them too like when they're crossing the road, like I do. so no, she's not upset about that. Did you see another horse, did you see another horse drop dead on the streets of Manhattan?
Starting point is 00:15:46 What was a horse doing on the streets of Manhattan? Well, you know, for carriage rides through Central Park. Oh, good Lord. Can you imagine that poor horror? It's bad enough when humans are stuck in that cesspool of activity and stench, but when the poor animals have to just fucking wander up and down those crime-ridden and fucking filth-ridden fucking streets and pollution and rats and garbage.
Starting point is 00:16:12 They added that filth is shit everywhere. They shit everywhere they go. And shit, just to fucking carry a bunch of fucking assholes around that could either get a cab or fucking walk under their own power. No wonder they dropped dead. There's probably suicide. I think it was heat and exhaustion. Probably lack of food.
Starting point is 00:16:34 What did he have to live for? He should have turned around and take a bite out of the fucking guy that's running the operation. He was hungry. The idea that one day I could see like a runaway horse, just, you know, kick some guy and just tear off down Fifth Avenue. He wouldn't be able to get up any speed. There's too many cabs in the way. You couldn't even have a good fucking horse chase in the middle of New York. If they could jump from roof to roof as only a horse could.
Starting point is 00:17:04 no they're not no what the fuck do you think you're here boy you're really from new jersey and not kentucky just because the horse the horses run like that on the racetrack doesn't mean they can just do the goddamn as derby allen stunt work of running up and down over slick cabs and fucking gaps in them and they're moving at the same time in the middle of manhattan without busting their ass about three cabs in. Well, I guess I'm trying to look at this story on a positive side and think that this horse that was the brave horse that finally broke away was also smart and strong, kind of like a super horse, and they're able to get away as opposed to they get two cars away and they fall down, break their leg, get shot in the head.
Starting point is 00:17:48 No, here's the better idea, no. The horse became a super horse, but before he left, he turned around and said, no, and then he ran off, and then he started the race of the talking horses. And then it became Planet of the Horses. Not Nairi, but no. It could be just Planet of the Horse. And then he fucking breeds with Aubrey.
Starting point is 00:18:15 And then becomes the race of Minotars. I don't know how this turned around back to this. It was a, you know, in a way, it was remarkable that it came full circle like that. But, uh, that was something we referenced. That was the freezer. How did they do the open
Starting point is 00:18:30 of McLeod? Back in the 70s, was there just so much less traffic they could have Dennis Weaver and McLeod's open, ride the fucking horse down the streets of Manhattan? I think I told you off air the other day. I got caught in an episode of Manix the other day. I couldn't fall asleep until 3 a.m. You got caught in an episode of Manich. Wait a minute. You're not that old.
Starting point is 00:18:50 Manix would have had to caught you between 1967 and 1975. You got caught up in an episode of Manix. You weren't the criminal that was apprehended. I was busted. In the episode of mass. Well, here we are once again. That was happy talk, I believe. Happy enough.
Starting point is 00:19:15 I don't know. I don't know. Well, what I do know is that there's always great deals, and there are certainly some big ones coming in the future at Cornett's collectibles. Yes. At Jimcornet.com, I should say. Well, or either. You know, it's synonymous.
Starting point is 00:19:30 at this point. They know where to go. The people out there, they know where and tell them where to go all the time. Jim Cornett.com for Cornett's collectibles, and I may be speaking out of school. I don't know when you're going to hear this, ladies and gentlemen, but as on or around August 21st-ish, 22nd-ish, depending on his other workload,
Starting point is 00:19:54 Hotchkis Featherbottom will have completed the uploading of two brand new photographs that you can have personally autograph from me to you or to anybody else, or you can say, fuck you. It doesn't matter to me. Just send the money and make the order, and I will take care of the rest.
Starting point is 00:20:14 Two new pictures. One is a classic from the 80s, my boy teenage idol era. And one is from my most recent photo shoot, which still has happened a couple of years ago. but here in the office, because people have been wanting to see some photographic evidence they can put on their wall of what I look like these days.
Starting point is 00:20:35 So we actually got a new picture. And it's a very intriguing pose. I won't spoil it. I can't wait till you see it. But that's going to happen. And the thank you, fuck you buy T-shirts are, well, they're not being discontinued. They're just not being reordered.
Starting point is 00:20:54 We are eliminating the, stock of those to income some more things for the holiday season. So the remaining, thank you, fuck you, buy t-shirts if you've been on the fence or on sale for half price. What more can a boy do at Jim Cornett.com and all the other good stuff? All the other good stuff. And speaking of good stuff, we'll probably get to some of it after the modern WW. Yeah, as soon as we get to the good stuff, ladies gentlemen, we'll let you know. But before we get to the modern stuff, I sent you a video because I just discovered it. It'd been up for a little while, apparently, as part of the Savaldi wrestling catalog,
Starting point is 00:21:35 whatever they've acquired or licensed or talk people out of it. I don't know what's going on over there. Okay. It's very obscure, yes. It surprised me too, but go ahead. But it's footage from seemingly Louisville Wrestling TV taped in Louisville, I would imagine, or somewhere near there based on some of the things that are said. And it's George Goulis as a commentator
Starting point is 00:21:58 with that very unique commentating style, that very unique way of speaking. That very unique voice where his tongue got in the way of his hat teeth so he couldn't see what he was saying. But what exactly was, because what it is, is George Goulas asking maybe a dozen, maybe slightly more fans, just their very basic thoughts on what's happening
Starting point is 00:22:21 and then they walk off in the next person. comes out. Well, what was this? Okay, and first of all, it was on the Savoldi's YouTube channel that they released
Starting point is 00:22:33 and it's a teaser for possibly more things to come because there is more of that episode. I was fortunate enough. I thought I'd mentioned that I'd seen this to you, but I guess I hadn't. Fortunate enough to be included
Starting point is 00:22:48 in the inner circle to because of, it was in Louisville, and I was intrigued. And apparently in a variety of the tapes that they have accrued from various sources, the last, and I'll tell people how it came to be before we get finished with this,
Starting point is 00:23:14 but the last Louisville live studio TV wrestling show still existed on one of the old two-inch takes. two inch videotapes. Wow. And it had never been taped over because it was the last one as far as I know and when it was picked up, it got put on a shelf and it went wherever, right?
Starting point is 00:23:37 This thing, it's from 1973. So they'd had it for years, but it was just labeled Gaga. And it wasn't how in their, you know, importance list. but the reason why that Louisville had a TV show it's not exactly for sure or for certain and of course bless him Jerry Jarrett
Starting point is 00:24:05 lived this business for almost 50 years so sometimes his memory was either a little faulty or might have weighed more heavily in the favor of him being right about something. But what had happened is Jarrett's Louisville Wrestling Enterprises that was running Louisville. His mother, Christine, was the promoter of record at the building at the Louisville Gardens.
Starting point is 00:24:32 And they had two television airings during the, say, spring summer of 1972 on two different stations. One was the Memphis show that Jerry was the Booker of and primarily responsible for, but because they got a second, and airing on another station instead of airing the same show. Nick did, God, what, five live studio shows in a weekend, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Birmingham, Nashville
Starting point is 00:25:06 at one time. So they just used one of Nick's shows that also featured some of the same talent. And they had two or three more interview segments to plug the live matches in Louisville, right? so why not? But for some reason, we've talked about when Phil Golden's All-Star Wrestling and Angelo Pafo
Starting point is 00:25:30 was involved and was running the same towns, went to the same TV stations, running the same territory that the Pafos ICW would run several years later, Phil Golden, his TV, ended up on, as I recall, and my book is not in front of me, but Channel 41.
Starting point is 00:25:52 no, I'm sorry, I'll tell a lie, it went the other way. The point is, instead of Channel 32 and Channel 41, both having Jarrett's affiliated wrestling programs, Phil Golden's TV popped up on Channel 32, and Jarrett began doing a live studio show in the WDRB studio in Louisville here at the same time, pretty much. And Jerry remembered it as well. We thought we could recreate the magic of Memphis with a live studio show in Louisville, which sounds like a great reason to try it, except there was absolutely no fucking way,
Starting point is 00:26:45 and they knew that at the time. they would have had to have known it because the way the territory was laid out, you couldn't get the top guys in Louisville on Saturday mornings, which was all the way fucking north of the territory when Memphis TV was the bread and butter
Starting point is 00:27:02 and it was 400 miles away in Saturday mornings. And so... So George Goulis is on this tape. Is he the lead commentator on the show? Yes. Oh, more on that at a minute. Because that was the first thing against and they did it for a while, and then they started advertising,
Starting point is 00:27:24 because they would advertise, this is the only live Louisville wrestling taped in the, shown from the studios of blah, blah, blah, to counteract Phil Golden's show being from Paduca. And that was a strategy, but then they realized, we can't do a decent show on Saturday.
Starting point is 00:27:45 So they started taping it, in the WDRB studio but on like a Thursday I think when the guys had done Louisville and maybe over to Evansville or then they'd come back and do that and then shoot off somewhere south on Thursday night maybe to Nashville and they'd show it on Saturday but what I've anyway point is
Starting point is 00:28:09 after about nine months the whole thing went away Golden's TV went off fucking local stations. Jared, the studio show, that was the end of it, the one that we're talking about, and everything went back to, he would have a show on a couple of different stations. I think in looking at all those things and just trying to figure it out, that maybe Golden had caused enough of a stir trying to get on that Jarrett had to prime WDR. or be, oh, we'll do this show right here with you guys and blah, blah, blah,
Starting point is 00:28:51 something like that, or the station wanted it, or why can't we have instead of just a tape, whatever, and he, or he was just doing that specifically somehow to counteract Phil Golden, which the show Golden was doing, I got a kick out of it, but it didn't need a lot of counteract. So, like, for instance, on the clip we're talking about, George Goulis asked some of the fans about Lawler, White and Bass, were they there? Were they in the studio for any of these shows? No, no, that's the thing. They weren't in the studio on that show.
Starting point is 00:29:27 Now, they had been there every once in a while, but more important, they needed to, especially when they went to the taped version. But it was just, it was a low energy, small crowd, but low energy show because they had to stretch everything out because there wasn't a full group of guys, no matter who was on it. And they were tired.
Starting point is 00:29:53 Especially when they're stopping by on a Thursday or Friday at one point or whatever in the afternoon to wrestle on the way to somewhere else to wrestle. Right? So it just didn't have the oomph and also, did I mention George Goulis, you did was the announcer.
Starting point is 00:30:11 Because that was Nick's, you know, influence. Well, we'll send George. And I think Lynn Rossi was on the other part of this program. Yeah, he's at the desk too, yeah. Because Lynn did,
Starting point is 00:30:30 there's films that exist from Nashville, from the Goulous Inn, Nashville, Birmingham, Chattanooga from the mid-70s of Lynn just doing the commentary on the match in the arena with the film camera just by himself, just on a microphone jet and bless him great wrestler wonderful human being he was not an announcer but he had been nick's booker for so many years that nick just said well then you go out there and tell him you know what to what's supposed to think about this thing you see what i'm saying
Starting point is 00:31:05 career ended short obviously uh yes he had a car accident and fucked so badly that he fucked up his ankle so badly that he in 1972 he was he would still have been wrestling at least another 10 years you know I can't remember how old he was but he was a great shape but yeah so that's the thing is and Lynn's just dry
Starting point is 00:31:31 and is a dreary show but I mean most of Nick's studio shows once you had seen the Memphis show with a lot of the same guys but just more energy and everything most of Nick's shows were a little blaze by 75. Nevertheless, the reason why also this show, this was the last one,
Starting point is 00:31:56 and I knew it was going to be the last one done in the studio there. So I can't remember who's on it now. I've got this information, but you hit me with the question with no notes. But there was like two long matches and an interview with, Brian, have you ever heard of Stu Phillips and the balladeers? No. Was that the person he mentioned at the end, the grand old opera singer?
Starting point is 00:32:22 Yes, yes. Because I swear to God, hold on, wait a minute. I can reach. I'll tell me you have the record there. No, hold on. Oh, God damn it, I got to get off the headphones. Ripping tightly. Play your organ.
Starting point is 00:32:53 Are you back yet? Stop playing your organ. I guess you're back. Hold on here. I'll tell you exactly what was going on. I just got my book. I got my book, Brian. And what it was the date was, hold on, I am.
Starting point is 00:33:11 Yeah, ha. The date of that telecast was, it would have been on Saturday. Or were they on Saturday? Yes. it would have been Saturday, May the 5th of 1973. And they were promoting the matches in Louisville for May the 8th, and it was special attraction. Stu Phillips and the Balladeers, grand old Opry star,
Starting point is 00:33:41 and TV personality will perform at intermission. And they had Stu Phillips in the studio. And he talked for like five fucking minutes. This was the worst TV show. Oh, my God. But for me to see it again and not ever known it existed and then to have seen it again after 50 years was fucking great. But here was the card.
Starting point is 00:34:06 See, this is the thing, the opening match. Terry Garvin and Duke Myers with their manager, Jimmy Garvin, who was 18 years old at that point. It was the first year in a business. Against Don Green and Charlie Cook, Al Costello and Don Kent, the fabulous kangaroos. against Bobby Hart and Lorenzo Parenti,
Starting point is 00:34:28 who were, and Lorenzo Parenti especially was in and out of the territory for years and years. And the third of three matches, returned six-man grudge tag team match, Jerry, Jared, Jackie Fargo, and Tojo Yamamoto against Jerry Lawler, Jim White, and Sam Bass. And with all due respect to the people in the first two tag team matches,
Starting point is 00:34:51 the fans could have given a shit who was in those matches, they came to see, and they'd give a shit about Stu Phillips. And they still, I don't have the figure because I was not there live, but for the averages in those days,
Starting point is 00:35:06 they were drawing three or four thousand people to see that six-man tag main event. What do you make of Stu Phillips? I mean, is that something that's part of like, we're trying to really show the other side what we could do, or is it someone asked a favor,
Starting point is 00:35:20 hey, could you get them on your show? What is that? No, because you're, You're thinking they just won the war. Phil Golden showed, now that I'm looking at this, I'll fill you in. On May the first, the advertisement was, watched the only championship studio wrestling produced live in Louisville
Starting point is 00:35:36 and shown the following day. So it was Friday, like Friday at noon or whatever, before they headed to fucking Memphis. It's shown the following day exclusively on WDRB TV Channel 41, Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m., right? The next week, the ad says, watch All-Star Championship Wrestling, returning to WLKY TV Channel 32 on Saturday, May the 5th at 1130 a.m. And WDRB, Channel 41, Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. So Golden Show went away.
Starting point is 00:36:14 Jared had two shows again. The studio show ceased to exist. All at the same time. So they couldn't wait to get out of that. fucking thing. Did you know any of the fans that were interviewed? Did you recognize any of them? See, I wasn't going.
Starting point is 00:36:32 That was before I was even going to the matches. I just, it might not have been a full year. I had figured out all this shit was on television. And for a while, I'm like, can we ask my mom, right? Can we go to the, to the matches? And she said, Jimmy, we're not going downtown after dark or whatever. And then finally, I talked her into it. And then she was like, well, Jesus Christ, there's 4,000.
Starting point is 00:36:54 people here and it's all lit up what the fuck we don't really have to worry about being slaughtered so you saw the phil golden tv how did you discover that well because when i found out about it that's the thing golden had gotten on the air some way after we've gone back and looked at the old ads and etc in september of 1972 and that's about the time or the summer of whatever that i've found a bruiser's TV and then knew to start looking for the thing called wrestling, you know, in the paper and we'll hear it became. So, you know,
Starting point is 00:37:35 I got probably right before that because I got used to seeing the regular folks and Nick Goulis, who you can't, even as a child, I can't get that voice out of my head doing the fucking local promos. But then all of a sudden, here's Bo's been, with, you know, a giant Frazier and Sweet Daddy Watts were the, they were the world's largest tag team because Frazier was 425
Starting point is 00:38:04 and Sweet Daddy Watts was like 400 pounds, but he was only like 5 foot 6. So it was an amusing contrast. And that was Gorilla Watts. Yes. For gunkle, yeah. So. Up against Cowboy Bill Watts is a Booker,
Starting point is 00:38:20 they all of a sudden book this guy is Gorilla Watts. Yes, and it was complimentary. It was a shade beyond uncomplimentary. But anyway, point is, so all this, it was happening, so I was able to see these two shows, but at the same time, and I remember Golden's being on Saturday nights because if I was, you know, after 11 o'clock,
Starting point is 00:38:46 I'm watching TV every once while I get my mom to fix pancakes, where I could have pancakes and watch the Von Brauners and Saul Wiengroff talk bad about Frazier and Sweet Daddy Watts. And the best for the Sweet Daddy Watts, obviously, I guess people don't even remember, much less take this for granted, but he had a pronounced stutter and they let him do promos. And between Frazier, the folksy neighbor promo that he did, and then, then Sweet Daddy Watts would just try to thank the audience for their support, and it would literally be like somebody firing a machine gun of,
Starting point is 00:39:31 well, thank you. And that's all he'd say sometime. Or he'd get mad and it was even worse. I'm just, it was just, you know, his local television, what can I say? How shocked do you this tape exists? Oh, well, and again, I was very shocked because I wouldn't ever have dreamed that this, but what they were doing because I watched
Starting point is 00:39:59 teeny Miss Jared do it years later the same thing with different station every week when they came to Louisville they would drop the tape of the next week's TV show at the TV station personally
Starting point is 00:40:13 and pick up last week to take it back to be taped over and that's why I say the reason why I think is because this was the very last one it was picked up and taken back, but not taped over to send back
Starting point is 00:40:29 because they were sending another, a tape from another station to blah, blah, blah. And so that's how somehow it might have ended up sitting on a shelf. Is it unreasonable to think there may be more episodes from that run that weren't taped over? That's the problem is, especially the way these things might have been labeled, I don't know that Savoli has anymore.
Starting point is 00:40:57 If not, maybe he's holding out on me, but they could be floating around anywhere one time. I swear to God, you know, Frazier was the king of discount shoes and clothing and flea market and swap meat type of sales. I've heard a story that he helped him clean out the office at one point in the late 70s and took a bunch of the tapes over to the flea market and sold them for blank tapes. And I mean, there's all shit.
Starting point is 00:41:29 It just, who knows? But this is, it's an interesting artifact because it's the last show for all the reasons I talked about and it preserves George and the way that he spoke. And can you imagine within a year, Nick had stuck him in the rest. That's what I was going to ask you.
Starting point is 00:41:53 When did he start wrestling? About a year later, after Nick had made him an announcer not only of the, I think he may have started on the Louisville show. I think that may have been worried that were because they had other, at least experienced announcers in Chattanooga, Harry Thornton and Birmingham was all Sterling Brewer. And so Mike Duncan had done Nashville. So he probably said, well, give George a chance to do the show in Louisville.
Starting point is 00:42:25 And they didn't need him anywhere else, so there it was, right? And then he made him a special referee. I can't remember the date, but when he became a special referee, his name was in bigger print than the goddamn people in the main event. Special NWA referee, George Goulis. And it would be like Luthez versus Buddy Rogers. Was it already George, was it already George Gullis? oh yeah except the first round of publicity pictures where nick nick had pictures of george taken with every baby face in the territory
Starting point is 00:43:00 and then they had all kinds of them made up and it would say george nick goulis with so-and-so and he was using george nick goulis because nick i guess i mean that's his legal fucking name but i think Nick thought that it would get him over even more if they absolutely were certain. Oh my God. That George was his son. Because he, well, he's been on TV for 40 years here, right?
Starting point is 00:43:31 I mean, that's the thing. I don't know what Nick Goulis' accent is exactly, and I've seen footage of him much later in life, but I've heard you do this for years. But then you hear George, and it's like, okay, it's kind of like his dad, but there's a whole other thing. Like, it's hard to figure out why they're talking like that. well you see here let me tell you this boy you see here is i the goulous family was greek i don't you know probably no more greek people than i do living in northeast it doesn't you know
Starting point is 00:44:02 but also the not i don't want to see impediment of speech but just whatever and the pattern and the staccato nature sometimes and then george took all of that that nick had and emits it through his nose. So you've got that extra component of me. And it just, it was, but yeah, a TV announcer, then babyface special NWA referee, and he was in the ring months after that. That footage, and you know it so much better than me, the Luke Graham match where George Gulles makes the save? Yes. I think it was Nashville, but maybe you'll tell me I'm wrong, but when was that? that is probably i'm going to say 1970 and it could be one of these deals oh gosh it was December 74 but i'm going to say some point in 1975 just off top of my head and that's you
Starting point is 00:45:01 know he's he's been wrestling for a year maybe uh but he had the n w a title match with harley in 78 and this tv that we're talking about where he's still an announcer is may of 73 You know, I should probably know this, and it may just be Scott Thiel. I know I have it in the archive. Who took the famous photo of Jackie Fargo, Tojo Yamamoto, Jerry Jarrett, and George Gulles? Oh, the color one? Yeah, the color one of them in the locker room and George has the biggest smile on his face ever. Yes, and they've all got their jackets on and everything.
Starting point is 00:45:40 Yes, I'm pretty sure that's a Mike Shields. Oh, okay. Interesting. I'm in now and and if i if scott here's this and and it is his then i apologize but from what that i'm thinking from what from everything that they were doing and this was color and it was sold in the louisville and i'm thinking maybe they did it in in memphis or at some point like that i don't know but it's it's either mike shields or scott teal one would think all right but and also So George interviewing the fans is because they fucking ran short. They had nobody left.
Starting point is 00:46:21 They didn't fucking, you know, what else are we going to do here? Oh, who do you think is going to win? And it was just, and you can tell George had no personality. It was awkward with people and they don't, these people stumbled in there on a Friday afternoon and they've seen two matches and heard a dissertation from Stu Phillips. And then here's this fucking beanpole with a speech. impediment asking them your questions and some of those
Starting point is 00:46:48 people had played hooky from school and now they're on fucking tape. The guy who was like kind of pissed up. He's like, the referee's blind. Yeah. Well, somebody had to say it. God damn it. I'm not scared like these children. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:47:07 Well, this has been local wrestling talk. Yes. And Jim, from there, why don't we travel all the way to the world of W.W.E. Las Vegas for a lot of this. WWE Unreal, the final episode, episode five.
Starting point is 00:47:25 Well, I'll tell you, let me just you caught me while I was taking a sip. Where is that? Oh, I'll tell you what is. That is on Netflix. Available? No, I don't mean that. I mean, where was it in my,
Starting point is 00:47:37 in my preparation? Is it more like my preparation H? because this thing's definitely getting up my ass. This was, of course, of course, and a horse of the horse. What is happening today? I don't know. Well, I'm telling you, I've got to have this tooth pulled. I've told you about that.
Starting point is 00:48:01 Yes. This was the month leading up to WrestleMania. And then, of course, the big climactic two nights of the big event. and they started out the show, tell me what you think, Brian, but they started out the show with talking about
Starting point is 00:48:19 Sena's heel turn and there's the big talking head of John there and, you know, you could tell they were magnifying the booze, but they also reminded us of all the horrible things that he said during that time.
Starting point is 00:48:34 Yeah. And this is now playing right after he's apologized and he would think they wouldn't want to remind people. But if it, I think, forgot when he was cutting that promo and he was pointed out some kid in the crowd and he went after him. They sure the kid just standing there.
Starting point is 00:48:49 I forgot about that. And fuck you, you little shit. As Holy Anderson used to say, all the little dumb shits in the dumb shit family. And then they led to a writer's room meeting. They're trying to build
Starting point is 00:49:06 the story. Is Jay going to stand up under the pressure of all that we're giving him or that we're putting him over. Is he going to stand up under all the pressure? And they're actually doing the same thing we do. We critique his work, but they're doing it in their own company to their own guy. It was the writer's room Zoom meeting
Starting point is 00:49:28 where we got to see all their cherubic faces peeking out at us from multiple screens. It looked like goddamn Brady bunch of nobody ever got laid. And they're talking. about Jay well he's been blown up and he missed a dive and they showed him falling over his
Starting point is 00:49:48 ass over tea kettle missing a dive and he's struggling under pressure and again I'm like do does the I know they're trying to make everybody human but a lot of your heroes
Starting point is 00:50:04 aren't supposed to be human and besides that do we need to air the dirty laundry with again all of these fucking moon-faced writers that are just mugging for their Zoom camera. Yeah, we know, we might have to just take this away from him.
Starting point is 00:50:20 What did you think? See, how manufactured was all that? Because, again, we're not fans of his in-ring work, but he has done an amazing job as a personality and a lot of the big promo segments of the last few years, facial expressions, everything other than, like, work. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:40 I really, really like him, and he seems to, have excelled ever since Stephen Pinoe got them eat but they were making it out like they were making it out like he was gonna I mean when they say these pressures or live up to these stand are they talking about like just doing media
Starting point is 00:50:57 and waking up and flying around everywhere or what exactly? No because they're trying to and to be honest I think they've done a good job of building this up to where these guys and girls are always about to fucking crack under the goddamn pressure of this.
Starting point is 00:51:16 And that if he can't carry the ball, we'll have to throw it to somebody else type of thing, where they're that kind of competition that they believe that we'll make people think, well, that's real, even if it's all horseshit, they're telling them what to do, but they, they overshad, and there's something to that, which I have a tip of the hat and a wag of the finger at the same time over that. but when you also go into such microscopic detail by showing how the producers are telling them every move to make or predicting every move they'll make because they know
Starting point is 00:51:53 then you take and or magnifying it on topic here the weaknesses that the guy has you take away from the umph of I don't know do we want to know that, you know, the guy is fucking up in that many different areas
Starting point is 00:52:18 where we're trying to accentuate the positives. I'm just a promoter. I'm not a dramatic fucking expert of reality television. Who was it? I forget now. Was it Bobby Rood here
Starting point is 00:52:31 who was doing that watching the match? He was calling out each move? Or was it someone else? I don't think it was rude on this when I can't remember. I forget now, yeah. But there's several instances, but, okay, here's an example.
Starting point is 00:52:47 They did a segment on Charlotte and Tiffany, and their heat where the promo went off the rails and they insinuated dalliances with the other one's penis and I don't know what the fuck was going on with all of those things. But immediately after that happens, backstage all the officials conferred as well go make tiffany apologize you know now instead of making people know that they really got pissed at each other
Starting point is 00:53:24 so instead of letting us have that then immediately one's told to go apologize that's not the way we do things around here and then when they go out and have a match which is later on in the show, but I'll spoil the finish because it happened in April. They go out and have their match and it was stiff.
Starting point is 00:53:47 And I believe we halfway liked it, right? Is that one of the things that we didn't take the piss out of? I remember wondering about her tooth, what was going on. I'm glad to see they had no idea either. And then we see that and then they come back and hug each other and thank each other. even the shit that happens that
Starting point is 00:54:11 is real. They will immediately then make people apologize for publicly. I'm not saying there shouldn't been an apology and I'm not saying there shouldn't have been a hug.
Starting point is 00:54:26 But I'm saying leave us not to fucking slit the throat of the Easter bunny before the kid's too old. Just to coin a phrase. What do you think of clapping for everyone? Like that gorilla becomes like just this area where everyone gathers
Starting point is 00:54:42 to clap for the person when they come back. What do you think of that? Well, now it's expected, I guess, and people would be offended if it didn't happen, but I mean, every once and a while, most of the time, there was, you know, when a
Starting point is 00:54:59 guy came back from having a fantastic match, it was the locker room, not the gorilla, because there wasn't guerrilla, because it didn't need to be guerrilla, because it wasn't on television. But, you know, in the 80s when TV ramped up if guys were at a monitor
Starting point is 00:55:18 where the fucking guy that just came from the ring would be coming through the curtain on his way to the locker room you can imagine this set up and they see him there was occasions mostly for flare where the guys would applaud because well there's the guy and we just saw him what a match right but it's it it was never a ritual for for everybody to come in and to hug everybody involved just right there you went back to the locker room unless it's a long goddamn way or you know it was a dark spot hey you know with two guys hey thanks boom but there wasn't ceremony around it
Starting point is 00:56:04 that's a i don't know you know it's like that thing that Howard bowms said it a long time ago they're like theater kids I think what did he say? Swole theater kids. Theater kids who work out. And it seems like, I don't know if emotionally is the right word, but a lot of them kind of want that. They want the big hug with your castmates, even the referees back there clapping.
Starting point is 00:56:27 They want to, you know, the bow. I mean, they seem to like that. And I mean, that's the thing at the house shows, right, guys, because there was no, there were no phones, no internet, no prisons, no workhouses. So guys would watch the math. And when you came back through the curtain, if the other six heels that were on the show, if there was four of them that were watching the match, you know, they wouldn't even applaud
Starting point is 00:56:55 necessarily. Wow, you tore the house to add some element of encouragement. Yeah, hey, thank you. And that made you feel good because you already knew you did because the fucking people were reacting. But if you came back and the people are sitting there with their digging their hand, wondered if the popcorn is too salty and then they just
Starting point is 00:57:16 kind of, you know, let you walk on by and hey, everybody all right? I mean, you literally see people stand up clapping while still watching their monitor. They're not even looking at the person they're allegedly clapping at. It's almost like, yep, it's time to clap. And now I'll go back to watching what I was watching on this monitor. But, well, and should we talk about it? Because I'm looking at the order of notes I took.
Starting point is 00:57:40 I will say that the long writers meeting where they talked about who should win at WrestleMania with Seth and Punk and Roman. Oh, your boy, Ed Kosky. But just everybody was in that, they're expressing the viewpoints. I wonder if they already had that meeting for real. And then they're redoing the meeting because they were also,
Starting point is 00:58:05 this is the most low energy, boring, non-profane, Blase book and meeting that I would have ever I've never been in one like that if you're not pitching something with some fucking animation
Starting point is 00:58:22 or goddamn how about this or whatever the fuck and that I don't but the random waffling around about the whole thing I again I don't think it does any good when
Starting point is 00:58:36 you're just there was some element in the early show of the, of exploiting the dislike, legitimate personal animatate between Seth Rallens and punk. Or, and you have Heyman who can, he can blur people's lines in just a personal one-on-one conversation. And you could have, you know, you could do some things. you know, et cetera.
Starting point is 00:59:10 But now here's another thing I was going to discuss. That's what I was looking for is everybody is a goddamn nervous wreck. These guys and girls, I've never seen. And I know I haven't been around the fucking locker room in a while. But Rio was talking about, I have panic attack, or panic attacks or an attack. She said she had it. In the makeup chair, she said she had it, I think, right? Yes.
Starting point is 00:59:44 And I've never seen the level of stress. I've been around a lot of wrestling shows as point in my life, as a point that I'm making. And I've never seen the level of stress on the talent as they have now. And I know yes, everything is bigger and more grand and glorious. Is it that or is it also? Because now they realize they've got to fall through, a fucking fully stocked Home Depot for the night or what I don't know but but that that's it's a shame
Starting point is 01:00:15 because that that used to be the happy place right and the big show used to really be the happy place because my God we're going to get a fucking big check for this the the panic it came when have we got heat or are we going to get fucking attacked or cut or sued or in a fucking beef. Are we going to court? Panic is, I'm hurt. Am I going to have surgery? Not remembering spots.
Starting point is 01:00:50 Am I going to be, you know, and guys panic? But that wasn't panic attacks before the match. A guy would fucking have a brain fart and forget the fucking spot. He wouldn't know that he'd forgot. it until he realized he'd forgotten it and then boom and then you get over it go Jesus Christ you kick me in the face well you didn't move but the dread or the nerves of beforehand is the only time that I get the panic when a big show if the house was going to bomb and you know that was a panic attack if you had a riot in the crowd panic attack
Starting point is 01:01:29 but the happy place used to be for all not just me but most of the guys when they went to the once they were in the ring, especially if they were featured, they could have a nice fucking 15 or 20 minutes before they had to get back through the crowd or fucking, as long as they're not hurt when they come out. You know,
Starting point is 01:01:52 but just the level of stress is disconcerting to that used to be the one thing. When you get in the ring, you're in charge of everything. I don't know. And everybody hugs and cries. There's a lot of crying. out.
Starting point is 01:02:07 Yeah. A lot. And even punk was crying. And actually, if he'd, I liked his cry the best because he didn't take,
Starting point is 01:02:21 no. He did take like 25 years to achieve his childhood goal. And he made events WrestleMania. And he gets all teary-eyed over it. Well, without saying that
Starting point is 01:02:36 the business is fake. There's nothing about the fake or real. That's fucking great, right? But then it's the same thing as AEW. There's six other people crying on the fucking show. Well, then that's just a goddamn fucking funeral. It's a cry fest. There's too much crying.
Starting point is 01:02:55 I mean, he was crying on the shoulder at Triple H. That was something to see. Well, hopefully he got a little snotty. Triple H has this thing, too, where he, like, gets in guys' faces. Yes. tell them how much he loves them. Punk here was emotional and it's what he wanted to hear and they hugged.
Starting point is 01:03:10 Jay Uso, the whole time you could tell what he's thinking, which is, this is nice, but you're two inches of my face, boss. Yeah. He's a close talker. I want to get away from you right now. Please. Can someone make this man quit touching me? Thank you for the
Starting point is 01:03:26 nice words. Send the check. I'll be in the back. There's a number of people that don't look comfortable would just going into a goddamn bear hug with everybody. And yes, the triple H pep talks are obviously he's miked. He knows he's miked. I'm not saying he doesn't think the matches are good or whatever, but it's somewhat performative that he's giving his blessing like the wrestling
Starting point is 01:03:56 pope to all of the validation of all of their dreams and hopes. I want to see I want to see fucking Steve Austin in gimmick or Brock Lesner just you know on any fucking day
Starting point is 01:04:10 with a Y in it walk through there and can straight arm them and go and talk about where he can send his paycheck to because this is just it's ridiculous
Starting point is 01:04:22 did Vince ever do that around you when you were there the pep talk to guys before they went out like face to face belly to belly yes but
Starting point is 01:04:33 a pep talk in terms of instructions on the way out of make sure you do this that the other thing you can do it whatever the fuck boom and on the way back great pal excellent
Starting point is 01:04:47 just what we needed that but there was no even with Vince there was no goddamn dry humping and simulated rabidication or whatever the fuck going on now they're humping each other over hitting a fucking hip toss.
Starting point is 01:05:06 Becky Lynch knocked Michael Hats. Michael Hayes's hat off and he is as bald as a cue ball on top. That's why he's always holding on to that hat. And I shouldn't, I shouldn't laugh because it'll happen to all of it. It's happening to me slowly, more slower than Michael, apparently, because he's only a couple years older than me. but I shouldn't but I've wondered why he was wearing the
Starting point is 01:05:33 the suits and now I guess it's just because the jacket matches the hat that he has to wear yeah the suits is a bad look he should go back to the rock and roll look I came out of this really liking Michael Hayes I think out of everyone on that writing team I came out of this he was my favorite one he seems to be the most level-headed
Starting point is 01:05:54 and what in the world am I saying From the time I've met him in 1979, I never believed that these words would come out of my mouth. Michael Hayes appears to be the level-headed one of the bunch with some personality. So, anyway, they did Cody, Cody Rhodes? Cody, Cody, Cody Rhodes. They gave him a hotel suite with an echo. Did you see that fucking joint? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:06:34 I got a goddamn, I think one time at WrestleMania, we were like into Chicago with a fucking, I can't remember, it might have been a travel lodge. Vegas. He gets a hotel suite that you can play baseball in. It dragged on a while, and then Aria talked about the panic attacks. And then they did the package on the women's three way with the producer in the back. What's the day? Jason Jordan was he the one that did the girls or was that the night after?
Starting point is 01:07:08 Oh, Jason Jordan was the guy I was thinking of that was calling the spots. That's who it was. Okay. Yeah. Well, regardless, he's done one of them here, but this is just night one, right? Oh, and I didn't mention Rio Ripley went to a cool store in Las Vegas. I would actually go to that store if I was in Las Vegas, but I wouldn't travel to Las Vegas just to go to that store.
Starting point is 01:07:30 But they, it's the three way, everybody hugged and cried. then it was or this was night fucking two already did I skip something yeah whatever point is the haman turned did you skip the haman turn oh the haman turn yes
Starting point is 01:07:49 I was skipping ahead looking for goddamn who I was blaming for the other shit yeah you wanted to talk about Ria going to a cool shop as you put it uh oh no no the uh the goddamn and J and Gunther and J one so it says See, they figured that it was okay because they vindicated Jay in the end.
Starting point is 01:08:09 Oh, but he couldn't carry the luck. But in the meantime, they've called out flaws that he still has. And yes, the whole Haman turned, but again, Michael Hays was walking us through it. And I could see again, if he was saying, oh, wait, keep your, keep camera on Haman, but not, Haman is going to hand him the thing. in two seconds and it's just so inside baseball. We're looking up the magician's sleeve. It's like they're puppets.
Starting point is 01:08:47 There's not even room for interpretation. I don't like that part of it being spoiled. And again, then, Paul, Paul so far, have you heard Paul? utter a goddamn non-committal or un-non-committal, I guess I should say. Anything on this show that would commit him to the backstage. That would blow the mystique, nothing.
Starting point is 01:09:21 That would blow the mystique. Nothing. Somehow he's just, and for a target that large and with a girth to be able to navigate those narrow twists and turns. There it is. And slip right through. It's like a fucking whale going through the Holland Tunnel.
Starting point is 01:09:41 All right. Well, back to WWE Unreal. Yes. Then we got Cody and Sina. And Sina talked us through the match how he, they cheered me, but they didn't hate Cody. See, I listened and I knew how to tell if they hated Cody. Well, no, no shit.
Starting point is 01:10:00 They don't hate anybody anymore. This is all a big bunch of fucking gaga out of them. but they did edit Travis Scott's entrance down from six minutes to 10 seconds. And again, you know, the move by move thing and everybody knows what happens. Cody faltered hitting Sina with the belt and Sina kicked him in the nuts, hitting with the belt one, two, three. It looked even worse than this from the angle they showed Sina begging off and Cody falling for it. well and that's the thing all of us being reminded again of something i thought we had
Starting point is 01:10:39 successfully moved on from and triple a check so well this match it it wasn't as good as the triple threat or or the girls but it was what they we needed so it was like you that fucking hell and Travis Scott said this is the best feeling in the world until he got felt up by somebody else. He was having a ball. He was Travis Scott. Every time they showed me, he's having a great time. He just showed up big wrestling fan with his marked belt.
Starting point is 01:11:13 And like, sure, go be in the main event. Walk out. And then the next week, well, there was a pretty light shining on the wall. And he got distracted and said, I'll do something else. The best part of the show was the last two minutes where they showed the crew packing up, and the load out and Triple H saying that's the thing it's it will never be over it never ends and that's what my hats are off to these people especially anybody that's within 15 years as old as I am to want to be out there for in any capacity announcing refereeing doing the fucking catering
Starting point is 01:11:58 whatever, with that schedule, with that level of production, with that many pains in a fucking ass as they have now, it's a wonder that all of them are bat-shit insane and just go postal and start fucking swinging from a bell tower. Well, that was WWE Unreal, episode five. There was an announcement, and of course they had something on the screen. It will return next year. Just much like the rock. It will return next year.
Starting point is 01:12:27 Much like the next herpes outbreak. Do you hear about that? What? Apparently there's a video of Mandy Rose saying that there was a herpes outbreak at developmental at some point. Oh, good. Now I can't even mention herpes without it being tied to fucking wrestling. I thought that's what you were referencing.
Starting point is 01:12:45 No, herpes is just a good old standby. In Orlando, yes. Well, all over the country. You know, but it'll come back on you if you don't watch out. Well, Jim, perhaps you have all these stresses on your mind, whether it's... Oh, it's a heaviness. The business being exposed or the rise of wrestling herpes. There's a lot to think about it.
Starting point is 01:13:13 It may be hard to get a good night's sleep. Maybe hard to deal with the aches and pains you have from running from these issues. But we know someone who could help with all of that and potentially more, our friends at cornbread hemp. Well, that's more issues. That's what they can help. help with. You know, people today, Brian, they don't have issues. They've got subscriptions. They just, it's a variety. It's a plethora. It's a cornucopia of things. It's like being in one of
Starting point is 01:13:41 those old 80s video games with things coming at you. Pippee ping, p p p p p p p p p p p p pings. All the p p pippings that are coming at you and you got to duck them or else why is they're going to whack you? Are you tired of life playing whack a mowl with your noggin out there? people people i say are you tired are you sore are you fed up have you had enough well in that case you know what you need to do don't open the window and scream i'm mad as hell and i can't take it anymore because some nut will shoot your ass what instead you do is stay in your own home and avail yourself of the opportunity for the full spectrum CBD gummies in watermelon berry and peach that our friends over at cornbread hemp are making.
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Starting point is 01:15:35 to almost a suspended animation you sleep so good no we've gone through this there will be no suspended animation or even like suspended animation let's just make sure we're clear about that here oh no so you don't get suspended you just maybe have to stay after school a little bit we're talking about a pleasant night's sleep
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Starting point is 01:16:59 That means you can take 30% more of these things and sleep 30% longer. Just make sure you set some type of clock or alarm or at least ask a neighbor to check in after a few days because you're going to sleep right through all the bullshit. You're not going to sleep the deep sleep. Just leave your window open for your neighbor. You will be fine.
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Starting point is 01:17:34 in suspended animation. Like this show seemingly is doing to me right now. Yes. Jim. Yes, as a matter of fact, that's been scientifically proven that also CBD will make you more self-reliant. Jim, once again, I don't know if that's scientifically proven. I don't know if we could say
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Starting point is 01:18:17 Of course, Jim, that sound means it's time to move on. and here we are. It sounds like we've passed on. Well, Jim, speaking of passed on, sometimes that's the feeling one has when watching WWRWA on Monday nights on Netflix. You know it won't go forever,
Starting point is 01:18:40 but sometimes it feels like it is going forever, or that nothing happens forever. And there's lots and lots of stars at the beginning in the end and lots of people in the middle. Let's talk about WWE Raw. Well, you know, I was, I was suitably chastened over the past and tongue lashed even over the past week or so. Because, you know, a couple of weeks ago, we pre-taped a show because of our schedules.
Starting point is 01:19:07 And we said, well, we'll just, because people have saying, oh, we're sick and tired of the reviews of modern wrestling. We love the history pieces. So we say, well, we'll do a show of history pieces. And then people are like, well, where's the reviews? We can't have any fun and laugh at this shit without the reviews. you're doing too much history I do what what can we possibly do
Starting point is 01:19:30 Brian to satisfy everybody so what I was trying to do was watch some of the modern wrestling it's as we mentioned over the past couple of shows going to get harder and harder to do are we going to write a list and hang it up next to the TV
Starting point is 01:19:50 okay now Raw is on Netflix but the fuck and pay-per-views on ESPN, but the the Smackdown is on are we going to have to have a graph? Is there a pie chart? How are you going to be able to keep this track of this? It's a lot. It's a lot of different places. I saw some sort of image that someone concocted this past week just to show what the average price per year would be
Starting point is 01:20:14 to subscribe to everything and was, you know, well over $1,100. I forget exactly what it was. I shouldn't name any number, but. I saw $100 a month for, but not even the cost, but just the, goddamn, how hard do people need to work to memorize how to watch? Because I'm sorry, I know the kids love streaming, but most people I see, especially under the age of 30,
Starting point is 01:20:48 don't seem like they're smart enough, quick enough on the uptake, as Mama Cornett used to say, to be able to remember what to watch, where, when, how, and why. This is where I'm going with this. Especially when you get two and a half hours with a beginning and an end and a lot in the middle of nothing. You know, again, especially the younger people and everyone coming up now, it's a generation or two that without knowing it has murdered network programmers. because programming as a concept and a lot of scheduling as a concept is out the window.
Starting point is 01:21:28 Everyone watches whatever they want, when they want it, on whatever platform they want it on. And WWE is going to be on every platform, and they're going to have deals with every platform, so they're going to be pushed as a priority. It's pretty overwhelming what's going to happen. But yeah, younger kids today, again, they don't know, what channel is what?
Starting point is 01:21:52 They don't know what channels are. They don't watch cable. It's not a thing for young people. If you are just a regular fan of something and not like the devoted folks that we speak to or the real hardcore AEW or WW or WW fans either way, but just the average person.
Starting point is 01:22:18 The average person is how how much time do they have to go about the very oh i got to make sure i watch raw every week wrestling viewership was built on we watch every week to see what the story is and blah blah blah when they can just catch up on it next month or i can't remember what what service are we supposed to go to sam to watch raw this week or whatever i i fear we're going to lose some continuity people I think also, even though a lot of their deals are for a live, almost everything, for live broadcasts, the live part doesn't really mean anything anymore. People are just going to watch when they want to watch it.
Starting point is 01:23:02 Well, maybe or maybe not, I'll tell you about my experience. For the raw that we were about to discuss that was broadcast on August 18th, mere hours ago as we speak, and they were in Philadelphia, they had 13,056 people in Philadelphia. The business is going to hell. Just the bottom is falling out of it. Only 13,000. They're going crazy with the drone shots, though.
Starting point is 01:23:31 I almost had to take some seasick medicine in this first entrance just with all of the flying about. It's picking up speed too. Yes. Is there a speed limit on those things? If it went out of control and just fell into the crowd at 60 miles an hour? That's the biggest lawsuit ever. It flies into the arena.
Starting point is 01:23:51 It just keeps going straight and crashes into a woman's face. Yes. Remember old Fabio was on the roller coaster back about 30 years ago and he got hit in the face with a fucking pigeon? Came down all bloody. Yeah, there are plenty of people there filming it. The idea of all the times were to happen, the presses. Well, I'll tell you, when Fabio goes to amusement park,
Starting point is 01:24:13 he gets a lot of attention. Anyway, so speaking of people, it looked like the bird is flown into their face, here came Paul Heyman with Seth Rollins and the bronze. And I love the look of this group. Bronson Reed especially is looking great. The tribal thief and the Shula Fala and the whole thing. He looks like a star. Bronbreaker is the future of wrestling.
Starting point is 01:24:44 I mean, Seth is colorful. You know, but the thing is, Seth is the top guy that makes them elevated. This is kind of a new version of the horseman type of thing, but not they're trying to fill those particular personalities, but the concept. And Paul was, of course, happy he was in Philadelphia. he was too humble for a statue and he put his guys over he gives Bronbreaker the big introduction and Bronson Reed and then
Starting point is 01:25:21 the big one for Seth and introduces him and the people sing because they're stars we're all just singing and cheering here and Seth starts to speak and J. Uso's music so we're like 10 minutes
Starting point is 01:25:39 into the show we've heard the guys in the ring introduced is what we've got accomplished so far. And the waving and the yeating and the dancing. And now he's letting the kids eat on the microphone. It's like George Goulis in the Louisville studio. Who do you think is going to win? And he does the promo from the crowd. But, you know, Paul was great in his delivery.
Starting point is 01:26:07 But basically Jay said he was going to beat Seth. in Paris and kind of alluded to fighting Breaker tonight. And then Seth confirmed that. So we had it had it right. And then again, a good thing they did. Seth fired Braun Breaker up to be so mad at Uso, telling him that he doesn't respect him or his family, that Braun was ready to go after him.
Starting point is 01:26:36 Sally, that, that, number of it gets Braun. it establishes his short temper, fuse, whatever, and also it starts establishing that Seth manipulates Braun for his own purposes. And then Paul had to do the promo about the bingo hall at ECW and hype up the no disqualification rules. and they're going to make the main event the extreme rules because they're in Philadelphia. More on this in a minute.
Starting point is 01:27:15 But he mentioned a bunch of the ECW legends. He invoked the spirits of the Sandman and New Jack and Van Dam, the late great Sabu, the late great Tommy Dreamer. And he's, I know he's not dead yet, but he should be. I thought they had made up, or is he just giving him a little chuckle? Is that putting him over? Mr. Hardcore? He should be dead.
Starting point is 01:27:47 He should be. Well, I thought he was talking about his never having really been one to take care of his physical conditioning in terms of diet and exercise. But the Dudley boys, et cetera, and then Jay shut him up and said, okay, I'll agree to it. Extreme rules. and I wrote, oh great, I can't wait. That's so unique. What did we just say last week? Not only is the pattern here,
Starting point is 01:28:25 everybody's going to come out and either make or add to the main event, whether they get in a fight or not, then they're going to come back at the end, and they're going to have a fucking match and somebody's going to run out. But in the meantime, it's so unique that we would have a match where there's no rules, no disqualification,
Starting point is 01:28:47 furniture, and we were 20 minutes into the show to get that accomplished. Give me your thoughts on the thing as a whole, but I just, I wish they'd just pick it up a little. Yeah, I thought Haman was a bit much here, and I'm usually a big fan of his. Lately, I've kind of felt that I said it last time,
Starting point is 01:29:05 Heyman by the numbers, but when he started talking about Bronson Reed, he pulled me back in, because it's so perfect. and you want to talk about something that can get someone over a crossover appeal, the bully that steals people's sneakers? Run with that. I think that's great.
Starting point is 01:29:23 All the nicknames were funny, but they weren't, like, they weren't said in a goofy way. You know what I mean? The way that comedy is supposed to work. Yeah. Yeah. So I really like that. Bronbroker is breaking out as we see. Rollins is a bit much.
Starting point is 01:29:41 I can't. He's still to be the weak link in this whole thing, to be quite honest with you. I feel like Bronson Reed and Bronner would be going further right now, if not weighed down by the guy in the rose-colored outfit, whatever the hell was happening there. Baggy outfit, too. It was like David Byrne-esque, and David Byrne wore really bad. Stop making sense. But no, Seth right now, Seth has the reputation.
Starting point is 01:30:08 And so I can see the elevation from the reputation. and there's something to Seth and Bronbreaker at some point. So they're laying the groundwork. And we'll see where they go with this. Heyman, it's now called the vision. What do you think of the name of the vision? Well, you know, there's all kinds of vision. You can have double vision or heat vision or poor vision.
Starting point is 01:30:34 Sometimes you just lose track of what you're saying, right, the middle of saying it. You never know when you get to be Paul's age. So he better watch, maybe he's got a new, Name for the group every week. Well, this is your show. No, it's not. Oh, damn it.
Starting point is 01:30:50 Well, back to WWU. I'm not to answer your question. Seriously, I'm not just turning cartwheels over the vision right now. Let's see what his vision is. See if it's 2020. But anyway, back to the program, the point is, then the next hour and fucking, and a half of the show were filled with the girls matches, the backstage discussions, the mid-card guys,
Starting point is 01:31:20 the commercials and more of the commercials. And then we got to Naomi. And the word on the street, the word out there had been that she hadn't been medically cleared for the past match or two matches or whatever. Everybody was, the information was being kept close, but they were afraid she's going to be out for a long time and we're like, oh, what the fuck?
Starting point is 01:31:47 You know, just right now when they've done all this. And so she comes to the ring, Adam Pierce brings her out, and she's emotional and she's starting to sniffle. And she says, this is hard, guys. And then what was supposed to happen was she was going to pitch to watch the big screen, the Titan Tron, if they still call it that, whatever the fuck.
Starting point is 01:32:18 But the Tron tape jumped her pitch and kind of stepped on it. It was like watch, and it was video from Stephanie's podcast with Naomi and which so is she married to Jimmy. Jimmy. And by the way, she's a heel and he's a baby face. Yeah, Jesus Christ. I can't stand these. Love conquers all. I don't want these interspecies marriages, baby faces and heels. But anyway, she announces she's pregnant.
Starting point is 01:32:56 She's Becky Lynchdom. We had just been talking about how much we've enjoyed her heel work. Even here. I mean, eventually even here in this segment, she's fantastic on the mic and believe. as a heel, and it seemed like it was just getting going. And it's gone. And she ain't going to be a heal anytime in a near future because she instantly turned baby face.
Starting point is 01:33:28 But I mean, you know, some people are happy about children. I have a more bleak viewpoint. But at the same time, the same thing we said with Becky Lynch, the timing? All of, not only of her work and training, however long she's been in the wrestling business, from the time she first started going to wrestling school, to all that work, and also what she walked out with Mercedes Moon, right, a couple years ago, in solidarity with her friend that immediately went on to a high-paying job,
Starting point is 01:34:06 and Naomi floated around in the sea of obscurity until she came back. and then they give her a big push and she she turns heel and she becomes interesting and she's the champion of the biggest company in the world and now. But it's not just speaking from someone not only has been talent but also administration, not only other people put her over to get her there.
Starting point is 01:34:40 And I know they're all happy as clams, she's pregnant too, but I'm telling you's valuable commodities on my roster as far as being a booker matchmaker talent coordinator. All these people have contributed to this, the booking, the fucking producing, the whole nine yards. And anybody can get injured. But this is like a self-inflicted broken leg at the biggest moment of your career. One would think. Congratulations to Naomi and Big Jim.
Starting point is 01:35:19 I'm sure this is going to be a wonderful, happy moment for them and their family. That's the way we should look at it. Everybody, well, and everybody, everybody cries a lot and everybody gets happy a lot in wrestling today. How good was her promo here? But then she turned, well, isn't it? She turned to heel on Pierce. And says, but I ain't relinquishing shit.
Starting point is 01:35:40 And everybody cheered her more. because now, no, she can come out and fucking be eating steaks made from Bambi. And nobody's going to boo her now. And she cuts a great promo. All the girls should have out to thank Jimmy because none of y'all could have beat me how to beat you all up. Come on, that's amazing. That's amazing.
Starting point is 01:36:03 That's what I'm saying. And the fans are you deserve it. And then she. You just laugh. She was cackling and didn't leave. And the fans chanted baby, you so. And she laid the bell down and said, I'll be back in nine months to get it, even if I come back with my baby in my arms.
Starting point is 01:36:29 What a heel. And people, they carried her out of the fucking building on her shoulders. I understand next week she's running for public office in Philly. At one point, they chanted OTC. I don't know why they did that. well but no she said the bloodline will continue and that's when they did that oh that's true i don't know why they would go to roman though
Starting point is 01:36:49 well i guess it was more polite than saying yeat to the pregnant woman of the unless they're in situating that is jay's brother jim jim he doesn't have a cheat a cheat a cheat he doesn't have a cheat he's with his woman and he loves her what's wrong no he doesn't have a chant like he eat what big jim big jim you could have done that Well, Big Bad John. At least it's more phonetic. But here's the thing they've gotten, they've gotten their former top heel girl over as an even more popular baby face
Starting point is 01:37:22 and cannot do anything with her for nine months and some change, as I believe she put it. She'd just become my favorite person on this show. I know. I was like, yes. I even softened up on this whole thing. But one would think that in today's modern science, one could control these actions. What do you think of them doing the announcement on Stephanie's show? Just so they could show it on WWTV from Stephanie's show.
Starting point is 01:37:57 I understand that they're trying to get Stephanie's show over, and it doesn't sound from the brief clip of her speaking. She's giving them too much help. but with Naomi being this kind of a promo I don't know why in this instance they wouldn't have her come out and reveal that news herself instead of the awkward pitch to the tape on the screen that got stepped on
Starting point is 01:38:28 you know she could have really worked them up because she could obviously talk as well this is the you know right Well, yeah, when she walked out with Mercedes Monet, everyone kind of thought of fair or not. You know, Sasha Banks is the big star. Yeah, she was the flunky. What are you doing?
Starting point is 01:38:53 She's the partner and she's being a loyal tag team partner, which is nice to see. Which she got in no way, shape, or four of the fucking loyalty remunerated, apparently. It turns out she's so much of a, a better promo than Sasha Banks ever was. It's incredible. Yes. And she's a better worker as a heel.
Starting point is 01:39:16 I mean, Mercedes has been a complete flop. And look, she's elevated herself to this position. You know, when Becky announced her pregnancy, she surprised Oscar in an empty arena during a pandemic, I believe. And then Aska hugged her,
Starting point is 01:39:38 and then Oscar awkwardly, like started chanting Becky from different places in the building this was the way to do I mean the promo she cut here I can't wait till she comes if she comes back with a baby in her hand oh they'd have to have a stunt baby
Starting point is 01:39:56 wouldn't they would they let their real baby come out for insurance purposes no they'd have to have a midget and a diaper because for insurance purpose really you'll see the fucking fan camera of the guy in the back smoking a cigar when he's fucking two and a half feet tall.
Starting point is 01:40:13 El Hi-Hio del Bert Ruby's midgets. Yes, and bring back my midgets. Somebody said they were going to do a, give me back my midgets to give me back my bullets by Leonard Skinner if they have time. I can't remember who it was. I just saw that comment. That's a spoiler.
Starting point is 01:40:31 That's an unfortunate spoiler. Oh, speaking of spoilers, the rest of the program. So what I did from there was I fast forwarded on to the main event with Braun Breaker, the wrestler of the future, the king of the world, Ma, against Jay Uso in the Extreme Rules match. And boy,
Starting point is 01:40:54 I love to watch Braun and he's actually able to like have matches. So they still got to gimmick him up too and they're going to, I know he looks indestructible, but with the stuff he does sooner or later, they're going to fuck up and get him hurt with all this furniture around. They started the match. Jay's punches are just killing me.
Starting point is 01:41:24 But he clotheslined Braun onto, over the top rope, onto a shopping cart full of shit because that's what they used to do in ECW. I remind the people that was 25 years ago now with a shopping cart full of shit that they're going to use in the match. And he sold his leg and he was selling his leg, but he took a convincing bump. And again, you know, how do you, hey, come on, kid, this week in wrestling school, we're going to cover taking bumps over the top rope onto a shopping cart full of garbage.
Starting point is 01:42:03 And then Jay had pulled a slim gym table out about a minute into the match, did a dive and they went to the break. When they came back from the break, there were about 15 chairs in the ring laying there, a garbage can, a couple of Kendo sticks, and Braun was hitting Jay with the lid of the garbage can. And then he was trying to shoot him corner to corner or into the buckle or something,
Starting point is 01:42:29 but there was no room in the ring to bump or work or get your footing because all the chairs were laying there. So I said, well, fuck, it's 50s. 15 minutes left in this show. I'm not going to sit and watch them wade through this goddamn mess for another 10 minutes till somebody runs in. So I fast forwarded to five minutes left in the show and was about to start that when the phone rang.
Starting point is 01:42:57 And Brian, you'll never guess who it was. Guess who it was. Monday night, that way. Stacey. No, it was you because it was Tuesday morning. The way God intended people to watch. watch raw. Good morning. And so we talked on the phone and I had it on pause and I went back to look at the last five minutes and I hit the button to take it off a pause and it was starting
Starting point is 01:43:27 the raw show for August the 4th and no matter what I tried to do on the remote control or with the Netflix it would not give me the option of watching any episode of Raw and I could watch other shit if I'd have wanted to go and watch other shit. But I couldn't go back to the episode of Raw that I was just watching, or even last weeks, I had to watch August 4th. So I don't know what to fuck happened.
Starting point is 01:44:01 Who ran in? You can't remember, can you? According to a report from the wrestling news in the name of what, Jay Uso-Pin Brawnbreaker in an extreme rules match, which featured interference from Seth Rollins, Brawnbreaker, Bronson Reed, L.A. Knight, C.M. Punk. Jesus Christ.
Starting point is 01:44:22 And Roman Reigns. Oh, good Lord. Who speared Bronson Reed, getting him back for multiple shoe thefts. And that's the way it was. That's what I'm saying. How hard do you have to fucking work to watch the shows? I didn't ask for the God, I just paused it. I've paused it numerous of times.
Starting point is 01:44:53 But on this particular occasion, it's no, we're going to go back a couple weeks to start over. Because when I hit the thing, to unpause it, it started the show over again. And I thought, oh, I'm going to have to fucking go all the way through this thing again. And then it said, this is raw from August 4th. And so on and so on and so on.
Starting point is 01:45:18 You, I didn't mention the Mr. iguana match. Were you able to watch that? I was not informed that Mr. iguana was on the program until after I'd already had these issues and skipped watching it.
Starting point is 01:45:32 So yeah, no. And, you know, for people asking, oh, you're going to watch Triple Mania, where they have the eight-foot guy fucking throwing micro man out of the ring. Yeah, almost. He's back. Omas, whatever his name is. Well, and so is.
Starting point is 01:45:50 microman who is two feet tall and two feet wide and no triple a was the showbiz version of wrestling in mexico before the w w e got a hold of them now apparently they have gone full-fledged into this ought to be presented as a fucking damn musical at the tropicana No. Is that a no? I don't want to see Mr. iguana. I don't want to see AAA.
Starting point is 01:46:30 This stuff has gotten silly enough on the main channels. I can't figure out how to watch. Well, in brief, because I haven't followed it too closely. Apparently, Elhiho do Vikingo is now getting booed by their fans, because even though he's the world champion, they don't think he deserves it because Alberto Del Rio is the person they see as the champion, and he's not being booked anymore, apparently. Wonder why?
Starting point is 01:46:51 At the moment, yeah, I don't know. Stay tuned to Dark Side of the Rings Season 7 to find out the answers to all these questions and more. Jim, that was raw. It certainly was. It was painful. And I don't know how to do a transition here.
Starting point is 01:47:09 It's not only WWE has a lot of problems selling their stuff, but a lot of the listeners out there, you may have a small business, you may not know what the hell to do to get online, to get your products out there, to the world, to the masses, and have help all along the way, in a virtual, digital, fantastical way
Starting point is 01:47:27 from our friends at Shopify. It's magical, logical, and lyrical. Well, I'll tell you what right now, if you want to get your products out there in front of people's faces, you just go to Shopify, and they will do the rest for you because they will go down the street
Starting point is 01:47:46 and just take whatever you make or sell or what a pawn off, and they will shake it in people's faces until they buy it just to get it. them to go away. That's how persistent they are. They are persistent in a fantastical digital sense where you don't have to worry about any of these kind of problems in the real world. Your virtual friend is there. Shopify for your store. They power our online store and so much more than that. They power all the bells and whistles. Brian, you know about them bells? I couldn't hear it.
Starting point is 01:48:22 I hear it in the background. Ain't coming across. There it is. There it is. you know about those things there, Brian, that make those bells and whistles. They're going to give you all the bells and whistles. If you can't design a website, well, fuck you. They'll just do it for you. They do this shit all the time. They do this stuff all the time. For whatever you need, they are there to help you.
Starting point is 01:48:47 Yeah, they'll elbow you out of the way and just take over and they'll get it done right because you're obviously. That's not what they do. No, they won't. They will be there to help. They are a compliment. to your service. Well, they'll tell you how nice your hair looks while they're telling you what you ought to know how to do.
Starting point is 01:49:04 Jim, hey, look, look, look at the little Bernie. Look, look. Shopify. What if you need a hand, Shopify? What if you need a hand? They'll give you help with everyday tasks. Things people do every day like enhancing product images, writing product descriptions,
Starting point is 01:49:20 generating discount codes with AI tools created for commerce. Stuff people do every day. simple things and you can't do them so they'll come in and do them for you because you're obviously just a moron for heaven's sake everyday things like the enhancement of product images what if people haven't heard about you that means you haven't been loud enough and obnoxious enough Shopify is going to start screaming over loudspeakers down major city streets about how great your shit is until people have heard they'll they'll hear about your shit you shit in their sleep. That is because you have, if you can't be loud and obnoxious, they're going to do it
Starting point is 01:50:03 for you. There is no mobile force of Shopify. There is no mobile force needed. They are there for you online to help you get your products out there. That's right. There's no mobile force. It's all AI. It is not, it's all AI. Well, let's not say that. That's not true either. It's not all AI. It is all A-O-K with Shopify there to help you in your store. Well, I'll tell you what is a, Another thing that's a-okay is you're going to make nothing but money and hear bells ringing in your head. And on this show, you're going to hear bells ringing for you and your gal because, let's say, you've been anxious to ditch your wife for a long time and run off with that little hoochy-coochy dancer that you met at the cocktail lounge down the street. Will you start a side job from the privacy of your own home?
Starting point is 01:50:52 You're making this money roll in while she's still spending the same amount. You're putting this in a kitty, and then one of these days, boom, you and Peaches, you're gone, you're vapor, you're in the archives, and, and, and she's wondering where the money went. It's all because of Shopify, ladies and gentlemen. Let's give examples that people can relate to, not the tale of a hoochy-coochy dancer and her kitty. Let's talk about your kitty, ladies and gentlemen, if you want to get any of that kitty, you need money, you need a successful business. That's right.
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Starting point is 01:52:11 How in the world could it possibly be any better than a thing that it is? You said it there, Jim, Shopify, a great deal for the listeners. Shopify.com slash JCE. Well, Jim, let's move on from there. Hold on. We have to move on. You know what that means. And let's get to some topics and questions.
Starting point is 01:52:34 I always have a movement whenever I hear that sound. A lot of listeners have been sending over a variation of a question about this. Apparently, a Twitter account, J.M. Playground, tweeted out an image that says, Chris Jericho's AEW deal ends December 2025. He's open to a WWE return. depending on the situation and this tweet was liked
Starting point is 01:53:05 by Chris Jericho to be specific Chris Jericho Fosy on Twitter or Instagram, whatever this is, but this has of course started the conversation there have been rumors that Tony Con or Chris Jericho are not as close as they once were that maybe Chris Jericho's return to
Starting point is 01:53:28 wouldn't work, that maybe Chris Jericho is a shrewd negotiator. And even if you're not negotiated with someone, it's nice to put it out there sometimes. There's been a lot of people saying a lot of different things. He's open. He's open to it. What do you think of this, of Chris Jericho liking this tweet or Instagram post, whatever it was? And also, secondly, in terms of the value of Chris Jericho and all kidding aside and forgetting
Starting point is 01:53:56 all the bad booking over the last long while. Who gets more value out of Chris Jericho right now? AEW, where he finally exhausted their fan base, not too long ago. So it would have to be a completely different way of doing things. Or WWE, who loves signing up everyone they can who Tony Khan ever pushed. Well, lots of things there, and first of all, it was a few years ago that they were talking about Jericho
Starting point is 01:54:31 signing a big 10-year deal with Tony because I remember we made fun of it I said it'll be 62 or whatever the fuck it was right so this was apparently some type of hogwash or someone thought better of things before it went too far whatever
Starting point is 01:54:50 but you remember that and it wasn't like it was a rumor that people were denied I can't remember who came out with it, but there was the actual participants, I believe, were talking about it. Were they not? Did I imagine this in some type of... I don't know how much of this was a public conversation.
Starting point is 01:55:11 I don't know. But nevertheless, if Chris Jericho came back to AEW right now, what difference could it possibly make? It would make none. as you said they've seen him they've overseen him there's nothing he's done so many new things that now it's just ridiculous that he's just the king of trademarks and he's just changes for the sake of changing shit and he's changed so much shit and as we've said with the booking and or the fact that he however old he is right now and et cetera
Starting point is 01:55:56 he's not going to mean anything. And if he and Tony aren't just buds still, I assume, has he and Fossey been on a worldwide tour of the Netherlands Antilles or they're just keeping him off TV because his contract's about to be up and Tony doesn't want to face it like he does usually. Maybe a mix of two, an endless tour of Fantasyland
Starting point is 01:56:21 and at the same time Tony has new younger friends. but that's the you know well still Chris could get a boob job try to win him back but no so there's there's really Tony has been paying him all this money and will continue to pay money to the end of the year why would he pay him any more money when it he ain't going to mean any difference but over here on this other side of the street you have this company that prints more money than the goddamn governments of many countries. And who they then work with. Yes, who they then get more of their money from.
Starting point is 01:57:05 And he's new again to a vast percentage of the audience that they have that doesn't watch AEW and doesn't even know he's been wrestling. And you don't have him come out there and be a fucking weekly TV character. He shocks everything. everybody in the rumble. Oh, look at Jericho, but that doesn't win it, but leads to something at WrestleMania. A couple more major matches through the next year
Starting point is 01:57:39 goes into the fucking Hall of Fame and sells bucooks of merchandise along the way and afterwards. And there's millions of dollars for him to do four or five matches and TV promotion. for saying what to and and why wouldn't they do that and it would work and you don't seem too much so it it doesn't work and it's literally worth millions of dollars to them in just a few shows not to stick it to tony con but because it's worth millions of dollars in just a few shows at their level at this scale now it's insane so of course he's going to do that one would think
Starting point is 01:58:26 unless Tony wants to give him millions of dollars to stay home, because wouldn't you rather end your career doing something like that with the biggest stars in the business instead of showing up and playing with the fucking buckaroos on Wednesday nights? What do you think of the idea that he liked this? I think because he liked it. That's what I'm saying. Of course he's going to do this.
Starting point is 01:58:52 I'm sure he's already got it planned. If his contract is up at the end of this year, He's not on TV at this point. And with the conditions that prevail that I just mentioned, I'm sure he has already planned this and possibly sent out thought waves that might be picked up somewhere on the other side of the ether. Because it's perfect. And it's literally millions of dollars for very little work,
Starting point is 01:59:21 as opposed to millions of dollars for aggravation probably every time you show up for work. But if you're AEW, is this in a way one of those things where it's a win? But it appears to be another hit to AEW. Because in a lot of ways, AEW, if they wanted Chris Jericho, Tony Con would open the checkbook and give Chris Jericho what he wants. You know, if Tony Con wanted to keep Cody Rhodes, he would have kept Cody Rhodes. So if Chris Jericho leaves, it's because Tony strategically thinks it's okay to lose Chris Jericho, is he wrong? For all the value he'll bring to WWE, would Tony be right to not give Chris Jericho
Starting point is 02:00:07 a new multi-year, multi-million dollar contract? See, you're assuming that Cody, too, that it was the final figure on paper rather than the exchange. Oh, no, no, I'm not saying that. I'm saying he had the option. No, I'm saying he had the option. He had the option to open the checkbook. If Cody he didn't want to stay, I don't know if more money, we don't know that the money was the issue. I don't know if he said $20 million, well, maybe $20 million, but you know what I'm saying. The same thing here. If I'm Chris Jericho, oh God, I just had a shiver. But if I am Chris Jericho, again, I can work for this guy where, yes, he'll pay me a lot of
Starting point is 02:00:53 money to stay home for long periods of time, but sooner or later I'm going to have to show back up. I've got to work with these numb nutses. I got a fucking, you know, it's going to expose me again because the ratings are going to go nowhere because of me, because they go nowhere because of anybody. He gets a lot of money, doesn't work that many days, gets to work on all the side projects, which may be compromised in some way or another if he goes to WWE.
Starting point is 02:01:17 Oh, no, or that was Vince. They're letting people do shit now. They're, you know, I know one or two things about people that can do any goddamn thing they want to as long as it's not wrestling or whatever. But that's the thing is he would be coming in as a name, legend, finish out a few big matches, some television promotion with the highest ratings, the biggest visibility.
Starting point is 02:01:53 We'll play your goddamn rotten music. We play everybody else's rotten music. Why wouldn't we play yours? Retirement on SNL. On Saturday night's main event, not a Saturday, either one, yes. You know, a big retirement, a Hall of Fame deal, several million dollars for when you do show up for work,
Starting point is 02:02:17 which will be in limited numbers, you're with the biggest program with the widest, fucking viewership, and the biggest stars and the most history you have. have and just here do this and they can make money on it by still giving him millions of dollars and why the fuck wouldn't you do that or he can get millions of dollars but he's going to have to go and be in the fucking you know the Bush League or the fucking kids club or you know even if he has fun doing that stuff it's still a small percentage of the viewership so even if Tony wants to give him, I'll give you $10 million.
Starting point is 02:02:59 Well, but they're going to give me seven, but I'd rather do that. So what's a fucking difference? So what do you think is more likely? Chris Jericho appearing at AW, all out, or Chris Jericho appearing at the WW Royal Rumble? Well, now, hold on now. You keep giving these, I don't remember whether they're all in, all out, all poop, whatever. No, if the contract is, is, what are you? asking now if the contract's up in
Starting point is 02:03:27 December. What's more likely him appearing at the next AEW pay-per-view, all out, I see. Or WWE Royal Rumble in January? What about both? I'm not saying... That wasn't
Starting point is 02:03:44 one of my options, but okay. Well, I'm not saying that he will never appear for AEW again. It doesn't look like it. It looks like Tony's just freezing him like he does everybody else, but he might show back up, might show back up and put somebody over. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and,
Starting point is 02:04:12 Tony, I'll come put somebody over for you. He gets on that TV and the WWE offers him more money. Who the fuck knows? But I'm saying, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, great, bad shit crazy. if he has the option to go to the WWE when his contract is up in December and he does not choose that option, Jesus, H. Christ. He needs to get a new agent. Well, Jim, on the topic of AEW contracts, a report we have here, someone sent this link from Essie Scoops by Andrew Reef. Who is Essie? I keep hearing about her.
Starting point is 02:04:50 Well, this says Dan Housen reportedly requested AEW not pick up his option. A new report has provided an update on the contract status of A.W.'s Danhausen, confirming he will remain with the company well into 2026. The extension was reportedly due to time missed for injury and was, is a quote here, apparently against his wishes. According to Fight Full Select, Dan Housen's original AEW contract was scheduled to expire on July 1st, 2025. However, due to time that he was on the shelf with a torn pectoral muscle,
Starting point is 02:05:33 his contract has been extended and will now run into 2026. The report adds a significant layer to the story, noting that this extension was apparently against his wishes. It was believed he requested they didn't pick up his option and was ready to leave the company. It says here that he has not appeared on AEW television since appearing in a battle royal
Starting point is 02:06:00 at the World's End Paperview in December 2023. Jesus Christ! His last match under the company banner was for Ring of Honor February 20204 and he made a one-off surprise appearance at the most recent Ring of Honor final battle
Starting point is 02:06:17 but there are no creative plans for him, says here. What do you think of this situation? I mean, we're talking about the Jericho contract. Let's talk about Danhausen, who we haven't seen, apparently since 2023. I wonder, is his family calling to get a welfare check done? Okay, this is an example of apparently the only people that Tony stands up to and is a boss to and is a hard heart too
Starting point is 02:06:49 and pulls all these legal maneuvers on is the fucking underneath guys that can't really fight back. Who was the last one he extended and it was like, well, what the fuck? Just leave the guy go. What good is it?
Starting point is 02:07:09 But okay, I can understand Danhausen from all accounts is a very wonderful person as a person. So we're not even talking about just wrestling now as an employee. If it was like he got badly hurt and his, you know, he'll never be the same. He might not be able to wrestle again.
Starting point is 02:07:33 We're going to keep him on contract. Even if he wants to go because he, he just feels like he's a burden on us. No, we're going to care for some benevolent purpose. But when you're not using a guy and when they signed him, They never used him really that often from the time they signed him. So he was hot on the internet. And Tony loves that kind of thing.
Starting point is 02:08:01 And I'm not knocking a guy, but I'm knocking Tony for just signing fads and then getting their hopes up or whatever. But if he wants to go, if he says, I'm here, I'm doing nothing. Thank you for paying me. Probably I would assume. it'd be more money than he could make most places, but he just wants to fucking do something
Starting point is 02:08:24 or he doesn't want to be there. One would think that would be the reason. He doesn't seem to be an ungrateful person. Why not let him go? What damage, if he showed up on Raw tomorrow, what damage? Could that possibly go? So, you know, I'm not going to, you know,
Starting point is 02:08:48 just ran rave at Tony for keeping. and guys on contract to be nice to him because they were out for so long and hurt or whatever he wants to make sure they're paid but if you're not using somebody they've never been a main event attraction for you and they want to go somewhere else where they can do something and then you extend the isn't that just being a big bully am i am i being too soft-hearted on Dan Meister Well, depends on what's behind this. You know, William Regal got out of his contract
Starting point is 02:09:23 by saying he wanted to go home and be close to his son. Miro went to Bulgaria. If they wanted to make Danhausen a fucking NASA astronaut right now, what difference would it make? William Regal was featured in everything. And yes, he gave him a line of who shot John to get the fuck out of there.
Starting point is 02:09:43 I'm sure you're aware, not saying it's true because I just don't know, but there is a line of thought people have that Dan Housen is somehow punished because these friends would see him punk. Do you think that's a fair thing or not a fair thing? Well, that would be well, if it was true it would be ridiculous and
Starting point is 02:09:59 again, you know, if Pug's friends with a lot of people, why take it out on the guy that's not important to your operation in any way you just have legal right to him? I don't understand that.
Starting point is 02:10:14 If he wants to go, it ought to be as easy as Tony saying, hey, I'm sorry we couldn't do more, but we loved having you. And the door is always open when you come back. But right now you're going out, so don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you. See you later. Have fun with Mr. Aguana. We'll see you later.
Starting point is 02:10:34 Whatever. What different, if, you know, it's not like, it's not like one of his main event, MJF suddenly says, I want to be on raw next week. I need to get the fuck out of here. Let me go. Well, not so fast, Mr. MJF. But it's Danhaus. But how many people has Tony disappeared off his TV?
Starting point is 02:11:00 Ricky Starks. You know, Wardle was still under contract. Ricky Starks left after just being frozen off TV for what, almost a year, eight months, whatever it was. It's a weird thing that Tony does. I've heard it said as simple as if you. he thinks you're going to go somewhere else. He doesn't want to give you his TV time to sell yourself.
Starting point is 02:11:23 But then you have guys like sitting out for a few years. I mean, Dan hasn't hasn't been on TV since December 2023. We're coming up on two years. Where's Britt Baker? Where's Wardlow? Where's Camille? And these are just like current cases. Jungle Boy. Where the hell's Jungle Boy?
Starting point is 02:11:44 What? I forgot about him. And thank you for reminding me, son of bitch. I finally forgot about him. And here you mention his name, but it was just, that's, I wonder, should somebody do a list to see if Tony is paying more wrestlers to stay home than he is to come to work? Yes. I would like to see that list, yes. Well, we'd like to see a lot of lists these days.
Starting point is 02:12:10 Which one you think we'll get first? That one or the other one. I think neither, neither nor would be my guess. But there we go, Jim. That's that one there. Dan Housins, contract. Good luck, Mr. Howson. Mr. Housen, good luck to you.
Starting point is 02:12:26 Became a star hero on the show way back when we used to play cameo calls. That's when we discovered that, oh, there's something behind the, whatever the hell this is. Let's get some questions here, Jim. He could have been a member of the House of Spenguli now if he had to sign with Tony. This question was sent via email to cornyidivor at gmail.com from Joe. In a past video, you mentioned how Florida Championship Wrestling used to be aired on Spanish TV Channel 47 in the New York, New Jersey area.
Starting point is 02:12:58 I've always been curious as to why. I can't imagine it was intended to draw fans to the matches, and I don't see who it would benefit, other than the fans like me who were starving for something other than the WWF squash matches on WOR. Well, actually, for some period of time, there was some cooperation, as we've mentioned, between Vince Sr. and Eddie Graham, where, you know, some of the Florida guys would go
Starting point is 02:13:30 and some of the rotating crew of heels that would challenge the WWWF champion or WWF, whichever era that was, what might come in from Florida. Dusty made shots in Florida at the same time. they had the Harley race superstar Billy Graham double title match, one of the two or three they had in, what, 78 was in the Orange Bowl in Miami. And so I think looking back on it now and tell me what you think, Brian, because you're more, even though this was a little bit before your time, you're more familiar with the station and the market and et cetera, the way they did things.
Starting point is 02:14:16 Vince Sr. didn't mind that show being on that station because it wasn't any competition to him and indeed may expose the fans to some of the wrestlers that he might be going to bring in. And at the same point, you know, it was more of an auxiliary kind of promotion without, there was no chance Eddie Graham was going to run against him. it was a cooperative thing. And also it may have been a backstop because he had lost his television before.
Starting point is 02:14:51 That's right. In the New York market in the 60s. I believe he had it maybe before anyone else had it. And remember, it wasn't just Florida. It was also Los Angeles wrestling, which was Mike LaBelle, and there was always a good relationship between those two offices. Yeah, so, well, like we talked about earlier in this program with Jared, at one point, Louisville Wrestling, having two different shows per week.
Starting point is 02:15:14 on two different stations. If it happened again and Vince Sr. had lost his primary TV, then I bet you at least a couple of dollars that the WWF show would have taken the place of the
Starting point is 02:15:30 Florida or the LA show on the Spanish channel just to have some presence. So he had kind of an insurance policy and the smaller stations like that, they loved wrestling because it did ratings. because they didn't exactly have
Starting point is 02:15:47 you know, fucking all in the family or whatever. Jim, our next question sent to corny drive-thru at gmail.com is from Kyle in Columbus, Ohio. The term box office appeal, you hear about a lot in wrestling. My question... Well, I don't know why the way that was phrase got me. My question for you
Starting point is 02:16:13 is if you were going to rank the top three all-time bloodline members with box office appeal, who would you pick? The Rock? Roman Raines? Would Yokozuna make the cut? Interested to hear your take and love the show. Well, now he's not the bloodline
Starting point is 02:16:32 that was the bloodline on television recently, but just everybody in the Samoan family is what he's saying when he says the bloodline? I believe so. That's the way I took it. Um... Jesus Christ, off top of my head, I should have the goddamn family tree chart in front of me. As far as box office appeal, here's Roman Raines is part of it.
Starting point is 02:17:00 You're going all the way back to the Samoans at different point. The Rock, obviously, at box office appeal. Even though he, you know, technically he... Even though he's not a member of the family technically. Skirted in on the family by marriage. and etc. And we're talking about the Anawiah family,
Starting point is 02:17:18 the actual members, so the rocks and Peter Myvia are not involved in us. Well, I was about to say Peter Maya Villa had tremendous box office appeal in the days of the territories
Starting point is 02:17:26 and was over like God in San Francisco, but he's, you know, he's a part of the blood brother part of the family, blah, blood, blood,
Starting point is 02:17:35 brother, part of the family. So, but we're not counting him? No. Or we are. Or what are we saying here? We're not counting that we're talking
Starting point is 02:17:45 about the Anahai family. from Alpha and Sika on down. Yes. Well, in that case, then you got to come down to Roman rains, don't you? When you take My V out of the equation, take the rock out of the equation,
Starting point is 02:17:59 Yokozuna had box office appeal, but it wasn't like he was an enduring superstar personality. You can say that about the rock. You can say it about Roman Reins. You could say it about MyVia on a territory basis. The Samoa, the Wild Samoans offensive,
Starting point is 02:18:16 were a top tag team for quite some time and worked on top in various places. But, you know, enduring box office appeal just on their own names, I don't think they were Raqa and Perez. So, yeah, I think Roman, Roman rains would be the... It'd be number one, who's number two? It'd be obviously number one. I think at number two you've got to have Jay for box office appeal
Starting point is 02:18:49 and we're not talking about work and I mean this is a madness, the yeating that has crept over people the eating and the waving and the dancing and the gesticulating
Starting point is 02:19:00 and the spitting about and then I'm trying you know about the Tonga kid for a brief period of time he was as hot as anyone well yeah but you know for a brief tour yoke zuna then would place above him in terms of box office appeal because
Starting point is 02:19:20 tonga kid was hot for six months but yoko was the champion and in the main events and doing well for longer than that i mean that's still what about rakey they liked rikishi but rikishi was never the wwee champion i mean i guess we're in descending order now but i mean a lot of guys there were very few popcorn farts in the family, so a lot of the guys would qualify for, you know, the next level spots, but after, I think Roman and Jay have peaked it in terms of box office appeal,
Starting point is 02:19:59 there were still better workers. Well, we'll see what Naomi and Big Jim have to say about that. But Jim, our next question, sent via email to corny drive-thru at gmail.com from Charlie in starkville, Mississippi. He's back, and thank you, Charlie, by the way, for the birthday gifts that arrived at Castle Cornett for both Stacey and myself. Well, Stacey's birthday is August 29th, and mine is September 17, so he saved the postage and mailed both together.
Starting point is 02:20:32 Ladies and gentlemen, I did not know this transaction took place. There was nothing nefarious behind me picking this question or this email here today. I just want to make sure I say that on the record. It just happened to come. I'm up so I could thank you. This payola crap. This is not pay for questioning or pay for answering. I'm not, I'm nobody's PayPal.
Starting point is 02:20:54 Well, let's go to Charlie's question. Mercedes Monet. Oh, Christ, Charlie said, if you don't have the passion for the business, get the F out. Monet said, if you don't love it, if you don't want to try and grow, get the fuck out what are your thoughts on Monet's take and her passion for the business
Starting point is 02:21:18 well you know I don't think I've ever said of all the things I've ever said that she didn't didn't just love what she was doing I don't believe I ever made that accusation she loves what she's doing and she's convinced she's really good at it and she is again
Starting point is 02:21:37 apparently convinced of her own star power to the point where she can tell us, babe, you don't want to get better. Get the fuck out of here. Be as great as I am. She's a rotten actress. She's physically unimpressive.
Starting point is 02:21:54 She's bleh to me in the ring because she misses as much as she hits or she's trying to hold her wig on top. And, you know, but she loves what she's doing. We can't deny that. She's just not really very good. any of the parts of it. And did I mention those rotten promos? But she's got dedication.
Starting point is 02:22:19 I just don't know if I was her, I'd feel the need to verbally chastise anybody else to work harder when, well, I guess she's working hard. I mean, you can take a goat and give them a hammer and tell them to build a house, they'll bust her ass, but I don't know what it'll end up looking like. I don't know what kind of example that is, but.
Starting point is 02:22:41 Well, that's an old analogy they used to draw down in the old day. Where? Well, people around my old places of living. Your old places of living, of course. In a way, Mercedes-Mone is kind of like the best example. If you want to be a wrestling star, but also just do your own thing and, you know, publish your own magazine. Just everything you want to do on your own, Tony will pay you and you could do that. I mean, do you think she'd be making more money in WWE than she's making for Tony?
Starting point is 02:23:13 And at the same time, she gets to work whatever show she wants. She gets to publish her own magazine. She gets to do everything she wants to do. Yeah, no, I think she's more than better off where she is right now than going back to WWW, where she's got him wrapped around her teeny tiny little finger. And he's paying her, from what we understand, quite a pretty penny. to do what she does and she can still do anything else she wants it's not like her career is unfortunately like her career is at the end like with jericho because he's 100 years old so she can afford to milk
Starting point is 02:23:54 this billionaire for quite some time to come and then go back for the royal rumbull and the big matches on pay-per-view and the hall of fame and the merchandise and etc and do the same thing she's got plenty of time Well, Jim, even with plenty of time, I'm sure you're very well aware that you need plenty of sleep. You need good sleep, you need healthy sleep. Oh, there's never enough time for sleep. Well, you need your sleep, especially if you are a globe-trotting professional wrestling superstar, if we're illegally allowed to call anyone outside of WWA superstar. And Jim, we know someone who can help everyone get a good night's sleep.
Starting point is 02:24:34 Well, I'll tell you, you know, you saw on the docudrama there that they played on the Netflix about the unrealism of the thing, that they're just, they're going from one place to another, they're in a bus, they're on a jet, they're at a car, they're yeeding down through the bowl of the people in the arena a long way from the ring, they're always on the go.
Starting point is 02:24:58 And you know, back in the old days, some of the wrestlers, they had the wrong ways of relaxing. Let's just put it that way. They made the wrong choices. Well, now, now I'm telling you, you can make the right choice. Everybody who's overworked and underappreciated, who's overstressed and underpaid, who just can't get a good night's sleep without tossing and turning, tossing and turning till the break of dawn, because you're worried about all the things
Starting point is 02:25:31 that's going on or you don't even have time to sleep. So you go all, maybe three, four, five. of days without sleeping, and then you want to sleep a couple of days. But for some reason, you keep waking up. Well, we'll make sure you don't wake up with Beams Dream Powder, because it's going to change everything, folks. Dream, the powder, that is, is an all-natural sleep blend or sheep. You count sheep, but the dream is an all-natural sleep blend with science-backed ingredients.
Starting point is 02:26:07 designed to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed. You will wake up. As a matter of fact, it makes you sleep so deep that you can leave instructions for yourself to be like bathed and showered and detailed during your sleep.
Starting point is 02:26:24 So you wake up feeling clean. Boy, howdy, I'll tell you. A good healthy sleep from Beam. That's what we're talking about here. I left a note for my next door neighbor. I said, I'm going to be just deathly unconscious for the next... No, you're not going to be
Starting point is 02:26:39 definitely unconscious. You're going to be... Just go ahead and wash me while I'm out. No, no baby. I'll already be naked. I warned him. I'd already naked. Taking it a step too far,
Starting point is 02:26:49 ladies and I woke up and he even baby-oiled me after he cleaned me. He baby, I had baby oil all over me and the sheet. Now you hear that? That's Antonio Inoki, and he's saying, get back on track, Jim. We're talking about a good night's sleep, a healthy night's sleep.
Starting point is 02:27:04 We're talking about making sure the listeners out there are ready to go, well-rested the next day for work or pleasure, whatever it may be, our friends with the Dream Powder, our friends at Beam. Yes, and boy, you sure are wound up. You ought to take some more beam. Unlike other sleep aids, there's no next day groginess or guilt or remorse. You won't remember what happened to you.
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Starting point is 02:27:48 The beam powder. God damn it. It's great. You should try it. Suzanne loves it. Let me give an endorsement here. My wife loves it. She said, please, can we get more?
Starting point is 02:27:59 And I'm sure that your wife out there will love it too unless you don't have one. Go Jim. Folks that you heard it from Brian, your wife will keep asking for more and more. But I'm telling you, Beam has improved over 17.5 million nights of sleep, ladies and gentlemen, and it can do the same thing for you. And again, you'll wake up, not groggy, not exhausted, refreshed, ready to take on the day, however violent that day may turn. out to be. And when you support them, you're backing
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Starting point is 02:29:46 Don't forget to sign that release. There's no release. Oh my God. We're at the end. There's no release, ladies and gentlemen, except the release of all the stresses in a day with a good night's sleep from Beam and the Dream Powder one more time, Jim, because we want to make sure everyone remembers that promo code
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Starting point is 02:30:30 They love it at Castle Cornette, and of course around the world, Beam and the wonderful dream powder. Promocode JCE. All right, Jim, you know what that sound connotates? Of course, that means it's time for questions and answers, more questions and answers here. I thought it meant,
Starting point is 02:30:56 shall we gather out the river? The beautiful, the beautiful river. Well, Jim, let's go to our next question. This was sent to Corny Drive-Thru. Email.com from Chad. Oh, Chad. Now, Chad has a question. Well, let's drop everything and talk to Chad. Hope you are doing well.
Starting point is 02:31:20 His pressing needs. Hope you are doing well. My question is, why do some of the wrestlers today remind me of someone trying to remember steps to a dance? I could see it in their eyes. Them counting in their head. It drives me crazy. And I'm not talking about NXT.
Starting point is 02:31:39 I see main roster wrestlers doing it. Is it because they don't call it in the ring anymore? And that's the question from Chad. Yes. Well, a short version is yes. And I mean, there's other factors. They've, obviously, as we can see by Unreal and the footage of the producers,
Starting point is 02:32:02 they have not only worked this match out step for step and told it to producer so that he can tell it to the truth, but also to fit the time that they're being allotted and they're trying to go through this pre-agreed-upon routine without missing anything and without fucking anybody up and cave anybody's face in in a limited amount of time and that unfortunately all leads to especially the younger guys the greener guys or the guys that are just not that sure of themselves it's why we talk about no facials they're just going through it's just going through
Starting point is 02:32:39 it. It's boom, boom, boom, boom. And at the top level, used to be at all levels, but now at the top level, the basis of live performing of a pro wrestling match is the emotions and feelings that you show and convey to the people in the arena that are watching through your body language and your facial expression and the way you do things when it's your body. Your body. body language is different if you're, if you're scared or if you're mad or if you're, you know, any emotion as well as your face, if you're surprised, ah, if you swing the clothes line and the guy ducks it and your face never changes and your body language never changes, your pace doesn't quicken to spin around and see where he went, you just go through the motion
Starting point is 02:33:36 and turn around to catch him when he cross-bodies you, that is how you tell the people like, who's he, what's he here? Who asked the question? It was your friend in mine, Chad. Chad, I forgot Chad. Oh, Chad. Well, he wasn't some bad after all.
Starting point is 02:33:55 That's what leads people like Chad to ask the question because they can see it that they know what's going to happen when they turn around, that they're not surprised when they, try to backdrop and get sunset flip whatever, that's why it's more important and why we always try to teach. The reaction you have in between the moves
Starting point is 02:34:19 is more important than the moves. If somebody gives you a big power slam and you pop right up and don't acknowledge it, you had a shitty reaction in between the moves. If, you know, so whether it's your face or your body language or whether you're conveying pain or fatigue or frustration. That's the important shit in between the goddamn power slams.
Starting point is 02:34:50 Yes. Yes. That is the answer to Chad's question. Our next question, Jim, sent the corny to drive through at gmail.com from DJ Bo in Shanghai, China. Okay, I don't believe any of that. Which part of it? just any of it DJ Bo you don't believe he's a DJ?
Starting point is 02:35:12 I don't believe the name and I don't believe he's in Shanghai Was he, has he been Shanghai? He's in Shanghai China, Jim While there's many questions about what Vince McMahon's next move is It's a shame he isn't utilizing His important pro wrestling history knowledge To fill in details
Starting point is 02:35:32 From his unique vantage point On the sport He ain't going to be around around forever, especially if he's zooming his car down highways and byways. If Jim could ask Vince McMahon any three questions from the perspective of a pro wrestling historian, what would they be? So no scandals or anything really just talking about. What would you ask him if you had three questions?
Starting point is 02:36:02 Well, I've never thought about this a day in my life. and I was around him and asked the majority of the questions that I wanted to ask that I thought he would answer that wouldn't get him mad at me. I don't know whether I ever plainly asked him, but the feeling came through, what the hell are you thinking bringing the ultimate warrior back in 1996? But here's the thing if you don't talk about, much less talking about the scandals,
Starting point is 02:36:32 and I would ask, what the hell were you thinking? but just you would have to ask Vince about business meetings, deals, controversies, something related to his business that he was involved in, and then you would get the Vince answer. So in some cases, why I bothered to ask the question? But as far as wrestling history, besides the deals he was in, what was it like when, you know, your dad and Bob Aram and you and everybody was involved in the Ali Yanokey promotion and et cetera, it would still all be about business.
Starting point is 02:37:16 There is no, there's nothing about wrestling history, just the sport of wrestling itself that Vince would probably have been able to answer well or even give a shit about unless he was personally involved. And then it was always business. he wouldn't remember the finish of a fucking match. Except, yeah, Coloff beat Bruno in the garden. He'd get that one. Not only that, but if he wasn't involved in the business
Starting point is 02:37:47 or in a business dealing with the territory, like he may have been talking to, you know, fucking, I guess Anne Gunkel would have been before him. He probably would have been talking to Ann Gunkel. He didn't know what went on in, any of the other territories passed how it might affect his business or his ability to get their talent. He didn't know any of the gossip. He didn't know any of the landmark happenings.
Starting point is 02:38:15 He didn't give a shit. He didn't read any books or any, even fan publications like when Scott Teal before he was doing professional stuff or any of the, you know, historical. research that fans did back in those days, and I'm sure he hasn't read any of the modern-day books. So you could probably tell Vince McMahon more about details on wrestling history past anything that he was personally involved in or anything that his dad would have ever told him about dealings that he had with other guys. He recognized all the old-timers names. if I mentioned Willie Gilsenberg on commentary
Starting point is 02:39:06 or did a column in the magazine under the pen named Joseph T. Mont, then he would get a snicker out of it, but he didn't give a shit about history. So I know I haven't answered the question, but does that answer the question? If you could ask him any three questions and give him a truth serum
Starting point is 02:39:25 where you knew he would tell you the truth, what would you ask him? Not a Vince answer, but a real true answer. I'll tell you one, two, and three. I would want to know what steps he took and who he said what to in between the time that I pitched the idea, just double-cross the sunbitch, get your belt back, and Montreal to determine exactly how he took that and convoluted it into him becoming Mr. McMahon the, well, he didn't even have it. he thought he was going to be the baby face at first,
Starting point is 02:40:02 but how he interjected himself into it and had to be the one to call for the bell and all that shit is thought process. And who really knew what, from when for who, how? How about that? So all your questions would be about Montreal? Yes, first, second, third.
Starting point is 02:40:24 Just what the fuck? Some people just can't let it go. Well, I'd like to know how the fuck he got what I said out into what happened. All right, Jim, our next question sent via the Culta Cornette Facebook group was sent in by Jennifer Craig. What is the purpose or meaning of wrestlers wiping their feet before climbing through the ropes to get into the ring? Oh, that's, well, good, keep it short.
Starting point is 02:40:55 Respect for the mat. Respect for your wrestling surface. It goes back to the carnival days in some respects when guys would have to walk through sawdust or maybe cow shit or whatever just to get into the ring and when you get up on it, you wipe your feet off on the apron because you've got to get in and wrestle around
Starting point is 02:41:20 and the middle part of it and that is better for you when you don't have cow shit on it. And then it's taught in most, I don't know what's taught in most wrestling schools, but it used to be taught when guys broke in and or then in wrestling schools, when that became a thing, just show a little respect for the mat and the surface and your fellow opponents.
Starting point is 02:41:48 And it becomes a habit for a lot of guys. Yeah, what about heels doing it? In my mind, I'm picturing Dr. Tom Pritchard for whatever reason doing it. Well, but see, that's the thing is it's not for the people. I mean, some guys that would do a big thing at Flair with the big robe and he'd wipe his feet and he'd have the referee hold the ropes open and he'd take the robe and, you know,
Starting point is 02:42:14 they might incorporate it, but other guys just get up and just do it and get in. It's not really for the fans. It's for the business and your opponents. The thugs used to do it like in tune to the song. I don't think it was intentional either. Well, it was a kid. It was a catchy song. Yeah, tough enough.
Starting point is 02:42:33 Went with like the wiping of the boots. But Jim, let's get another question here. This was sent via the Colticornaut Facebook group by Timothy Proctor. I remember his father, Dr. Proctor. He had that the patent on the red rectum rockers, the constipation pills. All right. I don't know about that, Jim, but here's the question from Timothy Proctor looking back. What does Jim think was done?
Starting point is 02:43:01 the most underrated feud or storyline in Smoky Mountain Wrestling that fans today don't talk enough about? Oh, gosh. You know, I don't know which things the fans are not talking enough about these days. I mean, the big programs were that it seemed like it did pretty much the most money for us around at the big shows, not just the big main event blowoff shows, but the Knoxville and Johnson Cities, as well as the spot shows,
Starting point is 02:43:36 was the Heavenly Bodies and the Rock and Roll Express, Tracy Smothers and the Dirty White Boy. And then to be honest, the rock and roll and Lee and Candido, that might be one of the underestimated ones because they did good, especially on spot shows, of course, the rock and roll. me and Bob Armstrong a lot of people talk about but at the same time a lot of people don't remember
Starting point is 02:44:04 we had Dory and Terry Funk worked the program with the Armstrong boys Scott and Steve and those were some cool tag matches that were different featured different guys there was Chris Candido and Bobby Blaze you you're fairly knowledgeable on what we did What do you think that we're not?
Starting point is 02:44:30 Well, no, I mean, on what we, you know, the television and what programs we did? What am I underestimating or what am I overlooking that people should have been? So I feel like people finally really rate everything leading into the first bluegrass brawl pretty high in terms of the three tag team stuff. The Brian Lee, Kevin Sullivan feud was one of the things that really got me because that was the first stuff I saw. And it was so cool to me. It's the only time I ever enjoyed the Nightstalker. Well, and see, again, that, you know, that was a good one, but I don't know if it's underrated because that got a lot more conversation from the smart fans at the time who were trading tapes
Starting point is 02:45:13 and talking about things were talking more about that than they were about the rock and roll in the bodies that was drawing the money. So it's not necessarily underrated. And Kevin was a big help with, Kevin worked with the. Mongolian Stomper. He did the thing with Brian Lee. That may be underrated too. The thing with him and the Stomper.
Starting point is 02:45:32 Yeah. And him and Bubba, the big boss man, even though they just had a couple of matches that weekend. But yeah, Kevin and the Stomper, because Kevin knew how to work with Stomper. Keep it crazy.
Starting point is 02:45:46 And Stomper had great cardio, but, you know, Archie, at that point, he was almost 60. So go balls to the wall for like seven or eight minutes and fucking tear the place up and get to fuck out of there before Archie gets tired. I remember Scott Cornish telling me, because I didn't go to the first fan week in 93. I started after that.
Starting point is 02:46:09 And I think I'm pretty sure it was the very first event, and it may have been Mars Town, but there was the Mongolian stomper against Kevin Sullivan. And before brawls around the building were a common thing. These two guys brawled all around the building in and out. yeah and he said it was like nothing he'd ever seen before well let's see that's the thing is because that's what you did with the stomper but nobody else did that i mean we had an angle one time where where the heavenly bodies and the gangsters fought out the back of the building in knoxville and across the street and we shot it right but that's an angle and we had a gang fight match with
Starting point is 02:46:51 the bruise brothers of the bodies where they fought all over the building in knox one time but that was you know, one, the stipulation that we did let that year, right? So, but with Archie, he's supposed to be crazy. And the bigger that you can build that, that 10 minutes of chaos up, it was like the sheik without, you know, snakes and too much blood. And that's the thing, Archie couldn't get juice anymore, the stomper, because he worked for the sheriff's department, he transported prisoners. Some of them they had AIDS. He didn't want any open wounds, right? They were, okay, we don't have to. It's still you play the Halloween music. And everybody goes crazy. And it's wild and it's in and out. And I remember that night,
Starting point is 02:47:39 they went out the back door and they came around. They fought back in the front door. And the people go nuts. And in eight to ten minutes, they've been out there, they've done it. You don't beat the stomper because why would you beat a legend? And they were all happy. But again, underrated feuds or storylines. Oh, you know what? Go ahead. Underrated because it was immediately overshadowed.
Starting point is 02:48:12 And I think it's still underrated to this day probably. Tracy Smothers and Chris Candido ladder match. Oh, yes. Okay. Well, like, because that latter match is because they had them in all the towns, including it. I had just seen Sean and Razor in Los Angeles at a WWF house show. And they did the spot and I told the guys about it.
Starting point is 02:48:33 Sean went too far up when they shot him into the ladder that was leaning in the corner. He went up too far and overbalanced and went straight over the top rope and almost killed himself. And I'll be damned, Tracy didn't do the same thing in Beckley, West Virginia. Only took even worse of a bump because we didn't have pads. And the ladder went over with him and landed. I was goddamn brutal. But anything Tracy and Candido did, those were excellent matches also.
Starting point is 02:49:02 I can't believe I didn't bring that up at the start. And also, again, it wasn't underrated, but Buddy Landell's baby face turned. And stemming out of the match he had for the Intercontinental title with Sean Michaels in Knoxville. And they had a great match and the finish worked perfect. and, you know, that began his baby-faced turn against me and the rest of my reprobates. But that was a nice little piece of business.
Starting point is 02:49:36 I loved the build to the Rock and Roll Express and Tracy and Tony, Dirty White Boy. And it resulted eventually in a great match just not with the Rock and Roll Express. Yes, one of the better matches in Smoggy Mountain history with the substitute, heavenly bodies. We did all that whole build for like six weeks and never had the goddamn match between Tracy and Tony and the wrong and roll because that's when things happened outside the ring
Starting point is 02:50:05 with Ricky and Tracy and their significant others. And I remember being down there for, that was the Super Bowl, Super Bowl of wrestling, and they actually had TV commercials, local TV commercials with Ricky and Andrea Morton advertising some Outlaw show again. I don't even know if it was Terry Landell. It was someone against you.
Starting point is 02:50:25 May have been. I think, I'm sure it was. And boy, well, maybe they got to people that couldn't get into the Coliseum that night. But nevertheless, I see, I'm still pricklish 30 years later. It was cool, though, I'll say this as a fan who was like a heel fan. And also, because I already knew you, you know, you kind of root for the people, you know. But, you know, I'm a heel fan. I didn't know the heavenly bodies were there.
Starting point is 02:50:50 So when you hit the ring. and then you hit the music. It was a real cool mo. And then the match was just an amazing match with that pile driver through the table, the greatest one ever. Yeah, good times, good times. Yeah, and that's...
Starting point is 02:51:05 The popcorn was great. The soda was great. Everything was great. But here's the table spot. I think I told you this before, but because we're having a crazy match and it's the blood and everything because we're trying to start a new program.
Starting point is 02:51:18 The bodies had just become available because they're running. New York had come. to an end so they're coming back and I wanted to keep Tony and Tracy baby face because the program with the Rock and Roll Express wasn't going to happen
Starting point is 02:51:31 so they're having the crazy match and we're going to break a table. It's a big show of the year. So we're going to break a fucking table in one match. And Tracy backdropped Tom out on the floor. He backdropped him onto the table
Starting point is 02:51:47 but it didn't break because he hit it at a a slant rather than straight on. So I buzzed by, I said, break it some kind of way. It is Tracy got up and grabbed Tom, Tom's a pile driver, whatever, and Tracy gave him that pile driver, and it's not one of the four mica tables like they sell at Home Depot. The Knoxville Civic Coliseum in like 1964 had bought 7,000 of these tables that they still had.
Starting point is 02:52:20 I mean, I was there in the 70s, and this is the 90s. It's the same fucking tables. And they were particle board. And when Tracy gives Tom the pile driver, Tracy's ass went just in a hole through the table without breaking the frame. And Tom went in on top of him, and they were stuck folded up like a pocket knife. Tracy ass first and Tom head first in this fucking table. And you couldn't do that on purpose. purpose. Somebody ought to go bow to rest those tables from the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
Starting point is 02:52:58 You know, I just saw, I think you retweeted at Tommy Noe, put up the show notes because he was the ring announcer that night in Knoxville. And I had never seen them before. And it reaffirmed just a thought and a feeling I had. You know, that Judge Otto dealer promo, like when I would think back to it, I couldn't remember when it was. I kind of thought it was like in the middle of the show and it went for 20 minutes. Turns out it was right before the main event. Maybe that's why it felt so long because we were ready for the main event.
Starting point is 02:53:28 And there's this guy, and we thought at first, because we didn't know. We don't know who like the Knoxville local TV celebrities are. I think a lot of us smart fans thought, oh, there's a new heel manager. Okay, there's a little gimmicky for the area, but let's see where this goes. And then it went nowhere.
Starting point is 02:53:43 What they'm trying to tell you to come down to the car lot and buy some car. Oh, no. Where it went was we got our monthly chance. from fucking classy motors is where it went because Judge Otto Dealer got to tell him. But did you read the format real close? That's where the tape was changed. Judge Otto Dealer was covering the tape change before the main event,
Starting point is 02:54:04 so we made sure we didn't run out. Did he know that? Well, I didn't bother sharing it with him. No, but it was like, go long. Go long. We need the extra time. Go long. No, I knew whatever he went, it was going to be too long.
Starting point is 02:54:17 So I just said, do you do the thing you're supposed to do. It was like a fever dream for a while because he never appeared again on, like, TV, unless you got the commercials with the show. So who was Judge Otto dealer? And why did he disappear? I've got to go back and check the paperwork, but I think they may have paid for the pizza for the pre-show pizza party for the Golden Circle tickets also.
Starting point is 02:54:39 The judge gives the right verdict, I'll say. But thank you for the question. This next one was sent via Facebook, the cultic coordinate Facebook group sent by Adam Roscoe, what is the first thing Jim bought with his first big paycheck excluding houses and cars? Excluding houses and cars.
Starting point is 02:55:04 I never purchased a house until I moved to Tennessee to run Smoky Mountain Wrestling and I got a three-bedroom house out in the woods for 69 grand. And I never bought a car with a big paycheck in wrestling because I already had a car that worked
Starting point is 02:55:22 and as long as it worked, fuck, we're driving them till the wheels fall off, so why I have a new car? I've talked about my cars before. I think, did I total up the other day? I've only owned nine vehicles over the past almost 40 years,
Starting point is 02:55:40 and one of them I only had for two months before he got totaled in that wreck. They all end up with two, 300,000 miles. What did, I didn't, my first big check, what is big? In Memphis, I made four or five. Would your first big one be Mid-South? Would it even be in Memphis?
Starting point is 02:56:03 That's what I'm saying. In Memphis, I made four or five hundred bucks a week, but a couple weeks I made seven-something. I'm like, oh, shit, you know, but it didn't change anything. In Memphis, yes, or in Mid-South, rather, the checks went all the way up to $4,500 a week. was our best. And that's 40 years ago. But the Louisiana, the rent was cheap on
Starting point is 02:56:32 apartments. I had the same car all year. I would buy new clothes, but that was because I needed them when the suits got destroyed. Watts had the talk with us one time about comparing the price of Kruggerand's versus cocaine and I bought $3,000 worth of Kruggerand's. Wait, what? I told you that, haven't I? I don't know that story.
Starting point is 02:56:56 Was the option, you know, you could either buy this or that? How did this go down? Was what? No, all the guys were buying cocaine because they were making thousands of dollars a week and they were all in their 20s, right? So he had the meeting and he held up a package of sweet and a lobe. And he said, you can spend all your money on stuff like this and what do you have? Or he held up the Kruger range.
Starting point is 02:57:24 He said, I buy a financial advisor, can get you gold or whatever the fuck, but he wasn't trying to make any money on it. He was just saying, invest your money. Here are these Kruegerands. I went out and bought $3,000 worth of Krugerans. Wait, did you buy it from Bill Watts? No, I went to wherever the place was in Alexandria that sold gold and bought Krugerans. I had them for four or five years, and then I said, well, I wonder if them Krugerans,
Starting point is 02:57:54 is worth anything. And I think they were worth about the same thing as when I bought them. So I sold them. But I had more money than the guys that bought $3,000 worth of cocaine. But no, I didn't. There wasn't anything I needed to spend that money on because I had, you know, What was your first big electronics? What about your first big electronics purchase after you started making money in the wrestling
Starting point is 02:58:21 business as a manager? Well, no, my bigger electronics purchases were probably before I got in the business. I had no road expenses, no rent, no, you know, I wasn't pay any taxes. I just making all that photo money. That's why I had turntables and cassette decks and fucking VCRs up the wazoo. I mean, the most expensive VCR ever bought was that badass fight. Well, no, I was going to say that badass beta machine we talked about a couple of weeks ago that I still have the Sony HLF 1000, but there was a super VHS machine with a built-in character
Starting point is 02:59:06 generator and editing capability that came out. I think it was, I can't remember the model number, but I paid $1,500 for it. That's how I'm working for Crockett, and I'm making, you know, $150,000 a year, so I'll spend $1,000 on a video machine. I mean, again, I never bought an expensive car. I never bought an expensive house. I never bought expensive clothes except if I was going to write them off as a business expense because television. So I didn't really make any big purchases just because I particularly started to,
Starting point is 02:59:46 I just always got what I wanted to get at the time. Now, again, from when I left Tennessee to where I went to mid-sense, a big purchase was not having to eat fucking hamburger helper. Oh, shit. I'll just get a big bunch of fucking food. From 200 bucks a week on a good week to a thousand, there's some element of I'll eat more, but I mean, am I ducking this question, Brian?
Starting point is 03:00:17 The most money I ever spent on anything from money I made in wrestling was promoting fucking wrestling. Jim, let's go to our next question. This one was sent via the Cult of Cornette Facebook group by Jersey Baranowski. Oh, come on now. Jersey Kaczynski was booked? Why Rip Rogers didn't work more in Smoky Mountain Wrestling? He was not retired, as he worked a few years later in OVW and his friends with Jim,
Starting point is 03:00:50 but his stint in Smoky Mountain Wrestling was very brief. Well, yeah, Rip never moved out of Seymour. And Seymour, Indiana is a pretty good piece from Knoxville. I booked him to come down and do television for us early on when we were doing the, you know, we do TV once a month and maybe do a couple of spot shows the next couple of days. and then I could put him on the weekend, but it was a, you know, a three-day loop for him so that it made the trip worthwhile,
Starting point is 03:01:24 but I wasn't going to use RIP as a main event guy because I didn't want to have to even drive from Seymour, all that, you know, that constantly every fucking week and probably didn't think he was going to. He was doing other things. He's always promoted shows or he was getting involved with OVW, even at that point with Danny Davis. But I knew that he could come down and have a tremendous match with Paul Orndorff
Starting point is 03:01:54 or a tremendous match with whoever I was trying to get over. And at the same time, he'd probably bring a guy or two down with him that could do jobs on TV and that he could have them drive, whatever. So that's the only reason. It was, you know, I wasn't suddenly going to give Rip a main event push. didn't particularly want to ask him to move to goddamn East Tennessee from Seymour, Indiana, just to, you know, work a few days a month. Well, Jim, our next question sent, via the Cult of Cornett Facebook group,
Starting point is 03:02:31 was sent by Barry Duquette. Why was Ernie Roth the Sheik's manager outside of the Detroit area, while Eddie Kreechman was the manager I knew? It was confusing to a 10-year-old meet. as Roth was in all the magazine picks, and I had no idea who he was. Well, now, help me, Brian, and maybe I'm remembering incorrectly,
Starting point is 03:02:57 but did they do that at the same time, or did Kreechman succeed Ernie Roth when he went to New York and became the Grand Wizard? Was there some duplication? now because I'm thinking was there some duplication maybe did Abdullah Farouk last longer in Toronto than in Detroit? But I don't know that that's the case. Farooke was with,
Starting point is 03:03:29 Abdullah Farooke was Ernie Roth, who left that gimmick to become the Grand Wizard of Wrestling as the manager in the WWWF in the early 70s. Farouk had been with the Sheik for so long and they were in all the magazines together, and because Sheik didn't do promos, he was, Farouk was heavily featured, but I am remembering,
Starting point is 03:03:54 and somebody like our friend, Supermouth Dave Drayson, or somebody in the Midwest can confirm this, but Sheik had to get somebody else when Ernie went to become the wizard, and that's when Creechman filled the spot, because I know by 1970, 74, Creechman was the full-time manager because he's the one that came to
Starting point is 03:04:18 Indianapolis with Sheik when he settled the war with bruiser. So I think 73 was the line of demarcation between Abdullah Farouk and Eddie Creachman. Remember, there's a scene and I like to hurt people where they like have a little bit of a, like they're both being interviewed and they're both just giving it to each other. They're fighting with each other. So they must have done something at some point. When one of them turned. That's right.
Starting point is 03:04:45 I remember that. Yeah, where they, well, I mean, Creechman just didn't fall out of a fucking helicopter, to quote Jim Hurd. So there was probably some element of transition there that they worked locally. Remember Floyd Creechman? Oh, God, yes. But I hadn't thought about him in a long time until you just mentioned that name.
Starting point is 03:05:10 Well, Jim, let's go to our next question now. This was sent. via email from Corny Drive-Thru at, to Corny Drive-Thru at gmail.com, excuse me. Or we're talking to ourselves. We're asking our own question. This is a mess here. Ladies and gentlemen, here's our question. My friend Ronnie and I have a theory that you can usually tell how good an indie wrestling show will be based on the concession stand.
Starting point is 03:05:37 Hot dogs in a crock pot? Not too good. shredded chicken sandwiches probably a decent show Jim what arena back in the day from your touring around had the best concession stand
Starting point is 03:05:53 and what one had the worst and also what was your favorite snack from a certain arena this was sent by Leonard Hayhurst Heath Ohio signed Mr. Who-hoo from He-Ha-Ohio Who, hey, hey, he, he, ha. There can be no doubt that the favorite food that I ever ate from any arena in the United States was the sausage dogs with cheese sauce all over them, and they're like quarter pounders.
Starting point is 03:06:25 They're huge. They're the size of Peter North's penis. Why do you keep talking about Peter North? Well, because he's the standard for penises. Is he? And it, well, what do you think? who just take a look at that and think of somebody to get their eye put out no I hadn't oh that that that was that's that's a teeny little fucking thing you can barely see it you got to get
Starting point is 03:06:50 a magnifying glass nevertheless but harry reams I don't want to encourage you let's continue on it I'm trying to get back to concessions and hot dogs and sausages and things the Louisville gardens the sausage dog with the cheese sauce I would get one or two every Tuesday night at 6.50, the concession stands would open up because doors were at seven, and I would be there in the building already, and I would be standing there at 650 right on the side of the heels entrance to get my sausage dog so I could wolf it down before I'd start taking pictures. And that remains my favorite thing that I've ever eaten from any of the arenas. Now, having said that, back in those days, and with a lot of the buildings we went to,
Starting point is 03:07:39 you didn't really get a chance to sample a lot of the food maybe every once in a while you found a friendly fan that you knew was friendly and was not going to put some kind of cat poison in your fucking drink and you could get a drink but Evansville, Indiana at the Coliseum had the absolute most flattest, weakest, putrid, watered-down, disgusting tasting soft drinks
Starting point is 03:08:08 and the saltiest popcorn that had ever been popped because they figured the more they salted the popcorn, the more you'd buy the drinks. And the hot dogs tasted like they were boiled in some type of stale water and then put inside a soggy fucking bun that had no discernible bread taste. So it was just like you were eating,
Starting point is 03:08:36 like what is that, tofu? You were eating a tofu hot dog wrapped in fucking paper. That was Evansville. Now, a few of the buildings used to have good pizza, but this was before the days where it was really fashionable for any of the sports arenas to have the variety and the gourmet cuisine that they have today, and you were basically salty popcorn,
Starting point is 03:09:04 hot dogs of questionable quality, soft drinks that may or may not be watered down and occasionally pizza that at least gave you some type of feeling that you were eating something. That was about it. Overly salted popcorn. Well, that's an old trick.
Starting point is 03:09:26 Bobby Fulton swears by that on his shows. And that's what you would do. I think it's on sale now, ladies and gentlemen. And there you go And that's the thing When we were running the goddamn Smoky Mountain Spot shows or Ohio Valley Wrestling spot shows
Starting point is 03:09:45 And you'd look out in the building And you'd see the goddamn House wasn't that good You'd send the word back salt to fucking popcorn Because at least they'll buy more drinks All right Well let's get another question or two in here, Jim Before we need some drinks
Starting point is 03:10:04 this one was sent to corny drythru at gmail.com it is from mike jim i am sure you've been asked this a million times but who is the best spear in wrestling well i haven't been asked that a million times because to be honest with you until the last what ten years or so nobody really did it that much except for rhino i got to
Starting point is 03:10:33 and hacksaw dug in used to do a thing that they called the spear. Remember that playing on his football background, but he would get down in the three-point stance and he'd run and he'd leap in the air and he'd give you a shove with both hands, and it looked like he speared you with his shoulder. So it was a whole different thing.
Starting point is 03:10:53 But I, besides Bronn Breaker, who is, you know, I mean, again, with the speed and the fucking ferocity and everything, I think it's the best one today, Roman Raines may have got more mileage and made more money with it. But Rhino in his day, just that fit him. I still think the gore is my favorite one of those because, you know, he looked so good doing it. That looked like a thing he would do and guys took great bumps off of it.
Starting point is 03:11:26 So that would be my, oh, that would also be my thought is suddenly out of nowhere and the sun is shining, it's raining outside. I thought somebody was pissing on my office window. That seems like a logical conclusion to come to. Jim, what about Goldberg's spear? Oh, I forgot about him. Yeah, he was really killing people, though. So, yeah, it looked good,
Starting point is 03:11:51 but he was fucking making people's children born dizzy. So that was a good one, but I think you have to take a point or two away for the actual internal damage. What about edge? Shit. Is that thunder? Yes. It is a sunny day in my front yard. I'm looking out the window, and it just started pouring rain for a second, and now it's thundering.
Starting point is 03:12:18 Somebody's mad at me for the way I'm asking, answering these questions. All right. Obviously, the world is coming to an end. We'll wrap this thing up pretty quickly, but what about Edge? What about Edge? Wait a minute, here comes the frogs. The frogs are falling from the sky. We'll stop when you get to the Locust. Jim, what about Edge's Spear? Now we had them in May, the locust. Edge, well, he did it good too, but when you're looking at Bronbreaker and you're looking at Rhino, yeah, I'll take edges for I'll let those two motherfuckers hit me. What are Roman Raines?
Starting point is 03:12:50 Well, I said Roman Raines probably made more money with it. I mean, he does a good job of it, and it's believable, but you don't have the speed of Bronnbreaker, nor the perception of impact of Rhino. Is the spear done too much? Yes, because you've named 18 people and do the fucking spear, and I keep going back to the same two. All right, well, ladies and gentlemen, with that,
Starting point is 03:13:16 the drive-thru, where is this thing? There it is. Hey, the drive-thru is closed. You hear the thunder? All right. I'd rather listen to the thunder. Hey, come on now. That was some nice rainy day music
Starting point is 03:13:35 for a nice rainy day ending. Songs return next week. Send yours. to corny drive-thru at gmail.com, send your questions there. Of course, once a month at least. We'll get a post on the Cult of Cornett Facebook group for everyone saying you missed it. I'm sorry, it was up for over a day.
Starting point is 03:13:49 What do you want me to do? That's that. Of course, you can get access to the archive, patreon.com slash cornet. $5 a month gets you access to the archive going back to 2013. Patreon.com slash cornet. The official Jim Cornett YouTube channel,
Starting point is 03:14:05 go there right now. Just go to YouTube and search for Jim Cornett. It'll come right up. full episodes, clips of the episodes, and omnibus collections. Subscribe today, the official Jim Cornett YouTube channel. Cornett's collectibles at Jimcornet.com. What's going on, Jim? Well, before I get electrocuted by lightning hitting the house,
Starting point is 03:14:25 I'll just say that in the next couple of weeks, we're going to have big news on a wonderful holiday sale with brand new merchandise for all the fine people. And until then, those t-shirts are half-priced. Jimcornet.com. At Jim Cornett.com. The drive-thru is brought to you by the Law Office of Stephen Pino, 87750, Steve. Get even with Stephen, new law office.com.
Starting point is 03:14:48 And that's it. You listen to the wrestling news every day, wherever you find your favorite podcast. Get your wrestling news and the morning wrestling newscast. The wrestling news.com or wherever you find your favorite podcast. But until the experience in a few days, and next week back here on the drive-thru, for Jim Cornett, I'm the great Brian last. Heavenly Thunder
Starting point is 03:15:07 Tallyho!

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